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The world is her laboratory: NSF-supported PhD Student, accredited United Nations observer, studies Convention on Biological Diversity's engagement with biofuels and synthetic biology

Delegates from member governments discuss implications of synthetic biology and biodiversity on the development and deployment of biofuels at the Conference of the Parties, United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, Hyderabad, India, October, 2012

Delegates from member governments discuss implications of synthetic biology and biodiversity on the development and deployment of biofuels at the Conference of the Parties, United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, Hyderabad, India, October, 2012

This photo shows delegates of member nations in formal deliberations at the Conference of the Parties, United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, Hyderabad, India, October, 2012. Background: Deborah Scott, accredited United Nations observer, conducted ethnographic field research at the Hyderabadmeeting,, after which she also completed a 3-month internship at the Secretariat of the CBD in Montreal. In both venues, Scott, an NSF IGERT Graduate Training Fellow, studied global environmental governance, using biodiversity and synthetic biology in biofuels as a case-study in how member countries incorporate scientific uncertainty in developing laws, treaties, and regulations. Findings are helping to inform the CBD Secretariat as it prepares reports for its members and also contributing to her doctoral dissertation & publications in process.

Credits: Courtesy of Deborah Scott, Rutgers University