X-Message-Number: 20974 Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 00:51:46 +1100 From: Philip Rhoades <> Subject: Let Australian geneticists eat cake Also from BioMedNet - emphasizing a point I was making a little while ago about cuts to fundamental research, economic rationalism, bean-counters etc. Phil. - 23 January 2003 Let Australian geneticists eat cake 21 January 2003 16:00 GMT by Henry Nicholls The Australian government is failing its scientists, with public-funding levels that fall well below those in the US, says Australian geneticist, Philip Batterham, whose many fund-raising schemes include baking a double-helix- shaped cake. Batterham was last night attending an event at the Australian Embassy in London to showcase the International Congress of Genetics (ICG), which this year will be held in Melbourne. The ICG, which dates back to 1899, takes place every five years. It brands itself the largest conference in the field, and this year boasts 3000 delegates (including seven Nobel laureates), 54 symposia, roughly 1500 posters, and ten plenary addresses. But despite the excitement, Batterham, who has had a big hand in organizing the event as secretary general of the ICG, used the opportunity to take a swipe at the meagre proportion of gross domestic product that the Australian federal government invests in research. In spite of a relatively buoyant economy, which has, says Batterham, recorded an annual growth of 3-4% for several years, Australian science is suffering from serious under-funding, he told BioMedNet News. This is preventing the research community from making the sort of global impact he believes it is capable of. Last night's event was designed to drum up trade for the conference from an invited gathering of scientists, industry chiefs, and potential sponsors. The congress "considers all aspects of genetics and brings people together working on many different systems," Batterham told guests. "It is a wonderful showcase of what is and continues to be a great arena for genetics," agreed Linda Partridge, professor of evolutionary genomics at University College London, and president of the British Genetics Society. Of all the sessions that are planned, she was particularly looking forward to those on genomics. "One of the staggering things is how similar we are to other organisms," she told BioMedNet News. "You can work on a fly on neurodegeneration, cancer or aging, and you can get a long way fast to understand what's going on," she said. This, the 19th ICG, which will be held from July 6-11, conveniently coincides with the 50th anniversary of Watson and Crick's description of the double helical structure of DNA. The ICG's marketing team has not missed the opportunity; the "Double-helix dinner" can be sponsored for a snip at US$40,000 and a "Double-helix cake" for a modest US$5000. Batterham reckons this is value for money. "The cake will be visually stunning," he said. What's more, he adds, the most famous Nobelist at the conference, James D. Watson, will cut it, a ploy "likely to get a big run in the media," he triumphed. Any proceeds from the marketing effort will be shared within the genetics community, but Batterham would like to see some of it used for the benefit of Australian students in particular. Steve Jones, professor of genetics at University College London, could relate to Batterham's pride in the Australian scientific community. "In terms of the funds available, they are hitting well above their weight," he told BioMedNet News. "Whatever they're doing, they're doing it right." But Jones admits that he is unlikely to go to Melbourne in July. "The only way to get me to Australia is to reunite Gondwanaland," he said. -- Philip Rhoades Pricom Pty Limited (ACN 003 252 275) GPO Box 3411 Sydney NSW 2001 Australia Mobile: +61:0411-185-652 Fax: +61:2:8923-5363 E-mail: Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=20974