The ability to edit (i.e., change) DNA sequences is enabling major breakthroughs in agriculture and medicine, from boosting crop productivity to curing genetic disorders. With current editing tools at hand, only some types of sequence changes are possible to make in DNA. The research community is working tirelessly on expanding the capabilities of DNA editing tools to make a broader array of desired changes. This project is leveraging the recently developed bacterial editing tool, which avoids the common issues associated with traditional tools, and will implement it in plants. The goal of this study is to improve the bacterial editing tool’s efficiency in two model plant species, tobacco and Arabidopsis. Having a more efficient, new plant genome editor on hand would make it possible to generate desired sequence changes in a wide array of crops. Biotechnological innovations realized through this project can help resolve urgent issues that modern agriculture faces by paving the way to the development of superior crop plants that withstand extreme weather events and thus ensuring reliable food supplies for the world’s growing population. In addition to enabling scientific advances, this project aims to introduce plant sciences and biotechnologies to the public through our group’s successful Plants4kids outreach program for children, interactions with K-12 teachers, community guest lectures, student research training, and the development of online content in plant biology and mo