__________________________________________________

The Online Newsletter of the
Board on International Scientific Organizations

Issue #7, September 2003

This newsletter reaches you just as BISO concludes its own board meeting and hosts the meeting of the ICSU Executive Board. Both events focused on strategic planning and priority setting, actions meant to strengthen the organizations and clarify their missions. It is has been especially fruitful to us to interact with the members of the ICSU Executive Board and arrange opportunities for them to brief interested staff at both the National Academies and the National Science Foundation.

This newsletter also reaches you just as the First Lady is leading the U.S. Delegation to the UNESCO General Conference. The United States is posed to re-enter this international body after an almost 20 year absence. The BISO staff is particularly pleased with its own record of ongoing interactions with the science and information programs at UNESCO and looks forward to continued fruitful involvement with UNESCO and with the U.S. government agencies that will spearhead U.S. membership in UNESCO.

Wendy D. White
Director, BISO

Table of Contents:

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES

New Science and Technology Advisor
In mid-September, George Atkinson replaced Norman Neureiter as Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State. Dr. Neureiter has served with distinction since his appointment three years ago and intends to remain in the Washington area and continue to promote the role of science in international relations. Dr. Atkinson has worked at the Department of State for the last two years, serving as the American Institute of Physics Fellow. A professor of chemistry and optical sciences from the University of Arizona, Atkinson plans to enhance the role scientists can play in the department and its embassies around the world by increasing opportunities for fellowships and internships. The position of the science advisor at the Department of State was created upon the recommendation of the 1999 report from the National Research Council, The Pervasive Role of Science, Technology, and Health in Foreign Policy: Imperatives for the Department of State.

SCIENTIFIC OPENNESS

Update from the International Visitors Office
In late July, the International Visitors Office (IVO) gained approval from the Department of State to “register” scientific and technical meetings in the United States. The IVO compiles a list of eligible meetings through its Web site and reports these to the Department of State on a regular basis. The meetings are listed on the Department of State’s Intranet site so that consular officers in the field can verify the legitimacy of a meeting or conference and more easily validate a visa applicant’s claim that he or she intends to travel to the United States to attend that meeting.

As of September, 627 cases of visa delays or denials had been reported to the IVO. The IVO intervened in approximately 483 of these cases, usually by reporting the delays to the Department of State and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. About 175 of the cases have been closed, most often by the granting of the visa. The IVO continues to pursue 308 cases. Cases take an average of just under five months to be resolved. IVO statistics can now be found on the Web site: http://national-academies.org/visas.

Briefing for Members of the Science Diplomats Club
On 26 September, more than 20 members of Washington’s Science Diplomats Club met to receive a briefing on the visa situation for students and scholars visiting the United States. Mariza Silva and Wendy White, representing the International Visitors Office (IVO), described the overall situation and explained why the National Academies felt it necessary to establish an office dedicated to the resolution of visa problems. They also requested that the science attaches help the IVO gather information and statistics about the visa process in other countries and, especially, to watch for steps other countries may take to match measures taken by the United States.

CAPACITY BUILDING

Call for Applications

ICTAM Travel Grants
The National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics announces that a limited amount of funds will be available for travel assistance to the 21^st International Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ICTAM) to be held in Warsaw, Poland, August 15-21, 2004 (http://ictam04.ippt.gov.pl). Only persons residing in the United States and who have had a paper accepted for presentation at the Congress will be eligible for a travel award. Preference will be given to younger investigators and those not having other sources for travel funds. More information can be found on the USNC/TAM website.

Back to top

Opportunities for Young Scientists

USNC/INQUA Travel Grant Program
Twenty travel grants were awarded by the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Quaternary Science (USNC/INQUA) to attend the 16^th INQUA Congress held in Reno, Nevada, July 23-30. The grants enabled young U.S. scientists and graduate students to participate in the Congress by presenting posters at break-out sessions and provided opportunities for interaction among the awardees and well-established scientists. The awardees reported that the Congress was a wonderful opportunity at which they received feedback on their research, made contacts with important figures in quaternary science, and became familiar with new techniques and research initiatives in the field.

USNC/IUPAC Young Observer Program
Seven U.S. Young Observers attended the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Congress and General Assembly held August 8-17, 2003 in Ottawa, Canada. These individuals attended specific IUPAC division and committee meetings based on their own research interests. For the first time in the history of the Young Observer program a joint orientation and reception was held with Young Observers from France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Puerto Rico, India, United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada. These countries only recently began to sponsor young scientists as observers and have modeled their programs after the one started in 1977 in the United States.

The Young Observers were required to write a report about their experiences at the Congress and business meetings. All Observers said they enjoyed the meetings and noted the value in attending. Several stated an interest in becoming more involved in IUPAC. Two Young Observers, Frank McDonald and Michelle Bushey, were repeat observers (also receiving awards to the 2001 IUPAC Congress in Brisbane) and Dr. McDonald was elected chair of the subcommittee on Organic Synthesis commencing in January 2004. The future participation of Young Observers in IUPAC relies upon effective mentoring as well as effort by IUPAC members to discuss opportunities for continued involvement.

International Collaborations

USNC/IUPsyS to Launch Survey
The U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Psychological Science (USNC/IUPsyS) will launch a survey on its Web site in fall 2003 that will examine international scientific collaboration. Scientists will be asked to describe the best experience they have had with international collaboration, focusing on the key goals of the project, their fellow collaborators, and how it was funded. The USNC is interested in the conditions that facilitate or obstruct international scientific collaboration. The goal of the survey is to develop a “best practices” approach to discover what is and is not working. The survey results will be analyzed with the hope that the committee can aid psychologists participating in international collaborations and advise them on how to work in partnership more efficiently and effectively.

Crystallographers Invite Latin American Scientist
The National Committee for Crystallography (Cr) invited Iris Torriani, International Union of Cr Executive Committee member and scientist at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory to its July meeting. Torriani, who organized the successful Inter-American Workshops on Synchrotron Radiation in 2001 and 2002, reported on the status of crystallography in Latin America. The National Committee for Cr meeting was held on July 26 in Covington, Kentucky in conjunction with the American Crystallographic Association annual meeting.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

USNC/IUPAC Cosponsors Reception at ACS National Meeting
The National Committee for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) held a joint reception with the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Committee on International Activities at the ACS National Meeting in New York. The reception took place September 6^th with over 200 people in attendance, offering excellent exposure for the National Committee as well as for IUPAC. The committee displayed a new poster and handed out new brochures describing the committee's activities. Chemists from industry, academia, and government, including numerous IUPAC affiliate members, attended the reception.

INFORMATION AND DATA

ISTIP

The Role of Scientific and Technical Data and Information in the Public Domain
The report of this symposium is now available both online and in hard copy. The symposium, which was held in September 2002, brought together leading experts and managers from the public and private sectors who are involved in the creation, dissemination, and use of scientific and technical data and information to discuss the issues of public domain and open access in S&T data and information. Please contact Amy Franklin at afranklin@nas.edu for copies.

CODATA

World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
This Summit will bring together heads of state, directors of UN agencies, and leaders from industry, NGOs, and civil society “to develop a better understanding of the information and communication technologies revolution and its impact on the international community, with particular emphasis on developing countries.” The Summit will be held in two phases, the first in Geneva on 10-12 December, 2003, and the second in Tunis on 16-18 November, 2005. The U.S. National Committee (USNC) for CODATA has been working with ICSU to provide the public science perspective in the WSIS process. This has involved raising visibility and recognition of the role of public science in WSIS and in helping provide solutions to the problems confronting the developing world regarding access to digital information, generally, and scientific information, specifically. Roberta Balstad Miller, the chair of the USNC/CODATA, and Paul Uhlir, committee director, will travel to Geneva to participate in the Summit.

CODATA / ERPANET Workshop
The USNC/CODATA is collaborating with the Electronic Resource Preservation and Access Network (ERPANET) and CODATA to convene an international workshop on the selection, appraisal, and retention of scientific data. This three-day workshop will be held at the Biblioteca Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 15-17 December 2003. The aim of the workshop is to identify and discuss the key scientific, technical, management, and policy considerations for the successful implementation of appraisal and selection guidelines and retention policies. The workshop will also provide a networking opportunity for participants to meet with other researchers, data managers, information specialists, archivists, and science policy experts across disciplines and national boundaries. For more information and registration, see http://www.erpanet.org .

INTERACTIONS WITH ICSU AND ITS UNIONS

ICSU Executive Board Meeting at the National Academies
The ICSU Executive Board is holding its fall meeting at the National Academies on 29-30 September 2003. Most members of the board (see list below) have agreed to stay an extra day in order to participate in briefings at the National Science Foundation and at the National Academies. Items that we may discuss with board members include:

• ICSU's strategic development, with special emphasis on emerging issues;
• ICSU's program on science for sustainable development;
• ICSU's role in the World Summit on the Information Society;
• New regional offices;
• ICSU's role in the International Polar Year, the 50th Anniversary of the IGY, and the Year of the Planet Earth; and
• Union initiatives (such as Science for Health and Well-Being).

ICSU Executive Board

Members of the Executive Board

World Year of Physics
IUPAP is supporting 2005 as the World Year of Physics to raise the worldwide public awareness of physics and the physical sciences. Timed to coincide with the centennial celebration of Albert Einstein’s “Miraculous Year,” IUPAP and their national members are catalyzing programs. The National Academies has sent a letter to Colin Powell encouraging the U.S. Department of State to initiate a United Nations resolution designating 2005 as the International Year of Physics.

ICTP Winter College on Optics
The Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the International Commission for Optics annually organizes the Winter College on Optics. The next session will be on Interferometry and Applications in Modern Physics, to be held 2-13 February, 2004 at Trieste, Italy. Young researchers and Ph.D. students from developing countries may apply to participate. The application forms can be found here.

INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS

IUGG Congress Held in Sapporo, Japan
The 23^rd General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics was held June 30 to July 11 in Sapporo, Japan. The U.S. Delegation to the Congress was led by Dave Jackson, chair of the USNC for Geodesy and Geophysics. Below are the results of the major elections:

IUGG Bureau members for 2003-2007

• President: Dr. Uri Shamir (Israel)
• Vice President: Dr. Tom Beer (Australia)
• Secretary General: Dr. Jo Ann Joselyn (U.S.A.)
• Treasurer: Dr. Aksel Hansen (Denmark)
• Bureau Members: Dr. A. Tealeb (Egypt), Dr. H. Gupta (India), Dr. Y.T. Chen (China)

IUGG Finance Committee members for 2003-2007
The new Finance Committee Members are Dr. M. Hamlin (U.K.), Dr. D. Jackson (U.S.A.), Dr. B. Kennett (Australia), Dr. K. Suyehiro (Japan), and Dr. J. Vilas (Argentina). The Committee selected Dr. Hamlin as chair.

A particular action of the IUGG Council was to revise the responsibilities of the Finance Committee, and to reduce the number of members from 5 to 4. The next few years will be a period of transition and 4 members will be elected to the Finance Committee in 2007.

IAU General Assembly Held in Sydney, Australia
The 25^th International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly took place July 13-26, 2003 in Sydney, Australia. The triennial scientific meeting involved over 2,000 astronomers from 65 countries. One of the largest and most diverse astronomy meetings worldwide, the General Assembly covered topics ranging from “How Black Holes Grow” to “Astronomy in Antarctica.” The full program is available on the web http://www.astronomy2003.com and the proceedings will be available here http://www.astrosociety.org/pubs/cs/iau.html. The U.S. Delegation was represented by John Huchra of Harvard University, Catherine Pilachowski of Indiana University, and Arlo Landolt of Louisiana State University. Robert Williams of the Space Telescope Science Institute was re-nominated for a second term as IAU Vice President. The 26^th IAU General Assembly will be held August 14-25, 2006 in Prague, Czech Republic.

U.S. Hosts International Meeting of the INQUA
The United States hosted the 16^th Congress of the International Union of Quaternary Science (INQUA) from July 23-30 in Reno, Nevada. The theme for this Congress was Shaping the Earth: A Quaternary Perspective. Kenneth Verosub, chair of the U.S. National Committee, represented the United States at the Congress. The 16^th INQUA Congress was considered a great success with over 1,000 scientists attending from all over the world. On July 27^th, the National Committees for INQUA and the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences sponsored a roundtable discussion entitled Communicating Quaternary Research to the Public. The roundtable featured a panel of authors and journalists who discussed how to successfully communicate the best of quaternary science to the general public, which was well attended, with about 100 participants.

The Union initiated a major reorganization, which involved reducing the number of commissions from 25 to five. These new commissions then elected their own officers that will report to the executive committee.

IUPAC Congress and General Assembly in Ottawa, Canada
The blackout of 2003 presented an interesting challenge for the attendees of the 39th International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Congress and 42^nd IUPAC General Assembly held 8-17 August 2003 in Ottawa, Canada. Luckily the Congress was almost over by the time of the blackout on Thursday, August 14. Friday sessions were cancelled, but some smaller meetings took place in the hotel corridors where people gathered chairs around to continue their discussions. Without electricity, the conference rooms were too hot and stuffy to hold meetings and the audiovisuals did not work. By the time the General Assembly took place over the weekend the electricity was back on and the meetings went off without a hitch.

The U.S. delegation was headed by Mike Jaffe and included Elsa Reichmanis, Ed Przybylowicz, and John Malin. Several other current and former National Committee members attended the meetings and provided input to the delegation regarding votes at the General Assembly. The other U.S. members included: Gerd Rosenblatt, Eli Pearce, Mark Cesa, Herb Kaesz, and Ted Becker.

Some main highlights from the Congress and Council meeting include the following:

IUPAC Officers for 2004-2005:

• · Prof. Leiv K. Sydnes, President (Norway)
• · Prof. Pieter S. Steyn, Past President (South Africa)
• · Prof. Bryan R. Henry, Vice President and President Elect (Canada)
• · Prof. David StC. Black, Secretary General (Australia)
• · Dr. Christoph F. Buxtorf, Treasurer (Switzerland

Seven U.S. Young Observers attended the Congress and IUPAC Division and Standing Committee meetings. Two Young Observers, Frank McDonald and Michelle Bushey, were repeat observers. Dr. McDonald was elected chair for the Subcommittee on Organic Synthesis beginning in January 2004. For the first time in the history of the Young Observer program, the USNC hosted a joint orientation and reception with Young Observers from France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Puerto Rico, India, United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada.

Council approved the creation of a new ad hoc Committee called the Union Advisory Committee to advise the Executive Committee on IUPAC policy and to enhance communication between IUPAC and the National Adhering Organizations (NAO). Each NAO will be asked to name one member to the new committee to serve as liaison between IUPAC, the NAO and affiliated national organizations.

Council unanimously approved the name Darmstadtium, with the symbol Ds, for the element of atomic number 110.

Council approved the application of the Italian National Adhering Organization to host the 44th General Assembly and 41st Congress in 2007 at Torino. The Theme of the Congress will be Chemistry Protecting Health, Natural Environment, and Cultural Heritage.

Council approved the proposal of the delegation from United Kingdom to urge the Executive Committee and Bureau to initiate a study of the decline in the number of young people being attracted into the chemical sciences. To address the problem, IUPAC should encourage and facilitate the coordination of the variety of initiatives proposed, with a view to enhancing the importance of chemical education at all levels, and to utilize younger chemists to promote the subject and its achievements. It is recommended that IUPAC collaborate with industry, trade associations, learned societies, and academia to discuss how best to achieve these aims.

Ted Becker completed an eight-year term as Secretary General of IUPAC and received a plaque from the President, Piet Steyn, in honor of his service to IUPAC.

IUAES Delegation in Florence
In July, the National Committee for the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) sent a delegation to Florence, Italy to represent the United States at the XV International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Science. Tomoko Hamada, chair of the U.S. National Committee was elected Treasurer of the IUAES Executive Board. Congratulations, Tomoko!

28th General Assembly of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS)
The 28th IUBS General Assembly and the IUBS Conference "Biological Sciences, Development and Society" will be held January 17 - 22, 2004, in Cairo, Egypt. The U.S. National Committee for the IUBS is organizing a symposium at the conference on "Fostering International Access to Biodiversity for Research, Conservation, and Sustainability." The objective of the workshop will be to discuss issues surrounding permits for collecting research samples in various countries, as well as to develop strategies for fair and equitable access and benefit-sharing.

Union Radio Scientifique Internationale (URSI) National Meeting
The 2004 URSI National Radio Science Meeting will be held January 4-8 in Boulder, Colorado. This open scientific meeting is sponsored by the U.S. National Committee for URSI in cooperation with IEEE societies. The 2004 call for papers can be downloaded here. Students are encouraged to participate in the Student Prize Paper Competition. Travel support is also available to students presenting as lead authors.

INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

BISO Undertakes Management of New Committee
As of June 2003, the National Academies have agreed to serve as the National Member Organization (NMO) for the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), accepting a request from the former NMO (the American Academy of Arts and Sciences), and the responsible government agencies. The National Academies assigned to BISO the responsibility for carrying out the NMO duties, and BISO was awarded a grant from NSF to perform those functions. BISO has hired Margaret Goud Collins to serve as Program Director for the U.S. Committee for IIASA, a position she had held for the previous 5 years.

The national committee has two primary responsibilities. The first is to take part in the governance of the Institute through participation on the IIASA Council and direct interaction with the Directorate. In this capacity, the committee works with interested U.S. government agencies and researchers in formulating U.S. views regarding IIASA's research, budget, and administration. It also helps ensure the integrity of the Institute and guides the IIASA research program in ways that will maintain its quality and its relevance to U.S. research and policy concerns. The second responsibility is to serve as a liaison to the U.S. science, technology, and policy communities, with the goal of increasing participation in and awareness of IIASA by Americans in academia, government, business, and non-governmental organizations. This includes recruiting for and funding IIASA's successful Young Scientists Summer Program for advanced graduate students, helping to find suitable candidates for IIASA’s job vacancies, serving as the hub of a national network of interested scholars and policy-makers, and helping IIASA to find opportunities to participate in national policy debates.

Biodiversity through Geological Time
The project on “Biodiversity through Geological Time” is a proposed project among the National Committees for DIVERSITAS, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics , and the International Union for Quaternary Research. The committees will organize a series of symposia at major international meetings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geological Society of America, and the American Geophysical Union that will examine biodiversity from a geological perspective through time. A proposal for this activity will be submitted in spring 2004.

Milestones

Virologist John Mackenzie, secretary-general of the International Union of Microbiological Societies, has been chosen by the World Health Organization (WHO) to coordinate SARS research and set up a new laboratory network to confront future disease outbreaks. Mackenzie specializes in mosquito-borne diseases, Zoonoses, and influenza at the University of Queensland in Australia.

Mackenzie also led a four-person WHO team of scientists in China to investigate the SARS outbreak in March 2003.

Membership News