UNH Today

Researchers with the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire will discuss the potential of CRISPR technology to revolutionize the field of biology and genetic engineering, and its ethical implications at the next Science Café New Hampshire in Concord.

Subhash Minocha, professor of plant biology and genetics, and Tom Davis, professor of biological sciences and genetics, will discuss “The Revolution in Modifying our Genes, via the Technology Known as CRISPR.” The event, which is part of NIH DNA Day celebrating DNA genetics, and genomics, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2016, at The Draft Sports Bar in Concord. It is free and open to the public.

CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats, is a powerful, new DNA-editing tool that scientists believe could transform the field of biology. It allows scientists to edit genomes with more precision than ever before. Recently, scientists in the United Kingdom received permission to use CRISPR to edit the genomes of human embryos for research purposes. Large agricultural companies are testing CRISPR to make drought-resistant corn and higher-yielding wheat, and researchers believe that CRISPR could help engineer plants that are resistant to blights.

Minocha studies the genetic manipulation of plant metabolism and stress response in plants, cloning and characterization of genes involved in polyamine biosynthesis, cloning and characterization of genes in marine algae for genetic manipulation, and gene editing for experimental purposes to understand plant metabolism and its regulation. Davis’s work focuses on the genetic analysis and manipulation of economically important plants, with current emphasis on strawberry and mint.

“Science Café New Hampshire brings monthly conversations to the public in Nashua and now Concord. SCNH intends to broaden local understanding of topics of relevance to residents and stimulate dialogue that enriches our ability to evaluate the issues through exploration, interaction and query. It is a unique opportunity for the public to directly engage with experts and a chance for researchers to gain public awareness of their work,” said Dan Marcek, co-founder of Science Café New Hampshire.

Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture is UNH’s original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission. We steward federal and state funding, including support from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, to provide unbiased and objective research concerning diverse aspects of sustainable agriculture and foods, aquaculture, forest management, and related wildlife, natural resources and rural community topics. We maintain the Woodman and Kingman agronomy and horticultural farms, the Macfarlane Greenhouses, the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, and the Organic Dairy Research Farm. Additional properties also provide forage, forests and woodlands in direct support to research, teaching, and outreach.