In this issue:

Message to Members: AAAS’s Growing Role in S&T Policy and Funding

News to Note: Science Questions for Presidential Candidates, Scientists Promote R&D Funding, Congressional Testimony on Federal R&D, US Satellite Shoot-Down

Advancing Science, Serving Society: "Learning: The Science Inside,"
ENTRY POINT! / CVS Pharmaceutical Internships
Science Careers:Science /UCSF Biotech Career Fair

Announcements: AAAS Forum on S&T Policy, 2009 Annual Meeting Symposium Proposals, New Webinar, Applications for Two Science Prizes

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Message to Members

AAAS’s Growing Role in S&T Policy and Funding

Dear AAAS Member,

Science and technology play an integral role in meeting the challenges and opportunities of today.

To focus public attention on science-related issues, we are urging the US presidential candidates to give more prominence to the links between science and technology and national security, health care, climate change, education, and other concerns. In a recent commentary in The Philadelphia Inquirer, AAAS poses key questions to the presidential campaigns.

To promote federal funding of research and development, we work with a variety of coalitions of professional societies, educational institutions, and businesses to encourage ongoing contact between scientists and congressional decision makers. In preparation for the annual Congressional Visits Day in March, scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, and technology executives were briefed at AAAS on the proposed FY 2009 budget.

To address the need for a broad, balanced portfolio of R&D investment, including basic and applied research, AAAS provided testimony to the US Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Innovation in March. These policy and funding initiatives are fully explained in the News articles below.

The AAAS R&D Budget Program headed by Kei Koizumi continues to analyze and track US federal budget proposals. A new analysis shows that the administration is actually shifting federal investment from some critical programs that are central to innovation and US competitiveness, like health and space research (access the full report in News, below).

Our leadership in promoting sound science policy and increased R&D investment is a major component of the AAAS mission. We thank you for supporting this effort.

Sincerely,


Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS

P.S. On 8-9 May, in Washington, D.C., the AAAS Budget and Policy Program will host the AAAS Forum on Science & Technology Policy.
I hope to see you there.

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News to Note

AAAS Commentary Urges US Presidential Candidates to Address Science Issues
"Even though science-related issues are critical to so many aspects of modern American life, they are grabbing virtually none of the national limelight." This statement from AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner appeared 17 March in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Leshner framed core science-related questions to be answered by the presidential hopefuls, saying voters deserve science-minded leaders who can solve critical issues. Read the full commentary and access the AAAS election website.

AAAS Briefing Presents New Federal Budget Analysis
On 13 March, Kei Koizumi, director of the AAAS R&D Budget Program, joined Alan I. Leshner at a Capitol Hill briefing held in conjunction with the US House R&D Caucus. The briefing included highlights of the latest AAAS analysis of the proposed 2009 federal budget and warned that if the trend of falling federal research spending continues, the US could lose its innovative edge in the future. Access the full AAAS federal budget analysis.

AAAS Congressional Testimony Cites Mixed Outlook for Federal R&D
AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner told the US Congress that overall investment in basic and applied research would decline in constant dollar terms for the fifth year in a row under the proposed FY 2009 federal budget. While applauding the administration’s effort to boost funding for the physical sciences, Leshner stressed the importance of a broad, balanced R&D portfolio across all scientific fields as a way to nurture economic growth. Read the full testimony submitted to the US Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Innovation during the 11 March hearing.

AAAS Briefing Prepares Scientists to Promote R&D Funding
The day before the annual Congressional Visits Day on 5 March, science and research professionals learned about the budget trade-offs facing the US Congress and heard advice from Capitol Hill staffers on how to talk to politicians. The briefing at AAAS provided unified content for discussions on the contribution of R&D to competitiveness, innovation, and economic growth. The CVD is a two-day event coordinated by coalitions of companies, professional societies, and educational institutions with the objective of underscoring "the long-term importance of science, engineering, and technology to the Nation through meetings with congressional decision makers." Now in its 13 th year, the CVD attracted more than 250 representatives from 42 science, engineering, and technology organizations. Read more.

AAAS Participates in Seminars for Nigerian Health Journalists
Taboo topics, shared laptops, treacherous roads--Nigerian health journalists face obstacles with fearless determination, according to AAAS’s Science Update host Bob Hirshon. Last winter, Hirshon was a featured speaker at health reporting workshops in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria, that attracted nearly 200 journalists from around the country. The seminars covered communicating science journal articles to the nonscientist, keeping up with scientific literature, and convincing editors to allot space for health and science stories. Read more about the passion for journalism shared by workshop attendees.


Defense Policy Specialists Question US Satellite Shoot-Down at AAAS News Briefing
Two defense policy specialists questioned the motives and value of the US Navy’s February shoot-down of a crippled spy satellite, saying the Bush administration has not provided the risk calculations needed to verify the necessity. Some critics suspect the shoot-down was primarily to test an anti-satellite weapon--a charge Pentagon officials deny--rather than to prevent the possibility that the craft might crash into a populated area. Read more about the 18 March briefing at AAAS and concerns that the shoot-down may have a long-term impact on diplomatic efforts to control anti-satellite weapons.

AAAS Receives New Grant for Satellite-Based Human Rights Work
A grant from the Oak Foundation, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is allowing the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program to expand its use of satellite imagery and other geospatial technologies. In partnership with Amnesty International, the program will undertake several new pilot projects such as monitoring the status of detention facilities and refugee camps in countries to be determined. Since 2005, the AAAS geospatial technology project has documented the demolition of settlements outside Harare, Zimbabwe, provided evidence of atrocities committed in the villages of the Darfur region of Sudan, and tracked destruction and forced relocation at 25 sites across Burma ( Myanmar ). Read more.

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Advancing Science, Serving Society

AAAS Publishes "Learning: The Science Inside"
A new research-based resource describes the biological bases and social contexts of learning, how learning changes across one’s lifespan, and strategies to boost learning. The 98-page book explores research behind informal learning environments such as the home, museums, churches, and the Internet that interact to support classroom learning. The Science Inside series covers science and health topics of popular interest, including obesity, asthma, and allergies. Read more and find out how to order copies of "Learning: The Science Inside."

AAAS ENTRY POINT! Announces New Internship Partnership with CVS
Competitive 10-week internships will place science and engineering students with disabilities in CVS Caremark pharmaceutical facilities around the United States this summer. Representatives from CVS met with eight promising candidates at AAAS in Washington, D.C., on 27 February to finalize selection to fill three to five slots. The program is part of the CVS work force initiative to create a diverse employment base while also assisting the careers of talented students with disabilities. Read more.

ENTRY POINT!, now in its 13th year, is a program of the AAAS Project on Science Technology and Disability. Partnerships with private industry and government research agencies also include IBM, NASA, Merck, NOAA, Google, Lockheed Martin, NAVAIR, Pfizer, and university science laboratories. Find out more about the program and the application process.

Read about program associate Laureen Summers who recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Science Education for Students with Disabilities (SESD) for her efforts to make science accessible for all children in school classrooms.

Join the AAAS ENTRY POINT! Fan Page on Facebook
To enter the discussions and check the bulletin board, the updates, and the photos, click here.

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Science Careers

Read the latest career features from Science Careers. You can also search jobs, get career advice, find grant information and much more on www.sciencecareers.org - all for free.

Science /UCSF Biotech Industry Career Fair
On Thursday, 24 April, Science Careers and UCSF will co-host their annual career fair in San Francisco on the UCSF Mission Bay campus. Come meet top recruiters face-to-face and explore career opportunities for all levels of scientists. The day also includes two free workshops titled "How to Win a Job by Improving Your Networking and Interviewing Skills" and "How to Succeed in Your First Year in a Dramatically Different Culture." For more details about the workshops and a list of exhibitors, go to www.ScienceCareers.org/ucsf.

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Announcements

Register for the Annual AAAS Forum on S&T Policy
On 8-9 May, the AAAS R&D Budget and Policy Program will host the major annual US public meeting on S&T policy in Washington, D.C. The forum will focus on what is likely to happen in the coming year on the federal budget and the policy issues that affect researchers and their institutions. Space is limited. Read more about the program and register here.

Submit a Symposium Proposal for the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting
"Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures" is the theme for the next Annual Meeting, 12-16 February 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The deadline for symposium proposals is 28 April. Access a full description of the theme and proposal instructions.

Join the New AAAS/ Science Webinar: The Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway: Targets for Disease Treatment and New Tools for Discovery, 1 May
12 noon EDT, 9 am PDT, 5 pm GMT.
The posttranslation modification of proteins by ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like proteins impinges on a wide variety of cellular processes. Understanding the ubiquitination process and downstream events--and how they may be modified and controlled--is essential for the development of drugs for diseases caused by dysregulation of protein degradation pathways. Join our expert panel to learn more about this important topic. Have the opportunity to ask questions live and in real time on 1 May.
Register today at  www.sciencemag.org/webinar.
Produced by the AAAS/ Science Business Office and sponsored by Invitrogen.

Applications Now Open for Two Prizes from Science
Science, in cooperation with Eppendorf and GE, is offering scientists two opportunities to win prizes worth US$25,000.
The Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology is awarded to researchers in neurobiology who hold an advanced degree and are age 35 or younger. Entries must be postmarked by 15 June.
The GE and Science Prize for Young Life Scientists rewards research in molecular biology by outstanding graduate students. The deadline for applications is 1 August.

Sign up for Science E-mail Alerts to be Entered to Win an iPod
If on 30 April you are subscribed to one of our e-mail alerts, you’ll automatically be entered in our drawing for one of TEN 4Gb video iPod Nanos. Follow these easy steps to sign up for an e-mail alert.

Winners from the 30 November 2007 drawing.

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About AAAS

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