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AAS
Quarterly E-Newsletter
June
2008
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Happy Winter Solstice (or
thereabouts) to all. As well as the usual reports we have an article provided
by a student AAS member. Straddling two societies I draw readers attention to
firstly the announcement of the upcoming ADS/ADEA diabetes meeting in
Melbourne and secondly to our own Annual Scientific Meeting in the Sydney at
the end of October. Read on! |
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President's Report One of the most
striking aspects of the society’s activity in the last few months has been
the provision of support for members who are in the early phases of their
scientific careers. Dr Jeff Cohn ably assisted by Prof Wendy Jessup, Dr Len
Kritharides and I, co-ordinated a 1-day seminar that encompassed both the
scientific and professional aspects of atherosclerosis research. The pilot
program in Sydney has provided a template that may be used for similar
activities at the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM). We have also confirmed the
availability of travel support for young scientists who wish to attend this
year’s meeting. Furthermore, we have increased the number of applicants who
have been receiving AAS Trust support to facilitate presentations at overseas
meetings by younger members. It has also been clear during planning meetings
for the ASM that special care is taken to arrange the program in a way that
will promote the professional development of younger members. I think it is very
important for the society to consolidate upon this investment in the talents
of our young scientists. Mobility and adaptability are part of the very
nature of scientific research and it is impractical for us to believe that
everyone who undertakes early postgraduate research in atherosclerosis will
remain in the field. Nevertheless, I think both the society and its members
would benefit tremendously if we were better able to maintain contact with
people who were members of the society during this important phase of their
careers. The current
arrangements for membership are designed to maximise the retention of
members. Reminders are sent to non-financial previous members as long as we
have their contact details. We would like to improve on this situation in two
ways. Firstly, we are considering a formalisation of this process, which
would involve sending the AAS e-news to all members and ex-members provided
that they keep us informed of their current email address. This initiative
will only boost our base if we re-establish contact with as many ex-members
as possible, and we certainly encourage your assistance in this regard.
Secondly, we want to continue to differentiate the advantages of paid
membership, so we would be grateful for suggestions concerning additional
services that you would like the society to provide without putting pressure
on the annual subscription. There are several
other exciting developments at both the national and international level that
I look forward to discussing in the next issue. |
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Feature Article: SCOLAR Student Exchange Program I was recently selected
to attend the SCOLAR National Course on Lipids, Lipoproteins and
Atherosclerosis in Edmonton, Alberta. The course was hosted by the University
of Alberta and was part of a student exchange program organized by the Heart
Research Institute. I was invited to participate, along with 18 other Masters
and PhD students from across Canada, in this the sixth year of the course. SCOLAR is
an intensive two-week training program, providing a platform for concentrated
teaching across all facets of lipids, lipoproteins and atherosclerosis. The
basic program involved: a morning of lectures covering each day one specific
subject area within lipids and lipoproteins; a lunchtime paper discussion
session in which we were encouraged to critically analyse a recent publication;
an afternoon seminar of novel research findings from the professor hosting
the day’s lessons; and, in the first week, an evening session in which
attendees took turns giving short presentations on their own research. The
aims of the course were to increase general scientific knowledge among new
researchers, to teach critical reading of papers, and to provide novel
information on current research.
While I was somewhat
daunted initially at the thought of spending two weeks in the company of
absolute strangers, across the other side of the world, I can say now that
the SCOLAR course was one of the best experiences of my PhD. The course has increased my knowledge and
understanding of lipids and lipoproteins ten-fold. It has also increased my
awareness of the importance of basic reading and knowledge and how to address
and interact with peer researchers, as well as how to communicate one’s own
more specialised area of research. The learning of critical reading was also
extremely valuable; as I think as students we are often too willing to take
as fact what has been published previously. Finally, to meet and interact
with not only a number of very esteemed and established faculty, but also
with the next generation of researchers, was a unique and truly remarkable
opportunity. Through the course I have built up a number important
friendships, as well potentially important collaborations, in a number of
laboratories across Canada. I would like to
thank the Heart Research Institute, as well as the committee of Dennis and
Jean Vance, and Richard Lehner, at the University of Alberta for providing
this exceptional opportunity. It is
one that I can see will have a significant impact on my future career. Michelle Fryirs The Heart Research
Institute, Sydney |
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Membership News If
you have not renewed your membership, please click here to
visit the Meetings First website and renew online. Alternatively, please click here to download a copy of the
paper registration form. The Australian Atherosclerosis Society always welcomes new members.
Please encourage your students and work colleagues to join the AAS. Remember,
that members receive thew following: -
A
monthly email that includes, job opportunities, information on meetings
relating to atherosclerosis and regular updates on similar interests. -
A new
quarterly newsletter that will feature different articles each quarter. -
Discounted
rates to attend AAS Annual Scientific Meetings. -
Networking
opportunities and involvement. -
Opportunity
to receive student travel grants and present your research at the Annual
Scientific Meeting. -
Opportunity
to apply for AAS Trust travel grants |
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AAS Annual Scientific
Meeting 2008 28 – 31 October 2008 Swiss Grand Hotel Bondi Beach, New South Wales Click here for more
information on this meeting. Put these dates in your diaries now! Close of abstracts 15
August 2008 Close of Early bird registrations 8 September 2008 Close of accommodation bookings 8 September 2008 Conference starts 28
October 2008 |
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Forthcoming Meetings ADS-ADEA Annual
Scientific Meeting 27 – 29 August
2008, Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre Click here for more information on this meeting. The 2nd World Congress on Controversies in Diabetes, Obesity
and Hypertension (CODHy) 30 October – 2 November 2008, Barcelona,
Spain Please click here
for more information on this meeting. APSAVD Congress 2008 25 – 28 September
2008 Click here for more information on
this meeting. The 2nd World Congress on Controversies in
Diabetes, Obesity and Hypertension (CODHy) 30 October – 2 November 2008, Barcelona,
Spain Click here for more
information on this meeting. XV International Symposium on
Atherosclerosis 14 – 18 June 2009, Boston, Massachusetts,
USA Click here for more
information on this meeting. APSAVD Congress 2010 The 7th APSAVD Congress will be
hosted by the Australian Atherosclerosis Society in Australia in 2010. |
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Join the ‘Lipids, Nutrition, Cancer’ INSERM Research Center (UMR866 – Dijon, France) as a post-doctoral fellow Team #8 headed by
Laurent Lagrost (INSERM research Director) constitutes one of the 9 groups of
a new research center (CRI), which emerged recently in Dijon (France). CRI is
affiliated to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM),
the University of Burgundy, and the University Hospital (CHU). Team #8
includes 20 fellows (researchers, technicians and students) who are currently
studying the role of plasma lipid transfer proteins in several biological
processes, including vascular biology, reproductive biology, brain physiology
and innate immunity. Specifically, the post-doctoral fellow will be in charge
of studies dealing with the role of the plasma phospholipid transfer protein
(PLTP) in the metabolism of lipopolysaccharides, inflammation and innate
immunity. The INSERM research center offers a number of core facilities to
set up an integrative and transversal program, including animal house, imaging,
flow cytometry and cell sorting, proteomic/metabolomic... Thanks to the
support of the Regional Council of Burgundy, the selected candidate will be
offered first a 1-year position (2000 euros net per month) plus full health
insurance. The initial period will be possibly extended to two or three
years. Additional enquiries and applications should
be sent to Dr Laurent Lagrost, (laurent.lagrost@u-bourgogne.fr). |
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International
Atherosclerosis Society Please click here to
view the May E-Newsletter. Please click here to
view the May Literature E-Newsletter. |
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E-News The next E-News will be sent out on 14 June 2008.
If there is information you would like to include, please email it to aas@meetingsfirst.com.au by Monday
7 July 2008. Please do not hesitate to contact me
if you have any queries. Kind Regards, AAS Secretariat 4/184 Main Street Lilydale VIC 3140 Phone +61 3 9739 7697 Fax +61
3 9739 7076 Email aas@meetingsfirst.com.au |
