Institute experts join Plant Science Panel

This outreach activity is fundamental in creating awareness about the issues facing the provision of food, energy and water to meet the ever increasing global human population at the same time as protecting our precious environment.

James Hutton Institute scientists Professor Derek Stewart and Dr Eleanor Gilroy have joined an expert Plant Science Panel designed to be a one-stop-shop for plant science questions.

The panel will be available to tackle all sorts of plant science queries, whether it is about Ash Dieback disease, GM crops, bees and pesticides, mycotoxins in food or biofuels. Plant research is central to decisions about future energy, land use, wildlife, environmental protection, pest problems, nutrition and food safety.

People care a lot about these subjects but get frustrated by conflicting stories and research reports and find that information is rarely in a form that responds to their questions.

In the Plant Science Panel leading research institutions and learned societies across the UK have come together to make themselves available in a public panel, where people can put down questions and opinions for response.

Frances Downey of Sense About Science, who established the panel following recent debates, said: “Plant research institutions had brilliant outreach going on. But the many questions attracted by our recent land use debates, and on Rothamsted’s GM wheat research, revealed two problems.

"One was that you have to be quite ‘in the know’ about the most suitable place to find answers. The other was that researchers responding privately to individuals isn’t feasible when lots of people want to be involved.

"With a public panel, where everyone can read and follow up, we can persuade experienced researchers that the time is well spent. This kind of public-led, expert-fed approach means the agenda is also set by what people are actually concerned by, which sometimes contains a few surprises.”

Professor Iain Gordon, Chief Executive of the James Hutton Institute added: "It is a privilege for us to participate in the Plant Science Panel. This outreach activity is fundamental in creating awareness about the issues facing the provision of food, energy and water to meet the ever increasing global human population at the same time as protecting our precious environment."

Find full details of the Plant Science Panel and how to send them questions online.

Panel members have been nominated by: BBSRC, the Biochemical Society, Genetics Society, James Hutton Institute, John Innes Centre, Rothamsted Research, Society of Biology, Society for Experimental Biology, National Farmers Union, Society for General Microbiology, UK Plant Sciences Federation and Royal Horticultural Society.