Nominations are currently being accepted for a symposium on the Frontiers of Science and Engineering to be held in the Middle East in September 2003 and hosted by the US National Academies of Science. In the meeting, an elite group of about sixty carefully selected young researchers from Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and United States will discuss with colleagues from a variety of fields, cutting-edge research in a multi-disciplinary atmosphere. The local steering committee is comprised of ten researchers from this region who participated in the most recent Frontiers of Science and Frontiers of Engineering Symposia held in Irvine California. The journal Science devoted its “News Focus" page in the 13 December 2002 issue to the forthcoming meeting, referring to it as a “Bridge Across the Mideast Divide". The idea for the meeting was raised at the January 2002 meeting in Washington of the informal association of Academies and Science Councils in the Middle East that has been functioning for nearly a decade and has sponsored a major study review on “Water for the Future: the West Bank, Gaza, Israel and Jordan" as well as a Workshop on Micronutrient Deficiency in the Middle East. Participants at that meeting felt that the time had come to revitalize the scientific relations among neighboring researchers.
Deadline for applications is 31 January 2003.
Information & applications: National Academy of Sciences at mgreene@NAS.edu before January 31, 2003, with a copy to the science academy or council in your country (Bob Lapidot , "Majeda Al Assaf" , or Irene Akra .