J. Craig Venter, biologist and entrepreneur, was among the first scientists to sequence the human genome, an accomplishment he achieved at his own institute, completely independent of the federal government's human genome project. He first became involved with human genome research while working at the National Institutes of Health. Frustrated with the slow pace of progress at NIH, he founded Celera Genomics, and the Institute for Genomic Research to continue his research independently. Dr. Venter is now President of the J. Craig Venter Institute, where he is working to create synthetic biological organisms and biofuels, and to document genetic diversity in the world's oceans. Venter, attended the. In this podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1996 Summit in Sun Valley, Idaho, he discusses the circuitous route that led him from a youth as a carefree surfer in Newport Beach, through service in the Vietnam War, to a career as a research scientist and a fiercely independent entrepreneur.