Scientific Programme
The Scientific Programme is the heart of ESOF2010: the Lingotto Conference Centre will host talks, seminars, workshops and debates in various fields of knowledge, focusing on the problems of scientific communication and the relationship between science and society. There will be 105 sessions, 1 Opening Lecture; 4 Plenary Lectures and 18 Keynote Talks; from 3 to 6 July, sessions will start at 9 am and end at 7.15 pm: on July 7, sessions will start at 9 a.m. and end at 1 p.m. Plenary Sessions are open to the general public.
Among the guests will be outstanding figures from the international world of science, including 7 Nobel laureates. In choosing speakers, we took into account not only scientific pre-eminence (which was taken for granted), but also the communication skills of the candidates, and cultural and gender diversity.
The Programme Committee has chosen ten themes for the focus of discussion for this edition:
1. Sustainable living and moving Our built environment, infrastructure and transportation; urban planning; regulatory issues; sustainable architecture; the future of food in a changing world; urban ecology; interactive cities; creativity and urban lifestyle; influence on lifestyle and health; positive environmental aspects of urban living; green roof technologies; ambient light capture...
2. Evolution, development and adaptation of organisms Evidence for evolution; interaction between genes and environment; epigenetics; somatic selection; adaptability of organisms to changes in environment; influence of life style on disease later in life or on the unborn child; implications for health care…
3. Moving into and up from our quantum world Quantum computers; quantum teleportation; nanotechnology; quantum optics; frontiers of particle physics; quantum cryptography; from particles to the universe…
4. Responding to global needs Contextualising global concerns e.g. food shortage, climate change, population dynamics, mobility and migration, environmental degradation, resources and services; economics of sustainability; biodiversity; water management; balancing innovation and conservation; disaster management; violence and safety; conflict and cooperation; water wars; effects of sea water level rise; politics of forced migration; roles of governments, NGOs, entrepreneurship, technology and innovation; the impact of the financial crisis...
5. Frontiers in energy research New technologies for scaling up solar energy; biofuel; geothermal energy; wave and tidal energy; biotech: synthetic and enhanced photosynthesis; energy efficiency and conservation; energy security; waste recycling; energy policy and fiscal/taxation mechanisms; energy markets and global security; decentralised energy systems; transportation and super grids; potential political impact of changed energy structures...
6. Science, knowledge and belief Science as a cultural activity based on human curiosity; cultural differences in science, knowledge and belief; is need the mother of invention? neuroscientific approaches to belief; the role of (science) education; scientific knowledge vs belief; past, present and future of the interaction between science, knowledge and belief…
7. Memory and learning in organisms, social and artificial systems The sciences of brain, mind, and behaviour; learning and memory; neural and tissue memory; evolution of memory and learning; growing, aging; anthropology of learning; learning in preliterate societies; material and cultural heritage; how can findings of neurosciences affect education systems; how do financial organisations/political systems learn? how long does memory last in organisations? data organisation and searchability of knowledge; recurrent financial crisis – how might society learn for the future? ...
8. Languages, cultures and variability Origins and evolution of language; diversity and loss of language; what will be the lingua franca of tomorrow? (e.g. domain loss in science and music in non-English speaking countries); dominance of language in humans and other species; expressing emotions through language (body language etc.); computer language; mathematics; music: listening and performing; sign language; neurolinguistics...
9. Integrating science with health care Bridging the growing gap between biomedical research and health care; convergence and divergence of patterns in health and disease; social organisation of health care; integrated platforms for diagnosis and treatment; evidence-based medicine; pharmacogenetics; the economics of health care; health technology assessment; prevention in infectious and lifestyle diseases; influence of demography, new technologies and economic growth in health care; how to deal with the public’s view on and interest in non-science based treatments…
10. Policy – what follows? European science, research and innovation policies; the role of EU and national institutions; European science policy in a global context; international S&T cooperation policies; the changing landscape of European universities; quality of assessment and trust in science; what comes after Lisbon? strategies for the future...
Most of the official programme has been set up with a bottom-up approach, thanks to an open Call for Proposals that closed on June 30, 2009. The Call was very successful, as we received 218 proposals from 26 countries. Proposals have been evaluated by a highly qualified international Programme Committee.
