Ep 117: Dr. Bastian Minkenberg on Genome Editing

On this episode, Katie is joined by Dr. Bastian Minkenberg, a postdoctoral scholar in the Innovative Genomics Institute's agricultural genomics branch. He started working on genome-editing in the food staple rice during his time as a Beachell-Borlaug International Scholar at Penn State. He now continues his efforts to improve disease resistance and yield of crops at UC Berkeley. Bastian is originally from Germany and obtained his bachelor and master degrees at RWTH Aachen University. His goal during his time at the Innovative Genomics Institute is to develop tools for precise genome-editing and accelerated plant breeding using advanced plant tissue culture and CRISPR methods. Another interest is to develop bioinformatic tools to avoid off-target editing in plants and to increase on-target activity. As ultimate goal, Bastian tries to develop an efficient gene repair system to easily change genetic information in crops to make them healthier and sturdier.   Would you like to incorporate this episode of "Research in Action" into your course? Download the Episode 117 Instructor Guide (.pdf) or visit our Podcast Instructor Guides page to find additional information. Segment 1: Genome Editing [00:00-12:19] In this first segment, Bastian describes his work with genome editing. Segment 2: Practical Applications of Science [12:20-22:02] In segment two, Bastian shares some of the more practical applications of his work. Segment 3: Mentoring [22:03-32:07] In segment three, Bastian discusses the importance of mentoring for researchers. To share feedback about this podcast episode, ask questions that could be featured in a future episode, or to share research-related resources, contact the "Research in Action" podcast: Twitter: @RIA_podcast or #RIA_podcast Email: [email protected] Voicemail: 541-737-1111 If you listen to the podcast via iTunes, please consider leaving us a review. The views expressed by guests on the Research in Action podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Oregon State University Ecampus or Oregon State University.