Glenn Davis Stone, professor of sociocultural anthropology and environmental studies, is part of an international team of researchers funded by the European Union to study CRISPR in agriculture and food production. With researchers from Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Kenya, the interdisciplinary team is looking at how different countries regulate CRISPR technology through policy, how the technology is being used in different places, and public perceptions of these developments. Stone is the co-leader of the perceptions part of the study. He has written extensively on genetically modified organisms in food and agriculture, and recently on how GMO controversies are affecting attitudes towards CRISPR.
Stone has recruited Lauren Crossland-Marr (PhD, ’20) as a postdoctoral researcher for the project. Bea Addis, a current graduate student in anthropology, is conducting opinion polling for the project. Paige Lockwood (AB ’21) also worked on the project while studying at Washington University as an undergraduate.
“This project is an interesting chance to follow how companies, scientists, and activists shape public perceptions of this new and already controversial technology,” Stone said.
