[hackerspaces] Open Science Summit 2010 (July 29-31 @ Berkeley, California)

[Eric Michaud]

I definitely look forward to attending and furthering this. This
conference definitely denotes things more relevant than the most
recent adobe pdf exploit.

Even if it's not something you directly grok right away beyond reverse
engineering some epic new malware strain out of china, it won't matter
if the next bio malware so to speak takes us out.



On 6/4/10, Bryan Bishop <kanzure at gmail.com> wrote:
> From July 29-31, at Berkeley's iHouse, scientists, hackers, students,
> patients, and activists will convene to discuss the future of our
> science/technology paradigm. Topics include: Synthetic Biology, Gene
> Patents, Open Data, Open Access, Microfinance for Science,  DIY
> Biology, Prize Funds for Innovation, Open Source Drug Discovery,
> Patent Pools, Open Health/Medicine, Patient Advocacy for Innovation.
> This event is for everyone who deeply cares about making science work
> more effectively to benefit all humanity.  Any proceeds from the
> conference go to support the formation of BioCurious, the first of its
> kind Bay Area biology hacker space for citizen science.  You can
> register at opensciencesummit.com
>
> Open Science Summit
> http://opensciencesummit.com/
>
> Read more about the motivations behind the conference at
> http://www.hplusmagazine.com/articles/science/citizen-scientist-joseph-jackson-and-new-open-source
>
> I am looking forward to seeing many of you there.
>
> From the site:
> """
> Ready for a rapid, radical reboot of the global innovation system for
> a truly free and open 21st century knowledge economy? Join us at the
> first Open Science Summit, an attempt to gather all stakeholders who
> want to liberate our scientific and technological commons and enable
> an new era of decentralized, distributed innovation to solve
> humanity’s greatest challenges.
>
> It is trivially true that Science and Technology are the most powerful
> drivers of progress and prosperity. However, there is a tremendous and
> tragic gap between what is possible, and the shameful scenario that
> prevails today.
>
> The well known “10/90” gap references the fact that only 10% of
> biomedical spending goes toward conditions that affect 90% of the
> world’s population.  Under this regime, “diseases of the poor,” such
> as Malaria, are neglected, while companies focus on “blockbuster”
> drugs for conditions that affect citizens of the wealthiest nations.
> This situation, appalling though it is, actually grossly understates
> the systemic flaws of the prevailing biomedical innovation paradigm.
> Framing this as a tradeoff of Market vs Social Values or the need for
> balancing commercial interests with public health, implies that the
> bio-pharma industrial complex works for what it purports to do.  If
> only we could find some way to engage or tweak existing mechanisms,
> we’ll make it through.  Wrong!
>
> In fact, despite billions of dollars invested and decades of research,
> there has been little to no progress in recent decades even for
> extremely “lucrative” conditions like depression or  ”lifestyle”
> applications such as hair loss. Millions of “wealthy” patients in
> developed countries suffer from horrific chronic diseases, poorly
> understood and difficult to treat auto-immune disorders, and
> degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzhiemer’s.  In the
> United Sates, a silver tsunami of aging baby boomers threatens to
> overwhelm an already strained healthcare system.  Simultaneously, life
> expectancy for the youngest generation is falling for the first time,
> as an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and associated preventable
> conditions mocks the notion that we’ve made progress.  The world lacks
> rapid response capability to emerging pandemic viral threats, and
> bacteria such as Tuberculosis and MRSA have out-evolved our
> antibiotics, leaving humanity vulnerable to an age old foes once
> thought conquered.
>
> There is plenty of blame, shame, and pain to go around.  Governments,
> Academia, and Industry alike, are all implicated.  Certainly, it is
> tremendously difficult to develop and deploy new therapies, but the
> hideous expense ($1 billion+ for a new therapeutic) and long timelines
> (17 years to market) are unsustainable.  Its not all doom and gloom.
> Game changing new technologies, genomic medicine and regenerative stem
> cell therapies among them, can cure, not just treat, some of the most
> intractable diseases that plague humanity today.  Expending more
> resources without deep organizational change will not bring progress.
> The broken business models of the 20th century are not adequate to the
> challenges we face.  We can and must do better.
>
> Just as disturbing as the innovation shortfall of recent decades, is
> the barometer of public opinion. Appallingly large numbers of people
> ascribe to the “anti-vaccine movement.” Vaccination is the single
> greatest tool ever devised for public health, responsible for triumphs
> such as the eradication of Polio and Smallpox.  To arrogantly dismiss
> public fears as hysterical or uneducated, even if there is some truth
> to this, fails to acknowledge the greater truth that we have not
> provided the transparency, education, and honesty (in the form of
> disclosing potential conflicts of interest where they arise), the
> public requires if it is to trust the global scientific and medical
> establishment.  When scandals such as “Climategate” occur, the
> integrity of Science itself is undermined at precisely the moment we
> need it most.
>
> With the falling costs of basic enabling technologies, we could choose
> to embrace a new golden era of citizen science, an era in which
> amateur investigators have ever more powerful tools with which to
> investigate themselves (via personal genomics), and their
> environments.  Such a participatory paradigm shift can make all the
> difference.  Only a renegotiation and reaffirmation of the social
> contract for science can open the path to a successful future for us
> all.  The Summit attempts to chart that course.
>
> Students interested in attending the conference can contact us
> regarding discounted student rates.
> """
>
> - Bryan
> http://heybryan.org/
> 1 512 203 0507
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