Smart Prosthetics: Interfaces to the Nervous System Help Restore Independence
Feb. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
(Hilton San Francisco, Ballroom Level, Franciscan B)
At this session, researchers will explore advances in restoring function to people affected with paralysis, blindness, and movement disorders through interfaces to the nervous system. Researchers will also discuss challenges to the development of more precise and naturally functioning neuroprostheses. For more information visit: www.keckfutures.org

Sustaining the Global Climate: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy
Feb. 16, 1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
(Renaissance Parc 55, Fourth Floor, Parc Ballroom 1)
This symposium will address global climate change from the combined perspectives of science, ethics, and public policy. Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences, will speak on the subject of human agency and climate change.

The Renaissance of Microbiology
Feb 19, 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
(Hilton San Francisco, Ballroom Level, Continental Ballroom 3)
Microorganisms, once seemingly relegated by the success of antibiotics to the role of handy laboratory cloning tools, are now the focus of some of the most interesting research in biology. Research is showing that microorganisms, while single-celled, do not live solitary lives. Instead, they live in complex communities and interact -- chemically and genetically -- within and between species. This new view of microorganisms has implications for biology and many other fields, including chemistry, engineering, and even computer science. Ann Reid, senior program officer at the National Research Council's Board on Life Sciences, organized and will moderate this session.

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Contact: Maureen O'Leary
news@nas.edu
202-334-2138
The National Academies
12-Feb-2007