University of York trio in AAAS spotlight
Posted on 14 February 2008
During the four-day conference, the three scientists will each present their research to an audience of leading specialists from around the globe.
The AAAS annual meeting is a showcase for international research, so we are delighted that leading scientists from the University of York are speaking at this year’s event, reflecting the high quality of research at York
Professor Alastair Fitter
Professor Dianna Bowles, a biofuels expert from the University of York’s Centre for Novel Agricultural Products, has been invited to sit on a panel chaired by the United Nations Foundation. She will speak on the shift from a global oil-based economy to a biofuels-based one, arguing that such a shift is inevitable to address the world’s current environmental crisis.
Professor Callum Roberts, of the University’s Environment Department is the author of The Unnatural History of the Sea, named as one of the top ten books of 2007 by the Washington Post. His talk will discuss the way humans have used the oceans as a commercial resource throughout history, arguing that today’s collapsing fisheries are simply the latest chapter in a long history of unfettered commercialisation of the seas.
Professor Mike Drummond, of the Centre for Health Economics, will discuss the principles of health economics, the criteria by which governments decide how best to allocate resources to new drugs and medical interventions. He will present a case study based on the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and consider how similar principles might be used in the US.
The conference is a major annual event in the scientific calendar, drawing experts from all over the world to discuss current issues in our understanding of science. This year’s theme is ’Science and Technology from a Global Perspective’.
Professor Alastair Fitter, the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, said: "The AAAS annual meeting is a showcase for international research, so we are delighted that leading scientists from the University of York are speaking at this year’s event, reflecting the high quality of research at York."
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Professor Dianna Bowles founded the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products in the Department of Biology at the University of York. She now directs the Centre and holds the Weston Chair of Biochemistry. The Centre specialises in research into plant and microbial sciences and applications from this work to benefit society. A Queen’s Anniversary Prize was awarded to the University in 2006 in recognition of the Centre’s work. By training, Professor Bowles is a plant scientist contributing to our understanding of how plants respond to stress and the role that sugars play in regulating these responses.
- Professor Callum Roberts is a marine conservation biologist. He was first tempted into marine science by a trip to the coral reefs of Saudi Arabia, where he studied behaviour and coexistence of herbivorous fishes. This led to a lifelong love of coral reefs and effectively dispelled his prior notion that marine science was all about freezing on the deck of a North Sea trawler knee deep in fish. In the early 1990s his interests in behaviour gave way to concern about the deteriorating condition of coral reefs, leading to his current emphasis on marine conservation. Currently, Callum's research focuses on human impacts on marine ecosystems.
- Professor Mike Drummond is Professor of Health Economics and was Director of York’s Centre for Health Economics from 1995 to 2005. His particular field of interest is in the economic evaluation of health care treatments and programmes. He has undertaken evaluations in a wide range of medical fields including care of the elderly, neonatal intensive care, immunisation programmes, services for people with AIDS, eye health care and pharmaceuticals. The University of York received a Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2008 in recognition of the work of the Centre for Health Economics.
- The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing science around the world by serving as an educator, leader, spokesperson and professional association. It publishes the leading journal Science, and its annual meeting attracts professionals from around the globe to discuss new research, emerging trends and new possibilities. www.aaas.org/meetings/