For those interested in either of two fascinating topics: an issue related
to the effects of 'progress' on biodiversity, and determinants of academic
freedom in the US today.


IGNACIO CHAPELA

Assistant Professor,
Ecosystem Sciences Division, University of California, Berkeley

Chapela, a microbial ecologist, was an outspoken critic of a $25 million
agreement between Cal's College of Natural Resources and Swiss biotech
giant Novartis. He was also the first to report the contamination of
traditional varieties of maize in campesino plots in Oaxaca, Mexico with
DNA from genetically modified corn -- a controversial paper that was
published by the journal Nature and later partially repudiated.


Two lectures/discussions:

Boundaries of Rationality: Politics and the Public Domain in
Biotechnology
Wednesday, 4 May, 3:30 pm, Smith Hall, Room 105

The field of biotechnology represents one of the most dynamic venues of
public debate in our times. However, the forces shaping such dynamics
are difficult to understand on purely technical grounds. This talk aims
at clarifying some of those forces through the analysis of a
well-covered public case, in which the speaker is a central protagonist.
In this case, a scientific discovery of an event (transgenic
contamination of traditional Mexican maize varieties by genetic
constructs) triggered an international storm of discussion, resulting in
one of the best documented and closely followed scientific debates in
recent times.


Academic Freedom: Who is Minding the Farm?
Thursday, 5 May, 7:30 pm, Physics and Astrophysics Hall 102 (Auditorium)

Academic freedom to teach and research has recently come under
substantial attack. Chapela has been denied tenure, despite numerous
favorable academic reviews, apparently because of his opposition to
industry influence over academic life and for publishing research that
undercut the economic plans of the biotech industry. After eight years
of the case unfolding within the confines of academia, Chapela has
announced legal action against the administrators of the University of
California.

He will address how we might recover the fundamental principle of
academic freedom in our society. The institutions and social agreements
involved in the current situation will be reviewed, and Chapela will
explore new covenants and new actors that could provide hope for
reinvigorating academic freedom.


Sponsors: Departments of Technical Communication and Anthropology,
American Association of University Professors (WA State and UW units),
The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Food, Alan and Andrea
Rabinowitz, The Peña Family Trust, PCC Natural Markets, and the
Washington Biotechnology Action Council.