AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY FOR BIOPHYSICS New website address http://www.biophysics.org.au/ Newsletter 2003/1

ASB News

Welcome to the first ASB Newsletter for 2003, and my first as president. I am afraid that I couldn't persuade Ray Norton to keep producing it after he had finished his term as president. I must say that Ray has done an outstanding job as ASB President over the last two years, together with his excellent upgrading of the bi-monthly ASB newsletter to its present format. The newsletter, which has been continually evolving with successive presidents over the years, from hard copy to its current electronic format, puts together information that comes to the president that is anticipated could be of value to ASB members.

At this time, I would like to wish you all a year in 2003, which will not be too stressful, but will be enjoyable, productive and hopefully fairly peaceful (despite current international rumblings)……. Peter Barry

1. Looking back at ASB in 2002.

There were a number of highlights for ASB last year. Two of our members (Dr Joel Mackay, of Sydney Univ., a former ASB Young Biophysicist Awardee, and Professor Marcela Bilek, of Sydney Univ., a current ASB member) received the two Young Scientist Awards [Science Minister's Prize (Life Scientist of the Year)and the 2002 Malcolm McIntosh Prize (Physical Scientist of the Year) respectively] at the Prime Minister's Science Awards in Canberra in August. There was another very successful Annual Conference of the Society (in Melbourne) and I can only reiterate the congratulations from Ray to Paul Gooley and his organising committee, and all those who contributed to the high standard and friendliness of the Conference. A more detailed report of the meeting and of the worthy prize winners is given in the December ASB Newsletter (2002/6), listed along with other newsletters on our website. Let me also add my very warm congratulations to Professor Hans Coster (UNSW), who was awarded the inaugural Bob Robertson Medal, for his outstanding contributions to membrane biophysics and the development of Australian biophysics.

Professor Hans Coster receiving the inaugural 2002 Bob Robertson Medal from the former ASB President Professor Ray Norton in November 2002

Dr Louise Brown receiving the Young Biophysicist Award from the former ASB President Professor Ray Norton in November 2002

Congratulation also to Dr Louise Brown (UNSW) who got the 2002 ASB Young Biophysicist Award. See ASB website for further details about the 2002 Bob Robertson Medal and Young Biophysicist Awardees. Congratulations also to Till Boecking (UNSW) and Philip Parker (La Trobe), who got the Student Presentation Awards.

2. ASB 2003 Meeting

2. ASB 2004

3. New ASB Website Address

Also, we have been adding links from the ASB site to a number of members' individual websites, but we'd like to add more so that visitors to the site get a broad view of what we as biophysicists do. In addition, if you have any images from your work that could be included, please consult Adelle (A.Coster@unsw.edu.au).

4. ASB Newsletter - Next issue pdf only?

Meeting Reports & Other News

1. Australian Academy of Science and National Committees

2. IUPAB information

Upcoming Events

1. 47th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society (USA)

2. The Fourth East Asia Biophysics Symposium (EABS)

3. Congress of the Federation of European Physiological Societies (FEPS) 2003

4. Special FEBS 2003 Meeting on Signal Transduction.

5. XIX International Congress of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

6. International Society for Toxinology World Congress

Specialty areas that may also find the meeting of interest include emergency / tropical medicine, zoology, herpetology, haematology, oncology, pharmacology and biochemistry. Further information can be obtained from www.toxinology.net under the heading IST 14th Congress or by contacting Julian White (toxinaus@wch.sa.gov.au).

7. Society of General Physiologists 2003 Annual Meeting on "The Biology of Chloride".

8. 8th International Summer School on Biophysics

9. First International Meeting on Applied Physics

Deadline dates: Scientific Contributions - Submission of abstracts: April 15th - Notification of acceptance/reject: April 30th - Full papers submissions in due format: at the Conference Registration - Early registration deadline: May 20th.
APHYS-2003 Coordinator: Antonio Mendez Vilas.

Notices & Special Reports

International News

1. Call for Satellite Meetings to the Biophysical Society

"The International Committee would like to invite you to organize Satellite Meetings to the next 2004 Biophysical Society in Baltimore, Maryland. We believe this would be a great opportunity to increase our international liaisons and foster Biophysics around the world. Please follow the criteria set by the Biophysical Society, so your proposal can be advertised as a satellite meeting of the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting:

(1) Proposals must be submitted to the Program Chair for approval by a member of the Society and co-signed by nine other Society members. (2) Proposals must include the meeting title and list of speakers and their affiliations. (3) Organizers are responsible for soliciting sponsor funding to cover all costs. Sponsors not exhibiting at the Society Annual Meeting must pay a $1500 fee, in addition to costs, to the Society. (4) The Society office will handle registration for the satellite meeting, including preparation of badges and receipts; registration will be $30 per registrant.

You can also send me your proposals by e-mail and I will forward them to the next Program Chair. We look forward to receive your proposals.

With best wishes, Ligia Toro, Ph.D.
Chair, International Committee of the Biophysical Society
Professor, Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, and
Department of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, BH-509A CHS. Box 957115
Los Angeles, CA 90095-7115
e-mail: ltoro@ucla.edu "

National News

1. FASTS (Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies)

2. Department of Education, Science and Technology (DEST) Media Release

MEDIA RELEASE
THE HON PETER McGAURAN MP
MINISTER FOR SCIENCE DEPUTY LEADER OF THE HOUSE
Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 T: (02) 6277 7440 F: (02) 6273 7330 E: peter.mcgauran.mp@aph.gov.au
December 23rd 2002 MIN 112/02

2002 - A YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENT

Science has been firmly established at the centre of the Federal Government's agenda and priorities in 2002. In reviewing the year's highlights and achievements, Science Minister Peter McGauran said the year has been pivotal for the Australian science community.

"Science and innovation underpin Australia's economic and social prosperity, now more than ever we are seeing the benefits that science contributes to our daily lives. This is an exciting time to be involved in science," said Mr McGauran.

"The Prime Minister has shown his strong support for science, announcing science and innovation as one of the nine strategic priorities for the Government's third term.

"2002-03 saw the largest ever Federal Government commitment to science and innovation, amounting to $5.1 billion.

"New funding from the Commonwealth's $3 billion innovation plan, Backing Australia's Ability, will advance science and innovation in Australia even further," Mr McGauran said.

The establishment of the national research priorities and the $478 million for the Government's Cooperative Research Centres were major achievements in 2002. Other highlights are attached.

"This momentum will be maintained in 2003 when we will map Australia's science and innovation activities across the public and private sectors. This will be fundamental to setting future strategic directions for Backing Australia's Ability and furthering science and innovation," Mr McGauran said.

For further information: Jodie Forbes (Minister McGauran's Office) 0419 622 915

Attachment

SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2002

• Announcement of thefour research priority areas for the Australian Research Council’s 2003 funding round under the National Competitive Grants Program (Nano and Bio-materials; Genome/Phenome Research; Complex/Intelligent Systems; and Photon Science and Technology) with funding support of $170 million.
• Major contributions made by the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) over a diverse range of subjects, including aquaculture, energy technologies and science and security.
• The opening of a new $12 million National Marine Science Centre at Coffs Harbour financed by the Government's Federation Fund.
• The successful Italian-Australian Technological Innovations Conference and exhibition, involving nearly 500 scientists, entrepreneurs and the public, supported by a $50,000 Federal Government grant.
• The commencement of construction for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) $300 million Replacement Research Reactor at Lucas Heights.
• Establishment of the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, a world-class centre to map the genes that control environmental stresses, such as drought, in the $8 billion Australian grain industry. This centre has been provided $20 million over 5 years from the ARC and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.
• A team of physicists at the ANU achieved a world-first confirmation that teleportation, one of the hottest topics among physicists working in quantum mechanics, is possible. Since 1998, the ARC has provided funding of approximately $2 million to the team, including a $1.1 million ARC Discovery grant in January 2002.
• Successful launch of 'scramjet' - the world's first flight test of supersonic combustion. This highly collaborative team has put Australia at the forefront of this new technology and enhanced the country's international prestige in space research. The Federal Government has contributed over $1.6 million through Australian Research Council Grants.
• Funding of 25 Federation Fellowships, the most prestigious and richest publicly-funded research fellowships ever offered in Australia. The Federal Government provides $1.125 million over 5 years to each Federation Fellow.
• The announcement of the Biotechnology Centre of Excellence, the National Stem Cell Centre, with proposed funding of $46.5 million over five years from Biotechnology Australia and the Australian Research Council.
• Over 385,000 visitors participating in National Science Week, with almost 40% of events held outside major urban areas. During the week, 25 projects funded through the National Innovation Awareness Strategy totalling $300,000 were announced.
• The introduction of the Prime Minister's prizes for excellence in science teaching. The recipients of the two new awards, which recognise those teachers who have made an outstanding contribution to science education in Australia, each received $35,000.
• A team of scientists working on the structure of proteins, from CSIRO, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, the Ludwig Institute and the CRC for Cellular Growth Factors, makes a landmark discovery in the search for new anti-cancer drugs. Amidst considerable international competition, the team has determined the three dimensional structure of an important protein molecule in humans.
• Announcement of the allocation of $95 million to 1252 new research projects to be funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) from 2003.
• 30 Australian scientists awarded grants through Backing Australia's Ability Innovation Access Program (IAP) totalling $165,000 for collaborative research visits to Europe. The grantees are from across Australia and will undertake research in a range of fields from the physical and natural sciences.
• Completion of the refurbishment and expansion of the research facilities of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). This $17m upgrade has provided AIMS with a new research vessel, the RV Cape Ferguson, and a state-of-the-art capability for biotechnological research.
• The award to Professor Suzanne Cory, Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, of the UK Royal Society's Royal Medal for her distinguished work on the molecular basis of cancer.
• The passage of amending legislation to facilitate the commercialisation activities of ANSTO and AIMS.
• The establishment of new science and technology arrangements with Italy, France and Indonesia enabling our scientists to work collaboratively in a broad range of sectors of importance and mutual benefit to Australia.
• The passage of legislation enabling stem cell research using human embryos surplus to assisted reproduction, subject to tight regulation and review.
• The establishment of the Federal Government's $129.5 million ICT Centre of Excellence, National ICT Australia.
• The first launch of an Australian satellite in 35 years, supported by Federal Government assistance of $20 million.
• Contract concluded for the fourteenth of the Major National Research Facilities funded through Backing Australia's Ability.
• Eight new Australian Research Council (ARC) Centres of Excellence, in areas ranging from ultra-high bandwidth optical telecommunications to reversing environmental degradation, sharing almost $90 million, and linked internationally with world-class businesses and research institutes.

Job Vacancies and Notices

Peter H. Barry
February 21, 2003
President, Australian Society for Biophysics.