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Advances - The Monthly Newsletter for AAAS Members - September 2009 | |
In this issue: Message to Members: Advancing the Careers of Scientists News to Note: Undergrad Biology Education, Test-Ban Briefing, Disease Prevention Workforce, Sri Lanka Satellite Images, AAAS Science Education Prize, New Voting Database, ENTRY POINT! Interns, Science /JoVE Video Partnership Advancing Science, Serving Society: AAAS Regional Divisions Science Careers: Job Search Booklet and Webinar, Upcoming Events Announcements: AAAS President's Club, Combined Federal Campaign, 2010 Annual Meeting, October Film Festival, Project 2061 Workshop Sponsored By: Harvard Business School Executive Education
Harvard Business School Executive Education presents Intellectual Property and Business Strategy, an intensive program that examines international patent, copyright, and trademark laws, as well as the processes required to deploy an effective business strategy. Participants will emerge with the proven frameworks to leverage innovations and intellectual property for competitive advantage positioning their organizations for sustainable growth. For more information or to apply, please visit www.exed.hbs.edu/programs/ip/. Advancing the Careers of Scientists Dear AAAS Member, Initiatives to advance the careers of scientists and engineers are critical to the AAAS mission to advance science and serve society. We offer both career advice and job postings on ScienceCareers.org, the most comprehensive site for science and engineering career development on the web. We also offer an array of programs to help advance both traditional and non-traditional science and engineering careers. From our Science & Technology Policy Fellowships and internships for early-career scientists--which include positions for underrepresented minorities and students with disabilities--to a program for senior scientists and engineers who volunteer their services, AAAS provides a continuum of support through every career stage. You may be interested in the latest booklet just posted online in our Career Trends series. The Informed Job Search: Advice for Scientists covers critical skills for success in today's employment market. Other available booklets in the series include Careers Away From the Bench and Career Basics. These booklets and much more can be found at our Science Careers website. You also can take advantage of live advice online by joining our next Science Webinar discussion on 30 September. Job Searching for Scientists: Tools, Tips, and Essentials will cover academic, industry and government research opportunities. For other upcoming events, including workshops and seminars, see the careers section of Advances. Whether you are entering the science workforce or advancing an established science career, every AAAS member can benefit from a myriad of valuable resources. Sincerely, Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS NSF/AAAS Conference Focuses on Undergrad Biology Education Seeking to transform undergraduate biology education--especially for nonmajors whose introductory course may be their only exposure to science--some 500 educators, administrators, and policy makers met for a three-day conference sponsored by the National Science Foundation and AAAS. The discussions focused on the design of innovative courses and materials that engage all students in scientific inquiry, rather than rote memorization, as they prepare to work in an increasingly technological society. Read more. Briefing Addresses Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty's Monitoring System A thorough evaluation of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty's International Monitoring System was the focus of a recent Capitol Hill briefing co-sponsored by AAAS. The evaluation of the monitoring system involved about 600 researchers from 99 countries, and the results were discussed at the conference in research posters and talks. It remains to be seen if the results of this evaluation will convince additional countries to agree to the terms of the treaty. Though 148 countries have ratified it, the agreement will enter into force only after nine key hold-out nations--including China, Egypt, North Korea, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and India as well as the United States--follow suit. Read more. AAAS Report Calls for Expanded US Disease Prevention Workforce Increasing retirements of public health officials and shortages of physicians and nurses could lead to a scarcity of experts trained to respond to disease outbreaks, according to a new AAAS report, "Workforce Development: Preparing the Next Generation for Infectious Disease Threats." The report calls for a focused strategy to educate health care personnel to fill the gap, and recommends the development of a database of education programs, common curriculum standards, and field training opportunities to increase multi-disciplinary response to both natural and human-made outbreaks. Read the full text of the report. AAAS Satellite Image Analysis Details Violence in Sri Lanka Confirming reports of intense fighting within Sri Lanka's civilian protection "no-fire zone," the AAAS assessment of high-resolution satellite images revealed freshly-dug graves, artillery explosions, and cleared refugee shelters. The violence reportedly erupted as military soldiers clashed with Tamil Tigers. The analysis from the AAAS Geospatial Technologies and Human Rights project compared before-and-after satellite images taken from 9 May through 24 May, 2009. Read more and view the images. Oregon Teacher Wins AAAS Science Education Prize A physics, microelectronics, and astronomy teacher from Oregon is the latest recipient of the AAAS Leadership in Science Education Prize for High School Science Teachers, honoring the implementation of innovative teaching methods. Michael Lambert, realizing that a great way to learn is to teach, guided his students in teaching science to kids in elementary schools, following state standards. The award includes travel to Shanghai, China to give a presentation on the science literacy of precollege students. Read more. AAAS Creates New Database to Aid Voting Reform In the aftermath of the 2000 US presidential election, which yielded a result too close and unclear to call by conventional methods, the idea for an extensive database of voting-related research emerged. The ambitious project--the first of its kind in the United States--gives election administrators, journalists, and others free access to research focused on absentee voting, ballot design, election administration and accountability, Internet voting, voter eligibility, and other relevant areas. The objective is to foster greater knowledge of the voting system in order to implement effective reform. Read more about the project of the AAAS Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law Program and access the database. ENTRY POINT! Interns Visit US Congressional Offices Since its founding 13 years ago, the AAAS program that provides competitive internships for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students with disabilities has placed more than 400 summer interns at leading companies and government research agencies across the United States. In late July, four ENTRY POINT! interns toured Capitol Hill, raising awareness of the program and encouraging their representatives to support the federal science budget. Read about the students' accomplishments and learn more about the program. Science and JoVE Launch Scientific-Video Partnership To enhance scientific articles by offering video demonstrations of techniques, Science has developed a partnership with JoVE, Journal of Visualized Experiments, for joint production and online publication. Science is selecting papers and author groups who will work with JoVE to create the demonstrations of top-tier research content. Read more and watch the inaugural video, which documents an innovative method for visualizing and mapping the success or failure of immune control in viral infections. AAAS Regional Divisions
The four AAAS Regional Divisions work to advance the AAAS mission in their territories, organizing meetings on regional issues and promoting publications from scientists active within the division. Pacific Division The oldest division, established in 1915 by a group of West Coast scientific societies, stretches from British Columbia through the coastal states to Panama. The 2009 Annual Meeting, held in San Francisco, California, in August, focused on "Sustainability in an Evolving World" and also celebrated the 200 th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. Southwest-Rocky Mountain Division Founded in 1920, SWARM now includes 11 US states, four states in Mexico, and two provinces in Canada. The Division's 84 th Annual Meeting, held last March in Tulsa, Oklahoma, presented "Science Without Boundaries" in research symposiums and addresses covering communicating science, science policy, and science education. Arctic Division Serving Alaska and Canada's Northwest Territories and the Yukon and Nunavut territories, the Division was founded in 1951. The 2009 Arctic Science Conference, held in Juneau, Alaska, this month, explored the "Impact of Environment on Human Health – Interdisciplinary Science and Education" and the effects of climate change on Arctic communities. Caribbean Division Established in 1985, the Division includes Puerto Rico, Central America, the Caribbean Basin, Venezuela, and Southern Mexico. The 2009 Annual Conference, to be held 24 October in San Juan, Puerto Rico, addresses "Astronomy and the Origins of Life," celebrating the International Year of Astronomy and Charles Darwin's birth and work. Visit ScienceCareers.org today. Your future awaits. Upcoming Events The Postdoctoral Experience as Continuous Professional Development Howard University/University of Texas El Paso (HUTEP) Postdoctoral Institute, Saturday, 26 September, El Paso, Texas, USA Richard Weibl, director of the AAAS Center for Careers in Science and Technology, will deliver the closing talk, The Postdoctoral Experience as Continuous Professional Development. His remarks will emphasize the importance of the postdoctoral experience as a strategic professional development activity to acquire and refine specific areas of knowledge or skill required for the next stage in one's career. The event is part of the NSF sponsored Alliance for Graduate Education for the Professoriate Program. Managing Your Relationship with Your Supervisor Networking and Career Fairs Tuesday, 6 October, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA Managing Your Relationship with Your Supervisor Wednesday, 7 October, UNC Postdocs, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA Work-life Balance Saturday, 17 October, SACNAS National Meeting, Dallas, Texas, USA Keynote: Careers Away From the Bench Penn State College of Medicine Career Day Monday, 19 October, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA How to Publish in Science Monday, 19 October, Society for Neuroscience Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, USA Careers Away From the Bench Tuesday, 20 October, Society for Neuroscience Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, USA HBCU-UP National Research Conference Thursday 29 October-Sunday 1 November, Washington, D.C., USA Career workshops included. Now Available-- The Informed Job Search: Advice for Scientists Webinar: Job Searching for Scientists: Tools, Tips, and Essentials Wednesday, 30 September 12 p.m. Eastern Time (9 a.m. Pacific, 4 p.m. GMT ) Looking for some advice about how to conduct your job search? Join us for a roundtable discussion that will look at academic and industry job searches for research scientists. We'll talk about using networking in the job search process, locating job openings, getting together your application materials, putting your best foot forward in an interview, and negotiating the best compensation package. Questions can be asked live. Register today: www.sciencecareers.org/webinar Produced by the Science /AAAS Business Office and Science Careers. Enhance your science, serve society -- apply for a 2010 AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship! For 36 years, the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships have provided scientists and engineers with a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to national and international issues in the federal policy realm, while learning first-hand how to craft policy in Congress and implement policy in more than 15 federal agencies. AAAS seeks candidates from a broad array of disciplines, ethnicities and disability status. Fellows represent a spectrum of career stages, from recent PhD graduates, to faculty on sabbatical, to retired scientists and engineers. Fellows also come from a range of sectors, including academia, industry, non-profit organizations and government labs. Full details at www.fellowships.aaas.org AAAS accepts online applications only. Click here to RSVP for a webinar on 2 October, 2009 at 12:00 pm EDT – you can learn more about the fellowships application, selection, placement processes and ask questions of former Fellows about how the experience affected their careers. Join the AAAS President's Circle Improving the quality of life around the world and responding to global challenges requires innovative solutions that are rooted in solid science and technology. AAAS needs your help to ensure that the science community is engaged in exploring these solutions. You can seize this opportunity by joining the President's Circle today with a philanthropic contribution of $500 or more. You will receive updates about our activities and invitations to AAAS events. Visit us online or call +1 (202) 326-6636 for more information. US Federal Workers Can Support AAAS through the CFC US government employees can select AAAS on the Combined Federal Campaign's national/international list, supporting innovations in science, engineering, and technology to serve society around the world. Your donation through CFC helps to enhance science education, infuse policy issues like climate change with sound science, ensure national security, improve international relations, promote scientific integrity, and much more. The campaign runs from 1 September to 15 December. AAAS's CFC number is 10134. Go Back to School with Science at Special Rates: US$50 Postdoc/Student; US$99 Professional Give the gift of Science to a friend, colleague, or yourself and receive 51 issues plus full AAAS membership benefits. Student, postdoc, or veteran scientist with a student son or daughter, we'll thank you in style with our free Ph.D. dissertation T-shirt. (International recipients receive the Science Digital edition.) Deadline Reminders Student Poster Competition: Deadline Wednesday, 14 October General Poster Session: Deadline 14 October For more information, go to www.aaas.org/meetings. Bridging Science and Society: Headline Speakers at the AAAS Annual Meeting Peter C. Agre, Presidential Address, AAAS President and Nobel Laureate, Director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland. Marcia McNutt, Plenary Lecture, President and Chief Executive Officer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California. Karen Emmorey, Neural and Cognitive Underpinnings of Language Across Modalities, Director, Laboratory for Language and Cognitive Neuroscience, San Diego State University Robert Fraley, Sustainable Solutions for Doubling Crop Productivity by 2030, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Monsanto Larry Goldstein, The Future of Stem Cell Research, Director of Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Diego Thomas Hillman Jordan, Earthquake Science, Director, Southern California Earthquake Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles Steve Palumbi, Marine Species React and Adjust to Climate Change and Ocean Acidification, Director, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California Steffanie A. Strathdee, Infectious Diseases Have No Passport, Chief, Division of Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine What people are saying... 10th Robert C. Barnard Environmental Lecture: "Climate Change Science and the Utility of Assessments" Featuring: Dr. James J. McCarthy, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography, Harvard University Date: Thursday, 1 October 2009 Time: 6:30 p.m. » Reception to follow Location: AAS Headquarters Auditorium, 2nd Floor, 1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC RSVP: fellowships@aaas.org Screening of CROSSING THE LINE The story of Comrade Joe, the last American defector still living in North Korea. Date: 24 September 2009 Time: 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm (Wine and cheese at 5:30 pm) Location: AAAS Auditorium, 1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005 After the showing, comments and discussion will be led by Ms. Karin Lee, Executive Director of the National Committee for North Korea." RSVP Required AAAS, Science in Partnership with NYC Film Festival 15-24 October Selected short films present fascinating and entertaining science concepts at theaters, exhibit spaces, and education centers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, New York. AAAS/ Science is the presenting sponsor of the nonprofit Imagine Science Film Festival in a continuing effort to encourage public engagement. Check the schedule. Sign Up for the Final 2009 Atlas of Science Literacy Workshop Project 2061 continues a popular workshop for K-12 educators and adds an innovative new workshop for informal science education. "Using Atlas of Science Literacy " Washington, D.C. 19-21 October Scholarships and Early Bird rates are available, but registration is limited. For more details and a registration form, go to our workshop information page. 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 Invest in AAAS Contributions from our members and friends are needed to support AAAS's mission to promote science in all forms. Visit us online to make a gift, http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/giving/types/designate.shtml, or call +1 (202) 326-6636. With your support, we can continue to speak up for you—and advance science for the benefit of society worldwide. How to Subscribe to Advances If a friend has sent you this e-mail, and you would like to start receiving your own copy each month, you must first become a AAAS member. How to Get Off This Mailing List Use the "preferences" link at the bottom of this email. |
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