October 31- November 4, 2005
International Congress of Nanotechnology (ICNT 2005)
The Congress was held at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel in San Francisco, California . Organized around the theme "Building Infrastructure for the Next Frontier," ICNT 2005 addressed the convergence of nano, bio and info, as well as the latest research and developments in technical areas of nanotechnology. There were also forums and workgroups on: nanotechnology's ethical, societal, environmental, and health issues; nomenclature and standards development; nano-toxicology; education and training; venture capital; and nano-economics. Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future President and Center on Nanotechnology and Society Director Nigel M. de S. Cameron was a co-chair of the event. For more information, visit the International Association of Nanotechnology website at: http://ianano.org .

November 1-3, 2005
NanoCommerce/SEMI NanoForum 2005
This conference and trade show was held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. The first two days of the conference focused on strategic business issues impacting the nanosector, and the third day addressed technical strategies. The event was produced by the NanoBusiness Alliance ( http://www.nanobusiness.org ), SEMI ( http://wps2a.semi.org/wps/portal ) and Small Times Media ( http://www.smalltimes.com ). For more information, visit the NanoCommerce/SEMI NanoForum 2005 website at: http://www.nanocommerce2005.com .

October 7, 2005
Chicago Nano Forum
"Hype or Hope: Exploring Nano, Risk and Ethics"
5:30 p.m.
Chicago-Kent College of Law Auditorium
565 W. Adams Street
Chicago, Illinois 60661

Some speculate that nanotechnology will provide the answers to mankind's most confounding challenges. Others posit that it will prove to be our greatest debacle. How should we balance nanotechnology's risks and benefits as we shape our future? This dialogue was the Center on Nanotechnology and Society's inaugural Chicago Nano Forum panel presentation, entitled "Hype or Hope: Exploring Nano, Risk and Ethics."
Panelists included:
Andrew Kimbrell, Washington's premier environmental lobbyist and Executive Director of the International Center for Technology Assessment;
Nik Rokop, leader of the Chicago Micro and Nano Community; and
Vivian Weil, distinguished Illinois Institute of Technology professor and expert on nano and society.
The panel was moderated by M. Ellen Mitchell, Director of the Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute of Psychology and Associate Director of the Center on Nanotechnology and Society. Introductory remarks were shared by nationally recognized commentator on technology and human dignity Nigel M. de S. Cameron, Research Professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law and Director of the Center on Nanotechnology and Society.

September 13, 2005
California Stem Cell Research Initiative: A Legal and Business Overview (Telephone Briefing)
This telephone briefing by the Practicing Law Institute (PLI) will cover legal, ethical and business issues raised by grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). CIRM is providing $3 million in state funding for stem cell research. The topics to be covered include: ethical issues inherent in stem cell research; the consequences of existing stem cell patents; permissible research under CIRM grants; the relationship between federal funding and CIRM grants; and CIRM grant agreement provisions and their effect on later intellectual property licensing agreements. More information is available at the PLI website at: http://www.pli.edu/product/briefing_detail.asp?ptid=511&stid;=68&id;=EN00000000027983.

June 30, 2005
CORE European Seminar
Comment of Reproductive Ethics (CORE) organized a conference on “Human Egg Trading and the Exploitation of Women” at the European Parliament in Brussels . For more information, view the brochure .

November 9-12 , 2004
The 7th World Congress of Bioethics of the International Association of Bioethics
This Congress was held at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), located a short distance from the centre of Sydney , Australia . The theme was "Deep Listening: Bridging Divides in Local and Global Ethics.” Additionally, there were three sub-themes: Indigenous Health Ethics, Public Health Ethics from Local and Global Perspectives and an overlap afternoon with the International Network on Feminist Approaches to Bioethics (FAB) Congress on the sub-theme Refiguring the Body. For more information, visit the website at: http://www.bioethicsworldcongress.com

October 28-31, 2004
The 6th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities
The Program Planning Committee for the ASBH 6th Annual Meeting accepted proposals through the ASBH website. This meeting took place at the Marriott Philadelphia in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . Leon Kass, the Chair of the President's Council on Bioethics, delivered a two-hour Keynote Session wherein he explored the mission and dynamics of the Council and reflected on public bioethics undertaken from his perspective of leading the Council. In the second hour of the session, a distinguished panel, including Francis Fukuyama, Ph.D. and ASBH member Ruth Faden, Ph.D. and MPH, discussed a book by the President's Council ( Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness ) that investigates potential uses of biotechnology. Also, junior/senior panels (featuring an invited senior member of the field, as well as at least one junior or student member) offered new perspectives on topics such as clinical ethics, research ethics and the state of the profession. “Work in Progress” sessions focused on a question submitted by an author and then the majority of session time was allotted for audience and author discussion.

October 28-29, 2004
Technosapiens? The Face of The Future II, Beyond Bio – Nanotech, Cybernetics and the Future of The Human Race
Co-sponsored by the Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future, the Center for Bioethics and Culture and the International Center for Technology Assessment. This two-day conference brought together key players in the next great debate - how we confront the technologies of the day after tomorrow - technologies being developed today. The leading advocates and critics of these technologies continued the conversation and debate. Additional details are available at: http://www.thehumanfuture.org/technosapiens.html .

October 6, 2004
A Congressional Briefing on Gene Patents and Embryo Patents: Policies and Impacts
Gene patents are currently subject to global scrutiny due to the host of legal, medical, scientific, and policy issues they raise. While no court has directly addressed whether human genetic material is patentable subject matter, challenges to human gene patents are mounting. International organizations, researchers, politicians, patient groups, and medical professional organizations are actively analyzing the advisability of such patents. The European Patent Office recently revoked a controversial patent covering the BRCA1 breast cancer mutation held by a U.S. corporation.

Co-sponsered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future (IBHF), a briefing was arranged to update the policy community on these developments. It was held on Wednesday, October 6, 2004 , in Rayburn House Office Building , Room 2203, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Details .

Ethics, Public Policy and Law: The Stem Cell Debate in the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany
Co-sponsored by The Law, Philosophy & Culture Initiative of the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America, with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, October 4 and 5, 2004. Colloquium speakers included leading stem cell scientists, bioethicists, moral theologians, legal scholars, and governmental officials. Scholars speaking represented such institutions as the University of Bonn , Boston University , University of Chicago , Franciscan University of Steubenville, University of Göttingen , Harvard, MIT, Stanford, the University of Toronto , and the University of Tübingen . Representatives of governmental organizations that participated included two members of the German Parliament, a member of the United States Senate, a member of the United States House of Representatives, a senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health, and a member of the President's Council on Bioethics. IBHF President Nigel Cameron was a keynote speaker. For details, please visit http://law.cua.edu/news/conference/stemcells .

August 26-27, 2004
Fifth Annual Current Issues in Clinical Research Conference “Improving Clinical Research: Local Practice and National Issues”
This conference was organized by the Mayo Alliance for Clinical Trials and held in the Exhibit Hall, Mayo Civic Center, 30 Civic Center Drive S.E. in Rochester. The conference targeted study coordinators, nurses, physicians, and other research personnel involved with clinical research. This conference provided a review of the responsibilities and processes of clinical research. For more information, please visit: http://www.mayoclinicaltrialservices.org .

August 25-28, 2004
International ELSAGEN Conference: Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects of Human Genetic Databases
This conference was organized by Centre for Ethics University of Iceland, the ELSAGEN bioethics project and the European Society for Philosophy of Medicine and Health Care (ESPMH), and was held in Reykjavík, Iceland. Papers addressing ethical, legal and social issues related to genetics (in particular population genetics, human genetic databases and biobanks) were invited. For more information, please visit: http://www.elsagen.net/conference

August 24-27, 2004
Ethics and Philosophy of Emerging Medical Technologies
This conference, held in Barcelona, Spain, was hosted by the European Society for Philosophy of Medicine and Healthcare, as well as the European Association of Centres of Medical Ethics.

August 22, 2004 – September 3, 2004
Third European Academy of Bioethics
The third international and interdisciplinary European Summer Academy for Bioethics was based on lectures, excursions and workshops.

August 8-14, 2004
Fifth Annual Taos Writing Retreat for Health Professionals
The University of New Mexico (Health Sciences Center Institute for Ethics and School of Medicine Office of Continuing Medical Education) sponsored this retreat to support writing efforts.

August 2-6, 2004
Summer Seminar in Clinical Ethics
The University of Washington hosted this seminar on analysis of ethical problems surrounding clinical care.

August 2-3, 2004
Second Annual IRENSA Research Ethics Seminar
The International Research Ethics Network for Southern Africa (IRENSA) and the UCT Bioethics Centre held an ethics seminar funded by the Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. For information, please visit http://www.irensa.org .

August 1-5, 2004
15th World Congress on Medical Law
This program was held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Center , Darling Harbour , Sydney , Australia , and was hosted by the World Association for Medical Law and The Australian College of Legal Medicine. The Congress Program Committee arranged this extensive Scientific Program, embracing both topical and controversial issues in the medical and legal fields.

July 31st-August 5th, 2004
The 12th Annual Summer Seminar -- Quartet of Themes on Enhancement--Better Children, Superior Performance, Ageless Bodies, Happy Souls-- based on the President's Council on Bioethics' most recent report, "Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness"
This seminar was sponsored by The Center for Literature, Medicine, and the Health Care Professions, Hiram College, Ohio. For information, please visit: http://home.hiram.edu/www/litmed .

July 9, 2004
Toward a Consensus on Cloning?
U.S. Policy and the Global Debate
The Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future arranged two expert events to update the policy community on these developments on Friday, July 9, in Washington , D.C. Participants include progressives and conservatives.
Details

June 28-29, 2004
Stem Cell Medicine and Public Policy
This two-day course on stem cell medicine and its public policy implications was held at Hinxton Hall Conference Centre, Hinxton, Cambridge . The course included lectures and workshops led by distinguished clinicians and academics, and focused on the medical uses of stem cells (such as in the treatment of blood diseases and diabetes), national and international regulations governing stem cell research and medicine, the role of industry in this field, and intellectual property rights and stem cells. Participants also explored some of the ethical issues facing individuals and society as stem cell medicine continues to progress. For further information, please visit: http://www.cgkp.org.uk .

June 17-19, 2004
Ethics and Aging
This conference was sponsored by the Center for Clinical Bioethics, Georgetown University , Washington , D.C. and the GU Center for Population and Health-Initiative on Aging, AAHSA, and the GU School of Nursing and Health Studies. Topics included describing the vulnerabilities of older persons and the responsibilities of professional caregivers; identifying major ethical challenges related to aging and healthcare; and describing the health policy changes needed to improve care for older adults. For more details, please visit: http://clinicalbioethics.georgetown.edu .

June 8-13, 2004
Intensive Bioethics Course
This program was sponsored by the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University , Washington , D.C. The purpose of this five-day course was to explore the theoretical framework and practical issues of bioethics over five days, through lectures and discussions by leaders in the field, as well as special topics and small break-out groups. Lecturers included James Childress, Tom Beauchamp, Robert Veatch, Ruth Macklin, Edmund Pellegrino, and Patricia King. For more information, please visit: http://www.georgetown.edu/research/kie .