Association Affairs

Announcements

23rd Pacific Science Congress (PSC-23)

Planning continues apace for the 23rd Pacific Science Congress (PSC-23), which will be held from 13–17 June 2016 at the campus of Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan. PSA President Nancy Lewis and PSA Executive Secretary Burke Burnett met with Academia Sinica in May 2015 to discuss details of the meeting’s theme and keynote speakers. The Congress subthemes are still being defined and are subject to further revision, but the main structure has been set. Keynote speakers have been identified and are being contacted.

In the coming months, we expect to issue a broad call for sessions/symposia. This will be announced on the PSA website and distributed via e-mail list. The PSC-23 Congress website is also being developed and is expected to launch in Q3 of 2015.

The theme of the 23rd Pacific Science Congress is “Science, Tech, and Innovation: Building a Sustainable Future in Asia and the Pacific.”

The PSC-23 subthemes (still subject to revision) are as follows:

1. I. Understanding and Addressing Environmental Challenges

   1. A.

      Climate Change and Earth System Sciences

      1. 1. Climate Trends & Impacts

      2. 2. Climate Adaptation Measures

      3. 3. Ecosystem & Social Resilience to Climate Change

      4. 4. Biogeochemical Processes

      5. 5. Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction

      6. 6. Human-Biosphere Interaction

      7. 7. Future Earth

   2. B.

      Biodiversity and Natural Resources

      1. 1. Ecosystem Change & Resilience

      2. 2. Terrestrial Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services

      3. 3. Coral Reefs, Mangroves & Seagrasses

      4. 4. Freshwater & Marine Ecosystems

      5. 5. Coastal Zone Management

      6. 6. Fisheries & Aquaculture

      7. 7. Invasive Species

      8. 8. Genomics: Evolutionary, Ecological, and Metagenomics

      9. 9. Eco-Tourism

   3. C.

      Sustainable Agriculture

      1. 1. Sustainable Agriculture: Food Security & Urban Agriculture

      2. 2. Agricultural Biotechnology for Sustainability

      3. 3. Soil & Environment in Sustainable Agriculture

      4. 4. Allelochemicals in Agroecosystems

      5. 5. Food Safety

2. II. Tackling Human and Social Challenges

   1. A.

      Human Health

      1. 1. Emerging Infectious Diseases

      2. 2. Lifestyle- & Non-Communicable Diseases

      3. 3. Access to Safe Drinking Water & Sanitation

      4. 4. Early Disease Detection, Personalized Medicine & Telemedicine

      5. 5. Medical Technology & Bioinformatics

      6. 6. Urban Pollution & Health (including Persistent Pollution & Environmental Toxicology)

      7. 7. Drug Development & Alternative Medicine

      8. 8. Challenges of Aging Populations: Old Age Care and Social Policy

   2. B.

      Human Diversity and Inclusive Development

      1. 1. Prehistory of the Pacific

      2. 2. Cultural/Linguistic Diversity & Indigenous Knowledge Systems

      3. 3. Inclusive Development: UN Sustainable Development Goals

      4. 4. The Roles of the Nation-State, Trans-National & Non-State Actors in a Sustainable Future

      5. 5. Center-Periphery Relations: Metropole Relations with Outlying Areas

      6. 6. Multiple Developments with Civilian and Community Initiatives

      7. 7. Land Allocation & Residential Justice in a Sustainable Society

   3. C.

      Disaster Risk Reduction

      1. 1. Natural & Technological Disaster Risks and Management

      2. 2. Disaster Forensics & Impact Assessment

      3. 3. Enhancing Decision-Making in Disaster Risk Reduction Through Science and Technology

      4. 4. Promoting Public-Private Partnership for Societal Resilience

      5. 5. Reducing Risk in Urban Areas

      6. 6. Plans and Implementations of Post-Disaster Recovery

3. III. Connecting Science and Innovation for a Sustainable 21st Century

   1. A.

      Science for Society & Building Green Societies

      1. 1. Science for Society (e.g. Citizen Science, Science Communication, Science & Media, Data Visualization)

      2. 2. Science Education (e.g., Women and Science, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics), MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses), Women and Education)

      3. 3. Green Economy

      4. 4. Growing Smart Cities/Sustainable Urbanism

      5. 5. Green Architecture

      6. 6. Sustainable Transportation

      7. 7. Green Manufacturing (“Cradle-to-Cradle” Product Design, Production, and Consumption)

   2. B.

      Emerging Technologies

      1. 1. Big Data: Acquisition & Analytics in the Biological, Ecological & Social Sciences

      2. 2. Advanced Materials

      3. 3. Alternative Energy Research

      4. 4. New Tools for Biodiversity Protection: Remote Sensing, Mapping & Aerial Monitoring

      5. 5. Desalination Technology

      6. 6. Human-Machine Interfaces

      7. 7. Complexity Science: New Tools for Biological and Social Science

      8. 8. Biomimetics and Biomechanics

Compiled and edited by the PSA Council Resolutions Committee: Burke Burnett (PSA Executive Secretary), Chang-Hung Chou (PSA Vice President), Phil Cowan (PSA Council Delegate, New Zealand), Sang-Bok Han (PSA Council Delegate, Korea), and Kevin Johnson (PSA Council Delegate, USA)