Today, at 2:00 p.m. EST, the American Association for the Advancement of Science will host researchers from a number of fields. These researchers are generating extremely large and complicated data sets, commonly referred to as “big data.” A wealth of information may be found within these sets, with enormous potential to shed light on some of the toughest and most pressing challenges facing the Nation.
To maximize this historic opportunity—and in support of recommendations from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—the Obama Administration is launching a Big Data Research and Development Initiative, coordinated by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and supported by several Federal departments and agencies.
On Monday, March 12, the Office of Naval Research is pleased to host the American Association for the Advancement of Science CEO, Dr. Alan Leshner as the next speaker in the Director of Innovation’s ONR Distinguished Lecture Series. Dr. Leshner’s talk is entitled “The Evolving Climate for Science and Engineering.” In his positions as CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, publisher of SCIENCE magazine, and member of the U.S. National Science Board, Dr. Leshner has a uniquely broad perspective on the U.S. Science, Technology and Innovation enterprise. Dr. Leshner will draw from his current roles as well as his long experience as a university researcher and then scientific administrator in various Federal agencies, to explore the challenges and opportunities government agencies and their academic and public sector partners currently face in Science and Engineering.What are the impacts of strengthening international competition, budget pressures, a domestic crisis in STEM education, and other issues? What is the role of national policy and how might we better coordinate our efforts at the Federal level while preserving a core strength derived from individually guided, discovery based research? Please join us for an important conversation about the future of Federal ST&I with this significant public policy thought leader. We’ll be streaming the talk live here on the Armed with Science blog via UStream. If you’re in the Arlington, VA, area, you can attend the talk in person by registering at the ONR website .
The National Science Foundation (NSF) along with the journal Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), today announced the winners of the ninth annual International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge.
Illustrators, photographers, computer programmers and designers from around the world submitted visualizations to a once-a-year challenge designed to celebrate and encourage the visual communication of science for education and journalistic purposes. Two-hundred-twelve entries were received from 33 countries, representing every continent except Antarctica.
For the first time, this year's challenge allowed participants to submit entries online. The public also participated for the first time in the voting process, selecting their favorite images as People's Choice winners. One entry, "Velu the Welder" in the Interactive Games category, received 286 public votes. All together, the entries received 3,204 public votes.
Another entry, "Rapid Visual Inventory & Comparison of Complex 3D Structures" won 1st place from the judges and was the People's Choice in the Video category.
Also for the first time this year, participants and the public were able to use social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to share their favorites with others.
Winning entries can be viewed on the NSF website, the Science website and in the February 3rd print issue of Science.
First place, Honorable Mention, and People's Choice winners are listed below.
VIDEO
1st Place & People's Choice: Rapid Visual Inventory & Comparison of Complex 3D Structures Graham Johnson The Scripps Research Institute: Molecular Graphics Lab
Andrew Noske
National Center for Microscopy & Imaging Research
Bradley Marsh
Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland
Honorable Mention: There's No Such Thing as a Jellyfish
Steven Haddock and Susan Von Thun Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute & jellywatch.org
Honorable Mention: High Density Energy Storage Using Self-Assembled Materials
Christopher Wilmer, Omar K. Farha and Patrick E. Fuller Northwestern University
INTERACTIVE GAMES
1st Place: Foldit Seth Cooper, David Baker, Zoran Popoviæ, Firas Khatib, Jeff Flatten, Kefan Xu, Dun-Yu Hsiao and Riley Adams University of Washington
Honorable Mention: Meta!Blast 3D Interactive Application for Cell and Metabolic Biology. Level 1: The Cell
W. Schneller, P.J. Campbell, M. Stenerson, D. Bassham and E.S. Wurtele Iowa State University
Honorable Mention: Build-a-Body
Jeremy Friedberg, Nicole Husain, Ian Wood, Genevieve Brydson, Wensi Sheng, Lorraine Trecroce, Kariane St-Denis, David Rowe, Ruby Pajares, Arij Al Chawaf, Shaun Rana and Nancy Reilly Spongelab Interactive
February 21, 2012 8:00 AM to February 21, 2012 2:00 PM American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is hosting an outreach workshop to provide information about submitting a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. The workshop will take place:
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
8:00 A.M - 2:00 P.M. Location: American Association for the Advancement of Science 1200 New York Avenue NW Washington, DC 20005
More information about the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program can be found at http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5733&org=DUE&from=home.
The 2012 NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Solicitation 12-525 can be located at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12525/nsf12525.htm.
Who Should Participate in the Proposal Preparation Workshop?
This workshop is informational and is recommended for STEM faculty and education faculty who are considering submitting proposals to the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program in 2012.No more than two people from one institution may attend the workshop.For Noyce proposals the PI, or at least one Co-PI, must be a faculty member in a mathematics, science, or engineering department.Institutions eligible to submit proposals to the Noyce program are Universities and two- or four-year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, or consortia of such institutions, or US nonprofit entities that have established consortia among such institutions of higher education.
How to Register for the Proposal Preparation Workshop
Registration for the workshop is now available at http://nsfnoyce.org/workshop-signup/.
The deadline to register for the workshop is Monday, February 13, 2012. Please register as soon as possible because there are a limited number of slots available. The registrant(s) will receive additional instructions via email once registration is confirmed; please watch for this email.A proposal preparation webinar is also available for those who are unable to attend the workshop.
For questions about the workshops contact:
Betty Calinger bcalinge@aaas.org 202-326-6629
For questions about the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program contact:
Joan Prival jprival@nsf.gov 703-292-4635
Meeting Type
Workshop
Contacts
Joan T. Prival, (703) 292-4635 jprival@nsf.gov
Related Agencies
American Association for the Advancement of Science
WASHINGTON -- NASA researchers will discuss a wide range of scientific and space exploration topics at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The meeting takes place Feb. 17-21 at the WalterE.WashingtonConvention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Pl. NW, Washington.
Media registration is open on site at the AAAS Newsroom Headquarters, Convention Center Room 204A. For registration information, call 202-249-4004. NASA scientists and their colleagues who use NASA research capabilities will discuss:
Parks from Space: The Big Picture and New Initiatives Help Manage Protected Areas
Gary Geller, deputy manager, NASA Ecological Forecasting Program, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Friday, Feb. 18, , Convention Center Room 159AB.
Managers of parks around the world have access to new tools that use remote-sensing data from satellites and aircraft to address challenges they are facing from ecological stresses such as climate change. This talk highlights two new initiatives designed to allow managers to more easily solve problems and make more informed decisions.
Climatic Effects of Regional Nuclear War
Luke Oman, research physical scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., Friday, Feb. 18, 8:30 a.m., Convention Center Room 145B.
Scientists using climate models estimate that a hypothetical war between emerging third-world nuclear powers would significantly cool the planet and decrease precipitation for years. The impact on global climate would not, however, be as severe as those from "nuclear winter" scenarios involving a massive nuclear exchange between superpowers.
Science in Space: Five Agencies Operating in Zero Gravity
Williams talks about international science programs from the perspective of spending more than 195 days aboard the International Space Station, where she worked on several science experiments from the many international partners who contribute to the orbiting laboratory.
Kepler: Looking for Other Earths
William J. Borucki, Kepler principal investigator, NASA's AmesResearchCenter, Moffett Field, Calif.
Martin D. Still, director, Kepler Guest Observer Program, NASA's AmesResearchCenter
Saturday, Feb. 19, , Convention Center Room 146C.
Kepler is NASA's first mission capable of finding Earth-size planets in or near the "habitable zone," the region where liquid water can exist on the surface of a planet. This talk highlights new discoveries and the accomplishments of the Kepler Guest Observer Program.
Between Sound Bites and the Scientific Paper: Communicating in the Hinterland
Gavin Schmidt, climatologist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York
Saturday, Feb. 19, , Convention Center Room 147A.
A tiny fraction of climate change scientists contribute to the public debate on climate change, leaving the discussion largely in the hands of non-experts. This talk asks why this occurs, what it means for a fuller public understanding of climate science, and what the scientific community might do to encourage more involvement in the public discourse.
Greatest Hits and Grand Challenges in Astrobiology
Michael Meyer, lead scientist, Mars Exploration Program, NASA Headquarters
Saturday, Feb. 19, , Convention Center 146C.
Recent findings in astrobiology have helped clarify our thinking in the search for extraterrestrial life. This talk discusses major results and the leading questions driving the search for evidence of life on Mars and other solar system bodies. The astrobiology investigations on the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory mission also will be presented.
Preserving the Planets, Ours and Others: Planetary Protection in Space Exploration
Cassie Conley, planetary protection officer, NASA Headquarters
Saturday, Feb. 19, , Convention Center Room 146C.
NASA's Planetary Protection Officer explains the importance of preventing harmful contamination of other planetary bodies and adverse changes in the Earth's environment because of returned material from space in accord with international agreements.
Exploring the Planet Mercury: The MESSENGER mission
Sean C. Solomon, MESSENGER principal investigator, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington
Sunday, Feb. 20, , Convention Center Room 207A.
NASA's MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft is the first space probe to visit Mercury in more than 30 years. This topical lecture will present what has been learned from the mission's two flybys and the mission's upcoming observations from orbiting around the planet.
Limiting Near-Term Climate Change While Improving Human Well-Being
Drew Shindell, climatologist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Sunday, Feb. 20, , Convention Center Room 101.
Emissions control measures using existing technology or behavioral changes could substantially mitigate near-term global warming, increase food supplies and reduce premature deaths caused by air pollution. This talk outlines the measures contained in a new United Nations Environmental Program assessment.
International Discoveries of Exoplanets
Wesley A. Traub, chief scientist, NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Sunday, Feb. 20, , Convention Center Room 147A.
With more than 1,000 exoplanets on the books, we now have glimpses of worlds where nature is showing off its ability to make possible the impossible. This talk discusses ongoing international discoveries and future space missions that will expand our ability to detect and characterize exoplanets.
Impacts of Black Carbon Pollution on Himalayan Glaciers
Teppei Yasunari, research associate, NASA's GoddardSpaceFlightCenter
Sunday, Feb. 20, , Convention Center Room 101.
Solar radiation absorbed by black carbon can lead to increased melting rates of some Himalayan glaciers. It is not clear how much black carbon is reaching these glacier surfaces. This talk discusses efforts to improve Himalayan black carbon observations.
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov.
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