Media Release | Jun. 26, 2000
Pacific Rim university leaders endorse collaborative projects
Agreement to sponsor a major international conference on microgravity
research next year in co-operation with the U.S. National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) was one of the outcomes of the fourth
annual meeting of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU)
which closed yesterday at the University of British Columbia in
Vancouver.
The conference, called "Global Science and Technology in the 21st
Century," gathered presidents from leading research institutions
in the region, including universities in China, Australia, Japan
and the U.S.
"This conference reinforces the value of face-to-face discussion--new
ideas for research and teaching collaborations came from both scheduled
meetings and more informal talks," says UBC President Martha Piper.
"Also, meeting with Canada's advisory council on science and technology
during the conference was a significant opportunity that demonstrates
the role universities can have in informing policy."
Steven Sample, chair of APRU and president of the University of
Southern California, added that not only were five important APRU
projects endorsed for the coming year, but also that members were
able to build professional and personal friendships.
APRU plans include a distance learning conference to be held at
Japan's Kyoto University in May 2001 and an APRU Fellows program
co-hosted by the University of Washington and Chulalongkorn University
in Thailand that will look at environment and development challenges
for the Pacific Rim region.
In addition, a doctoral students' conference called "Global Pressures,
Local Impacts: Challenges for the Pacific Rim," will be held at
New Zealand's University of Auckland in February 2001.
APRU was created in 1997 to contribute to the development of an
integrated Pacific Rim community through more effective cooperation
in teaching and research and to influence economic, scientific and
cultural policy.
The association's next conference will be held at Fudan University
in Shanghai, China in June 2001.
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