At no other time in history have we been this close to translating basic scientific discoveries into novel therapeutic strategies to benefit humankind. However, the traditional missions of academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry are almost diametrically opposed. Have we reached the point where ‘publish or perish’ is being replaced by ‘patent and prosper’? Participants had a timely discussion with Dr. Mary Hendrix, President and Scientific Director, Children’s Memorial Research, about the role of industry competitiveness in biomedical research and its impact on the future of health care.

The Moon has been a source of awe, worship and inspiration for mankind since the dawn of time. From its use as a calendar to JFK’s enthusiastic call for its exploration, the Moon has been a constant in the life of our planet and our species. Yet after six moon landings and countless probes there are still mysteries to be solved and questions to be answered about our understanding of the Moon and its true potential for humankind.

Until recently our understanding of the minds of other species that share this planet was little more than guess work; however, new technological and scientific methods have advanced to the point where some of these important questions are now able to be addressed.

Every source of energy available to us today has its own environmental impact. The responsibility of energy suppliers as well as policy makers is to recognize those impacts, work to abate them and price the full cost into the product.

This one-of-a-kind program will allow attendees to ask local scientists all kinds of questions on topics of science and technology.

This special program presents the science behind gene isolation and a panel of experts representing different viewpoints on this issue at the forefront of the public concern. A special addition to this program is a mock legal argument conducted by experienced patent trial lawyers introducing the key legal concepts involved in determining whether human genes should be patented.