‘You have to have the courage to do it’: Kevin Folta on why scientists need to communicate with the public about GMOs

On Sunday, September 6, 2015, scientist Kevin Folta made the front page of the New York Times.

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Despite the fact that the funding wasn’t used for research and that Folta met university requirements in reporting potential conflicts of interests, this didn’t stop people from questioning his credibility. It led to online attacks, to threats against his wife, and to having his lab broken into.

While Folta doesn’t gloss over the impact this harassment has had on his personal and professional life, he is adamant that this will not make him stop.

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“Even though there are potential pitfalls in doing this, you have to have the courage to do it,” he says. “It’s too important of an issue. We are talking about people dying every day from malnutrition, a fragile environment that needs solutions, and farmers who are aging and aren’t making a huge profit – if they are making one at all.

“That’s the crisis. My personal problems are nothing,” he adds.

Read full, original post: Kevin Folta’s crusade for science