For these unique science history meetings, we invite speakers who made many of the seminal discoveries that began a field as well as those currently working in that field. We also invite historians who have examined the scientific and societal context of the field.

Since it was first observed within cells at the end of the nineteenth century, our bacterial endosymbiont, the mitochondrion, has been interrogated from many perspectives. Initially described as a cytoplasmic structure, then as the source of energy, later an organismal entity, and recently a component of many diseases, the multi-faceted mitochondrion has engendered fascination from a broad spectrum of physical, chemical, biological, and medical perspectives.

For these unique meetings, we invite speakers who made many of the seminal discoveries that began the field, as well as those who are working on the topic now.  We also invite historians of science who have examined the topic, setting it in its scientific and societal context.  Like the previous meetings in the series, this meeting will provide an excellent opportunity to look in-depth at a topic and share the stories that are often missing from academic accounts.

Never before have the pioneers of the science of retroviruses, the discoverers of human retroviruses, the developers of HIV/AIDS therapeutics, and key figures in important research findings come together to discuss the history of the field. Together, this interdisciplinary group will review the key scientific, epidemiological, and clinical discoveries that created this field.

The Evolution of Sequencing Technology: A Half-Century of Progress — the meeting that brought together the major researchers involved in DNA sequencing since its inception in the 1960s. Prominent guest speakers examined the history of sequencing and how the technology has transformed the biological sciences over the past five decades.

This unique meeting explored the first formulation and proof of the messenger RNA (mRNA) idea, and how further research over more than five decades has expanded and updated the fundamental concept. The speakers, pioneers in the field of mRNA, presented their historic work from today's perspective.

A special meeting, entitled, Plasmids: History & Biology, was held from Sunday, September 21, to Tuesday, September 23, 2014, in the Hershey Laboratory, at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York. The meeting was hosted by the CSHL Genentech Center for the History of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.

Organized by restriction enzyme pioneers Herb Boyer, Stu Linn, Rich Roberts, and by Mila Pollock, this was the first international meeting to bring together the scientists who were involved with the discoveries and research on restriction enzymes dating back to the 1950s and covering developments to the present time.