Eurograd message

                FYI

Hi Friends,

I hope you are well. I am sharing this message within Anti-GMO/ tech 
critical and precautionary science networks to encourage folks , 
especially younger activists, scholars and communicatorsto come forward 
to participate in an interesting event that will take place in February 
2025 in California USA.

As you may know February 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the notorious 
Asilomar meeting on Recombinant DNA where most the scientists in the 
then new field of genetic engineering met to discuss what limits to put 
on theirscientific field - having just agreed a temporary moratorium on 
their own lab work.  In an attempt to avoid regulatory controls being 
imposed by government they were proposing setting up voluntary 
governance. The 'Asilomar moment' is widely lauded or decried as either 
a moment ofgreat scientific responsibility or gross evasion of oversight 
depending where you sit on the political spectrum on how biotech and new 
technologies should be governed.

Fifty years later a group led by Science historians, STS scholars and 
also a leading synthetic biologist  are mounting a 50-years-later 
conference at Asilomar itself  - called 'The Spirit of Asilomar' which 
will attempt to convene a broad group of folks from all sides of the 
debates on biotech to learn from 50 years of history - see more about 
this onthis website: https://www.spiritofasilomar.org 
 and also in the description below. 
You can also read an article just published in Science by one of the 
organisers, Science historian Luis Campo: 
https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-2138/full 


Personally I find this initiative interesting and somewhat trust the 
people putting this together and that this will not just be another 
industry whitewash. I encourage others to take a look and consider also 
maybe engaging with this timely initiative.

In particular the organizers are raising funds to support fifty young 
people to attend so that there is a significant block of folks with 
adifferent voice and clear stake in the future of how biotech is 
governed and develops - especially in the context of new AI 
developments. I think it would be excellent if you know of any younger 
(under 40?) anti-GMO activists , movement leaders, independent 
journalists,, critical scientists and scholarsto please encourage them 
to consider applying for this 'next generation leaders' scholarship. If 
selected they will have their travel to Asilomar, lodging, visas and 
conference fees covered. The form to fill in is not very onerous and 
applications need to be in by 18th October - see 
https://www.spiritofasilomar.org/next-generation-leaders 
 - They 
especially seek international applicants (beyond the US).

I've talked a bit with the organizers and if any young folks want to 
learn more or ask questions I'd be happy to be in touch with them . My 
email address is jim@scanthehorizon.org 
 . I do think this could be an 
interestingopportunity for a meaningful intergenerational , 
international encounter that speaks across difference and just maybe 
could contribute to shifting our problematic and broken governance 
around biotech, synthetic biology and emerging technologies - depending 
on who is in the room.

best,

Jim Thomas

http:/./www.scanthehorizon.,org 

—

More about the 'Spirit of Asilomar' conference from the organizers:

"The Spirit of Asilomar and the Future of Biotechnology" will occur on 
the 50th anniversary of the 1975 international meeting on recombinant 
DNA molecules. We are convening a broad group to learn from 50 years of 
history and discuss topics and puzzles intertwined within biotechnology 
today, including:

  * artificial intelligence
  * pathogens research & biological weapons
  * deployment of biotechnologies beyond conventional containment
  * bioeconomic framing, and failure of flourishing
  * new frontiers in synthetic cells

These exact topics and their framing will evolve over the next nine months.

"Spirit of Asilomar" will begin on the evening of Sunday 23 February 
2025 and finish with lunch on Wednesday 26 February 2025. We expect over 
300 diverse stakeholders to participate, from professionals and publics 
to next-generation leaders.

"Spirit of Asilomar" is being organized and underwritten by researchers 
and scholars at Rice University, Stanford University, and the Science 
History Institute. We expect others will join in support of this public 
benefit event.

Sincerely,

Drew Endy, Stanford University

Luis Campos, Rice University

David Cole & Michelle DiMeo, Science History Institute

—

Next Generation Leaders scholarship

The Spirit of Asilomar's Next Generation Leaders (NGL) program invites 
applications from young- to mid-career actors who seek to contribute to 
and lead towards better biotic futures.

Awardees will be provided with transportation to and from the 
conference, covered registration, and lodging and meals for the duration 
of the event. Awardees will be invited and expected to be full 
participants in the discussions at hand and will additionally be offered 
dedicated mentorship and networking opportunities.

One critique of the 1975 meeting was that many were excluded. Most 
notable was the exclusion of younger people. One then young biologist 
who was not invited--but later became a prominent university 
president--shared recently, "I was a victim of Asilomar," meaning that 
decisions made by others in 1975 influenced what she could do.

Because she and other next generation leaders were excluded from the 
1975 convening, subsequent discussions for how to govern ongoing 
developments in emerging biotechnology have remained relatively static 
even as events, from bioterrorism to pandemics, reveal the urgent need 
for continuous and self-renewing leadership.

To directly address this issue we will include 50 next generation 
leaders as full participants in the 2025 convening. These young leaders 
will form a global fellowship who together can serve as catalysts for 
strategic, proactive, and effective governance of biotechnologies not 
just today but over the next 50 years.

We welcome applications from early career scholars, from undergraduates 
to assistant professors, across the humanities to the natural sciences 
and engineering; from early career leaders in government and civil 
society organizations; and from early career professionals in the arts. 
International applications are particularly encouraged.

Fellows will be selected based on their potential for extraordinary 
future contributions and leadership along with accomplishments to date. 
Selection of the fellowship will also consider the overall diversity of 
perspectives, backgrounds, interests, and capabilities along with 
geographic region.

Review of applications will begin Friday, October 18, 2024.

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