Message to Members: Joining the Katrina Relief Effort
AAAS in Action: News to Note
AAAS at Work: Programs at the Forefront
AAAS Announcements: Items of Interest
Read On, Online: Science Sites
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Message to Members
JOINING THE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORT
Dear AAAS Members,
We share with our colleagues and all our fellow citizens a great sympathy and concern for the residents of the Gulf Coast states who lost family, friends, homes and jobs to the ravages of Hurricane Katrina.
To contribute to the relief effort, AAAS is launching a web site to bring together researchers affected by the hurricane with AAAS members and others who have volunteered to provide access to resources and other forms of help. We urge our members to join us in this effort. The site also includes a set of links to other society and government agency initiatives. This site is easily accessible from the AAAS home page, and at http://www.aaas.org/katrina/.
As an aid to policy makers, scientists, and the general public, Science has made a selection of past articles free to all visitors via a special web page. To learn about the scientific, social, and political background of the disaster, the aftermath, climate change, coastal disaster planning, wetlands and floodplain issues, and to find out about volunteering, please go to http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/katrina/.
AAAS thanks you for supporting our mission to serve society and for helping to alleviate the incalculable hardship brought by this catastrophic disaster.
Sincerely,
Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS
P.S. To contribute to the relief effort, AAAS is launching an interactive web site, which is expected to be fully operational by 6:00 pm ET Friday, 16 September, to bring together researchers affected by the hurricane with AAAS members and others who have volunteered.
AAAS in Action
NEWS TO NOTE
Honing the Abilities of Students with Disabilities
Sixty-seven science, engineering, mathematics, and computer science students with disabilities spent their summer vacation as paid interns with U.S. businesses and government agencies through the AAAS program ENTRY POINT! Since 1996, the program’s partners have provided 442 internships to facilitate entry into competitive employment positions while also expanding the pool of technical talent. Read about the interns’ summer adventures with space communications, futuristic video consoles, killer whales, and more at http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/0824entrypoint.shtml.
Studying the Tsunami’s Psychological Aftershocks
Hundreds of thousands of people died, millions were left homeless, and experts predict that hundreds of thousands of survivors will suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other problems. Staff writer Greg Miller reported on the mental health aftermath in the 12 August issue of Science, emphasizing the need for more research on interventions for psychological relief after disasters. Read an interview about his tour of Sri Lanka and India: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/0810tsunami.shtml.
Telling the Story of Health Science
The AAAS “Healthy People 2010 Library Initiative” has published the sixth booklet in a series designed to educate the public about health and diseases. “Your Health: The Science Inside” is a primer on the benefits and challenges of biomedical research and helps readers think like scientists about their own health. The booklets are freely available through U.S. libraries and at http://www.healthlit.org/. Read more about the series, recently honored in the National Health Information Awards for a booklet on asthma and allergies: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/0829healthy.shtml.
AAAS at Work
PROGRAMS AT THE FOREFRONT
Gender Equality: South Africa
Fostering the critical education mission of AAAS, Shirley Malcom, head of Education and Human Resources, traveled to Pretoria, South Africa, to address gender equality and urge the use of the talent of all people. Malcom was the keynote speaker at a meeting of scientists, engineers, and technical experts where she discussed improving education and the work force issues of racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. Read about the meeting: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/0812malcom.shtml. Read about the Education and Human Resources program: http://www.aaas.org/programs/education/.
Fellowship Program: Honors for Work in Iraq
AAAS Diplomacy Fellow Alex Dehgan, a field biologist, survived bomb attacks, cross-fires, and death threats as he directed a U.S. program to recruit former weapons scientists into the Iraqi reconstruction process. The U.S. State Department cited this work and his later involvement in effort to create the Iraqi Virtual Science Library, with its prestigious Superior Honor Award. Read more: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/0816dehgan.shtml. Read about Fellowship opportunities with the U.S. Congress and government agencies: http://fellowships.aaas.org/.
AAAS Annual Meeting: 2006 Program
"Grand Challenges, Great Opportunities" is the theme of the 2006 AAAS Annual Meeting, 16 to 20 February, in St. Louis, Missouri, the heart of the BioBelt and home to more than 390 plant and life sciences enterprises. On 25 August, program planning progressed with a gathering of top scientists, educators, and economists who met to promote the meeting. For updates on the program that will address current and future challenges and opportunities in national security, global health, environmental stewardship, energy, agriculture, space, and other critical issues, go to http://www.aaas.org/meetings/Annual_Meeting/. Mark your calendar and plan to attend one of the world's largest and most innovative general science conferences.
AAAS Announcements
ITEMS OF INTEREST
Historic Milestone of the Month: The Transistor
As part of the 2005 celebration of the 125th anniversary of Science, last December’s Voice Your Opinion Poll asked AAAS members to name the leading scientific breakthrough since 1880. Their top choices have been selected for a monthly free-access reprint from the archives of the journal Science, courtesy of JSTOR.org. Read “Research Leading to Point-Contact Transistor” (Science, 19 July 1957) by John Bardeen at http://promo.aaas.org/kn_marketing/pdfs/Science_1957_0719_105_112.pdf and “Problems with Ultraminiaturized Transistors” (Science, 13 June 1980) by Arthur L. Robinson at http://promo.aaas.org/kn_marketing/pdfs/Science_1980_0613_1246_1249.pdf.
Annual Election of AAAS Officers
Ballots for the 2005 election of the AAAS president-elect, members of the Board of Directors and Committee on Nominations, and section officers will be mailed later this month to all active members of the AAAS. Ballots must be returned by 28 November. If you do not receive a ballot by the end of October, contact Linda McDaniel at Lmcdanie@aaas.org in the AAAS Executive Office.
Notice to members affected by Hurricane Katrina: Because the U.S. Postal Service is not delivering mail to areas with zip codes beginning with 395, 396, 700, 701, and 704, members in these areas must contact Ms. McDaniel for a ballot.
Reminder: AAAS members have the opportunity to suggest nominees (including themselves) for president-elect and the Board of Directors for next year's election. For a list of this year's candidates, see "AAAS News and Notes" in the 29 July issue of Science; for a list of current Board members, see the masthead page of any recent Science issue. Please send nominee's curriculum vitae no later than 30 November to Gretchen Seiler, AAAS Executive Office, 1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005.
Designate AAAS in the U.S. Combined Federal Campaign
The AAAS 2005 CFC campaign number is 9850, listed in the booklet among national and international organizations who are participating. Thank you for supporting AAAS and promoting the Association in your workplace during the official solicitation period from 1 September through 15 December. For more information go to: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/0901cfc.shtml
Join the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion
On 22 September at AAAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., the DoSER 2005 Fall Public Lecture Series presents a discussion about searching for a second genesis of life in our solar system. Learn about the scientific, practical, and philosophical implications and how we might recognize life that is different from us. To RSVP to the reception, lecture, and discussion: http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/seminar/2005/0922025secgenesis.shtml.
Learn How to Communicate Science and Health News
On 14 October at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., public information officers and public relations managers can hear from leading science and medical reporters representing a wide range of media outlets in the United States and abroad. The morning seminar, Communicating Science & Health News Across the Media Spectrum, is hosted by EurekAlert!, AAAS's science news service. For more information or to register, go to http://www.eurekalert.org/seminar/.
Compete in the Young Scientist Awards
GE Healthcare and Science/AAAS co-sponsor the Young Scientist Award, recognizing outstanding graduate students from around the world for their thesis work in molecular biology, described in a 1,000 word essay for judging. Those who received a Ph.D. in 2004 are eligible. The deadline for entries is 30 September. For complete details, go to http://www.sciencemag.org/feature/data/prizes/ge/index.shtml.
Attend a Drug Discovery Conference in Mumbai, India
From 5 to 7 October, Science/AAAS is a sponsor of “Drug Discovery to Clinical Trials: Global Partnering and New Science,” presented by IBC Life Sciences. Find out about opportunities to access India’s and other Asian countries’ capabilities and science resources in drug development. For AAAS member discounts, enter priority code KY3149SC in the Comments section of the online form or give the number when registering by phone or e-mail. To register, go to http://www.drugdisc.com/india/.
Read about Careers in Germany in Science
See the 7 October issue of Science for a special careers feature focusing on Germany's bid to develop a network of centers of scientific excellence and how this effort influences career opportunities. For international job listings and career advice, go to http://www.sciencecareers.org/. To place a recruitment ad in the 7 October issue, contact Christina Harrison: charrison@science-int.co.uk.
Join a Town Hall Meeting on Life Form Patents in Palo Alto, California
On 26 October, BayBio and AAAS host a town hall discussion led by Mark E. Andrews of BioTech Nation and National Public Radio. To attend “The Patenting of Life Forms: 25 Years Since the Chakrabarty Patent” featuring speakers Dr. Ananda Chakrabarty and Elizabeth Howard, go to http://www.baybio.org/wt/home/The_Patenting_of_Life_Forms.
Meet Up at Upcoming Events
Stop by the AAAS booth to pick up your member pin.
CORDIA BioTechnology Convention 2005, 11-13 October, London, U.K. Information: http://www.cordiaconvention.com/.
BioTechnica 14th International Trade Fair for Biotechnology, 18-20 October, Hannover, Germany. Information: http://www.biotechnica.de/homepage_e?x=1.
READ ON, ONLINE
AAAS News & Notes appears in Science in the last issue of each month. Or access http://www.aaas.org/ or http://www.scienceonline.org/.