Trends in Science and Technology Relevant to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
SUMMARY OF AN INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP
October 31 to November 3, 2010
Beijing, China
Convened in cooperation with
Katherine Bowman, Kathryn Hughes, Jo L. Husbands, James Revill, and Benjamin Rusek, Rapporteurs
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this summary was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
This project was supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, IAP - The Global Network of Science Academies, U.K. Global Partnership Programme, U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency, U.S. Department of State, U.S. National Institutes of Health, and U.S. National Academies. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-20929-8
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-20929-3
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
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The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The summary presented here provides the rapporteurs’ factual synopsis of plenary presentations delivered at the workshop Trends in Science and Technology Relevant to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, held 31 October – 3 November, 2010 at the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and convened under the auspices of IAP – The Global Network of Science Academies, the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB), the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS), the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. National Academies. It does not necessarily reflect the views of members of the Committee on Trends in Science and Technology Relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention: An International Workshop or the National Research Council.
This workshop summary has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published summary as sound as possible and to ensure that the summary meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this workshop summary:
Ronald Atlas, University of Louisville, United States
Lorna Miller, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, United Kingdom
Kathryn Nixdorff, Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the workshop summary before its release. The review of this report was overseen by James LeDuc, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this summary was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this summary rests entirely with the authors and the institution.
The rapporteurs particularly wish to thank the plenary speakers of the workshop, who were provided with the opportunity to review and comment on the brief factual summaries of their presentations.