"Science, Journalism and Politics: When Cultures Collide" will be the topic for National Public Radio (NPR) science correspondent Richard Harris in his keynote address April 9 at 4:30 p.m. in Call Alumni Auditorium during the 2002 Biotechnology Symposium at Cornell University.

Open to the public at no charge, the Harris talk follows a scientific poster session and reception, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., in G-10 Biotechnology Building. The award-winning radio correspondent also will participate in several Cornell classes during his two-day visit to campus, April 9-10.

A frequent contributor to the NPR programs Morning Edition , All Things Considered and Weekend Edition , Harris has covered medicine and health, the environment, space technology and astronomy, anthropology, and genetics since joining the news staff in 1986. His 1995 Peabody Award was conferred for investigative reporting about the tobacco industry, and his American Association for the Advancement of Science radio journalism award, also in 1995, recognized reporting on hormone-disrupting chemicals in the environment. He is a co-founder of the Washington, D.C., Area Science Writers Association and former president of the National Association of Science Writers.

The 17th annual symposium is presented by the Cornell University Institute for Biotechnology and Life Sciences Technologies and the New York State Center for Advanced Technolog (CAT) in Biotechnology.

According to Stephen Kresovich, director of the institute and the center: "These programs are trying to catalyze thought and communications among interested parties representing various backgrounds and interests at Cornell. In particular, we're interested in how the technology we develop and support fits into a broader societal context." Said Kresovich, who also is a professor of plant breeding and plant science, "We want people to be informed and express opinions on these important issues confronting society as we move into the 21st century.