GES Center Publications

Jennifer Kuzma, September 1, 2020 | This article explores attitudes of stakeholders involved in biotechnology towards the Responsible Innovation (RI) framework.

Responsible Innovation in Biotechnology: Stakeholder attitudes and implications for research policy | Elementa

Rosemary Brandt, July 21, 2020 | Nicknamed the "billion-dollar beetle" for its enormous economic costs to growers in the United States each year, the western corn rootworm is one of the most devastating pests farmers face.

Returning to Farming’s Roots in the Battle Against the ‘Billion-Dollar Beetle’ | Agricultural and Resource Economics

Todd Kuiken, June 11, 2020 | The following reflection was part of a special GES colloquium held on June 5, 2020, discussing the new USDA regulations on GM crops. Which was held in the midst of national protests against police brutality. They are my personal reflections in support of #blacklivesmatter and the systemic racism and inequalities seen throughout our institutions.

Blog: We must do better...

Jennifer Kuzma, June 3, 2020 | Release of GM mosquitoes in Florida is imminent. But a multidisciplinary team of scientists believe that more studies are needed first. They encourage a publicly accessible registry for GM organisms.

Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Florida and Texas beginning this summer – silver bullet or jumping the gun?

Nora Haenn, 5/20/2020 | COVID-19 has shown us, there’s an important consequence for the way globalization is both local at all points and persistently invisible in its entirety.

Blog: COVID-19 Reveals the Personal Side of Globalization - GM Researchers Should Take Note

Royden Saah and Eli Hornstein, 4/22/2020 | To counter the COVID-19 pandemic, YES we can be responsible AND take urgent, unfamiliar action.

Lessons Learned for Risk Governance of Synthetic Biology, Nanomaterials, and Other Emerging Technologies in a Post-2020 World

Mike Jones, Sep. 11, 2019 | The development of gene drives is progressing more rapidly than our understanding of public values towards these technologies. Findings from this research can inform responsible innovation in gene drive development and risk assessment.

Does the US public support using gene drives to control agricultural pests?

Faculty Publications

Some of our most recent faculty publications. See the full, searchable database of GES-related faculty publications here.

Article	Keywords
Effect of microplastics on ecosystem function: Microbial nitrogen removal mediated by benthic macroinvertebrates Huang, Y., Li, W., Gao, J., Wang, F., Yang, W., Han, L., Lin, D., Min, B., Zhi, Y., Grieger, K., Yao, J. Effect of microplastics on ecosystem function: Microbial nitrogen removal mediated by benthic macroinvertebrates. Science of the Total Environment, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142133.	Microplastics, Nitrogen removal function, Denitrification, Anammox, Chironomids, Microorganisms
Transitioning Machine Learning from Theory to Practice in Natural Resource Management Saia, S., Nelson, N., Huseth, A., Grieger, K., Reich, B., Transitioning Machine Learning from Theory to Practice in Natural Resource Management. Ecological Modelling, 435: 109257. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109257 PDF	Machine learning, Natural resources management, Stakeholders, Decision-support tools, Decision-making, Process-based modeling
Responsible innovation in biotechnology: Stakeholder attitudes and implications for research policy Roberts, P, Herkert, J and Kuzma, J. 2020. Responsible innovation in biotechnology: Stakeholder attitudes and implications for research policy. Elem Sci Anth, 8(1): 47. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.446 Download PDF	Responsible innovation, Biotechnology, Governance, GMOs
Secondary Risk Theory: Validation of a Novel Model of Protection Motivation Cummings, CL, Rosenthal, S., and Kong, W. (2020). Secondary Risk Theory: Validation of a Novel Model of Protection Motivation. Risk Analysis. doi: 10.1111/risa.13573	Protection motivation, Risk response, Risk tradeoffs, Secondary risk theory, Secondary risks
U.S. Oversight of GM Crops: A Place for Values? Kuzma J (2020). U.S. Oversight of GM Crops: A Place for Values? In Eds Goldberg, A. Feeding the World Well. John Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD.	Food, Ethics, Values, Regulation, Governance
Consumer expectations and attitudes toward nanomaterials in foods S. Zhao, C-H Yue, and J. Kuzma (2020) Consumer expectations and attitudes toward nanomaterials in foods. Pages 705-733. Chapter 17, Handbook of Food Nanotechnology: Applications and Approaches. Academic Press Elsevier: Cambridge MA. July 2020. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-815866-1.00017-0	Nanopackage, Nanotechnology, Experimental auction, Structural equation model, Information effect, Willingness-to-pay, Food
An Integrated Approach to Oversight Assessment for Emerging Technologies Kuzma J., J. Paradise, G. Ramachandran, JA Kim, A. Kokotovich, SM. Wolf. (2020) An Integrated Approach to Oversight Assessment for Emerging Technologies. Chapter 17 in Emerging Technologies: Ethics, Law and Governance. Eds. Gary E. Marchant, Wendell Wallach. London: Routledge. 23 pp. July 2020. doi: 10.4324/9781003074960	Governance, Nanotechnology, Emerging Technologies, Oversight

Journals and Workshop Reports

Exploring Stakeholder Perspectives on the Development of a Gene Drive Mouse for Biodiversity Protection on Islands: Landscape Analysis and Workshop Report

Authors: Jason Delborne, Julie Shapiro, Mahmud Farroque, S. Kathleen Barnhill-Dilling, Tyler Ford, Dalton George, and Sonia Dermer (2019)

Mice offer an ideal genetic model for exploring the possibility of developing a synthetic gene drive in mammals. As pests, they pose challenges to human health (through disease transmission), agricultural yields and storage, and biodiversity, especially on islands where they are not native. In line with the guidance of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report on gene drive research (NASEM, 2016), if research on gene drives in mice were to progress to a field trial, an island ecosystem would offer an additional level of physical containment. Thus, the focal application for the stakeholder landscape analysis and this workshop is the potential for developing and releasing a gene drive mouse on an island to suppress an invasive mouse population that poses a threat to biodiversity endemic to that island (e.g., nesting seabirds).

Biotechnology, the American Chestnut Tree, and Public Engagement: Workshop Report

Authors: Jason Delborne, Andrew Binder, Louie Rivers, Jessica Cavin Barnes, S. Kathleen Barnhill-Dilling, Dalton George, Adam Kokotovich, and Jayce Sudweeks (2018)

In April 2018, a team of NC State faculty and students convened a stakeholder workshop to explore opportunities for public engagement surrounding the development, regulatory review, and potential deployment of a genetically engineered American chestnut tree. As perhaps the first GMO designed to spread and persist in the wild, the tree has the potential to restore a functionally extinct species but also raises important ethical, political, ecological, and cultural questions. This report describes the workshop and its purpose, details the substance of the discussions, and offers the research team’s perspective on lessons learned and ways forward.

Journal of Responsible Innovation: Roadmap to Gene Drives – Research and Governance Needs in Social, Political, and Ecological Context

Edited by: Jason Delborne, Jennifer Kuzma, Fred Gould, Emma Frow, Caroline Leitschuh, and Jayce Sudweeks (2018)

The Genetic Engineering and Society Center at hosted a workshop in February of 2016, supported in part by the National Science Foundation, entitled ‘A Roadmap to Gene Drives: A Deliberative Workshop to Develop Frameworks for Research and Governance.’ (see workshop site)

In order to examine core governance issues and research needs in an anticipatory way, this 3-day workshop brought together over 70 subject matter experts from academia, business, government, and non-profit organizations from 10 different countries in Europe, Australia, and North and South America. Those experts were invited to submit papers for this special issue of the Journal of Responsible Innovation. In total, 13 peer-reviewed papers are included in the special Gene Drive issue of the Journal.

BMC Proceedings: Environmental Release of Engineered Pests: Building an International Governance Framework

Edited by Lucy Carter, Zachary Brown and Fred Gould (2018)

In October 2016, a two-day meeting of 65 academic, government and industry professionals was held at North Carolina State University for early-stage discussions about the international governance of gene drives: potentially powerful new technologies that can be used for the control of pests, invasive species, and disease vectors. (see workshop site)

Presenters at the meeting prepared seven manuscripts elaborating on the ideas raised. This BMC Proceedings issue presents the collection of these peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Synthetic Biology Governance: Delphi Study Workshop Report

Authors: Pat Roberts, Sharon Stauffer, Christopher Cummings, and Jennifer Kuzma (2015)

In order to explore risk governance data needs, opportunities, and challenges for SynBio, we initiated a research project funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 2013. This project had the overarching goals to “unpack” the broad field of SynBio for more nuanced and productive policy discussions and help set priorities for risk-relevant data collection, organizational and/or legislative readiness for oversight, and public and stakeholder engagement. In doing so, the project chose four case studies of potential applications of SynBio that are not yet in the final stages of research and development. We employed a four-round policy Delphi study to anticipate governance needs upstream of technology development and consumer use. (see Synthetic Biology Sloan Foundation Grant site)

Annual Reports

GES Center Annual Reports

GES 2018-19 Forthcoming
GES 2017-18
GES 2016-17
GES 2015-16
GES 2014-15

Annual Reports to the National Science Foundation

GES Blog

Read blog articles from GES faculty and students

Issue Briefs

Synthetic Microorganisms for Agricultural Use (Johanna Elsensohn and Kelly Sears, 2017)
Public Response to New Technologies in Food Depends on the Type of Tech (Matt Shipman, 2015)
Sloan SynBio Briefs
- De-extinction (Kelly Sears, Sharon Stauffer, and Jennifer Kuzma, 2015)
- SynBio E-cases: Includes De-Extinction, Cyberplasm, Plant Microorganisms, and Biomining

Presentations

Slide decks
Webinars

Statement on Productive, Inclusive, and Ethical Communication

Adopted June 28, 2013

Genetic engineering encompasses technologies, practices, and policies that can affect all of society and must be informed by substantial, rigorous, open, and inclusive civic deliberation. The Genetic Engineering and Society (GES) Center at North Carolina State University has adopted the following guidelines to promote productive, inclusive, and ethical communication. Download