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SA to host International microscopy conference
Rob Cross, Rhodes University
Amongst the major conferences that take place at ICC Durban, September sees
it playing host to a major event on the world's calendar of science and
technology events, the 15th International Congress on Electron Microscopy
(ICEM-15). This takes place from Sunday September 1st to Friday September 6th.
The Microscopy Society of Southern Africa, host for ICEM-15, campaigned since
1991 to bring the event to South Africa and was rewarded in 1998 when the member
societies of the International Federation of Societies for Electron Microscopy
voted at ICEM-14 in Cancun, Mexico, to hold ICEM-15 in Durban in 2002.
This is a unique event because of the very wide range of disciplines
represented by the delegates. During this conference more than 1000 of those who
are involved in the very wide range of techniques, applications and technology
of microscopy in all its many forms (from basic light microscopes used for
teaching to very costly specialized electron microscopes used in only a few high
technology research centres around the world) will present the results of their
work and share their ideas with others with similar interests. This is a rare
occasion when engineers, materials and biological scientists and medical
researchers gather together under one roof, their common interest being
microscopes. The conference also comprises a major exhibition of microscopes,
ancillary equipment and consumables.
It follows, therefore, that the programme for the event is highly varied one.
There will be five plenary lectures on topics of general interest given by world
leaders in their respective fields, including Nobel Laureate Sir Aaron Klug who
returns to the city where be was brought up, the Ernst Abbe public lecture
entitled "Microscopy of HIV/AIDS : searching for order in a complex
virus" by Dr Stephen Fuller from the UK, an IFSEM symposium where important
issues are reviewed, and 54 symposia on the different topics selected for
coverage during the conference. World leaders on these topics were targeted by
the Scientific Programme Committee to lead these symposia and it was pleasing to
note that very few of those originally invited have been unable to attend. This
conference also represents an opportunity for users of microscopes to learn or
update their knowledge of new techniques at a range of workshops and tutorials
that take place before and during ICEM-15.
There are four general groupings of symposia; 14 interdisciplinary symposia
on topics of general interest, 22 symposia for materials scientists and
physicists, 18 symposia for biologists and medical researchers, and 3 sessions
of a Technical Forum where issues of a more technical and management nature are
discussed. Over 600 oral presentations are to be given, with a further 600
presentations being given as posters. Extended abstracts of these presentations,
with figures, will be published in the Proceedings in both hard copy and CD
format.
Delegates will be welcomed at a reception to be held at ICC Durban on Sunday
September 1st, and the congress starts early the next day with the opening
ceremony. This includes some entertainment highlighting aspects of South African
culture and tradition, and an opening address by the South African Minister of
Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, the Hon Dr Ben Ngubane. Thereafter the
days are filled with the scientific symposia, poster presentations, workshops
and demonstrations and displays in the trade exhibition. The social programme
includes a banquet that promises to include some spectacular entertainment with
a local flavour and parties provided for selected guests by some of the major
equipment manufacturers.
More than 30 companies will be represented at the Trade Exhibition where they
will occupy over 70 stands displaying and demonstrating a variety of
microscopes, accessories, preparative equipment and consumables. Several of the
latest available electron microscopes are likely to be on show at ICEM-15, some
probably for the first time. The Trade Exhibition opens at 13h00 on Monday
September 2nd and closes at 13h00 on Friday September 6th.
More information on ICEM-15, including details of the scientific programme,
is available on the congress web sites, http://www.icem15.com
and http://www.turners.co.za/icem15.
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