Rice University Research Repository
The Rice Research Repository (R-3) provides access to research produced at Rice University, including theses and dissertations, journal articles, research center publications, datasets, and academic journals. Managed by Fondren Library, R-3 is indexed by Google and Google Scholar, follows best practices for preservation, and provides DOIs to facilitate citation. Woodson Research Center collections, including Rice Images and Documents and the Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice, have moved here.
Communities
Recent Submissions
6.7 NGL Entreaty on Access and Equity
(Rice University, 2025) Sousa do Nascimento, Cibele Zolnier; Johnson, Alicia; Kato, Emma Sebunya; Vigar, Justin R.J.; Perez, Rolando; Kiattisewee, Cholpisit Ice; Molla, Kutubuddin
At the Spirit of Asilomar Summit, conversations about biotechnology’s future took center stage. One of the most important discussions was on Access and Equity, under the "Framing Biotechnology’s Future" theme - focusing on the barriers, needs, and opportunities for making science more accessible, especially for researchers from resource limited or low and middle-income countries. The original Asilomar Conference balanced innovation with responsibility, but failed to address equity. The 'Spirit of Asilomar' organizers were able to address that and position entreaties as a corrective to that oversight. As young leaders in biotech, we wanted to bring our experiences to the table - sharing the initiatives we’ve worked on, the challenges we’ve faced, and the opportunities we see to build a more inclusive and equitable field.
6.9 NGL Proposal for Spirit of Asilomar Fund
(Rice University, 2025) Perez, Rolando; Chappell, Callie; Flores, Wari Nkwi; Lopez, Andrea Isabel; Johnson, Alicia; Kiattisewee, Cholpisit; Zimmerman, Elise; Elcock, Leon B.; Emanuel, Kato Sebunya; Chavez, Maria; Rath, Shrestha; Lardner, Casey; Zolnier, Cibele; Palmer, Xavier-Lewis; Astolfi, Maria; Seah, Adeline
This entreaty is a call to ensure biotechnology is a tool for global flourishing by establishing the Spirit of Asilomar Fund. Fear caused the 1975 Asilomar meeting to build barriers that ultimately hindered the transformative potential of biotechnologies to enable global flourishing. The 2025 Spirit of Asilomar Summit emphasized that we are at a critical juncture for Biotechnology. The Summit revealed a continued fear of Biotechnology amongst the general public and a growing lack of trust between the public and biotechnologists. Biotechnology as a tool for global flourishing is only possible by considering its cultural, ecological, political, and historical contexts. The research enterprise must empower all people, not just some, to unlock Biotechnology's transformative power. To nurture these interdisciplinary biotechnological futures, we propose the establishment of a Spirit of Asilomar Fund. The Spirit of Asilomar Fund will support the transition to transform the Biotechnology enterprise towards rights- and community-based, interdisciplinary, and culturally-centered approaches to Biotechnology innovation and governance. Our overall goal is to foster the sustained, responsible and mindful development of biotechnologies for global benefit.
5.4 Letter to our relatives, ancestors, and future generations: A call to establish Indigenous Biotechnology
(Rice University, 2025) Flores, WarīNkwī; Astolfi, Maria C.T.; Perez, Rolando; Elcock, Leon B. III; Bonilla, Janeth; Rhyans, Steven; Kong, David
At the 50th anniversary of the Asilomar Summit, the Indigenous Biotechnology Working Group share this letter as a collective call to establish Indigenous Biotechnology as a distinct and self-determined field. Grounded in Indigenous Knowledge Systems, this emerging field reimagines biotechnology through the values of reciprocity, sovereignty, stewardship, and kinship with all life. In response to centuries of extractive science and ongoing colonialism, Indigenous Biotechnology centers the rights of Peoples and the rights of Nature in the design, governance, and development of biotechnology. This letter highlights foundations of the field, calls for global alliances, and invites to build the Principles of Indigenous Biotechnology by 2026. We write to our ancestors, relatives, and future generations to shape a future in which biotechnology safeguards the biodiversity, cultures, and Peoples that sustain our scientific innovations.
6.8 NGL Reflection Anthology
(Rice University, 2025) Johnson, Alicia; Perez, Rolando; Anjum, Bushra; Adefolalu, Adedotun; Jannah,Roudlotul; Jibriel, Mohammed; Zolnier, Cibele; Camenares, Devin; Flores, Alonso; Kato, Sebunya Emmanuel; Chappell, Callie; Abugu, Modesta; Kosmehl, Naomi; Thaweechuen, Jirapat; Palmer, Xavier-Lewis; Kiattisewee,Cholpisit Ice; Neira, Diego Muñoz; Gonzalez, Joel Andres Rojas; López, Andrea Isabel; Molla, Kutubuddin; Zimmerman, Elise; Elcock, Leon B.; Lardner, Casey; Prakash, Gayathri; Syberg-Olsen, Mitchell; Takemura, Masato
One outcome of the 2025 Spirit of Asilomar and the Future of Biotechnology Summit was affirming the next generation of leaders in biotechnology. The Next Generation Leaders (NGL) program supported young- to mid-career leaders seeking to contribute to and lead towards better biotic futures. Our cohort of Summit attendees voiced their visions for the future of biotechnology – many of which are reflected in this Entreaty. This Entreaty is an anthology of voices, reflections, poetry, prose, and original artwork from Next Generation Leaders. We choose not to write a consensus statement, instead supporting each individual voice and vision stand on its own through an anthology entreaty.
6.1 Establishing the Global Network for Organisms and Multi-disciplinary Exchange (GNOME)
(Rice University, 2025) Seah, Adeline; Flores, WariNkwi; Perez, Rolando; Palmer, Xavier-Lewis; Elcock, Leon; George, Dalton; Johnson, Alicia; Kiattisewee, Cholpisit Ice; Chappell, Callie R.; Vigar, Justin R.J.; Almeida, Catarina; Jannah, Roudlotul; Molla, Kutubuddin
This entreaty focuses on the necessary elements to broaden and diversify engagement beyond the Spirit of Asilomar conference community through the creation of a Global Network for Organisms and Multi-disciplinary Exchange (GNOME). The network would build a broader coalition of expertise, experience, perspectives and cultural knowledge to decide on how to use biotechnology to address the biodiversity crisis, and foster collaborative decision-making on the ethical, legal, cultural, and social implications of emerging biotechnologies, especially engaging South-South and South-North stakeholders in connections. GNOME has three key goals - the first is to build and strengthen trust — the most important takeaway from the Spirit of Asilomar meeting — between communities, biotechnologists, conservationists, ecologists, ethicists, and other stakeholders, particularly with the Global South. The second goal is to foster the exchange of technical, cultural values, and local knowledge and perspectives to inform/evolve existing decision-making and operational frameworks for the use of biotech in conservation and the environment. Our final goal is to build responsible and accountable biotech innovation reaffirming local community values, priority needs, the right to withhold consent, self-determination, and the rights of nature. We invite you to join our efforts to design the network, its structure, governance and activities.