Invitation from ISTJA to ESOF 2012 Study Tour 11-15 July

From Cormac Sheridan and Anna Nolan

Dublin is Europe’s City of Science for 2012 and the venue for the Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF), Europe’s premier scientific meeting, which runs from 11-15 July. The five-day conference will hear contributions from leading European and global scientists, commentators and critics, including five Nobel laureates, on the present state and future directions of science in all its guises. No other event and no other place will offer such a concentration of scientists and science stories in Europe this year.

The line-up includes Nobel Laureates Jules Hoffmann, Peter Doherty, Rajendra Pachauri, Torsten Wiesel, and James Watson; former Irish president and former UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson; Boomtown Rats frontman and global anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof; as well as a string of prominent scientists, entrepreneurs, communicators and leaders, including Craig Venter, Rolf Dieter-Heuer,

Huanming Yang, Brian Greene, Kári Stefánsson, Helga Nowotny, Lisa Randall, Luke O’Neill, Lars Steinmetz, Marcus du Sautoy, Pam Ronald, Alexander von Gabain and EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation & Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn.

The Irish Science & Technology Journalists Association (ISTJA), with support from ESOF 2012, will host an EUSJA Study Tour to coincide with ESOF 2012. The tour programme simply comprises the conference programme with an additional policy briefing session for tour participants on ‘Science in Austerity – Ireland’s response to the economic crisis’. In addition, ISTJA and Alchemist Café Dublin are jointly organising a series of science café events, which take the form of early evening gatherings at which conference speakers will discuss science-related issues in a more informal setting.

Up to 25 places are available to working journalists who are covering the conference, under the usual EUSJA study tour rules. Participants are responsible for their own travel expenses and arrangements. We will take care of accommodation (four nights, arriving 11 July, departing 15 July) and meals.

Participants must be eligible for media accreditation under the ESOF 2012 rules and are responsible for obtaining this accreditation themselves – we cannot do this on their behalf. (Further information on media accreditation).

Journalists who are already travelling to ESOF 2012 under an ESOF 2012 travel bursary are not eligible for this trip. We are trying to maximise the opportunity to attend the event for as many journalists as possible.

Until Friday 15 June one place on this Study Trip will be reserved for each country. If there are two or more applications from a country, ISTJA will put the extra name(s) on a waiting list. On 15 June, any places not taken up will be allocated to other countries, strictly in order of receipt of their applications.

Please do not apply directly to ISTJA. As is usual with EUSJA visits, all applications must be sent through your national delegate.

We need the following information for each applicant, please: the country and name of the association, together with the name, address, phone & mobile number, and email address of the applicant.

Further information:

Cormac Sheridan – e-mail: csheridan65(at)gmail.com>

Anna Nolan – e-mail: anolan(at)iol.ie


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