Program for the 1998 Forum

International Cooperation in Science and Technology
November 12-13, 1998, Hyatt Regency, Vancouver, BC

Thursday, November 12, 1998

8:30-9:15 a.m.
Welcome
Peter Blair, Executive Director, Sigma Xi
John Moore, Grove City College, President, Sigma Xi

Plenary Session
The Human Genome Sequenceing Project: An International Effort
Michael Smith, University Killam Prof., Peter Wall Distinguished Prof. and Nobel Laureate, University of British Columbia

9:15-10:00 a.m.
Plenary Session
Efforts to Assist in the Safety and Closure of Chornobyl
Bryan F. Gore, Project Manager, Safety, Licensing and Reg. Analysis, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Constantin Rudya, Special Advisor to the Minister, Ministry for Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety of Ukraine

10:00-10:30 a.m.
Break

10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

1. Mapping the Human Genome
   Many argue that humankind is emerging from the age of physics into the age of biology, a position highlighted by the breathtaking advances in molecular biology. Perhaps the most intriguing of such advances is pace of development in human genetics. Developments in this area have prompted a host of societal and ethical challenges that must be faced by all countries. In this session, panelists will address both the science and its widespread implications for the international community.

   Chair: Peggie Hollingsworth, University of Michigan, President-elect, Sigma Xi

   Speakers:
   Paul Billings, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Network Director, Heart of Texas Veterans Healthcare Network

   Michael Smith, University Killam Prof., Peter Wall Distinguished Prof. and Nobel Laureate, University of British Columbia

   Related Web Sites
   U. S. National Center for Genome Research: http://www.ncgr.org

   U. S. National Human Genome Research Institute (National Institutes of Health): http://www.nhgri.nih.gov

2. International Cooperation in Technology Development
   The economy is becoming global in scale and scope. The Pacific Rim is beginning to eclipse Europe and, perhaps eventually, the U.S. as the center of gravity in the world economy. As the role of multinational corporations begins to dramatically affect the location and pace of technology innovation around the world, the opportunities for and consequences of international collaboration in technology development have become key considerations in many industries. This panel will discuss the pros and cons of international cooperation for technology development and the current trends in a variety of industries.

   Chair: Paul Pechan, Prague Institute for Advanced Studies

   Speakers:
   Robert Eagan, Vice President, Physical Sciences & Components, Sandia National Laboratories

   A.J. Tien, Environmental Biotechnology Section, Savannah River Technology Center

   Contributed Presentations

   Reengineering the Science and Technology Research and Development Process
   Chuvej Chansa-ngavej, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok

   Cooperation: The Key to Security in the 21st Century
   Arian L. Pregenzer, The Cooperative Monitoring Center, Sandia Laboratories

   ASTM Voluntary Consensus Standards and Fishing in Alaska and Hawaii
   J.K. Reilly

3. Severe Local Storms: Impacts and Predictions
   The study and prediction of severe weather events has always been of intense local interest all around the globe. Increasingly, new technology and new understanding of severe local storm phenomena have enabled significant advances in the area of local storm prediction. This session will chronicle new developments and address the growing array of societal and scientific impacts of these developments that now cross international boundaries.

   Organizer, Chair and Speaker:
   Charles A. Doswell III, Meteorologist, National Severe Storms Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer

   Speakers:
   Robert H. Johns, Science and Operations Officer, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service

   Patrick McCarthy, Severe Weather Program Manager, Environment Canada

   Related Web Site
   U. S. National Severe Storms Laboratory: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov

12:00-2:00 p.m.
Lunch Break

2:00-2:45 p.m.
Plenary Session
International Space Station: Enabling World Class Science
Kathryn I. Clark, Chief Scientist, International Space Station, NASA Headquarters

Related Web Site
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov

2:45-3:15 p.m.
Break

3:15-4:45 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

1. Using Information Technology for International Collaboration
   In recent years, rapidly-evolving information and communications technologies have played an increasing role in facilitating international collaboration in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. For example, applications from following earthquakes, to tracking the migration of sea mammals, to controlling telescopes over the internet have all become commonplace in recent years. This session will highlight several of the best developed of these applications, focusing specifically on large-scale efforts that utilize these technologies world-wide for cooperative research and education.

   Chair: Thomas F. Malone, Senior Advisor, Sigma Xi

   Speakers: Thom H. Dunning, Jr., Battelle Fellow, William R. Wiley Environmental and Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

   Gregory van der Vink, Director of Planning, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS)

2. International Space Station: Some Assembly Required
   This session will focus on the challenges and opportunities of international collaboration in the engineering of the ISS, and in planning for research to be carried out on the ISS. Space Station scientists and administrators will discuss the ISS as a very large scale engineering project that will enable a large variety of scientific research to be conducted in the life and physical sciences. A variety of programmatic, policy and research perspectives will be presented.

   Organizer: Barry Epstein, NASA, Space Station External Affairs

   Chair and Speaker: Kathryn I. Clark, International Space Station Chief Scientist, NASA Headquarters

   Speakers:
   Yoshinori Fujimori, Special Advisor to the President, National Space Development Agency of Japan

   Bjarni V. Tryggvason, Payload Specialist & Astronaut, Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

3. The Use and Misuse of Science in Fisheries Management
   Science, economics and politics clash frequently on the high seas, where fishing issues are the focus of many international disputes. Recent collapses of important fish stocks beg for explanation: bad management, bad science, bad weather or extreme pressures from stakeholders? Can scientists, politicians and stakeholders work together toward sustainable "scientific management" of ocean resources?

   Organizer and Chair: Donald Ludwig, Professor Emeritus, Mathematics and Zoology, University of British Columbia (UBC)

   Speakers:
   Leah Gerber, Research Assistant, Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Washington

   Daniel Pauly, Professor, University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre

   Carl J. Walters, Professor, Zoology, University of British Columbia (UBC)

   Related Web Sites
   Coverage of Pauly's recent report in Science on depletion of global fish stocks.
   
   http://seattletimes.com/news/health-science/html98/fish_020698.html
   http://www.naturalscience.com/ns/inter/inter01.html#Interview
   
   Links to recent fisheries controversies in Canada.
   http://www.naturalscience.com/ns/articles/comment/ns_com04.html

5:00-5:45 p.m.
Plenary Session
A Host of Challenges, a World of Opportunities: Strategies for Science and Engineering Education in Canada
Claudine Simson, Vice President of Global Research and Development, Nortel

Friday, November 13

8:30-9:15 a.m.
Plenary Session
Red Tides and Other Harmful Algal Blooms: A Growing Global Problem?
Max Taylor, Professor of Biological Oceanography, University of British Columbia (UBC)

9:15-10:00 a.m.
Plenary Session
Some Thoughts on Knowledge as the New Societal Leitmotiv and How it Affects the Research Enterprise
George Bugliarello, Chancellor, Polytechnic University

10:00-10:30 a.m.
Break

10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

1. The International Impact of Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases
   Breathtaking advances in the health sciences and the ability to carry out large international studies have enabled major changes in the understanding of emerging and re-emerging diseases around the world. The prospect of improving methods and practice to challenge the speed with which diseases can spread in our mobile world is one of our planet’s greatest challenges. Through cooperation between many countries, the international community is playing an increasing role in the treatment and prevention of emerging and re-emerging diseases. This panel of will discuss the scientific, ethical, political and technological issues associated with responding to these threats.

   Chair: George Hillyer, University of Puerto Rico

   Speakers:
   F. A. Dombrose,Executive Director, Consortium for Plasma Science, LLC

   Alexandra Levitt, Visiting Scientist, Office of the Director, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

   Dyann Wirth, Professor of Tropical Public Health, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health

   Related Web Site
   Emerging Infectious Disease Links at the U. S. Center for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/id_links.htm

2. Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Technology and Politics of Verification
   The methods of verification of the existence of weapons of mass destruction and for the design and enforcement of nonproliferation treaties are technically and politically very challenging tasks. Methods are being stretched to unprecedented limits as the world emerges from a bi-polar world of the West versus the Soviet Union to one where terrorism and the potential of regional violence in many parts of the world simultaneously become increasing threats. The development of the science and problems of verification in a post cold war world will be the focus of this session.

   Organizer: John Ahearne, Director, Sigma Xi Center

   Chair: Robert Frosch, JFK School of Government, Harvard University

   Speakers:
   F. Ron Cleminson, Senior Advisor on Verification, Canadian Department of Foreigh Affairs and International Trade

   Jay Davis, Director of Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), U.S. Department of Defense

   William H. Dunlop, Program Leader, Proliferation Prevention and Arms Control Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

   Paul Jackson, Technical Staff Member and Group Leader, Life Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory

3. The Science and Politics of Large-Scale International Collaboration
   Large-scale international collaborations have resulted in both impressive advances and spectacular failures. This session will review case studies of both successful and unsuccessful projects and will explore the implications of those experiences for the promises and pitfalls of current and future large-scale international collaborations such as those in high energy physics, fusion energy, global climate change, and other areas.

   Chair: John Moore, Grove City College, President, Sigma Xi

   Speakers:
   James Decker, U.S. Department of Energy

   Rodney Nichols, President and CEO, New York Academy of Sciences

   Richard Rowberg, Senior Specialist in Science and Technology, Congressional Research Services, U.S. Library of Congress

12:00-2:00 p.m.
Lunch Break

2:00-2:45 p.m.
Plenary Session

Science Quests on the Deep Sea Floor

Verena Tunnicliffe, Professor, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria

Related Web Sites
Image of Sea Bottom: http://darwin.ceh.uvic.ca/people/364-13.jpg
Juan de Fuca Ridge: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/JuanDeFucaRidge/framework.html

Ocean Drilling Program: http://www-odp.tamu.edu/
"Science at Sea": http://www.sciam.com/explorations/073197seasci/index.html

2:45-3:30 p.m.
Max Taylor and His Musical Dinoflagellate Show: An Enlightening Entertainment