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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
 


 
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Message to Members

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



News to Note


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.


Advancing Science, Serving Society

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.


Science Careers


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.



Announcements


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.

Follow us on Twitter: #AAAS10

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...
"The theme of the 2010 meeting, Bridging Science and Society, is an extremely important one. We are dealing with world problems, such as climate change, that the public at large wants and needs to understand. It is up to us as scientists to present our findings in ways that are accessible to all."
Dr. Rosaly M. Lopes
Senior Research Scientist and Cassini RADAR Investigation, Scientist, Lead Scientist/Group Supervisor, Geophysics and Planetary Geosciences
Earth and Space Sciences Division, Jet Propulsion Laboratory


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.



About AAAS


AAAS News & Notes appears in Science in the last issue of each month.
You can also read more about AAAS at www.aaas.org.
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Meet Up at Upcoming Events

AAAS/Science will have a booth at the following events. Stop by to take advantage of our special show renewal rate and pick up your member pin.

American Chemical Society Fall,
16-20 August, Washington, D.C. USA

Human Proteome Organization Annual World Congress,
26-30 September, Toronto, Canada

American Society of Human Genetics,
20-24 October, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Society for Neuroscience,
24-28 October, Chicago, Illinois, USA


Additional Meetings and Announcements

Next Generation Antibodies for Cancer Drugs,
2 September, Geneva, Switzerland
In the life science industry, companies across the world are looking at targets to find innovative treatment regimes in the field of oncology. Antibodies hold the most promise to treat cancer due to its capabilities to activate the immune system. Our distinguished speaker panel will present the best strategies to successfully commercialize your scientific discoveries in a competitive business environment.

The NIH Director's Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series, 16 September 2009-30 June 2010, USA


OIST Winter Course - "Evolution of Complex Systems," 07-12 December (Registration through 20 September), Okinawa, Japan

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