Media Advisory

Ignacio Chapela will hold a Press Conference to announce the filing of legal action against the Regents of the University of California.

Date: Monday, 18 April, 2005.

Time: 2 pm.

Place: Outdoors, West slope of Hilgard Hall, University of California campus, Berkeley.

Keywords: University-industry relationships, academic freedom, diversity, environment, biotechnology, agriculture, trade.

Areas of interest: Biotechnology, education, science and technology, business, academic freedom, freedom of speech, diversity, environmental conservation, international trade, agriculture, corporate influence of the public sphere.

Background: Ignacio Chapela, Assistant Professor of microbial ecology, was denied tenure after years of review by the University of California, under extremely unusual conditions. His situation has received world-wide attention within and outside academia as a path-defining case study of the situation of public universities, the influence of private interests on public research and education, the limits on dissent in scientific research, and the suppression of academic freedom in our times. This case also highlights the role of biotechnology and the biotech industry in our society.

After eight years of internal development of the case within the confines of academia, Prof. Chapela will announce long-awaited legal action against the administrators of the University of California.

Directions: See map attached. For detailed phtographic directions to the press conference, see http://atdpweb.soe.berkeley.edu/bart2tolman/11tolman.html

For updates and statements see:
http://www.pulseofscience.org (edited by Ignacio Chapela)
http://www.tenurejustice.org (background, updates and actions)
http://www.chapelatenure.org (background, updates and actions)