BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
12
JULY
2014
Australia Cutting Back
on Research
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.
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.
International Affairs
Grants and Opportunities
ABRCMS Judges Travel Subsidy
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:
travel-awards/travelawards/46-2013/travel-
awards/218-travel-awards-judges-travel-
subsidy
