At the September 8th Salon at the Jefferson Center, Dr.Ray Seidler, Microbiologist and Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Biosafety research expert will describe what a genetically engineered organism is, how it is constructed in the laboratory, and report to us on some of the issues that make commercial aspects of the DNA technology controversial to many people. His talk will take us from the “classroom” where we learn terminology and properties about two bacteria very important to the biotechnology industry, then into the “laboratory” to see the technology of recombining DNAs, and finally into the huge mega “farms” in the mid-west that are using GMO seeds to produce novel food products. When we leave the presentation we will know how scientists make GMO organisms and have Ray’s perspectives on whether everyone benefits from their use in the agronomic ecosystem.