Anti-GMO activists claim that research funded by Monsanto is biased, but no one has ever asked a Monsanto-funded researcher what the money was used for, writes Gabriel Sachter-Smith, a graduate student who received a Monsanto Fellowship.
Smith, a student at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), applied for a Monsanto Fellowship to fund his research in finding a virus-resistant strain of bananas—without using genetic modification. The selection process is made completely by the CTAHR. He was awarded $25,000 to fund his research. The majority of it paid for his “research assistantship stipend,” and the rest was for lab equipment and travel costs to present his research at a conference of his choosing.
“Monsanto has absolutely zero say or influence on what I do,” says Sachter-Smith. “Monsanto cares about supporting the next generation of crop scientists.”
Read the full, original story: CTAHR’s Monsanto Fellowships from a recipient’s perspective
