ImmInst.Org  ٭  Newsletter 
September 2010

Message from the Chairman:

Well, holiday time is certainly over now. I for one struggle to find time to waste-- certainly on introductions. So, today I'd like to tell you about our new 'points system' that may revolutionise the way we present incentives for volunteering and say thank you to those people who impress us, I'd like to invite you to join us to at least one conference on life extension at the beginning of October - in Brussels  or in San Francisco.
And I'd like to crow with excitement about the success of our science fundraising effort! I could talk for hours about how this type of grass-roots, member reviewed and co-ordinated life extension science makes me proud of out site, but... next business looming... no time to waste.   

Caliban

NEWS

Oct.9th & 10th -- are you coming to Brussels... or to San Francisco?

The first full 'ImmInst' event in Europe is happening in Brussels, Belgium next month. Confirmed speakers include Michael Rose, Aubrey de Grey, Stephen Spindler, Leonid Gavrilov, Steven Coles,  Paul McGlothin, and Stephen Spindler.
This should be a great event with plenty of opportunity for networking, getting to know ImmInst members and discussing future projects. We need to know numbers so make sure you register NOW:
http://www.imminst2010.com/registernow.html

If you can't make it to Europe, maybe you are interested in the conference on 'Personalised Life Extension' in San Francisco:   http://lifeextensionconference.com/ 
With speakers like Peter Thiel, Greg Fahy and Esther Dyson, the event should be a real blast. Also it is organised by Christine Peterson, the President of Foresight Institute who co-organised the Convergence Conference in partnership with ImmInst last year. So, There is a discount code for ImmInst members of $100!  Members check here for details.


Science Funding þ SUCCESS!

During the Month of August ImmInst Members rallied to fund a research project on mitochondrial uncoupling.
This project ticked all the important boxes:
- it investigates a crucial mechanism of how and why we age
- it may show the path towards practical interventions in the aging process
- it is small enough that your donation, every cent of which will be matched by ImmInst, *will* make a real difference
- it is led by a reputable scientist who will respond to community questions and update us periodically on the progress of the research 
Read the research proposal here

We are incredibly proud to announce that the threshold amount has been raised! Thanks to everyone who donated, and made this fundraiser a success.
Keep an eye out for regular updates from Jan Gruber and his team and for the new research fundraiser, coming soon!
http://www.imminst.org/Research2010


VOLUNTEERS/APPOINTMENTS

In the past, this slot in the newsletter was reserved for announcing the winners of the volunteer prize system, randomly drawn each month. See this topic for all past volunteer prize winners. 

That system was, by its nature a bit random and maybe not the fairest. So this month, ImmInst has established a new system to recognise and reward  volunteers based on individual efforts. In fact, all Members can help with this: users have 'Thank You' or '₮' points, a kind of virtual 'currency' that they can either donate to others in appreciation, or redeem these points at a 'virtual store' for some small prizes or fun items.
At the moment, you can't 'buy' a lot in this store yet -- we want to get some experience with the system and iron out some of the flaws before we make it the centrepiece of a 'reputation economy'. But in time, this system has great potential to allow us to say 'thank you' to those volunteers and valued contributors at the site.         

If you have other ideas or suggestions regarding new initiatives, please visit the ACTION forum to share your thoughts.

Imminst.org -Advocacy and Research for Unlimited Lifespans