Dear Colleagues,
This is an invitation to an interesting web-forum program.
This annual event explores future possibilities through inquiry
and dialogue in a rich network of networks.
Many subscribers to PhD-Design will also find the links
useful and interesting.
Best regards,
Ken Friedman
INVITATION
Internet Dialogue on "What if...?"
September 1st - October 31st 2004.
http://www.biotech.kth.se/iobb/idwi
Every autumn since 2000 a "Biopolicy Seminar" has
taken place alternatively under the auspices of
the Engineering Sciences Division of the Royal
Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) or the
Biotechnology Division of the Royal Swedish
Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA).
Initiated by the Biofocus Foundation
www.biofocus.org
of the World Academy of Art and Science
www.worldacademy.org
the themes have had their roots in biotechnology
but with transdisciplinary outlooks via a network
of networks. The overall aim has been to explore
how farsighted technology assessment can
stimulate innovative technology transfer efforts,
as well as social innovations supporting them.
With this in mind both the coming 2004 event
("Social Innovations for Development - a Case for
Biopolicy"- KVA, Oct.27) and the 2005 conference
("Engineering for Global Health - Demographic
Aspects"- IVA Sept.22nd) have a "learning-thrust"
and are preceeded by preparatory "What if...?"
Internet dialogues. Both will emphasize the
potential of large goal-oriented networks and of
"Cafe"-type meetings as a means to stimulate
creativity. The 2005-dialogue will have a broader
engineering scope and its planning will draw on
the experience gained in 2004. It will probably
be concluded at two interlinked sessions in
Sweden and in Japan in conjunction with the World
Exhibition (Nagoya 2005).
The Internet Dialogue on "What If...?" is a web-forum and has 3 main activities
(a) Discussion of !"What If..?" questions and statements (Sept to Oct 2004)
(b) Discussion of abstracts relevant to the "What
If---?" theme from the 3rd Science Generation
Symposium "Biotechnology: Possibilities, Risks,
Ethics, and Society (Sept 2004)
http://www.iva.se/sciencegeneration/anmalan/invitation.pdf
(c) Discussion of abstracts relevant to the "What
If---?" theme from the Biopolicy Seminar on
"Social Innovations for Development : A case for
Biopolicy"
http://www.biofocus.org/inpipeline.htm
(Oct 2004)
++++++
Call for "What IfŠ ?" Questions
++++++
The Internet Dialogue calls for "What If...?"
questions (max 5 lines) with an introductory
brief statement (max 40 lines) about threats and
opportunities that can be expected from
developments in biotechnology and genetic
engineering, and that have a magnitude and global
reach which merits thoughts about anticipatory
social innovations. One aim is to explore how the
crossfertilization between biology and
information technology has opened new
opportunities for worldwide transdisciplinary
cooperation and as well as various challenges to
personal integrity and privacy.
Please send your contribution(s) to Mr Tommy Jonsson
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All contributors will be automatically added as a
participant. Your statements will be open for
debate during the webforum in September and
October. The Dialogue will be forward-looking but
will exclude questions like: "What if the efforts
to assassinate Hitler had succeeded ? ", or "What
if Fleming had not discovered penicillin ? ".
They should also avoid being caught in the trap
of human reproductive biology. Typical questions
(see examples below) and their statements can be
found in
http://www.biofocus.org/id.html
1) What if the existing stock of !an effective
vaccine against a serious new influenza pandemic
is enough for only 25 % of the population?
2) What if there is a great benefit to be reaped
by inoculating newborne babies at birth with a
mixture of lactobacilli and enteric bacteria?
3) What if toxic volatiles adsorbed on nano-size
carbon particles prove to be a major health
hazard?
4) What If terrorists target the meat-and diary industry with
foot-andmouth virus?
Selected statements and their debates will be
summarized and elaborated by participants of a
special session at KVA in Stockholm on Sept.27th.
!
Prof. Carl-Goran Heden
Chairman of Organizing Committee
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Mr. Jacky E.L. Foo
Communication Management
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