Events

MaRS Centre, Main Auditorium

Co-sponsored by: OGI, Integrated DNA Technologies; with support from: GE3LS Alberta

  
OGI partnered with Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), a leading supplier of custom nucleic acids based in Iowa, US, to host Engineering the Future - an open public forum on potential societal and environmental impacts of synthetic biology.

OGI President and CEO, Dr. Christian Burks, welcoming public forum attendees

The public forum, which took place in the evening, followed a one-day symposium and poster session focused on advancements, opportunities and challenges in the field of synthetic biology.

The forum introduced a largely lay audience to the science of synthetic biology and addressed many of the ethical and societal questions and concerns surrounding the field and its many potential applications.

More than 130 attendees heard talks from experts in the synthetic biology field, including: Drs. Daniel Gibson (J. Craig Venter Institute) and Trevor Charles (University of Waterloo), who addressed the science of synthetic biology; Mr. Damon Terrill (IDT, Iowa), who discussed legal and regulatory issues; and, Dr. Gregor Wolbring (University of Calgary), who spoke about some of the many ethical issues arising from this burgeoning field.

A lively question and answer session, moderated by Dr. Vincent Martin (Concordia University), followed the talks and explored issues around the potential threats arising from synthetic biology, ethical approaches to research and regulation of how the outputs of synthetic biology are used.