Nothing Fishy: AIBS and NSC Alliance Take Icthyologists to Congress

On 25 June 2008, the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) held its 14th Annual Capitol Hill science exhibition and reception, “The Path to Innovation: Scientific Discovery and Learning.” AIBS and the Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSC Alliance)—an AIBS member society—are active members of CNSF.

CNSF is an alliance of more than 100 organizations united by a concern for the future vitality of the national science, mathematics, and engineering enterprise. The coalition supports the goal of increasing the national investment in the research and education programs of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in response to the unprecedented scientific, technological, and economic opportunities facing the United States.

The 2008 reception drew a large crowd, which included members of Congress and their staffs and a number of top NSF officials, including Director Arden L. Bement Jr., Deputy Director Kathie L. Olsen, and Assistant Director for Biology James Collins.

In addition to cosponsoring the exhibition and reception, AIBS teamed with the NSC Alliance to sponsor an exhibit. The AIBS–NSC Alliance exhibit showcased the vitally important role the NSF Biological Sciences Directorate plays in supporting natural science collections–based research and fundamental biodiversity research. The exhibit, presented by John Sullivan and Mark Henry Sabaj Pérez from the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, showcased the NSF-funded All Catfish Species Inventory (ACSI). The ACSI research effort also includes principal investigators at the University of Florida, Auburn University, and Cornell University. The $4.68 million effort has involved 422 participants in 53 countries.

The ACSI research is one of seven large-scale projects funded by the NSF's Planetary Biodiversity Inventories Program, which seeks to empower international teams of scientists and institutions to assemble a comprehensive framework for understanding Earth's biodiversity through worldwide, species-level inventories of major groups of organisms.

Before the exhibit and reception, Sullivan and Perez met with staff from the offices of Senator Bob Casey (D–PA) and Representative Robert Brady (D–PA). These meetings, arranged by the AIBS Public Policy Office, allowed congressional staff to learn about NSF-funded research being conducted in their state. The meetings were also an important opportunity to remind members of Congress that the NSF is centrally important to the nation's biological research enterprise—providing more than 65 percent of the federal funding for fundamental environmental biology research.

Bad Science Education Sanctioned in Louisiana

In recent months, lawmakers in Louisiana have attempted to pass legislation that, according to science education experts, would create a foothold for local teachers to include pseudoscience in the science classroom. The latest challenge to quality science education in Louisiana came in the form of SB 733, the misleadingly named “Louisiana Science Education Act.”

Throughout the spring and early summer, local science advocates and national organizations worked aggressively to defeat SB 733, which was initially introduced in the Louisiana State Senate by Ben Nevers, a Democrat and long-time advocate for creationism and “teaching the controversy.” The legislation, which was supported by conservative activist organizations such as the Louisiana Family Forum and the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, moved through the legislature with relative ease.

In June, AIBS sent a letter to the Speaker of the Louisiana House and to each member of the chamber urging them to oppose SB 733. The American Association for the Advancement of Science similarly expressed its opposition to the measure in a commentary in the Shreveport Times. Despite these efforts, in addition to the grassroots campaign of the newly formed Louisiana Coalition for Science and Louisiana-based scientists and expressions of concern from conservative writers and religious liberty organizations, the legislation was sent to the governor.

In a last-ditch effort, AIBS and seven member societies sent a letter to Governor Bobby Jindal, a Republican, asking that he veto the legislation. The joint statement is online at  www.aibs.org/position-statements/.

Many scientists hoped that Governor Jindal, who received undergraduate degrees in biology and public policy from Brown University, would veto the legislation. Many also thought that since Governor Jindal served as the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, he might recognize the folly of signing legislation that would weaken the academic preparedness of Louisiana students wishing to pursue careers in the health and medical sciences. Unfortunately, neither of these experiences informed his decision, and he signed SB 733 on 27 June 2008.

Although SB 733 signals Louisiana's willingness to place politics above education and is an endorsement of bad science education, analysis of the final measure indicates that teachers are not free to simply introduce any “supplemental materials” and “alternative explanations” to accepted scientific knowledge. Supplemental materials must be approved by the state board of education; however, as legal experts with various groups have warned, if nonapproved materials or religious content is introduced into science classrooms, legal action will follow.

AIBS Comments on American Academy of Arts and Sciences White Paper

In June, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences released a White Paper titled “Advancing Research in Science and Engineering: Investing in Early Career Scientists and High-Risk, High-Reward Research.” With the release of the White Paper, the Academy has helped trigger important discussions about the actions required to reinvigorate the US scientific research enterprise. AIBS comments on the final draft of the report can be found online at  www.aibs.org/position-statements. A copy of the White Paper is available at  www.amacad.org/ARISE.

NEON Receives New NSF Funding

The Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and representatives of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) have completed two Cooperative Support Agreements that will fund the design and development of the NEON project as it prepares for its final NSF review. To complete the NEON construction-ready design and execution plan, $20.7 million will be used for organizational and project management support. A separate agreement for $3.8 million will support completion of the construction-ready design for NEON cyberinfrastructure.

NEON is a continental-scale ecological observation platform for understanding and forecasting the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species on ecology. The NEON science mission is to identify and understand critical continental-scale environmental drivers and ecological responses. The network will support a range of long-term ecological research activities and enhance the capacity of scientists to forecast future states of ecological systems affected by the changing environment.

“New ways of observing provide powerful new ways of understanding the world,” said NEON Chief Executive Officer David Schimel. “Just as new sensors have revolutionized medicine, astronomy, and geology, NEON will provide a whole new window on ecological systems.”

Recent Education Reports Online at  www.aibs.org

Recent Articles Online at  www.actionbioscience.org

Recent Public Policy Reports Online at  www.aibs.org