Agenda:
7:00 - 7:30 a.m. Complimentary Breakfast sponsored by DuPont Pioneer

7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Borlaug CAST Communication Award Program
~ Winner's Remarks: Dr. Channapatna Prakash, Dean of College of Arts and Sciences at Tuskegee University
Everything I Know About GMOs, I Learned on Social Media

8:30 - 10:00 a.m.  Panel Discussion hosted in conjunction with the IFIC Foundation
Answering the Challenge of Expo Milano 2015: Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life

Moderator:
~ Kimberly Reed, President, International Food Information Council Foundation
Special Guest:
~ Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President, The World Food Prize Foundation
Panelists:
~ William Craft, Jr., U.S. Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary for Trade Policy and Programs
~ Doyle Karr, Director of Biotechnology Public Policy for DuPont
~ Dr. Channapatna Prakash, Dean of College of Arts and Sciences at Tuskegee University

Announcement and Release of Bringing Biotechnology to Life—grades 7–10 curriculum created jointly by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture and the IFIC Foundation
~ Julie Tesch, Executive Director, American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture
~ Kimberly Reed, President, IFIC Foundation

Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are now the leading platforms driving public discourse and also scientific conversation on food and farming issues online. Increasing participation of scientists, scholars, students, and other knowledge experts is helping to steer such conversations toward science-based dialog, especially in controversial areas such as genetically modified (GM) food. Such efforts by pro-science individuals and groups have made it possible for laypersons to learn more about the nuanced issues around GM technology and its larger implications. Informative infographics, animated cartoons, videos, audio podcasts, memes, and other such multimedia tools help in explaining complex science in a relatively simple manner. However, social media is overwhelmingly dominated by individuals and groups that are opposed to GM crops and food. These GM opponents, some of whom lead wellfunded, organized efforts to demonize these technologies, are equally adept if not better at using such tools, often misinforming the public and exaggerating or even fabricating the dangers of innovative technologies. Using memes, infographics, and multimedia clips culled entirely from social media, Prakash plans to show how these far-reaching online platforms have been both a blessing and a curse toward public understanding and acceptance of GM food.

Answering the Challenge of Expo Milano 2015: Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life
For the past six months, the world has been focused on a very important conversation: “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.”  This is the theme of Expo Milano 2015 (also known as the “World’s Fair”), which is taking place in Milan, Italy, from May through October 2015. It is the world’s largest, most historical gathering on food, with 20 million visitors and 145 countries participating, and millions more engaged virtually.  Be a part of this “Expo conversation” with key stakeholders (and bring your smartphones to spread the conversation globally!) on communication tools, best practices, and collaborative efforts as the world--and the next generation of food leaders--prepares to feed a planet of 9.6 billion people by 2050.