With the team's connection to current law makers, the US Army, and the DoD, we have had an active dialog with government officials who are leaders in different areas where scientific research is concerned to question how synthetic biology is viewed from three different pillars: 1) Scientific Research, 2) Military Policy, and 3) Public Policy. For Scientific Research, we have discussed this issue with program managers from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Office of Naval Research who have funded this project. For Military Policy, we have comments from a Colonel about how synthetic biology is viewed from a military/regulatory/policy perspective. For Public Policy, we have comments from local congressmen about their perspectives on synthetic biology regarding military, education, and small business. We believe are three pillars touch different areas within the community in order to assess the needs of synthetic biology to US funded research and education.
