AAAS established the Center for Science, Technology and Congress in July 1994. Funded by a grant from the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund, the Center provides timely, objective information to Congress on current science and technology issues and assists the science and engineering community in understanding and working with Congress.

HEADLINES

August 2010 issue of Science and Technology in Congress now available

AAAS Expresses Concerns Over Indictments of Italian Scientists
On June 29, AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner sent a letter to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano that expressed concerns "over the recent indictments of six scientists and a government official" because they "failed to alert the population of L'Aquila of an impending earthquake" despite the fact that there is "no accepted scientific method for earthquake prediction that can be reliably used to warn citizens of impending disaster." (story)

AAAS Center for Science, Technology and Congress Launches Twitter Feed
To get up-to-date science policy news, follow us at http://www.twitter.com/aaas_cstc. 

Slides Available from the Climate Change and Agriculture: Food and Farming in a Changing Climate Briefing
AAAS cosponsored a briefing on June 16 to discuss the impacts that climate change will have on agriculture and the nations food supply. Slides from the briefing are available here.

Climate Change & National Security Slides and Video Available
On June 4, AAAS cosponsored a briefing that explored the national security implications of climate change to the United States and worldwide. Climate change poses considerable risk to physical systems, biological resources, and social institutions that society depends upon. As a result, military officials and security experts view climate change as a threat multiplier of existing national security concerns and a source of new threats to the United States.

Statement of the AAAS Board Of Directors Concerning the Virginia Attorney General’s Investigation of Prof. Michael Mann’s work
The AAAS Board of Directors, in a May 18 statement, asked Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli to either justify his investigation of climate researcher Michael Mann or end it, calling it "an apparently political action" that could have a chilling effect on scientific research.  The Board, while acknowledging the responsibility of state and federal officials to oversee the proper use of grant funds, said Cuccinelli's request "goes far beyond what is needed to determine financial propriety, including substantive emails with colleagues, computer codes, and the detailed data resulting from Dr. Mann's work."

Slides are available for the May 11 Climate Science: Key Questions and Answers briefing and the May 6 Tiny Particles with Big Consequences: Black Carbon, Climate, and Air Quality briefing.

AAAS Comments on Federal Public Access Policies
On January 21, AAAS sent a letter to the Office of Science and Technology Policy commenting on Public Acccess Policies for Science and Technology Funding Agencies Across the Federal Government.

AAAS Reissues Climate Change Statement
AAAS has reaffirmed the position of its Board of Directors and the leaders of 18 respected organizations, who concluded based on multiple lines of scientific evidence that global climate change caused by human activities is now underway, and it is a growing threat to society.

AAAS Sends Letter Supporting University Stem Cell Research
AAAS sent a letter to University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken supporting his recommendation that the university maintain its policy of following federal and state guidelines on human embryonic stem cell research. Some members of the Board of Regents had sought to set a precedent for state research universities by further restricting stem cell experiments for University of Nebraska scientists. The proposal failed on a 4-4 vote, just shy of the necessary majority.

AAAS Comments on WMD Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2009
On November 2, AAAS sent Senators Lieberman and Collins a letter expressing concerns and recommendations in the interest of promoting safe and secure science while preventing bioterrorism.

AAAS and 17 other Scientific Societies Release Letter Supporting Climate Change Science and Adaptation
As Senators debate climate change legislation, 18 scientific societies signed onto a joint letter affirming climate change science and offering assistance to Senators as they debate legislation.