Pop quiz! Where in Boston can you find a real-life spiderwoman, the President of Rwanda, an exhibit on how to make snowstorms, and a behind-the-scenes look at how science will help the winner of Sunday’s Daytona 500 capture the checkered flag, all under one roof?
Answer: The 2008 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston’s Hynes Convention Center!
For five days, science will be on full display at the 174th annual meeting of AAAS – the American Association for the Advancement of Science – attracting throngs of researchers, reporters, teachers, students, and parents with cutting-edge symposia, breaking news briefings, and free, hands-on exhibits.
Today at 12:30 p.m., participants in the AAAS Public Science Day will meet Greta Binford, an assistant professor of biology who earned the nickname of ‘real-life spiderwoman’ for her research on spider venom and silk.
While children will be busy with the crawling, eight-legged critters, journalists will be attending briefings with breaking news on the safety of cloned foods, new ocean mapping, and deep-sea corals at risk.
Tonight, David Baltimore will officially jump-start the meeting, titled “Science and Technology from a Global Perspective,” with his president’s address and reception. Joining him will be His Excellency Paul Kagame, president of Republic of Rwanda, who will talk about promoting science in the developing world.
The meeting opened today and runs through Monday, 18 February.
For more information, read the full story.