AAAS Advances
AAAS/Science

AAAS Advances - A Monthly Newsletter for AAAS Members • Special Edition: Annual Meeting 2004


Message to Supporters: Expanding the Reach of Scientific Meetings
Annual Meeting Highlights: Postcard from Seattle, Featured Speakers, Scientific Sessions, Awards, Public Outreach


Message to Supporters:
EXPANDING THE REACH OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

Dear AAAS Supporter,

Thank you for joining the more than 10,000 people who shared the wonders of scientific discovery for five days in mid February, breaking all previous AAAS Annual Meeting attendance records.

Some 5,700 registrants listened to plenary lectures by leading scientists and attended scientific sessions covering leading-edge topics such as proteomics and nanotechnology. More than 1,200 members of the press reported breaking news, including advances in therapeutic cloning presented by South Korean scientists. And 3,300 children and their families joined us for Family Science Days, Public Science Day, and our first Town Hall Meeting.

We're sending this special issue of Advances to you as well as our membership. This monthly newsletter is one example of the many benefits you would receive as a member of AAAS. We invite you to join us in advancing science and serving society.

Sincerely,
Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS

P.S.—Mark your calendar for our 2005 Annual Meeting, 17-21 February in Washington, D.C. For information, or to submit a proposal for a symposium, visit our website: http://www.aaas.org/meetings/MPE_08_index_Prop.shtml.


Postcard from Seattle:
PHOTOS FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING

View a collection of images of keynote speakers, Family Science Day, the Town Hall Meeting, the special appearance of cloned mules, the AAAS booth and Exhibit Hall, and the AAAS awards ceremony. Link to photos: http://www.aaas.org/sciencebusiness/meetingph.htm


Annual Meeting Featured Speakers:
THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS AND PLENARY LECTURES

AAAS President Dr. Mary Ellen Avery opened the Annual Meeting by calling for better access to health care and a sustainable environment and noting the role of the annual event in bringing scientific advances to the public. Dr. Avery was joined by special guest speaker Dr. Richard D. Klausner, head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Program, who stated that science has improved the lives of too few individuals and sited limited resources as one of the problems.

Plenary Lectures were given by U.K. Chief Science Advisor Sir David King (Global Warming: The Imperatives for Action from the Science of Climate Change); infectious disease expert Kenneth McIntosh of Children's Hospital, Boston (SARS: A New Chapter in the Coronavirus Story); and Kip Thorne, the California Institute of Technology's award-winning author (Probing the Universe with Gravitational Waves).


Annual Meeting Scientific Sessions:
FROM AUTISM TO STEM CELLS

More than 200 sessions ranged from nanotechnology to proteomics and autism to stem cells. A selection:
Autism   Researchers presented their latest findings on new methods for diagnosing the disease early in life.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/aaft-nss021004.php.

The Science of Love and Marriage   Psychologists presented a new mathematical model that can accurately predict the length and success of individual heterosexual, gay, and lesbian relationships.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/uow-iaa020904.php.

Marine Animal Conservation   Scientists presented new methods for marine conservation that prove both ecologically and economically sound.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/s-noc021004.php.

Canine Genetics   The session unveiled a new map tracing current purebred dog breeds to a single progenitor breed and detailed a genetic history leading to the modern dog.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/aaft-utg020504.php.

Cloning and Genomics   Scientists illustrated therapeutic cloning technologies with a trio of cloned mules, discussing future medical advances resulting from genomic sequencing.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/aaft-aie020504.php.

Stem Cells   Researchers presented evidence that injured nerves can regenerate or be replaced, using human stem cells not only from embryos but also stem cells being found in adults, including those in the brain and eye. For more information on this session, go to http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/uow-scf021704.php. For information on other sessions, go to www.eurekalert.org/aaasnewsroom/2004/index.php .


AAAS Annual Award Recipients:
SCIENCE AND JOURNALISM

Join us in congratulating these distinguished scientists, engineers, and journalists who were recognized during the Annual Meeting for furthering the scientific enterprise. For information on the recipients, go to the addresses listed below.

AAAS Science Awards
http://www.aaas.org/sciencebusiness/scienceawards.htm

AAAS Science Journalism Awards
http://www.aaas.org/about/awards/sja/Winners.shtml


AAAS Outreach:
ENGAGING THE PUBLIC

Family Science Days   More than 3,000 parents, children, and teachers gathered to see space odyssey exhibits, attend ecosystems workshops, sample ice cream made with liquid nitrogen, and pet the first cloned mules. The lively learning atmosphere attracted the public to the two-day event in the Exhibit Hall during the Annual Meeting. Read more: www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0216familyscienceintro.shtml.

Town Hall Meeting   "Oceans for Everyone" engaged marine scientists, Seattle residents, and policy makers in a lively debate about ways to restore the health of the world's oceans. AAAS's first Town Hall Meeting launched a new initiative to allow the public exchange of ideas on sound science. The news conference was broadcast via a live Web cast. Listen here: http://science.discovery.com/convergence/aaaswebcast/aaaswebcast.html. Read more: www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0216townhallintro.shtml.

Join AAAS in Advancing Science and Serving Society
Scientists, full-time students, postdocs, and residents: become a member of AAAS today and receive 51 weekly issues of Science, access to Science Online, and other benefits. Your membership supports improved science education, sound science policy, public understanding of science, and scientific freedom and responsibility internationally. AAAS offers a wide range of member benefits, including discounts on scientific books and publications, meetings, car rentals, term life insurance, and much more. Read about member benefits.

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