BUILDING A GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY: SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION AAAS ANNUAL REPORT 2012 The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal Science (www.sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine (www.sciencetranslationalmedicine.org) and Science Signaling (www.sciencesignaling.org). AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes some 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The non-profit AAAS (www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS. American Association for the Advancement of Science 1200 New York Avenue, NW • Washington, DC 20005 USA Tel: 202-326-6440 For more information about supporting AAAS, please e-mail developmentoffi[email protected], or call 202-326-6636. On the Cover: Even the seemingly pristine Galápagos Islands, one of the most biologically rich and diverse ecosystems on the planet, face increasing threats as a result of climate change, water pollution, invasive plants and animals and other challenges related to human activities. This famous view of Pinnacle Rock on Bartholomew Island was captured in February 2013 by Alan I. Leshner. An extinct volcano, Bartholomew Island features colorful lava formations and wildlife such as blue-footed boobies, Pacific green sea turtles, sea lions and a rare colony of Galápagos penguins. Pinnacle Rock (on the right) is a spear- shaped obelisk known as a “tuff cone,” formed when sea water cooled volcanic magma, triggering an explosion that resulted in a huge igneous rock comprised of many thin layers of basalt. [FSC MixedSources logo / Rainforest Alliance Certified / 100 percent green power logo] PRINTER WILL ADD Table of Contents Welcome Letter by Nina V. Fedoroff and Alan I. Leshner ......................2 Public Statements on Key Issues ........................................................4 Media and Public Engagement ...........................................................8 Science Diplomacy Worldwide .......................................................... 11 Science, Policy and Society ...............................................................14 AAAS MemberCentral ........................................................................17 U.S. Government Relations ................................................................18 Science, Technology and Security Policy .......................................... 20 The Science Family of Journals ......................................................... 23 Improving Science Literacy ............................................................... 27 Education, Outreach and Careers .....................................................29 AAAS Divisions ..................................................................................31 Special Gifts and Projects 2012 ........................................................ 33 AAAS Awards and Prizes .................................................................. 35 AAAS Fellows ................................................................................... 38 Acknowledgment of Contributors and Patron Members ................... 41 Financial Summary ...........................................................................52 AAAS Board of Directors, Offi cers and Information .......................... 53 Welcome from the AAAS Chair, Nina V. Fedoroff, and the CEO, Alan I. Leshner Scientifi c evidence tells us replay, log onto http://www.aaas.org/go/ unambiguously that global rosling.) Turn to pages 8-10 for details on the climate change is real and hap- association’s many communication and public pening now, and it is related engagement efforts. to human activities, yet there International research collaboration is also is still a disconnect between a key to leveraging science in the service of the facts and some people’s society. Science diplomacy, in particular, can beliefs. Warmer temperatures speed advances, even amid tense governmen- have already affected corn, tal relations, as shared research goals help to wheat, rice and soybean yields, which decline build a bridge between nations. AAAS in 2012 by roughly 10 percent in response to each demonstrated the promise of this basic prin- additional degree of heat. And yet the world’s ciple by dispatching delegations to Iran, North food supply needs to double as the human Korea, Burma and Cuba, and by launching a population pushes toward 9 billion by mid- new online publication, Science & Diplomacy. century. Crops engineered to resist drought In Iran, for example, which is known for advanc- and pests suggest a way to feed hungry es in medical and stem cell research, former people while protecting natural resources. AAAS President and Nobel laureate Peter Sadly, unfounded public fears about modifi ed Agre joined AAAS Senior Advisor Norman foods have persisted. Meanwhile, farmland P. Neureiter for meetings with President all over the world has succumbed to overuse, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others. “It is a drought and wildfi res. strategy of engagement,” Neureiter explained Clearly, pursuing new scientifi c knowledge to popular WAMU-FM radio show host Kojo for its own sake is not enough. Too many Nnamdi after the Iran trip. “You fi nd common people remain unconvinced of the reality of issues in science that you can work on.” climate change and unconcerned about other Scientifi c discovery is increasingly an inter- urgent problems such as water scarcity and national, multidisciplinary enterprise. At the disappearing species. Scientists, engineers same time, fi nding innovative ways to sustain and educators must effectively communicate more and more people in the 21st century science in order to accelerate the pace of posi- will require a diversity of ideas from many tive change worldwide. regions. Read about AAAS international work Strategies for infl uencing public percep- on pages 11-13. tions about science-based challenges were The AAAS Science and Technology Policy the focus of a lively, interactive event that took Fellowships, dating to 1973, were established place during the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in to bring scientifi c expertise to bear on the U.S. Vancouver, Canada. A panel of experts, moder- policy-making process. Today, more than 2,500 ated by award-winning journalist Frank Sesno, alumni of the program are making meaning- director of the School of Media and Public Af- ful contributions to global challenges, too, fairs at George Washington University, offered including efforts to combat hunger, disease insights for communicating about climate and ecological threats. AAAS S&T Policy Fel- change, the world’s increasing human popula- lows have provided crucial data in support of tion, evolution and more. The event, featuring the Endangered Species Act, for example. They audience surveys and online feedback, also have also participated in a federal task force included Hans Rosling’s unique demonstra- on climate change adaptation, worked on a re- tion of global population trends. (For a video covery and reconstruction project in Haiti, and 2 helped to establish a digital research library and Human Resources are working to improve for Iraqi scientists. Alumni of the program have U.S. science education. The association’s ef- risen to high-impact positions in Congress, the forts to promote science literacy—encompass- White House, the State Department, USAID, ing new assessment tools, lesson plans and federal agencies, research universities and scholarships for teachers, plus major network- non-governmental organizations. ing events and presentation opportunities for Pages 14-15 and 18-19 of this report early-career researchers—are described on offer more information on the S&T Policy pages 27-30. An update on Science Careers, Fellowships as well as the association’s our comprehensive online resource for science many other science policy-related programs. job seekers and employers, has also been Those ongoing activities include a highly included there. effective Research Competitiveness Program The Science family of journals, published that promotes economic progress by helping by AAAS, continued in 2012 to convey origi- universities, state agencies and other institu- nal, peer-reviewed research with potential to tions translate ideas into commercial services improve human welfare. (See pages 23-26.) and products. Communicating the connection Pioneering studies of H5N1 avian infl uenza between research investments, innovation set the stage for the development of anti- and job growth also remains a primary goal for virals and vaccines, which will be essential in AAAS science policy and government relations the event of a pandemic. Other research and staff. In 2012, AAAS provided authoritative, news articles published by Science, Science unbiased analyses of federal R&D funding Translational Medicine and Science Signaling trends, and organized events to inform public advanced our understanding of drug-resistant discourse on topics such as water conserva- malaria in Southeast Asia, HIV-AIDS in America tion, climate change and agricultural advanc- and key genetic mechanisms