Message to Members: The R&D Funding Debate
Voice Your Opinion: Funding Impact on Research
AAAS in Action: News to Note
AAAS at Work: Programs at the Forefront
AAAS Announcements: Items of Interest
Read On, Online: Science Sites

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Message to Members:
THE R&D FUNDING DEBATE

Dear AAAS Member,

On 22 April, the 29th Annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy opened with a dynamic exchange of views on R&D funding in the proposed FY 2005 budget.

Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) faulted the U.S. Administration for “abdicating its responsibility” to fund science at a level that cutting-edge research demands. Presidential Science Adviser John H. Marburger III countered, pointing out that R&D funding under the proposed FY 2005 budget represents a 44 percent increase compared with the past four years. AAAS R&D Budget and Policy Program director Kei Koizumi then pointed out that only three federal agencies (NASA, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security) would realize increases above inflation over the next five years. Read the full remarks and an address by AAAS President Shirley Ann Jackson: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0422debateIntro.shtml.

Each spring, the Forum is a highlight of AAAS many initiatives to promote sound science policy and increased R&D funding. With the support of our members, we can continue to focus attention on the critical intersection of government, science and society -- in the US and other countries around the world. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS


Voice Your Opinion
Are projected government funding cuts to R&D programs affecting
your research initiatives?

Submit your vote.

New this month: Add your comments to the Opinion Poll! Comments will be posted with this month’s poll results.


AAAS in Action:
NEWS TO NOTE

AAAS Science and Policy Director Wins Prestigious Award
Al Teich, the director of Science and Policy Programs for AAAS, has been named a winner of the prestigious Award for Scientific Achievement by the Washington Academy of Sciences. The award puts Teich in the company of some of the most influential Washington D.C.-area scientists and science teachers of the modern era.
http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0507teich.shtml

Anonymity Struggles for Survival
“Can Anonymity Survive in Our Post-9/11 Society?” was the topic of a 4 May conference co-sponsored by AAAS and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Read a recap of discussions about anonymity and security, community and health, and living anonymously post-9/11: http://www.foresightandgovernance.org/projects/anonymity/index.htm

Fostering Future S&T Policy Experts
International development, defense and security, computers and communication—the breadth of S&T policy career paths was the topic of “Science and Technology in Context: An Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference” sponsored by AAAS 24-25 April in Washington, D.C. Read about the presentations on policy issues including energy, biotechnology, and medicine: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0421conf.shtml

Public Lecture Looks at Empathetic Computers
On 20 May, find out about prototypes of computers that can respond to users who are experiencing frustration and promote feelings of likability and trust. “Affective Computing: Toward Computers that Recognize and Respond to Human Emotion,” is part of the free public lecture series, Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion, at AAAS. Join us: http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/seminar/04202004affectivecomputing.shtml.

Thanking a Pioneering Scientist
After the recent death of geologist and geophysicist Max Britton at age 92, AAAS received a generous gift from his estate. Dr. Britton is remembered as a pioneer in studying the Arctic’s animal habits, ocean currents, and the behavior of polar ice. His legacy includes environmental input into the design of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. Dr. Britton was a member of AAAS and became a fellow in 1943.


AAAS at Work:
PROGRAMS AT THE FOREFRONT

Acting to Defend Human Rights
Russian researchers sentenced for espionage. Academics arrested in Saudi Arabia. The AAAS Human Rights Action Network alerts members and other subscribers via e-mail to coordinate the efforts of scientists internationally on behalf of colleagues whose rights and freedoms are being violated. Alerts and activities are based on information from numerous human rights organizations around the world. Read more about how this critical effort of the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program helps the international enterprise of science flourish through freedom of thought, expression, and movement: http://shr.aaas.org/aaashran/.


AAAS Announcements:
ITEMS OF INTEREST

Get ScienceNOW Delivered Daily to Your Inbox
Members and subscribers can sign up for a new feature of ScienceNOW: automatic daily alerts of breaking science news and breakthrough scientific research delivered to your e-mail address. Non-members may also sign up for free weekly alerts. Go to: http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/alerts/etoc.

Give the Gift of Science
This spring, give the gift that lasts all year to mark a graduation, a birthday, or for Father’s Day. The benefits of AAAS membership include 51 issues of Science, Science Online, career and grant postings, and more. Plus, when you give, you receive a Barnes & Noble gift card. For details, go to http://promo.aaas.org/sgift1 .

Access Project 2061’s Newsletter Online
Now you can stay up-to-date on Project 2061’s latest efforts, products, accomplishments, and plans for future tools with the online version of the free, semi annual newsletter 2061 Today. Check the current issue, sign up for an online subscription, and view back issues at http://www.project2061.org/publications/2061Connections/2004-05.htm

Join Biochemists and Molecular Biologists in Warsaw
AAAS/Science is a sponsor of the 29th FEBS (Federation of European Biochemical Societies) Congress, 26 June 1 July in Warsaw, Poland. The Congress will present breakthrough ideas on the molecular basis of biological processes in selected areas. The FEBS Forum for Young Scientists is scheduled for 24-26 June, prior to the conference. For information and to register, go to http://www.febs2004.pl/.

Attend EuroScience in Stockholm
AAAS/Science is hosting a reception for members attending the EuroScience Forum 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden. You’re invited to join us on 27 August at the Vasa Museum if you’re traveling to the meeting or live in the Stockholm area. For details, send an e-mail to subs@science-int.co.uk.

Meet Up at Upcoming Events
Stop by the AAAS booth to pick up your member pin.
-American Aging Association, 4-7 June, St. Petersburg, FL. Information:
http://www.americanaging.org/2004.html.
-BIO 2004, 6-9 June, San Francisco, CA. AAAS booth #5018. Information:
http://www.bio.org/events/2004/.
-IUBMB/ASBMB, 12-16 June, Boston, MA. AAAS booth #511. Information:
http://www.asbmb.org/asbmb/site.nsf/web/31869BE0617C295F85256D1F00500BC0?OpenDocument.


Look for a SAGE KE special promotion section in the 28 May issue of Science featuring Frontiers in Biomedicine. You can also visit SAGE KE on the web at http://www.sageke.org/.
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READ ON, ONLINE
AAAS News & Notes appears in Science in the last issue of each month. Or access http://www.aaas.org/ or http://www.scienceonline.org/.