STAS TEAM VISIT - U.S.-BRAZIL BIOINFORMATICS CONFERENCE AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 000420

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STATE TO OES/STAS FOR GATKINSON, AREYNOLDS, AND CMCCAIN
STATE TO OES/STC FOR JMIOTKE, EHOWARD AND LBLANCAS
STATE TO WHA/BSC FOR WPOPP
STATE TO WHA/EPSC KBOYER
STATE TO WHA/EPSC JBANDO
STATE PLEASE PASS TO NSF FOR HSTOLBERG
STATE PLS PASS TO US OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH
STATE PASS TO US AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
AMCONSUL SAO PAULO FOR HHIGGINS
AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO FOR LMARTINEZ
AMCONSUL RECIFE FOR DPAGE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KSCA SENV TBIO TNGD BR
SUBJECT: STAS TEAM VISIT - U.S.-BRAZIL BIOINFORMATICS CONFERENCE AND
S&T SURVEY

REF: (A) 06 BRASILIA 002207, (B) 06 STATE 174677


1. SUMMARY: Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State
(STAS) Dr. George Atkinson led a team of scientists and engineers to
Rio, Sao Paulo, Campinas and Petropolis, Brazil, November 10-17,
2006, to co-host a regional Global Dialogue on Emerging Science &
Technology (GDEST) Conference on the topic of "Bioinformatics" and
to conduct a brief survey of major Brazilian S&T organizations. The
conference, cosponsored by Brazil's Ministry of Science and
Technology, attracted over 100 scientists and graduate students from
six countries. The STAS team surveyed Brazilian science, technology
(S&T) and engineering research and education capabilities through
visits to a cross section of universities and other S&T
organizations, as arranged by post. Through the GDEST and science
and technology survey, the STAS team affirmed Brazilian Southern
Cone leadership in bioinformatics and other science and engineering
fields. During the trip the Adviser also introduced a proposal for
a new modality of collaboration with U.S. universities - "Global
Science Partnerships for the 21st Century"
(GSP21). END SUMMARY.


2. STAS Atkinson's delegation included Deputy S&T Adviser Andrew
Reynolds, WHA/EPSC Jefferson Science Fellow Dr. Kim Boyer, DOS
Geographer Dr. Lee Schwartz, former Jefferson Science Fellow Dr. Ed
Samulski, AAAS Fellow Dr. Christina McCain (STAS Office),cancer
researcher Nathan Singh (University of Pennsylvania),former State
Department AAAS Fellow Dr. Matthew Schmolesky and Dr. Cung Vu from
the DOD's Defense Warning Office.

GLOBAL DIALOGUE ON EMERGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (GDEST) ON
BIOINFORMATICS_


3. The GDEST conference and agenda was conceived by the STAS and
organized in collaboration with the U.S. Brazil Mission team
(including the ESTH office in Embassy Brasilia, Consulate Rio and
Consulate Sao Paulo) and Brazil's Ministry for Science and
Technology. Costs were shared through financial support from STAS,
the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Air Force Office of
Scientific Research and the Brazilian National Laboratory for
Scientific Computation in Petropolis, part of the Government of
Brazil's Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT).


4. This conference was one of a series organized and executed
worldwide by Dr. Atkinson and the STAS office during 2005-2006, with
the support of the National Academy of Sciences. The previous
GDESTs consisted of bilateral scientific dialogues designed to
contribute to global security, meeting human needs, and the
advancement of knowledge by facilitating interactions among leading
U.S. scientists and their foreign counterparts and peers. In
addition, GDESTS place particular emphasis on bringing young
investigators (graduate, doctoral-level) into the dialogues.


5. The GDEST on Bioinformatics, held at the Brazilian National
Laboratory for Scientific Computation (LNCC) at its headquarters in
Petropolis November 12-15, featured a regional approach whereby
scientists and students from Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and
Argentina participated. Twelve bioinformatics experts from these
countries and twelve American counterparts assembled with over 75
South American doctoral students to present their research on a
diverse array of topics in the field of bioinformatics. The meeting
facilitated not only bilateral dialogues between Brazil and the
U.S., but forged regional collaborations and partnerships in the
field that had not previously been established. According to STAS
Atkinson, this GDEST was held in Brazil in recognition of it's
rapidly advancing capabilities in science and bioinformatics
leadership in region and the world. It also provided all
participants with an opportunity to become more familiar with the
research priorities, potential colleagues, and facilities in the
United States. All participants praised the event for the new
networks that it fostered within the Southern Cone and between the
Cone and the U.S. Formal proceedings from the GDEST are
forthcoming.

S&T TEAM SURVEY - RIO DE JANEIRO


6. The STAS team conducted their survey of general science and
technology and engineering capabilities in Brazil through post
arranged visits at prominent Brazilian institutions. In Rio de

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Janeiro, the STAS team visited the Federal University of Rio de
Janeiro's School of Engineering and the Engineering School at the
Pontificia Universidade Catolica.


7. U.S. Consulate Rio also arranged for the STAS team to visit the
Oswaldo Cruz Institution, FIOCRUZ, for an overview of the research,
education, production, and public health projects carried out by the
Institute. FIOCRUZ is considered the premier health research
institute in Brazil and has long had close relations with the U.S.
Mission, the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control.

S&T TEAM SURVEY - SAO PAULO & CAMPINAS


8. In Sao Paulo and Campinas, Brazil, U.S. Consulate Sao Paulo
arranged for the STAS team to visit the Brazilian Synchrotron Light
Laboratory, as well as Brazil's National Agricultural Research
Corporation's (EMBRAPA) section on Agricultural Informatics, both
located in Campinas. Dr. Atkinson presented a talk on Globalization
of Science & Technology at the University of Sao Paulo, hosted by
USP's Institute of Mathematics and Statistics. The entire
delegation also toured the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and
associated cancer research hospital (Hospital do Cancer).


9. Engineers from the U.S. team visited the Pan American Federation
of Engineering Societies (UPADI) where they were told that Sao Paulo
has always been the center of engineering excellence in Brazil. The
Federation hosts said Brazil is at a crossroads today, facing two
major engineering crises: (1) long-delayed repair and/or
construction of new national infrastructure for watershed
management, power, transport, and other major areas of need, and (2)
insufficient numbers of qualified engineers being educated and
(paradoxically) a lack of engineering career opportunities for those
who do graduate with engineering degrees. There are pressing social
needs - poverty, health, basic services - combined with the
political populism of Brazil and much of Latin America that dominate
decision-making for short-term results. After graduation, many
engineers go to work in the banking and finance fields where their
mathematical skills can prove highly profitable. These trained
engineers are then lost forever to work productively in their
disciplines. To address these issues, the Brazilian engineering
community constantly advocates reform and increased funding for
education and research. Chronic lack of investment in material and
engineering science research is hampering innovation in Brazilian
applied technology and products, as well as stifling the creation of
S&T and engineering jobs in the greater workforce.


10. On a brighter note, and with UPADI support, the Polytech
Engineering faculty at the University of Sao Paulo is launching
"Engineer 2015," a new initiative to organize curricula and research
programs to better prepare Brazilian engineers for the global
environment where sustainable economic development of natural
resources is increasingly at a premium. As such, Engineer 2015 is a
direct complement to, and will reinforce the objectives of, the OAS
Engineering for the Americas initiative organized and launched by
the U.S. in 2005.


11. The STAS team is preparing a report on the science and
technology survey of Brazil that will provide additional detail on
the visits, policies of and interactions with Brazil's science
community.


12. EMBASSY COMMENT: The U.S. Mission was honored that Dr. Atkinson
and his team chose Brazil for one of their Global Dialogue on
Emerging Science & Technology Conferences. Their visit created an
excellent foundation on which to expand bilateral science and
technology collaborations. The Brazilian Ministry of Science and
Technology (MCT) was extremely pleased to act as cosponsor for the
regional conference which attracted over 100 scientists and grad
students from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, the United States
and Brazil.


13. In a meeting with Dr. Atkinson in Rio, Ambassador Sobel
expressed his interest in using science and technology as a vehicle
to support the Brazilian economy and to enhance U.S.- Brazil
relationships. Ambassador Sobel also expressed his strong support
for the GSP21 initiative and advocated strongly for Brazil to be
given a priority if such an initiative was forthcoming in South

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America.


14. STAS and U.S. Embassy Brasilia would like to acknowledge with
gratitude the financial support from the U.S. Office of Naval
Research and the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. This
pooling of agency resources demonstrates exemplary interagency
cooperation to serve common collaborative objectives in the region.
END COMMENT.

SOBEL