Biotechnology is part of the science & society debate. However, how do the actual practitioners of the so-contested bio- and nanotechnology respond to that debate? When talking about bio-and nanotechnology, are social activists and researchers actually using the same definitions? Why and in what ways would research programs as biotechnology be needed to be stronger controlled by social actors? What does it mean to “democratize science”?

These and other questions will be part of the Earth Summit “Rio+20” that will be held in June 2012 at Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), with the presence of more than 150 presidents and prime ministers. International civil society meets in parallel to the official summit at the People's Summit for Social and Ecological Justice, in order to remind international leaders about the urgency of making ambitious decisions that can cope with the socio-environmental challenges at stake. Expecting several thousands of people from around the world, the People's Summit's ambition is to transform Rio+20 in a moment of opportunity to address the serious problems that humanity is facing and demonstrate the political power of organized people.

We invite Ph.D. students and professors from the different disciplines of the TUM to seize the opportunity and directly discuss the social impacts of biotechnology in a live videoconference with experts of the People's Summit. Magda Zanoni, ecologist and agronomist will be present as a speaker. She teaches at University Paris 7 and is currently working at the Brazilian Ministry of Agrarian Reform (the other speakers will be announced soon; videoconference in English).

We would be glad to meet you on 21^st of June 2012 from 4-6 pm at the TU Munich, Faculty of Biochemistry, Lichtenbergstr. 4 in Garching, room 53 306.