The Newsletter of the World Innovation Foundation
April 2006 - May 2006 Vol. 9 Edition 4
Chancellor of the University of California, Davis joins the World Innovation Foundation
Dr. Larry N. Vanderhoef

Dr. Vanderhoef took office in April 1994. Prior to his appointment, he was executive vice chancellor and provost for three years. His research interests lie in the general area of plant growth and development, earned his B.S. and M.S. in biology from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Dr. Vanderhoef earned a Ph.D. in plant biochemistry from Purdue University and returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for one post-doctoral year of study in the biochemistry department. In 1970, he was appointed assistant professor of biology at the University of Illinois and seven years later became professor and department head. In 1980, Dr. Vanderhoef was appointed provost of the University of Maryland at College Park. He arrived at UC Davis in 1984 to become executive vice chancellor and the one-person governing board of the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Later Dr. Vanderhoef became acting vice chancellor for academic affairs and acting vice chancellor for research.

In 2005, he was honored as Sacramentan of the Year by the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the first non-Sacramentan to be so recognized. In 2004, Dr. Vanderhoef was named one of "20 People Who Made a Difference" in the Sacramento region in the past 20 years. In bestowing the honor, the Sacramento Business Journal noted that Vanderhoef, "with a passion to make things happen," has "put himself on the line to make UC Davis a top-tier university, bolster its relationship with the community, and make it a real force in the region".

Chancellor Vanderhoef has served on various national commissions addressing graduate and international education, the role of a modern land-grant university, and accrediting issues

White House Presidential Adviser joins the World Innovation Foundation
Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego Joins the World Innovation Foundation

Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, University of California, San Diego Member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (Chairperson of its panel on Broadband Infrastructure for the 21st Century)Former Chancellor of North Carolina State University

Marye Anne Fox, a world-renowned chemist, is the 7th Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego and Professor of Chemistry. Before her current appointment, she served as North Carolina State University's 12th Chancellor (where she was the university's first female chief executive), as Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry at NC State (from 1998 to 2004) and as Waggoner Regents Chair in Chemistry and Vice President for Research at the University of Texas at Austin. Fox was born in Canton, Ohio in 1947 and received her B.S. from Notre Dame College and her Ph.D. from Dartmouth College, both in Chemistry. After a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Maryland, she joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin in 1976.

Chancellor Fox serves as head administrative officer of the University of California, San Diego, one of ten campuses in the world-renowned University of California system. UCSD is recognized as one of the top institutions in the nation for higher learning and research. Since its founding in 1960 on a spectacular 1,200-acre mesa overlooking the Pacific Ocean, UCSD has attracted a wide array of outstanding scholars, including currently eight Nobel Laureates and 71 National Academy of Science members, the 6th largest U.S. concentration. Regarded as the "youngest of the best" of nationally-ranked institutions of higher learning, UCSD boasts an acclaimed system of six undergraduate colleges that combines the intimacy of a small liberal arts college with the academic resources of a major research university. The third largest employer in San Diego County (after the federal government and the San Diego Unified School District), UCSD has a budget in excess of $1.9 billion and employs more than 26,000 faculty and staff. UCSD enrolls approximately 25,000 students, 20,000 of whom are undergraduates. Approximately 52% of all students are female and 48% are male; 99% of all incoming freshmen have graduated in the top 10% of their high school graduating class.
UCSD's programmatic offerings -- more than 130 academic degree programs -- are both impressive and highly ranked, ranging from science, management, engineering, and medicine to social science, international studies, and arts and humanities. In addition to its highly rated graduate research programs, UCSD offers professional degrees in medicine, management, pharmacology and pharmaceutical science, and international studies. UCSD's research prowess has catapulted the campus to the top ranks of national and international academic standings. The National Science Foundation ranks UCSD 7th in the nation in federal R&D expenditures and the Institute for Scientific Information ranks UCSD 4th in the nation for 'citation impact' in science & social science. The National Research Council ranks UCSD 10th in the nation in quality of faculty and graduate programs, and 1st in oceanography and neuroscience. U.S. News and World Report ranks UCSD as 7th best public university in the nation. In global rankings, The Times of London placed UCSD 24th in its ranking of the world's top 200 universities and Shanghai Jiao Tong University placed UCSD 13th in its ranking of the world's top 500 universities (and 2nd among public institutions.)
When Chancellor Fox arrived at UCSD in August 2004, she pledged to increase UCSD's stature by building on its three pillars of strength: innovation and discovery, interdisciplinary scholarship, and international leadership. Continuing an emphasis that has shaped her remarkable career, the Chancellor also vowed that UCSD will expand its partnerships with the private sector and will lower barriers to technology transfer. Throughout its history, UCSD has forged unusually strong ties to the external community. Its enviable town-gown relationship helped fuel a regional resurgence in the 1990s, spinning off more than 200 companies and reinventing San Diego as a global hub for high-tech and biotech innovation. UCSD's community ties and its commitment to inclusive access to higher education for members of under-represented groups also led to the creation of the Preuss School, a national model for university leadership in K-12 education reform and outreach.

Professor Fox has taught chemistry courses ranging from lower division to advanced graduate levels. She was named by Texas' Utmost Magazine as one of the "Best of UT Natural Science Faculty" and in 1986 won the College's Teaching Excellence Award. In 1996, she won Sigma Xi's Monie A. Ferst Award in recognition of outstanding graduate mentoring: so far, over 50 advanced degrees have been awarded under her supervision. At the national level, she is a frequent lecturer on science education reform and acts as an advisor to the Association for Women in Science and BEST (Building Engineering & Science Talent). She has served as co-chair of a NSF/NSB Taskforce on Graduate Education and on NRC, Texas, North Carolina and Louisiana advisory panels for systemic improvement of K-12 science and mathematics education and teacher training. She has chaired the NRC Committee on Undergraduate Science Education. She serves on several local K-12 educational task forces and was instrumental in locating a magnet middle school focused on science and mathematics on the NC State Centennial Campus research park. Her leadership and support of UCSD's groundbreaking Preuss School has helped to ensure its continued success and academic excellence.

Professor Fox is one of the nation's most creative physical organic chemists, having published over 350 refereed papers, six books, and nearly 30 book chapters, mostly in organic photochemistry and electrochemistry. Her work has clear application in materials science, solar energy conversion, and environmental chemistry. The quality of this work has been recognized in many awards. She has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society and as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association of Advancement of Science. From the American Chemical Society, she has received the Garvan Award and the Southwest Regional Award, and has been named an Arthur C. Cope Scholar. She has received many international research awards and was cited by Esquire Magazine as "Best of the New Generation." She has been a Sloan Fellow and a Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar and is the recipient of six honorary degrees. She is a frequently invited speaker at international science conferences and has delivered more than 50 named lectures at universities in the U.S. and abroad.

Chancellor Fox is a member of President Bush's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and chaired its panel on Broadband Infrastructure for the 21st Century. She previously has served on the Council of the National Academy of Sciences and its Governing Board, and currently serves on its Committee on Science and Education Public Policy and as a co-chair of its Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable. In 1990, after confirmation by the U.S. Senate to the national Science Board, she served as its Vice Chairman (1994-96) and chaired its Committee on Programs and Plans (1991-94). She chaired the Chemistry Section of American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has advised its Center for Science, Technology and the Congress. She has served on the Texas Governor's Science &Technology Council and on advisory panels for the Army, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. She served on the North Carolina Governor's Science and Technology Advisory Board and currently serves on the University of California's President's Science & Innovation Board. In recognition of her service as an ad hoc research advisor to the Southern Governor's Association, she was named a Kentucky Colonel. She has served on editorial boards of 14 scientific journals. She has served as president of Sigma Xi, a national scientific honorary society and as chair of the NASULGC Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources. She is a member of the Council on Competitiveness and serves on the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board and the National Council for Science in the Environment. She has been called upon frequently to provide Congressional testimony on science education and science policy issues. She has also played a leadership role in encouraging industry-university partnerships and was responsible for the rapid growth of the NC State Centennial Campus, a 1200-acre research park that houses more than 60 private businesses aligned with or derived from university intellectual property.
She serves on the boards of the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund and the Dreyfus Foundation, and on the scientific advisory committee of the Welch Foundation. She currently serves on many community and professional boards, including Children's Hospital, La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla Music Society, San Diego Economic Development Corp., Institute of the Americas, the Green Foundation for Earth Sciences, the Center for Ethics in Science & Technology, and United Way of San Diego. She previously served as an advisor to the Texas Environmental Defense Fund.

White House Presidential Adviser joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. Luis M. Proenza
  • President of the University of Akron
  • Member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
  • Former Vice-President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Purdue University
  • Former Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Research at the University of Alaska
  • Former Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Alaska.

As chief executive officer of The University of Akron, the public research university for northern Ohio, Dr. Luis M. Proenza provides overall leadership to more than 4,500 faculty and staff and oversees an annual budget of $350 million serving more than 24,000 students in 350 academic programs, including a consortium medical school and three branch campuses.
Under Dr. Proenza's leadership, the University has undertaken several major initiatives, including a $300 million "New Landscape for Learning" campus enhancement program with 9 new buildings and major additions or renovations of 14 other facilities, a University Park Alliance project supported by the Knight Foundation to revitalize a 40-block neighborhood and commercial area surrounding the campus, and information technology (IT) investments that have established the University as a national leader in IT and made it one of the most "wired for wireless" universities in the country.
Dr. Proenza has brought private donations to an all-time record and garnered the two largest gifts ever made to the University. He also has expanded the University's outreach with the creation of two new regional branch campuses, and he has spearheaded an innovative enrollment management program that has generated significant increases in new and transfer students.
Dr. Proenza's marketing and leadership initiatives earned him the 2005 Chief Executive Leadership Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District V and the 2001 Executive of the Year Award by the Sales and Marketing Executives Association of Akron; along with recognitions by Crain's Cleveland Business, which named him to its Power Pack  the list of the 50 most influential people in Northeast Ohio; and Inside Business, which listed him among "The Power 100".
In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Proenza to serve on the President s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), the nation's highest-level policy advisory group for science and technology. The group advises the president and assists the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science and Technology Council in securing private-sector involvement in their activities. Dr. Proenza has served on PCAST panels on U.S. Research and Development Investments, Technology Transfer, Energy Efficiency and Advanced Manufacturing, and also serves on panels addressing Nanotechnology, Alternative Energy and IT.
Dr. Proenza is a member of The Council on Competitiveness, where he serves on the executive committee and on the National Innovation Initiative Leadership Council. He also chairs the Science and Mathematics Education Task Force, reporting to the U.S. Secretary of Energy. In addition, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and he sits on the Board of the States Science and Technology Institute. Dr. Proenza was appointed by Governor Bob Taft to Ohio s Third Frontier Advisory Board, and he chairs the Ohio Supercomputer Center.
He previously served on the NAS-NRC Committee on Vision, the National Biotechnology Policy Board, the U.S. Arctic Research Commission (appointed by former President George H.W. Bush), and as Advisor for Science and Technology Policy to Alaska Governor Walter J. Hickel.
Before coming to The University of Akron, Dr. Proenza was Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Purdue University. He previously served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research and as Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Alaska. Dr. Proenza holds a bachelor's degree from Emory University (1965), a master's degree from The Ohio State University (1966) and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota (1971). He joined the faculty of the University of Georgia in 1971, where his research was continuously supported by grants from the National Eye Institute, including a Research Career Development Award, and where he also served as Assistant to the President and University Liaison for Science and Technology Policy.
In Ohio, he is past president of the Inter-University Council and serves on the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, on the Executive Council of the Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition (NorTech) and on the Executive Committee of the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the Board of the Akron Roundtable.
Dr. Proenza is a member of many professional, scholarly and honorary organizations; is the recipient of several awards and honors; and has written numerous publications in nationally and internationally recognized journals. In addition, he edited and co-edited two books. He is invited frequently to speak throughout the country and abroad, and his presentations have appeared in Vital Speeches of the Day and The Executive Speaker. He often is quoted on issues affecting higher education, research and economic development.

Former Leader of CERN Joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. Luciano Maiani
  • Director-General of CERN (1999 - 2003
  • Former President of CERN Council
  • Former President of INFN (Italian National Nuclear Physics Institute
  • 1976-1984 Professor of Institutions of Theoretical Physics, University of Rome "La Sapienza"
  • 1977 Visiting Professor, Ecole Normale Supérieure of Paris
  • 1979-1980 Visiting Professor, CERN, Geneva
  • 1984 Professor of Theoretical Physics, University of Rome "La Sapienza"
  • 1985-1986 Visiting Professor, CERN, Geneva
  • 1993 President of Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  • 1993-1996 Scientific delegate in CERN Council
  • 1995-1997 Chairman, Comitato Tecnico Scientifico, Fondo Ricerca Applicata

Above (left), Professor Luciano Maiani (above right) receives his honorary doctorate diploma from the President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Stefan Luby (right), WIF Honorary Member. The Italian Ambassador in Slovakia, Luca Del Balzo di Presenzano looks on (left).

'Superstar' of the ' Citation Elite' in Molecular Biology and Genetics joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. Michael Karin
  • University of California, San Diego
  • B.Sc. Biology, 1975, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
  • Ph.D. Molecular Biology, 1979, University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Karin has been quoted by 'Science Watch' as the ' superstar' of the ' Citation Elite' in Molecular Biology and Genetics with over 6,600 citations through the transcription factors that recognize these elements and the protein kinase cascades that regulate their activities. Dr. Karin received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from UCLA and completed his postdoctoral training at the Fox Chase Institute for Cancer Research (Dr. Beatrice Mintz) and the Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco (Dr. John Baxter). He has published over 200 scientific articles and is an inventor on over 14 different patents or pending patent applications. Recently Dr. Karin was ranked first worldwide by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) in a recent listing of most-cited molecular biology and genetic research papers published in prestigious journals.

Dr. Karin's research interests focus on five areas of study. 1) Regulation of transcription in mammalian cells by steroid hormones, growth factors, and adverse environmental conditions and during cellular differentiation. Biochemical and genetic approaches are utilized to isolate transacting regulatory proteins, which mediate responses to developmental, hormonal and environmental signals, by binding to specific DNA sequences. Current efforts are to understand the regulation of gene transcription by growth factors, cytokines and polypeptide hormones and cell type specific gene expression. 2) Response of the human genome to stress. The molecular basis for the UV response, the mammalian counterpart of the bacterial SOS response is being studied by various molecular genetics techniques. 3) Protein kinase cascades and their role in growth control, cell differentiation and programmed cell death. These studies focus on the JNK and p38 MAP kinase cascades and their roles in cellular regulation and specific gene induction. 4) The IKK/NF-kB signaling pathway and its physiological and pathophysiological functions. We are most interested in studying IKK and NF-kB as important links between chronic inflammation and cancer. These studies utilize biochemical as well as whole animal approaches. 5) The regulation of mRNA turnover. In addition to gene transcription, an important control point, is mRNA turnover. We are studying both the general mechanisms responsible for rapid mRNA degradation in mammals and the control of protooncogene and cytokine mRNA turnover by extracellular signals.
Dr. Karin made seminal contributions to the discipline of signal transduction describing how extracellular stimuli, including growth factors, cytokines, tumor promoters and UV radiation, regulate gene expression in eukaryotic cells. Starting with cloning of the human metallothionein IIA gene and analysis of its promoter, Karin and coworkers were the first to identify cis elements that mediate induction of cellular genes by stress signals, glucocorticoids and tumor promoters. This resulted in identification of several transcription factors, including AP-1, that recognize these cis elements. AP-1 was subsequently shown by Karin and coworkers to be composed of Jun and Fos proteins. This provided one of the first demonstrations that nuclear protooncoproteins function as transcription factors. Analysis of the mechanisms by which growth factors and UV radiation induce AP-1 activity led to identification of a major signaling pathway (the JNK MAP kinase cascade), elucidation of the mechanisms by which protein phosphorylation controls transcription factor activity and an explanation for the ability of membrane associated oncoproteins, such as Ras, to modulate gene transcription. Karin and coworkers have also described how proinflammatory stimuli regulate the activity of transcription factor NF-kB and identified the IkB kinase (IKK) complex, which they have shown to be a major regulator of innate immunity and inflammation. Genetic analysis of IKK function resulted in identification of a novel signaling pathway that controls development of the mammalian epidermis. Karin and coworkers were also the first to biochemically identify a cell type specific transcription factor (GHF-1/Pit1), demonstrate its kinship to homeodomain proteins and provide important insights to the mechanism of tissue 15 of his high-impact papers.

Dr. Michael Karin is currently a Professor of Pharmacology at the School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, where has been on the faculty since 1987. He has served as a member of the Signal Research Division of Celgene since 1992. Dr. Karin also serves as a member of the National Advisory Council for Environmental Health Sciences and has been an American Cancer Society Research Professor since 1999. He is a leading world authority on signal transduction pathways that regulate gene expression in response to extracellular stimuli. Key achievements include definition of cis elements that mediate gene induction by hormones, cytokines and stress, identification and characterization of specific gene expression.

Chairman of the European Union Research Advisory Board for Science and Technology (EURAB) joins the World Innovation Foundation
Dr. Horst Soboll
Chairman of EURAB
Chairman of Union des Industries de la Communauté européenne's (UNICE) Research & Technological Innovation Working Group
Data: Background
  • " CONTROL DATA 1973 - 1989
  • Systems Analyst, Consultant
  • District Manager, Software and Consulting
  • " DAIMLERCHRYSLER AG Research and Technology 1989 - 2002
  • 1989 Project Manager Information and Communication Technology
  • 1992 Manager Strategy Information Technology
  • 1995 Director Technology Policy
  • 2002 Director Research Policy and Communications
Memberships
  • 1994 Chairman European Research Cooperation for Automotive Industry (AIT)
  • 1999 Member of the Research Committee of German Industry Association (BDI)
  • 1999 Member External Advisory Group of the European Commission (sustainable mobility)
  • 2000 Advisory Board German Physical Society
  • 2000 Chairman of Research Technology and Innovation Group of the UNICE (European Industry association)
  • 2001 Vice-president European Industrial Research and Management Association (EIRMA)
  • 2001 Vice Chairman European Research Advisory Board (EURAB) of the European Commission
  • 2006 Chairman European Research Advisory Board (EURAB) of the European Commission
Most Cited Biochemist in Europe Joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Sir Philip Cohen FRS, FRSE
Director
MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit
Dundee University

Recipient of the Royal Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

Sir Philip s discoveries in the role of protein phosphorylation and its deregulation in major diseases, particularly diabetes, have led to the development of a new scientific investigation and also to the development of new therapeutic drugs. Philip Cohen was born in Middlesex in 1945. His first degree was from the University of London . He attained his doctorate in Biochemistry in 1969. Sir Philip went to the USA to work with Edmond Fischer and returned to the UK in 1971 to a lectureship in Biochemistry at the University of Dundee , becoming Reader in 1978 and receiving a Personal Chair in 1981. Sir Philip is a Royal Society of London Research Professor, Director of the Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation Unit and the Wellcome Trust Biocentre, and Director of Research at the School of Life Sciences , University of Dundee .

At the University of Dundee Sir Philip Cohen has played a major part in the remarkable recent development of Life Sciences at the University. His enthusiasm, energy and influence have been crucial in the recruitment of many leading life scientists to Dundee and the establishment of the new Wellcome Trust Building and the associated Biocentre. His efforts have had a significant effect on the economy of Dundee , both in terms of direct employment at the Biocentre and in the establishment of industrial spin-offs. In recognition of these contributions, Sir Philip was awarded the City of Discovery Rosebowl by Dundee District Council. He is leading the construction of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, a new research building for the School of Life Sciences due to open in 2005. Sir Philip has made, and continues to make, a major contribution to the Life Sciences in Scotland.

Prime Minister of Pakistan's Special Adviser joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad
Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan
Former Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
Chief scientist at the PAEC.
Former senior member, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC)
Former Director, Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Former Director, Atomic Energy Center (AEC)
Former Secretary, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC)
Senior scientific officer, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC)

Professor Ishfaq Ahmad was born in Gurdaspur (India) on 3 November 1930. He is a former Chairman, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. Prof. Ahmad was awarded his MSc (Physics), from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, in 1951. In 1958, he was awarded a DSc (Physics), from the University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada. He was a senior member, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), 1988-1991, after serving for thirteen years as member (technical) of the same commission. He has also been chief scientist at the PAEC since 1976.

Dr Ishfaq Ahmad served as director, Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Islamabad, Pakistan, 1971-1976; director, Atomic Energy Center (AEC), Lahore, 1969-1971; secretary, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), 1967-1969; senior scientific officer, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), 1960-1966; and lecturer, Government College, Lahore, 1952-1960. He was a post-doctoral Fellow at both the Sorbonne, Paris (France), in 1969; and at the Niels Bohr Institute of Theoretical Physics, Copenhagen (1961-1962).

Prior to that (1963-1964), Dr Ahmad was a post-doctoral Fellow at both the University of Montreal, and the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. Prof. Ishfaq was awarded the honorary degree of Doctorate by the Punjab University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (2000). In the same year, he was elected a Fellow of the International Nuclear Energy Academy. He is the recipient of the three highest official awards in Pakistan namely Sitara-I-Imtiaz, the Hilal-I-Imtiaz and the Nishan-I-Imitiaz, the last of which was awarded to him in 1998.

Ishfaq Ahmad is a member of many boards of governors of various official agencies in Pakistan including the Pakistan Council of Science and Technology (1991-todate), as well as the Executive Committee of the National Commission for Science and Technology (1991-todate).

Dr Ishfaq Ahmad has played a significant role in the following domains, in Pakistan: manpower training; establishment of R&D facilities; indigenous production of nuclear materials; indignation of nuclear reactor technology; nuclear power; peaceful uses of nuclear technology; establishment of non-nuclear R&D facilities; nuclear safety; development of science and education.

Prof. has over 50 major publications to his credit including a series of Pugwash conference proceedings.

The main research interest of Prof. Ahmad is in particle detectors, nuclear and high-energy physics as well as nuclear technology. He became a Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences in 1983, and was elected a Fellow of the Islamic Academy of Sciences in 2000.

Currently, Professor Ahmad is Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Strategic Affairs, with the rank of a federal minister.

World Renowned Scientist (who with his colleagues) cited by 'Science Watch' as the Researcher with the three Top Ten 'Papers' in Medicine Joins the World Innovation Foundation as a Honorary Member
Professor Dr. Walter Willett

Dr. Walter Willett is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, studied food science at Michigan State University, and graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School before obtaining a Doctorate in Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Willett has focused much of his work overt the last 25 years on the development of methods, using both questionnaire and biochemical approaches, to study the effects of diet on the occurrence of major diseases. He first applied these methods in 1980 in the Nurses' Health Study I, a cohort of over 121,000 female registered nurses 30-55 years of age who have completed biannual mailed questionnaires about known or suspected risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease. He is Principal Investigator of the Nurses' Health Study II, a prospective cohort investigation established in 1989 with over 116,000 younger female registered nurses. This study is also designed to examine the association between lifestyle and nutritional factors and the occurrence of breast cancer and other major illnesses.
In addition to his work with the Nurses' Health Studies I and II, Dr. Willett initiated in 1986 a parallel prospective study of diet in relation to cancer and cardiovascular disease among 52,000 men, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. He has published over 800 articles, primarily on lifestyle risk factors for heart disease and cancer, and has written the textbook, Nutritional Epidemiology, 2nd edition, published by Oxford University Press. His recent book for the general public, Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating has appeared on most major best seller lists.

President of the Engineering Academy of the Czech Republic joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. Petr Zuna
President of the Engineering Academy of the Czech Republic (EA CR)
Rector of the Czech Technical University in Prague
Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU)
Chairman of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic
Vice president of the Czech Society of New Materials and Technologies
Member of the advisory board of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic for weapons
vice president of the Society of Science and the Arts
Professor Materials Science

Professor Ing. Petr Zuna, CSc., was born on March 21, 1941 in Prague. He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in 1963. In 1972 he earned his CSc. (PhD.) in physical metallurgy. In 1989 he was appointed Associate Professor at the Czech Technical University, and in 1992 became a full Professor (Field Material Science). His special fields of interest have been metallography, and the electron microscopy, and particularly the recrystallization processes. He is a member of the graduate councils of the Czech Technical University.
He has received fellowships for study in Russia, Poland, Japan and Great Britain. He is author or co-author of one monograph, 58 scientific reports, 10 articles in international journals, and 60 articles in Czech journals. He has contributed to 22 university and secondary school textbooks, delivered 20 original papers at international conferences. He serves on the executive committees of numerous international conferences.
Since 1991 he has served as Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Czech Technical University, and in 1997 he was elected Rector of the Czech Technical University in Prague. He is member of the Presidium of the Czech Rectors Conference, Vice Chairman of the GA CR, President of the Engineering Academy of the Czech Republic, Vice President of the Czech Association for New Materials and Technology, member of the Control Commission of the KD, and member of IGIP. He is a Board member of the Zvonicek Foundation and Foundation for Biomechanics. In addition, he serves on the editorial boards of several journals.

Chairman of the Pakistan Science Foundation joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. N.M.Butt
Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation.
Chairman, National Commission on Nano Science & Technology

Professor Butt obtained his MSc in Physics from Punjab University, Lahore (Pakistan), in 1957, his PhD from Birmingham University (UK) in 1965, and was awarded a DSc from the University of Birmingham (UK) in 1993.
Professor Butt has published more than 100 research papers in the field of Nuclear Solid State Physics. His specific fields of scientific interest are Neutron Diffraction and Scattering, Research Reactor Utilization and Moössbauer Spectroscopy.
In recognition of his outstanding research work, Prof. Butt was awarded the Open Gold Medal in Physical Sciences, of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences in 1990. He was also awarded the 'Sitara-i-Imtiaz', which was awarded to him by the President of Pakistan in 1991. Prof. Noor M Butt became a Fellow of the Islamic Academy of Sciences in 1993. He was the First Joint Winner of 8th Kharazmi Prize, Iran (1995).
Prof. Butt's last designation was Director General of the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Pakistan. At retirement he became the First 'Scientist Emeritus' honoured with this life-title. Among the previous posts occupied by Prof. Butt was Director General and Chief Scientist at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), and Vice-President of Crystallography Society of Pakistan. He is the former President of the Pakistan Nuclear Society (1995-1997), and Treasurer of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (1994-1998).
Professor Butt has lectured on his research in more than 25 countries and has been working as an IAEA (UN) expert and consultant in the Nuclear field.
He has worked as visiting scientist at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), Harwell (UK), Oxford University (UK), ICTP, Trieste (Italy) and Reactor Institute, Stockholm (Sweden)
He has participated in over 125 national and international conferences and presented invited papers in many of them. He has contributed articles to Newspapers, and to contributed Radio and TV programmes for propagation Science and Technology from time to time.

Professor Butt's Areas of Research
  • Experimental Neutron Diffraction and Scattering from Solids (Powder Diffraction and Lattice Dynamics).
  • Mossbauer Effect and its Applications (Debye-Waller Factors and Spectroscopy).
  • Research Reactor Utilization with Neutron Beams.
Provost of the George Mason University joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. Peter N. Stearns

Provost, George Mason University

Dr. Stearns is Provost of George Mason University, and teaches courses in world history and social history. He is a past vice president of the American Historical Association, in charge of the Teaching Division. Dr. Stearns currently serves as chair of the Advanced Placement World History committee, founded and continues to serve as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Social History. Stearns is the author or editor of over 85 books.

He is the editor of the major world publication, ' The Encyclopedia of World History' , which took ten years to complete and is a major reference work of great merit.

Dr. Stearns is a social historian who also writes about contemporary American topics. His recent books include Battleground of Desire: The Struggle for Self-Control in Modern America and Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West

President of the Colorado Scholl of Mines Joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. John U. Trefny

President, Colorado School of Mines

Dr. John U. Trefny is President of the Colorado School of Mines. Prior to his appointment as President in July of 2000, Dr. Trefny served for nearly five years as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty at Colorado School of Mines. He has also served Mines as Professor of Physics and Head of the Department of Physics.
Dr. Trefny received his undergraduate education at Fordham University and the Ph.D. in Physics from Rutgers University. Subsequently he held appointments at Cornell University and at Wesleyan University before joining CSM in 1977. He has more than seventy publications in various fields of condensed-matter physics including amorphous materials, liquid and solid helium, high- and low-temperature superconductivity, and photovoltaics. Dr. Trefny was recognized by the School of Mines in 1983 with the ' Brown Innovative Teaching Award' and in 1984 with the ' Amoco Outstanding Teaching Award". Dr. Trefny has been active in pre-college education, serving from 1986 until recently as Coordinator of Teacher Enhancement Programs at CSM. During this time, he and his colleagues developed the largest college-based program in the State of Colorado for the professional development of K-12 teachers in science and mathematics. Partnerships have been formed between Mines and several nearby school districts including Jefferson County R1. He was recognized by the Colorado Association of Science Teachers through the ' Friend of Science Education' award in 1990 and the ' Excellence in Science Teaching Award' in 1992.

A resident of Jefferson County since 1977, Dr. Trefny has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra and also treasurer of the organization. Nationally, John serves on the Advisory Board of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, and was a co-director of the Northwest Region of the Society from 1994 to 2000. He currently serves on the Advisory Council of Red Rocks Community College, the Advisory Board of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Board of Trustees of the Midwest Research Institute (MRI), the Board of Directors of the LMC Community Foundation, and the Board of Directors of the Institute for International Education.

President of the University of Montana joins the World Innovation Foundation
President George M. Dennison
President of the University of Montana
Member of the President's National Security Education Board

George Dennison became the 16th president of The University of Montana on 15 August 1990. Dennison came to Montana from Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs of Western Michigan University from 1987-90. In earlier years, he spent time at the Universities of Arkansas and Washington prior to 18 years at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. At Colorado State, he started as a history professor and then served in numerous other positions. He held simultaneously the positions as Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Associate Dean of the Graduate School for International Development Studies. He also served as Acting Academic Vice President, Associate Academic Vice President, and Director of Admissions and Records.

A historian by training, Dennison received his Bachelor's degree with high honors in history from The University of Montana in 1962. He received his Master's degree from The University of Montana in 1963, then earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of Washington in 1967. He has written numerous publications and made several professional presentations in both history and higher education.

In addition, Dennison serves on several boards, including the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. He also serves as Chair of the Governor's Council on Community Service, the Boards of the International Heart Institute of Montana, the Campus Compact, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, and the International Student Exchange Program.

President of the Royal Scientific Society of Jordan joins the World Innovation Foundation
His Excellency Professor Dr. Sa'ad Hijazi
President, Royal Scientific Society of Jordan (RSS)
Former President of Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST)
Professor of Nutrition and Child Health
Former President, Jordan Paediatric Society
Chairman, Committee on Certification of Medical and Allied Health Degrees, Ministry of Higher Education, Amman
President, Association of Medical Education in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (AMEEMR).

Professor Sa'ad Hijazi presides over the RSS which is a non-governmental industrial research and development organization founded in 1970 that operates on a non-profit basis and enjoys financial and administrative independence. RSS focuses on three activities, i.e., conducting applied research and technical studies, rendering technological services and consultations and offering specialized technological training. RSS carries out its functions through seven specialized centres that have 38 specialized laboratories and units supplied with advanced equipment in the fields of electronics, environment, industrial chemistry, building technology, mechanical design and technology and information technology. The RSS remit is to build Jordanian industry into a world leader and cooperates, collaborates and advises its industrial and business sector.

Recipient of the World Leading Award in Physics Joins the World Innovation Foundation as a Honorary Member
Professor Dr. J. Peter Toennies
Recipient of the 2006 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics
Former Director Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation
Göttingen, Germany
Adjunct Emeritus Professor, Department of Physics
University of Göttingen
Göttingen, Germany

Toennies was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, attending Lower Merion High School. He earned a B.A. in physics at Amherst College in 1952. He then enrolled in a doctoral program at Brown University, but took advantage of a Fulbright scholarship to spend a year at the University of Göttingen between 1953-1954. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Brown in 1957. After graduation, Toennies began his academic career in the department of physics at the University of Bonn, where he remained until 1968. He then became a scientific member of the Max Planck Society and the director of the Max-Planck-Institut für Srömungsforschung in Göttingen. He served in these roles until 1998 when he became emeritus scientific member of the Max Planck Society. In 1971 he accepted appointments as associate professor of physics at the University of Göttingen and honorary professor of physics at the University of Bonn; he continues his work at both. Toennies also served as Visiting Miller Professor of Chemistry and Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, during the fall 2005 semester.
Toennies has been active in countless scientific organizations from the Council of the European Physical Society, to the Atomic Physics Section of the German Physical Society, to the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. He is currently a member of the Interdisciplinary Board of the World Cultural Council. His honors are extensive and include the Physics Award of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences, the Hewlett-Packard Europhysics Prize, and the Stern-Geriach Gold Medal - the highest distinction given by the German Physical Society for work in experimental physics. Most recently, he is the recipient of the Kolos Medal from the Faculty of Chemistry at Warsaw University.

President of Bangkok University joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. Thanu Kulachol
President and Senator of Bangkok University

After receiving his doctorate in education with a specialization in higher education in 1977, Dr. Kulachol returned to his native Thailand as vice president for academic affairs at Bangkok University. He became its president in 1988 and has served ever since. He also served as president of the Association of Private Higher Education Institutions of Thailand from 1991 to 1995.
In 1996 Dr. Kulachol was appointed by the King of Thailand to the Thai Senate and served on the Senate Committee on Education and Culture from 1996 to 2000. He is also a member of the board of trustees of Bangkok University; editor of the academic publication, Executive Journal; editorial board member of the Journal of Studies in Technical Careers published by SIU; editorial review board member of the Journal of Organizational Dynamics and member of the Private Higher Education Institutions of Thailand Committee.

World Leader in Breast Cancer Research Joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Bruce Ponder, FRS

Bruce Ponder is Professor of Oncology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the new Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute. He is also co Director of the MRC/Hutchison Cancer Research Centre and of the Strangeways Laboratories for Genetic Epidemiology, also in Cambridge. He trained in internal medicine and medical oncology, and did his PhD. on nucleosome positioning in polyoma alongside Tony Pawson at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. His research interests have been in developmental biology - clonal organisation in mouse chimeras - and in laboratory and clinical aspects of cancer genetics.

Professor Ponder leads a team where it has been found that six genes which may play a role in breast cancer development and therefore the ability to predict cancer

Director of the Human Genome Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. Huanming Yang
Co-Vice Chairman European Action on Global Life Sciences (EAGLES )
Director, Human Genome Centre, CAS, Beijing, China

Huanming Yang is Professor of Genetics, and Director of Beijing Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. His interests include the mapping and cloning of human genes, sequencing and analysis of the human genome, human genome diversity and evolution, as well as the ethical, legal, and social issues related to genome research. As coordinator in China of the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium, Prof Yang is one of the main players in China's effort in human genome sequencing.

Among a number of other high-level positions, Prof Yang is a member of the Expert Panel of the National Office for Administration on Genetic Materials, and the Expert Committee of Field of Life Sciences, National Programs on Hightech ("863"), China. He is also a member of the Planning Group on ELSI in Human Genetics, WHO, the International Bioethics Committee, UNESCO, and the Expert Group on Biotech for the High Commissioner on Human Rights, UN.

President of Lakehead University Joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Fred Gilbert
President and Vice-Chancellor
Lakehead University

Dr. Frederick F. Gilbert was appointed as Lakehead University's fifth President and Vice-Chancellor in July 1998. He is currently a Board Member of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (Vice-Chair) and the Northwestern Ontario Technology Centre. He also is a member of the Advisory Council to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization. Before joining Lakehead, Gilbert was Vice-Provost of Colorado State University. From 1992 to 1997 he held the position of Founding Dean of the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia.
Previously he held academic and administrative appointments at Washington State University, the University of Guelph and the University of Maine.
Gilbert's academic interests include wildlife management, environmental studies and natural resources science. He holds a B.Sc (Hons) degree from Acadia University and MSc and PhD degrees in Zoology from the University of Guelph. He has authored or co-authored over 60 refereed publications, several book chapters and two books in his areas of expertise.

Rector of one of Turkey's Pre-eminent Universities Joins the World Innovation Foundation
Professor Dr. Ali Dogramaci
Rector
Bilkent University

Ph.D. 1975, Columbia University, Industrial and Management Engineering
M.Sc. 1972, Columbia University, Industrial and Management Engineering
M.Sc. 1967, Stanford University, Civil Engineering
B.Sc. 1966, Middle East Technical University, Civil Engineering
  • Provost, Bilkent University (1991 - 1993)
  • Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Bilkent University
  • Chairman of the Budget Advisory Group to the President of the University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  • Professor, Graduate School of Management, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  • Member, Rutgers The State University Senate
  • Member, Columbia University Senate
  • Associate Professor, School of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, Cornell University
  • Associate Professor, Graduate School of Management, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Bilkent University

Each year, more than 1,600,000 high-school graduates take the national examination to enter the 53 state and 24 private universities in Turkey. Bilkent gets many of the very best of these students. For example, in the 2005 examination, 32 of the top 100 scorers chose Bilkent.
The faculty is comprised of an academic staff from 43 different countries. Most of them were working in prominent universities in North America and Europe when they received offers from Bilkent University. According to ISI Citation Indexes, Bilkent continues to be first in Turkey in number of published papers per faculty member and ranks high internationally.

Scientific Discovery
The World Innovation Foundation,
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Editors Dr. D. S. Hill
Chris Wade
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