The 7th Biennial Symposium of the International Society for Environmental Biotechnology was held from June 18-21, 2004, at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. The event was hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine. The symposium was organized by a national advisory board, an international advisory board, and an organizing committee. Key organizers included Dr. Daniel Drell (DOE), Ms. Susan Finston (PhRMA), Mr. Daniel Freeman (U.S. House of Representatives), Dr. Terry Hazen (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/DOE), and others. International advisors included Dr. Nuzhat Ahmed (Pakistan), Dr. Katerina Demnerova (Czech Republic), and Dr. George Tzotzos (Austria/United Nations). The organizing committee included Dr. Ananda Chakrabarty, Dr. Linda Kenney, Dr. Simon Silver, Dr. Thomas Theis, and Ms. Susan Stoken from UIC. The symposium was supported by various agencies and organizations, including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Army Research Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), National Science Foundation (NSF), DuPont, Pfizer, Inc., PhRMA, and Regenesis. The event featured a series of activities on the 14th floor of the hotel, with sessions scheduled on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The schedule included morning sessions, lunch, afternoon sessions, and evening events. The symposium aimed to bring together researchers and professionals in environmental biotechnology to discuss advancements and applications in the field.The 7th Biennial Symposium of the International Society for Environmental Biotechnology was held from June 18-21, 2004, at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. The event was hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine. The symposium was organized by a national advisory board, an international advisory board, and an organizing committee. Key organizers included Dr. Daniel Drell (DOE), Ms. Susan Finston (PhRMA), Mr. Daniel Freeman (U.S. House of Representatives), Dr. Terry Hazen (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/DOE), and others. International advisors included Dr. Nuzhat Ahmed (Pakistan), Dr. Katerina Demnerova (Czech Republic), and Dr. George Tzotzos (Austria/United Nations). The organizing committee included Dr. Ananda Chakrabarty, Dr. Linda Kenney, Dr. Simon Silver, Dr. Thomas Theis, and Ms. Susan Stoken from UIC. The symposium was supported by various agencies and organizations, including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Army Research Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), National Science Foundation (NSF), DuPont, Pfizer, Inc., PhRMA, and Regenesis. The event featured a series of activities on the 14th floor of the hotel, with sessions scheduled on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The schedule included morning sessions, lunch, afternoon sessions, and evening events. The symposium aimed to bring together researchers and professionals in environmental biotechnology to discuss advancements and applications in the field.