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The Online Newsletter of the
Board on International Scientific Organizations

Issue #5, February 2003

This 5^th issue of BISO News reflects our thinking for a new strategic plan for BISO. Our parent division, Policy and Global Affairs, as well as the International Council for Science (ICSU), are undergoing strategic planning initiatives and members of the BISO advisory board have recommended that BISO also consider its priority activities and long-term goals. This exercise will be the main topic on BISO's agenda when it meets in Irvine, California in April 2003.

In the meantime, we have organized BISO News according to the broad themes that are of critical importance to BISO and the U.S. National Committees under its purview. These new categories are:

• Scientific Openness
• Community Outreach
• Capacity Building
• Information and Data

In addition to these transdisciplinary concerns, individual USNCs continue to explore topics of concerns to their particular discipline. You will find these stories under the category “Scientific and Technological Issues”.

In the four months since the last issue of BISO News, we have continued to deal with problems related to visas. Our International Visitor Office website has been completely revamped and now includes a survey form through which scientists can report their stories to us. A more detailed story about our efforts in this area can be found in the section on "Scientific Openness".

BISO staff continue to work on the U.S. re-entry into UNESCO and you will find a summary of our activities under the category "Interactions with Other International Organizations."

As always, we welcome your comments on this newsletter.

Wendy D. White
Director, BISO

Table of Contents:

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES

The DIVERSITAS program invited the USNC to cosponsor the first Open Science Conference with the Mexican National committee chaired by Rodolfo Dirzo. The Open Science Conference will be the first major international meeting hosted by DIVERSITAS and will focus on capacity building with the purpose of showcasing the program. This meeting will provide an opportunity for National Committees to take an active role in the decision of DIVERSITAS activities and may influence parts of the program as well as establish mechanisms for future communication among national committees’ of DIVERSITAS. The meeting will be held in Oaxaca, Mexico for approximately three days in October 2005. It will consist of plenary sessions, symposia, paper and poster presentations organized by each core program. DIVERSITAS has already pledged $50,000. A planning meeting is being scheduled for November 2003 in Mexico.

SCIENTIFIC OPENNESS

Scientists Encounter Difficulty with Visa Process
As was noted in our September 2002 issue of BISO News, last fall BISO office became increasingly aware of difficulties facing our international colleagues in coming to the United States. International meetings, such as the World Space Congress, a meeting of ICSU’s Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), were affected more than usual by visa issues. In addition to the routine visa denials we have seen in the past, usually related to the applicants lack of “binding ties” to their residence abroad (a difficulty especially for students and postdocs), we were beginning to see visa delays.

These delays kept colleagues from attending meetings in the United States. Students were forced to miss the fall semester. And some postdoc researchers who had gone home for a short visit with their families were stuck at home while their experiments languished or were even ruined. We learned that these delays were resulting from a combination of changes in procedures and increased security concerns.

For years, the visa applications of many scientists (as well as other people) have undergone a “security review” before visas have been granted. This review required the consular official to send a cable to the State Department, which then sent the information out to other agencies for review. In the past, the policy for these reviews stated that if a response was not received from the reviewing agencies within a specific period of time, the visa could be issued. In 2002, there was a significant increase in the number of cables sent to the State Department – this was due primarily to increased security concerns. As a result, the reviewing agencies realized that they could not guarantee they would be able to review the applications in the set amount of time and the review period was left open-ended.

People who were used to applying for a visa and receiving it within a few weeks were suddenly surprised to find out that their visa applications were taking more than two months to process. Despite the fact that ICSU and BISO advise meeting organizers to inform their participants to apply for their visas at least three months before the meeting, many scientists assume they can wait until the month before. This is no longer the case.

On December 13, 2002, the presidents of the National Academies - National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine - released a statement on the topic. They stressed that international scientific cooperation is important to counterterrorism work, building stronger alliances, and improving the U.S. scientific and technological enterprise. The statement asked the Department of State to work towards improved mechanisms to facilitate international exchange of scientific, engineering, and medical personnel.

As part of its efforts, the National Academies asked BISO to improve its outreach and response on this issue. As a result, the International Visitors Office (IVO) has been created. The main conduit of this office, still in its infancy, will be its website: http://national-academies.org/visas. On this website is a survey form through which our colleagues can report visa difficulties they are having. The main purpose of this survey is to collect information, which the National Academies can use for statistical purposes. If the IVO is able to provide advice or assistance on a case, staff will contact the person who submitted the information. We invite you to visit this website and to submit your comments about how we can better inform and help you and your colleagues on this issue. Please send your comments to visas@nas.edu.

National Security and Publication Practices
On 9 January, BISO staff and some board and USNC members participated in a meeting to discuss whether current publication policies and practices in the life sciences could lead to the inadvertent disclosure of "sensitive" information to those who might misuse it. The National Academies and the Center for Strategic and International Studies co-hosted this public meeting to bring together scientists and policy-makers and to start a dialog between the life sciences and national security communities. At the meeting, editors of major scientific journals considered the development of a common set of publication policies for journals in the life sciences. Measures taken toward "self-governance" in publication practices will be meaningful only if exercised on an international basis. Thus, BISO is exploring, with the International Council for Science, an international forum on this issue.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Soil Scientists Look to Inform Public and Policy Makers
On February 11-12, 2003 the USNC for Soil Science, along with several other organizations, sponsored two briefings for Capitol Hill staffers on the issue of soil carbon sequestration and its benefits for agriculture, the environment, and society. The briefings were organized by the National Environmental Trust. Two soil scientists, Chuck Rice, Kansas State University and the Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases, and John Kimble, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), explained how soil carbon sequestration is a cost effective means to lower carbon in the atmosphere while giving time for technologies that lower carbon emissions to be developed. They also described the additional benefits of soil carbon sequestration, such as improved soil fertility, reduced soil erosion, improved water retention, and reduced fuel usage.

Following those presentations, staffers heard from people directly involved in agricultural soil carbon sequestration. A district conservationist from the USDA/NRCS in Nebraska described the Nebraska Carbon Storage Project, which included the establishment of a method to help identify how much carbon is sequestered with different types of soil management in different types of soils of the state over time. Farmers discussed their experience with using no-till practices, describing the benefits to them (for example, fewer tractors needed, less fertilizer used, less fuel used).

At its fall 2002 meeting, the USNC for Soil Science also discussed holding public seminars in Washington, D.C., to educate the scientific community at large on such issues as soil organic matter, health and soils, and food security. These would follow successful seminars the committee hosted in February 2001 and February 2002 on carbon sequestration and nitrogen management.

CAPACITY BUILDING

Science Education

Lesson Study in Mathematics Teacher Education
The summary of the Lesson Study Seminar hosted by the U.S. National Commission for Mathematics Instruction is now available. The seminar brought together U.S. and Japanese mathematics educators to examine the Japanese teacher development practice called lesson study and to explore joint research collaborations for its adaptation in the United States. The meeting agenda provides links to the presentation papers and audio recordings.

Calls for applications

Call for IUTAM Symposia and Summer Schools Proposals
The International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) sponsors symposia and summer schools. The symposia bring together active scientists (approximately 60-80), within a well-defined field, to advance development of their science. Instructional summer schools provide lectures by leading experts in a new or emerging field of science and engineering in order to foster developments. The intended audience is younger scientists and those with only limited knowledge in the specific field of the school. U.S. institutions are invited to submit proposals to the USNC/TAM to host symposia or summer schools in 2006 or 2007. The proposals will be considered by the committee and forwarded to IUTAM where final decisions will be made at its General Assembly in August 2004.

ICO Traveling Lecturer Program: Call for Applications
The International Commission for Optics (ICO) Traveling Lecturer Program promotes lectures on modern aspects of optics by scientists of international reputation. The program aims to encourage renowned scientists and engineers to visit developing countries where their lectures can stimulate the optics field and help foster research collaborations. Application information is available at http://www.ico-optics.org/travlecture.html. Recently, the ICO and the U.S. Advisory Committee have encouraged international collaborations with and among Latin American countries. A paper on the state of optics in Latin America may be found here. Other international efforts and opportunities are described in the January 2003 ICO Newsletter.

Opportunities for Young Scientists

INQUA travel grants
The U.S. National Committee for the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) is sponsoring travel grants for students to attend the XVI INQUA Congress. The objective of this travel grant program is to encourage U.S. graduate students to interact with the global quaternary community. The INQUA Congress, held every four years, will take place July 23-30, 2003 in Reno, Nevada with the theme "Shaping the Earth: A Quaternary Perspective." Deadline for applications is April 1, 2003. For more information regarding the program and application process please click here.

USNC/IUPAC Awards Travel Grants to Young Observers
Congratulations to the following individuals who were chosen to receive travel awards to attend the 2003 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) General Assembly and Congress, August 10-15 in Ottawa, Canada:

• Novella Bridges, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Michelle Bushey, Trinity University
• Liming Dai, University of Akron
• Paul E. Laibinis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Frank McDonald, Emory University
• Bernadette Donovan-Merkert, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
• Ram Mohan, Illinois Wesleyan University
• Kermit Murray, Louisiana State University
• Angela Wilson, University of North Texas

The Young Observer Program is sponsored by the USNC for IUPAC and is intended to provide partial financial support for U.S. scientists and engineers to participate in the IUPAC General Assembly and Congress. This program provides an excellent opportunity for young scientists and engineers (under the age of 45) to establish international collaborations, gain knowledge of global research activities, and participate in IUPAC activities as U.S. representatives. The program also encourages recipients to take the opportunity to visit local universities or research centers whilst in Canada.

The Young Observer Program allows selected participants to experience the global efforts that impact the scientific community and to further their careers and international reputation by establishing contacts and participating in a network that leads the global chemistry enterprise. The benefits to the Union include the infusion of new ideas in emerging fields of chemistry. While viewing committees at work, the Observers bring new perspectives to the meetings, actively engage in the discussions of the committees, and often help with the drafting of IUPAC documents and recommendations.

Observers have the opportunity to serve as valuable linkages between the Union and the U.S. National Committee, offering candid advice and suggestions for future IUPAC directives. These Young Observers serve as scientific ambassadors for the new generation of chemists in the United States, and provided outside perspectives on the value of the IUPAC activities.

INFORMATION AND DATA

Senegal River Basin Report
The U.S. National Committee for CODATA recently released its report of the Workshop on Scientific Data for Decision Making Toward Sustainable Development: Senegal River Basin Case Study. The report provides a summary of this interdisciplinary workshop, which examined how various kinds of S&T data can be better used for decision making in sustainable development. This was a collaborative effort with the Senegal National CODATA Committee. The summary report is available in both hard copy and online via the National Academies Press Web site. The report also will be translated into French for broad dissemination in the West African region; the translation also will be made available online and on CD-ROM. Please contact Valerie Theberge if you would like to receive a copy of the summary report or its French translation.

International Symposium on Open Access
The U.S. National Committee for CODATA has been focused on several exciting scientific information policy activities in recent months including preparations for the International Symposium on Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science. The committee is collaborating with the international CODATA, the International Council for Scientific and Technical Information, ICSU, and UNESCO to convene this major international symposium. The symposium will bring together leading experts and managers from the government and academic sectors in the developed and developing world, who are involved in the creation, dissemination, and use of data and information in public research. The meeting will be held in Paris on 10-11 March 2003. The meeting is open to the public, but advanced registration is required.

USNC/CODATA is also working with ICSU and the international CODATA on preparations for the World Summit for an Information Society, which will be held in Geneva in December 2003. The committee is coordinating U.S. scientific community input into the preparations for the Summit.

INTERACTIONS WITH ICSU AND ITS UNIONS

BISO Responds to ICSU Foresight Exercise
ICSU has undertaken a dialog with the entire ICSU family to identify emerging issues and establish a strategic framework to address major priorities that will become focus areas for scientific fora and for priority area assessments. As a first step in this process, ICSU commissioned a foresight report from SPRU (Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex). The authors of the SPRU report reviewed available national foresight surveys and made some very broad conclusions about clusters of scientific activities. They found a shift from physical to life and environmental sciences and a shift in the social contract of science with society. Their review found the priority emerging areas to be: genetic modification of foods and crops, pest control, biopharming, and intellectual property rights.

The SPRU report is only one of the inputs that ICSU will use in formulating a new strategy. It has also asked all national and union members for advice and input. BISO Board members and associated U.S. National Committees are considering the following questions:

What are the scientific developments that could have a major impact on society and the advancement of scientific knowledge in the next five to ten years?

What kinds of international collaboration or coordination are required?

Is there a unique role for ICSU?

Actions of ICSU on selected emerging issues with high priority may take a range of forms: development of new international programs for research; development of new education and capacity building activities; definition of scientific standards/methodologies; production of authoritative statements or reports; provision of seed money to mobilize other funds; and, putting the issue on the agenda of other appropriate international bodies. BISO will respond after its Arpil 2003 meeting. By June, ICSU's Committee on Scientific Planning and Review will analyze all responses and develop a list of emerging issues, in which the involvement of ICSU can add maximum value. The Executive Board will discuss this list, along with a preliminary proposal for actions. One or two topics will be selected and circulated to ICSU members for further comment. By the end of September or October 2003 a final proposal will be prepared.

Any reader who wishes to provide input to the initial BISO response should contact Wendy White.

ICSU Undertakes Review of Programs in Environment
The 27th ICSU General Assembly approved the proposal by the Committee on Scientific Planning and Review (CSPR) to develop ICSU Priority Area Assessments (PAAs). CSPR has decided to initially launch three PAAs of Environment, Capacity Building and Data and Information, starting with the Environment. The assessment is aimed to develop ICSU's strategies in the environment area and examine relevant activities of ICSU in the light of those strategies. Robert Watson is chairing the review panel. Other members are: Lourdes Arizpe, Anne Buttimer Angela Cropper, Partha Dasgupta, Istvan Lang, Gordon McBean, James McCarthy, Uri Shamir, Crispin Tickell, and Shem Wandiga.

INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

BISO Hosts Meeting on U.S. Re-entry to UNESCO
On September 12, 2002, President Bush announced that the United States would re-join UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). On November 22, 2002, BISO convened a meeting at which representatives from the U.S. Department of State received input from civil society on UNESCO and its programs as well as recommendations for the structure of the new U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. Participants also discussed the possibility of a future in-depth review of UNESCO programs by civil society.

After hearing from the Department of State’s Bureau of International Organizations (IO) about the government’s plans for re-entry, participants were given the opportunity to voice their opinions on UNESCO programs, priorities, and the draft program for 2004-2005. Several participants also offered new ideas and initiatives that the United States may want to bring to UNESCO.

Among the many issues discussed was the lack of awareness in the United States about UNESCO and its programs. Civil society could play a key role in helping to inform the U.S. public about UNESCO through the media, the Internet, and various forums. Participants also emphasized the important role of the United States in helping to strengthen partnerships between UNESCO and other international organizations. It was suggested that U.S. civil society organizations could develop mechanisms to integrate their programs with UNESCO initiatives with similar objectives such as Education for All. Another topic addressed was the need for UNESCO to increase linkages between its different sectors and to create more cross-cutting programs. A strong communication network will need to be formed between civil society groups, the U.S. National Commission, and the State Department’s IO Bureau. Civil society groups were encouraged to begin organizing themselves to provide long-term input to the government on UNESCO.

With the target date for the U.S. re-entry of October 1, 2003, the U.S. government is working out the details of the appropriation of funds for dues and the formation of the U.S. National Commission. BISO and the National Academies continue to explore their role in advising the government on UNESCO activities.

In February 2003, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Science, Walter Erdelen, visited the United States for a few days, and BISO worked with the White House Office on Science and Technology Policy to enable the nongovernmental scientific and technological community to meet with him and other members of his delegation.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

We would like to announce the following change in committee leadership:
Barry Barish, California Institute of Technology, has been appointed Chair of the USLC/IUPAP as of January 1, 2003. Pierre Hohenberg, Yale University, will continue to serve as Member-at-Large.

Jon Clardy, Harvard University, has been appointed Chair of USNC/CR effective January 1, 2003 and replaces Marvin L. Hackert, University of Texas at Austin.

Wolfgang G. Knauss, California Institute of Technology, has been appointed Chair of the USNC/TAM as of November 1, 2002. Hassan Aref, University of Illinois, will continue to serve as Past Chair. David Bogy, University of California-Berkeley, replaces James Hill, Iowa State University, as Vice Chair. Hill continues his committee service as representative of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Vasudevant Lakshminarayanan, University of Missouri-St. Louis, has been appointed Chair of USNC/ICO effective January 1, 2003 and replaces James Breckinridge, California Institute of Technology, who will continue to serve as Past Chair.

Donald Potts, University of California at Santa Cruz, has been appointed Chair of the USNC for DIVERSITAS for a three-year period beginning in March 2003. He is succeeding Andy Dobson of Princeton University.

STAFF NEWS

Wendy D. White, Director of BISO, was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the International Foundation for Science.

Elaine Lawson joined the BISO staff to work with the USNCs in the earth and social sciences. Elaine is a Program Officer with 13 years of experience at the National Academies. She obtained her B.S. in Physical and Health Education from James Madison University, and her M.S. in Exercise Science and Health from George Mason University. Early in her career she taught 7th grade Earth Science and 8th grade Physical Science in Suffolk, VA and in Ft. Worth, TX. Currently she is the Program Officer for the Board on Higher Education and Workforce’s Committee on the Evaluation of the Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust and she will divide her time between that board and BISO. She has worked with numerous Academy committees and brings a wealth of expertise on committee management.