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The theme of the Annual Meeting—"Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures"—calls to mind that 2009 is the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. New understanding of the underlying processes and mechanisms that fascinated Darwin continues to be the focus of intense research 150 years later.

The dynamic forces of nature—seen and unseen, known and unknown—form the foundation for this theme. Evolution surrounds us. The reconstructed record of Earth's past reveals evidence of change over a period of more than 4 billion years. This evolutionary history is evident in the abundances and distributions of extant and extinct organisms, in the climate, in the composition of the atmosphere, and in the sizes, shapes, and positions of continents.

The process of discovery and syntheses of data tell us even more about the nature of our planet and the universe. Astronomy, physics, mathematics, linguistics, neuroscience ... indeed every discipline can demonstrate its own unique evolutionary path and speculate on where it may lead. The telescope was invented in the Netherlands in 1608. Soon thereafter, Galileo constructed his own more powerful telescope, made his first celestial discoveries in 1609, and provided the first evidence that Earth is only one element of a sun-centered solar system. Galileo thus launched the age of modern observational astronomy.

The reference to "our" planet in the theme is intentionally presumptive. In a single human generation our species' effect on Earth's climate has been revealed. The warming of our planet is unequivocal, and human activities are a primary cause. Change in climate is now evident at regional scales in precipitation patterns, in storms, in diminished land and ocean ice, and in rising sea level. Coincidently, 2009 is also the 150th anniversary of the Drake oil well in Pennsylvania, which was the first commercial oil well, and also the discovery by Sir John Tyndall that carbon dioxide absorbs infrared radiation.

Within the next few human generations, the effect of these climate changes could put the survival of many species at risk. The natural processes so astutely intuited by Darwin can now be swamped by the actions of a single species.

But we need not let this be the future that is realized. Just as advances in technology and advances in science have led both to our current condition and our understanding of its implications, the wise use of technology and scientific understanding can allow us to select a different future.

While the science that underpins this understanding has become increasingly robust, the communication of this science to the public and its use in the formulation of wise policy at all levels of societal governance have lagged behind.

A decade before Darwin published his seminal work on evolution, a new scientific organization came into being—the AAAS, and its mission as formulated by its founders to "advance science and serve society" is as relevant today as it was in Darwin's time.

 

 

Opening Ceremony
Thursday, 12 February
6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Fairmont Chicago, Imperial Ballroom

Welcome by AAAS Board Chairman David Baltimore, Ph.D.

Opening Remarks by Local Co-Chairs:

- Robert J. Zimmer, President, University of Chicago

- France Cordova, President, Purdue University

 

AAAS President; Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography, Harvard University

 

McCarthy's research interests relate to the regulation of plankton productivity in the sea and focus on regions that are strongly affected by seasonal and inter-annual variation in climate. He teaches courses on biological oceanography and biogeochemical cycles, marine ecosystems, and global change and human health, and oversees Harvard's program in Environmental Science and Public Policy. From 1982 until 2002, he was the director of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology. McCarthy has served on and led many national and international groups charged with planning and implementing studies of global change, including as chair of the international scientific committee that establishes research priorities and oversees implementation of the International Geosphere - Biosphere Program; founding editor for the American Geophysical Union's Global Biogeochemical Cycles; co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Working Group II, which had responsibilities for assessing impacts of and vulnerabilities to global climate change for the Third IPCC Assessment; lead author of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment; and vice-chair of the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment. He received his Ph.D. degree from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and B.S. degree in biology from Gonzaga University.

 

 

Plenary Lectures
Friday, 13 February
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Fairmont Chicago, Imperial Ballroom

 Sean B. Carroll, Ph.D.

Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics
University of Wisconsin, Madison

 

Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species

 

Until recently, scientists studying evolution relied on fossil records and animal morphology to painstakingly piece together a picture of how animals evolved. Today, scientists are now using DNA evidence collected from modern animals to find new clues. Molecular biologist Sean Carroll focuses on the way new animal forms have evolved, and his studies of a wide variety of animal species have dramatically changed the face of evolutionary biology. Using genetics and the tools of molecular biology, he is looking back to the dawn of animal life some 600 million to 700 million years ago. Major discoveries from his laboratory have been featured in Time, US News & World Report, The New York Times, Discover, and Natural History. Dr. Carroll is author of The Making of the Fittest (2005) and Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2005). His most recent book, Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species, will be published in 2009. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a AAAS Fellow. He received his bachelor's degree at Washington University and his Ph.D. degree in immunology from Tufts University.

 

Saturday, 14 February
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Fairmont Chicago, Imperial Ballroom

 Susan W. Kieffer, Ph.D.

Walgreen Endowed Chair of Geology and Physics
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

 

Celebrating the Earth: Its Past, Our Present, a Future?

 

Planetary scientist Susan Kieffer has degrees in math, physics, geology, and planetary science, which is apparent in the interdisciplinary nature of her work. She is internationally renowned and a leading authority on the mechanisms of meteorite impact, geyser dynamics, volcanic eruptions, and river floods. She was the first scientist to describe the physics and chemistry involved in the eruptions on Jupiter's moon Io, the lateral blast associated with the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, the dynamics of Old Faithful as seen by a micro video camera lowered into the geyser between violent eruptions, and the hydraulics of the rapids of the Colorado River. With colleagues, she described the dynamics of the Chixculub meteor impact that caused vaporization of limestone, which resulted in massive amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and ultimately resulted in a major extinction event 65 million years ago. Kieffer is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a MacArthur Fellow, and has received numerous awards and honors. She attended Caltech, University of Colorado, Boulder, and Allegheny College.

 

Sunday, 15 February
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Fairmont Chicago, Imperial Ballroom

 Svante Pääbo, M.D., Ph.D.

Director, Department of Genetics
Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Leipzig, Germany

 

A Neanderthal Perspective on Human Origins

 

A biologist specializing in evolutionary genetics, Svante Pääbo is known as one of the founders of paleogenetics, a discipline that uses the methods of genetics to study early humans and other ancient populations. He is conducting some of the most exacting work ever attempted on the DNA of human and nonhuman primates. His track record of discoveries began in 1985 when he isolated DNA from a 2,400-year-old Egyptian mummy. In 2006, after decoding fragments of DNA from the remains of Neanderthal, he announced plans to reconstruct the entire genome. In 1992, he received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, which is the highest honour awarded in German research. Pääbo's department in August 2002 published findings about the evolution of the "language gene," FOXP2, which is lacking or damaged in some individuals with language disabilities. He was born in Stockholm and earned his Ph.D. degree from Uppsala University. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

 

 

Registration

Registration for AAAS Annual Meeting

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Ballroom Foyer

Sponsored Workshop

Ultra High Resolution Stereo Visualization Theater

Sponsored by: National Science Foundation

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Columbian

Show times will be posted on site.

Resource Center

Career Resource Center

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite B/C

Browse and collect information about the many career development resources, fellowships and internships, and job search assistance available from AAAS and many of its affiliated organizations. The center is hosted by the AAAS Center for Careers in Science and Technology.

Science Careers, published by the AAAS, is a comprehensive careers Web site dedicated to helping scientists at all career stages. Search thousands of jobs, get great career advice, find grant and funding information, and network with peers—all for free at http//sciencecareers.sciencemag.org.

Career Workshop

Finding Hidden Value in the Job Market

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite F

Aaas Exhibition

Booth 1203: ScienceCareers.org

Science Careers, published by the AAAS, is a comprehensive careers Web site dedicated to helping scientists at all career stages. Search thousands of jobs, get great career advice, find grant and funding information, and network with peers—all for free. Look for AAAS Avenue in the Exhibit Hall.

10:30 a.m.—11:30 a.m.

Career Workshop

Career Boosters for Women and Minority Scientists

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite F

Sponsored Workshop

WorldCommunityGrid.org: Free Supercomputer for Humanitarian Research

Sponsored by: WorldCommunityGrid.org

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Sponsored Workshop

Book Publisher Pitch-Slam: Who Wants To Be an Author?

Sponsored by: Island Press

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite F

12:30 p.m.—1:30 p.m.

Sponsored Workshop

Resources and Trends for Online STEM Teaching Materials for K—12

Sponsored by: National Science Digital Library

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Career Workshop

When It's Not a Perfect Fit: Overcoming Adviser Challenges

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite F

2:00 p.m.—3:30 p.m.

Sponsored Workshop

You Ought To Be in Pictures: Science as Entertainment in Movies and Television

Sponsored by: National Science Foundation

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Plaza Ballroom

Sponsored Workshop

NSF TeraGrid: Free National Resources for Science, Research, and Education

Sponsored by: NSF TeraGrid

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Sponsored Workshop

The Future of Energy: Planet Earth Faces Tough Choices

Sponsored by: National Energy Technology Laboratory

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite F

 

 

 

Registration

Registration for AAAS Annual Meeting

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Ballroom Foyer

Sponsored Workshop

Ultra High Resolution Stereo Visualization Theater

Sponsored by: National Science Foundation

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Columbian

Show times will be posted on site.

Resource Center

Career Resource Center

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite B/C

Browse and collect information about the many career development resources, fellowships and internships, and job search assistance available from AAAS and many of its affiliated organizations. The center is hosted by the AAAS Center for Careers in Science and Technology.

Science Careers, published by the AAAS, is a comprehensive careers Web site dedicated to helping scientists at all career stages. Search thousands of jobs, get great career advice, find grant and funding information, and network with peers—all for free at http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org.

Career Workshop

Run for Your Local School Board

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Career Workshop

You Earned a Bachelor's Degree in Science: What's Next?

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite F

Aaas Exhibition

Booth 1203: ScienceCareers.org

Science Careers, published by the AAAS, is a comprehensive careers Web site dedicated to helping scientists at all career stages. Search thousands of jobs, get great career advice, find grant and funding information, and network with peers—all for free. Look for AAAS Avenue in the Exhibit Hall.

Career Workshop

How To Publish in Science

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Sponsored Workshop

You Ought To Be in Pictures: Science as Entertainment in Movies and Television

Sponsored by: National Science Foundation

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite F

Sponsored Workshop

National Energy Technology Laboratory

Sponsored by: U.S. Department of Energy

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Sponsored Workshop

MORGEN Education Outreach: High School Biology for the 21st Century

Sponsored by: University of British Columbia

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Water Tower

Career Workshop

The One-Minute Talk

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Career Workshop

Not Science as Usual: Become an AAAS Science and Technology Fellow

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite F

Sponsored Workshop

Darwin Now?

Sponsored by: British Council

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Water Tower

Career Workshop

Beyond the Resume: How To Network and Market Yourself To Enhance Your Career

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Sponsored Workshop

Community Input for the National Academies' Climate Change Study

Sponsored by: National Academies

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Water Tower

 

 

Registration

Registration for AAAS Annual Meeting

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Ballroom Foyer

Sponsored Workshop

How To Apply for Federal Employment

Sponsored by: National Technology Energy Laboratory

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Career Workshops

Comparing and Contrasting Careers in Academe, Industry, and Government

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Water Tower

Science with Style: Manuals that Can Help Your Scientific Writing Succeed

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Suite F

Sponsored Workshop

Ultra High Resolution Stereo Visualization Theater

Sponsored by: National Science Foundation

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Columbian

Show times will be posted on site.

Resource Center

Career Resource Center

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite B/C

Browse and collect information about the many career development resources, fellowships and internships, and job search assistance available from AAAS and many of its affiliated organizations. The center is hosted by the AAAS Center for Careers in Science and Technology.

Science Careers, published by the AAAS, is a comprehensive careers Web site dedicated to helping scientists at all career stages. Search thousands of jobs, get great career advice, find grant and funding information, and network with peers—all for free at http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org.

AAAS EXHIBITION

Booth 1203: ScienceCareers.org

Science Careers, published by the AAAS, is a comprehensive careers Web site dedicated to helping scientists at all career stages. Search thousands of jobs, get great career advice, find grant and funding information, and network with peers—all for free. Look for AAAS Avenue in the Exhibit Hall.

Sponsored Workshop

Faculty and Research Fellowship Opportunities in Singapore

Sponsored by: Nanyang Technological University

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Career Workshops

Publish or Be Damned: Peer Review, the Public, and You

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Water Tower

Getting Closer to the Clinic: Ph.D.s in Translational Research

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Suite F

Sponsored Workshop

How To Get Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Sponsored by: PNAS

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Wrigley

Career Workshop

Working with Congress and a New Administration

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Water Tower

Career Workshop

How To Engage Senior STEM Professionals in Supporting Teachers and Students

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Stetson Conference Center, Suite F

Sponsored Workshop

Questions of Truth: Perspectives on the Intertwining of Science and Religion

Sponsored by: Sciteb

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Wrigley

Sponsored Workshop

Resources and Trends for Online STEM Teaching Materials for Higher Education

Sponsored by: National Science Digital Library

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

Career Workshop

Genomics Teaching Resources and Intramural Training Opportunities

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Water Tower

Sponsored Workshop

The Impact of Scientific Partnerships on the Future of Transportation

Sponsored by: Federal Highway Administration

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Suite 5

 

Jim Austin, Editor, Science Careers, jaustin@aaas.org

Brianna Blaser, Outreach Project Director, bblaser@aaas.org

Tracy Holmes, Europe/ROW Associate Director, Sales, Science Careers, tholmes@science-int.co.uk

Alan Kotok, Managing Editor, Science Careers, akotok@aaas.org

Bill Moran,WorldWide Advertising Director, Science—Office of Publications and Membership, bmoran@aaas.org

Elisabeth Pain, Contributing Editor for Europe (South and West), elisabeth.pain@absw.org.uk

Sean Sanders, Commercial Editor, Worldwide Outreach Director, ssanders@aaas.org

Kate Travis, Contributing Editor for Europe (North and East), ktravis@nasw.org

Richard Weibl, Director, Center for Careers in Science and Technology, rweibl@aaas.org

For information about the AAAS Annual Meeting, contact Barbara Rice, Meetings Director, brice@aaas.org.