Austrian Research in North America: News & Information
Introductions
News & Information
Introductions
> Brigitte Wudernitz Mühlmann
> Your institution and your institution's URL
http://www.bentley.edu
> Are you there with a specific scholarship or grant?
No.
> Duration of your stay in the U.S. or Canada (From - to)
Since September 1992, open end
> Academic degrees
Dr. rer.soc.oec., Master of Science in Taxation
> Scientific Discipline and your current area of research
Scientific Discipline: Business, Tax Law
Current Area of Reseach: The role of expert witnesses in jurisprudence and advancement of science
> Your personal URL
http://ecampus.bentley.edu/dept/fptx/
> What made you decide to work in North America?
Curiosity. When working in Vienna, I had noticed that many of the new developments originated in North America. So I wanted to experience and learn to understand these developments' original environment. For this purpose, I came to Boston for one year in 1992. I have been on a highly interesting journey ever since ... eleven years and counting.
> What are the benefits of this network and of being a part of it?
There are numerous ones. Inspriation, belonging, assistance, to name a few.
> What's special about the Austrian Scientific Network in North America? In what regards is it different from other scientific associations?
It transcends many disciplines. We have many opportunities to learn from each other without competing with each other, especially in the areas of research methodologies and management.
> Your favorite web-sites? (Web-sites that ought not to be missed ...)
http://www.nsf.gov
http://www.germanvideo.com
http://www.schwarzenegger.com
> What's your most memorable experience as an Austrian researcher in North America?
Well, there is one that I repeats itself from time to time. I still speak English with an Austrian accent and my first name is the same as one of the girls' in The Sound of Music -- it just so happens that she is the one who arrives late reading a book. Most people I have met here are very fond of Austrian music, gemuetlichkeit, as well as famous Austrians from Haydn to Mozart, Freud, Wittgenstein, Schwarzenegger, and many, many more. This is a very valuable asset in the U.S. It has allowed me to connect in a unique way with scientists from all over the world.

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> Robert Gassner
> Your institution and your institution's URL
University of Pittsburgh, Dept of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
University of Innsbruck, Dept of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
> Are you there with a specific scholarship or grant?
No, faculty salary
> Duration of your stay in the U.S. or Canada (From - to)
Sept 1997, Sept 1998, Jan 2001, July 2003
> Academic degrees
MD, DMD, Habilitation, European Board Certification OMS, MBAe
> Scientific Discipline and your current area of research
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dentistry, Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering
> Your personal URL
www.hotelengl.com
> What made you decide to work in North America?
After finishing my interesting resident training in surgery, particularly in oral and maxillofacial surgery, and dentistry in Innsbruck I became Oberarzt and I was still seeking to broaden my horizon within my specialties. So, the first time (1997/98) I was especially interested to see what happens outside the German speaking area. I went unpaid to Pittsburgh and I found great opportunities to be not only in a clinical but also a scientific career. The second time I was offered the position of an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Dept of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery including teaching, patient care and management, and research responsibilites.
> What are the benefits of this network and of being a part of it?
This network provides access to knowledge and capabilites of individuals whose accomplishments and curiosity in general is superceding far beyond average.
> What's special about the Austrian Scientific Network in North America? In what regards is it different from other scientific associations?
It is a simple but great resource for Austria to validate statements of their internal experts at home.
> Your favorite web-sites? (Web-sites that ought not to be missed ...)
www.tirol.com
> What's your most memorable experience as an Austrian researcher in North America?
positive thinking

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> Peter Ertl
> Your institution and your institution's URL
Rapid Laboratory Microsystems Inc., Kitchener, Ontario Canada
> Are you there with a specific scholarship or grant?
No
> Duration of your stay in the U.S. or Canada (From - to)
January 03 - current, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
June 01 - December 02, UC Berkeley, California, USA
May 97 - May 01, Univ. of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
> Academic degrees
2001 PhD in Analytical Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, CAD
1997 G.Eng (DI) in Food Sciences and Biotechnology, BOKU, Vienna, AUT
> Scientific Discipline and your current area of research
Bioanalytical and Biophysical Chemistry
Medical Diagnostic Device Development
> Your personal URL
N/A
> What made you decide to work in North America?
My initial decision to study in NA was guided by the desire to specialize in a different scientific field and to work in an internationally recognized research group. My main interest while at the Vienna State University of Agricultural Sciences was Biochemical Technology, but eventually I became fascinated by Biosensors and thus decided to further my education by joining a chemistry research group in Canada. Following my PhD in Analytical Chemistry I worked as a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley in the area of Biophysical Chemistry. After completing my education, I decided to co-found a biotechnology company and remain in NA because it offers the right conditions and support for entrepreneurial endeavours.
> What are the benefits of this network and of being a part of it?
I have to acknowledge that the best part of being an ASciNA member is getting to personally know other Austrians. There are many accomplished and successful Austrians in NA and their stories can sometimes be very comforting and inspiring. The ASciNA network provides access to a pool of talents in many scientific fields that can be utilized to benefit Austrian science and industry. I strongly believe that the ASciNA network has the potential capacity to positively influence the future direction of Austrian science. Consequently, I would like to invite all Austrians living in Canada to contact me through the ASciNA web page to expand our Toronto area network to other parts of Canada.
> What's special about the Austrian Scientific Network in North America? In what regards is it different from other scientific associations?
A network intended to support Austrian scientists is already different from any other scientific association. ASciNA provides a personal touch that I have yet to find in other organizations and it also helps me keep in touch with Austrian culture.
> Your favorite web-sites? (Web-sites that ought not to be missed ...)
www.ascina.at
> What's your most memorable experience as an Austrian researcher in North America?
Above all, I value the challenges and rewards associated with working in international research groups. Communicating and collaborating with colleagues from different cultural and scientific backgrounds is truly an enlightening and memorable experience.

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> Traudl Robinson
> Your institution and your institution's URL
Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases; http://mammary.nih.gov
> Are you there with a specific scholarship or grant?
No.
> Duration of your stay in the U.S. or Canada (From - to)
1983-1986; 1989 to now
> Academic degrees
Dipl. Ing., Dr. rer. Nat.
> Scientific Discipline and your current area of research
Developmental Biology; mammary gland development and cytokine signaling
> Your personal URL
http://mammary.nih.gov/lgp/lab/index.html
> What made you decide to work in North America?
Initially, it was my desire to learn new things and broaden my scientific horizon. Then it was the realization that it would be easier for me to establish a career in the States than for my husband in Austria.
> What are the benefits of this network and of being a part of it?
I see the network as an opportunity to meet other Austrians and share experiences and information about living and working in the States.
> What's special about the Austrian Scientific Network in North America? In what regards is it different from other scientific associations?
In what regards is it different from other scientific associations? I think this network is rather different from scientific associations as it connects scientists of many different disciplines with an association to Austria.
> Your favorite web-sites? (Web-sites that ought not to be missed ...)
http://derstandard.at and http://www.nu.com/eagles/ and www.dogpile.com
> What's your most memorable experience as an Austrian researcher in North America?
1) Working at NIH and being able to utilize the huge resources here. 2) Being invited to teach a course on techniques in mammary gland research at The Jackson Laboratories in Bar Harbor, Maine.

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News from the Network
European Science Prize Awarded To Carl Djerassi
Austrian-born chemist an inventor of the „anti-baby-pill“ Carl Djerassi was awarded the European Science Prize – the Erasmus Medal – on September 11 in Graz. He received the prize from the “Academia Europaea” for his lifetime achievements. Mr. Djerassi, who fled from Nazi-occupied Vienna in 1939, is U.S. citizen and at the age of eighty has re-applied for the Austrian citizenship. In 1999 Mr. Djerassi was already decorated with the Austrian medal of honour for achievements in science and art (Österreichisches Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst).

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ASCINA Greater Washington will meet on Oct., 18th 2003
Bernhard Voller and Traudl Robinson, new elected heads of ASCINA's Greater Washington chapter will host an end-of-summer party for ASCINA affiliates at Bernhard Voller's house on October, 18th. As a special guest Günter Lepperdinger, who returned to Austria last year and acts now as ASCINA's vice president will be present. Lepperdinger is the former elected head of ASCINA Greater Washington, when he was still a researcher for the NIH. This event will set an ideal frame for passing on existing endeavors of the chapter to the new leadership: aside from the most appreciated social gathering the meeting shall also address and promote new ideas for the chapter's activities and render new energy and motivation to the local ASCINA representation. Please contact Bernhard Voller or Traudl Robinson for details and driving directions. An individual invitation will follow.

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Symposium in recognition of Austrian mathematician Wolfgang Schmidt
The Erwin Schrödinger Institute for Mathematical Physics organizes with other partners an international scientific symposium on "Diophantine Approximation" in honor of the 70th anniversary of the renowned Austrian mathematician Wolfgang Schmidt. The Symposium will take place in Vienna, Austria. Schmidt studied in Vienna and while always returning to Austrian Universities he completed major parts of his research in the United States. Since 2001 he is professor emeritus of the University of Boulder; Colorado. Schmidt already excelled with his dissertation in 1955 and topped his early achievements with numerous internationally recognized papers, mostly in the field of numerical mathematics. Wolfgang Schmidt is commonly referred to as mathematical "superstar"(read more to his bio in German).

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Fifteenth anniversary of Ariadne Press of Riverside, California at the Literaturhaus in Vienna

Professor Wendelin Schmidt-Dengler of the University of Vienna gave a lively and informative presentation on "Absenz und Präsenz der Literatur Österreichs in der Ferne" to a captive audience. On display were the 200 volumes published to date by Ariadne Press, a publishing house which specializes in introducing Austrian writers to the United States.
Most of the titles consist of English translations of authors from Bachmann, Brandstetter, Doderer, Frischmuth, Gstrein, Handke, Henisch, Kokoschka, Loos to Wiesenthal, Winkler and Zweig, to mention only some of the names. Monographs on selected authors and biographies and autobiographies are also part of the publishing program.
For more information email to: ariadnepress@aol.com

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Peter Safar Deceased at Age 79
The pioneer of emergency medicine Peter Safar died at the age of 79 in Pittsburgh, PA. Peter Safar was born in Vienna in 1924 and studied pathology and Surgery at the Universities of Vienna and Yale. In 1952 he was involved in the founding of the Institute of Anesthesia at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and at the University Clinic in Pittburgh. Safar’s expertise in the resus-citation of victims of cardiac arrest made him worldfamous.
Further information: Reprot by the ORF Science Channel, University of Pittsburgh, Safar Center at the University of Pittsburgh

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Lecture by Simone Mesner: Promoting Research and Innovation in Austria
by Mag. Simone Mesner, Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development
The lecture will address guiding questions such as: Which measures do we need in order to increase R&D expenditure and R&D performance in Austria? How can we motivate young scientists and attract international researchers?
October 16, 2003 at 7:30 pm
Embassy of Austria
RSVP and further information: 202-895-6776
The lecture will be given in English language. Light refreshments will be served.
> click for driving directions
This lecture is jointly organized by the Office of Science & Technology and the Austrian Cultural Forum Washington, DC.

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OST organizes study trip for a Delegation of Austrian Science Journalists from Sept 27 - Oct 2, 2003
The OST organized a study trip for an Austrian Delegation of Science Journalists to promote the understanding of U.S. American science and technology policies. The program included briefings by federal appointees and visits to federal institutions, universities and research centers, such as the NSF, OSTP, George Mason University and Harvard Medical School. Scientists and researchers affiliated with the network of Austrian scientists and scholars in North America contributed their wealth of experience and contacts to the demanding program of this study trip.

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Neue Bestimmungen: U.S. Visum für Studierende und ForscherInnen
Beginnend mit dem 14. Juli 2003 müssen alle Bewerber um J-(Austausch) bzw. ein F-(Studierenden) Visum beim U.S. Konsulat in Wien persönlich vorsprechen, um ihr Visum zu beantragen, d.h. die Moeglichkeit einer postalischen Einreichung entfällt. Visa können am darauffolgenden Arbeitstag beim Konsulat abgeholt werden oder dem Antragssteller mittels eines selbstadressierten und frankierten Kuverts zugesendet werden. Weitere Details auf der Website der U.S. Embassy in Wien.

Neue Bestimmungen: Änderung der erforderlichen Reisedokumente zur Einreise
Beginnend mit dem 1. Oktober 2003 muessen alle Personen, die in die USA einreisen wollen, sogenannte maschinell-lesbare Reisepaesse besitzen. (Die älteren "grünen" österreichischen Reisepässe sind nicht maschinell lesbar. Die neuen "roten" EU Reisepaesse sind maschinell lesbar.) Wenn man vor dem 1. Oktober mit einem "grünen Reisepass" in die Staaten einreist, kann es passieren, dass man nach dem 1. Oktober nicht mehr einreisen darf, wenn man seine Reisen mit dem grünen Reisepass fortgesetzt hat (z.B. Ausreise aus den USA und ein Versuch der Wiedereinreise). Details dazu auf den Infoseiten der U.S.Embassy in Wien.

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