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Connor Thorpe was working toward his PhD several years ago, when he began to worry he wouldn’t graduate on time. The technology he was using for his research wasn’t efficient enough.

Thorpe was studying plant gene delivery at Iowa State University and was tasked with using a device that introduces new genetic materials to plant cells or tissue — commonly called a “gene gun” — to modify plant DNA as a part of his research.

But after two or three months of using the gene gun, he found it wasn’t giving him consistent results.

So, Thorpe took matters into his own hands and began researching ways to improve the gene gun.

Before coming to Iowa, Thorpe earned his Bachelor of Science degree at the

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