Message to Members
REPORTS FROM THE AAAS FORUM ON S&T POLICY

Dear AAAS Member,

Compelling discussions and debates about how to sustain a healthy climate for science distinguished the May AAAS Forum on S&T Policy. Topics included the analysis of current federal budget proposals for R&D, state-by-state R&D, and needed reforms in the US system of regulations, tax codes, and copyright law. Experts also delivered presentations on new dimensions of surveillance and privacy, the quandaries of "sequestered science" due to business or security interests, and R&D in the developing world and Europe.

These and other urgent issues, reflecting the Forum’s overarching theme of US innovation policy in an increasingly competitive world, are now available online. Highlights also include the Keynote Address by John H. Marburger, III, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, who stressed the need for state and private sector resources to supplement federal funding at a time of expanding US research capacity; and the William D. Carey Lecture on the role of science in policy, delivered by Sherwood Boehlert, former Chairman, US House Committee on Science.

Since the first conference in 1976, the annual spring Forum has become the premier public policy meeting in the United States, drawing 450 policy makers and scientists from government, academia, and industry. This and other components of our far-reaching Science & Policy Programs are vital to the AAAS mission.

We thank our members for supporting our efforts to affect public policy that advances science and serves society.

Sincerely,
Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS

News to Note

The Power of Statistics: Science and Human Rights Program
Documenting police abuses and murders during the long civil war in Guatemala, estimating the number of deaths in the Darfur region of Sudan, surveying residents of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina—human rights researchers are calling on statisticians for assistance in these challenging and often daunting surveys. During a 17 May seminar, experts discussed the value of survey and statistical methods in tracking the underlying patterns of violence in civil conflicts and during both the rescue and recovery phases of a disaster. The seminar was sponsored by the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program and the Washington Statistical Society’s Human Rights Section. Read the full story.

Read in-depth coverage of this project that was featured in the 10 June Washington Post Magazine.

Energy Expert Cites Geopolitical Threats to US Oil Supply
As global consumption of oil rises dramatically, the US oil supply and domestic oil prices will face geopolitical threats for years to come, according to Robert Ebel, chairman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Energy Program. Mr. Ebel spoke during an event hosted by the AAAS Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy. Read how the geographic concentration in the Persian Gulf of the nations with the largest oil reserves is affecting suppliers elsewhere, and how the US can better meet its future energy needs through international energy interdependency, cooperative relations with China, investments in technologies that can extract oil trapped in oil sands, alternative energy, and reduced personal energy consumption.

AAAS and Science Help Build Electronic Libraries in the Middle East
Librarians from universities and medical research centers in the Middle East, representing both world-class facilities and those still using archaic card catalogs, joined a three-day meeting in Manama, Bahrain, this spring. The AAAS Office of Publishing and Member Services and Science co-hosted the meeting, "Electronic Collection Development for Health & Medicine E-Libraries," which included a workshop, lectures, hands-on training, and networking, followed by additional meetings with librarians throughout the region. Read about building capacity for the dissemination of scientific information as well as developing new partnerships in the Middle East.

AAAS Mass Media Fellows Join Science Newsrooms
For 10 weeks this summer, a group of 18 graduate and postgraduate science students from a range of disciplines will report breaking news through prominent US newsrooms. The program, now in its 34th year, gives fellows the opportunity to sharpen skills in the communication of complex science issues to nonscientists. Access the list of 2007 AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows and their assignments, including Scientific American, National Public Radio, the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.

Pacific Division Annual Meeting to Focus on Wilderness, Students
From 17 to 21 June, scientists, students, teachers, and the public will convene in Boise, Idaho, to address regional and global issues. Highlights will include a symposium on controversial efforts for wilderness protection, a lecture on public access to scientific knowledge, student poster sessions, workshops, and an awards ceremony. The Pacific Division is the oldest of four regional divisions of AAAS, chartered in 1915. Read more about the meeting and link to online registration.

Science Careers

Event: Access to STEM Talent Workshop: A Postdoc Conference and Career Fair
National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Campus, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
On 27 June, Science Careers’ Garth Fowler will help host a workshop on interviewing skills during a full-day symposium for postdoctoral fellows interested in jobs in the greater Washington, D.C., area. The first symposium of its kind, Access to STEM Talent is co-organized and co-sponsored by the economic development arm of the city of Rockville, Maryland, and introduces young scientists to careers in business, nonprofit organizations, and entrepreneurship. To join 700 postdocs from federal labs and universities in the Washington area, register by 20 June. Information >>

Life Sciences 2007 Careers Day
Science Careers and Life Sciences 2007 join forces to produce Careers Day, on Tuesday 10 July 2007, in Glasgow, Scotland. The Careers Day program features personal advice on creating CVs, presentations on grant writing, presentations on publishing in scientific journals, and group discussions on research careers outside of traditional academia and issues facing women scientists. Information >>

Life Sciences 2007 is the first joint meeting of the Biochemical Society, the British Pharmacological Society and The Physiological Society. Information >>

Careers Feature in the Journal Science: UK & Ireland
The 22 June issue of Science includes a special careers feature focusing on the UK and Ireland. This article will highlight the region’s renown for world-class science, examining both public and private investment in R&D and exploring extensive bioscience initiatives. Access the article and read about job opportunities, after 22 June. For advertising opportunities associated with the article, contact Tracy Holmes: tholmes@science-int.co.uk .

Career Advice on the Science Careers Website: Faculty Positions in Community Colleges
Too many professors, too few faculty positions? Consider community colleges as the entrance into academia. Read the full story.
This is one example of the advice you can find online from Science Careers along with faculty position job postings, industry openings, and much more. Register today to take advantage of the free online resources that Science Careers offers.

For job listings and career development, see http://www.sciencecareers.org/.
For upcoming events, see http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/meetings/workshops.