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| Advances - The Monthly Newsletter for AAAS Members - April 2011 | |
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In this issue: Message to Members: AAAS Member Central: Connecting the Scientific Community News to Note: Science Careers: New Careers Booklet: Step by Step,,Featured jobs Announcements:  Sponsored by: Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology Now accepting entries for the US$25,000 prize. Deadline 15 June. For details, go to www.eppendorf.com/prize. AAAS MemberCentral: Connecting the Scientific Community Dear Colleagues, Since AAAS launched MemberCentral, our new members-only website, last November, thousands of AAAS members have visited the site to exchange ideas, learn about their fellow members, and get fresh insights on topics ranging from speciation to STEM education. Every day, we're working directly with AAAS members to add more information. There are two new blogs: STEM.edu, which examines K-12 and undergraduate education, and Capitol Connection, which focuses on science policy issues. There is an archived version of the April 1 webinar that presented a panel of historians and scientists exploring how history has helped human understanding of the natural world. As you may already know, we have recorded and archived symposia videos from our 2011 Annual Meeting and we are constantly producing new video interviews, audio podcasts, downloadable reports, member spotlights, blogs, announcements, and events. On 12 May, MemberCentral will debut "The Cutting Edge," a video series of short lectures by five leading scientists reporting the latest developments in their respective disciplines. These compelling talks will cover extrasolar planets, emerging trends in computing, new thinking in paleoanthropology, advances in chemistry, and breakthroughs in physics and applied physics. Lecture speakers include Alan P. Boss, Vinton G. Cerf, Lene Hau, Richard Potts, and James M. Tour. Details can be found under the MemberCentral heading, below. This fall, MemberCentral will launch a portal connecting the 24 AAAS Sections, offering members a venue to network, share ideas, and participate in activities within and among sections. As AAAS works to advance science and serve society, we also endeavor to advance the communication and collaboration among the members we serve. If you are not currently taking advantage of MemberCentral.aaas.org, we invite you to join your colleagues today. Sincerely,  Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS AAAS Op-Ed Urges Nurturing a Broader Base of Ideas "Increasing the diversity of the scientific human-resource pool will inevitably enhance the diversity of scientific ideas," AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner writes in The Chronicle of Higher Education, urging universities to reward faculty members who engage a broader student population in science. The 6 March commentary also recommends that institutions redefine faculty success to include public engagement and working with students from underrepresented groups, going beyond traditional communities to expand the currently narrow pipeline of potential U.S. innovators. Read more and access the full commentary.  UN Conference Puts Global Focus on Women in Science Science and technology, along with education and job training, were the main themes of the recent 55 th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. One of the six U.S. public delegates, Shirley Malcom, head of AAAS Education and Human Resources, engaged in the top-level discussions focusing on opportunities created by science, which she said included "the extent to which S&T could offer decent work, personal empowerment, and affect the roles women play in their families and communities." Read more about the 11-day session, held in New York City, and access the draft of the Agreed Conclusions.  New Website Observes Human Rights Abuses in Nigeria The Amnesty International USA site, created with technical assistance from the AAAS Geospatial Technologies and Human Rights Project, combines on-the-ground reporting with analysis of satellite images from 2000 to 2010, in response to growing concern about human rights violations in specific regions. "Eyes on Nigeria" identifies locations of forced evictions, communal conflict, and gas flares in the Niger Delta. The flares, which occur when natural gas associated with petroleum production is burnt off as waste, are blamed for higher temperatures, reduced crop yields, and environmental damage. Despite a moratorium imposed in 2008, AAAS identified 41 active flares in 2010. Read more and access a video about the analysis, slides of images, and the AAAS report. Capitol Hill Briefing: Warmer Climate Could Wither U.S. Crop Yields A leading agricultural economist told a Capitol Hill briefing co-sponsored by AAAS that the current global trend of rising average temperatures could cause dramatic reductions in crop yields within a decade—and major crops such as corn and soybeans could be diminished by 20 percent from 2020 to 2049. Data and models also show that, should emissions of heat trapping carbon dioxide remain on a "business as usual" path, the yield reductions could be as much as 80 percent for the period from 2070 to 2099. Another agricultural expert told the briefing how drought management and planning for drought mitigation at all levels of government could soften the economic blow in the United States, which also influences world food prices. Read more about the recommendations. Innovative Strategies Urged for Undergrad Science Education Speakers at the 2011 Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science (TUES) conference, sponsored by AAAS and the National Science Foundation (NSF), said that poor K-12 science scores and a faltering economy are sharpening the urgency to improve STEM education as a driver of future growth. During 2010, the ten-year old TUES program supported 274 new initiatives on campuses across the United States, encouraging a wide array of innovative multidisciplinary projects. Now, the challenge is to measure the impact and disseminate the techniques to K-12 teachers. Read more about the three-day conference, which attracted more than 500 college and university faculty administrators and NSF staff from the TUES program. Graduate Student Teachers Go Beyond Lectures and Homework Another successful National Science Foundation initiative to transform K-12 STEM education focuses on training grad students to teach through innovative hands-on, practical, and relevant activities—such as simulating an oil spill similar to the one on the Gulf of Mexico—to communicate principles of research. A conference organized by AAAS and held in mid-March addressed the Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program, created by NSF in 1999. To date, 181 universities, more than 6,000 primarily low income public schools, more than 10,000 graduate fellows, nearly 12,000 teachers, and more than half-a-million students have participated. Read more about the conference and the future of the program.  Leading Theoretical Physicist Addresses "New Era in Physics" Long associated with the science of string theory, branes, and unseen dimensions, influential physicist Lisa Randall is now consulting with colleagues on nuts-and-bolts experiments with the Large Hadron Collider (LCH) as it smashes protons in a huge tunnel far beneath the French-Swiss border. Speaking during the AAAS Annual Meeting, Randall gave a virtual tour of the collider, citing some of its main experiments and the questions scientists are exploring—such as why gravity has such different strength from the other fundamental forces. Read more about the work of the Harvard University professor and renowned author. AAAS Joins the FBI in Novel Biosecurity Effort In 2009, the first synthetic biology conference sponsored by the FBI and organized in collaboration with AAAS served as the springboard for an outreach effort aimed at professional researchers and community (DIY) biology groups. The goal to build the effort to support research while raising awareness of security issues has remained constant during a subsequent series of conferences and meetings. The latest meeting, held in early April, addressed regulation, compliance, and biosecurity challenges facing research institutions, continuing to build relationships between the research and security communities while breaking down the mistrust that grew out of 9/11. Community biology groups also are working to develop norms of practice, safety, and ethical standards, engaging with the FBI, AAAS, and others for guidance. Read more. Conference Offers Career Advice to Undergrad and Grad Students Persevere and plan ahead was the mantra of career scientists and academics who spoke at the 2011 Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM, hosted by AAAS and the National Science Foundation. Focusing on the training of scientists from historically under-represented groups—one of the aims of the America COMPETES Act—speakers shared their experiences overcoming challenges, discrimination, and stumbles along the way to successful careers, encouraging students to consider all options as they earn advanced degrees. Nearly 600 undergraduate and graduate students participated in poster and oral research presentations and workshops on developing a career path. Read more. AAAS Film Festival Finalists Teach "Science in a Minute" Animated arm wrestling between the earth and the moon was used to illustrate gravitational pull in the first AAAS-sponsored "Science in a Minute" video contest. Twenty participants in the NSF's Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education Program submitted entries created to engage middle and high school students with clever and often humorous explanations of scientific principles. The four finalists' videos were screened and voted on during the AAAS Public Science Days Film Festival, which preceded the 2011 Annual Meeting. Read more about the finalists and view the winning video. Now Available on Demand: "Through History's Lens" Webinar On 1 April, during our first Webinar of 2011, a panel of historians and scientists explored how history contributes to a better understanding of science, showing historical scientific artifacts from Harvard University's Putnam Gallery and NIH's Stetten Museum. Access the Webinar. Debuting 12 May: "The Cutting Edge" Video Series A lecture series of five ten-to-fifteen minute talks features leading scientists covering developments in their specific disciplines: - Alan P. Boss, Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, will discuss trends in research on extra solar planets; - Vinton G. Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google, will talk about emerging trends in computing; - Richard Potts, Director, Human Origins Program, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, will examine new thinking in paleoanthropology; - James M. Tour, T.T. and W. F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Computer Science, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Rice University, will assess developments in chemistry; - Lene Hau, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and of Applied Physics, Harvard University, will cover breakthroughs in physics. Details to follow. 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. ScienceCareers Featured Jobs:Keystone Symposia
Silverthorne, CO
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Madison, WI
Victor Change Cardiac Research Institute
Australia
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Sponsored by: Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology Now accepting entries for the US$25,000 prize. Deadline 15 June. For details, go to www.eppendorf.com/prize. |
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