Biophysical Society - July 2014 Newsletter

12

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2014

JULY

International Affairs

Australia Cutting Back on Research

India’s Prime Minister Names Science Advisors India’s newly elected prime minister, Narendra Modi , appointed Jitendra Singh , a physician and diabetes specialist, and Harsh Vardhan , an ear, nose, and throat specialist, to his Cabinet. A champion of the oral polio vaccine in India in the 1990s who coined the phrase “two drops of life,” Vardhan is credited with having helped India achieve polio-free status earlier this year. The Indian science community reacted positively to the appointments. Objective: To support faculty and postdocs who are active researchers and first -time attendees willing to serve as judges for all poster and oral presentations throughout the conference. Who can apply: A first-time ABRCMS Judge who is a postdoc scientist or faculty member ands is an active researcher in one of the twelve scientific disciplines represented at the conference. Application Deadline: September 26, 2014 Website: http://www.abrcms.org/index.php/ travel-awards/travelawards/46-2013/travel- awards/218-travel-awards-judges-travel- subsidy Grants and Opportunities ABRCMS Judges Travel Subsidy

ScienceInsider reported in late May that Austra- lia’s national research body, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), plans to close eight research facilities in order to save money. The information comes from an internal planning document, the CSIRO Di- rections Statement 2014. Facilities of interest to biophysics slated for closure are a Queensland site housing the Australian e-Health Research Centre; Victoria’s Highett Laboratories, home to advanced processing, materials and infrastructure research, and sustainable ecosystems; and the Victorian Sci- ence Education Centre. According to the article, Ian Chubb , Australia’s chief scientist, was not consulted about the cuts and is worried that they will harm Australia’s sci- entific capacity and international reputation. Chinese Academy of Sciences Calls for Better Peer Review and Open Access At the Global Research Council meeting held in Beijing in May, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) committed to more rigorous evaluation and peer review for science conducted in the country. Following in the footsteps of other countries, CAS, along with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), also announced in May that all scientific papers resulting from publicly funded research must be deposited in an open-access repository. The repository will make papers funded by the Chinese government acces- sible to the public after an embargo period.