A Monthly Newsletter for AAAS Members • March 2003

Message to Members: Engaging the Public
Voice Your Opinion: Science and Security
AAAS in Action: News in Review
AAAS Announcements: Items of Interest
Read On, Online: Science Sites

Message to Members
ENGAGING THE PUBLIC

Dear AAAS member,

     Every major issue affecting global society has significant science and technology components: economic productivity, health status, global warming, sustainable development, the threat of terrorism. This bestows an obligation on the science and engineering communities to develop closer links with the general population. We need to engage the public in a more open dialogue where we genuinely exchange perspectives and concerns, as well as critical scientific information central to modern life. To help foster the new relationship between science and society, AAAS is planning a new Center for Public Engagement with Science and Technology which will expand educational programs and create a forum for dialogue. We'll keep you posted on our progress.

     Thank you for being part of our mission to advance science and serve society.

Sincerely,
Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS

Read the item on Science Journals and Security in this issue of AAAS Advances and cast your vote. Do you think that scientific journals should withhold or require authors to modify manuscripts submitted for publication if the journals determine that the potential harm of the content to national security outweighs the potential benefits?

Submit your vote.

AAAS R&D Funding Analysis Update
AAAS has recently published a comprehensive analysis for the final 2003 budget and the President's request for 2004. The final figures for '03 from the appropriations bill show record increases for federal spending on R&D, particularly in the areas of defense, health, homeland security, and general science. The AAAS analysis of R&D for FY 2004, revised to reflect actual '03 appropriations as the baseline, shows a proposed $1.0 billion portfolio for the Department of Homeland Security, but only slowed growth in funding in health and general science. Read more: http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd.

Science Journals and Security
A joint statement from 32 of the world's leading journal editors and scientist-authors, released at the AAAS Annual Meeting in February, calls for self-governance, vigilance, and personal responsibility whenever potentially "dangerous" research is presented for publication. Some journals are establishing expert panels to review papers to edit out potentially risky research while also ensuring the integrity of the scientific process. Read more: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2003/0216bioIntro.shtml.

AAAS and U.S. Health Care
Dr. Floyd E. Bloom, AAAS president and neuroscientist-physician, has called for a U.S. National Commission to Restore the American Health System. During an address at the Annual Meeting, Dr. Bloom emphasized the need to revamp the healthcare system to better prepare for and reflect the great opportunities now being generated by post genomic, biological, behavioral, and social science research. Read more: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2003/0213bloomIntro.shtml.

AAAS Honors Science Journalists
The 2002 AAAS Science Journalism Awards honored reporters and writers for outstanding work, praising comprehensiveness, accuracy, and clarity. The awards cited large and small newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and online media. Read about the recipients: http://www.aaas.org/about/awards/SJA_Winners.shtml.

AAAS Urges Strict Adherence to "Fair Balance" Rules
The AAAS Board of Directors and Council recently called for a "fair balance" of viewpoints when assembling federal advisory committees to address key scientific, technical, and medical matters. The Federal Advisory Act of 1972 requires this balance, yet anecdotal reports show restructuring of committees without clear explanations. Read the AAAS resolution: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2003/0305fair.shtml.

Debate S&T Issues
The AAAS Colloquium on Science and Technology Policy, held each spring in Washington, will convene 10-11 April. Since 1976, the Colloquium has grown into the major public meeting in the U.S. on S&T issues, drawing nearly 500 of the nation's top experts. This year, come discuss R&D in FY 2003 and FY 2004, challenges for universities, the global environment, homeland security, bioethics, and intellectual property issues. AAAS members receive a 10 percent discount. Registration and program details: http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/colloqu.htm.

Celebrate DNA's 50th Birthday
Science, published by AAAS, is a sponsor of the 50th anniversary celebration, on 25 April in Cambridge, U.K., of the discovery of the structure of DNA. Activities include a conference for 500 scientists and the unveiling of a plaque at the Eagle Pub where Crick and Watson, fathers of the Double Helix, announced their find. Information on the event: http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/dna2003/conference.html. Read more about this important discovery, link to an online "timeline," plus read about the AAAS-sponsored events in Washington, D.C. and Cambridge, U.K.: http://www.aaas.org/news/genome/.

Consulting on Research Program Development
The AAAS Research Competitiveness Service offers a network of paid consultants to assist universities, government agencies, research consortia, and other institutions in building their progress of research, development, and innovation. Teams of scientists, engineers, science administrators, and/or policy analysts are selected for each project, under the guidance of AAAS. Join the database of consultants: http://www.aaas.org/spp/rcp/rcpta.htm.

Advance Your Science Career
Chemistry Careers is the focus of the 14 March issue of Science. Read how recent advances in life sciences and proteomics have expanded the R&D options of analytical, organic, and medicinal chemists -- and learn the perspectives on "ideal" candidates from several major employers at: http://recruit.sciencemag.org/feature/advice/advice.shl.

ScienceCareers.org, the recruitment site of Science, offers job listings, career advice, and more, free of charge: http://www.sciencecareers.org. Link to Next Wave for additional career resources and advice: http://www.nextwave.org.

Recruiting? If you are interested in advertising career opportunities in Science or sciencecareers.org, visit: http://recruit.sciencemag.org/feature/calendar/03salesreps.shl.

Meet with Pharmacists in Nagasaki
The 123rd meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan is scheduled for 27-29 March in Nagasaki. AAAS and Science are among the sponsors of the event which includes special lectures, symposia, poster sessions, and exhibitions. Conference information (Japanese language): http://www.ph.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/nenkai/doc/yokoku/yokoku.html.

About the organization (English language): http://www.pharm.or.jp/index_e.html.

AAAS News & Notes appears in Science in the last issue of each month. Or, access http://www.aaas.org/ or http://www.scienceonline.org/.