CONTENTS
1998 ANNUAL CONFERENCE (ASB98)
The 21st Annual Conference was held in the Robertson Theatre, Research School of Biological Sciences, The Australian National University Canberra from the 4th to 6th December, 1998. There was a record number of 90 registrants who witnessed an exciting and varied program of 51 talks and 19 posters in 2.5 days! Many thanks must go to the program organisers Dr Robyn Cleland and Dr Fred Chow and, in particular, the Conference Chairman Dr Tom Wydrynski for putting together such an excellent program that ran so smoothly. Thanks also to the numerous overseas participants who joined us in Canberra for ASB98. The standard of talks and posters by graduate students and young postdoctoral researchers was extremely high, which made judging the student and Young Biophysicist Awards very difficult. After much deliberation, the judges made the following awards: 1. The Young Biophysicist Award was won by Warwick Hillier of the Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University who presented a seminar entitled "Substrate water exchange kinetics during photosynthetic oxygen evolution reaction". Warwick will receive $1000 to attend a conference of his choice. 2. The award for the Best Student Poster was won by Louise Brown of the Department of Pathology, University of Sydney for her poster entitled "Microsecond rotational dynamics of the catalytic and regulatory domains of myosin". 3. The award for the Best Student Talk was won by Paul Warden-Hutton of the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University for this talk entitled "Biophysical studies of the prion protein N-terminal repeat region".
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The first Annual General meeting of the Society as an incorporated body was held in the Robertson Theatre, Research School of Biological Sciences, The Australian National University Canberra on December 6th 1998. The President, A/Prof. Glenn King, was in the chair and there were 33 members present. Among important items discussed were ASB99 and the associated Biosensor meeting, which is a satellite to IUPAB meeting in India. The organisers for ASB99, which will be held on the Gold Coast, are A/Prof. Christa Critchley and Dr Tony Collings. Tony reported that our meeting would be held from Sept 30 to Oct 3 1999 at the Mercure Hotel at Broadbeach Qld and the half-day workshop on biosensors at the Gold Coast Campus of Griffith University. The Mercure was formerly the Pan Pacific Hotel where we held our 1994 meeting. The costs will be similar this time. As in 1994, ASBMB will meet at Jupiter's. Accommodation at the hotel will be $80 per day. Apartments are available and costs on a shared basis could be as low as $30 per day. The program will be run as a mix of biophysics and biosensor papers. The Conference Dinner will be on Saturday night and the conference will finish late on Sunday.
The President reported that the Society was now incorporated in the State of Victoria and the President thanked the Secretary and ASB Inc.'s first Public Officer, Dr Cyril Curtain, for his efforts in bringing this about. The advantages of incorporation are that members are no longer individually liable for any debts incurred by the Society and, as a legal entity, the Society will find it easier to seek damages for breach of contract by, for example, venue and other service providers. Furthermore, incorporation was considered a necessity if the Society is to seek significant grants. The new Constitution is on the ASB Web Page. The President called members attention to the Web Pages. We are always looking for suggestions to improve them. The web pages are regularly updated and links to member's Web pages are warmly welcomed.
The Treasurer reported that, financially, the Society was in reasonably good shape. Memberships were up because about half members have taken up the 5-year subscription offer. Attention was called to the profit from ASB97. The Treasurer for that meeting, A/Prof. Frances Separovic, was thanked with acclaim. A plea was made for members to pay subs. The Treasurer pointed out that students were only eligible for the student travel allowance if they were financial members. The Treasurer complimented the Canberra Committee on the financial management of the current meeting. The President echoed this, complimenting the committee on the general organisation of the meeting.
The following officer-bearers were elected for 1999; President: Frances Separavic, Vice-President: Ray Norton, Secetary: Cyril Curtain, Treasurer: Paul Pallaghy, State Reps: ACT - Tom Wyrdinski, Vic - Paul Gooley, NSW - Brett Hambly, WA - Boris Martinec, SA - Geoff Findlay, Qld - Graeme Hansen, Tasmania - To be appointed.
The possibility of bidding for an IUPAB meeting in possibly 2005 or 2008 was discussed. Cris dos Remedios will table an expression of interest on the Society's behalf at the next IUPAB meeting. The Society continues to support FASTS in its efforts to lobby politicians for a better deal for science and technology and will do whatever is necessary by way of letter writing and attending meetings. There is a proposal for a "Science Meets Parliament Day" during next year's pre-budget phase and ASB will make sure that it is represented.
XIII INTERNATIONAL BIOPHYSICS CONGRESS
The second circular of the XIII International Biophysics Congress is now available on the net at: http://www.tifr.res.in:80/~iupab99/ The deadline for young scientists to apply for financial assistance is January 31, 1999. Research scholars, postdoctoral fellows and others eligible for such assistance should take take immediate action.
SCIENCE NOW! 1999
ScienceNOW! '99 is seeking nominations for "Fresh Science" to be delivered
daily at ScienceNOW! the National Science Forum at the Melbourne Exhibition
Centre, 6 to 9 May 1999. FASTS is seeking assistance to identify the most
exciting research of the past year for presentation as Fresh Science at
ScienceNOW! '99 Fresh Science was a highlight of the first ScienceNOW!
in May 1998, where 17 scientists in the early stages of their careers presented
their research to the media and the general public. They were selected
from more than 90 nominations, and their stories attracted national and
international attention. There were more than 150 mentions of their work
in the media. In order to be eligible for Fresh Science '99, research must
have been conducted in Australia or by an Australian, must have been released
since 1 January 1998, must have gained peer recognition, and must NOT have
had significant media coverage. And successful candidates must demonstrate
they can present to a general audience in an informative and interesting
way. Forms and selection criteria will be available on-line from 1/2/99
at the ScienceNOW! website (www.asnevents.net.au/sciencenow),
together with information on the 1998 Fresh Science sessions presenters,
media coverage, etc. Nominations will close on 31/3/99. Participation in
other sections of ScienceNOW! is also welcomed. You may wish to:
NEW FASTS PRESIDENT
Professor Sue Serjeantson of the Australian National University is to be the next President of Australia's peak council for scientists and technologists. Professor Serjeantson will take up her position as President of the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS) in November 1999, at the conclusion of the term of the current President, Professor Peter Cullen. Professor Serjeantson will be the eighth President, and the second woman to hold the position. A former Director of the Institute of Advanced Studies and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the ANU, she is currently a Visiting Fellow at the John Curtin School of Medical Research. She was elected at the Annual Council meeting of FASTS at the National Press Club. The full Executive of FASTS is:
Board Members are:
EXTRACTS FROM FASTS DECEMBER NEWSLETTER
1. PRIME MINISTER'S SCIENCE COUNCIL Under John Howard, the PM's Science
Council (PMSEIC) has developed into a major force in discussing the S&T
questions of the day. The meeting on December 4 brought together senior
scientists and half of Cabinet, and the group discussed a whole range of
issues over dinner and more formal talks the following day. Issues for
discussion included:
2. WILLS REPORT ON FUNDING MEDICAL RESEARCH Peter Wills's report to PMSEIC report makes a strong argument for increased investment in R&D for the medical sector and shows the returns in terms of both innovations and cheaper health costs. It makes a cogent case for only funding excellent research through peer review processes. The full report was released on December 4, and is available on the Web (http://www.hmrsr.com).
3. ARC AT PMSEIC The Wills' recommendations on the selection of scientific projects through peer review made an interesting contrast with rumours about the content of the draft green paper on the ARC at the PMSEIC discussions. Minister Kemp told me he had received the letter from FASTS on ARC, and said that there were strongly divergent views on the matter. The draft Green paper may be delayed, but I indicated FASTS was keen to see the discussion paper address the real issues and would not object to a delay if it means more appropriate consultation.
4. TEACHERS The issue of the supply of qualified science and mathematics teachers was also discussed at PMSEIC. It is clear that this matter is beginning to bite with our politicians, and there is an increased awareness that relatively low pay levels make teaching an unattractive career.These issues are to be raised further with Minister Kemp and will be discussed at a subsequent PMSEIC meeting.
5. FASTS' ANNUAL COUNCIL Council this year was held at the National Press Club, and I was delighted to see so many Member Societies represented by their Presidents. Discussion ranged over a number of policy issues, including the commercialisation of science and the future of the ARC. Bob Frater of CSIRO and Bob McMullan (ALP spokesperson on Industry and Technology) addressed the meeting, and Toss Gascoigne gave a preliminary report on a FASTS' study on the impediments scientists and technologists face in commercialising their science. Dinner guests included Prof. Vicki Sara (Chair of ARC), Stuart Hamilton (Director of AV-CC) and Prof. Brian Anderson (President of Australian Academy of Science).
6. IMPEDIMENTS TO COMMERCIALISATION The FASTS' study on the impediments scientists face in commercialising their work has involved talking to scientists across Australia in focus groups in Townsville, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. An interim account presented to a Research Commercialisation Forum in Melbourne (as well as to FASTS's Council) showed many scientists find the road to commercialisation is a difficult one. The project is funded by a grant from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, and the full report is due by the end of the year.
7. FASTS IN NATURE An account of the ARC issue appeared in the journal Nature this week, and featured FASTS's letter to Minister Kemp. Another illustration of the deep commitment scientists internationally have to the peer-review process! It has been another challenging year for those involved in science and technology, with continuing financial stresses and many of our institutions being the subject of review. I hope 1999 is a more settled year, and that you manage to get a relaxing break over the holiday period.
Peter Cullen President 14 September 1998
WELCOME TO NEW THE EXECUTIVE
This is my last newsletter as President of ASB, Inc. and I would therefore like to take this apportunity to thank my hardworking Executives for all their help over the past year. In particular, I would like to thank Dr Cyril Curtain, without whom we would not yet be incorporated, Brett Hambly, who has admirably handled the Society's financial matters and brought our membership list up to date, and A/Prof. Cris dos Remedios for teaching me the ropes. Finally, I would like to wish the new President, A/Prof. Frances Separovic, and her newly elected Executive and State Representatives all the best for 1999. I am delighted to be able to leave the Society in such capable hands.
Glenn King Outgoing President ASB, Inc.