| In this issue of Advances: AAAS in Action: News to Note AAAS Science Careers: Events, Tools, Advice AAAS at Work: Programs at the Forefront AAAS Announcements: Items of Interest Read On, Online: Science Sites This month's Advances is sponsored by our new Member-Get-a-Member Program No one knows the value of AAAS better than you, our members. That's why we are asking you to help increase our membership—and are giving you great prizes as a reward. Bring in just one new member, and receive a AAAS/Science umbrella. Three members equal a travel bag; five members, a USB memory stick; 10 members, an iPod Shuffle; 50 members, a trip for two to the AAAS annual meeting; 100 members, an iMac computer. Start earning your rewards through our newest member benefit program. Go to http://promo.aaas.org/mgam. For details, visit http://promo.aaas.org/mgamtc. Promotion ends 31 December, 2008.
EVOLUTION BREAKTHROUGHS Dear AAAS Member, Interestingly, the year that saw the backers of "intelligent design" escalate challenges to the fundamental concept of evolution also witnessed startling new discoveries underscoring the soundness of Darwin's scientific theory. We are heartened by the breakthrough opinion of U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III on 20 December ruling it unconstitutional for the Dover, Pennsylvania, school district to inject intelligent design into its ninth grade biology classes for religious reasons rather than scientific reasons. On 3 January, the new school board unanimously rescinded the previous board’s policy of presenting intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in biology classes. The courage of Dover's science teachers and parents who worked to preserve the integrity of science education also will help enhance the long-term scientific and economic strength of the We are fascinated by the Breakthrough of the Year, the new insights about evolution at the genetic level and the birth of the species, which head Science's list of top 10 research advances for 2005 (see related news story). For the full text of the Dover decision, go to http://www.pamd.uscourts.gov/kitzmiller/kitzmiller_342.pdf. For AAAS resources on evolution and science education, see our "Evolution on the Front Line" site: http://www.aaas.org/news/press_room/evolution/. As we move into 2006, we will continue to advance science for the benefit of society, fostering breakthroughs in research, science policy, science education, and international cooperation—while also advancing science careers through numerous initiatives including a new events, tools, and advice section in Advances. We wish our members a Happy New Year. Sincerely, Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS P.S. Join me at the AAAS Annual Meeting, 16-20 February in St. Louis, Missouri. Under the leadership of AAAS President Gilbert Omenn, the theme of this year’s meeting is “Grand Challenges, Great Opportunities”. See the full schedule and register at http://www.aaas.org/meetings/.
AAAS in Action NEWS TO NOTE AAAS Urges Speaking for the AAAS Board of Directors, AAAS President Gilbert S. Omenn urged the White House and Congress to take strong steps to sustain 2005 Breakthrough of the Year: Evolution in Action How does evolution work in the world of influenza genes and stickleback fish armor? What about the genome of our closest relative, the chimpanzee? Studies that follow evolution in action claim top honors in the Breakthrough of the Year published in Science 23 December. Read more about the Top Ten Breakthroughs of 2005 from planetary safaris to brain wiring and disease, and learn what the editors picked as areas to watch in 2006 at http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/1222breakthrough.shtml. For free access to the full 23 December issue of Science, including a podcast and video coverage, go to http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/btoy2005. Welcome the New Officers of AAAS Results from the recent election have been tabulated, and new terms for AAAS officers begin at the end of the Annual Meeting in February. President-elect is David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology. The Board of Directors also welcomes new members Alice Gast, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Thomas Pollard, Yale University. The Committee on Nominations is as follows: Elizabeth Blackburn, University of California at San Francisco; Claire Fraser, The Institute for Genomic Research; Peter Brewer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute; and Pauline Lawrence, University of Florida. AAAS at Work PROGRAMS AT THE FOREFRONT AAAS Leadership Seminar: Insiders' View of S&T Policy Global warming, stem cell research, energy, space exploration—U.S. experts on S&T policy and policy making offered detailed insights into the challenges confronting policy makers during the second AAAS Leadership Seminar in S&T Policy. Professionals representing fields ranging from health care to space science, private industry, and the foreign diplomatic corps met for the four-day seminar condensed from the two-week orientation program conducted each fall for new AAAS S&T Policy Fellows. Read more about the program: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/1209leadership.shtml. AAAS Education Project: "Skin Deep" With a grant from Neutrogena, the skin-care industry leader, AAAS is launching a two-year healthy skin outreach program aimed at students, teachers, and the public. A book to be distributed through schools, public libraries, and health facilities will become part of the AAAS Healthy People Library Project. A package of standards-based science lessons is tailored to students from grades five to 12. Dynamic, interactive web modules support program materials, all of which follow the AAAS Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Read more about the program designed to address the rising rate of skin cancer, adolescent acne, and other skin-science issues: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/1229skin.shtml. AAAS Science Careers EVENTS, TOOLS, ADVICE Advances Presents New Section to Advance Careers As a service to members, we offer this resource for career-enhancing news of events, tools, and advice. For job listings, see the redesigned ScienceCareers and Science Next Wave website: http://www.sciencecareers.org/. Read about director Richard Weibl's plans for the AAAS Center on Careers in Science and Technology, a broad international effort to provide information to students, postdocs, and professionals: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/1020careers.shtml. Upcoming ScienceCareers.org Outreach Events ScienceCareers.org, the AAAS/Science careers website, has a full schedule of outreach events in the
AAAS Announcements ITEMS OF INTEREST AAAS Launches Abelson Seminar Series The Philip Hauge Abelson Advancing Science Seminar series honors the research scientist who served as editor of Science for 22 years and died in late 2004 at age 91. The inaugural event of the series, which addresses major societal challenges and focuses on the frontiers of science and technology, brought health research experts together to discuss the growing global epidemic of chronic disease expected to cause at least 35 million deaths this year. Read about some possible solutions involving policy issues beyond the health field: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/1221abelson.shtml. Science Update Radio Show Wins Top International Awards Stories on elephants that make truck noises and a beeping basketball developed for blind people are among the five segments of Science Update that won two Awards of Excellence in the explanatory writing and S&T categories of the international Communicator Awards competition. The 60-second news and feature segments air weekdays on about 50 EurekAlert! Announces Top Ten Press Releases of 2005 A scientist finds an unexpected link between the cat and the human AIDS virus, and a bird thought to be extinct is rediscovered. These are just two of the most viewed stories posted to the EurekAlert! global news service website in 2005. Follow this link to see the entire top 10 list of releases drawn from a range of resources to provide important contributions to public knowledge on science and technology issues: http://www.eurekalert.org/staticrel.php?view=topten2005. Meet Up at Upcoming Events Stop by the AAAS booth to pick up your member pin. Lab Automation, 22-24 January, Palm Springs, California, Cell Signaling World 2006, 25-28 January, Register Online Today: AAAS 2006 Annual Meeting Join us 16-20 February in St. Louis, Missouri, Evolution on the Front Line: An Event for St. Louis-area Teachers This free event takes place during the AAAS Annual Meeting, on Sunday, 19 February, 1:45pm–5:00pm in the Additional Meetings of Interest Wellcome Trust 2006 Courses and Conferences, 26 February-12 November, Hinxton Cambridge, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 2006 Meetings & Courses, 9 March-3 December, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, U.S. Click for information. 3rd International Conference on Structural Analysis of Supramolecular Assemblies by Hybrid Methods, 15-19 March, Lake Tahoe, California, Celebration of Biochemistry, 21 April, Dallas, Texas, Gene Expression & Signaling in the Immune System, 26-30 April, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, 2006 Courses, 4 May-19 October, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 2006 Microscopy Courses, 4-12 May, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, Residential School on Medicinal Chemistry: Chemistry and Biology in Drug Discovery, 12-20 June, Madison, New Jersey, Spinal Cord Injury Research Techniques, 10-28 July, Irvine, California, This month's Advances is sponsored by our new Member-Get-a-Member Program No one knows the value of AAAS better than you, our members. That's why we are asking you to help increase our membership—and are giving you great prizes as a reward. Bring in just one new member, and receive a AAAS/Science umbrella. Three members equal a travel bag; five members, a USB memory stick; 10 members, an iPod Shuffle; 50 members, a trip for two to the AAAS annual meeting; 100 members, an iMac computer. Start earning your rewards through our newest member benefit program. Go to http://promo.aaas.or/mgam. For details, visithttp://promo.aaas.org/mgamtc. Promotion ends 31 December, 2008.
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