UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Vance Crowe, director of millennial engagement at Monsanto, will speak on the topic "Science and Technology: Combating Fear and Misinformation with Discovery and Wonder" during an event slated for 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, in 112 Buckhout Lab at Penn State's University Park campus.

The event, hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences, is open to students, faculty and staff.

In this talk, Crowe will discuss how dangerous it is for misinformation and fear of modern agriculture to spread into society. The talk will offer practical ways to connect and communicate effectively with others about what is happening in the world of modern agriculture.

"As technology advances, the strategies for communicating with the public have hit challenges never before imagined," he said. "My goal is to help those in agriculture discover how to connect with consumers who are generations away from the farm."

Crowe holds an undergraduate degree in communications from Marquette University, and a master's degree in cross-cultural negotiations from the Seton Hall School of Diplomacy.

Prior to joining Monsanto in 2014, Crowe was a former communications strategist for the World Bank Group; a returned U.S. Peace Corps volunteer stationed in Kenya; and a former communications coordinator at a National Public Radio affiliate in northern California.

In this current role, Crowe has been empowered to seek out internal and external experts in the fields of biology, chemistry, genetics, evolutionary biology, weed management, crop sciences, agronomy and corporate culture. He has toured farms ranging from row crops, vegetables, orchards, feed yards, hydroponics and aquaponics.

Using these experiences and education, Crowe has been invited to give talks around the world to more than 50,000 people in locations including New York City, London, San Francisco, Atlanta, and farming communities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

For more information about the presentation, contact PennStateAg@psu.edu.