Life and Science

Around 7,000 rare diseases have been identified, impacting an  estimated 300 million people around the world, about 4% of the global  population. Approximately 50% of those diagnosed with a rare disease are  children, and 3 in 10 of them will die before the age of 5. Numbers  differ across countries, but it is estimated that in Europe, less than  10% of patients with a rare disease receive treatment and only 1% are  managed using an approved treatment plan, making this one of the major  global health challenges for the 21st century.

This podcast is the audio recording of a webinar made by Science magazine with the support of Fondation Ipsen. It is the first in a year-long series, will broadly examine critical topics in the rare-diseases field, including the causes of rare  diseases, the latest research advances and challenges, and the  importance of accurate testing, detection, and diagnosis, as well as  policy and human rights issues, particularly in low-income countries.

Barely a decade ago it was almost inconceivable that a scientist could simultaneously conduct science and also own a business based upon that science. These days, entrepreneurship is a major source of scientific advancement as well as a mechanism for gaining personal wealth. Whether you view it as a good or bad thing, entrepreneurship is here to stay as a tool for driving scientific progress. How should we best handle entrepreneurship in science? What mistakes can scientists avoid when starting their business? How can universities and other institutions help scientists to be better entrepreneurs? What funding opportunities are available for startups in bioscience? Despite the potential negative impacts on the pursuit of pure science, many scientists want to become entrepreneurs, but don’t know how. Whether you are skeptical or curious, this podcast is for you.

With:

Xavier Duportet, Ph.D. (Eligo Bioscience/Hello Tomorrow, Paris, France)

Janice Limson, Ph.D. (Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa)

Bernhard Paetzold, Ph.D. (S-Biomedic, Antwerp, Belgium)

Sean Sanders, Ph.D. (moderator ; Science/AAAS, Washington, DC)

This podcast is the audio recording of a webinar made by Science magazine, with the support of Fondation Ipsen.

This podcast was adapted from a webinar recorded by Science Magazine, with the contribution of Fondation Ipsen.

Science is meant to serve and advance humanity. For more than 200 years, however, it has been conducted only by scientists, making it the domain of the highly (some might say over-) educated. An exclusive club, science is most often cloistered in the ivory towers of academia. While some argue that this exclusivity is critical for the success of science, we also live in a world where openness and accessibility are increasingly valued. Yet accrediting members of the public with the label “scientist” could be viewed as a threat to the closed system that keeps scientists in their privileged position. Fortunately, optimism has won the day as the scientific community, through the power of the Internet, has begun to embrace members of the public as scientific partners. Citizen scientists have been engaged to measure bird migration, the proliferation of plastics pollution, and disease outbreaks. As a scientist, are you afraid of competition from members of the public? If you are a member of the public, would you like to join this movement? Listen in as a group of citizen science gurus discusses its pros and cons. Together, let’s change the world for the better.

Panel:

Chris Lintott, Ph.D. (Oxford University, Oxford, UK)

Renata van der Weijden, Ph.D. (University College Roosevelt, Middleburg, The Netherlands)

François Taddei (Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity (CRI), Paris, France)

Olivier Le Gall, Ph.D. (INRA Bordeaux, France)

Sean Sanders, Ph.D. (Moderator; Science/AAAS, Washington, DC)

There is a tacit assumption when it comes to the value of science: that  it serves to improve the human enterprise. As humans, we believe that  our fellow beings are predominantly motivated to do good. However,  science has been used to design weapons of mass destruction and  effective methods of torture. Furthermore, numerous investigators have  dedicated their lives to the study of evil and what motivates bad  actions. Can research into humankind’s most destructive inclinations  help us become better people? In this webinar we examine the science of  evil. We attempt to unpack the nature of evil and ask if we can  eliminate it or whether indeed, we should. Does a science-driven adjustment of society toward good represent an exercise in social redesign that contravenes the essence of humanity—the constant struggle  between good and evil? Can science act as an antidote to wrongdoing, or  is it only a tool to be exploited by those who master it?

With: 

Gary Brucato, Ph.D.  Columbia University New York, NY

Abigail Marsh, Ph.D.  Georgetown University Washington, DC

Michael Stone, M.D.  Columbia University New York, NY

and Sean Sanders, Ph.D.  Science/AAAS Washington, DC (moderator)

This podcast is adapted from a webinar organized by AAAS-Science Magazine and sponsored by Fondation Ipsen.

This podcast was extracted from a webinar that Fondation Ipsen organised with Science Magazine with the aim to gather international scientist to discuss a key issues for society.

Diverse perspectives make science stronger. Science relies upon the intellectual capacity, curiosity, and creativity of human beings to explore our natural environment, seek answers to difficult questions, and improve people’s lives. The variability found in nature and across the planet is unmatched by the diversity of thought within the science caucus. But if scientists are not representative of humanity, how can they represent society? Does the scientific workforce in fact match the world population in terms of race, gender, socio-economic status, sexual identity, and disability? What can the data teach us? What is the impact of homogenous scientific thought on diverse world challenges? If science is inaccessible to certain groups, how can it serve all people? How can science develop a more diverse workforce? In this webinar we examine the shortcomings of scientific thought resulting from the biases of those who do it. More importantly, we seek solutions to better represent the ideas, countries, wealth variances, cultures, identities, and beliefs in the global laboratory of the future.

Panel:

Charlene Le Fauve, Ph.D. National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD

Mathias W. Nielsen, Ph.D. University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark 

Jon Freeman, Ph.D. New York University New York, NY 

Angela Byars-Winston, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin Madison, WI 

Sean Sanders, Ph.D. Science/AAAS Washington, DC 

This podcast is the audio recording of a webinar that we organized with AAAS / Science Magazine.

The scientific method has been successfully applied to advance human health and well-being. The process of experimentation, ethical oversight, and critical review of empirical data enables verifiable truths to be uncovered and knowledge to be advanced. Can the same scientific method also be applied to issues of social justice and human rights? Can we use science to improve the well-being of abused children, to fight racism and hatred, and to stop the spread of fear and ignorance? This webinar examines the practice of applying scientific standards of data collection, analysis, and presentation to further social justice and serve core human rights.

Panel:

Jack Shonkoff, M.D. (Harvard Center on the Developing Child Cambridge, USA)

Marco Perduca (Luca Coscioni Association, Rome, Italy)

Amanda Klasing (Human Rights Watch, Washington, DC, USA)

Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Ph.D. (American University, Washington, DC, USA)

Moderator: Sean Sanders, Ph.D. (Science/AAAS, Washington, DC)

This podcast has been extracted from a webinar created by Science magazine, our partner for this program.

Science is relevant to every person—it is just that many people don’t realize it. The volume and complexity of modern science, and the speed at which nonsense (nonscience) is transmitted, make the dissemination of  accurate scientific concepts a challenge. Add Fake Science to the mix and one can understand why the public is confused. This  confusion can have dire consequences—mistrust of vaccinations resulting  from discredited and retracted scientific publications has caused  unnecessary suffering and thousands of deaths, while misrepresentation  of climate science has devalued the impact of global warming and its  perilous implications. The most attention-grabbing headlines in the  media are often about scientists who have dubious motives or have  committed ethical atrocities—whether it’s DNA editing of humans, a  wholly unscientific chocolate diet, or debunked cold nuclear fusion. To  counter such misinformation, scientists need to take the initiative and  proactively communicate their science in an accurate and understandable  manner. This webinar provides guidance on how to best communicate  science to your peers and the public. Stand up and tell the world about  what you do. Help everyone understand how science makes society better.

Panel:

Laura Lindenfeld, Ph.D. (Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science Stony Brook, USA)

Alexia Youknovsky (Agent Majeur, France)

Matthew S. Savoca, Ph.D. (Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove, USA)

Moderator: Sean Sanders, Ph.D. (Science/AAAS, Washington, DC)

This podcast, adapted from a webinar co-organized by AAAS/Science magazine and Fondation Ipsen, seeks to address the issue of mental health in the scientific community  candidly and openly. It is critical that scientific leadership and  mental health professionals recognize that scientists, like all members  of society, deserve the freedom to have mental illness recognized and  treated without fear of repercussion or stigma. It is essential for the  scientific community to show compassion and support to all of its members who are enduring mental illness, from undergraduates to  professors.

With:

Jennifer Howes, Ph.D. (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA)

Frederik Anseel, Ph.D. (King’s College London London, UK)

Nathan Vanderford, Ph.D. (University of Kentucky Lexington, USA)

Charles Hoogstraten, Ph.D. (Michigan State University East Lansing, USA)

Moderator: Sean Sanders, Ph.D. (Science/AAAS, Washington, DC)

This podcast, extracted from a webinar we organized with Science magazine, attacks the issue of fake science head-on, examining what can be done to combat bad science and how good science can be encouraged  and promoted. The expert panel will discuss solutions to counteract  fake science and explore how the scientific community can better  communicate truth over falsehood.

With:

Barbara Jasny, Ph.D (Deputy Editor, Emeritus (Ret.), Science)

Richard Harris, B.Sc. (NPR, Washington, DC)

Ivan Oransky, M.D. (New York Univesity)

Christopher T. Scott, Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston)

Moderator: Sean Sanders, Ph.D. (Science/AAAS, Washington, DC)

What is success to you? For each of us, what it means to be successful in our work and our personal lives might be very different.  Where do we develop our concept of success, and how is it influenced by  our environment and culture? How do we measure our success, both  internally and relative to others? Do we value money, inner peace, or a  Nobel Prize? Do we fear failure? And what price are we willing to pay to  be successful? Are we prepared to exchange greater success at work for  less time with family?

In this podcast (elaborated from a webinar developped with Science Magazine) we will address these questions with our expert  panel, all of whom have experienced success, at least according to some  measures:

Njeri Rionge (Independent entrepreneur, Toronto, Canada)

Shruti Naik, Ph.D. (NY University Langone Health, New York, NY)

Darren Griffin, Ph.D. (University of Kent, Canterbury, UK)

Albert-László Barabási, Ph.D. (Northeastern University, Boston, MA)

Moderator: Sean Sanders, Ph.D. (Science/AAAS, Washington, DC)

Fondation Ipsen and Science journal/AAAS are patners for an incredible series of webinars, which are now available as podcasts.

This webinar addressed the continuing problem of  gender-based discrimination in the sciences. The expert panel examined  the efforts being taken by scientific organizations, academic centers,  and funding agencies to end gender bias in science. They also considered  the cultural changes needed in the sciences to prevent and eradicate  discrimination, including moving the narrative away from blaming the  victim and excusing discriminatory behavior, and toward community  responsibility.

This Webinar last 60 minutes.

With:

Anna Han, Ph.D. (NIH, Bethesda, USA)

Kathryn Clancy, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Urbana, USA)

Isabelle Collet, Ph.D. (University of Geneva, Switzerland)

Moderated by Shirley Malcolm, Ph.D. (Science/AAAS, Washington, USA)

Is your hope fading? Don’t let it. Many are justifiably astounded that  this coronavirus pandemic simply will not stop. How can a virus that we  understand down to the very molecule still evade public health measures  and medicines? Whatever we do, it seems to slip through our defenses. A  vaccine will eventually come, but it will take months to reach everyone  who needs it. What more can we do to stop the spread?

This webinar accesses some of the world’s leading scientists to  explain what seems to be a never-ending list of challenges. But the news  is good—we believe we can win by learning from our successes and  failures thus far. Tune in to find out the what, when, and how of how  this pandemic—and future ones—can be stopped.

With:

Ashish Jha, M.D., M.P.H.

Brown University School of Public Health
Providence, RI   

Debra Furr-Holden, Ph.D.

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Flint, MI 

Caitlin Rivers, Ph.D.

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Baltimore, MD

Top on the world’s want list right now is a coronavirus vaccine. There is plenty of speculation about how and when this might become a reality,  but clear answers are scarce.
Science/AAAS, the world’s leading scientific organization and publisher of the Science family  of journals, brings together experts in the field of coronavirus  vaccine research to answer the public’s most pressing questions: What  vaccines are being developed? When are we likely to get them? Are they  safe? And most importantly, will they work? Hear from leading  authorities from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the University  of Oxford, and the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program, with additional  comments from Trevor Mundel, president of Gates Foundation Global Health  Division. 

With:

Sarah Gilbert, Ph.D.

University of Oxford
Oxford, UK 

Kizzmekia Corbett, Ph.D.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
Bethesda, MD 

Kathryn M. Edwards, M.D.

Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program
Nashville, TN 

Jon Cohen

Science/AAAS
San Diego, CA

During the locdown, we reinvented family relationships, work practices, exercise  regimens and socialization. This podcast uses the best scientific advice to guide you into this new life. We will examine the current conditions in which we find ourselves, putting our fears into context. We’ll discuss how to adapt to the new normal: spending more time with  family, altered personal freedom, and potential changes in our jobs. How  can we become more mentally resilient? What will things look like on  the other side of the infection peak, biologically and psychologically?

Our world has changed dramatically. There is a growing appreciation  for the value of science. Lean on us to learn how best to cope and to  rise to the challenge of a new reality.

with:

Laurie Santos, Ph.D.
Yale University
New Haven, CT 

Arnaud Fontanet, M.D., Dr.P.H.
Institut Pasteur
Paris, France 

Marc Lipsitch, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Boston, MA