By Christina Dierkes
As the world’s population continues to grow, farmers across the globe are working hard to feed more than 8 billion humans. Agriculture at that scale requires interventions, including herbicides and pesticides to keep crops healthy and free from disease and insect infestations. Chemical herbicides and pesticides were, and are, a common solution to these problems, but people are becoming more concerned about the environmental and health impacts of these products.
To address some of these concerns, Venkat Gopalan and Dehua Pei, professors in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Guo-Liang Wang, associate chair and Endowed Professor of Plant Protection in the Department of Plant Pathology in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, are using funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to work together on a new generation of biocontrol agents that avoid some of the pitfalls of chemical products while still protecting food crops.
“There are several challenges to producing enough food, from climate change to having enough water to grow crops, and by 2050, we will have to produce 60% more food because of an increasing world population,” Wang said. “Scientists in many countries, including at Ohio State, are working on these challenges, and one key area is to minimize losses from major plant pathogens.”
Going back to middle school
But in addition to their work on protecting crops across the globe, Wang and Gopalan are also interested in something closer to home: showing kids that they can become scientists. A partnership with science teacher Jill Schneider’s classes at Jones Middle School in Upper Arlington, as well as with teachers in the Columbus City Schools system, gives them the opportunity to do just that.
“We thought that improving this age group’s interest in STEM is important, and this is a great way to do it,” Gopalan said.
Along with team members Preeti Patel, Walter Zahurancik, Colton Jordan and Talia Collier, Wang and Gopalan visited multiple middle school science classes to present their research, introduce students to their research approach and to some commonly used personal protective equipment, and give them the opportunity to talk to professional scientists at a range of career stages and from a wide range of backgrounds.
Source : osu.edu