Research Terms
Agriculture Horticulture Genetic Engineering Biology
Industries
National Center for Science Education, Member; 2008 - present
Florida Citizens for Science, Member; 2007 - present
American Society of Horticultural Sciences, Member; 2003 - present
American Society of Plant Biologists, Member; 1998 - present
Over 100 Journals and Books, Various; 2002 - 2011
50 invited seminars for scientific and lay audiences; light-plant interactions, genomics, GMO foods, evolution; 2011
A simple introduction to the idea of genetic engineering, especially as it applies to crops. The presentation is a comparison and contrast of crop domestication, traditional breeding and genetic engineering. Special attention is applied to questions: Which is more precise? What is natural? Is there evidence of harm? The answers are truly surprising! The presentation is based in the hard scientific literature but presented for the general audience. There always is time for questions.
Subject Areas:
Audience:
Adults
Duration:
1 hour or less
Fee:
Expenses Only
What is the hard science behind the construction of genetically modified plants? This presentation examines the science of biotechnology, how scientists build a GMO, at the nuts-and-bolts level. Previous audiences, both those that understand GMO technology and those that are hostile to it, find the presention informative. In either case it helps codify the factual basis of the technology, allowing the listener to frame their opinion based on facts rather than a casual understanding.
Subject Areas:
Audience:
Adults
Duration:
2-3 hours
Fee:
Expenses Only
We visit the classroom and describe how plants respond to light, an important factor in their environment. Aside from its role in photosynthesis, light drives many plant decisions. Different colors and intensities play a critical role. We give a presentation about the different colors and what they do, and leave behind LED light sources that the students can use to explore the principles presented. The in-class lab can explore concepts in plant physiology, genetics, and plant development. This is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
Subject Areas:
Keywords:
Audience:
High School
Duration:
1 hour or less
Fee:
No Cost
Why do certain controversies rage in the public space but not among experts? How can actual experts make headway in communicating complex topics against a tide of google-schooled pseudo-experts? The answers are counter-intuitive, and rely on trust building and a presence in social media. This presentation covers the strategies of modern science communication, and teaches concepts that make us better communicators in our personal and professional relationships.
Subject Areas:
Audience:
Adults
Duration:
1 hour or less
Fee:
Expenses Only
Where did your food come from, not just from the farm, but also from time? Our modern crops have been highly influenced by humans. Directed and incidental selection, eventually coupled to breeding, have improved wild plant products with marginal utility into the pelthora of varieties we enjoy today. This presentation takes us introduction of basic plant forms and then shows how humans have intervened in their improvement. What a long way we have come!
Subject Areas:
Audience:
Elementary School
Duration:
1 hour or less
Fee:
No Cost
Where did your food come from, not just from the farm, but also from time? Our modern crops have been highly influenced by humans. Directed and incidental selection, eventually coupled to breeding, have improved wild plant products with marginal utility into the pelthora of varieties we enjoy today. This presentation takes us introduction of basic plant forms and then shows how humans have intervened in their improvement. What a long way we have come!
Subject Areas:
Audience:
Adults
Duration:
1 hour or less
Fee:
Expenses Only
This versatile high-throughput screening system tests the effects of millions of random peptide sequences on growth and development of a variety of organisms. As an example, this system has been used to introduce novel peptide sequences that affect the morphology and physical characteristics of plants. Peptides that produce specific phenotypic effects, such as longer roots or increased pest resistance could have an immense array of potential applications such as creating more colorful flowers, increasing crop yield, or developing environmentally safe, low toxicity herbicides.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a system for identifying new or previously unknown peptides with biological activities can be used to identify new leads for both agriculture and human medicine.
System to identify novel peptides that have useful biologically activities
This screening system generates a library of DNA sequences coding for a random string of amino acids, flanked by cysteine residues. These sequences, when expressed in a plant, frequently resulting in a conspicuous phenotype. Plants which show potentially valuable traits are further analyzed to identify the nucleotide sequence and peptide that produced the effect. Because peptides can have such a broad array of effects, this system can effectively identify everything from ways of improving growth rate to changing the colors of flowers. In addition to plants, this screening approach can be used to inform drug design by allowing identification of specific chemical targets that interact with biological processes in animals and bacteria, which could lead to the development of new antibiotics.
HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES FIFIELD DEPT 1301 PO Box 110690 GAINESVILLE, FL 32611-0690
