Overview
The Forum is structured around four main themes. The forum will focus on:

• Strategies for attracting the brightest and most creative minds to science, engineering and technology programs at university;
• Development of curriculum and pedagogical approaches required to best address issues of student diversity, teaching, course and curriculum design, retention and eventual employment of science and technology students;
• Links with other sectors; and
• Enhancing the entire university experience.

The Forum will promote discussion and sharing of best practice between the IRU Australia universities, with special attention to making science and technology more attractive to prospective students, and to open access policies, which create challenges to effective teaching due to the wide range in student knowledge base.

Program
The Science and Technology Forum being held 29–30 June at Macquarie University is structured around four main themes.   The themes are:

1. Where is science heading?
2. Curriculum development and pedagogical approaches
3. Links with other sectors
4. Enhancing the university experience. 

Preliminary Science and Technology Forum Program

Venue
The venue for the Forum is the conference Centre at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, North Ryde, Sydney. 

The MGSM Conference Centre is located in a quiet setting on the picturesque grounds of the Macquarie University campus at Macquarie Park, North Ryde, just 15kms northwest of the Sydney CBD and only 20kms from Sydney airport.

All main sessions will take place in the Caltex Amphitheatre.

Accommodation
All participants from universities other than Macquarie will be accommodated in the
Travelodge Hotel Macquarie North Ryde which is on the campus of Macquarie University and approx.100 metres from the forum venue.

Breakfast is a selection of hot and cold buffet items available in the Travelodge lounge from 6.30am to 9.30am and is included in the accommodation cost. 

Travel
The arrangements and costs for air and ground travel is the responsibility of each participating university.

Contacts
Karen Moorehead
Forum Coordinator
Innovative Research Universities Australia
Telephone: 07 3735 7117
Email: K.Moorehead@griffith.edu.au
 
Tony Sheil
Executive Officer
Innovative Research Universities AustraliaTelephone: 07 3735 4049
Email: T.Sheil@griffith.edu.au