This creative and unconventional initiative caters to local opinion leaders and has been running since 2004. More than 200 individuals from both the public and private sectors have passed through its doors, including businesspersons, CEO’s, bankers, investors, artists, lawyers, senators, secretaries of state, governmental representatives, academics and more.
The 12-hour workshop combines experiments in the laboratory with discussion and analysis of biotechnology’s current impacts and future projections, with special emphasis on its relationship to social and economic development in Chile. By performing simple experiments that illustrate the fundamental concepts of the biogenetic revolution, the workshop gives its “students” a basis for understanding genetic engineering and its applications in biotechnology.
Sample experiments performed by the participants during the workshop are:
- Isolation and sequencing of a gene.
- Computational analysis of genes.
- Creation of transgenic human cells and microorganism by insertion of a foreign gene.
- Observation of the functionality of the inserted foreign gene in its new context.
Participation in these genetic engineering workshops is by invitation only and every year we have an extensive list of interested candidates. This Montessori-like experience in the lab has proved to be very successful in fostering honest and intelligent discussion on biotechnology and all of its potential. Ultimately, these workshops have triggered serious conversations about science as a key player in the social and economic development of Chile.
Genetic Engineering for Opinion Leaders on Press
- Diario El Mercurio, 2004 (PDF)
- Revista Qué Pasa, 2004 (PDF)
- Revista Bioplanet, 2004 (PDF)
- Diario La Tercera, 2005 (JPG)
- Revista Bioplanet, 2005 (PDF)
- Revista Bioplanet, 2006 (PDF)
- Revista Que Pasa, 2007 (PDF)
- Diario La Tercera, 2014 (PDF)
May 2004
Sitting: Eugenio Tironi, Álvaro Díaz, Pablo Valenzuela, Agustín Edwards, Fernando Flores, Fernando Agüero, Gonzalo García
Standing: Esteban Engel, Bruno Phillipi, Mario Rosemblatt, Luis Cordero, Hernán Larraín, Hernán Büchi, Ronald Bown, Bernardita Méndez, Juan Antonio Guzmán, Oscar Garretón, Jaime Villegas, Verónica Burzio, Vivian Wilhelm, Luis Burzio
August 2005
Sitting: Enrique Méndez, Pablo Inhen, Fabio Valdés, Alfredo Moreno, Hans Eben
Standing: Esteban Engel, Erwin Krauskopf, Manuel Vargas, Luis Burzio, Jorge Awad, Jaime Villegas, Heriberto Urzúa, Agustín Edwards Jr., Verónica Burzio, Pablo Turner, Bernardita Méndez, Fernando Barros, Andrés Navarro, Mario Rosemblatt, Hernán Orellana, Vivian Wilhelm, Guillermo Carey, René Cortázar, Álvaro Saieh, Pablo Valenzuela
December 2005
Sitting: Edmundo Hermosilla, Max Letelier, Enrique Ostalé, Pedro Ibáñez, Alfonso Gómez, Carlos Eugenio Lavín, Pedro Donoso
Standing: Esteban Engel, Verónica Burzio, Erwin Krauskopf, Bernardita Méndez, Jaime Villegas, Nicolás Majluf, Alberto Sobredo, Vivian Wilhelm, Sebastián Del Río, Agustín Huneeus, Pablo Valenzuela, Mario Rosemblatt, Georges De Bourguignon, Juan Cúneo, Sergio Cardone, Juan Pablo Del Río
August 2006
Sitting: Verónica Burzio, Vivian Wilhelm, Verónica Edwards, Cristina Bitar, María Olivia Recart
Standing: Álvaro García, Marcelo Trivelli, Álvaro Fischer, Allan Jarry, Luis Burzio, José Miguel Benavente, Esteban Engel, Jaime Villegas, Carlos Álvarez, Eduardo Ergas, Gonzalo Herrera, Erwin Krauskopf, Jorge Insunza, Pablo Valenzuela, Pablo Longueira, Mario Rosemblatt, Marcos Kulka, Marcelo Tokman, Bernardita Méndez, José Cox, Pablo Rosenblatt
July 2007
Sitting: Vivian Heyl, María Elena Boisier, Esperanza Cueto, Paula Rojo, Claudia Giner, Marisol Montanari, Soledad Ferreiro
Standing: Felipe Larraín, Max Marambio, Mario Rosemblatt, Luis Burzio, Bernardita Méndez, Verónica Burzio, Felipe Lamarca, Gaspar Galaz, Sebastián Bernales, José Luis Del Río, Esteban Engel, Rafael Guilisasti, Álvaro Kauer, Gabriel Rodríguez, Juan José Del Río, Jaime Villegas, Erwin Krauskopf, Pablo Valenzuela, Gonzalo Miranda, Vivian Wilhelm, Alejandro Weinstein, Anita Holuigue
June 2008
Sitting: Vivian Wilhelm, Verónica Burzio, Karen Molina, Luz María García, Claudia San Martín, Diego Boriosi, Nicole Tischler
Standing: Luis Burzio, Anders Alcayaga, Rodrigo Espinosa, Esteban Engel, Ian Mackinnon, Andrés Pérez, Luis Martínez, Pablo Aguilera, Erwin Krauskopf, Jaime Villegas, Juan Heiremans, Nicolás Luco, Rubén Valera, Mauricio Gutiérrez, Mario Rosemblatt, Diego Araya, Gabriel Rodríguez Jr., Felipe Aravena, Pablo Bustos, Pablo Valenzuela, Bernardita Méndez, Fernando Guzmán
October 2008
Sitting: Jani Brouwer, Alejandra Wood, Patricia López, Pilar Prieto, Patricia Politzer, Vivian Wilhelm, María Gracia Cariola
Standing: Esteban Engel, Cristián Hernández, Nicole Tischler, Iván Vera, Eugenio Guzmán, Francisco López, Erwin Krauskopf, Verónica Burzio, Mariano Pola, Jean Jacques Duhart, Claudio Seebach, Raúl Ciudad, Mateo Budinich, Bernardita Méndez, Cleve Lightfoot, Jorge Díaz, Alejandro Ferreiro, Mario Rosemblatt, Pablo Valenzuela
June 2009
Sitting: Claudia Bobadilla, Juan Carlos Délano, Claudio Maggi, Pablo Dittborn, José Miguel Musalem, Pilar Vergara, Drina Rendic, Claudia Martínez
Standing: Nicole Tischler, Luis Burzio, Felipe Camposano, Bernardita Méndez, Raimundo Cerda, Pablo Allard, Jaime Villegas, Erwin Krauskopf, Alexander Seelenberger, Pablo Valenzuela, Vicente Aresti, Nicolás Selume, Vivian Wilhelm, Esteban Engel, Mario Rosemblatt, Fernando Junge, Verónica Burzio, Jorge Selume, Victoria Hurtado, Cristián Hernández, Pablo Rosenblatt
August 2010
Sitting: Matías Rivera, Cristóbal Philippi, Eduardo Hardy, Carlos Concha, Claudio Wernli, Conrad von Igel, Sebastián Vicuña, Nicolás Shea
Standing: Verónica Burzio, Alejandra Loyola, Alejandro Molnár, Nicole Tischler, Marcia Trujillo, Andrés Barriga, Pablo Valenzuela, Erwin Krauskopf, Juan Andrés Camus, Winifred Oheninger, Cristián Eyzaguirre, Javiera Blanco, Vivian Wilhelm, María Elena Wood, Leonidas Montes, Jaime Villegas, Cristóbal Undurraga, Bernardita Méndez, Pablo Rosenblatt
November 2011
Sitting: Alejandra Loyola, Claudio Gárate, Matías Gutiérrez, Carlos García-Huidobro, Mauro Valdés, Susana Carey, Andrés Gomberoff, Francisco Araneda
Standing: Carolina Torrealba, Alan García, Ramón Valdivieso, Jaime Villegas, Erwin Krauskopf, Cecilia Gamboa, Marco Antonio Riveros, Víctor Hugo Correa, Elisa Ibáñez, Andrés Pesce, Rodrigo Herrera, Álvaro Lladser, Vivian Wilhelm, Rodrigo Pedraza, Francisca Silva, Pablo Valenzuela, Verónica Burzio, Bernardita Méndez
June 2012
Sitting: Maximiliano Santa Cruz, Francisco Irarrázaval, Nicole Halçartégaray, María Catalina Saieh, Fernando Siña, Marcela Ríos, Andrés Serra, Arnold Hoppe, Carolina Dams
Standing: Pablo Rosenblatt, Javier Pivcevic, Carolina Torrealba, María Teresa Ruiz, Macarena Prieto, Mario Rosemblatt, Pablo Valenzuela, Raúl Sotomayor, Juan Manuel Santa Cruz, Marco Enríquez-Ominami, Álvaro Lladser, Juan Hardessen, Verónica Burzio, Erwin Krauskopf, Jaime Villegas, Alejandro Vila, José Luis Parra, Alejandro Pérez, Vivian Wilhelm, Bernardita Méndez, Alejandra Loyola, Arturo Torres
AUGUST 2014
Sitting: Chantal Signorio, Mario Rosemblatt, Carla Guelfenbein, Carolina Schmidt, Ricardo Díaz, Karla Rubilar, Esteban Domic, José Luis Arenas, Wilson Pais.
Standing: Bernardita Méndez, Cristian Hernández, Álvaro Farías, Carolina Torrealba, Álvaro Lladser, Mauro Granese, Fernando Mendoza, Nicole Halçartégaray, Oliver Flögel, Nicole Rojas, Raúl Rivera, Héctor Balbontín, Santiago Montt, Julián Ugarte, Alejandra Loyola, Francisca Valenzuela, Gonzalo Barriga, Pablo Valenzuela, Vivian Wilhelm.
October 2015
Sitting: Víctor Arriola, Giorgio Jackson, Catalina Del Río, Paola Luksic, Alejandra Mustakis, Eduardo Fantini, Mario Rosemblatt, Vivian Wilhelm.
Standing: Pablo Rosenblatt, Verónica Burzio, Francisco Guzmán, Alejandra Loyola, Pablo Valenzuela, Fiona Clouder, Luis Fernando Mackenna, Cristián Eyzaguirre, Eduardo Valenzuela, Hernán De Solminihac, Francisco Escobar, María Angélica Bulnes, Andrea Repetto, Rodrigo González, Fernando De Solminihac, Álvaro Lladser, Carolina Torrealba, Guillermo Carey, Nicole Halçartégaray, Jaime Villegas, Bernardita Méndez.