World Knowledge Dialogue Symposium, Crans Montana, Switzerland

The second World Knowledge Dialogue Symposium will be held from 10 to 13 September in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Under the title 'Towards a modern humanism', two main interdisciplinary themes will be debated:
- collective network knowledge and human individual intelligence: convergences and divergences;
- collaborative behaviour, altruism and conflict: from animal behaviour to economics and prevention of violence.

The invited speakers include renowned researchers such as the philosopher Pierre Lévy (University of Ottawa, Canada), sociologist Karen Cook (Stanford University, USA), primatologist Frans de Waal (Emory University, USA), astronomer Hubert Reeves (University of Montreal, Canada), ecologist Raghavendra Gadagkar (Institute of Science, Bangalore), computer scientist Wendy Hall (University of Southampton, UK), systems theorist Joël de Rosnay (Biotics International), developmental biologist Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (Max Planck Society, Germany) and geneticist Sir John Sulston (University of Manchester, UK).

Keynote lectures on the relationships between knowledge, scientific enterprise and responsibility encourage participants to frame their contributions in terms of the question: Does a knowledgeable person have additional responsibilities in the 21st century? The interactive workshop sessions which follow then allow participants to pursue specific issues at greater length.

For further information, please visit:
http://www.wkdialogue.ch/

Conference Second International Conference on Whole Life Urban Sustainability and its Assessment 22–24 April 2009, Loughborough, UK

Sustainability is arguably the challenge of our time. There is growing recognition that our current development path is now threatening the natural systems upon which our civilisation ultimately depends. Sustainable urban development requires a new way of doing things – a way which reduces environmental impact while at the same time promoting widespread economic and social progress. The buildings and supporting infrastructure of our towns and cities contribute positively to people’s quality of life but often use materials, produce waste and release CO₂ significantly in excess of that which our land, water and climate can continue to accommodate. Many urban centres are still blighted by crime and poverty: poorly designed developments have negative effects on the health, welfare and economic prospects of communities.

Throughout the world urban decision-makers need robust and comprehensive metrics, models and tools to help them assess the extent to which their choices are leading to urban developments that address these issues and contribute positively to sustainable development – a fact recognised at the WCED, Rio and Rio +10 United Nations summits.

Conference aim

Following the outstanding success of our International Conference on Whole Life Urban Sustainability and its Assessment in Glasgow in 2007, we felt inspired to organise a follow-up conference.

This conference will bring together leading international researchers, professionals, tool developers, policy makers and other stakeholders who are involved in the field of urban sustainability assessment to exchange ideas and knowledge on how to meet the assessment needs of urban decision-makers.

The ICT BIO 2008 Conference (Oct. 23-24, 2008) will provide an insight into existing and future prospects on integrative research for complex human diseases at European and international levels.

The objective of this 2 day conference is to:

• Communicate the opportunities and challenges of the Virtual Physiological Human and Integrative System Biology and other topics that lie at the crossroads of ICT, Biology and Medicine
• Provide the possibility for discussions on progress beyond the current state of the art and to promote international cooperation and networking
• Provide an overview about the current activities in these domains not only in EU but also in US and other countries, and to examine opportunities for closer cooperation between EU and US funding agencies

Expected results of this conference:

* The EU-US RFID Lighthouse symposium -  Washington DC, September 22, 2008

* Internet of Things – Internet of the Future - Nice, 6th and 7th October 2008

See also other events and  past events & consultations.

The EU-US RFID Lighthouse symposium (Washington DC, September 22, 2008)

The European Commission (EC) and the United States Government (USG) are working together under the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) Initiative to develop a roadmap for cooperation in the field of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), consisting of the short and long-term initiatives necessary to realize the potential of sharing information and best practices on the actual usages of RFID (more...).  We hope to ensure that the deployment of RFID technologies in the business and consumer environments spurs innovation and helps society reap the benefits derived from the use of RFID in global commerce.