https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mosquito-disease-control-parasite-gene 

https://newatlas.com/science/engineered-bacteria-mosquito-repellent/ 

Episode 78: Introducing ELSIhttps://blubrry.com/voices_from_darpa/132452728/episode-78-introducing-elsi/ 
April 30, 2024As a global leader in innovation, DARPA starts an average of 50 new programs each year. These programs span a variety of technical disciplines to develop breakthrough technologies for national security, all of which have the potential to raise ethical, legal, and societal implication – or, ELSI – considerations.


Taking time to consider ELSI’s role in a program can contribute to the responsible development of emerging technologies by guiding innovation, maximizing the potential application space, and facilitating dialogue with future end-users, and the public, to ensure diverse perspectives and implications are considered. It can improve research by fostering conversations that identify unknowns, anticipate consequences, and make design decisions to maximize benefits and opportunities and minimize risks and harms.


In this episode of Voices from DARPA, we’ll hear from DARPA Director, Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, to explain the agency's perspective on those implications, as well as Dr. Bart Russell, deputy director of the Defense Sciences Office, on what it would mean to incorporate ELSI across the agency more formally. Finally, Dr. Rebecca Crootof, DARPA’s inaugural ELSI Visiting Scholar, will discuss her journey to the agency and her approach to developing a process to ensure that ELSI can inform — and even improve —DARPA programs.


That sounds like a lot of responsibility, influence, and potential impact – for some, maybe, too good to be true?


Ethical, Legal, and Societal Implications of Emerging Technologies at DARPA
 
DARPA currently is seeking applicants for the 2025 ELSI Visiting Scholar. The deadline to apply is June 3, 2024.


Origin of the term ELSI: Three decades of ethical, legal, and social implications research: Looking back to chart a path forward


The piece references a class from Dr. Oona A. Hathaway

What To Know For Mosquito Awareness Week 2024

LISTEN • 19:28
This week is California’s Mosquito Awareness Week, a fitting time considering that California is now starting to move into the spring. With that transition from rainy to sunny, those puddles of loose water you’ll find around your home become a breeding ground for mosquitoes…literally. So to avoid the chance of those pesky bug bites, or even contracting a virus, it’s best to keep places dry and prepare through other means. So what are the best ways to protect yourself? And in what ways are advancements in science helping fight that battle?
Joining us today are Susanne Kluh, General Manager for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, and Omar Akbari, professor of cell and developmental biology at UC San Diego.

https://laist.com/shows/airtalk/google-to-limit-access-to-ca-news-sites

November 8, 2023 @ 12:00-1:00 PM  1115 11th Street, SacramentoTalk by Dr. Nikolay Kandul from UC San Diego and Professor Chris Barker, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis

In this session, Professor Chris Barker and Dr. Nikolay Kandul will address the critical issue of mosquito control and the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases in California. Professor Barker will present his laboratory’s work on tracking and mapping invasive mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus, dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, which have been increasingly detected in places like southern California and the Central Valley in recent years. His research highlights the need for a better understanding of the fine-scale processes that affect spread and control. Dr. Kandul will then introduce a cutting-edge solution for mosquito control—the Next-Generation Sterile Insect Technique (ngSIT). By crossing two mosquito strains to release ngSIT eggs that develop into sterile male mosquitoes, this innovation offers cost-effective, environmentally friendly mosquito suppression without compromising male mosquito fitness, longevity, or competitiveness in the environment. This holds the potential to work across different mosquito species and multiple species simultaneously, representing a significant advancement in safeguarding California from these disease-carrying insects.
Professor Chris Barker is a professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Baker studies the epidemiology and ecology of mosquito-transmitted viruses, and he directs California’s central diagnostic laboratory and related data management systems for surveillance of mosquito-borne viruses. Dr. Barker has M.S. degrees in epidemiology and entomology and a Ph.D. in medical entomology.
Dr. Nikolay Kandul is an evolutionary biologist from Harvard and Duke Universities where he dissected genetic origins of new species. Shifting to genetic engineering, he pioneered mitochondrial DNA tech at Caltech, uncovering cell rejuvenation. At UC San Diego, he created innovative tools like pgSIT and CRISPR-driven gene drive for insect control. Co-founding Synvect, he is dedicated to finding practical solutions for mosquito control in real-world settings.
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