Welcome to Birmingham, Britain’s friendly second city, located in the heart of England. Birmingham is excellently served by motorways, rail, and an international airport. The conference is being held in the ICC which is in the centre of the city, with most conference hotels within a few minutes walk.
Although Birmingham began as a market town, it became the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. The canals which once brought coal and metal are now focal points for restaurants, bars and coffee houses. They provide comfortable spots opposite the Convention Centre to sit and discuss the day's scientific highlights.
The city is rich in history and the arts. The City Museum and Art Gallery house a magnificent collection of Pre-Raphaelite art including works by Rossetti, Millais, Holman Hunt and Burne-Jones - himself a native of the city. Amongst our famous authors is JRR Tolkien, who used his childhood memories of Birmingham's greener parts as inspiration for settings in "The Lord of The Rings".
The Symphony Hall, located within the ICC and widely acclaimed as one of the best concert halls in the world, houses the famous City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. On a less classical note, the city hosts rock concerts, counting amongst its sons members of Black Sabbath, Electric Light Orchestra and Led Zeppelin.
For chocoholics, a visit to Cadbury World is recommended. Birmingham is also the home of the Balti - if you who have not experienced this Indian dish, order up a “table nan” to share with a Balti of your choice.
Indeed, the wide variety of foods, music and dance reflects the truly multicultural nature of the city, with Indian, Pakistani, West Indian and Chinese populations, amongst others. The ethnic diversity adds an interesting and at times complex dimension to the genetics of the area.
Genetics has a place in the centre of the city: the figures outside the ICC reflecting the march of Birmingham from its industrial past into the future is led by Birmingham trained Maurice Wilkins, Nobel prize winner for his work on DNA – spot the structure on his shoulder! The science museum (with an innovative interactive human genetics exhibit) is housed in a new building in an area of the city destined to become a "learning centre". It also looks to the future whilst celebrating Birmingham's industrial past.
The University of Birmingham and the city's hospitals have international reputations in patient care and medical research. In particular, the research and clinical genetics communities are thriving, serving the 5.5 million population of the West Midlands with the largest genetics service laboratory in Europe. Research strengths include genetic aspects of cancer, epigenetics and identifying disease genes by autozygosity mapping. Our predecessors include John Edwards (who described trisomy 18 here), Sarah Bundey, Maj Hulten and before them Lancelot Hogben.
Join us for an excellent scientific programme in the heart of a vibrant and exciting city. If you can spare a few extra days, visit Shakespeare’s birthplace just down the road at Stratford or the Cotswolds or the Peak district. We look forward to seeing you in 2003 - or as a native Brummie would say "Taa Raa a bit!"
Fiona MacDonald