| 7:45-8:30 |
Tea, Coffee and Refreshments |
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|
| 8:30-8:45 |
Welcome and Opening Remarks |
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Albert H. Teich, Director, AAAS Directorate for
Science & Policy Programs |
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Mary Good, AAAS President |
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|
| 8:45-10:15 |
The National Commission on Terrorism Report: Impact
on Foreign Students and Minorities |
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Issues/Topics: |
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The recommendation of the National Commission on Terrorism
Report that the INS monitor what foreign students study at U.S. Universities
has been controversial. The proposal is to use an existing INS program that
is now in its pilot phase, the Coordinated Interagency Partnership Regulating
International Students (CIPRIS). CIPRIS is an Internet-based system that
allows universities and colleges to electronically file information about
the status of their foreign students directly to the INS. The Commission
recommends adding elements to the system that would monitor such things
as declared majors or any changes in majors. It is possible there would
be certain courses of study designated as "red flags" or high
risk, such as nuclear physics. The information is to be shared with the
participating U.S. agencies, including the Department of State, Department
of Education and the U.S. Information Agency. |
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Panel Chair - Mary Good, AAAS President |
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Speakers |
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Yonah Alexander, Director of the International
Center for Terrorism Studies, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies |
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Victor C. Johnson, Associate Executive Director for
Public Policy, NAFSA: Association of International Educators |
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Catheryn D. Cotten, Director, International
Office of Duke University (Duke University is a member of the pilot
phase of the CIPRIS system) |
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|
| 10:15 |
Break |
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|
| 10:30-12:30 |
Security Policies at National Labs: The Impact on Science
and Scientists |
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Issues/Topics: |
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There are reports that Asian and Asian-Americans scientists are avoiding
jobs at U.S. weapon laboratories, particularly Los Alamos, because they
claim that researchers of Asian descent have been systemically harassed
and passed over for promotions due to their ethnicity. In fact, some Asian-American
organizations have called for boycotts of the weapons laboratories. The
security measures encourage closer monitoring of nationals from all sensitive
countries. The measures, such as polygraph testing and requirements to
list all contacts and relationships with people in sensitive countries,
are seen by some as contributing to the unjust treatment of certain scientists
and a decline in morale among scientists at the labs.
|
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Panel Chair - Nelson Kiang, Member, AAAS
Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility and Professor Emeritus,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University |
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Speakers |
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Maureen I. McCarthy, Chief Scientist, National Nuclear
Security Administration and Senior Technical Advisor to the Secretary,
U.S. Department of Energy |
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Jonathan Medalia, National Defense Specialist, Congressional
Research Service |
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Manvendra K. Dubey, Chair, Asian American Diversity
Working Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
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Stephen Younger, Associate Laboratory Director for
Nuclear Weapons, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
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Daniel Poneman, Senior Advisor to the Baker-Hamilton
Review of Certain Security Issues at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and
Partner, Hogan & Hartson |
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|
| 12:30-1:30 |
Open Discussion/Open Forum |
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An opportunity for attendees to discuss issues raised during
the panels, with particular emphasis on what role, if any, the scientific
community should play in addressing these issues. |
