 
|
SYMPOSIA
 |
•••As of February 1, 2002
|
|
|
|
Language-Learning Disorders and Delinquency: Is There a Link?
Sunday, February 17, 2002 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
|
| Nicolas Linares-Orama, The FILIUS Institute-University of Puerto Rico; Sharon E. Moss, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association |
| Children with disorders in processing and using language are at-risk of behavior and emotional disorders. If born in poor, dysfunctional and disorganized families their chance of developing personal and social problems increases significantly. A large proportion of these children receive inadequate health, educational, and social services. This increases their likelihood of facing the law early in their lives. When this is the case the communicative and learning disabilities of these children become obstacles for legal due process, juvenile intervention, and their re-incorporation to the community. Although there is convincing evidence that deficits in language development are related to concurrent behavior problems, the exact nature of that relationship is not well understood. Profiles of preschool girls and boys with language and behavior problems will be presented to argue on the relationship between language and behavior problems in this population. The clinical and correctional experiences of staff members working with incarcerated Latino juveniles with language-learning disabilities will be presented to elucidate on the links of these conditions with special education, mental health services, after-care, and delinquency recidivism. |
| 1 | Gender Differences in Language-Related Behavior Problems | Ann Kaiser (Speaker), Vanderbilt University |
| 2 | Language-Learning Disorders in Latino Boys Under Juvenile Justice Care | Nicolas Linares-Orama (Speaker), The FILIUS Institute-University of Puerto Rico |
| 3 | Latino Youngsters with Disabilities in the Puerto Rico Juvenile Institutions | Rafael Malave Ramos (Speaker), Puerto Rico Administration of Juvenile Institutions |
|
Questioning Authorities: Lessons in Pursuing Oral Histories of Science
Saturday, February 16, 2002 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon |
|
| Amy Crumpton, AAAS |
| As modern scientific fields expand, diversify, and specialize, gathering stories on the intellectual and social development of these fields becomes a larger and larger historical project. A number of scientists, interested in understanding the genesis of their own areas of expertise, have turned to pursuing oral histories through interviewing their mentors and peers. While there is certainly plenty of work to go around, historians of recent science, trained in oral history methods, are concerned that scientists, who lack such training, may not be obtaining a rich picture of the emergence of their fields. This panel discusses the possibilities and problems when scientific and technical experts take on the history of science mantle. Presentations will illustrate how oral history methods are being used to illuminate recent histories of science and mathematics. The intent of the discussion is to introduce the audience, some of who may themselves be interested in pursuing oral histories, to ongoing issues over how to document and qualitatively interpret the history of recent science. |
| 1 | Women Mathematicians in Post-World War II America | Margaret Murray (Speaker), Virginia Tech |
| 2 | Big Telescopes and Tall Tales: Documenting Astronomy as It Happens | W. Patrick McCray (Speaker), American Institute of Physics |
| 3 | Talking Nets: An Oral History of Neural Networks | James Anderson (Speaker), Brown University |
| 4 | CO/W ANDERSON | Edward Rosenfeld (Speaker), Technical Journalist |
| 5 | Understanding Nuclear Weapons Scientists Through Oral Life Histories | Hugh Gusterson (Speaker), Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 6 | No Title Available | Claudia Dreifus (Speaker), [The New York Times/Science Times] |
|
Understanding the Neuronal Basis of Behavior: Prospects and
Societal Impact
Saturday, February 16, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
|
| Emilie Marcus, [Neuron]; Kenneth Blum, [Neuron]; Katja Brose, [Neuron] |
| The decade of the brain has provided us with an unprecedented understanding of the molecular, genetic and cellular bases of brain function, dysfunction and development. As we learn more about how the brain generates complex behaviors and begin to explore the concepts of perception, personality, emotion and learning from the perspective of the underlying neuronal circuits and mechanisms, it is essential that we also consider the ethical, legal and philosophical implications of these insights. How is our understanding of individual and legal responsibility affected by the knowledge of the neuronal processes involved in decision-making? How will modern psychiatry and society as a whole define abnormal behaviors or personality traits? The goal of this symposium is to promote fruitful interdisciplinary interactions between neuroscientific researchers and ethicists. The panel includes neuroscientists who are leaders in the fields of learning and memory, psychiatric disease and human cognition and whose work embraces a broad scope of neurobiological approaches, and experts in bioethics and the impact of biomedical science on the legal system. |
| 1 | The Mechanisms of Learning and Memory | Eric Kandel (Speaker), Columbia University |
| 2 | Brain-Based Models of Complex Behaviors: Implications for Public | Steve E. Hyman (Speaker), National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health |
| 3 | Neural Imaging of Complex Human Behaviors | Antonio R. Damasio (Speaker), University of Iowa |
| 4 | The Biology of Behavior: Human Responsibility and the Law | Phillip B. Heymann (Speaker), Harvard Law School |
| 5 | No Brainer--The Centrality of Ethics in Neuroscience Research | Arthur L. Caplan (Speaker), Center for Bioethics |
|
Show Me the Data! Wanted: More Accuracy in Media Reporting
Friday, February 15, 2002 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon |
|
| Leon H. Seitelman, University of Connecticut |
| Applications of mathematical and statistical modeling are pervasive in modern society, from interpretations of sociological and epidemiological studies in professional journals, to reporting of economic data and projected trends in the Wall Street Journal, to presentation of polling data and bar graphs in USA Today. When this information is incompletely understood or incorrectly interpreted, the consequences can be more than simply inconvenient; the bankrupting of Dow Corning as a result of the breast implant controversy, and the economic hardship to apple growers in Washington State as a result of the alar scare, are two examples that spring to mind. Many other subjects, including the fairness and completeness of the Florida vote in the 2000 Presidential election, and the validity of perceived linkages between cancer cases and cell phone usage, or proximity of power lines, beg further scrutiny. The scientific community's technical expertise, by helping the public to distinguish fact from fiction in the interpretation of data, can inform and improve public policy choices. This symposium is organized by the principle that citizens need to be made aware of the limitations in models, and the misuse of statistics, where they occur. Experts in mathematical modeling and statistics and subject areas will provide insight into use (and abuse) of these techniques, using examples and case studies from a broad range of applications. The discussion includes observations about how recent cultural change, particularly television, has redefined reality, and the presentation and perception of information, and has affected this process of public education. |
| 1 | The Minefield of Reporting Scientific Data: What's Needed, and Why | Leon H. Seitelman (Speaker), University of Connecticut |
| 2 | A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper | John Allan Paulos (Speaker), Temple University |
| 3 | The Saga of the U.S. Radium Toxicity Studies | Constantine J. Maletskos (Speaker), Gloucester |
| 4 | The Use of Surrogate Outcomes in Experiments of Anthrax Vaccine | Donald Rubin (Speaker), Harvard University |
| 5 | The Legal Reception of Statistical Evidence in the Implant Cases | Michael O. Finkelstein (Speaker), Columbia Law School |
| 6 | Science in the Media | Terrence Moran (Speaker), New York University |
|
The U.S. Population: How Many of Us Are There?
Monday, February 18, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
|
| Robert E. Fay, U.S. Census Bureau |
| The decennial censuses in the U.S. have succeeded as an invaluable chronicle of the U.S. population and yet have consistency fallen short of perfection. In both 1980 and 1990, political and legal controversies emerged over the possibility of using the results of sample surveys to adjust the census counts for estimated undercounts. Census 2000 was conducted under a plan to release unadjusted state counts in December 2000 for apportionment and, subject to agency review, adjusted counts for redistricting by April 2001. The Census Bureau’s senior review committee recommended against adjustment, however, primarily citing substantial conflict with demographic analysis of the U.S. population. Had they been used to adjust the census, the survey results would have yielded a total larger than other population estimates. The symposium addresses two related questions: current knowledge about the net undercount of Census 2000, and the role of understatement of undocumented immigration as one of the reasons the population estimates were lower than the survey results. |
| 1 | Estimates of the U.S. Resident Population Based on Demographic Analysis | J. Gregory Robinson (Speaker), U.S. Census Bureau |
| 2 | No Title Available | Robert M. Bell (Discussant), AT&T Research Labs |
| 3 | The Size of the Unauthorized Population and the 2000 Census | Frank D. Bean (Speaker), University of California-Irvine |
| 4 | Angels and Pins: How Many Immigrants Live in the U.S.? | Jeffrey S. Passel (Speaker), The Urban Institute |
| 5 | Interpreting the 2000 Coverage Survey Results for the Total Population | Robert E. Fay (Speaker), U.S. Census Bureau |
|
The Science of Ice Cream
Sunday, February 17, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
|
| Albert H. Teich, AAAS; Jill H. Pace, American College of Real Estate Lawyers |
| Ice cream is a complex substance, widely eaten, but studied in relatively few places. Structurally, it is both an emulsion and a foam—a partially coalesced milk fat emulsion comprised of clusters and aggregates of fat surrounding microscopic air bubbles and ice crystals. The U.S. leads the world in the annual production and consumption of ice cream and related frozen desserts. Total U.S. production exceeded 1.6 billion gallons in 1999, almost 24 quarts per person. New England is home to some of the finest ice cream in the nation, from the nationally known Ben and Jerry’s of Vermont to Steve’s, which began in Somerville, to the locally-renowned Toscannini’s in Cambridge. New England is also said to lead the nation in per capita ice cream consumption. This session explores trends in ice cream production, consumption, food science and demographics. The science of ice cream production has remained relatively unchanged for centuries, but the technology has improved considerably. The symposium examines the history of ice cream production and its development as both a mass-market and a specialty treat; research on the physical chemistry, formation and structure of dairy products and frozen foods; the social and cultural aspects of America’s love for ice cream; the state-of-the-art in manufacturing technology; and a personal view from the front lines by a gourmet ice cream purveyor. |
| 1 | A History of American Ice Cream | Ann Cooper Funderburg (Speaker), Lincoln University, PA |
| 2 | The Science and Technology of Ice Cream | Rob Roberts (Speaker), Penn State University |
| 3 | No Title Available | Gus Rancatore (Speaker), Toscannini's Ice Cream |
| 4 | A Microscopical Exploration of the Complex Structure of Ice Cream | H. Douglas Goff (Speaker), University of Guelph |
| 5 | A Food Writer Looks at (and Tastes) Ice Cream | Corby Kummer (Speaker), The Atlantic Monthly |
| 6 | Global Gelati: Do You Know Where Your Ice Cream Has Been? | Merry White (Speaker), Boston University |
|
Have Your Say: A Town Meeting on Behavioral Genetics
Sunday, February 17, 2002 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
|
| Jonathan Beckwith, Harvard Medical School; Rachel J. Gray, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care |
| Research related to behavioral genetics has created considerable public anxiety. Some of the anxiety stems from a lack of understanding and/or misunderstanding of behavioral genetics. Insufficient public knowledge, coupled with fear about past abuses, illustrates the importance that scientists, ethicists and theologians work to provide community outreach and education on behavioral genetics. At the same time, these professional communities need to hear the nature and extent of the public's concerns. Communication must be in both directions. This one-and-half hour town meeting provides a forum where participants can discuss strategies for promoting public understanding of behavioral genetics. The dialogue will be initiated by presentations highlighting empirical research findings on public beliefs and the importance and difficulty of fostering literacy of behavioral genetics. A moderator will facilitate discussion and raise questions. We will discuss what information needs to be communicated to the public and scientists, the best methods for disseminating it, and how to improve overall public literacy on behavioral genetics. This session gives the scientific community and the public the opportunity to talk about what they view as important issues surrounding behavioral genetics. We hope that some ideas for innovative educational tools and resources will emerge from the dialogue. |
| 1 | Public Beliefs and Consequences | Jo Phelan (Speaker), Columbia University |
| 2 | No Title Available | Jonathan Beckwith (Moderator), Harvard Medical School |
| 3 | Genetics, Science Literacy, Social Value and Democratic Deliberation | Leonard Fleck (Speaker), Michigan State University |
|
Living in Cities: Engineering and Infrastructure
Friday, February 15, 2002 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |
|
| George Bugliarello, Polytechnic University |
| Today, about half of the world population is living in cities of over one hundred thousand inhabitants, up from only five percent in 1900, and very large cities (megacities) are growing in number in the developing world. This symposium addresses aspects and implications of this multi-faceted phenomenon, with particular focus on the large cities. It will consider some of the engineering, environmental, infrastructural and planning challenges that must be faced in alleviating the negative impacts of urbanization and enhancing the urban quality of life. It is increasingly evident that the growth of urban areas is undeterred by floods, earthquakes and other geophysical manifestations. In the northern hemisphere, cities have become major sources of a globe-circling stream of air pollution. Everywhere, they have become very substantial accumulators of materials which, when mined, can reduce the cities’ ecological footprints and become an increasingly important resource for the cities’ sustainable future. Out of a new focus on the global urban phenomenon there can arise new views of the city of the future. |
| 1 | The Phenomenon and Its Implications | George Bugliarello (Speaker), Polytechnic University |
| 2 | No Title Available | George Bugliarello (Chair), Polytechnic University |
| 3 | Air Pollution | F. Sherwood Rowland (Speaker), National Academy of Sciences |
| 4 | Protecting People and Places: Planning for Nature's Extremes | Charles G. Groat (Speaker), U.S. Geological Survey |
| 5 | Cities as the Mines of the Future | Thomas E. Graedel (Speaker), Yale University |
| 6 | Engineering Challenges and Approaches | Jack Fritz (Speaker), National Academy of Engineering |
| 7 | The National Academies Project | William Anderson (Speaker), The National Academies |
|
Science Around the World: Are International Institutions Working?
Monday, February 18, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
|
| Kurt Pawlik, International Social Science Council |
| During the last decades, scientific themes necessitating cross-national cooperation in research, documentation, and capacity building have been growing in number and significance, both in the natural and the social sciences. Examples include the several genome projects, research on sustainable development and global climate change, the study of economic and social transformations in present-day societies, and issues of ethics in science and technology. Traditional international institutions are often called upon to serve as enabling agents for this expanded science and technology (Science and Technology) collaboration. This symposium examines key elements for successful international S&T collaboration and the degree to which current institutional mechanisms promote such collaboration. The opening presentation will discuss the results of a recent evaluation of the effectiveness of traditional intergovernmental structures in meeting today’s needs for enhanced and more diverse forms of S&T cooperation. Subsequent speakers use selected case studies of recent and ongoing cross-national scientific programs to identify critical components of successful international collaboration. |
| 1 | Existing Intergovernmental Structures for S&T Collaboration: Renewal or Not? | Rodney W. Nichols (Speaker), New York Academy of Sciences |
| 2 | What Does It Take for International S&T Collaboration to Be Successful? | Norman Neureiter (Speaker), U.S. Department of State |
| 3 | Lessons Learned from Reviews of ICSU and NATO | Roland W. Schmitt (Speaker), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| 4 | S&T Collaboration Involving International Social Science and UN Organizations | Kurt Pawlik (Speaker), International Social Science Council |
| 5 | International Cooperation Involving Latin-American Scientists: Elements for Success | Catalina Saugy (Speaker), Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales |
| 6 | International Collaboration in Geography: What's Worked and What Has Not | Ronald F. Abler (Speaker), Association of American Geographers |
|
Social and Ethical Implications of Behavioral Genetics Research
Sunday, February 17, 2002 2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. |
|
| Audrey R. Chapman, AAAS; Elving Anderson, University of Minnesota |
| Of the sub-fields related to genetic science, studies of the genetic contribution to behavioral differences have been the most controversial and the most subject to misinterpretation. In recent years, genetic research utilizing a variety of methodologies has generated a considerable amount of new data about hereditary influences in animal and human behavior. Taking both genetic and environmental factors into account, these methods have been applied to a wide variety of traits, including cognitive abilities, facets of personality, and disorders, such as schizophrenia and manic-depression. Findings have generated both excitement about better understanding the hereditary influences on behavior and intense unease about the implications of the research. Concerns derive in part from the fact that this research touches on fundamental questions central to conceptions of human identity and responsibility. In addition, behavioral genetics research has implications for some of this nation's most cherished ideals about equality and justice. The anxieties also reflect the connections some in the public make between behavioral research and the legacy of eugenics and racism in this country. This symposium addresses some of the ethical and social dimensions of behavioral genetics research based on recent research findings. |
| 1 | Understanding and Assessing Claims of Genetic Influence on Criminal Behavior | Robert Wachbroit (Speaker), University of Maryland |
| 2 | Behavioral Genetics and Equality of Opportunity | Dan W. Brock (Speaker), Brown University |
| 3 | Behavioral Genetics, Group Attributions, and Social Stratification | Troy Duster (Speaker), New York University |
|
Behavioral Genetics: What We Know, and How We Know It
Sunday, February 17, 2002 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon |
|
| Elving Anderson, University of Minnesota; Audrey R. Chapman, AAAS |
| Behavioral genetics and its subfield of psychiatric genetics stand on a cusp. Though exciting reports of genes influencing common traits such as novelty seeking and anxiety, as well as serious mental disorders such as schizophrenia, have been reported in the past six years, replications have been elusive. The goal of the symposium is to present in an understandable and comprehensive manner what we know about genetic and environmental contributions to behavior and how we know it. This symposium examines the fundamental assumptions and recent results of behavioral and psychiatric genetics, including extensions of classical quantitative genetics, twin and adoption studies, and modern molecular methods. It brings together pioneers in behavioral genetics, current researchers who have conducted empirical studies and recent meta-analyses of the field, and those who have addressed the need for critical public understanding of the social implications of this often contentious science. The symposium also serves as the first of a day-long series of sessions that seek to provide interested members of the public with a perspective on the current status and implications of research on behavioral genetics. |
| 1 | Behavioral Genetics and Public Understanding | Kenneth F. Schaffner (Speaker), George Washington University |
| 2 | No Title Available | Jonathan Beckwith (Discussant), Harvard Medical School |
| 3 | Three Laws of Behavioral Genetics and What They Mean | Eric Turkheimer (Speaker), University of Virginia |
| 4 | Genetic and Environmental Influences on Population Variation in Antisocial Behaviors | Terrie E. Moffitt (Speaker), Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London |
| 5 | The Behavioral Genetics of Human Cognitive Ability | Matthew McGue (Speaker), University of Minnesota |
| 6 | Psychoses, Gene-Hunting, and Cautious Optimism | Irving I. Gottesman (Speaker), University of Minnesota |
|
Afghanistan and Terrorism: World Transformation?
Saturday, February 16, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
|
| John F. Shroder Jr., University of Nebraska-Omaha |
| Afghanistan has been uncommonly pivotal on the world stage for a very long time. Now the world's only superpower, the United States, is engaged in a new war in Afghanistan--one of the most undeveloped and war-torn nations. The reasons for this disparity in military power and presence are rooted in history: the 19th century formation of Afghanistan as the Great Game's buffer between Great Britain and Russia; the late 20th century invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, with eventual defeat and withdrawal. And most recently, in the face of continued devastation and drought, narcotics production, and weapons from all sides, the failure to recognize the need for a neo-Marshall plan of post-war redevelopment in Afghanistan. Into this vacuum, without any real economical, educational, or humanitarian base, stepped the seemingly sure answers from foreign-born Islamic fundamentalists, with the results we endure today. This symposium brings together authorities Afghanistan who to speak with long-term knowledge on the causes and consequences of the difficulties now faced by western governments. Featured will be solutions to deal with the international terrorism arising from protected strongholds in Afghanistan; the unholy alliance between Usama bin Laden and the Taliban; the plight of the women and children of Afghanistan; the regional geopolitics of the Afghan war and its political settlements; and the post-war redevelopment of Afghanistan, utilizing for the first time, its rich natural resource base to provide the capital and jobs necessary to change the country away from smuggling out drugs, thugs, weapons, and terrorism. |
| 1 | The Uunholy Alliance: Usama bin Laden, the Taliban, and Pakistan | Thomas Gouttierre (Speaker), University of Nebraska at Omaha |
| 2 | Afghanistan's Population: Numbers, Location, and Ethnic Distribution | Thomas Eighmy (Speaker), Afghanistan-American Foundation |
| 3 | Afghanistan's Harvest of Violence: Opium Poppies, Rural Development and Civil War | Michael K. Steinberg (Speaker), University of Southern Maine |
| 4 | Geoscience Constraints and Opportunities in the War and Post-War
Reconstruction of Afghanistan | John F. Shroder Jr. (Speaker), University of Nebraska-Omaha |
| 5 | No Title Available | Phylis Oakley (Speaker), U.S. State Department - Retired |
| 6 | Feeding Afghan Refugee Women and Children and Prosecuting the War Against
Terrorism" | William Wood (Speaker), [The Geographer], U.S. Department of State |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
