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| Advances - The Monthly Newsletter for AAAS Members - January 2009 | |
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In this issue: Message to Members: 2009 Annual Meeting – Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures News to Note: Obama Nominates Science Advisers, Breakthrough of the Year, Leadership Seminar, Science and the Law, Nuclear Arms Control, Climate Complexities, Science Books Awards, National Intelligence and Neuroscience, Science Multimedia, New AAAS Fellows Advancing Science, Serving Society: Science Inside Alcohol Project - Teen Drinking Science Careers: Career Basics Booklet, Employer Profiles Announcements: Annual Meeting, President’s Circle, Darwin 2009 Festival, Minority Science Writers Internship 2009 Annual Meeting - Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures Dear AAAS Member, An interdisciplinary mix of scientists, engineers, educators, and policy makers are gathering to share a new understanding of our planet, its current conditions, and how the wise use of science and technology can foster a sustainable future. This 12-16 February, the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting will welcome thousands from the scientific community and hundreds of members of the national and international media to participate in seminars, plenary and topical lectures, and 150 symposia. Our event in Chicago also marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. The 2009 AAPT Winter Meeting is being held in conjunction with the AAAS Annual Meeting. Attendees will have a unique opportunity to network with more than 1,000 physics educators, view presentations from internationally renowned physicists, discover the latest innovative teaching methods, and explore professional development opportunities. The AAAS meeting opens with an address by AAAS President James J. McCarthy, Harvard University’s Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography. Plenary speakers include evolutionary biologist Sean B. Carroll, planetary scientist Susan W. Kieffer, and biologist Svante Pääbo who specializes in evolutionary genetics. A topical lecture series features energy expert Daniel G. Nocera, human geneticist T. Conrad Gilliam, physicist Lene Vestergaard Hau, infectious disease specialist Ekaterina Dadachova, human evolutionist Tim D. White, behavioral economist Colin F. Camerer, environmentalist Amory Lovins, and computer scientist Jeannette Wing. A topical panel on international scientific cooperation will be moderated by AAAS President James J. McCarthy. Special named lectures will be delivered by neuroscientist Elizabeth Loftus and historian Ken Alder. In addition to this robust program, attendees at all career stages and degree levels can select from 16 development workshops. On Saturday and Sunday, the public is invited to our popular Family Science Days, organized by AAAS in partnership with area laboratories, universities, and museums. This event also features the Meet the Scientists Series, hosted in collaboration with Science Chicago. For complete program details, go to www.aaas.org/meetings. You may register online until 26 January and onsite at the meeting. I look forward to seeing you in Chicago. Sincerely,  Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS P.S. As we move forward together to advance science, we applaud President-Elect Barack Obama’s new science appointments. Read about former AAAS President John Holdren, the choice for chief science adviser, and other exceptional science nominees below. AAAS Applauds Obama Picks for Top Science Advisers Four top science advisers, two of whom are former AAAS presidents and three of whom are AAAS Fellows, were nominated by President-elect Barack Obama in his 20 December radio address. Responding to the news, AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner commended Obama’s commitment to S&T expertise at the highest levels of US government. - John P. Holdren, who served as AAAS president and chair of the Board in 2006 and 2007, was nominated to serve as Assistant to the President for S&T and Director of the White House Office of S&T Policy, also co-chairing the President’s Council of Advisors on S&T (PCAST). Holdren is the Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and is President and Director of the Woods Hole Research Center. - Jane Lubchenco, AAAS president in 1997 and chair in 1998, and AAAS Fellow, was nominated as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Lubchenco is an environmental scientist and marine ecologist who holds the positions of Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology and Distinguished Professor of Zoology at Oregon State University. - Harold Varmus, a AAAS Fellow and a co-recipient of a Nobel Prize for his studies of the genetic bases of cancer,and President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, was named as PCAST co-chair. - Eric Lander, a AAAS Fellow and also named as PCAST co-chair, is a founding director of the Broad Institute, a principal leader of the Human Genome Project, and a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School. He was a AAAS Mass Media Fellow in 1977. In naming his science advisers, Obama stated that “today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation” and emphasized "protecting free and open inquiry." He added "if we commit ourselves to discovery…if we support science education…if we have the vision to believe and invest in things unseen…we can lead the world to a new future of peace and prosperity." Read more about Obama’s science appointments, which now move through approval by the US Congress.  Science’s 2008
Breakthrough of the Year: Cellular ReprogrammingFollowing experiments with mice two years ago, research teams took cells from ill human patients and reprogrammed them into "made-to-order" cell lines. The transformed cells grow and divide and can be induced to assume new identities - including the cell types most affected by the diseases of the patients who donated the initial cells - which means patients may someday be treated with healthy versions of their own cells. Read about the other scientific achievements in Science’s list of the top 10 2008 breakthroughs and access the full Science story and a video featuring interviews with scientists. AAAS Leadership Seminar Examines Obama Impact on S&T Despite constraints placed on US federal spending by the financial crisis, the new administration still could have a dramatic impact on science-related issues, experts said during the Leadership Seminar on S&T Policy at AAAS. At the two-day meeting in late November, 34 professionals from science, education, business, and foreign embassies were briefed by nearly three dozen experts in policy-making, economics, and journalism. The science-related challenges and choices confronting the incoming administration were said to include science spending, energy and climate, embryonic stem cell research, US visa policies for foreign scientists, and public education and outreach. Read more.  Panel Examines Science
and the Law at AAAS A panel of judges and a professor of law and psychiatry explored how neuroscience, digital technologies, and forensic tools are used in the courtroom during a discussion at AAAS co-sponsored by the Washington Academy of Sciences. The panel cautioned that, while science and law go hand in hand, there are important differences between the professions - while legal cases are decided through adversarial arguments, the dialogue among scientists is not expected to produce "a winner." Read more about the "CSI effect" as the weekly television drama blurs public perceptions of pseudo science and real science. AAAS Co-Authored Study Urges US Leadership in Nuclear Arms Control In a study meant to inform decision-making by the incoming Obama administration, scientists and policy experts urge the United States to reestablish global leadership in nuclear arms control, updating its nuclear arsenal as necessary but not adding new nuclear capabilities. The study, by a working group of the American Physical Society, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and AAAS, urges preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to such countries as North Korea and Iran, securing and reducing global inventories, reversing Russia’s apparent increasing reliance on nuclear weapons, and US ratification of the Comprehensive Test Band Treaty. Access the complete study text. Congressional Caucus Plays a Game to Learn Climate Complexities Which climate solution strategies would provide the most effective bang for the buck? At a Capitol Hill briefing, sponsored by AAAS and hosted by the Congressional R&D Caucus, policy staffers, diplomats, energy-related companies, and nonprofit organizations participated in a short version of the Wedge Game, derived from a 2004 Science paper. The goal of the game is to adapt strategies, or "wedges," using only existing technologies that would keep carbon emissions flat for the next 50 years. Read about the strategies.  AAAS Announces Finalists
in Annual Science Books Awards Exploring streams, animal siblings, sources of luminescence, and climate change are among the topics of 19 finalists selected by librarians from more than 100 entries. The winners of the fifth annual AAAS/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Excellence in Science Books will be honored during the AAAS Annual Meeting. Read about the finalists in four categories: children’s science picture books, middle grades science books, young adult science books, and hands-on science activity books (any age). Meeting at AAAS Explores National Intelligence and Neuroscience Three panelists spoke about the use of cognitive neuroscience in warfare scenarios and military strategies, covering the ethical considerations and the need for public engagement in the issue. Training with pharmaceuticals to enhance military performance, and vigilance against the use of drugs for nefarious purposes were among the topics. Read more about the first meeting of the newly formed Neuroethics Society, which attracted more than 180 participants from 26 countries. Public Information Officers Learn About Science Multimedia From the press releases of a decade ago to the interactive postings of today, science news tools have evolved into multimedia opportunities as print media shrinks. During the EurekAlert! professional development seminar, 200 PIOs and web producers learned about "Using Multimedia to Communicate Science and Health News." The panel offered insight into what national science reporters and editors look for in science stories, including a strong narrative and animation and video that help tell the story. Read more, access a video of the presentations and the Q&A session, and learn more about EurekAlert!, the global online news service launched by AAAS. AAAS Council Announces New Fellows The Fellows Forum, to be held 14 February during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, will honor the 486 AAAS members elected as Fellows last November. The Fellows, cited by the AAAS Council for their contributions to science and technology, will be presented by their affiliation in each of 24 AAAS sections. Access the complete list of AAAS Fellows.  AAAS Science Inside
Alcohol Project: Teen Drinking Parents and teachers can use the fascination of middle- and high-school students with their brains - the way they work, change, and even occasionally "freeze" - to discuss why they shouldn’t drink alcohol. The AAAS alcohol education project, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, is developing a web-based science and health curriculum to explain alcohol as a chemical, its biological effects on the body, and neuroscience research about the different effects on adolescent and adult brains. Learn more and download a plain language booklet for parents, now in draft form. The award-winning Science Inside series is designed to improve public understanding of science. It includes the Healthy People Library Project, funded by the National Institutes of Health, which has developed seven books on public health issues including diabetes, high blood pressure, and having healthy babies. Find out more about the series. AAAS’s online career job and advice site, Science Science Careers has a new look and new features that make it easier to advance your career, whether you’re seeking a new job, advice on career advancement in your chosen field, or ways to stay current on industry trends. Some of the features you’ll find on the newly redesigned site include: - Enhanced job searching - Relevant job e-mail alerts - Improved resume/CV uploading - Search by geography - Multimedia section Visit ScienceCareers.org today. Your future awaits. New Edition: Science Careers’ Career Basics Booklet We have compiled a series of articles addressing a broad range of career development issues into an 80-page booklet for early career scientists. The new booklet is available at www.sciencecareers.org/careerbasicspdf. For details on upcoming Outreach Program events, go to www.sciencecareers.org/outreach. Industry Careers in Europe: Cambridge, Massachusetts During this year’s annual European Career Fair, Science Careers will hold a panel discussion on industry careers in Europe. Learn everything you need to know to get started on your international industry career track. Sunday, January 25, 2-4 p.m. MIT European Career Fair Cambridge, Massachusetts http://www.sciencecareers.org/outreach How to Publish in Science: Chicago, Illinois An editor from the journal Science will discuss the submission, review, approval, and publication process for the journal. The presentation will cover what editors look for in strong submissions and what reviewers are asked to consider when reading manuscripts. The editor will walk through the steps of submitting a paper through the review process and finally to publication, as well as explain what types of papers are suitable for publication in Science as opposed to a specialty journal. After the presentation, audience members have the opportunity to ask questions. Saturday, February 14, 10:30 a.m.-noon AAAS Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois http://www.sciencecareers.org/outreach New from Science Careers: Employer Profiles Use multimedia tools to research employers before you apply. Our new Employer Profiles offer videos, photo galleries, and more. Get started researching employers. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/tools_tips/current_employers Science Careers Featured Jobs:Faculty - Molecular Immunologist Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia Sr. Translational Medicine Expert - Diabetes/Metabolism Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), Massachusetts, United States Manager / Postdoctoral Researcher for Bioimaging Facility University of Munich, Bayern, Germany  Where can you find many of the world’s leading experts on science and technology across a host of fields?... At the AAAS Annual Meeting, "Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures," 12-16 February 2009 in Chicago. Join leaders who are tackling the climate change crisis. Get current on how the US elections will shape policy and funding. Explore the evolution of emotions, language, morality, microbes, the un iverse, and more. To obtain program details and take advantage of special travel discounts visit www.aaas.org/meetings. Special AAAS Membership Offer Do you have colleagues who are not yet members of AAAS? If they register in advance for the 2009 Annual Meeting in Chicago, they will receive a one-year membership to AAAS along with all member benefits. These include a one-year subscription to the journal Science, online access to Science and all of its archives, and access to Science Express. International members will receive Science Digital. This offer is good for advance registration only, and expires on 19 January 2009. Only nonmembers qualify. Share the news now and register now. Get special discounts on meeting and hotel registration as well as United Airlines and Amtrak fares. Visit www.aaas.org/meetings and scan the left-hand navigation column. Communicating Science Workshop at AAAS Annual Meeting - 12 February The AAAS Center for Public Engagement with Science and Technology has partnered with the National Science Foundation to provide workshops to help researchers communicate more broadly with the public. Registration is now open for the Communicating Science Workshop to be held 12 February from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Space is limited to practicing scientists and engineers (including Ph.D. students), and pre-registration is required. Workshop content includes: why science communication is important; defining audience and message in communication with public audiences; on-camera interview practice; broader-impact opportunities; and more. For more information, go to www.aaas.org/communicatingscience. Sign Up for AAAS Annual Meeting Updates Sign up for the 2009 Annual Meeting Updates listserv and receive periodic program notices on the meeting to be held in February. The full program is now available at www.aaas.org/meetings. Wanted: Student Session Aides Attend the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting for free by volunteering as a session aide. Some volunteers also receive a free subscription to Science Online. For more information, go to http://meeting2009.aaas.org/sessionaide/default.aspx. AAAS Awards Ceremony and Reception at the Annual Meeting AAAS invites you to attend the AAAS Awards Ceremony and Reception at the Annual Meeting on 14 February at 5 p.m. at The Fairmont Chicago. The ceremony will honor a distinguished group of mentors and educators, communicators and champions of science in celebrating scientific collaboration. To RSVP or for more information, please contact the AAAS Development Office at 202-326-6636. Call for Papers - Science & Technology in Society Conference March 28-29, 2009 An international, interdisciplinary, graduate student conference provides a venue for graduate students from science and technology policy, science and technology studies, and related fields to present their research at the AAAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. E-mail abstracts to abstracts@stglobal.org by January 23, 2009. Visit: http://www.stglobal.org Join the AAAS President’s Circle The coming years represent a unique opportunity for science and the nation. To stay at the forefront of these opportunities, AAAS needs increased individual support. With philanthropic contributions totaling $500 or more, you will be recognized as part of the newly launched AAAS President’s Circle and will join a select group that receives periodic briefings on key issues. Please visit us online at http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/giving/types/designate.shtml, or call +1 (202) 326-6636 for more information. Register Now for the Darwin 2009 Festival Science and AAAS are proud to be a major sponsor of the Darwin 2009 Festival taking place in Cambridge, UK, 5-9 July. The festival celebrates both the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. The week-long event will engage everyone from scientists to schoolchildren, with talks from Sir David Attenborough, Ian McEwan, Richard Dawkins, A.S. Byatt, Lord Martin Rees, Lord Robert May, and Nobel laureates Sir John Sulston, Sir Paul Nurse, and Harold Varmus, plus many more. Early registration is recommended for this popular festival. Go to http://www.darwin2009.cam.ac.uk/ for more information and to register. Apply for a Minority Science Writers Internship with Science Science is a global activity, but the demographics of the journalists who cover it do not reflect that diversity. The AAAS Minority Science Writers Internship is for students who are interested in journalism as a career and who want to learn about science writing. Interns spend 10 weeks at Science, the world’s largest interdisciplinary journal, under the guidance of award-winning reporters and editors. The paid internship includes travel to and from the internship site in Washington, D.C. Go to http://www.aaas.org/mswi for an application and information. Deadline: 1 March 2009. AAAS News & Notes appears in Science in the last issue of each month. You can also read more about AAAS at www.aaas.org. Science magazine is available at www.sciencemag.org. Change your mailing address or other info at www.aaasmember.org |
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