sydney

The 110-year-old Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS) is seeking to re-establish itself following the election of a new council last week. The former council members resigned en masse two months ago when they failed to secure sufficient votes for their recommendation to dissolve the organization (see Nature 391, 4; 1998).

The association's new chair is Paul Adam, a biologist at the University of New South Wales and head of one of the three state divisions that had opposed dissolution.

The association's aims — to promote communication, interaction, public awareness and the curiosity of children — remain “as relevant and important as ever to the future of science in Australia”, says Adam. Initially, ANZAAS will refocus its activities at the local and regional levels, with an emphasis on serving young scientists and science teachers, rather than mounting national congresses. Such congresses failed to attract significant numbers in recent years.