Forest Service also sees a cut to its research activities while debate over environmental policy riders takes center stage at Committee markups.

Melissa Kenney, 2010-12 Executive Branch Fellow now at University of Maryland, worked with 200+ scientists over the past four years on a groundbreaking set of climate change indicators designed to communicate how the environment is changing, spotlight risks, and inform decision-making on policy, planning, and resource management.

At the 2014 William D. Carey Lecture, the Harvard dean said global challenges such as climate change have put the world at a tipping point, and she called for new and more effective types of applied research that closely connect to curiosity-driven basic research.

As the world population reaches 7 billion, many countries regions confront a scarcity of those basic resources essential for human life—namely adequate food and water. More than just humanitarian crises, resource scarcities and conflicts challenge American security interests in strategic regions such as the Middle East and Asia. Scientists and engineers have the skills and technologies necessary to mitigate scarcity, reduce instability, and fight resource security challenges.

Water Security

The new issue of Science & Diplomacy, AAAS’s quarterly publication, offers a framework for nations seeking to pursue science diplomacy and articles exploring a range of promising initiatives undertaken in Africa, the Middle East, and even in orbit above Earth.

The technological revolution is creating new wealth in the United States, yet the percentage of the working-age population with jobs has not rebounded, and “toxic thinking” continues to hinder innovation, experts said at the 2012 AAAS Forum on S&T Policy.

Wealth distribution represents another challenge to broad economic recovery, speakers said during a session that asked the question, “Can the United States Innovate Its Way to Jobs and Economic Recovery?”