The four participants in this conversation have performed simple, yet dramatic discoveries that question the wisdom of a quarter century of commitment to an agenda of agricultural development based on intensive technological dependence.

The publication of their research brought these researchers world-wide attention, but made them into urgent targets for suppression from an ailing but still powerful Biotech industry. As a consequence, each of the participants has encountered not only controversy, but also threats to their research, reputations, and livelihoods. Behind their research lies a commitment to make their best knowledge available for the public. Behind the hurdles they have faced lies one of the greatest challenges to public, democratic discourse in our century: the growing influence of private interests in the scientific enterprise.

The commonalities of their stories and the peculiarities of their personal histories provide a unique window into the mechanisms through which this threat operates. This will be the first time that a meeting between these scientists will take place, providing a unique opportunity for the public to gain insight into the bizantine workings of the academic-industrial complex. Beyond the discussion of technicalities of their discoveries, this evening of conversation should provide the opportunity to reflect upon the challenges to scientific freedom and dissent at a time when these basic principles are under attack.