Sponsored breakfasts and
lunches
We have a packed program of sponsored
breakfasts and lunches on offer during the conference. These events are a
great opportunity to hear some of the most exciting areas of Australian (and
New Zealand) science and to find out about future conferences.
Space is limited at these briefings.
You can book a place by sending an RSVP to the contact
person listed below for each briefing or you can book at registration.
Each day there are three sponsored breakfasts on offer.
All offer a 45 minute briefing with questions and answers over a cooked
breakfast.
Each day there is a sponsored two-course sit-down lunch and one or two
lunchtime briefings where you can take the conference lunch into the
briefing room. The lunch break is an hour and a half. The 2-course lunch
will run for one hour and the briefings for 45 minutes.
Please RSVP directly to the contact person from the organisation sponsoring
the event.
If there are still places available you will also have
the chance to book into the breakfasts and lunches at the registration desk
during the conference.
Tuesday breakfasts
Welcome breakfast for developing country journalists
International Development Research Centre, Canada (IDRC),
cooked breakfast
TIME: 7.45 am to 8.45 am
LOCATION: Lumina
Developing and emerging country journalists are invited
to this networking breakfast.
Meet your peers from around the world and discuss how
you can make the best use of the conference. You will also have the
opportunity to hear briefly from IDRC scholars.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Jennifer
Pepall, International Development Research Centre, +1 (613) 796-8752,
jpepall@idrc.ca
________________________________
The big Australian breakfast. High in salt, low in water, but lots of
fibre
-
view full invite
Presented by the Australian Centre of Plant Functional
Genomics, cooked breakfast
TIME: 7.45 am to 8.45 am
LOCATION: Savoy 2
Thirty minutes, three scientists and our research
recipe.
Start with high temperatures and low water and add a
big pinch of salt and you have Australia's agricultural environment – not
really ideal conditions for growing breakfast cereal crops like wheat and
barley. To combat this, our scientists are unzipping the genes of wheat and
barley and looking for new solutions. Can we produce varieties of wheat that
yield 20% more under drought? Or could we develop plants with inbuilt salt
pumps? Will crops with higher fibre be on the menu soon?
Dr Rachel Burton, Darren Plett and James Edwards will
address these questions at the ACPFG biotech breakfast and take you on a
culinary, intellectual and entertaining journey of science using new
breeding technologies including genetic engineering and functional genomics.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Amanda
Hudswell,
amanda.hudswell@acpfg.com.au
________________________________
The cancer challenge
Presented by the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research,
cooked breakfast
TIME: 7.45 am to 8.45 am
LOCATION: Savoy 3
Cancer now kills over seven million people each year
worldwide.
Over the last 25 years scientists and clinicians have
discovered why many cancer cells mutate abnormally. Consequently, new drugs
which reverse the effects of these mutations are now possible.
The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research is a global
organisation at the forefront of translating laboratory discoveries into
clinically useful anticancer agents. Recently, the Institute's worldwide
network has created opportunities for industry to collaborate on the testing
of new antibodies and anti-cancer vaccines which target cancer receptors and
growth factors.
This session will provide specific examples to
demonstrate how the latest innovations in cancer research progress from the
laboratory to patient trials.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Caroline
Cody, +61 430 134 743,
caroline.cody@ludwig.edu.au
Tuesday lunches
*Registrations for this lunch have
closed, as places have been fully subscribed.*
A two course sit-down lunch presented by CSIRO
TIME: 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm
LOCATION: Lumina
Water is a critical resource challenge facing many
countries around the world.
Climate change and increasing demand make it essential
that we develop strategies to reduce consumption, increase efficiency and
maintain reliable water quality and quantity.
The key to managing scarce water resources is knowing
how much water we have now and can expect to have in the future, who is
entitled to use it, and under what conditions.
Find out how scientists are working across disciplines
to develop the technologies and information systems needed to dramatically
improve Australia's ability to measure, monitor and manage our water
resources.
Presenter, Dr Tom Hatton, is the Director of the Water
for a Healthy Country Flagship – one of six Flagships established by CSIRO
to tackle Australia's major national challenges. He leads a team of more
than 400 researchers with skills in hydrology, ecohydrology, sociology,
information and communication technology, atmospheric research,
environmental management, economics and biology.
The session will be introduced by CSIRO Chief
Executive, Dr Geoff Garrett.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Patricia
Chronis, +61 407 759 958,
patricia.chronis@csiro.au
________________________________
Technology and its role in the future of the mining industry -
view full invite
SPEAKER: Megan Clark, Vice President Technology, BHP
Billiton
TIME: 12.45 pm to 1.30 pm
LOCATION: Savoy 3
Presented by BHP Billiton: pick up your lunch and join
us in Savoy 3
Dr Clark manages BHP Billiton's Global Technology Group
developing technologies that provide competitive advantage and growth
options for BHP Billiton's global businesses. She was previously a Director
with NM Rothschild and Sons (Australia) investing in private technology
companies and worked with WMC Resources in mining, exploration and research.
Dr Clark is on the Advisory Board of the Ian Walk
Research Institute. She has been a member of the Australian Research Council
Collaborative Grants Committee in the areas of engineering and geoscience
and is currently on the Working Group on Asia for the Prime Minister's
Science Engineering and Innovation Council examining the opportunities and
threats presented by the growth of India and China.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Josephine
Chow, Email:
josephine.chow@bhpbilliton.com
________________________________
Medical writers' networking lunch
TIME: 12.45pm to 2.00pm
LOCATION: Connaught
The Australasian Medical Writers' Association
www.medicalwriters.org invites delegates involved in medical writing,
publishing or research to get together over lunch. Please collect your
conference lunch and take it to the Connaught room.
A great networking opportunity!
Wednesday breakfast
Australian climate change science
PRESENTER: Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian Minister
for the Environment
TIME: 7.45 am to 8.45 am
LOCATION: Lumina
Important aspects of the Australian environment and
economy will be affected by climate change.
The Australian Government is investing heavily in
scientific research on climate change to underpin its policy making.
This briefing, by Australian Minister for the
Environment, Malcolm Turnbull, will highlight recent research areas such as:
- understanding the impact of climate change on
habitats like the Great Barrier Reef
- developing low emission technologies such as
geothermal and solar power
- investigating geological storage of carbon dioxide
- adapting to climate change in the Australian context.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Jahda
Swanborough, +61 439 645 454,
Jahda.Swanborough@environment.gov.au
________________________________
Visit Europe in 2008 for ESOF and PCST
Hosted by ESOF and PCST
TIME: 7.45 am to 8.45 am
LOCATION: Savoy 2
Join the organisers of the:
- 2008 Public Communication of Science and Technology
Conference in Malmö and Copenhagen in June;
- and the 2008 Euroscience Open Forum in Barcelona in
July.
Find out about plans for these two exciting science
communication events over breakfast with members of the organising
committees of both events – including:
- Clive Cookson, science editor, Financial Times
- Philip Campbell, editor in chief, Nature
- Ruth Francis, press officer, Nature Publishing Group
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact Jaume
Urgell, Email: jaume.urgell@esof2008.org
________________________________
New Zealand, new thinking Kiwifruit, biodegradable surfboards,
birdscaring grass, brain repair and more
TIME: 7.45 am to 8.45 am
LOCATION: Savoy 3
Meet the New Zealand delegation over breakfast and
learn about New Zealand's new thinking in science and technology.
Limited seats available.
Book at registration desk or contact: Deb Prior, New
Zealand Trade and Enterprise, +61 412 129 855,
Deborah.Prior@nzte.govt.nz
Wednesday lunches
Coming in from the cold: a call to action a scientifically
literate society
A two course, sit-down lunch presented by the
Australian Science Media Centre and the South Australian Government
TIME: 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm
LOCATION: Lumina
The challenges that face society at local and global
scales make it abundantly clear that knowledge of science and technology is
no longer a luxury. It is a necessity. How do we build a more proactive
scientifically literate society? It's time for science to come in from the
cold.
In this stimulating lunch dialogue, Professor Tim
Flannery, Australian of the Year will address this challenge. He will be
joined by the Hon. Paul Caica MP, Minister for Science and Information
Economy, South Australia, who will outline a unique strategy based on the
ideas from Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield's time as ‘Adelaide Thinker
in Residence'.
Board and Science Advisory Panel members from the
Australian Science Media Centre will join journalists for this event.
Chaired by the Director of the London-based Science
Media Centre, Fiona Fox.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Marilyn
Arnold, (0409) 909 580,
marnold@aussmc.org
______________________
Pharmaceutical research down under
Presented by Medicines Australia: pick up your lunch
and join us in Savoy 2
TIME: 12.45 pm to 1.30 pm
LOCATION: Savoy 2
Medicines Australia represents the innovative
research-based pharmaceutical companies who discover, develop and
manufacture prescription medicines.
Join us for a briefing from a leading industry
representative telling a global story about the pipeline of research,
development and delivery of medicines. The pharmaceutical industry is a
major driver, utiliser and deliverer of global science and there will be
major companies on hand to talk about initiatives and projects being
conducted within Australia.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Diana
Terry,
diana.terry@medicinesaustralia.com.au
______________________
Some secrets of breast milk revealed?
Presented by Macquarie University: pick up your lunch
and join us in Savoy 3
TIME: 12.45 pm to 1.30 pm
LOCATION: Savoy 3
Most mothers are aware that breast milk helps boost
their baby's immune levels, but up to now it has been thought that it is
mainly because of the mother's antibodies found in human milk.
New preliminary research suggests that complex
protein/sugar structures within human breast milk may bind to harmful
bacteria in a baby's gut, allowing it to then be flushed out. If this is the
case, it may soon be possible to synthesise these structures and add them to
cow's milk or formula so that mothers who are unable to breastfeed – due to
malnourishment, for example - can ensure their babies are still well
protected against disease.
Professor Nicki Packer of the Biomolecular Frontiers
research group at Macquarie University believes this defence may have
evolved in humans but not cows because of our different physiology – after
all, cows have four stomachs and only eat grass!
Come along to hear Packer discuss her theory, and how
glycoproteins can help us detect cancer and drug use by athletes.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Greg
Welsh, +61 (2) 9850 7383,
greg.welsh@mq.edu.au
Thursday breakfasts
Heart disease, the tea leaf paradox, better drugs for developing
countries
Presented by Monash University, cooked breakfast
TIME: 7.45 am to 8.45 am
LOCATION: Lumina
Monash University scientists are leaders in biomedical
and biotechnology research.
Recent advances in discovery-based biomedical research
have opened up a new arsenal of technologies that can be applied to develop
new drugs and devices to combat disease.
In this session Professor Harald Schmidt from the
Centre for Vascular Health will speak about the novel technologies used in
the understanding, early diagnosis and therapy of cardiovascular disease and
how this will make prevention and cure of stroke and heart disease a
realistic option.
Dr Leslie Yeo from the Micro/Nanophysics Research
Laboratory will talk about how Einstein's 'tea leaf paradox' inspired his
team to separate red blood cells from blood plasma in a discovery that could
lead to pocket diagnostics such as a 'smart card' that performs on-the-spot
blood tests.
Associate Professor Christopher Porter from Centre for
Drug Candidate Optimisation will talk about the ways in which they are
developing better, more effective pharmaceutical drugs such as new
anti-malarial drugs to combat the existing drug resistance and provide
effective therapies for poor, disease endemic countries.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Shae-Lee
McArthur, Tel: + 61 (3) 9905 4124
________________________________
Global and Australian approaches to the management of the hepatitis C
epidemic
- view
full invite
Presented by Hepatitis Australia, cooked breakfast
TIME: 7.45 am to 8.45 am
LOCATION: Savoy 2
Over a quarter of a million people in Australia have been exposed to the
hepatitis C virus1., thousands more continue to be infected each year, yet
only 1%, or 2,000 people are accessing treatment.
On behalf of Hepatitis Australia, Associate Professor
Margaret Hellard – Director of the Centre for Epidemiology and Population
Health Research at the Burnet Institute, Melbourne – will discuss the range
of factors currently fuelling the Hepatitis C epidemic globally and in
Australia President of Hepatitis Australia, Helen McNeill will also launch
the 'Professor Geoff Farrell Medal', a major initiative of Hepatitis
Australia to support responsible, accurate and timely reporting of Hepatitis
C.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Jane
Moloney, (02) 8424 8500,
jmoloney@porternovelli.com.au
________________________________
Weather with your wheaties
Presented by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology,
cooked breakfast
TIME: 7.45 am to 8.45 am
LOCATION: Savoy 3
Find out about the science behind weather and climate
prediction.
We will link the 'ologies'. Hydrology, meteorology,
oceanography: how do they work together to help create the Bureau's best
guess for today's weather, and tomorrow's climate change; everywhere from
the Antarctic to the Equator and across land, sea and air.
And we'll present stories about tracking climate
change, predicting bushfire weather, catching a nation's water data,
predicting tsunamis and more.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Rob
Morton, (0417) 508 051,
r.morton@bom.gov.au
Thursday lunches
L'Oréal for Women in Science luncheon -
view full invite
A two course sit-down lunch presented by L'Oréal
TIME: 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm
LOCATION: Lumina
L'Oréal and UNESCO have partnered since 1998 to promote
women in scientific research by creating the 'For Women in Science'
partnership.
Join Robyn Williams for what promises to be an
entertaining and informative session on the role of women in science, the
opportunities, the challenges and the research.
Winner of the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award
2006, Professor Jennifer Graves from Australia will be our guest speaker,
together with brief presentations from young Australian women scientists.
Details of the L'Oréal Australia For Women in Science
Fellowships will also be announced.
The lunch will be hosted by Robyn Williams AM, Science
Journalist and Broadcaster.
Limited seats available.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Megan
Ryan, (0400) 641 737,
mryan@au.loreal.com
________________________________
Climate change and development – a UNDP perspective
Presented by the United Nations Development Programme:
pick up your lunch and join us in Savoy 3
TIME: 12.45 pm to 1.30 pm
LOCATION: Savoy 3
We will brief you on the potential impact of climate
change on development and provide an overview of UNDP's climate change
programme and strategy including:
- UNDP's climate change activity in emissions
mitigation, adaptation and the international climate change negotiations.
- Mitigation and the UNDP's experience with the Clean
Development Mechanism, efforts to engage developing countries in the carbon
market. Has it delivered any development benefits?
- The UNDP's new development focused on the carbon
finance facility "MDG Carbon".
- Activities in renewable energy, energy efficiency and
land rehabilitation and management, and their role in climate change
mitigation.
We will highlight key issues with adaptation and
development, including climate risk reduction, formulating national
adaptation plans of action and financing adaptation initiatives (including
the Adaptation Fund).
Other areas of interest will include promoting
appropriate climate friendly policy frameworks in developing countries,
issues with the international negotiation process and UNDP's climate change
strategy.
Sign up at the registration desk or contact: Brian
Dawson,
brian.dawson@undp.org
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