Message to Members
INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF INNOVATORS

Dear AAAS Member,

Who will be the future’s breakthrough researchers, enlightened educators, and farsighted policy makers? You can see their young minds today in classrooms around the world, growing and expanding with the discovery of science.

A central part of the mission of AAAS is advancing scientific knowledge and know-how by assisting students, teachers, and parents every step of the way from the first preschool experiments through major postdoc accomplishments. Recently, we posted online classroom guides to materials from our Macaque Genome issue of Science . Our April forum with US school boards launched an historic three-year collaboration to provide science support to local boards nationwide (see News to Note) . The just-published Atlas of Science Literacy, Volume 2 will now be used widely by educators to help teach K-12 students important science concepts in understandable, age appropriate sequences and, in addition, is being used in Project 2061’s new series of climate and weather workshops for educators (see Advancing Science, Serving Society) . Calls for entries are out for two young scientists’ awards (see Announcements) . The first winner of our new Leadership in Science Education Prize for High School Teachers will be announced this summer.

We also advance the future of science with the interactive Kinetic City after-school program, Science NetLinks lesson plans, the distribution of 20,000 Milestones of Science posters to families worldwide, and the many other initiatives of AAAS’s Education and Human Resources Programs and Project 2061 .

As a member of AAAS, we urge you to join us in inspiring the next generation of innovators by volunteering as a science fair judge, speaking at a career day, or lending your expertise to other activities that encourage great minds in the making.

Sincerely,
Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS

SPECIAL ALERT:
On May 28, the young-Earth creationist ministry, Answers in Genesis, will open a new creationism museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati, Ohio. The National Center for Science Education is asking scientists in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky to visit http://sciohost.org/states to see ways they might become involved locally in efforts to protect the integrity of science education. For more information on AAAS evolution resources and activities, go to http://www.aaas.org/evolution . To request a free DVD copy of the AAAS video on evolution, or the Project 2061 Abbreviated Guide to Teaching Evolution, e-mail Angela Bradley at abradley@aaas.org .

News to Note

AAAS Board Sounds Alert on US Earth-Observing Satellites
On 28 April, the AAAS Board issued a statement warning that US budget cuts are threatening satellites essential for weather forecasting, hurricane tracking, studies of climate change, and other vital activities. AAAS urged the US Congress and the Administration to take prompt action to restore key National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites, accelerate the current launch schedule of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NACA), and support high priority new Earth observation missions for the 2010-2020 timeframe. Read the Board statement which coincided with US policy makers’ hearings on space science and climate change research.

Year-Long Study of the Reliable Replacement Warhead Now Available
An independent study released 24 April assessed the proposed Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) and its role in the future US nuclear weapons program, and concluded that most anticipated benefits will only occur over the long term. The study group of former nuclear weapons lab directors, former senior Department of Energy officials, and university experts was convened by AAAS’s Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy. Experts urged continued commitment to current stockpile stewardship and stated that major transformation requires greater White House leadership now and over the next 25 years to produce bipartisan support for an approach that balances weapons programs with those of nonproliferation and arms control. Read the full report and listen to a teleconference with reporters .

Capitol Hill Briefed on Food Security
On 2 April, experts warned that more than 550 exotic pathogens and pests, whether introduced naturally, accidentally, or via agroterrorism, can pose threats to crops and livestock and, ultimately, the US economy and national security. The panel, sponsored by the AAAS Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy, urged preventive strategies such as improved government monitoring, increases in safety checkpoints at processing plants, and additional inspections of imported foods, as well as improved response should an outbreak occur, and increased funding of agricultural research. Read more .

AAAS/US School Board Joint Project Provides Science Support
An historic collaboration between AAAS and the National School Board Association (NSBA) will give local boards advice and resources for promoting science-related education in communities across the United States. The program debuted 14 April in San Francisco , California with a symposium during NSBA’s annual meeting. Some 200 local school board members welcomed the project as a way to obtain expertise and training to improve science, mathematics, and technical education to meet unprecedented challenges in preparing students for the 21st century economy. Read more about the resources, including a CD-ROM and website expected to be released by February 2008. Find additional background on the project’s three key stages .

AAAS Spearheads "Climate in the Community Week"
In recognition of Earth Day and to bolster public awareness about the science of global climate change, AAAS collaborated with ten US science centers during the last week in April. Read more about the range of center activities exploring the basics of climate science for teachers, schoolchildren aged five to 17, and the public. Access the AAAS climate change resources page which includes research, news, events, and tools for teachers.

Conference Explores Obstacles to Science Journalism in the Developing World
Lack of proper training, reluctant sources, government pressure, and editors who might not value science reporting were among the obstacles discussed during a UNESCO-sponsored workshop held at the mid-April 5th World Conference of Science Journalists. AAAS participated in the workshop, attended by reporters and scientists from 20 emerging and developing nations, which included outlines for a UNESCO project to develop a general science journalism course and ideas for targeted training of working journalists. Read about current programs available through AAAS and other organizations and the urgent needs expressed by journalists from Kenya to South Africa , Uruguay to Pakistan .

AAAS Fellow Engages Public in Climate Science
During April, James Fleming, AAAS Roger Revelle Fellow in Global Stewardship, and Colby College professor, discussed how weather has affected history, including the D-Day invasion during World War II, on the Weather Channel series "100 Big Weather Moments." Dr. Fleming also appeared at a recent Capitol Hill briefing for policy makers and the public to provide historical context on emerging climate issues. Find out more about AAAS S&T Policy Fellowships and their contributions of scientific expertise to public policy.

Advancing Science, Serving Society

Space Science and Theology: DoSER Presentations
"Are we alone in the universe?" That question was posed by Connie Bertka, a geologist with theological training who directs AAAS’s Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program, at the Carl Howie Conference for Science, Art, and Theology at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia on 28 April. During her presentation, she cited the discovery of a small-mass rocky planet orbiting the star Gliese 581 at a distance that makes surface water possible as a step toward a scientific answer to the question, and also a cause for reflection by the world’s religions on the possibility of a "second genesis" not related to Earth life. Earlier in April, Bertka addressed influential space scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Ames Research Center in California , urging better understanding between science and religious communities. Read how the science of astrobiology is creating a new chapter in the continuing dialogue between scientists and theologians. Go to the full article .

The AAAS DoSER program facilitates communication between the science and religious communities with a public lecture series and other events and presentations.

Climate and Weather Education: Project 2061’s NOAA Workshops
Through a grant from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and drawing from the recently released Atlas of Science Literacy, Volume 2 , AAAS’s Project 2061 has launched a series of workshops for education/outreach staff from NOAA and other federal agencies. Based on a set of conceptual strand maps for climate and weather, the workshops address two key areas: what should be the content of curriculum resources for the study of earth science, and how to assure high quality curriculum development that follows national benchmarks and standards for science literacy. Workshop attendees are being provided with the information to produce and refine a program framework for covering the topics of climate and weather.

The Atlas of Science Literacy, Volume 2 , was jointly released by Project 2061 and the National Science Teachers Association. Educators are invited to download freely accessible copies or order print copies at http://www.project2061.org .