Sarah Evanega
Twitter: @sarah_evanega
Research Areas: Biotechnology, International Agriculture, Science Communication, Science Policy
While public debate around new technologies is both legitimate and important in democratic societies, the controversy inflamed by anti-science activism and deliberate disinformation campaigns risks harming society by blocking the deployment of technological innovations that could otherwise improve lives and the environment. Perhaps the clearest example is modern agricultural biotechnology, where a 20-year controversy about GMOs has led to an ongoing political stalemate that has blocked the technology’s deployment in numerous countries, particularly in the European Union and Global South, many of which could significantly benefit from climate-smart, insect-resistant, and nutritionally enhanced staple crops.
We work closely with global allies and partners in the US and around the world to ensure a positive science enabling environment. We conduct research on mis- and disinformation campaigns in key areas of science and track the global media landscape across a range of scientific issues. Through the Alliance for Science (AfS), an initiative founded and led by Evanega, we engage with communities and policy makers to improve science literacy and ensure science-informed policy making. AfS also leads purpose-driven, skills-based courses in science communication and science advocacy.
Research in the Evanega group is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USDA, the Gazard family, and other individual donors.
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Sarah Evanega: Using science communication to combat misperception
Study Finds ‘Single Largest Driver’ of Coronavirus Misinformation: Trump
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Alliance for Science Receives Grant for Gene Editing Communications
The Alliance for Science, a global communications initiative led by BTI Professor Sarah Evanega, received a $189,794 grant from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) to better inform the public about how research using gene editing tools can benefit sustainable agriculture. The Alliance provided matching funds for a total $760,271 investment. “Much of […] Read more »Sarah Evanega Joins BTI Faculty
Boyce Thompson Institute is pleased to welcome Professor Sarah Evanega as the newest addition to our faculty. Sarah is a science communicator whose research and outreach efforts focus on the nexus of plant science and society, and strive to ensure that plant science has positive impacts on agriculture, the environment and human health. “My research […] Read more »Sarah Evanega Wins Borlaug CAST Communication Award
BTI adjunct faculty member Sarah Evanega has been awarded the coveted Borlaug CAST Communication Award. Evanega is the founding director of the Cornell Alliance for Science, a global communications effort that promotes evidence-informed decision-making across a range of science issues. “With her ability to communicate on a variety of issues facing science, agriculture and technology, […] Read more »Alliance for Science launches hunger conversation at UN
The Alliance for Science converged on the United Nations Nov. 17 to launch a global conversation about ending world hunger. As the Manhattan skyline twinkled in the background, the Alliance’s 25 newly graduated global leadership fellows mingled with diplomats, journalists, academics and science allies, sharing the personal stories that prompted them to embrace technological tools […] Read more »
