Socioeconomics and Agricultural Biotechnology
Agricultural Biotechnology and the Environment
Valerie Askren, Ric Bessin and Lori Garkovich
University of Kentucky
Presented at the
National Science Teachers Association Annual
Convention
Bridges to New Frontiers - Professional Development
Louisville, KY
Valerie Askren Ric Bessin Lori
Garkovich
Department of Agriculture Department of Entomology Department of Community Economics Economic
Development
406 Barnhart Building S-225 Agric. Science North 500 Garrigus Building
University
of Kentucky University of Kentucky University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40545-0276 Lexington, KY 40545-0091 Lexington, KY 40545-0215
(859) 257-7272 ext 259
(859) 257-7456 (859)
257-7581
vaskren@uky.edu rbessin@uky.edu rgarkov@uky.edu
Biotechnology, Research
and Education Initiative (BREI)
BREI is a
team of multi-disciplinary research, extension, and teaching professionals from
the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Please visit our web site at
www.ca.uky.edu/brei/
BREI Publications
The series
is designed to help people understand and assess the risks and benefits of
agricultural biotechnology. All of these
can be downloaded free of charge at www.ca.uky.edu/brei/breipubs.html
1.
Biotechnology in Our Food
System: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
2.
Agricultural Biotechnology
and the Environment
3.
Food Biotechnology
3a. Food
Biotechnology Teaching Guide
4.
Molecular Farming: Using
Biotechnology in Agriculture for the Sustainable Production of New Materials
5.
Taco Bell Home Originals
Taco Shells Recall
Classroom Activities
Case Studies (contact vaskren@uky.edu for
copies)
Doug the Farmer
Dhruva the destitute
Marine Mammal Protection and Management
Farm Animals: Som e Specific Management Cases
BurgerMan
Egg machines and Krista the Scientist
Pigs with Human Genes
SuperSpud: World Hunger Case Study
Native American Culture and Whaling
Bangladesh Farm Decision project
Open-Ended questions
(Think-write-pair-share) / Writing Exercises
If you could clone something or someone, what would it
be? What would be the consequences of doing so?
Divide
into pairs. Agree to share one genetic
trait with another student. What trait
would you want and why? How would you
expect your life to change?
Is
it acceptable to clone viruses and bacteria for use in medicine? Is it acceptable to clone plants? Animals?
People?
What would be the consequences of removing biotech from both
the food and the industrial agricultural system?
Should scientists be influenced by the possible
socioeconomic impacts of their research?
Projects and
Demonstrations
Develop a survey gauging consumer attitudes towards genetically modified
foods. This could be done in the classroom or school, with parents/siblings, or
at a public location (such as a grocery store).
Tabulate and graph the results. Compare
the results to other surveys.
Conduct a taste test comparing genetically modified soybeans and conventionally
bred soybeans. Tabulate and graph the
results.
Collect data documenting the number of acres grown and amount harvested
of corn, cotton or soybeans in a given geographic area. Estimate how much is conventionally bred
versus genetically modified. Assume, a
new genetically modified seed was developed that increased corn yields by ten
percent (and all other things remained the same). Calculate how the total
acreage farmed would change if all farmers adopted this new seed (to keep total
production of this crop constant). How
would this affect the number of farmers required to grow this crop? Speculate what would happen to both crop and
food prices. Would farm income change?
Can scientists ever prove that biotech crops are safe?
Many people who object to biotech crops argue that the crops should not
be allowed to grow in the environment until science proves that they are safe.
Others who support biotech crops argue that science has proven that they are
indeed safe. As the instructor, hold a
rock three to four feet above the floor. Ask the students what will happen if
you let go of the rock. Hopefully, they will say that the rock will drop to the
floor! Then, ask the students to prove that the rock will fall to the floor
before you let go.
What is a hazard?
Ask your students what substances or activities do not represent a
hazard. A student or two may state that
drinking water does not represent a hazard because water is not toxic. What about brushing your teeth? But hazard alone is not risk. Remember, risk
is a function of both hazard and exposure.
Demonstration of risk as a function
of hazard and exposure: Fill a salt shaker with about 3
tablespoons of table salt and place the lid on it. Relate to the students that
three tablespoons of salt when ingested is a sufficient dose to kill a child
under about 40 pounds, and either kill an adult or make him/her very ill. Now ask the students what is the probability
that they will be exposed to the salt as long as it remains in the shaker.
Field trip to local biotech firm:
Every state has firms that specialize in biotechnology – either for medical,
pharmaceutical, industrial or agricultural applications. Research the industry first. Then do a site visit. Are there environmental risks ? How are they managed?
How do we manage risks?
Ask each student to list several natural and man-made risks. Then have each student identify several ways
in which we manage those risks. Example:
Solar radiation causing skin cancer. Managed by using sun block, wearing hats
and other clothing, limiting time of exposure outdoors. Example: Injuries caused by car accidents.
Managed by having drivers take tests to get licenses, wearing seat belts,
installing airbags.
Framing the Issue:
Have students research a biotechnology issue. Using the internet, collect articles that
frame the same “advancement” in different lights. Assess scientific accuracy of claims. Possible Issues: Golden Rice, Bt crops and
the Monarch butterfly, Terminator gene technology.
The Bioethical Challenge:
Identify the possible intrinsic and the extrinsic objections related to:
previous classroom experiments; recent scientific breakthroughs, as reported in
the popular press and science magazines; historical scientific advancements.
The Business of Science Challenge:
Questions for discussion: Should private companies be permitted to use teminator
gene technology? Should farmers in
developing countries pay lower price premiums for genetically-modified
seed? Should farmers be held liable for
genetic pollution?
The Policy Issues:
A public hearing before Congress
on a proposal to limit public funding of research on agricultural
biotechnology and to prohibit field testing of biotechnology products. Students assume the following roles:
Congressional representatives; Opponents (university and commercial firms
engaged in ag biotech research); Proponents (scientists, consumers, and
environmental and health interest
groups); The press. Students research
the arguments that would be presented by those in their role and prepare a
summary of these positions. Students
develop two questions that might be asked by someone in their role as to why
this proposal should or should not be enacted.
Conduct the public hearing.
Students evaluate the arguments.
Presented and make a recommendation to Congress in a summary white
paper.
Case Study: Food Aid to Africa.
You are an advisor to a leader of a developing nation experiencing
famine. The U.S. has donated surplus corn to your country, but it is
genetically modified corn. "Green"
groups are warning you that the corn is dangerous to human health. Others fear that farmers might plant some of
these seeds, cross‑pollinating with native corn, endangering important
export markets and revenue. But, if you
don't accept the surplus corn, many people in your country will die from the
famine. What do you recommend and why?
Classroom debate: Resolved that Congress should adopt
legislation mandating the labeling of all consumer products that contain any
trace amount of genetically modified components.
The Challenge of Consumer Choice:
A student survey gauging consumer attitudes towards genetically modified
foods. Students develop and administer
their own survey (5‑7 questions).
Students compile the answers and calculate percent distributions, mean,
median, and mode. Students compare their
answers to those in other surveys and discuss the ways in which who was asked
questions and how a question was asked.
Some students illustrate the responses using two different types of
graphics. Others prepare a written
report on the results. See
www.pollingreport.com, www.nal.usda.gov/fnic, or www.nationalcenter.org for
examples.
Audio-Visual Resources
Title: Harvest of Fear
Format: Video
Year Produced: 2001
Length: 2 hours
Distributor: Frontline
Description: In "Harvest of
Fear," FRONTLINE and NOVA explore the intensifying debate over genetically‑modified
(gm) food crops. Interviewing scientists, farmers, biotech and food industry
representatives, government regulators, and critics of biotechnology, this two‑hour
report presents both sides of the debate, exploring the risks and benefits, the
hopes and fears, of this new technology.
Title: Cloning: How and Why
Format: Video
Year Produced: 1998
Length: 31 minutes
Distributor: Hawkhill Associates
Description: Will cloning be the
most revolutionary of the new biotechnologies in the 21st century? This new
1998 release takes students to Scotland (where Dolly made history as the first
cloned mammal) and inside Neal First's laboratory at the University of
Wisconsin where experts predict the first cloned cow will be born. Students
will learn some of the details of just how cloning is done and they will be
challenged to consider the implications of what this revolutionary technology
might mean tomorrow.
Title: Biotechnology
Format: Video
Year Produced: 1995
Length: 28 minutes
Distributor: National Geographic
Society
Description: Biotechnology ranks
among the most fascinating and controversial of applied sciences. Using
biotechnology, genes ‑ the very codes of life ‑ can be moved,
changed, turned off, or even taken out of cells. While farmers have long
engaged in a rudimentary and indirect sort of genetic manipulation ‑
selectively breeding their livestock and crops ‑ what makes biotechnology
so profoundly different is that it allows for the direct manipulation and
movement of single genes across species barriers that separates different kinds
of living organisms...This video lays the groundwork for informed discussion on
the controversial topics of biotechnology, with basic information on the
biology of plants and animals and the science of genetics. (Comes with
Teacher's Guide)
Title: Pick of the Crop
Format: Video
Year Produced: 1998
Length: 25 minutes
Distributor: Lucerne Media
Description: Can biotechnology
produce foods that immunize us against disease? We examine the potential of
genetic engineering in crops and livestock. Research is underway that could
provide Third World countries with immunity against diseases such as cholera
within the next decade.
Title: BREI on KET
Format: Video
Year Produced: 2000
Length: 50 minutes
Distributor: Kentucky Educational
Television
Description: Interview with Dr.
Glenn Collins, professor and nationally recognized researcher of plant cellular
genetics, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of
Kentucky. Includes call‑in question and answer regarding biotechnology in
agriculture.
Title: A Short Course on
Biotechnology
Format: CD‑ROM
Year Produced: 1999
Length: about 30 minutes
Distributor: Council for
Biotechnology Information
Description: Excellent short course
that can be used with a personal computer or using a video projector with your
computer for classroom use. Can be presented with or without narration;
includes printable script. Pentium 200 or better processor recommended;
Microsoft Windows 95 or higher.
Title: Biotechnology in the Feed
Industry
Format: Book and/or CD‑ROM
Year Produced: 2000
Length: Time: 515 pages
Distributor: Nottingham University
Press. Edited by T.P. Lyons and K.A. Jacques
Description: Proceedings of
Alltech's 16th Annual Symposium. CD‑rom also includes 10th‑15th
Symposia 1994‑1999.
Educational Curriculum - Resource Web Sites
Educators nationwide are always
searching for resources, materials, and training that can help them bring
biotechnology into their classrooms. These sites point educators to some of the
most useful and scientifically accurate biotechnology educational sites on the
Web.
Of Apples and Animals
is a program from the Ohio State
University for third to fifth graders. This online resource includes a guide on
how to use the program and 4 units to show young students how biotechnology is
possible and to illustrate some of its applications. Each unit has a materials
list, activity guides and questions for discussion. http://ohioline.osu.edu/oaa/index.html
Cut the Fat ‑ Keep the Flavor
is an online resource unit from the
Iowa State University for grades 6 to 12. It is a collection of materials
educators can use to design their own programs about saturated fat in foods.
Part of the resource is devoted to how biotechnology was used to produce a
healthier soybean oil. This resource includes a good background section for
educators with a brief history of food biotechnology, information on federal
regulations and labeling and guidance on leading discussions on the issues
surrounding biotechnology.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/pubs/bi.htm
AgBiosafety
A University of Nebraska‑Lincoln
site on biotechnology and food safety that has an Education Center with lesson
plans, curricula, and interactive instructional modules; a database of risk
assessment information on biotech crops; and product‑specific background
information on a variety of crops.
http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/
Oklahoma State University
Resource page for integrating
bioethics discussions into the science classroom.
http://www.agr.okstate.edu/bioethics/
Iowa State University's Extension‑Science,
Engineering, and Technology (E‑SET)
includes biotechnology and basic
science activities for youth, resources for educators, on‑line activities
that teach both science and computer research skills, and provides tips for
incorporating science education into classrooms or home‑school settings.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/e‑set/
Council for Biotechnology
Information
is funded by the biotechnology
industry. It offers a special web
section for teachers and students, including an 18‑page activity book
incorporating short lessons, word puzzles, games and quizzes to help children
learn more about biotechnology (targeted to third and fourth graders). They also have an information kit that
contains a timeline of key biotechnology developments and short profiles of
some of the plant biotech pioneers, as well as plant biotech facts and figures
and frequently asked questions.
http://www.whybiotech.com/index.asp?id=1130
Educating About Agriculture
is an effort of American Farm Bureau
Foundation for Agriculture. The site
includes educational activities, resource materials, “Teachers Toolbox”, books
and videos.
http://www.ageducate.org/
University of Wisconsin‑Madison
SEE Biotech, in association with the
Outreach Program at UW Biotechnology Center, has developed a number of three‑
by four‑foot full‑color posters on bioscience topics. You can use
these posters to illustrate how science approaches research problems. The posters are available here as poster‑sized
and handout‑sized ".jpg" (bitmapped image files) and
".ai" (Adobe Illustrator vector graphics files).
http://www.biotech.wisc.edu/seebiotech/postercollection.html
Queensland Government
A collection of materials to assist
teachers with introducing agriculture into the classroom, including AgAware
(learning through agriculture ‑ a series of modules that integrate key
learning areas delivering core learning outcomes); Animal Welfare and Ethics;
Biotechnology; and Global Trends.
http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/kids/9716.html
Biotechnology in the Agriscience
Curriculum
The purpose of this web site is to
assist secondary agriscience teachers with the incorporation of agricultural
biotechnology into their curriculum. The general outline follows the Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Chapter 119, Agricultural Science and
Technology Education. Where possible, links to web sites providing examples and
additional information are given.
http://agbiotech.tamu.edu/teks_outline.html
Agricultural Biotechnology in the
Science Curriculum
The purpose of this web site is to
assist secondary science teachers with the incorporation of agricultural
biotechnology into their curriculum. The general outline follows the Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Chapter 112, Science and Technology
Education. Where possible, links to web sites providing examples and additional
information are given.
http://agbiotech.tamu.edu/science_teks.html