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Increasing public understanding of transgenic crops through the World Wide Web

Department of Soil and Corp Sciences, Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, USA, pbyrne{at}lamar.colostate.edu

Deana M. Namuth

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Lincoln, Nebraska, 68583, USA, dnamuth{at}unl.edu

Judy Harrington

Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at CSU., judyh{at}lamar.colostate.edu

Sarah M. Ward

Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at CSU., sward{at}lamar.colostate.edu

Donald J. Lee

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at UNL., djlee{at}unlnotes.unl.edu

Patricia Hain

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at UNL., phain{at}unlserve.unl.edu

Transgenic crops are among the most controversial "science and society" issues or recent years. Because of the complex techniques involved in creating these crops and the polarized debate over their risks and benefits, a critical need has arisen for accessible and balanced information on this technology. World Wide Web sites offer several advantages for disseminating information on a fast-changing technical topic, including their global accessibility; and their ability to update information frequently, incorporate multimedia formats, and link to networks of other sites. An alliance between two complementary web sites at Colorado State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln takes advantage of the web environment to help fill the need for public information on crop genetic engineering. This article describes the objectives and features of each site. Viewership data and other feedback have shown these web sites to be effective means of reaching public audiences on a complex scientific topic.

Public Understanding of Science, Vol. 11, No. 3, 293-304 (2002)
DOI: 10.1088/0963-6625/11/3/306


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