Association Affairs: Pacific Science Association

Report on 23rd Pacific Science Congress

The Pacific Science Association, with our partner Academia Sinica, cohosted a very successful 23rd Pacific Science Congress from 13 to 17 June 2016 in Taipei, Taiwan.

The theme of the 23rd Pacific Science Congress was “Science, Technology, and Innovation: Building a Sustainable Future in Asia and the Pacific,” with eight sub-themes: Climate Change and Earth System Sciences; Biodiversity and Natural Resources; Food/Water/Energy; Human Health; Human Diversity and Inclusive Development; Disaster Risk Reduction; Science for Society: Building Green Societies; and Emerging Technologies.

The Congress was held in the Humanities and Social Science Building on the Academia Sinica campus. Nearly 500 attendees from 25 countries participated in the Congress, which contained excellent science and keynote presentations. We congratulate our hosts at Academia Sinica for organizing this successful meeting and thank them for their hard work, generosity, and hospitality.

The 23rd Congress had a very strong slate of keynote speakers who set the tone for the science sessions that followed. The quality of the scientific presentations in the sessions was excellent, with cutting-edge research results presented by world-renowned experts in their respective fields. Especially relevant to issues faced by societies globally and regionally were sessions on climate change, nanobiotechnology, nanotechnology, gender/women and science, human health, human diversity and inclusive development, building sustainable societies, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity and natural resources, robotics and other emerging technologies, natural resources management, food/water/energy, and food safety and environmental toxicology.

Keynote Speakers

The Keynote Plenary Speeches at the 23rd Congress were especially notable for their exceptional quality and relevance. Speakers included the following:

• • Dr. Yuan-Tseh Lee (Academia Sinica) spoke on the topic of “The Necessary Transformation for Our Sustainable Future”

• • Dr. Gordon McBean (International Council for Science, ICSU) spoke on the topic of “Integrated Research for Reducing Disaster Impacts for a Sustainable Future Earth”

• • Dr. Chi-Huey Wong (Academia Sinica) spoke on the topic of “Understanding Glycosylation in Biology and Development of Carbohydrate-Based Cancer Vaccines”

• • Dr. George Whitesides (Harvard University) spoke on the topic of “Soft Robotics”

• • Dr. Sandra Harding (University of California, Los Angeles) spoke on the topic of “Objectivity Through Diversity: Another Logic of Scientific Research”

• • Dr. Takashi Gojobori (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) spoke on the topic of “Genome Information-Oriented Society as a Sustainable Future Model”

• • Prof. David Wratt QSO (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand) spoke on the topic of “Earth-System Science for Building a Sustainable Future: Addressing the Environmental Challenges of Climate Change”

• • Mr. Lawrence Kent (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) spoke on the topic of “An Overview of GMO Crops R&D in Africa with a Special Focus on the Gates Foundation’s Related Investments”

Sessions, Posters, and Side Events

Over the course of four active session days the 23rd Congress contained a total of 62 sessions and 220 papers. By Sub-Theme, the sessions and papers presented were as follows:

PSC-23 Sessions

Particularly notable was the participation of many younger scientists and graduate students. Academia Sinica presented cash awards to students with the top poster sessions at the Congress to foster and recognize their enthusiasm and involvement.

Finally, we note that a “Becoming the Messenger” (BTM) science communication workshop was originally scheduled to be held before the Congress as a parallel event. This workshop had to be postponed because of an unforeseen and unavoidable schedule conflict, but PSA is in active discussions with the various stakeholders about rescheduling the event for 2017.

PSA Activities

A. New PSA Executive Board

The Pacific Science Council elected a new Executive Board for the Association. The new Officers and Board Members are as follows:

• President: Dr. Yonglong Lu (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China-Beijing)

• Vice-President: Dr. Sang-Dai Park (Korean Academy of Sciences, Korea)

• Secretary-General: Dr. Kevin Johnson (University of Hawai‘i, USA)

• Treasurer: Dr. Makoto Tsuchiya (University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa/Japan)

• Past-President: Dr. Nancy Lewis (East-West Center, USA)

• Ordinary Board Members:

  • Dr. Valentin Sergienko (Russian Academy of Sciences - Far Eastern Branch, Russia)

  • Dr. Isao Nakajima (Tokai University School...