OSU News and Publications

The Food for Thought lecture series at Oregon State University will begin Tuesday, with national experts exploring the theme of "Unifying Ideologies: Food System Technology, Society and Sustainability."

The series includes lectures on on environmental, political, toxicology, agricultural and biotechnology issues. All lectures will be held at the La Sells Stewart Center on the OSU campus beginning at 7 p.m. They are free.

The first lecture will be Tuesday by Pamela Ronald and her husband, organic farmer Raoul Adamchak. Authors of "Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food," they will explore methods to ensure environmentally sustainable food production, the potential ecological benefits and risks of using genetic engineering in agriculture, concerns expressed by consumers, and their choice to bring both genetically engineered and organic food to their family dinner table.

The other lectures in the series include:

• Jan. 22: "Improving Food and Environmental Safety: The Surprising Role of Genetically Modified Corn," by Felicia Wu, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Pittsburgh,.

• Feb. 3: "Agriculture 2.0: Farming Systems in an Age of Climate Change," by Steven Savage of Cirrus Partners, an adviser on future strategies to all of the major agriculture technology companies

• March 4: "Beyond Environmentalism: The Case for a New Politics," by Michael Shellenberger, president of The Breakthrough Institute, co-author of "The Death of Environmentalism" and named a "Hero of the Environment 2008" by Time magazine.

May 5: "The Global Controversy over Genetic Engineering: What's Science Got to Do with It?" by Ronald Herring of Cornell University.