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Panel at Smith to Address Pros and Cons
of Genetically Modified Foods
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- Are genetically modified
foods a solution to world hunger or one more step along the path to environmental
degradation?
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, an agricultural
scientist, political activist and Worldwatch Institute researcher will
gather at Smith College to discuss this question and others relating
to the ever increasing use of biotechnology in agricultural practices
in the U.S. and around the world.
Laurie Sanders, host of WFCR Radio's "Field
Notes," will moderate the panel, which will take place in the Leo
Weinstein Auditorium, Wright Hall. The event is free, open to the public
and wheelchair accessible.
Panelist Brian Halweil is a senior researcher
at Worldwatch Institute, a research organization focusing on the issues
of environmental sustainability and social justice. He has traveled extensively
in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and Africa, learning indigenous
farming techniques and promoting sustainable food production. He recently
testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Foreign Relations on
the role of biotechnology in combating poverty and hunger in the developing
world. He holds a bachelor of science degree in earth systems and biology
from Stanford University and has completed research and fieldwork at
the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at the University
of California, Davis.
As professor in plant molecular genetics
and director of the Center for Plant Biotechnology Research at Tuskegee
University, panelist C. S. Prakash oversees research on food crops of
importance to developing countries and the training of scientists and
students in plant biotechnology. His research interests include studies
on transgenic plants, gene expression and plant genomics. He has received
funding for his research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the
National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
the U. S. Agency for International Development and UNESCO. He is currently
the principal investigator of a USAID-funded project to promote biotechnological
awareness in Africa.
Panelist Jeffrey M. Smith is the author
of "Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about
the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods We're Eating," published
this month by Chelsea Green Publishing. Smith has been involved with
questions regarding the health and safety of genetically modified foods
for nearly a decade. In 1998, he ran for Congress to raise public awareness
about the issue. He is the founding director of the Institute for Responsible
Technology and a member of the Sierra Club Genetic Engineering Committee.
For more information about this event, contact
Joanne McMullin, coordinator for Smith's Environmental Science and Policy
program at (413) 585-3951 or jmcmulli@smith.edu.
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Office of College
Relations
Smith College
Garrison Hall
Northampton, Massachusetts 01063 |
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Marti
Hobbes
News Assistant
T (413) 585-2190
F (413) 585-2174
mhobbes@email.smith.edu
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