Office of Science & Technology - Noteworthy Information

Noteworthy Information

Event report: Exile and the Dispersion of a Culture - the Austrian Experience Symposium in Ottawa, Canada

bridges vol. 16, December 2007 / Noteworthy Information

by Hans Reichenfeld

Otto Ditz (left) and Hans Reichenfeld at the Austrian Experience Symposium in Ottawa

On October 31, 2007, Otto Ditz, Austrian ambassador to Canada, hosted and chaired a symposium at his residence in Ottawa with an invited audience of some 90 persons from Ottawa, Montreal, and rural Ontario. The audience came from different walks of life, and was almost as diverse in their background and interests as the speakers and the topics covered in their presentations.

Franz A. J. Szabo, of the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies, University of Alberta, started off the proceedings with a detailed account of the extent of Jewish emigration from Austria during the inter-war period.

Ludwig Laher, a well-known independent writer from St. Pantaleon in Upper Austria, gave a vivid description of the interaction between Stefan Zweig and his erstwhile "friend," author of romantic novels and poems Franz Karl Ginskey, who was subsequently proud to prove his long-standing membership in the Nazi party.

Professor Zoltán E. Heinemann (Emeritus), University of Leoben, Austria,

Receives Highest Award of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)

bridges vol. 16, December 2007 / Noteworthy Information

Courtesy of Department Mineral Resources and Petroleum Engineering, Montanuniversität Leoben

Professor Heinemann (left) and SPE president 2007 Abdul Jaleel Al-Khalifa

Zoltan Heinemann was selected as the 2007 recipient of the SPE "John Franklin Carll Award" which was presented to him in early November during the SPE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition 2007, Anaheim, California, US. The John Franklin Carll Award recognizes contributions of technical applicability and professionalism in the development and production of oil and natural gas reservoirs. Each year one representative of the petroleum industry is recognized for his/her corresponding scientific achievements.

Heinemann is respected worldwide, especially for his research in the field of reservoir simulation. This topic deals with three-dimensional, dynamic computer models that describe the behavior of petroleum reservoirs in order to design an optimal development strategy. Such a development strategy is necessary to ensure the most efficient and effective use of the corresponding reservoir.

Going International Releases “medicine & health 2008” Course Catalogue

bridges vol. 16, December 2007 / Noteworthy Information

Those employed in the medical and public health fields, or thinking of a career in these fields, know that the key to success is a good education, practice, and staying abreast of the latest developments in the field. By addressing these topics, Going International's "medicine & health 2008" is more than a course catalogue, serving as a career guide as well.

Going International (GI) is an information platform for medicine, public health, international development cooperation, and humanitarian assistance. GI also supports and promotes postgraduate training and continuing education for experts, as well as beginners, in public health and international humanitarian assistance. This unique breadth of focus lends weight to their international course catalogue, "medicine & health," an annual publication listing courses and congresses in the fields of biomedicine, public health, and development cooperation.

Call for Proposals: Best of Biotech 2007 – the Life Science Business Plan Competition

bridges vol. 16, December 2007 / Noteworthy Information

Did you always think frequently about commercialization of your research results - or have you just started doing so? If the latter, the Best of Biotech (BOB) 2007 competition could be your stepping-stone. "Best of Biotech - get your business started!" is an initiative of "Life Science Austria" (LISA), a program of the Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws; Austrian Economic Services) and several public and private partners in Austria and abroad. The program Life Science Austria is run by aws on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Economy and Labor, and aims at the commercialization of research results in the area of life sciences. You will find more information under www.awsg.at. The competition has been held three times, resulting in more than 24 newly established start-up companies.

BOB consists of two phases:

Phase 1: (December 3, 2007 to March 6, 2008) Participants will submit their business proposals, which they will develop into a fully-fledged business plan during Phase 2. The five most innovative ideas will be awarded a cash prize (€1,400 each) on March 6, 2008 in Vienna.

Phase 2: (March 6 to July 3, 2008) Workshops and boot camps will be organized in which participants learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and work together with experts on their business plan. Of course participants may also enter the contest directly in Phase 2. On June 27, 2008, participants present their completed plans to an international jury.

IIASA Young Scientist Summer Program 2008

bridges vol. 16, December 2007 / Noteworthy Information

Summer Fellowship in Austria for Graduate Students in Natural and Social Sciences, Math, Policy, and Engineering

Each summer, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), located in Schloss Laxenburg near Vienna, Austria, hosts a selected group of graduate students, primarily doctoral, from around the world in its Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP). These students work closely with IIASA's senior scientists on projects within the Institute's three theme areas: Energy and Technology, Natural Resources and Environment, and Population and Society. Funding is available to cover travel to IIASA and a modest living allowance for students selected to participate.

IIASA is an international institution, supported by the US and 18 other governments, that engages in scientific research aimed at providing policy insight on issues of regional and global importance.

IIASA's suite of programs and initiatives in 2008 will include the following:

Call for Applications: Ignaz L. Lieben Award 2008

bridges vol. 16, December 2007 / Noteworthy Information

In 1862 Ignaz L. Lieben instituted the award bearing his name [see also bridges article on the Lieben Prize]. He intended it to be awarded in perpetuity by the Imperial Academy of Science, the predecessor of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AAS). It was, however, terminated by the National Socialists in 1938. The Ignaz L. Lieben Award has now been re-established by Drs. Isabel and Alfred Bader.

Call for Applications: Józef Tischner Fellowships 2008

The Austrian Institute for Human Sciences (Institut für die Wissenschaft am Menschen, IWM) and the Foundation for Polish Science have established a cooperative agreement in support of young researchers returning to Poland.

About Józef Tischner

Józef Tischner (1931-2000) was one of the most eminent contemporary Polish philosophers. He was the founder and dean of the Krakowian Papal Academy of Theology and lectured at the Jagiellonian University and the State High School of Theatre in Krakow. He wrote and published more than 600 articles and books. Józef Tischner was an exceptional moral authority and, at the same time, one of the most famous, brilliant, and beloved figures in Polish public life. He was Solidarity's first chaplain. Professor Tischner was a founding member, president, and non-resident permanent fellow of the Institute for Human Sciences.

One Józef Tischner Fellowship per year is granted to a young Polish or Polish-American researcher. This six-month fellowship is open to all academic disciplines in the humanities and social sciences and will enable a doctoral or postdoctoral scholar to work in Vienna on a research project of her/his choice that is related to one of the IWM's main research fields. The fellow will also be expected to participate in the scholarly community and activities of the IWM.

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