TerreScience Podcast

A conversation with internationally recognized chef & author, Maxime Bilet discussing the future of food and our role as consumers. Maxime provides notable insight on current food trends, what these trends mean for us now and how they will lead us into the Future of Food.

About Maxime Bilet:

Maxime Bilet first earned a bachelor’s degree in English and American literature and creative writing from Skidmore College. He then came to ICE and, after graduating, quickly climbed the ranks to become the executive chef of Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar — a position he earned a year after graduation. Next, he moved to London where he worked for famed chef Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck, first as a prep cook then as a lab cook in the chef’s development kitchen.

On this episode of TerreScience, host Rajnish Khanna, co-host Katie Krolikowski and guest Phil Taylor Ph.D. In this discussion, we talk about Bayer’s Open Innovation programs, Testing4Ag 2023 and Grants4Ag 2023.

Find out details about these programs and other opportunities in this conversation with Phil Taylor, (Director of Open Innovation & Outreach, Bayer), Katie Krolikowski (Contra Costa College), and Rajnish Khanna (i-Cultiver, Inc.).

More information on Phil Taylor:

With over 15 years AgTech industry experience, Phil currently serves as the Director of Open Innovation & Outreach for Crop Science R&D at Bayer, based in St. Louis, MO. He plays a central role in fostering strategic relationships around the globe and developing programs to enable novel ways of accelerating innovation to support Bayer’s R&D pipeline and develop external innovation ecosystems.

A strong champion for both external and pre-competitive partnering as a driving force for innovation and change, Phil has held multiple leadership roles at Bayer focused on delivering collaborative approaches to enable R&D and enhance the company’s position as a thought leader in open innovation and partnering across the public and private sectors. He was appointed a Bayer Science Fellow in 2020. Before joining industry, Phil trained as a Plant Cell Biologist, receiving his Ph.D. from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, U.K., and held post-doctoral positions at The University of Leeds and The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, as well as a British Council Fellowship at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Outside of Bayer, Phil is active in the academic and global innovation communities as a member of multiple advisory boards and professional society committees. He currently lives in St. Charles, MO, with his wife, Amanda, and their four children.

Follow Phil Taylor on Twitter:

This episode of TerreScience Podcast includes host Rajnish Khanna Ph.D and our guest host, Susan Blackmore Ph.D. Rajnish and Susan will discuss their thoughts on non-duality, our sense of self, her recent panel including Deepak Chopra and thoughts on life after death. You can find additional information about Sue and her background, below.

Susan Blackmore Ph.D Accolades:

Sue Blackmore, Ph.D., is a freelance writer, lecturer and broadcaster, and Visiting Professor at the University of the Plymouth. She has a degree in psychology and physiology from Oxford University (1973) and a PhD in parapsychology from the University of Surrey (1980). Her research interests include memes, evolutionary theory, consciousness, and meditation. She practices Zen and campaigns for drug legalization.

She writes for several magazines and newspapers, a blog for the Guardian newspaper and is a frequent contributor and presenter on radio and television. She is author of over sixty academic articles, about fifty book contributions, many book reviews and a number of books.

Her books include:

Beyond the Body (1982),

Dying to Live (on near-death experiences, 1993)

In Search of the Light (autobiography, 1996)

Test Your Psychic Powers (with Adam Hart-Davis, 1997)

The Meme Machine (1999) has been translated into 13 other languages.

Her textbook Consciousness: An Introduction was first published in 2003 (Hodder UK, OUP New York), re-published as a 2nd Edition in 2010 and a 3rd Edition 2018.

A Very Short Introduction to Consciousness (OUP) 2005 and 2017

Conversations on Consciousness in 2005 (OUP Oxford).

Ten Zen Questions (OneWorld) in 2009. Re-published as Zen and the Art of Consciousness (OneWorld, Oxford) 2011.

Find Susan Blackmore’s titles on Amazon, here:

Mayor Ben Cantu shares his goals for Manteca, a city centrally located near the Bay Area and Sacramento, with opportunities in business and job growth, access to affordable housing and better quality of life!

In this week's episode Rajnish and Brigid catch up with recent events including our conversation with Deepak Chopra, Raj's different business avenues, and how one app could impact the entire food system.  If you want to be apart of testing the TerreLocal App, reach out at ▶ info@terrescience.com

This episode we followed up with the three students at the end of their internship as first cohort of the Biotechnology, Education and Specialized Training Internship offered at Contra Costa College (CCC).   We catch up to see how their experience has been since the last episode we recorded with them at the beginning of their Internship, and to learn what is in store for them next!  We are also joined by Dr. Katie Krolikowski, a Bio-technology professor at CCC who makes this internship possible and incredibly unique!

This week, Rajnish and Brigid met with Dr. Andrea Bogomolni (Dr. Dre), about her work in seal conservation and ocean fishing research.  Dr. Dre is a community scientist as well as many other “-ists”: a naturalist, artist, biologist and conservationist with a passion for the ocean.  Working with a range of collaborators from scientists, to fishermen and to artists, she aims to understand our human relationship with the natural world and ways we can help preserve, protect and sustainably make use of the limited resources nature provides.  She has an interdisciplinary skill-set in scientific research, education and outreach.

Dr. Stuart Hameroff discusses the Penrose-Hameroff "Orch OR" theory about quantum mechanical / general relativity approaches to consciousness and the role of microtubules in brain functions such as consciousness. In this discussion, Dr. Hameroff also debunks a recent attack article, written to discredit the Orch OR theory.

Dr. Hameroff is an anesthesiologist and quantum consciousness theorist and researcher.  He is the former professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Psychology at Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona.  He is currently the Director for the Center of Consciousness Studies and works closely with Sir Roger Penrose on their major theory about consciousness.

This week Dr. Paul J. Mills shared his research and findings on whole health techniques that include meditation, yoga, guided imagery, tai chi, and Ayurveda for disease prevention and intervention.  He goes in detail about integrative practices that focus on the person as a whole rather than treating just the symptoms of a condition.

In this lively discussion, Rajnish & Brigid met with Molly Beauregard to discuss meditation, mindfulness & the challenges behind incorporating these techniques into the school curriculum.

This week we met with Dennis Mckenna to discuss the healing potentials behind plant based psychedelics!

Dennis McKenna, Principal Founder of the McKenna Academy, has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years.  He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna.  From 2000 to 2017, he taught courses on Ethnopharmacology and Plants in Human affairs as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Rajnish Khanna & Brigid McNally chat with the first cohort of the B.E.S.T. Program, an internship opportunity developed by Dr. Katie Krolikowski and Dr. Khanna between Contra Costa College, and i-Cultiver, inc. to provide paid specialized training opportunities for students within the biotechnology field.

Meg Lowman’s purpose is to explore, research, and conserve global forests; mentor the next generation (especially women and minorities) in sustainability and forest stewardship, and educate diverse audiences through storytelling.  Meg’s passion for science and exploration began as a little girl and over the years has defined her life and her life’s work. She pioneered the field of forest canopy science and is considered one of the world’s first “arbornauts” or explorers of the canopies. Over a 40-year career, she achieved groundbreaking work in 46 countries and all seven continents. Her devotion to engaging young people in the wonder and importance of science led to a collaboration with Robert Ballard of Titanic fame. She became “CanopyMeg” to her young audiences while they spoke to millions of middle school students in virtual expeditions to the canopy and the ocean floor, respectively. Lowman champions inclusivity in science (especially young women) and proactive stewardship of canopy ecosystems. She trains diverse audiences about sustainability of natural resources and saves forests through her new Mission Green initiative to build canopy walkways in the world’s highest biodiverse forests. This initiative provides income to indigenous people through ecotourism instead of logging. Lowman’s personal mantra is “no child left indoors.”

Today's guest, Dr. Sarkar discussed his in depth research into legumes such as the Grass Pea as a highly protein dense and hardy food option that could be a beneficial crop for a climate conscious future. 

Dr Abhimanyu Sarkar is a molecular biologist with over thirty years of experience. He works at The National Institute for Agricultural Botany (NIAB), Cambridge. U.K., as Group Leader-Legume Genetics. His areas of expertise include legume biology, speed breeding, gene discovery and genomics. Before joining NIAB, he worked at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, U.K., on the biology and genomics of the orphan legume grass pea (Lathyrus sativus). The group was responsible for sequencing the genome of grass pea, as well as developing various biological resources such as mutagenized populations, recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and an EcoTILLING platform for grass pea improvement. He previously worked in New Zealand on white clover (Trifolium repens), a forage legume. He obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park, U.S.A., developing transposable elements as gene vectors for insects.and also has a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from the Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology. Pantnagar, India.

What is the difference between "consciousness" from a scientific perspective or from a spiritual perspective? Rajnish & Brigid dive into a discussion about new theories and concept that might help us better understand our experiences.

Today's guest, Dr. Bruce MacIver dives into the knowns and unknowns of anesthesia's effect on human consciousness as well as some preliminary research he and Rajnish has done regarding plants and anesthetics.

Professor MacIver explores the molecular and cellular mechanisms of sedatives and anesthetics and how these drugs alter higher nervous system functions to produce loss of consciousness. He was trained in neuroscience and pharmacology at the University of Calgary and began his career at Stanford over thirty years ago and has directed the Stanford Neuropharmacology Laboratory since then. Current research is directed at the development of safer and more effective anesthetics using state-of-the-art electrophysiological approaches using in vitro brain slice preparations and freely moving animal models. He is also using newly developed EEG analysis techniques in animals and human subjects to quantify brain states associated with the loss and recovery of consciousness.

Greg Asner shares his newest global carbon mapping plans with Rajnish and Brigid, as well as many other successful projects that he has led.

Greg Asner is Director of the Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science at Arizona State University. He is an ecologist recognized for his exploratory and applied research on ecosystems and climate change at regional to global scales.  His research spans the areas of spatial ecology and biodiversity, remote sensing, terrestrial carbon cycle, coral reefs, animal-habitat interactions, and climate change. Dr. Asner has published hundreds of scientific articles and has served in numerous national and international programs with NASA, the U.S. State Department, and the United Nations.  Asner is a recipient of multiple scientific awards including the 2017 Heinz Award for the Environment. He is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

We hear about new health trends every day and they all promise to have the best solution to our world's problems, but in reality, are they actually helping? In this podcast, Rajnish Khanna, a plant scientist, and Brigid McNally, a graduate student, talk with exciting guests including renowned leaders and thinkers to learn from their expert opinions and real experiences regarding important issues such as food, environment, consciousness, well-being and trends.

A personal conversation with Jon Ferrel, about his work and the benefits of Azomite Mineral Products on agriculture and animal feed. Jon E. Ferrel, M.S., M.B.A. is the Vice President of Research & Development and Technical Services for Azomite Mineral Products, LLC, Nephi, UT, 84648 as well Adjunct Associate Administrative Professional Staff, Animal Sciences, Purdue University. Jon graduated from Purdue University with a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics, as well as an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business. Jon mentors and collaborates with graduate students and faculty at several universities, as a consortium of scientists, focusing on applied nutrition of food animal production and plant sciences. Within his current responsibilities, Jon links aspects of basic and applied research for Azomite amongst animals and plants to the specific mechanisms of action and derived outcomes that support discovery, application, and implementation initiatives. The focus of Jon’s work has included allergenic and innate immune system responses to nutritional components, gene expression, digestibility, and gut architecture.  Jon directly relates research findings to estimate the difference in optimal levels of return to management and operator labor under alternative employed technology assumptions through linear, non-linear, and stochastic risk-based statistical modeling.

A personal discussion with Harold McGee on his latest book Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells and the infinite importance behind understanding the value of our sense of smell.  Harold McGee studied at Caltech and Yale, and since 1980 has been writing about the science of food and cooking. He’s the author of the award-winning book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, a visiting lecturer in Harvard University’s course “From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science,” and a former columnist for The New York Times. He’s been named food writer of the year by Bon Appétit magazine and to the TIME 100, an annual list of the world’s most influential people. His latest book is Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World’s Smells.

This week Rajnish and Brigid discuss the SEC, US. Securities and Exchange Commission's new proposed rules for climate disclosures among businesses as well as Sadhguru, an Indian yoga guru, who began his 100 day (30,000 km) lone journey from London to India to raise soil health awareness. #SaveSoil

SEC Resources:

What is consciousness?  How much do we understand about it?  And how well can we explain it through Science? In this Episode, Rajnish Khanna, a plant photobiologist and Brigid McNally, a graduate student, dive into some basics surrounding Consciousness.  

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