This year’s CAST Communication Award[1] goes to Cornell research professor Sarah Evanega, director of the Cornell Alliance for Science, who is described as a pioneer, international leader, and icon of young science communication professionals.
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has recognized Dr. Evanega for her leadership of the Alliance for Science. The innovative global platform has trained 800 people in 50 countries with innovative, progressive tools for communicating agricultural science courses.
Since its founding in 2014, the Alliance has become a credible source of biotechnology information. It addresses some of the misinformation surrounding issues such as vaccines, COVID-19, and climate change while providing a global platform that allows others to speak up in support of access to agricultural technologies.
As part of her leadership of the Alliance, Dr. Evanega has launched an imaginative outreach tool. A ‘Modified’ food truck will travel the country to deliver science-based information around GM foods and edible samples.
A ‘Modsquad’ team of science communicators will also engage with people about climate change science and its role in combatting food insecurity.
Dr. Evanega is research professor in the Department of Global Development with a joint appointment in the School of Integrative Plant Science in the College of Agriculture at Cornell University. In addition, she is an adjunct faculty member at the Boyce Thompson Institute and was instrumental in launching the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences initiative, AWARE (Advancing Women in Agriculture through Research and Education), which promotes women in agriculture.
The award, sponsored by the Farm Journal Foundation, will be presented during World Food Prize Symposium week in October 2021.
[1] The Borlaug CAST Communication Award is presented annually for outstanding achievement by a scientist, engineer, technologist, or other professional working in the agricultural, environmental, or food sectors for contributing to the advancement of science in the public policy arena. The award is dedicated to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, “The Man Who Fed the World” and author of CAST publication #1, and to Dr. Charles A. Black, first CAST President, first Executive Vice President, and member of the founding committee of CAST. These two men embody the passion and dedication to agricultural research and technology that this award is designed to reward.