Daily Archives: January 5, 2020

The days when an inventor sat behind closed doors tinkering with groundbreaking technology are over. Nowadays, scientists from a variety of backgrounds work together to come up with an invention or a product. They also dare to bring it to the market at an ever-increasing rate. By no means are all innovations a success, but one invention is enough to change the world.

Innovation Origins regularly speaks to innovation leaders, trendsetters who are high on the innovation ladder. Steef Blok has the floor today. The director of TU/e Innovation Lab is responsible at Eindhoven University of Technology for valorization. That entails bringing knowledge from the university back to society. He has to deal on a daily basis with technologies that the rest of the world might not become acquainted with until ten years from now. Technology forms the foundation for the growth of prosperity in the Netherlands. Our daily lives are wholly influenced by it, Blok states.

He talks about the impact of technology in the past and its importance for the future: Our ancestors used to spend all day collecting and preparing food. Technology made it possible for food to be produced on a greater scale. As a result, not everyone had to deal with food and people started providing services. This is how the economy as we know it today came into being. Later on, machines began to take over more and more of the heavy work that people had to do, for example on farms. As a result, the economy grew and so did prosperity.

Sticking with that example for a moment, the advent of machines meant that the farms had to continue to grow as well. You cant put a large machine on one hectare of land. More space is needed for that. Besides that, farmers have to produce more in order to recoup the cost of those machines. Thats how mass production came about.

Although Blok believes that this type of mass production is now going to be phased out again with the advent of intelligent systems. We can connect machines through these intelligent systems. This allows us to remotely switch on the heating at home, but it also enables ASMLs machines to communicate with each other. The possibilities are unimaginable. Even for the aforementioned farmers. For example, a Brabant potato farmer flies drones over his land in order to measure the amount of manure and water thats on the land. He only fertilizes the soil that actually needs it. That saves time and money and is also better for the environment. The harvest will be better as a result too.

A potato is still a potato, but this farmer takes care of his land in a tailor-made way. Thanks to smart technologies, the more of the same mentality is a thing of the past. This can have several meanings. As an example, in the future, a machine could make a different product for one customer than for another.

Universities are indispensable when it comes to these kinds of developments. This is where such systems are conceived. Universities are about ten years ahead of the market. But not everything that is designed at a university will survive on the market. Some projects dont even get further developed into a product. If that does happen, it sometimes doesnt yield the results you envisage. Weve come up with inventions that I thought would make the world a better place. And nobody on the market cared.

I heard, for example, that early menopause is one of the main reasons why some women cant have children. Women are already really reduced in their reproductive ability ten years before the onset of menopause. For example, if someone starts menopause prematurely, at around 40 years of age, they would have already had low fertility from the age of 30. The average age at which a woman has a child in The Netherlands is now over 29 years of age. Technology might offer a solution to this problem.

At the university, we designed a diagnostic chip that allows us to detect the gene that can predict a womans early onset of menopause. As a result, women know at an early age whether they will start menopause early, and they can tailor the time when they can begin to have children. The chip costs about 6 million. So it seemed like the ideal solution. Expensive and often unpleasant treatments with hormones and IVF would be used less as a result. But in the end nobody wanted it. Women didnt want to know at all when they were going to go through menopause. Oh well. The world is full of surprises.

Consumers will ultimately use a product. Naturally, they have to want to do that. This is not only true in the field of healthcare, but also in the field of sustainability and circularity. Things are already improving in those areas. For example, we are already using more and more refurbished computers instead of immediately throwing away all our electronics. We are also handling food more carefully. If we dont want to burn waste anymore, but want to re-use everything instead, that should already be taken into account during the production process. In order to achieve this, entire production processes need to change.

Genetic engineering is also one of the topics that we do a lot of research on at the university, but on which public opinion is really divided. Bananas grow in a greenhouse under controlled conditions at the University of Wageningen. This way the plants are no longer affected by disease. This allows for a constant supply of bananas. These plants are genetically manipulated. I wouldnt hesitate for a second to use that on a large scale.

Genetic engineering in humans is also being explored more extensively. Ive worked in the hospital sector. Here Ive seen people suffer from diseases like cancer and Ive seen people die. Suppose theres a child on its way who has a disease or disability. But when you remove one gene, its completely healthy. Id do it. Although genetic manipulation does pose a risk to people. Imagine, for example, that over time youve designed a perfect human being. But thats true for other technologies: Atomic energy isnt bad, but an atomic bomb is. I admit that the engineered human being is a bit scary. But we can t stop technological progress.

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How innovation works: 'A perfect human being is the danger that genetic manipulation poses' - Innovation Origins

We are Earths Tech Support, declared Randall Kirk, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directorsand former CEO ofIntrexon. Intrexonis one of the biggest developers of synthetic biology (or engineering biology) applications in therapeutics, agriculture and chemicals. Kirk gave a keynote speech atSynbio Marketson synthetic biologys struggle to break into mainstream markets and its revolutionary new approach for industrial biotech in the food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and materials sectors.

Before these new technologies can save the world, they need to be accepted and get to market. Companies must overcome the usual hurdles in finding investment and meeting regulatory requirements. They must find compatible scale-up partners and face new challenges in communicating the benefits and safety of their novel technology to society.

Partnerships for Success

Collaborations are beginning to blossom in synthetic biology. The field is often likened to the silicon chip industry. In its infancy, a single company would design, build and use their own chips. Now, companies outsource the design, building, testing and manufacture of chips along a structured value chain thanks to standardization of parts and uniformity in the field. This took years to achieve. Synthetic biology companies are currently developing their own unique tools to perform new feats in engineering biotechnology. Standardization is the dream and, to achieve this, companies must work together to break into the market.

A striking partnership at the conference was that ofAMSilkandAirbus. The airline industry has a problem: they must increase fuel efficiency by reducing weight of their aircraft without compromising on safety. Composite materials are an alternative to hefty sheet metals and AMSilk produces a durable but lightweight material: synthetic spider silk. AMSilk is interesting for its energy absorption, which is important for safety of the aircraft, Detlev Konigorski of Airbus explains. This partnership could help Airbus develop safe new materials while helping the carbon footprint of the airline industry.

One of the kings of collaboration isGinkgo Bioworks. Ginkgo uses several automated platforms to speed up and precisely carry out genetic manipulation, growth and testing of cells. To build their analytical power, they collaborated withBerkeley Lights, whose technology allows functional screening of thousands of cells simultaneously, increasing throughput.

Ginkgo has used this actively in their healthcare collaborations, such as a recent team-up withSynlogic, a microbiome therapeutics company developing living medicines. Ginkgo used its platform to increase the potency of SynlogicsE. coli-based drug in non-human primates in less than a year. Ginkgo CCO Matt McKnight wants to build on these partnerships by partnering with early-stage companies. Theyrecently announced a $350 m platformto build companies using Ginkgos foundries. He foresees more partnerships in the synthetic biology space in future, I think we shouldnt have full stack engineering biology companies. In any discipline, we dont see this. People work together.

Chemicals giantBASFis also interested in partnering with synthetic biology companies. Markus Pompejus, Vice President for Innovation and Scouting addressed the conference in Berlin citing the companys wide range of products. In principal, many products could be produced with biotech methods. Synbio is a research topic, but biotech is the application, Pompejus says.

Partnering may be off-putting for early-stage companies who want to maximize ownership of their company and the topic came up repeatedly at Synbio Markets. Where do you draw the line? Where do you co-develop with customers or should you do it more yourself? asks session chair James Hallinan ofCambridge Consultants, an expert engineering firm.

Depends where you are, says Alexandre Zanghellini of protein design companyArzeda, The later you partner, the more value you capture. You certainly want to keep the process propriety until the point where it can be scaled, then partner with marketing, scale up and development partners.

Talking Tech and Selling Solutions

Synthetic biology exists at the nexus of biology and nearly every other field. Its less a field of study and more of a precision engineering approach to traditional biotechnology using standardized tools and platforms. Kirk argued in his speech humanity has been using synthetic biology for thousands of years, using crop breeding as an example of humans precisely selecting and breeding desirable traits to engineer better strains of corn, for example. Now our role in the world has changed.

Weve been doing it for 12,000 years and weve been doing it without thinking of the consequences. Synthetic biology allows us tremendous specificity and potential to solve world problems by targeting individual species, he said.

How does this help us synthetic biology products access new and existing markets? Every process has biology in it, McKnight says.InscriptasCCO Jason Gammack thinks the solution lies in getting a few tangible products to lead the way. We need to make the products tangible. In the US were in hyperdrive mode. Two years ago, there was very little. Now,Impossible Foodsis in Burger King, says Gammack. Gary Lin ofPurple Orange Venturesthinks we need to raise the profile of synthetic biology among the public, adding One of the hard challenges, we need policymakers and government funding to support this. The amount of capital gone into this space is a drop in the ocean.

The issue spills over into the regulation of gene-edited technologies, especially in Europe. We recently had a debate on CRISPR plants, says Nadine Bongaerts-Duportet ofScience MattersandHello Tomorrow. The European Union regulations says CRISPR-edited crops are defined as genetically modified (GM), while those edited by radiation exposure are not. Bongaerts adds, The difference between UV exposure and CRISPR [as gene-editing methods], everybody understands the regulations dont make sense. How do you, with a positive message, make sure everyone gets it? All the panelists agree that building trust is key.

The trust us, were scientists approach doesnt work because people dont understand the technology, according to Gammack. I would fault all the synbio community, says Kirk. We look at polling data on GMO attitudes, I thought healthcare would be the first area [accepted]. In terms of polling, people have the greatest acceptance to insect disease vectors, he says, citing IntrexonsOxitecand theirGM mosquitoas an example.

The messaging, particularly around GM and especially here in Europe, is a minefield. From our perspective, we need to be mindful of potential roadblocks, says Lin, GM in food is the most difficult to grapple with. Part of the process is creating awareness of what the food process looks like. Transparency and openness about the technology is a major factor in getting this technology to market.MonsantosFlavr Savr tomatodisaster is still fresh in peoples minds. Public acceptance to this technology is a must before the market can be broken into reliably.

We need to understand emotions and backgrounds of people we talk to, to link our advancements to the incentives they care about. We should not over-hype, because if you can be critical and open about it, people will trust you, says Bongaerts.

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Getting the Most from Biotech: Precision Engineering and Partnership - BioSpace

By Chris LangeJanuary 3, 2020 11:15 am

Companies in the biotech industry face an incredible amount of risk while getting their drugs to market. A study coming back negative or a candidate not being approved could crush a company. On the other hand, a positive clinical trial, or even an update from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), could send shares skyrocketing.

On a company by company basis, this makes investing in biotechs somewhat tricky. However, there is an investment strategy that makes this process much easier.

To mitigate this risk and concern about picking the winners or the losers within the biotech (or any) industry, exchange-traded funds offer a sampling and exposure to this market without an all-or-none risk in any single companys stock. As the saying goes: Theres an ETF for that strategy. ETF Database has collected much of the information about these ETFs, among others, and made it easily accessible for those looking to get into the game. Investors can use a number of ETFs to invest in a risky biotech industry.

iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ: IBB) has been around since February 2001, and it aims to track the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. This fund seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of biotechnology and pharmaceutical equities listed on the Nasdaq. Note that this is the largest biotech ETF, with $7.59 billion in assets under management. Its overall expense ratio is 0.47%, and it posted gains of over 22% in 2019. This ETF has a total of 218 holdings. The top 10 holdings include a mix of large-cap domestic biotech companies:

SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (NYSEARCA: XBI) has been around since February 2006 and aims to track the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index. This fund seeks to provide exposure to the biotechnology segment of the S&P. It has $4.37 billion in assets under management. Its overall expense ratio is 0.35%, and it traded up 30% over the course of 2019. This fund has 127 holdings. The top 10 holdings include a smattering of U.S. biotechs in the S&P 500:

First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index Fund (NYSEARCA: FBT) has been around since June 2006 and aims to track the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index. The fund targets biopharma companies involved with recombinant DNA technology, molecular biology, genetic engineering, monoclonal antibody-based technology, lipid/liposome technology and genomics. It has $1.81 billion in assets under management, its overall expense ratio is 0.57% and it gained over 19% in 2019. This ETF has 31 holdings. The top 10 include mostly domestic biopharma firms:

VanEck Vectors Biotech ETF (NASDAQ: BBH) has been around since December 2011, and it aims to track the MVIS US Listed Biotech 25 Index. This ETF seeks to track the overall performance of companies involved in the development and production, marketing and sales of drugs based on genetic analysis and diagnostic equipment. It was last seen to have $362.6 million in assets under management. Its overall expense ratio is 0.35%, and it traded up nearly 26% in 2019. This fund has a total of 25 holdings. The top 10 holdings include mostly domestic biotech firms:

By Chris Lange

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The Top Biotech ETFs to Watch in 2020 - 24/7 Wall St.

Illustrations by Lisa Larson Walker, Franco Zacharzewski, Natalie Matthews-Ramo, and Sarula Bao.

Future Tense started experimenting with publishing science fiction in 2016 and 2017, but we really invested in it in 2018, publishing one story each month. That year was capped off by Annalee Newitzs quirky and urgent When Robot and Crow Saved East St. Louis, which won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for the best short science fiction of the year. Our hope was that these glimpses into possible futures could provide a thought-provoking parallel to our coverage of emerging technology, policy, and society today, inviting us to imagine how the decisions were making today might shape the way we live tomorrow, illuminating key decision points and issues that we might not be giving enough attention.

In 2019, buoyed by the enthusiastic reactions of our readers, we published 12 stories by a diverse array of talented authors. Every story is paired with a response essay by an expert who provides additional context and delves into themes and challenges raised by the fictionand each story comes with arresting original illustrations in a plethora of styles, from bracing realism to mind-bending abstraction and surrealism. Each quarter is organized around a broad theme, giving us the chance to create a dialogue among the pieces and underlining our conviction that the future is a spectrum of possibilities, shaped by our collective decisionsnot a fait accompli or a foregone conclusion.

This October, we celebrated another milestone, publishing our first anthology, Future Tense Fiction: Stories of Tomorrow, with Unnamed Press. The book, which collects our short stories from 2016 through 2018, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus. We launched the anthology with scintillating public conversations with fiction authors, experts, and others in Washington, San Francisco, New York, and Phoenix.

Were more convinced than ever of the power of science fiction to expand our sense of empathy for people whose identities and day-to-day experiences are vastly different from our owneven beyond the bounds of what we currently consider human. This year, many of our authors grappled with issues of difference, exclusion, and inequality; with bullying and abusive behavior, from the schoolyard to the space station; with the dangers of alienation in digital spaces, and the opacity of technologies designed solely for profit; and with radical possibility and hope, from giant nutritious plants grown in space to entirely new forms of music and self-expression enabled by technological change. In a moment where the future seems impossibly turbulent, leaving us feeling powerless, science fiction can help us get our heads around the complexity, reminding us of the human minds, relationships, and problems buried under branding, hype, and jargon.

Future Tense Fiction will continue in 2020, with a new story, essay, and illustration each month. The first theme of the year (we couldnt resist): politics.

You can find all of our stories on the Future Tense Fiction landing page, and sign up for the Future Tense newsletter to get notified whenever we publish something new. (Its been on hiatus for a little while, but it will be back in 2020.) And dont forget to follow Future Tense on Twitter.

Thoughts and Prayers, by Ken Liu: A family grieving in the wake of a mass shooting finds themselves in a maelstrom of abusive, inescapable trolling powered by cutting-edge artificial intelligence.

Response essay: Whats in It for the Trolls? by digital culture researcher Adrienne Massanari

Mpendulo: The Answer, by Nosipho Dumisa: Two genetically modified young people navigate bullying and prejudice, and discover the secrets locked inside their DNA, in a world wracked by anxiety after a pandemic.

Response essay: Why Are We So Afraid of Each New Advance in Reproductive Technology? by journalist Sarah Elizabeth Richards, who often reports on reproductive technology and genomics

The Arisen, by Louisa Hall: A fairy tale from a future where truth-checkers, an elite caste implanted with chips that suppress emotion, are charged with sorting official fact from distortion and fiction.

Response essay: What Are Facts Without Fiction? by librarian Jim ODonnell

The Song Between Worlds, by Indrapramit Das: An overprivileged teen dragged to Mars on a family vacation stumbles beyond the cushy confines of their resort and encounters an entirely new form of musical performance.

Response essay: What Would Sound Be Like on Mars? by astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz

No Moon and Flat Calm, by Elizabeth Bear: A team of safety engineering students in a spacefaring future are plunged into a real disaster.

Response essay: How Will People Behave in Deep Space Disasters? by disaster journalist Amanda Ripley

Space Leek, by Chen Qiufan: An astrobotanist for the China National Space Administration, assigned to a distant space station, contends with stifling family expectations while researching how to successfully grow food off-worldand deals with a sudden, deadly crisis.

Response essay: What Will Humans Really Need in Space? by architecture professor Fred Scharmen

Zero in Babel, by E. Lily Yu: In a world where on-demand and even DIY genetic modification is commonplace, a young woman struggles to keep up with the punishing cycle of high school trends.

Response essay: The Future Will Grind On, by law professor Diana M. Bowman

What the Dead Man Said, by Chinelo Onwualu: A woman returns to her hometown in Nigeria after her fathers death, opening old wounds, in a future entirely reshaped by migration and climate chaos.

Response essay: The Scars of Being Uprooted, by journalist Valeria Fernndez, who frequently covers immigration

Double Spiral, by Marcy Kelly: An at-home DNA testing company turns to targeted advertising after a privacy scandal and a spate of new regulations, and a researcher at the firm uncovers a shattering conspiracy.

Response essay: Crossing the Germline, by bioethicist Josephine Johnston

Affordances by Cory Doctorow: People from all walks of lifefrom migrants and hapless teens to tech CEOsfind themselves in the clutches of terrible algorithms and search for ways to evade, confound, and even reclaim these technologies of oppression.

Response essay: Not Just a Number, by artist and educator Nettrice Gaskins

A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Robot Walk Into a Bar, by Andrew Dana Hudson: A rabbinical school dropout and a seminary dropout start a company that trains algorithms to be sensitive to issues of faith and beliefand find themselves in an escalating series of ethical conundrums.

Response essay: A.I. Could Bring a Sea Change in How People Experience Religious Faith, by Slates Ruth Graham, who often writes about religion

Actually Naneen, by Malka Older: In a future where artificially intelligent nannies are the norm for the wealthy, a mother copes with complicated emotions when her familys nanny becomes buggy and perhaps obsolete.

Response Essay: What Role Should Technology Play in Childhood? by digital humanities professor Ed Finn

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All of the Sci-Fi Stories We Published This Year - Slate

My hope is that we pay more attention to the way we talk about food; dietary regimes have become a means of self-definition a set of rules to follow, a clan to be a part of, which creates the potential to become divisive.

iStockPhoto / Getty Images

In this part of the world, it will be increasingly difficult for small agricultural operators to survive, let alone compete in the years to come, says Tony Marshall, who with his wife, Penny, runs a small-scale organic farm in High River, Alta., that has been in the family since 1899. He predicts that the increasing cost of land, equipment and labour could limit growth of small family farms, which are also increasingly impacted by fluctuating weather patterns. In addition, he foresees the cost and sophistication of regulatory compliance, food safety, organic certification, etc., will increase to the point of being prohibitive for smaller producers and processors, leaving only large enterprises able to afford the implementation and ongoing maintenance of complex programs such as the Safe Food for Canadians Act, which became law in January, 2019.

Certain segments of the public will continue to pursue connections with the people growing and making their food, but overall the marketplace will gradually slip away from any direct association to the land and their food sources, Marshall says. Highly processed foods like Beyond Meat and other lab-based alternatives will exacerbate this disconnect. Increasing food security demands from a growing global population will put even more pressure on agricultural producers to embrace technologies such as genetic engineering, farmed fish and factory-grown designer meat.

Feeding a hungry world is as dependent on government policies, distribution and food waste as it is upon increasing production outputs, Marshall says. Addressing the problem of food waste, on the farm and during transport, storage, processing, distribution, in retail and by end-users, will be essential to resolving food security issues.

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Im hoping restaurants will survive, restaurateur Tannis Ling says of the popular Bao Bei and Kissa Tanto in Vancouvers Chinatown, eateries that cultivate unique dining experiences with attention to decor, music, service and other details that are lost when food is ordered via delivery options, such as Uber Eats and DoorDash. Ling sees an increasing desire for fast casual, takeout and non-committal eateries that focus on just a few items, such as Juke Fried Chicken across the street from Bao Bei. Those who are doing it well are killing it, she says.

Though she has witnessed a dramatic shift in restaurant culture over the decades cooks, kitchen and front of house staff are paying more attention to their physical and mental health, and prioritizing a more manageable work-life balance Ling worries, as does the back of house operations manager Alain Chow, about staffing becoming even more challenging in the coming years. In a gig economy, many young people who have traditionally sought jobs in the food industry are opting to make money doing multiple smaller tasks, many of them virtual or digital. Were still finding passionate young cooks, Chow says, but retaining them is the hard part.

They both expect technology to have an ever-increasing presence in the coming decade, citing a local hot pot restaurant at which diners order from their tables on iPads, but believe that social media has hit a plateau in terms of its influence on the dining experience. With such a constant barrage of imagery and information, Ling says, it no longer has the same impact.

Big changes are gradual, almost imperceptible, but were in the midst of one, says educator, activist and historian Anita Stewart, who has been writing about food in Canada for almost 40 years, and this year will see the creation of her namesake Alumni Food Laboratory at the University of Guelph, a multifunctional lab and teaching studio that will enable hospitality and nutrition students to learn innovative practices in food preparation, production and food science.

Our food supply is among the best in the world and Canadian chefs, restaurateurs and even grocery chains with branding programs have adopted local/regional foods as a point of differentiation, she says. Even a generation ago, locally grown food was not commonplace on restaurant menus; today its almost a given that restaurants will support local farms and producers. Stewart sees that trend continuing, propelled by a rise in concern over the impact our food choices have on the environment. Reducing the miles our ingredients travel has to be a factor, she says.

My hope for the coming decade is that the industry be more collaborative, Stewart says. Look down, on whose shoulders are we standing? Look beside, whos travelling on a similar pathway? Look ahead, there are way too many silos and we need to build some bridges. We all, as consumers, need to be more grateful, introspective and well-informed advocates for Canadian agricultural and processing communities who are competing not only with the world, but increasingly devastating weather.

I probably check the weather three times a day, says Ann Sperling, winemaker and director at Canadas first biodynamic vineyard and winery, Southbrook Vineyards, in Ontarios Niagara on the Lake, and owner and winemaker at Sperling Vineyards in Kelowna, B.C.

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Covering two growing regions in Canada, she says our wine industry is flourishing, and yet all regions Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia have had challenges in recent years, much related to erratic weather. More investments are being made to develop technology to mitigate environmental instability issues; textiles to cover vines in colder regions, wind machines to minimize frost risk and irrigation for periods of drought are just some of those innovations. But there are still no systems in place to deal with crop failures, and government has been reducing its support for the industry, and agriculture in general. Theres no bigger picture safeguard, she says. Were more on our own.

The more people realize there is an impact on climate, that C02 levels are rising, the more people will start to make their buying decisions based on environmental impact, Sperling says. The good news: By next year, B.C. will have one of the highest percentages of organic vine production in the world, at around 12 to 15 per cent.

Because, generally, we do not find wine as intimidating as it used to be, Sperling doesnt see new cannabis legislation affecting the industry; the two fit a different niche in peoples lives. And much of the industrys marketing is geared toward younger consumers, who have increasing buying power without the same biases of generations past. Theyre more inclined to try new things, Sperling says, and they think more globally in terms of how they spend their money.

A shift in attitude toward food excites me. At home, people are paying attention to food waste and learning to cook more intuitively, approaching mealtimes from the standpoint of whats in the fridge that needs to be used, rather than sourcing specific ingredients for a recipe they perhaps saw online. Home cooking is becoming more valued and less competitive. People are sharing more meals at home, and even at work. My hope is that we pay more attention to the way we talk about food; dietary regimes have become a means of self-definition a set of rules to follow, a clan to be a part of, which creates the potential to become divisive.

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How we'll eat in the decade ahead - The Globe and Mail

Jack Duffy-Protentis said he has enjoyed working with his hands since childhood and looks forward to working in the automotive industry.

EASTON Jack Duffy-Protentis is less than a year away from graduating and starting a career as an engineer, a field that he enjoys because it allows him to work with his hands.

In addition to being a college student and learning concepts from chemistry and physics he has applied to his work, the Easton native has faced another challenge: being visually impaired.

"I do the same thing as everyone else, but I just have to find a different path," said Duffy-Protentis, who attends Worcester Polytechnic Institute and studies mechanical engineering.

Being visually impaired is challenging, the 22-year-old said. It adds more steps and time to do things, but that isn't a barrier.

"It's not stopped me from doing anything other than driving," Duffy-Protentis said.

His family realized that he had difficulty seeing in kindergarten when he struggled to read and write.

In the third grade, Duffy-Protentis was diagnosed with Stargardt's disease, a rare degenerative genetic disease that affects the retinas.

Duffy-Protentis recalled feeling relieved that he wasn't stupid. For his parents, the diagnosis was more difficult and they wanted to find a way to help him, whether it was through treatment or support.

"Part of Jack's success now and in life is that he doesn't have an attitude that is defeated," said his father Paul. "He's optimistic. He doesn't look at obstacles as obstacles. There are just challenges to overcome."

Today, Duffy-Protentis has about 20 percent of his vision left. His peripheral vision is good, but his central vision, where most details come from, has decreased.

He can make out shapes. When Duffy-Protentis looks at people, he looks at the tops of their heads and can understand where their features are, but can't see their facial expressions.

He has been interested in tinkering with things and later found that engineering would be a good fit for him. Duffy-Protentis wanted to find a school with a hands-on approach to learning like WPI.

After graduation in December, he wants to go into automotive engineering and work abroad with hypercar companies like Lamborghini, Ferrari or Sweden-based manufacturer Koenigsegg.

"Everything is mechanical and working in sync and relating to another system," Duffy-Protentis said about his interest in cars. "It all sort of comes together."

Before college, he restored a 1964 Mustang. Despite his diminishing vision, Duffy-Protentis has continued to work on it by using his sense of touch.

There were also other signs that he was mechanically inclined. Duffy-Protentis liked building toys, like Legos, and was a co-captain of the Oliver Ames High School robotics team.

He is also the only science person among his three siblings and cousins.

WPI is academically challenged and fast-paced, he said. For his senior project , Duffy-Protentis is working with a team of students to convert a gasoline jet ski into a solar energy and electric one. The goal is to build a prototype.

In class, he sits at the front of the room and takes pictures of notes on the board. He meets daily with a tutor to make sure he understood material from lectures.

To navigate, he has a guide dog named Adonis. Duffy-Protentis and the 2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever have been together since May after they graduated from a training school called Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

Duffy-Protentis said he is the first guide dog user at his university.

When he's not on the job, Adonis is a regular dog who likes to play and receive. Once the harness is on, he's focused.

Having Adonis has helped Duffy-Protentis feel more approachable, he said. When using a cane, people didn't really know how to act around him, but with a dog, he said people are more likely to interact with him or ask questions.

Adonis, the guide dog, has kept him company, but Duffy-Protentis has also made an effort to combat the social isolation of blindness.

His solution has been to become more of an extrovert and to introduce himself to people around campus.

His other interests include outdoor activities, like hiking, and board sports, like skiing and surfing. Being visually impaired helps him balance better, he said.

Duffy-Protentis is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

He knew that his fraternity was a good match for him when his brothers made an effort to include him in one of its traditions.

After members are accepted into the fraternity, they play a game of football. Duffy-Protentis planned to sit the game out because he can't see the ball when it's in the air.

Fraternity members asked if he could play soccer, which Duffy-Protentis can because he can see it better. The fraternity altered the tradition so that he could participate.

Beyond school, Duffy-Protentis has interned at a manufacturing center in Easton called Case Assembly Solutions that makes circuit boards.

He has volunteered a science, technology, engineering and math camp for children through the National Federation for the Blind and likes that he can be an example of a visually impaired engineer.

"There aren't many visually impaired engineers out there," Duffy-Protentis said.

Staff writer Mina Corpuz can be reached at mcorpuz@enterprisenews.com. Follow her on Twitter @mlcorpuz.

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Visually impaired Easton native finds a different path as an engineer - Enterprise News