Special Invited Address
World's Largest General Science Conference Welcomes Former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Al Gore

Former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Al Gore

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WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced that former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Honorable Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. will address the world's largest general scientific conference Friday, 13 February, in Chicago, Illinois.

Former Vice President Gore's special invited address, hosted by AAAS President James J. McCarthy and the AAAS Board of Directors, will take place at 6:30 p.m. during the 175th AAAS Annual Meeting and the winter conference of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). Attendance is restricted to AAAS and AAPT registrants.

"Al Gore has been a world leader in confronting the threat of global climate change, and a staunch supporter of science and technology," said McCarthy, the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard University.

"He was among the very first political leaders to recognize the urgency of unequivocal scientific evidence pointing to global climate change related to human activities," McCarthy added. "He understands that climate change could soon put the survival of many species at risk, and it affects the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Moreover, he is also an ardent advocate for the scientific research, technological developments, and policies that will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. It will be a tremendous honor for the AAAS and AAPT communities to hear his special invited address."

Mr. Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States (1993-2001), is the author of An Inconvenient Truth, a best-selling book on the threat of and solutions to global climate change—the subject of an Academy Award-winning movie by the same title. A leading advocate for confronting the threat of global warming, his efforts were outlined in the book, Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit (1992). He also led the Clinton-Gore Administration's efforts to protect the environment in a way that also strengthens the economy. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, together with the Intergovernmental Panel on Global Climate Change, in 2007.

Currently, Mr. Gore is cofounder and Chairman of Generation Investment Management, a firm focused on a new approach to Sustainable Investing. He also is cofounder and Chairman of Current TV, an independently owned cable and satellite television network for young people. A member of the Board of Directors of Apple and a Senior Advisor to Google, Mr. Gore serves as a Visiting Professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is a partner with Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers.

Mr. Gore received a degree in government with honors from Harvard University in 1969. After graduation, he volunteered for enlistment in the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War. Upon returning from Vietnam, he became an investigative reporter with the Tennessean in Nashville, where he also attended Vanderbilt University's Divinity School and then Law School.

HOW TO REGISTER: Conference registration is required, and badges must be worn to attend Mr. Gore's 13 February address, which is from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. AAAS and AAPT registrants in all categories—excluding those with "Exhibit Only" badges—will be eligible to hear Mr. Gore's special invited address. Room capacity is limited, however, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning one hour prior to the presentation.

Discounted advance registration to the AAAS Annual Meeting ends 2 February. For more information, log onto www.aaas.org/meeting. On the day of Mr. Gore's address, AAAS general registration will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the Hyatt Regency Chicago, East Tower, Gold Level, Grand Ballroom Foyer.

HISTORY: Mr. Gore has addressed the AAAS Annual Meeting twice before, in 1996 and 1999. The first AAAS Annual Meeting took place in 1848 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Past meetings have featured such notables as U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton; Microsoft's Bill Gates; the science ministers of the European Commission, India, Germany, the United Kingdom and Hungary; Rwandan President Paul Kagame; former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; many Nobelists including David Baltimore, Steven Chu, Sherwood Rowland, Leon Lederman, Wolfgang Ketterle, and a host of other luminaries, too numerous to name.

ABOUT AAAS: The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal, Science. AAAS was founded in Philadelphia in 1848, and has 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education and more.

ABOUT AAPT: The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) is the leading organization of physics educators. It is a professional membership association of scientists dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching. The Association was established in 1930 with the fundamental goal of ensuring the "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." It has more than 11,000 members in 30 countries worldwide. See www.aapt.org.