AAAS Advances

Today's focus on genetic research will enhance our future health and well-being only if we seize the opportunity to bring this research from bench to bedside.

AAAS is working toward that end. In an address to our 2003 Annual Meeting, President Floyd Bloom stressed the need to apply advances in biomedical research to better health care, using a translational system to connect research with clinical trials and best practice standards (http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2003/0613bloom.shtml). In keeping with our mission to advance science worldwide, AAAS was a major sponsor of the International Congress of Genetics in Melbourne 6-11 July, which attracted attendees from 60 countries and addressed global health care issues. Science examined the subject of genetics and evolution in depth, in the 13 June Special Issue: Tree of Life (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol300/issue5626/).

Once again, we thank you for supporting scientific advances that serve society's most urgent concerns.

We thank those of you who offered your opinions about AAAS Advances in our Member Survey last month. And we invite members who would still like to respond to add your voice now. The first 50 people to respond this month will receive a gift from AAAS.

Fear of "Foreigners" and Scientific Progress
AAAS is working to help resolve the current student visa crisis, which emerged from understandable concerns for national security after 9/11. Visa holders comprise more than one-third of U.S. graduate enrollment in science and engineering fields and are key to future scientific progress around the world. AAAS CEO Alan Leshner stated the association's position in a 30 May Financial Times editorial saying "legitimate applications from students seeking to improve the welfare of their native countries -- by becoming physicians, scientists, and teachers -- must not become snarled in red tape." Read more: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2003/0606xenoIntro.shtml.

International Dialogue and Collaboration
The tenth anniversary of Science International was a celebration of the AAAS goal to reach beyond national borders to support scientific advances that benefit people everywhere. Read comments from key speakers who promoted the benefits of internationalizing science during the 13 June celebration in Cambridge, UK: http://www.aaas.org/news/newsandnotes/inside97.shtml.

Lab Rats Become News Hounds
For the past 28 years, AAAS Mass Media Fellows have trained as science writers during 10-week summer internships at major news outlets across the country. Read how this highly competitive program for university science students and postdoctoral researchers strives to bring high-quality science news to the public: http://www.aaas.org/news/newsandnotes/inside97.shtml.

Science R&D Funding Update
AAAS is providing full analyses of the federal budget for R&D programs as Congress begins drafting the FY 2004 appropriations bills. The new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would become one of the major funding sources, earmarked for R&D in anti-terrorism technologies. Full DHS analysis: http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/dhs04h.pdf. Biodefense research is a high priority in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget. Full NIH analysis: http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/nih04s.pdf. Check for continuing updates under "What's New": http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/new.htm.

What's New in Signal Transduction
AAAS/Science's STKE (Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment) exhibited at the FEBS (Federation of European Biochemical Societies) meeting in Brussels 3-8 July. This international congress brought together scientists whose work ranges from basic molecular mechanisms to the pathophysiology of disease. For more information in this area, and the latest in signaling information, check out Science's STKE. In August, the site will feature a new teaching resources section and a glossary: http://www.stke.org.

Success in Drug Discovery
Join AAAS at the Drug Discovery Technology^TM World Congress in Boston, MA, 10-15 August. Stop by our booth in the Exhibit Hall to pick up your AAAS member pin and ask any questions you may have about your membership. Check out the Science Career Fair on Monday, 11 August, held in conjunction with the meeting. For more meeting information: http://www.drugdisc.com/section.asp.

Members Only, Online
Are you taking advantage of full-text access to Science Online, Science Express, and the archives of Science magazine dating back to 1880? If you haven't activated your online subscription, visit http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/activate/basic to create a username and password. Forgot your password? Go to http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/recnamepwd.

AAAS Awards
Each year, AAAS recognizes scientists, engineers, journalists and public servants for contributing to the public understanding of science and to scientific progress. Awards include the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize, which honors either a public servant or a scientist or engineer for their "exceptional contributions;" the Award for International Scientific Cooperation; and the AAAS Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology. Application deadlines are fast approaching. To nominate a colleague: http://www.aaas.org/about/awards/

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