Café Synthetique: Biology as Technology

Mon 20 February 2017

The Panton Arms (and other local pubs)

This months theme will focus on how biology is used as technology, with a particular focus on how we have and will continue to shape plant crops species. We have two excellent speakers whose work focuses on how technology has been and will be used to modify genes both for use as research tools in genetics and evolutionary biology, and also as a means of plant breeding. Free bar snacks and good conversation provided!



Talks and speakers

"Biology as Technology: An Unexpected History of Innovation in

Living Things"

Dr Helen Anne-Curry

Department of History and Philosophy of Science

Helen's current research considers the history of global conservation, in particular efforts made to preserve the genetic diversity of agricultural crop species through the practice of seed banking.



"Breeding technology for better crops"
Dr Alison Bentley
NIAB

Alison has worked on a range of projects within NIAB’s flagship wheat pre-breeding programme, including research on characterising flowering time response and the exploitation of novel genetic diversity and genomics tools for wheat improvement. She has a strong interest in the genotype x environment interactions controlling complex traits and in the application of genomics in the breeding of high yielding, climate resilient cereals.



For more information and to RSVP, please see: http://tinyurl.com/ze3f2gj.

Cost: Free