CALS Innovation Day celebrates transdisciplinary research

Benjamin Z. Houlton, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean, welcomed Gerald Chan, a renowned visionary, philanthropist, scientist and co-founder of the Morningside Group, as the featured keynote speaker.

In his opening remarks, Houlton recognized that in confronting “unprecedented global challenges in food security, environmental sustainability and human health, the need for innovative solutions has never been greater,” adding, “Dr. Chan represents exactly what we strive to instill in our CALS community – the ability to identify breakthrough scientific opportunities and transform them into solutions that benefit society.”

Chan’s address focused on the democratization of innovation and its role in university education, calling for a greater focus on real-world applications for students as AI continues to increase our collective access to knowledge.

“The world has changed. It is no longer about what you know but what you can put into action with that information,” he said. “To stay relevant, higher education must prepare students to solve messy, real-world problems by asking the right questions, not just recalling answers.” 

The day concluded with a ceremony recognizing the recipients of RIO’s inaugural Innovation Awards, honoring outstanding contributions in innovation by faculty, students and industry partners. Award winners were:

• Best Patent and Technology Award: Joseph Peters, professor of microbiology, for his “Programmable CRISPR - Associated Transposons for Targeted Gene Integration.”
• Best Entrepreneurship and Engagement Award: Buz Barstow, associate professor of biological and environmental engineering, for his research on “Applying Biology to the Challenge of Sustainability.”
• Student Entrepreneur of the Year: Seongmin Shin, Ph.D. candidate in the field of development studies, for his work on “C-BRIDGE: Faster, Trustworthy Carbon Credit with LiDar.”
• Best Partnership Award: Angry Orchard Cider Co. in recognition of its ongoing collaboration with CALS researchers, including Gregory Peck, associate professor of horticulture.

“Honoring our faculty and industry partners is a celebration of curiosity, creativity and impact” said Xingen Lei, associate dean of RIO and organizer of the Innovation Awards. “Their work transforms ideas into real-world solutions that make a lasting difference.”

Katie Thomas is the creative content specialist for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.