[DIYbio] Re: Engineering..a Sustainable Bioeconomy (Video, U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee)

Below is the link to the excellent U.S. congressional hearing last month on emerging biotech which fans of synbio should watch.  Starring Rob Carlson.  Who incidentally, is the only one on either side of the table to quote real numbers  (plus, those numbers are amazing).

Also a good reminder that the 2 'required reading' texts for synbio are,

1. Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves by George M. Church, ISBN 0465075703

2. Biology Is Technology: The Promise, Peril, and New Business of Engineering Life by Robert H. Carlson,  ISBN 0674060156

Note I recommend watching at 2x speed or faster to make best use of time.  Recent misuse of genetic engineering is discussed throughout and iGEM is also mentioned.   "People doing bad things" is mentioned in vague, general, mostly idealistic terms.

HOWEVER: 

1. No mention of the massive fraud perpetrated by Theranos employees and exec's under the inflated umbrella hype created by MIT around synbio /nor/ any mention of the lack of scrutiny by government (even though Theranos's Board of Directors was populated with ex-government yes-men).  Hey government, where is the oversight?   Hey Rob Carlson, why not mention this massive government failure and lack of accountability in that same government? (As well as slip in the fact that those in congress are technologically out of their element and can't keep up because they don't have proper scientific staff or education themselves?)

2. No mention of the massive amount of intellectual property theft using "a hundred cut & pastes" regularly going on in emerging biotech, even though iGEM was mentioned (openwetware was not mentioned).   Hey government, where is the oversight?

--Citation--

Engineering Our Way to a Sustainable Bioeconomy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYSfjDSxKK0

Date: Tuesday, March 12, 2019 - 10:00am

Location: 2318 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittees: 

Research and Technology (116th Congress)

Opening Statements

Chairwoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology

Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)

Witnesses

Dr. Rob Carlson, Managing Director of Bioeconomy Capital 

Dr. Kevin Solomon, Assistant Professor of Agricultural & Biological Engineering at Purdue University  

Dr. Eric Hegg, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University; Michigan State University Subcontract Lead, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center  

Dr. Sean Simpson, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of LanzaTech 

Dr. Laurie Zoloth, Margaret E. Burton Professor of Religion and Ethics, and Senior Advisor to the Provost for Programs in Social Ethics at the University of Chicago 

House Science, Space, and Technology Committee

Streamed live on Feb 13, 2019

2318 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

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## Jonathan Cline

## jcl...@ieee.org

## Mobile: +1-805-617-0223

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