The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (aka Triple-A-S) is coming to Boston in February.They offer plenty of sessions on health topics in between panels on chemistry, astrophysics and robotics.
It’s not exactly an academic meeting and not exactly for the general public. Unless you’re s student, the registration fees start at $235 and go up. But, we’ll be reporting on some of the below events here and elsewhere. This is just a selection from the program
The Science of Uncertainty in Genomic Medicine
Friday, 15 February 10:00AM-11:30AM
Organized by: Reed E. Pyeritz, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Shili Lin, Ohio State University, Columbus
SPEAKERS
Giovanni Parmigiani, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
How Useful Is It to Know Your Genome?
James P. Evans, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Genomics in Clinical Medicine: Navigating the Spectrum from Certainty to Uncertainty
Robert C. Green, Partners Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine, Boston, MA
A Data-Driven Pathway to Genomic Medicine
Between Science, Society, and Policy
Saturday, 16 February 8:30AM-11:30AM
Organized by: Peter Yang, Brenna Krieger, and Kevin Bonham, Harvard University, Boston, MA
SPEAKERS
Ting Wu, Harvard University, Boston, MA
Personal Genetics and Education
Mary Carmichael, Boston Globe, Malden, MA
The Media and the Personal Genetics Revolution
Brian Naughton, 23andMe Inc., New York City
Commercialization of Personal Genomics: Promise and Potential Pitfalls
Mira Irons, Children’s Hospital Boston, MA
Personal Genomic Medicine: How Physicians Can Adapt to a Genomic World
Sheila Jasanoff, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Societal and Ethical Dimensions of the Personal Genomics Revolution
Jonathan Gitlin, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD
Personal Genomics and Science Policy
Interfacing with the Body Using Implants and Prostheses
Sunday, 17 February 8:00AM-9:30AM
Organized by: Erin Heath, AAAS Office of Government Relations, Washington, DC
SPEAKERS
Leigh Hochberg, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Restoring Communication and Mobility Through Neurotechnology
*Hugh Herr, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, Cambridge, MA
Perfecting the Prosthetic Limb
Joseph F. Rizzo III, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Creating a Retinal Implant
Biotechnology and Nanotechnology
Monday, 18 February 9:45AM-12:45PM
Organized by: Elicia M.A. Maine, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada; James M. Utterback, MIT, Cambridge, MA
SPEAKERS
Robert S. Langer, MIT, Cambridge, MA
Challenges and Opportunities at the Confluence of Biotechnology and Nanomaterials
Nathan Lewis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Clean Energy Innovation from the Confluence of Technologies
Sarah Kaplan, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
The Process and Practice of Interdisciplinary Research
Elicia M.A. Maine, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Global Bio-Nano Firms: Exploiting the Confluence of Technologies
Han Cao, BioNano Genomics Inc., San Diego, CA
Commercializing Innovation: Applying Nanotechnology to Genomics
Why is Living Healthily So Difficult?
Saturday, 16 February 1:00PM-2:30PM
Organized by: Benedikt Herrmann, Joint Research Center, European Commission, Ispra, Italy; Geraldine Barry, Joint Research Center, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
SPEAKERS
David Laibson, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Behavioral Economics and Health Behaviors
Todd Hare, University of Zürich, Switzerland
Neurobiological Mechanisms of Self-Control in Value-Based Choices
Benedikt Herrmann, Joint Research Center, European Commission, Ispra, Italy
How Much Do Social Norms Influence Our Ambitions To Live Healthily?
The Toxicological Impact of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human and Wildlife Health
Saturday, 16 February 8:30AM-11:30AM
Organized by: John Pierce Wise Sr., University of Southern Maine, Portland; R. Joseph Griffitt, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs
SPEAKERS
Iain Kerr, Ocean Alliance, Gloucester, MA
Introduction to the Deepwater Horizon Accident
Samantha B. Joye, University of Georgia, Athens
Impact of the Gulf Oil Crisis on the Sea Floor
Carys Mitchelmore, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, MD
Laboratory Studies to Assess the Effects of Oil Spill Chemical Dispersants on Corals
R. Joseph Griffitt, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs
Effects of Dispersed Oil on Larval Sheepshead Minnows
Greg Mayer, Texas Tech University, Lubbock
Weathering and Dispersion of Crude Oil Alter Its Toxicity in Fundulus Grandis
John Pierce Wise Sr., University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME
The Gulf of Mexico Offshore Toxicology Study
A 50 Year Legacy: Why does Rachel Carson Matter?
Sunday, 17 February 10:00AM-11:30AM
Organized by: Jane Maienschein and Gregg Zachary, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
SPEAKERS
Sharon Kingsland, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Bridging Two Cultures: Rachel Carson as Scientist and Humanist
Gregg Zachary, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Back to the Future: The Rachel Carson “Model” as a Response to the Crisis in Science
Jane Lubchenco, NOAA, Washington, DC
Rachel Carson and Responsible Science Policy
The Benefits of Randomized Experiments for Science and Society
Friday, 15 February 1:00PM-2:30PM
Organized by: Daniel McCaffrey, RAND Corp., Pittsburgh, PA
SPEAKERS
Arthur Lupia, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Experimenting with Politics
Michael Kremer, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Experimenting with Public Health and Education in the Developing World
Susan Murphy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Experimenting to Improve Clinical Practice
Stroke Research: New Concepts and Innovative Solutions
Friday, 15 February 3:00PM-4:30PM
Organized by: Virginija Dambrauskaite and Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, European Commission, Directorate General for Research and Innovation, Brussels, Belgium
SPEAKERS
Costantino Iadecola, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City
Great Expectations: The Promise of the Neurovascular Unit for Stroke Therapy
Molly Shoichet, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
Engineering Meets Medicine: Innovative Strategies To Overcome Stroke
Stephen Meairs, University Medical Center Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
The European Stroke Network: A Platform for Overcoming the Translational Roadblock
Engineering the Nervous System: Solutions to Restore Sight, Hearing, and Mobility
Sunday, 17 February 1:30PM-4:30PM
Organized by: Sanna Fowler, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
SPEAKERS
Stephanie P. Lacour, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Flexible Electronics for Interfacing with the Nervous System
Silvestro Micera, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Controlling a Prosthetic Hand with Peripheral Neural Interfaces
Grégoire Courtine, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Walking Again After Spinal Cord Injury
Konstantina M. Stankovic, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Reversing Infant Deafness Through Genetic Engineering
Joan Miller, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Saving Sight in Retinal Disease
Predicting Major Events and Planning for Hazards: An Art or Science?
Friday, 15 February 10:00AM-11:30AM
Organized by: Julia Wilson, Sense About Science, London, United Kingdom; Albert Yuan, San Lian Life Weekly, Beijing, China
SPEAKERS
Kelin Wang, Geological Survey of Canada, Sidney, BC
Operational Earthquake Prediction: Castles in the Air
Azra Ghani, MRC Center for Outbreak Analysis and Modeling, London, United Kingdom
Disease Scares: Predicting and Preparing for Outbreaks
Peter Webster, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
Assessing Risk from Climate Change: Scenario Generation Versus Prediction
Can Exposure Science Quell the Furor over Environmental Endocrine Disruption?
Saturday, 16 February 1:30PM-4:30PM
Organized by: Justin G. Teeguarden, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA
SPEAKERS
Russ Hauser, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
BPA and Human Health: Epidemiologic Evidence and Its Interpretation
K. Barry Delclos, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR
Relating Internal BPA Doses to Adverse Effects in Rodent Toxicity Studies
Daniel R. Doerge, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR
BPA Pharmacokinetics in the Adult and Perinatal Periods in Experimental Animals
Justin G. Teeguarden, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA
Estrogen Receptor Activation Potential of Internal Concentrations of BPA in Humans
Jeffrey Fisher, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR
Estimating Infant and Adult Human Serum Levels of Unconjugated Bisphenol A
Richard M. Sharpe, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Are Causal Associations in Epidemiological Studies of BPA Exposure Plausible?
Global Health and Environmental Impacts of E-Waste Recycling
Friday, 15 February 3:00PM-4:30PM
Organized by: Erica L. Dahl, SafeBridge Consultants Inc., New York City; Bruce A. Fowler, ICF International, Fairfax, VA
SPEAKERS
Sanmi Areola, Environmental Health Services, Metro Public Health Department, Nashville, TN
The Scope of the Problem: International Regulation and the Basel Treaty
Myrto Petreas, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Berkeley
Regulated and Unregulated Contaminants in California Waste Streams
Aimin Chen, University of Cincinnati Department of Environmental Health, OH
E-Waste Recycling in Developing Countries: Concerns of Developmental Toxicity
CHICAGO — Should all US children be tested for high cholesterol? Doctors are still debating that question months after a government-appointed panel recommended widespread screening that would lead to prescribing medicine for some kids.
