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. The symposium was hosted by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and organized by a team of experts including Dr. Ananda Chakrabarty, Dr. Linda Kenney, Dr. Simon Silver, Dr. Thomas Theis, and Ms. Susan Stoken. The National Advisory Board included Dr. Daniel Drell from DOE, and the International Advisory Board featured Dr. Nuzhat Ahmed from Pakistan. The event was financially supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The symposium featured a variety of sessions covering topics such as bioremediation, phytoremediation, toxic effluent treatment, international cooperation, metal bitransformation, toxicogenomics, biosensors, safety issues, environmental microbiology, oil and atmospheric pollution, industrial developments, ethical and legal issues, biopolymers and industrial chemicals, environmental engineering, industrial processes, and military waste disposal. The program included receptions, poster sessions, a banquet cruise on Lake Michigan, and a closing session.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. The symposium was hosted by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and organized by a team of experts including Dr. Ananda Chakrabarty, Dr. Linda Kenney, Dr. Simon Silver, Dr. Thomas Theis, and Ms. Susan Stoken. The National Advisory Board included Dr. Daniel Drell from DOE, and the International Advisory Board featured Dr. Nuzhat Ahmed from Pakistan. The event was financially supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The symposium featured a variety of sessions covering topics such as bioremediation, phytoremediation, toxic effluent treatment, international cooperation, metal bitransformation, toxicogenomics, biosensors, safety issues, environmental microbiology, oil and atmospheric pollution, industrial developments, ethical and legal issues, biopolymers and industrial chemicals, environmental engineering, industrial processes, and military waste disposal. The program included receptions, poster sessions, a banquet cruise on Lake Michigan, and a closing session.