Rethinking Science Communication to Engage the Concerned Consumer

Kevin Folta, a professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida and internationally recognized science communicator will present at Utah State University about how one can communicate that science may help farmers, industrialized world consumers, the environment and the developing world. The presentation, open to all USU researchers, students and the public, is Monday, Feb. 25, at 3:30 p.m., in room 133 of the Life Sciences building on the Logan campus. 

Folta is recognized for his science communication efforts, speaking with public audiences, as well as training scientists and agricultural producers to be better communicators. In 2016, he was awarded the prestigious CAST Borlaug Award in Agricultural Communications and was named as the Ag Pro Person of the Year.

“Future innovation and deployment of beneficial technologies are slowed by a lack of understanding and insufficient science communication efforts,” Folta said.

Folta’s research program examines how light signals are sensed in plants and how different parts of the spectrum can change shelf life and high-value fruit and vegetable traits. His group uses novel genomics approaches to identify genes related to flavor and disease resistance. An innovative new project is testing a method to create new small-molecule drugs for use in everything from plant growth regulation to MRSA.

The Dean’s Seminar at Utah State University is co-hosted by the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, the College of Agriculture and Applied Science and the College of Science.

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