Alison Van Eenennaam Explained

Alison L. Van Eenennaam
Birth Place:Melbourne, Australia
Workplaces:University of California-Davis
Education:University of Melbourne (BS)
University of California, Davis (MS, PhD)
Known For:research on animal cloning and genetic engineering of livestock and science communication
Awards:National Award for Excellence in Extension from the American Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (2010) and Borlaug CAST Communication Award (2014)
Spouse:Joel Van Eenennaam (1990–present)
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Children:2

Alison L. Van Eenennaam is a Cooperative Extension Specialist in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis and runs the Animal Genomics and Biotechnology Laboratory.[1] She has served on national committees such as the USDA National Advisory Committee on Biotechnology in the 21st Century (AC21) and was awarded the 2014 Borlaug CAST Communication Award. Van Eenennaam writes the Biobeef Blog.[2]

Education

Van Eenennaam began her university career at the University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1987, receiving a BS (Honors) degree in Agricultural Science. She received a Master of Science degree in Animal Science in 1990, and a Ph.D. in genetics in 1997, both from University of California, Davis.[3]

Career

Van Eenennaam began her work in animal science as an intern at Genetic Resources Inc.'s Bovine Reproduction Facility in San Marcos, Texas in 1984. From 1991 to 1993 she worked as a livestock and dairy farm advisor for the UC Cooperative Extension in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Counties of California. From 1998 to 2002, following the completion of her Ph.D. degree, Van Eenennaam worked for Calgene (purchased by Monsanto Corporation in 1997) in Davis, California, first as a research scientist, and then as a project leader.[3] Since 2002, Van Eenennaam has been a Cooperative Extension Specialist in the field of Animal Genomics and Biotechnology in the Department of Animal Science at University of California, Davis.[4]

She has served on several national committees including the USDA National Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture, (2005–2009),[5] and was a temporary voting member of the 2010 FDA Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee meeting on the AquAdvantage salmon, the first genetically engineered animal to be evaluated for entry into the food supply.[6]

Research

The mission of Van Eenennaam's animal biotechnology lab is to "provide research and education on the use of animal genomics and biotechnology in livestock production systems", with a focus on beef cattle production.[7] Van Eenennaam's biotechnology lab at UC Davis is working on a collaborative project focused on the production of hornless dairy cattle through gene editing on a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant.[8] This project involves using a gene sequence from Angus cattle in the genome of dairy cattle to prevent horns from growing. Van Eenennaam stated that the use of genetics rather than chemicals to solve problems can address some of the animal welfare concerns and environmental impacts of animal production.[9] In October, 2016, this project was featured on Science Friday.[10] Funding sources for this research and extension program are found on Van Eenennaam's public website.[11]

Van Eenennaam was appointed to the Food and Drug Administration Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee evaluating the AquAdvantage salmon, a genetically engineered fish. A paper, authored in 2006 by Van Eenennaam with Paul Olin of University of California Cooperative Extension Sea Grant, discussed transgenic fish. The paper cites a number of benefits of genetically engineered fish, including a larger number of eggs laid per female, a low probability of carrying human pathogens, strong markets for aquaculture, and increased feed-conversion efficiency. This paper also describes the risk factor that these fish could escape breeding locations and mix with wild fish populations.[12]

In 2014 Van Eenennaam co-authored a review article on the use of genetically modified feed for cattle.[13] The data represented more than 100 billion animals in 29 studies and found "GMO feed is safe and nutritionally equivalent to non-GMO feed".[14]

Science outreach

Van Eenennaam won two awards from American Society of Animal Science. One was for the 2013 video Gene Shop,[15] a five-minute parody of Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” in which Dr. Van Eenennaam and UC Davis students engagingly emphasize the importance of funding for agricultural research. The second award was for the 2012 video Were Those the Days My friend?,[16] a take on a ballad from the 1960s that highlights the importance of genetic advances for improved production efficiency and food security. This competition was designed to further the "goal of sharing the importance of animal science with the public".[17]

Additional YouTube videos on biotechnology topics are linked to the BioBeef Blog written by Van Eenennaam in order "to try to interject scientific nuance into these controversial and often politicized scientific topics".[18] Van Eenennaam participated in the 2014 Intelligence Squared debate on the topic of genetically modify food.[19]

In 2014, Van Eenennaam was awarded the Borlaug CAST Communication Award by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), named after agricultural biologist and 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug. CAST indicated that Van Eenennaam is known for her communication skills and praised for her understanding of biotechnology, her enthusiasm for agricultural education, and her abilities to use novel ideas to get important messages to policymakers and the public alike.[20]

Van Eenennaam appeared in the 2016 documentary production, Food Evolution, written and produced by Trace Sheehan and Scott Hamilton Kennedy. The film, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, features scientific experts in the areas of genetics, biology, biotechnology, and nutrition, as well as farmers and activists discussing the problems of feeding a growing global population.[21]

Awards

Articles

Van Eenennaam has authored or co-authored more than 80 academic articles. The following are selected articles in which Van Eenennaam is listed as the lead author.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Animal Genomics and Biotechnology Laboratory. My Laboratory. 12 July 2017.
  2. Web site: Van Eenennaam. Alison. Biobeef Blog. Biobeef Blog. 12 July 2017.
  3. Web site: Van Eenennaam. Alison. Bio. US House of Representatives Document Repository. US House of Representatives. 1 August 2017.
  4. Web site: Van Eenennaam. Alison. About. Biobeef Blog. 1 August 2017. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170730065535/http://biobeef.faculty.ucdavis.edu/about/. 30 July 2017.
  5. Web site: Advisory Committee on Biotechnology & 21st Century Agriculture (AC21). Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture. US Department of Agriculture. 9 August 2017.
  6. Web site: 2010 VMAC Meeting Materials. Advisory Committees. US Food and Drug Administration. 9 August 2017. bot: unknown. https://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/20170404230911/https://www.fda.gov/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/VeterinaryMedicineAdvisoryCommittee/ucm201810.htm. 4 April 2017.
  7. Web site: Home. Animal Biotechnology. UC Davis. 11 August 2017.
  8. Web site: Improvement of Diary Animal Well-being by Genetic Dehorning. USDA Research, Education & Economics Information System. US Department of Agriculture. 11 August 2017.
  9. Web site: Van Eenennaam. Alison. 002 Engineering Hornless Cows; Blueberry Origins. Talking Biotech Podcast. 11 August 2017. 2015-06-14.
  10. Web site: Scientists Develop a Hornless Cow Through Gene Editing. Science Friday. Science Friday Initiative. 21 September 2017.
  11. Web site: Research Projects. Animal Biotechnology. 6 December 2016 . UC Davis. 21 September 2017.
  12. Van Eenennaam. Alison. Olin. Paul G.. Careful risk assessment needed to evaluate transgenic fish. California Agriculture. 2006. 60. 3. 126–131. 10.3733/ca.v060n03p126. free.
  13. 10.2527/jas.2014-8124 . 25184846 . Erratum . Journal of Animal Science . 92 . 11 . 4255–4278 . 2014 . Van Eenennaam . A. L . Young . A. E . free .
  14. Web site: Jon. Entine. The Debate About GMO Safety Is Over, Thanks To A New Trillion-Meal Study. Forbes.com. 6 September 2017.
  15. Web site: Gene Shop. YouTube. 30 August 2017.
  16. Web site: Were Those the Days My Friend. YouTube.
  17. Web site: Taking Stock. American Association of Animal Science. AAAS. 30 August 2017.
  18. Web site: Van Eenennaam. Alison. Valentines Day 2016. Biobeef Blog. 30 August 2017.
  19. Web site: Genetically Modify Food. Intelligence Squared. Intelligence Squared US. 21 September 2017. 2016-04-22.
  20. Web site: Alison Van Eenennaam. Borlaug CAST Communication Award. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. 2 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171116152956/http://www.cast-science.org/borlaug_cast_communication_award/laureates/bcca_laureates/alison-van-eenennaam/. 16 November 2017. dead.
  21. Web site: Press Kit. Food Evolution. 12 September 2017.
  22. Web site: UC Davis Department of Animal Science. Van Eenennaam. The Regents of the University of California, Davis campus. 2 August 2017.
  23. Web site: Excellence in Extension Awards. Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. APLU. 2 August 2017.
  24. Web site: Dr. Alison L. Van Eenennaam. American Society of Animal Science. ASAS. 2 August 2017.
  25. Web site: 2016 Awards. 2016 Beef Improvement Federation Research Symposium and Convention. Beef Improvement Federation. 8 August 2017.
  26. Web site: Meet the BIO Future Makers. BIO International Convention. Biotechnology Innovation Organization. 8 August 2017.
  27. Web site: Van Eenennaam. Alison. 2017 AAAS Fellows Recognized for Advancing Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 21 November 2017.
  28. Web site: Van Eenennaam. Alison. The Science and Regulation of Food from Genetically Engineered Animals. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. 25 August 2017.
  29. Web site: Van Eenennaam. Alison. The Potential Impacts of Mandatory Labeling for Genetically Engineered Food in the United States. CAST Issue Paper Number 54 April 2014. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. 25 August 2017.

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