Free sessions open to the public at 2001 AAAS Meeting

The general public is invited to attend a number of evening events of the 2001 Annual Meeting and Scientific Innovation Exhibition of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Among the sessions that are open to the public and —free of charge — are lectures on the human genome effort, delivered by Francis Collins of the National Human Genome Research Institute (National Institutes of Health) and J. Craig Venter of Celera Genomics. Nasdaq President Alfred Berkeley III also is featured in a plenary lecture. And there are entertaining and educational activities that children as well as adults will enjoy. A complete listing of public activities is below.

All sessions will be held at the Hilton San Francisco and Towers, 333 O’Farrell Street, San Francisco, CA. The hotel phone number is 415-777-1400.

Thursday, Feb. 15
5 – 6:30 p.m.

The American Junior Academy of Science Student Poster Presentation, featuring top high school science students from around the nation. (Continental Ballroom)

6:30-8 p.m.

Opening Ceremonies and President’s Lecture by AAAS President Mary L. Good, of Venture Capital Investors, LLC and the University of Arkansas. Moderated by Stephen Jay Gould, AAAS Chair and professor of zoology at Harvard University and curator of Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. Reception to follow. (Continental Ballroom)

Friday, Feb. 16
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Plenary lecture by Karen Stephenson, president of Netform and the Anderson School of Management, UCLA. (Continental Ballroom 4, 5 & 6)

Annals of Improbable Research, featuring writers and friends from the sillier side of science. (Continental Ballroom 1)

Plenary lecture by Francis Collins, director, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health. He is the leader of government-sponsored efforts to sequence the entire human genome. (Continental Ballroom 4, 5 & 6)

American Junior Academy of Sciences Awards ceremony and science entertainment show by Lynda and Bergen Williams of San Francisco State University. (Continental Ballroom 5)

Plenary lecture by J. Craig Venter, president and chief scientific officer of Celera Genomics. Celera, along with the government, has announced completion of the “rough map” of the human genome. (Continental Ballroom 4,5 & 6)

"Brainspotting," a science-theater play from the Klara Soup Theatre of the Stockholm City Theatre, Sweden. (Continental Ballroom 1,2 & 3)

Special plenary lecture by Alfred Berkeley III, President, The Nasdaq Stock Market. (Register for a free pass right outside of the Continental Ballroom where the lecture will be held.)

The Science Career Fair . Employers will be on-site to talk with candidates about job opportunities in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Bring your resume. (Plaza Room)

Plenary lecture by David Malin, Anglo Australian Observatory. A photographer and astronomer whose breathtaking views of the universe are probably better known than he. (Continental Ballroom 4, 5 & 6)

AAAS is the world's largest general science organization with more than 138,000 members and 273 affiliated societies. It publishes the peer-reviewed journal Science and EurekAlert! [www.eurekalert.org], the on-line news service for discoveries in science, medicine and technology.

Reporters Only:
Contact: Cate Alexander
202-326-6431 (before Feb.14)
415-433-4381 (as of Feb. 14)
or calexand@aaas.org

General Public: 415-561-0930 ( as of Feb. 14)