Biotechnology & Forests with NC State’s Jason Delborne

"We have genetically modified food; How about trees?" NC State's Dr. Jason Delborne focuses on highly politicized scientific controversies, drawing upon the interdisciplinary field of science, technology, and society. Biotechnology is a hot topic and a potential tool to combat forest threats, like the creation of transgenic American chestnuts that are blight-resistant to the devastating chestnut blight. Is everyone on board? We'll find out from Jason.

Dr. Jason A. Delborne is a Professor of Science, Policy, and Society and a University Faculty Scholar at North Carolina State University. Appointed in 2013 to the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and the Genetic Engineering and Society Center, Delborne teaches and conducts research at the intersection of environmental policy, biotechnology, and public engagement. Jason engages qualitative research methodologies to explore how policymakers, stakeholders, and members of the public interface with emerging biotechnologies designed for environmental benefit. Recent projects have focused on the genetically engineered chestnut tree, a gene drive mouse for biodiversity conservation, and the management of free-ranging cats in National Parks. Delborne was twice appointed to expert committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), which published Gene Drives on the Horizon (2016) and Forest Health and Biotechnology (2019). He serves on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Task Force on Synthetic Biology and Biodiversity Conservation, which published Genetic Frontiers for Conservation (2019). His academic scholarship includes over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, appearing in journals such as Science, Social Studies of Science, BioScience, and Public Understanding of Science. Delborne holds a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University (1993) and a doctorate in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley (2005). He completed an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (2006-08) and was an Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, and Policy at Colorado School of Mines in the Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies (2008-13).