Event Summary
For our July monthly online discussion, SXSW Co-President & Chief Programming Officer, Hugh Forrest, will lead us in a conversation about synthetic biology, genetic engineering, and how these advancements will affect our lives.
Amy Webb’s and Andrew Hessel’s book The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology, acts as our springboard as we dive into this field and how computers are used to rewrite genetic code. This advancement opens a world of opportunities, ranging from growing hamburger meat in a lab to creating vaccines for COVID. While hamburger patties are small in the scheme of life, the technology behind it can lengthen lives, as it will be an essential part in eradicating some of humans’ greatest threats, such as food insecurity, climate change, and disease on a much grander scale. A longer, healthier life is something anyone can get excited about, but genetic engineering comes with risks as large as biological wars and extinctions. Join us as we explore the implications this has on the infrastructure of society (good and bad) and how we may avoid the risks that come with redesigning life.
We encourage attendees to read the book Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology, as it will foster richer, more in-depth conversations. Reading the book is not a requirement to participate in the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Moderator
Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer, SXSW
Hugh Forrest is Chief Programming Officer for SXSW. He oversees content for the SXSW Conference, as well as the Music Festival, Film Festival and EDU aspects of the program. Hugh was named “Austinite of the Year” in 2012 by the Austin Chamber of Commerce and in 2014, he and other SXSW Directors were named Austin Entrepreneurs of the Year by Ernst & Young. He recently received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Kenyon College, his alma mater.
Beyond SXSW, he has served on the National Advisory Board for the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is part of the Board of Directors for Austin Habitat for Humanity and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Austin-based accessibility company Knowbility. Before joining the SXSW team, he founded The Austin Challenger and wrote for several other newspapers and publications.