18th General Meeting of TWAS, The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World: State of Science and Technology in Pakistan

The 18th General Meeting of TWAS - The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World - will take place 13-14 November in Trieste, Italy. More than 180 scientists from 50 countries are expected to attend.

Science and technology in Pakistan will be the main topic of discussion at a symposium taking place on 13 November beginning at 17:00. Atta-ur-Rahman, head of the Pakistan's Commission on Higher Education and former Minister of Science and Technology, will lead a broad-based discussion on the state of S&T in his home country. Other members of the panel include Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, Karachi; Tasawar Hussain, Quaid-i-Azam, Islamabad; Navaid Malik, Virtual University of Lahore; Syed Qasim Mehdi, AQ Khan Research Laboratories, Islamabad; Amir Muhammed, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad; and S. Riazuddin, National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, Lahore.

On 14 November at 9:30, Perez Hoodbhoy, chair of the physics department at Quaid-i-Azam University and a well-known advocate for educational and democratic reform in Pakistan, will talk about the art and science of teaching science. Hoodbhoy will receive an award for his contributions to increasing public understanding of science in Pakistan and throughout the Persian Gulf region.

Other activities at the General Meeting include presentations by the winners of the Trieste Science Prize (funded by illycaffè) and TWAS Medal Lectures and Prizes. For example, Rengaswamy Ramesh, professor at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India, and a 2007 TWAS Prize winner in earth sciences, will examine research efforts in India to chart pre-historic rainfall levels during the annual monsoons as evidence of changes in precipitation patterns over time.

At the meeting, young scientists from the developing world, who have been selected as TWAS affiliates, will showcase the research that they are doing. Talks will range from efforts to make better use of DNA in combatting crime in the Philippines to an examination of thin solar cell structures by researchers in Lesotho, Africa.

For additional information about the TWAS 18th General Meeting, including a detailed preliminary programme, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

TWAS, The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, is an association of more than 800 eminent scientists, largely from the developing world. The Academy, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year, is dedicated to building scientific capacity and enhancing the use of science and technology for sustainable economic development. For additional information about TWAS, see www.twas.org.