REPORT FOR 2007-2008
MEMBERS
- Ian Smith (Convenor), Winnipeg;
- Carolyn Mountford, Sydney, Boston;
- Shirley Schreier, Sao Paulo;
- Girjesh Govil, Mumbai;
- Gheorghe Mateescu, Cleveland;
- Greta Pifat-Mrzljak, Zagreb;
- Eugenia Kovacs, Bucharest
This Task Force specializes in the transfer of knowledge between scientists, especially in countries where personal contact with the world scientific community is infrequent. We also broker partnerships between laboratories, usually in different countries, to open opportunities in research that neither could have alone.
During this period we worked hard at organizing a workshop in Africa. Much correspondence was exchanged with Nigeria, South Africa, and Eritrea. In all cases complications arose which prevented fruition, but we have not given up. At the General Assembly of the International Council for Science, ICSU, October 21-24, 2008, Secretary General dos Remedios will interact with a number of African scientists in the hope of finding a successful pathway. Current thoughts are to hold a workshop in Capetown, South Africa to serve scientists throughout the sub Saharan zone, hopefully in 2009 or 2010.
Our task force supported three workshops over this period. In June ,2007 we sponsored the workshop “Modern Spectroscopy Methods in Studying Structure and Function of Biopolymers in Biology and Medicine” in Dubna, Russia, organized by Council member Andrei Rubin. It was attended mostly by Russian scientists, but with a variety of lecturers from other countries including the USA and Canada. In October, 2007, we sponsored a workshop in Mangalia, Romania, organized by Eugenia Kovacs, on Biophysics for Medicine, attended by scientists from throughout southeastern Europe. Also in October, 2007, we supported a workshop on Modern Imaging Methods in Krakow, Poland, attended by scientists from Central and Western Europe.
Since 2008 is a congress year, support was given to the congress itself with attendance by all members of the task force, where plans for 2009 were discussed. We proposed a sequel to the Supramolecular Structure and Function workshop in Rovinj, Croatia (Chaired by Dr. Pifat-Mrzljak), a Modern Spectroscopy workshop in Sibiu, Romania (Chaired by Dr. Kovacs), and a workshop on Biophysical Methods for Rio de Janeiro (Chaired by Dr. Morales). All were approved by the IUPAB Council and preparations are underway.
Ian C.P. Smith
October, 2008