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The Online Newsletter of the
Board on International Scientific Organizations

Issue #10, July 2004

Dear Readers:

While work in some offices tends to slow down a bit over the course of the summer, for BISO, summer means international congresses and general assemblies. This year we will be sending delegations to the International Union of Psychological Sciences Congress in Beijing, China; the International Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics in Warsaw, Poland; and the International Geological Congress in Florence, Italy. The chairs of our delegations will provide reports in the next issue of BISO News.

In this issue, I draw your attention to the collection of stories that describe activities recently undertaken by our Office of International Scientific and Technical Information Programs, which is directed by Paul Uhlir. Their work has taken them to Geneva, China, Brazil, and Portugal.

Finally, I want to report a change in leadership of our Board. Cynthia Beall, from Case Western Reserve University, has been appointed to succeed Henry Metzger as chair. Dr. Beall has been a member of BISO since its inception three years ago and has an excellent history with several of our national committees. She is also a member of the National Academy of Science Council. We thank Dr. Metzger for the leadership role he played in getting BISO off to a successful start. Click here to see the current BISO roster.

Wendy D. White
Director, BISO

NAS member, Dr. R. Stephen Berry, spoke on July 17 at the national committee for crystallography meeting about several international issues impacting the sciences: intellectual property, visas, and international collaborations

Sustainability Projects in the Geological Sciences

The national committee for the geological sciences (USNC/IUGS) has targeted sustainability an area of concern through two new initiatives. The USNC/IUGS has developed, in collaboration with the Committee on Earth Resources of the National Academies, an upcoming study on the role of non-renewable mineral resources in a sustainable society. The USNC/IUGS is participating in the development of the prospectus, the plan of action, and the statement of task. In addition, a member of the USNC/IUGS will serve as a liaison to the study committee.

The second initiative by the USNC/IUGS will be a symposium at the 2006 meeting of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). By invitation of the SSSA past President, Larry Wilding, the national committee will collaborate with the soil scientists on a topic of interest to both disciplines: “Sustainable Soils and Life on Land.” The committee plans to organize a similar symposium for the 2006 meeting of the Geological Society of America.

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Young Scientists Summer Program in Austria
Applications are now being accepted for the distinguished Young Scientists Summer Program. The U.S. Committee for the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is sponsoring the three-month research program for advanced students to study at IIASA in Austria. The program is available to students whose interests correspond with IIASA's ongoing research in areas of natural resource and environment, population and society, and energy and technology. Participants will work closely with senior scientists to develop their research topics enabling them to become part of a worldwide network of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural specialists. For more information refer to the U.S. committee website. Deadline for applications is 15 January 2005.

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Travel Grants for Young U.S. Scientists to Attend Congress in China
Twenty U.S. scientists will be traveling to Beijing, China with the assistance of travel grants administered by the national committee for psychological science. The travel grants were awarded to graduate students and early-career scientists to attend the XXVIII International Congress of Psychology, August 8-13, 2004. Three of the recipients were nominated to the Young Psychologist Program, enabling them to participate in a roundtable discussion meeting with renowned psychologists and visit Chinese psychology institutions.  A report on the congress will be forthcoming.

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45 Mathematics Educators Receive Travel Award
A total of 45 U.S. mathematics educators traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, July 4-11, to participate in the 10th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME-10). The national commission on mathematics instruction participated on the selection committee selecting from over 600 applicants. The committee sought applicants who demonstrated a high level of involvement in mathematics education. Recipients took part in small, focused discussion groups on a wide range of topics, including the relationship between research and practice in mathematics education; reasoning, proof, and proving in mathematics education; the professional development of mathematics teachers; the shaping of mathematics education through testing; and information and communication technology in mathematics education. The awardees will be responsible for disseminating information about these topics to the mathematics education community in the United States.

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International Reception at American Chemical Society Meeting
On Saturday, August 21, the national committee for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) will be hosting a reception at the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) national meeting in Philadelphia. The reception is jointly sponsored with the ACS committee on International Activities and is an opportunity to introduce U.S. and international chemists from industry, academia, and government to the workings of IUPAC and the national committee. For an invitation please contact Valerie Theberge at vtheberge@nas.edu.

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U.S. Mechanicians Receive Travel Grants to International Congress
Through a program funded by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the U.S. National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics is providing grants to more than 30 U.S. scientists to travel to its union international congress in Warsaw, Poland. The International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics will be held August 15-21. More information on the program is available on the committee’s website.

Chinese Open Access and Archiving Workshop
The U.S. and Chinese National CODATA Committees recently held a major international workshop on Strategies for Preservation of and Open Access to Digital Scientific Information Resources in China: Opportunities and Challenges. The workshop was organized together with CODATA’s Task Group on Preservation and Archiving of Scientific and Technical Data in Developing Countries and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology. The workshop, which was held in Beijing, China from 22-24 June 2004, provided an interdisciplinary forum and promoted a deeper understanding of long-term preservation, archiving, and open access to scientific data in the developing country context. Additional information about the workshop, including the presentations, is available at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/usnc-codata/chinese_workshop.html.

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World Summit on the Information Society: Phase II
The preparatory process for the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is underway. The first preparatory committee (Prep-Com) recently met in Hammamet, Tunisia on 24-26 June. The committee focused the planning process to Tunis on 1) providing solutions to implement and follow up on the Geneva Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action by stakeholders at national, regional and international levels with particular attention to the challenges facing the least developing countries and 2) completing the unfinished business in Geneva on Internet governance and financing. The next Prep-Com will be held on 17-25 February 2005 in Geneva.

CODATA, along with its U.S. National Committee, will continue to play a major role in highlighting the role of science in the Information Society in preparation for the Tunis phase of WSIS. In addition, an online collection of National Academies WSIS-related reports and activities is now available at http://wsis.nap.edu.

The USNC/CODATA will host the next in the series of State Department public meetings on WSIS on Friday, September 10, from 10:30-12:00, in the Lecture Room of the main Academy building at 2100 C Street NW, Washington, DC.

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2004 CODATA Conference
The 19^th International CODATA Conference—The Information Society: New Horizons for Science will be held on 7-10 November 2004 in Berlin. This event is the first major international conference designed specifically to address all facets of how the Information Society is creating new and unprecedented horizons for science. The conference features keynote talks, plenary lectures, and contributed paper sessions that provide new and important insights about the Information Revolution and its impact on science. The CODATA Conference is a WSIS-related thematic event. Registration is available at http://www.codata.org/04conf/prereg.html.

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Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science
The Proceedings from International Symposium on Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science is now available. The workshop, which was held in May 2003 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, brought together over 200 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 report is available in both hard copy and online via the National Academies Press. Please contact Amy Franklin for a copy of the report.

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Inter-American Workshop on Access to Environmental Data
The online summary report from the Inter-American Workshop on Access to Environmental Data is now available. The workshop, which was held in Campinas, Brazil on 4-6 March, was organized by the USNC/CODATA, the international CODATA, and the Brazilian Reference Center on Environmental Information. As we noted in the previous BISO Newsletter, this workshop explored scientific and technical characteristics of environmental data access practices and policies, potential challenges and prospects for environmental data access, and actions that can be taken to improve policies and regional cooperation, with regard to environmental data access.

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ERPANET/CODATA Digital Archiving Workshop
The final summary report of the ERPANET/CODATA Workshop on the selection, appraisal, and retention of digital scientific data is now available. The workshop, which was held on 15-17 December 2003 at the Biblioteca Nacional in Lisbon, brought together more than 65 researchers, data managers, information specialists, and archivists from 13 countries to discuss the issues involved in making critical decisions regarding the long-term preservation of the scientific record. The report is only available electronically via the ERPANET Web site at http://www.erpanet.org. 

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Scientific and Technological Issues

BISO Intern Organizes Seminar on Privatizing Outer Space
BISO intern, Michael Martin, co-coordinated a seminar at the National Academies on July 23, addressing the current debate over the privatization of space tourism. Eminent scientists Jerry Grey, Director for Aerospace Policy, American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics; Henry R. Hertzfeld, Senior Research Staff Scientist, the Space Policy Institute, George Washington University; and Charlie Walker, a former astronaut and current Director of NASA Systems and Programs Business Development and Marketing at Boeing spoke about the effects of private space tourism on U.S. aerospace technology. The seminar addressed the impact of private sector efforts in space, covering areas as diverse as the race for the X-Prize, the real feasibility of space tourism, and existing satellite launch businesses. The seminar looked at what could come out of these efforts, asking if they could be expected to open space up for further scientific exploration. Michael is finishing his PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, where he also earned an MS in mechanical engineering and an MA in Asian studies

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Keynote Symposium at the GSA National Meeting
On November 7, the national committee for Geological Sciences (USNC/IUGS) will be cosponsoring a Keynote Pardee Symposium at the upcoming Geological Society of America (GSA) annual meeting. The symposium entitled Geoscientific Aspects of Human and Ecosystem Vulnerability will be convened by Grant Heiken, chair of the USNC/IUGS. Leaders from a variety of science and policy disciplines will address the vulnerability of society to long-term geological processes such as depletion of energy or mineral resources, soil degradation, climate change, and rising sea levels. The GSA national meeting will take place November 7-10, in Denver, Colorado.

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International Year of Planet Earth
The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) is proposing that 2006 be declared "International Year of Planet Earth" by the United Nations. The goal is to have activities, such as science and outreach programs, occur throughout a three-year period 2005-2007, demonstrating how Earth sciences can help meet the challenges of the future.

The UNESCO Division of Earth Sciences is working closely with IUGS on the plans for the international year. In addition, the IUGS has invited other unions in the geosciences - the international unions of soil science (IUSS), geophysics (IUGG), and geography (IGU) to participate as partners in this endeavor. The ICSU Scientific Committee on the Lithosphere-International Lithosphere Program is also a partner.

The U.S. National Committee for Geological Sciences has expressed concern over the plans for the International Year of Planet Earth. The committee has distributed a position paper to the leadership and other national members of IUGS. Although the committee supports the concept of the international year, it is concerned that not enough preparations have been made to ensure a successful scientific program during the declared year. Specifically, they would like to see more ways for the scientific community to provide input into the planning process. The International Year of Planet Earth will be discussed at the IUGS council meetings during the International Geological Congress this summer in Florence. The U.S. National Committee hopes that other national committees and delegates will come to the meeting prepared to discuss their plans to make the year a successful one.

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Soil Science Union Meets, Changes Scientific Structure
Last issue, we reported on the opening session of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) Inter-Congress. The meeting was held April 26-29 in Philadelphia, the site of the 18th World Congress of Soil Science, July 2006. Seventy participants from 27 countries participated in the Inter-Congress, which is primarily a business meeting for division and commission officers to organize the scientific program of the next world congress.

During the Inter-Congress, the IUSS Council met and approved several changes in the scientific structure of the union. Three existing working groups were approved to become commissions: “Pedometrics” and “Paleopedology” will be part of Divison 1: Soil in Space and Time; “Soil Interfacial Reactions” will be part of Division 2: Soil Properties and Processes. A fourth working group, micromorphology, was merged into commission 1.1, which was renamed “Morphology and Micromorphology.”

The council received a presentation from Werner Janoschek, the secretary-general of the International Union of Geological Sciences, on the International Year of Planet Earth. The IUSS is a partner in this effort (see story on international year above.) The council elected Roger Swift and Neal Menzies of Australia as IUSS President and Vice-President for 2006-2010. The 19th World Congress of Soil Science will be held in Brisbane, Australia in 2010.

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Membership News

We would also like to thank those members who have recently completed their service:
Karen Bartels, Degussa Corporation, USNC/IUPAC
Janet Gomon, Smithsonian Institution, National History Museum, USNC/CODATA
Jan Hopmans, University of California, Davis, USNC/CODATA
Gary King, Harvard University, USNC/CODATA
Linda (Lee) Magid, University of Tennessee, USNC/IUPAC

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