About Us

The Florida Education Initiative is a working group of scientists committed to objectively educating the public on agricultural biotechnology and genetically modified foods.

This working group was started in 2000 by the University of Florida as a public education outreach. The goal of the group and this site is to provide objective scientific information on agricultural biotechnology in order to enable the public to make informed decisions about the technology. The intended audience is consumers and educators in Florida; however, others will find helpful information here as well. Click here for a map of our site.

Biotechnology and genetically modified or transgenic organisms are terms heard often these days. There is also a plethora of information on the subject, especially on the Internet. However, many of the sites do not provide a balanced viewpoint, nor do they present information that can be understood by the average consumer. This site strives to fill that niche.

Agricultural biotechnology, broadly speaking, can encompass many methods including age-old ones like cheese and wine making. However, in this site we use it to specifically refer to new technologies such as genetic engineering and transgenic modification. For more information on biotechnology, see our resources page.

Coordinators/Editors of the project:
Jeff Burkhardt, Professor, Food and Resource Economics Department
Tracy Irani, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Education and Communication
Maria Gallo-Meagher, Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy
Elaine Turner, Assistant Professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Graduate students Kristin Davis and Kelly Payson contributed to the site's content, format and editing. Kelly Payson wrote the text on the Florida, US, and International pages. Ben Goldman was responsible for the web design.

Contact Information & Feedback:
Florida’s Education Initiative on Agricultural Biotechnology
The University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611
(352) 392-0502 x 225

© 2001, Florida Education Initiative on Agricultural Biotechnology, the University of Florida. The material from this website is copyrighted. It may be used for educational purposes, research or private study but may not, for profit or any other purposes, be reproduced or transmitted in any other form without the written consent of the Florida Education Initiative.