From the Human Genome to Nanotechnology:
Hundreds to Present Scientific Research at 2001 AAAS Meeting

Washington, D.C. — 9 November, 2000—— Leaders in human genome efforts, Francis Collins of the National Center for Human Genome Research (NIH) and J. Craig Venter of Celera Genomics, will address the 2001 Annual Meeting and Scientific Innovation Exhibition of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), being held 15-20 February, in San Francisco. Other speakers include Norman Neureiter, newly appointed Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State, and Philippe Busquin, commissioner of the European Union’s Commission for Research. Plenary lectures, including those by Collins and Venter, held from 6:30-7:30 p.m. each evening during the meeting, are open and free to the public.

The AAAS annual meeting will feature more than 750 speakers, including scientists and policymakers from around the world. These prominent experts will lead the 140 multi-disciplinary sessions, featuring the latest research on obesity, addiction and the brain, genetically modified foods, stress and human longevity, as well as new astronomical heights, human impacts on aquatic and marine environments, international efforts to stop invasive species, the scientific oath controversy, and the globalization of science. Three special seminars will be held, including a two-day event, “Beyond the Human Genome,” and a day-long seminar on nanotechnology. A third seminar, scheduled for all day Monday, February 19, is called the 2001 Forum for School Science, which will examine a range of issues in K-12 science, mathematics and technology education. Updates to the program can be found at www.aaas.org/meetings.

The meeting, which will be held at the Hilton San Francisco & Towers, also features dozens of exhibit booths and career development workshops.

The advance registration deadline is January 5, 2001. For more information, contact the AAAS Meetings Office, 1200 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20005, or call 202-326-6450.

AAAS is the world's largest general science organization with more than 135,000 members and 275 affiliated societies. It publishes the peer-reviewed journal Science and EurekAlert! [www.eurekalert.org], the on-line news service for discoveries in science, medicine and technology.