In this issue:

Message to Members: The Global Human Right to the Benefits of Science

News to Note: Retaining Engineering Majors, Solving Challenges through Social Media, Debunking Science-Related Myths, Impact of Gene Screens, Science Articles Win Prize, Rebuilding Haiti, Shortage of Helium-3, Geoengineering Climate, Graduate Student Conference, Chinese Educators Visit AAAS, Virtual Lab Wins Science Prize

Science Careers: Upcoming Events

Announcements: AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition Meeting, Report on Security Risks of Biomedical Research, New Resources on Skin Cancer, New Handbook on Diversity in Higher Education, High School Science Teacher Award Nomination Deadline, Eppendorf & Science Prize Application Deadline, Fulbright S&T Scholars Event, SACNAS Summer Leadership Institute Meeting, 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, AAAS Mentor Awards Nomination Deadline, GE & Science Prize Application Deadline, AAAS Regional Division Meetings, Atlas of Science Literacy Workshops, AAAS President's Circle

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Message to Members

The Global Human Right to the Benefits of Science

Dear Colleagues,

While we work together to advance science, we also must strive to assure that the human right to benefits and applications of scientific progress is shared globally.

This right was first recognized in 1948, when the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and since 2007 an international process has been under way to clarify its meaning and implementation. On 16 April of this year, the AAAS Board of Directors adopted a statement saying that "AAAS will pursue opportunities to collaborate with the global scientific community so that the voice, interests, and concerns of scientists can be brought to this process." This and other efforts to engage scientists in human rights work via relevant policies and programs are coordinated through the AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition, with 45 current member or affiliated scientific organizations and 50 individual scientist members.

The coalition, now in its second year, is one initiative of the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program. Established in 1989, the program engages scientists in, applies technologies to, and promotes standards for human rights efforts worldwide. The program includes geospatial technology applications to corroborate on-the-ground reports of conflicts and social justice abuses; "On-call Scientists" who volunteer to human rights organizations in need of scientific expertise; and analysis of government budgets and expenditures through a human rights lens. To learn more, go to http://shr.aaas.org. 

You may access the full text of the AAAS Board of Directors' statement here. We urge our members to participate in this global discussion concerning the vital human right that, in the words of our board, "lies at the heart of the AAAS mission and the social responsibility of scientists." Together, we can help assure access to the basic science and technology required to live life with dignity throughout the world.

Sincerely,


Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS


P.S. Next month, we'll report on the AAAS Forum on Science & Technology Policy, held 13-14 May in Washington, D.C.

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News to Note

AAAS Workshop Addresses Retaining US Undergraduate Engineering Majors
Deans of engineering colleges explored ways to improve the dearth of women and minorities in engineering, citing better mentoring and increased research opportunities as retention strategies. A new study of undergraduate students shows that women and minorities feel less comfortable in engineering classrooms than their white male peers. Many feel that they are not being taken seriously, and previous studies show that their attrition rates are higher. Read more about the new study by the Project to Assess Climate in Engineering (PACE), which was discussed during the workshop and will be published in June.

AAAS Assists White House in Solving Challenges through Social Media
The White House, via AAAS's Expert Labs, issued an unprecedented call to scientists and engineers to offer input on science and technology that will help drive innovation, create jobs, improve education, and inspire future innovation. The new Expert Labs initiative to enhance the policy making process leveraged Twitter, Facebook, and a new open-source technology called ThinkTank to reach all AAAS members, as well as members of the broader public. Read more about the search for ideas to help shape the federal government's science priorities.

Science Update Radio Feature Debunks Science-Related Myths
"Reality Check," a recently launched feature by AAAS's award-winning radio program Science Update, takes a critical look at paranormal claims, weird phenomena, and science folklore such as doomsday planetary collisions and the danger of open-heart surgery during full moons. The goal of the 60-second feature is to explore the many myths involving science, engaging listeners with science concepts and encouraging critical thinking. Launched in 1988, Science Update is broadcast on the national news show America in the Morning, which airs on more than 200 stations. Read more, submit a science myth, and find local radio stations.

AAAS Colloquium Examines Impact of Gene Screens on Personalized Medicine
The third personalized medicine colloquium co-sponsored by AAAS in 2009-2010 brought together scientists, lawyers, physicians, and policy makers who offered a unique perspective on how the field is practiced today—and the impact of low-cost gene sequencing, which will be available within the next two years. Although doctors are already using genetic data and other technologies to tailor patient treatment, participants noted that little information has come out of large volumes of data. Concerns include the ability of patients to control their personal medical records, the challenge to physicians in managing the flood of data, and liability risks. Read more and access video of selected speakers.

Three Science Articles Selected for The Best American Science Writing 2010
Jennifer Couzin-Frankel and Erik Stokstad, Science staff writers, and psychologist Daniel Wegner have been cited for "best-written, best-investigated, best reported" articles by The Best American Science Writing 2010. Couzin-Frankel's "Friendship as a Health Factor," Stokstad's "The Famine Fighter's Last Battle," and Wegner's "How to Think, Say, or Do Precisely the Worst Thing for Any Occasion" will be included in an anthology of 22 articles to be released in September. Read more about the authors and the articles.

AAAS S&T Policy Fellows Help Rebuild Haiti
Current and former AAAS S&T Policy Fellows began traveling to Haiti in the early weeks of the earthquake recovery effort and are now working on reconstruction initiatives. One fellow moved from bringing clean water to Port au Prince to focusing on longer-term investment in the country's sanitation systems. Another lent expertise to agricultural challenges, including soil erosion. A seismologist organized workshops with federal agencies, the United Nations, and universities to develop recommendations for reconstruction. An environmental engineer joined an assessment team to coordinate efforts with relief groups bringing clean water, garbage collection, and transitional shelters to survivors. Read more and access information on the AAAS fellowship program.

AAAS Workshop Explores Critical Shortage of Helium-3
For decades, the nontoxic, noncorrosive isotope has been in adequate supply. But now, the supply is dwindling as demand increases for uses including nonradioactive medical lung imaging and detection of neutrons emanating from smuggled nuclear devices. At a workshop organized by AAAS, participants from academia, industry, government, and national laboratories discussed a range of possible solutions to meet the growing need. Users have been asked to limit use of Helium-3, produced by the decay of tritium and exceedingly rare, and some users are working to recycle the gas. Scientists are striving to accelerate the development and deployment of alternate technologies, especially for border portal detectors, the largest users. Read more.

AAAS Forum Discusses Geoengineering Ideas for Cooling the Planet
Many scientists and policy specialists are looking at geoengineering -- the deliberate manipulation of the environment -- to reverse the effects of climate change since, so far, the world's nations are unable to take dramatic steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions. At the forum, climate experts stressed that mitigation strategies to reduce the release of carbon dioxide and adaptation strategies including moving key business centers away from vulnerable coastal areas, must precede controversial geoengineering efforts such as creating an artificial sun shade in the stratosphere or sucking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by producing huge blooms of algae in the world's oceans. Read more.

Graduate Student Conference Cites Centrality of Science to Global Challenges
During the recent 10th Annual Science & Technology in Society Conference, more than 125 graduate students convened with top officials from government and business to discuss science-based solutions to global challenges while also calling for a new generation of S&T policy leaders. The three-day conference co-sponsored by AAAS, the National Academies, and the ST Global Consortium of graduate students included poster sessions, group presentations, career panels, and plenary addresses. The discussions addressed climate, public health, ultrahigh-speed broadband communication, and how healthy ecosystems can support local and national economies. Read more.

Chinese Educators Visit AAAS's Project 2061
As China revises its education standards for elementary, middle, and high school students, a delegation of Chinese educators and university officials met with Project 2061 staff to learn about the long-term effort to improve science literacy in the United States. The visitors cited two of the project's landmark publications, Science for All Americans and Benchmarks for Science Literacy, as offering very helpful standards. Both have been translated into Chinese, as has the Atlas of Science Literacy. The delegation was invited by the US Department of Education, and the two-week US visit was administered by the nonpartisan National Committee on United States-China Relations. Read more.

Virtual Lab at Carnegie Mellon Wins Science SPORE Prize
Aiming to replace such rudimentary learning as balancing chemical equations in introductory chemistry classes, Carnegie Mellon University developed the ChemCollective to allow students to design and carry out experiments like real chemists. The virtual labs and online activities, demonstrating innovation and effectiveness as teaching tools, were selected to receive the Science Prize for Online Resources in Education (SPORE). The prize recognizes the best software and website  resources freely available to science educators. An article about the winning project is published in Science (see the 30 April edition's article about ChemCollective). Read more.
 

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Science Careers

Science Careers, published by AAAS, offers many resources to help you 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, you'll find helpful tools on the site - all for free. Thousands of searchable jobs from academia, industry, and government are available as well as Job Alert e-mails, Career Advice, a Resume/CV Database, webinars, and more. Visit ScienceCareers.org today.

Check out the latest resources from Science Careers:

Upcoming Events

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Announcements

AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition Meeting: 26-27 July 
The meeting, to be held at AAAS Headquarters, will open on the evening of Monday, 26 July, with a panel discussion on the topic "Enjoying the Benefits of Scientific Progress: Access, Innovation and Impediments." The meeting will continue the following day with presentations, workshops, and working meetings on human rights issues central to the mission of the coalition. Sessions will include: "Climate Change and Human Rights," "Human Rights and Professional Ethics: Developments and Dilemmas," and "The Next Generation: Incorporating Human Rights into Science Curricula." Preceding this meeting, on the morning of 26 July the Coalition Council will meet to review the progress of the Coalition in the past year and consider future opportunities. Read more and register.
 

New AAAS Report Addresses Security Risks of Biomedical Research
"Competing Responsibilities?: Addressing the Security Risks of Biological Research in Academia" has been released by AAAS, the Association of American Universities, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities amidst increased attention and diversity of views within the US executive branch and Congress on laboratory biosecurity and personnel reliability. The report is from a meeting with university leaders, scientific leaders, policy makers, and members of the security community. The goal was to explore the perceptions of risk held by different communities, review current policy discussions to minimize those risks, address potential barriers and challenges academic institutions face in dealing with national security requirements, and suggest actions to improve the collaborative environment to promote research and education in the biological sciences while minimizing potential national security risks. The report may be downloaded here.

ScienceNetlinks Launches Educational Resources on Skin Cancer
May is Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month and AAAS and ScienceNetLinks have posted a new interactive lesson about skin cancer, as well as a tool to help teachers integrate the materials into the classroom. The interactive, "SCI: Skin Cancer Investigation" gives students the opportunity to learn more about skin cancer diagnosis and prevention. Access the materials.
Lesson: Skin Cancer: Exposing Healthy Skin to the Sun, Grades 9-12
Tool: SCI: Skin Cancer Investigation, Grades 6-8, 9-12 
Interactive: SCI: Skin Cancer Investigation, Grades 6-8, 9-12
For a complete collection of resources related to the science of skin, visit Science NetLinks' Skin Deep Project, funded by Neutrogena.

AAAS Releases Handbook on Diversity in Higher Education
A first-of-its-kind handbook on diversity is now available from AAAS and the Association of American Universities. Navigating a Complex Landscape to Foster Greater Faculty and Student Diversity in Higher Education offers in-depth legal resources to help promote effective, legally sustainable ways to expand faculty and student diversity on campuses, particularly within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Downloadable free of charge, the handbook can be found at www.aaascapacity.org

Nominate an Innovative High School Science Teacher: Deadline 21 May
Calling all US high school science department chairs and administrators: you are invited to nominate teachers for the 2010 AAAS Leadership in Science Education Prize for High School Teachers. The $1,000 prize honors a high school science teacher who has advanced science education by developing and implementing an effective strategy, activity, or program. For more information, contact lmatlock@aaas.org.
Access prize details, nomination forms, and application forms.

Apply for the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology: Deadline 15 June
The annual international research prize awards US$25,000 to a young scientist 35 years of age or younger for outstanding contributions in neurobiology research based on methods of molecular and cell biology. For information and entry forms, go to
www.eppendorf.com/prize2010

Fulbright S&T Scholars Event: 15 June, Washington, D.C.
AAAS and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State are organizing a capstone event at AAAS for International Fulbright Science and Technology Award recipients who have come from all regions of the world to engage in a wide-range of scientific inquiry. The doctoral students will receive a briefing by Assistant Director, Federal Research and Development at the Office of Science and Technology Policy Kei Koizumi, and will hear Chief Scientist and Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA) Roger Beachy deliver the Charles Valentic Riley Memorial Lecture. Learn more.

SACNAS 2nd Summer Leadership Institute Meeting: 19-23 July, Washington, D.C.
The Institute is part of an ambitious, year-round initiative funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and aimed at strengthening strategic leadership skills of SACNAS postdocs and science professionals who will serve their communities at the national and local levels. Learn more about the meeting at AAAS.

Attend the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity: 21-24 July, Singapore
Should research integrity be grounded in shared global principles? Join colleagues from around the world in Singapore, 21-24 July, to explore answers to this question and become part of a global approach to the responsible conduct of research. The conference is co-sponsored by AAAS. Access information and register online.
 

Nominations for AAAS Mentor Awards: Deadline 31 July
The two categories of the awards -- the Lifetime Mentor Award and the Mentor Award -- honor individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the science and engineering Ph.D. work force. These underrepresented groups include women of all racial or ethnic groups; African American, Native American, and Hispanic men; and people with disabilities. For specific questions, contact Brittany Taggart at btaggart@aaas.org or 202-326-6671. For more information and to download the nomination form, visit our website.

Apply for the GE & Science Prize: Deadline 1 August
The GE & Science Prize for Young Life Scientists recognizes and rewards outstanding Ph.D. graduate students from around the world for their work within the field of molecular biology. Access information and entry forms to apply for the $25,000 prize.

Attend a AAAS Regional Division Meeting
Four regional divisions of AAAS carry out the objectives of the association in their respective territories, focusing on science-related matters of local concern. Two divisions report upcoming meetings.

Sign Up for 2010 Atlas of Science Literacy Workshops
Designed for science teachers, curriculum specialists, and other educators and researchers, these workshops demonstrate how participants can use the conceptual strand maps in Atlas 1 and Atlas 2, along with other Project 2061 resources, to take a benchmarks-based learning approach to science, mathematics, and technology. Read more and register to attend one of the workshops listed below.

Join the AAAS President's Circle
AAAS's undertaking to advance science in the service of society is an enormous one, especially now as we are increasingly called upon by the administration and Congress, the science community, and the public to speak up for science on a host of global issues. You can help to ensure that the voice of science -- your voice -- is heard by becoming a part of 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. You will also be invited to participate in a Live 2010 Webinar to be hosted later this year. Visit us online at www.tinyurl.com/dye8kn or call +1 (202) 326-6636 for more information.

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