Archive: Science Update: Food Agriculture – The Plant Scientist’s Toolbox, March 9, 2023

Humans have used a variety of ways to modify food crops to suit our needs and tastes for more than 10,000 years. Over this time, the plant scientists’ toolbox has grown: first with “traditional” tools (like cross-breeding, selective breeding, and mutation breeding) and later with modern tools (like genetic engineering and genome editing, which are faster and more precise). Today, more than 90 percent of U.S. corn, cotton, and soybeans are produced using genetically engineered varieties (often referred to as genetically modified organisms, or “GMOs”).

In this Science Update, the presenters will:

  • introduce the general topic of food agriculture and why humans modify food crops;
  • explain the tools used by plant scientists to improve food crops; and
  • share examples of genetically engineered food crops, such as a rice variety developed to address vitamin A deficiency in South and Southeast Asian countries.

All individuals receive a certificate of participation and 100 NSTA activity points for attending the live seminar and completing the end-of-program survey. A certificate of participation is not awarded for watching the recorded version of the program.

We invite you to register for upcoming web seminars at NSTA.

View the Archive Video

To view the presentation slides from the web seminar and related resources, visit the resource collection. Continue discussing this topic in the community forums.

Below are comments from individuals who attended the seminar:

  • "I loved the myth busting section of the presentation. There are so many fears when it comes to GMO's but educating the public can be helpful for this."
  • "It as a topic I wasn’t as familiar with. I thought the presenters kept things simple and easy to understand while still introducing complex concepts behind it."
  • "It as a topic I wasn’t as familiar with. I thought the presenters kept things simple and easy to understand while still introducing complex concepts behind it."

A certificate of attendance was deposited into participants' account page for completing the evaluation form at the end of the program.

For more information contact: [email protected]

Community Reviews

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Lauren Cramer
Lauren Cramer

Helpful in Understanding GMOs

This web seminar was great for helping individuals that may not have much understanding of what GMOs are and how they benefit us. I appreciate the presenters taking the time to explain the f... See More

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