Global Connections between Earth Sciences, Health, and Policy
A Symposium in Celebration of the International Year of Planet Earth

Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Keck Center of the National Academies
500 Fifth Street, NW, Room 100
Washington, DC

The Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO) is sponsoring a symposium that will explore the relationships between earth sciences and public health.  The symposium represents an activity celebrating the United Nations-designated International Year of Planet Earth.

Morning sessions will feature several examples of health issues related to geological systems including soil, air, and water. Afternoon sessions will consider the integration of scientific research, particularly risk assessments, into policy strategies at the state, national, and international levels.

In planning this symposium, BISO was assisted by José Centeno, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, D.C.; Bernard D. Goldstein, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health; and Ian L. Pepper, University of Arizona.

The symposium is intended for all interested scientists, decision makers from Federal agencies, policy makers from Capitol Hill, students from local universities, members of the media, and the general public. This event is free, but space is limited. Please RSVP for the symposium and the reception to biso@nas.edu.

For directions to the location, see http://www.nationalacademies.org/about/contact/nax.html. The building is close to both the Judiciary Square and Gallery Place metro stations.

Agenda

9:00-9:20		Welcome from BISO Director, Kathie Bailey Mathae Opening Remarks (José Centeno, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology)
9:20-10:00		Connecting Earth Sciences and Human Health in a Changing World (Diana Wall, Colorado State University)
A few examples of issues at the intersection of earth sciences and health:
10:00-10:40		Water and Health Case Study: Poisons in the Well: Exposure, Consequences and Remediation of Arsenic in Drinking Water in Bangladesh (Joseph Graziano, Columbia University)
10:40-11:00		Break
11:00-11:40		The “Geotoxicology” of Airborne Particulate Matter: Implications for Public Health, Public Policy, and Environmental Security (Geoffrey Plumlee, U.S. Geological Survey)
11:40-12:20		Soil and our Health (Elizabeth H. Snyder, University of Florida)
12:20-1:30		Lunch Sponsored by the Geological Society of America
Connecting science to policy making:
1:30-2:10		From Science to Policy: The Challenge of Providing Timely and Useful Information to Policymakers (Joel Scheraga, Environmental Protection Agency)
2:10-2:50		International Perspective on Addressing the Health Risks of Global Change (Kristie Ebi, ESS, LLC)
2:50-3:10		Break
3:10-3:50		Converging Trends in the Health and Earth Sciences (Sharon Hrynkow, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH)
3:50-4:50		Panel Discussion on Policy and Science Linkages (Moderated by Ian Pepper, University of Arizona)
5:00		Reception at the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences Sponsored by the American Geological Institute

This symposium is an activity celebrating the United Nations designated International Year of Planet Earth.

Revised: 23 September 2008