A Tearful Graduation
April 29th was marked on my calendar for a long time. It was graduation in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. As Chair of a department I'm part of the platform party, the folks that sit on the stage during the event. Many folks look at such university events as a chore. It is Saturday night, you have to wear that skull-squeezing mortarboard and the toasty regalia. Parking is impossible and you're pretty much staying on campus for the night. And it could not be more wonderful. It means a lot to me. Because they tried to take it away. My view from the stage - graduates and their families gather to celebrate. It is an emotional time, because I almost lost this. In 2015 I endured a painful personal and professional attack that almost drove me out of science. Over the last 17 years I've been glad to talk to the public about genetic engineering, and that bothers those that profit from fighting it. Activist organizations use