S2E3: Spiraling out of Silence; Speaking up for Science and Scientists with Kevin Folta
Message from Ivan and Liz: We want to bring listeners attention to this blogpost on Biofortified. https://biofortified.org/2018/08/kevin-folta-coi/ We believe that evidence presented here contradicts several of Kevins assertions in the episode about ‘radical transparency’ and urge listeners to consider them while processing our conversation. ########## In this episode, Ivan and Liz talk to Kevin Folta, Professor and Chairman of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida. Kevin’s research focuses on the functional genomics of small fruit crops, photomorphogenesis, and plant transformation. In addition to his many impressive publications, Kevin has been deeply involved in student education and communication of science to the public for many years. Unfortunately, his success in scientific communication has also made him a target. In 2015, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was filed to the University of Florida by US Right to Know as part of a campaign targeting the emails of public scientists who have spoken out in favor of biotechnology. In this emotional episode, Kevin describes the whirlwind of fake news and misinformation that ensued after the FOIA request. We talk about the spiral of silence these efforts intend to create and why it is absolutely vital to keep speaking up for science and for the scientists under attack. SHOW NOTES Paper: Bao, Z., Clancy, M. A., Carvalho, R. F., Elliott, K., & Folta, K. M. (2017). Identification of novel growth regulators in plant populations expressing random peptides. Plant Physiology, pp-00577. http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/early/2017/08/14/pp.17.00577 Kevin’s Websites http://www.talkingbiotechpodcast.com/ http://kfolta.blogspot.com/ http://arabidopsisthaliana.com/ Links to Real News https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkroll/2015/09/10/what-the-new-york-times-missed-on-kevin-folta-and-monsantos-cultivation-of-academic-scientists/#f3e425b619ad https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/jp/criticized-by-activists-professor-gives-grant-from-monsanto-to-food-pantry https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/academic-scientists-are-foot-soldiers-in-lobbying-battle-over-bioengineered-foods/104167 https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/how-to-attack-a-public-scientist/ http://scibabe.com/folta/ https://respectfulinsolence.com/2015/11/05/a-sad-day-for-public-science-advocacy/ http://croplife.ca/theres-a-new-void-to-fill-in-science-communication/ Find us on Twitter: @kevinfolta @talkingbiotech @ehaswell @baxtertwi @taprootpodcast taproot@plantae.org