About the Webinar Series
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The deliberate release of engineered microbes to address sustainability challenges inspires both excitement and concern. These technologies hold promise for tackling urgent environmental issues, yet their social and ecological impacts remain uncertain. Who decides where and how these microbes are used? How might they affect communities already facing the brunt of climate change? How might they intersect with cultural traditions and local knowledge? As environmental synthetic biology advances amid growing public skepticism toward science, it’s time for broader, interdisciplinary dialogue.
This webinar series brings together voices from synthetic biology, ecology, policy, science and technology studies, biotechnology, and history to explore the social, technological, and environmental dimensions of these innovations.
Hosted by the Baker Institute’s Science and Technology Policy Program and co-sponsored by the Rice Synthetic Biology Institute, this webinar series was supported by a grant from Schmidt Sciences and the National Science Foundation (#2223678 and #2515431). The events are organized by a group of early-career researchers consisting of Kiara Reyes Gamas, Alicia L. Johnson, Callie R. Chappell, Rolando Perez, and Dalton George.
Spring 2026 Dates: January 30, 2026 - April 21, 2026
Fall 2026 Dates: September 1, 2026 - November 3, 2026
Times: 12:00 PM CT
Venue: Via Zoom