I’ve been attending ICCB, the 10th (X) International Conference on Computational Bioengineering in Vienna, Austria, this last week.
Among all the talks about blood, cells, and organs, there were plenty of sessions in honour of the great mineralized tissue of vertebrates, bone. In fact I was here specially to attend a session with the title: Multiscale assessment of bone remodeling and adaptation using novel experimental and computational methods.
This mini-symposium was dedicated to my late father, Prof John Clement (former Chair in Forensic Odontology, University of Melbourne, Australia). Dad was a scientist who worked across many disciplines, one of which was tissue science with a focus understanding bone tissue at different scales.
Read more: “Scientist and doyen of forensic dentistry driven by a sense of fairness and a desire to help others”
I was honoured to have been considered and accepted to speak in this session, and gave a talk highlighting how myself and colleagues are using novel imaging methods, like CT scanning, to image palaeontological bones over the fish-tetrapod transition. It was an incredibly difficult presentation to give but I hope Dad would have been proud.
The best thing about it all was to see so many of Dad’s old colleagues, students and friends, and hear from several others who had collaborated with him. His scientific legacy lives on with much research still being done in particular on the Melbourne Femur Collection, which he initiated.
Many people reminisced with fond or funny memories about him, and several people noted how good he was at bringing people together. And even five years since he died, he was still bringing scientists from all over the word to Vienna to talk all about bone. I’m sure he would have enjoyed the sessions immensely if he could have been here. Huge thanks to the symposium organisers, Peter Pivonka, Rita Hardiman, David Cooper & David Thomas, for making it happen.
Dr Alice Clement 
Dear Dr. Clement, I have to privilege to meet your father in 2003 and in many more occasions, including in Melbourne. I miss him for what he was and what he has transfered to me. I am a forensic odontology after listening to his presentation in Bari and I have become an associate professor at the university of Turin. My achievements are strictly connected with the inspiration your father granted to me.
I founded a group called Forensic Odontology for Human Rights (AFOHR) and I inaugurate – as you probably already know – last week the “John Clement Award” for best paper presented at the 2nd Biennial Symposium.
Should you be interested in paleopathology, biological profile and human identification, then just send an email. Warm regards, Emilio
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Dear Emilio,
many thanks for your message and kind words about Dad. I remember him talking fondly about his visit to Italy, and the Bari meeting in particular.
The family and I are so pleased to learn about how his work and legacy continues to influence people, and I think it is fantastic that there is an award given out in his name. He would have been so chuffed.
If I ever happen to find myself in Turin, I’ll be sure to try to come by and meet you.
Regards, Alice
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