Making Connections: Interdisciplinary Science to Solve Real World Problems

Organized by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Institute for Sustainable Food Systems and the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

The Agriculture & Food Systems Institute is a non-profit, scientific organization engaged in applied research, technical capacity building, and outreach on topics that cut across agriculture, environment, and nutrition. Our commitment to interdisciplinary science has opened up opportunities for the organization to extend its work, sometimes in unexpected ways. During this event, Dr. Morven McLean, Executive Director, shared some examples, including how the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute’s conceptual work in environmental risk assessment of genetically engineered plants ended up being used to help frame discussions about the potential release of gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Morven McLean is the Executive Director of the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute, where she provides strategic direction, and management of, the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute’s investigator-initiated research programs and its extensive portfolio of education and training activities in the fields of nutrition, food safety, sustainable agriculture, and human and environmental risk assessment.