About
May 2008 in the ISU Memorial Union
I’m Anastasia Bodnar, a PhD student at Iowa State University, majoring in Genetics and minoring in Sustainable Agriculture. My research includes improving nutritional quality of maize through genetic engineering and selective breeding. If you’d like to learn more about how I got to where I am, check out my CV page.
This blog is my small attempt to dispel myths abut GMOs and science in general, to encourage contemplation of science ethics, and to share my musings about science and culture. I’m looking forward to discussions on the topics at hand.
Because I don’t know my potential readers, I’ll do my best to provide a brief background of the science behind posts, or at least provide links to more information. One thing I vow not to do is simply repost news without commenting on it – which means that there may be long time gaps between posts when I am occupied with school/work. I’ll do my best to provide more info if requested in comments. If needed, you can contact me directly at anastasia@geneticmaize.com.
August 2007 at my transgenic maize plot
Comment Policy: As you can see from comments that have been posted, opinions that differ from mine are welcomed. I reserve the right to ignore any comments that contain foul language or threats. Comments that are not on topic may be ignored at my discretion. I am not responsible for comments that are not my own or for commenters that are not me.
Potential Conflicts of Interest Statement: When I was an undergraduate, I was employed part-time by USDA-APHIS in Beltsville, MD. I am currently employed as a research assistant at Iowa State University under a USDA-ARS researcher. I have never received compensation from any agribusiness for my research or writing. Any costs associated with this blog are paid by me personally; there are no sponsors here at Genetic Maize. My husband, Brandon Bodnar, provides technical assistance for this site. He is a computer scientist at Pioneer Hi-Bred International.
Disclaimer: The opinions in this blog are completely my own, and can not be blamed on any organization in which I do or do not take part.
Anastasia – welcome to the world of blogging. I am always excited when I see a scientist comes out to defend science and technology. I detest scientists who keep quiet as once English and Literature students take advantage of their writing prowess to contradict science. I would be happy to talk to you to teach you some strings of blogging.
Hi Anastasia,
I like the new look of the blog! You seem passionate about your subject and dedicated to its explication. I want you to be involved in shaping Wired Science’s news coverage. I posted about this plan to incorporate outside people into our news process. Check it out, and come join the network:
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/12/my-outboard-bra.html
Best,
Alexis
Just came across your blog and wanted to let you know that I’m loving it. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for posting information that portrays the positive influence GMO have had on agriculture and the world. As is the case with most scientific discoveries there will always pundits who simply report the negatives of some else’s finding. As a weed scientist I can attest to the impact GMO crops have had in reducing farmer inputs. GMO’s have allowed producers to manage their crops more efficiently and economically in addition to adopting more conservative production practices, such as no-till/conservation tillage practices, and reduced pesticide applications. Good luck on your degree.
Hey…this is actually a really interesting blog. You’re added to my blogroll.
You are being duped into a very slippery path.
Why don’t you do some REAL research? Start with doing some serious research on what is going on behind the scenes with Monsanto.
Watch “The World according to Monsanto” and “The Future of Food” You can watch these free online. Check youtube.
Start by taking 10 minutes of your time and watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axU9ngbTxKw
Wake up and smell the truth.
Thanks, Cheshire. Your blog is really interesting too! I used to work with medial entomology, so I’m really into your topics.
NoName, I urge you to educate yourself on the science. Whether or not capitalism is a good system, whether or not certain corporations have good practices… all of those things have nothing to do with the science. I can assure you that there is no “duping” going on at my blog, but I’m not trying to sell you anything. Can you say the same for people like Jeffery Smith or the producers of these films?
Hello Anastasia. I am a student and have only been writing on the subject of GMO’s for the past few months. I am looking for a non-profit org to interview and came across your blog which I really enjoyed. The push for more collabortive research is something I am passionate about. Do you know of any non-profits that are helping fund this kind of cooperative science? Most non-profit orgs that I find are purely pro or purely con. Thanks for what you do!
Julia, I wish I knew of non-profits working on inclusive farming methods! The closest I can think of is the Gates Foundation which has many different farming projects from developing local varieties to working with Monsanto to produce drought tolerant varieties of maize that will be distributed to farmers at low cost. Actually, the Gates Foundation is on my list of ideal employers because of their science based assistance programmes.
Check out their site for more info, especially the slideshow narrated by Bill himself: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/topics/Pages/agricultural-development.aspx#
[...] the week before I discovered another blog, Genetic Maize, by Anastasia. She’s a Ph.D. student at Iowa State University, and is working on improving the bioavailability of iron in maize through [...]