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SDSU Offers First-in-the-Nation Bachelor of Science Degree in Precision Agriculture

SDSU is at the forefront with its first-in-the-nation Precision Agriculture bachelor's degree. Precision technology and training are key to increasing farm profitability and will play a major role in ecosystem sustainability. Agriculture is experiencing a fast-paced evolution as technology continues to develop. Precision agriculture has emerged with an array of new and exciting – and increasingly high-tech – tools. The integration of computer technology with farm equipment, farm sensors, GPS navigation, satellite imagery and drone imagery are quickly revolutionizing agricultural production. While this revolutionary evolution is creating new opportunities within the agricultural industry, it is also generating a need for college graduates, pertinent research, and Extension expertise related to precision agriculture.

Part of what will make SDSU's Precision Agriculture program produce the best graduates is the incorporation of research and industry feedback into curriculum development. Students learn core lessons and skills which adapt as industry needs change while research identifies new approaches to complex challenges. The degree is a collaboration between the Department of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering and the Department of Agronomy, Horticulture & Plant Science.

Source : sdstate.edu

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Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

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Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.