Delborne named 2021 AAAS Fellow
Editor's note: this story was originally published by NC State University College of Natural Resources News in January 2022. The following is an excerpt from the original article.
Jason Delborne has been named a 2021 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest general scientific society in the world. Delborne is one of the 564 scientists, engineers and innovators from around the world to be recognized as 2021 AAAS Fellows for their “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.”
“AAAS is proud to honor these individuals who represent the kind of forward thinking the scientific enterprise needs, while also inspiring hope for what can be achieved in the future,” said Sudip Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals, in a press release.
Delborne is a Switzer Fellow, professor of science, policy and society in the NC State Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program, a University Faculty Scholar, and the director of NC State’s Science Technology and Society program. He is being recognized for “exceptional contributions to the understanding and practice of public engagement for the governance of emerging environmental technologies.”
“As an interdisciplinary scholar who doesn’t fit neatly into traditional academic boxes, I’m really honored to have my contributions recognized by the premier science organization in the United States,” Delborne said. “I’m also excited to contribute to the AAAS mission of promoting science for the public good, in the broadest sense.”
Since joining NC State in 2013, Delborne has studied the challenges and potentials of public and stakeholder engagement surrounding emerging environmental biotechnologies. His research has generated more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, appearing in journals such as Science, Social Studies of Science, BioScience, and Public Understanding of Science.
Delborne’s recent projects have focused on the genetically engineered American chestnut tree, a gene drive mouse for biodiversity conservation, and the genetic biocontrol of invasive carp. As a social scientist, he studies the ways that engagement can influence innovation and the choices made about how to release novel biotechnologies into the environment.
“Emerging biotechnologies, such as CRISPR and gene drives, create new possibilities to address challenges in agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and public health. These tools are exciting, but we need to develop them responsibly and in ways that bring diverse stakeholders and communities into conversations about technology design, development, regulation, and deployment,” Delborne said.