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Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 12:58:28 -0500
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Dear SHARE Friends,
We would like to wish you a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you
again at SHARE in 2003. 2002 was another year full of successful activities.
>From small-size brown bag lunches with local Swiss researchers to a large
and animated holiday party, SHARE has reinforced it’s position as a leading
center for science, education, and networking in the greater Boston
community.
While you can always look at our log book for multimedia reports on our
activities,
http://www.shareboston.org/logbook/index.html
we are happy to highlight some of the events that took place in recent
months:
1- Networking
SHARE is well-established in the local science & technology community and is
quickly becoming the favorite meeting place for the young Swiss talents
living in the Boston area. Our first monthly "happy hour" drew more than 80
Swiss researchers and young professionals who joined the relaxed atmosphere
of SHARE to discuss their activities and inform themselves on the latest
developments of Science & Technology in Switzerland.
2- Promotion of Swiss Science & Technology
Through seminars and public conferences, SHARE continued to play a prominent
role in promoting Swiss Science & Technology in the area. In October, for
instance, we welcomed a high-profile biotech delegation from the Lake Geneva
region that visited Boston as part of an East Coast "discovery and business
development trip". Mr. Carlo Lamprecht, minister of Economy for the Canton
of Geneva, headed the delegation. More recently, an audience of about 90
people attended a presentation on the fascinating history of the
watch-making industry, from mechanical models that date back to the 14th
century, to quartz watches that use electronic technologies. The two
presenters used 3D animations and replicas of old watches to explain to the
audience the complexity of Swiss-made watch mechanisms. The winning Swiss
boat in the Louis Vuitton cup also provided an opportunity to showcase Swiss
technology during a three way video-conference that linked the EPFL in
Lausanne with SHARE and members of the crew in Auckland, New Zealand !
3- Arts, Culture and Community Outreach
On the cultural front, we have been fortunate to have the artwork of
acclaimed Swiss artist Dominique Proulx hang on the walls of Swiss House
during the past few months, and held a vernissage that attracted a number of
our local neighbors in addition to interested friends in the Swiss
Community. Furthermore, we were pleased to inaugurate a “Read about
Switzerland” program with a local 3rd grade class: a month-long focus on
Switzerland by a near-by Cambridge public school allowed the students to
gain an in-depth knowledge of the country, and included a book reading of
the quintessential Swiss children’s book: “A Bell for Ursuli”. It
culminated in each child receiving a free copy of the book, as well as a
visit to SHARE to explore first-hand a more modern Switzerland than the
traditional book portrays…
4- Guest speakers
SHARE also frequently welcomes high-level personalities who enjoy using our
facility to give presentations live or via videoconference. An MIT
Professor, Peter Seeberger, came to SHARE to present his research in the
field of the structure and function of complex oligosaccharides. Prof
Seeberger, who will join ETHZ later this year, enjoyed the opportunity to
interact closely with a group of engineers and biomedical researchers from
the local institutions. Another local figure, Mark Levin, chairman and CEO
of Millenium Pharmaceuticals, a world class biotech company, took part from
SHARE in a "virtual class" with students in Switzerland. After studying the
"Millenium" case, a group of students from EPFL and MBAs from IMD asked
questions to Mark Levin via videoconference. Also, Beth Krasna, a member of
the Swiss House Advisory Board and leading Swiss business figure, made a
presentation on “Women and Power” where she reflected on the hurdles faced
by women reaching the top of the corporate world.
5- Cooperation projects
In 2002 SHARE became more active in initiating and facilitating cooperation
projects. For example, thanks to our assistance, Harvard Medical
International has recently signed a letter of intent with the University of
Geneva. Under the agreement, HMI would provide courses (continuing
education) for MD's who are in practice. Still in the biomedical field,
SHARE also helped Dr. Manuel Pascual, a Swiss surgeon who went back to
Switzerland after a two-year stay in Boston, develop a Fellowship program
between Mass. General Hospital and Swiss medical institutions in the field
of transplantation. This was also greatly facilitated by Dr. David Sachs,
who chairs the SHARE Board of Advisors and also heads one of the most
prominent transplantation labs in the Boston area. Finally, we are currently
working with Dr. Claude Bruderlein, a Swiss expert in humanitarian issues,
on a project of distance learning education between Harvard and Swiss
universities in the field of human security in the management of peace
processes.
We all look forward to even more exciting activities in 2003 and look
forward to involve you in our activities!
The SHARE Team
_____________________________________
Pascal Marmier
SHARE - Swiss House Boston
Consulate of Switzerland
Advisor, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
420 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02138
Direct: (617) 876-3076 ext. 13
Fax: (617) 876-3079
Cell: (617) 331-3989
EMail: pascal_at_creativeswitzerland.com
Web: www.SHAREBoston.org
______________________________________
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Received on Wed Jan 22 2003 - 18:56:18 PST
