October 2009 Archives

Letter Signed by Leading Scientific Societies Sent to Senators

FOR RELEASE, 10:01 AM EDT, OCTOBER 21, 2009
Contact: Robert Gropp, rgr...@aibs.org, 202-628-1500 x 250
Julie Palakovich Carr, jpal...@aibs.org

WASHINGTON, DC: The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) and other leading scientific organizations have reaffirmed the scientific consensus that climate change is occurring and is primarily caused by human activities.

In a statement sent to all U.S. Senators on October 21, 2009, the leaders of 18 scientific organizations stated that "rigorous scientific research" demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the "primary driver" of climate change. "These conclusions are based on multiple independent lines of evidence, and contrary assertions are inconsistent with an objective assessment of the vast body of peer-reviewed science," the scientists wrote.

Dr. May Berenbaum, President of AIBS, signed the letter on behalf of the society. "The evidence that human activities contribute to global climate change is compellingly consistent and clear; constructive human activities to stem or reverse these changes are now urgently needed," she said.

The letter called attention to the impacts of climate change on human society, the economy, and the environment. The "broad impacts" of climate change include sea level rise, greater threats of extreme weather events, and increased risk of regional water scarcity, wildfires, and the disturbance of biological systems throughout the United States.

"Climate change is surging through and rending Earth's biodiversity," said Dr. William Y. Brown, President of the Natural Science Collections Alliance. "If we do not stem the tide of our own greenhouse gases now, we simply invite and magnify future harm and cost."

"[T]o avoid the most severe impacts of climate change, emissions of greenhouse gases must be dramatically reduced," the letter stated. "In addition, adaptation will be necessary to address those impacts that are already unavoidable."

The impact of climate change on natural resources and biological systems will be profound.

"Climate change is real, and plants know it. Plants that could once grow only south of central Ohio can now grow north of Detroit," said Dr. Kent Holsinger, President of the Botanical Society of America. "Warmer temperatures also lead to earlier flowering, which can disrupt pollinator interactions leading to declines of both plants and pollinators." The consequences will be significant for our food supply, which depends upon plants and their pollinators.

Dr. Brian D. Kloeppel, President of the Organization of Biological Field Stations, warned: "Climate change will continue to have dramatic impacts on both temperate and boreal forests as rising temperatures increase carbon dioxide efflux from forest soils. The resulting feedback on the distribution and productivity of these forest ecosystems as water resources fluctuate could be dramatic."

The scientific organizations that sent the letter represent the breadth of the scientific community. Collectively, these organizations serve more than 10 million scientists. Ten AIBS member organizations have already signed the statement.

To read the complete statement, please visit http://www.aibs.org/position-statements/20091021_scientists_issu.html.

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About AIBS
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is a nonprofit scientific association dedicated to advancing biological research and education for the welfare of society. Founded in 1947 as a part of the National Academy of Sciences, AIBS became an independent, member-governed organization in the 1950s. AIBS is sustained by a membership of some 5,000 biologists and nearly 200 professional societies and scientific organizations representing the breadth of the biological sciences. The combined individual membership of the latter exceeds 250,000.

Astronomy enthusiasts across the globe are breaking out their telescopes this weekend (October 22-24) in a coordinated effort to help hundreds of thousands of people experience their own "Galileo moment" of awe and discovery when seeing the planet Jupiter and its four largest moons.

More than 800 public observing events in over 50 countries are being organized as part of "Galilean Nights," a cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009). More than 75 events in the United States are listed on the international Galilean Nights Web site at www.galileannights.org.

"Our goal is to enable people of all ages to share the wonder of the night sky by seeing the same objects that legendary Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei first observed scientifically four centuries ago," says Douglas Isbell, the U.S. national Single Point of Contact for IYA2009. "We hope to give many people their first glimpse of the marvels of the Universe through a telescope, showing them breathtaking sights such as the cloud bands of Jupiter, and the rocky desolation of craters and mountain ranges on our Moon."

Large U.S. events are being planned for Inwood Hill Park in New York City and Hilo, Hawaii, for example. A wide variety of other events are scheduled at places as diverse as a Starbucks coffee shop in Alabaster, Alabama; Wilhemina State Park in Mena, Arkansas; the Amoeba music store in Hollywood, California; Colorado Astronomy Day in Brighton and Chamberlin Observatory in Denver; the Embry-Riddle University observatory in Daytona Beach, Florida; sidewalk astronomy at the corner of North and Wells streets in Chicago; a Radio Shack in Waterloo, Iowa; Chabot Science Center near Oakland; a Border's Bookstore in Wichita, Kansas; the Longway Planetarium in Flint, Michigan; Bottomless Lakes State Park in Roswell, New Mexico; the University of Texas Arlington planetarium; the Great Salt Lake Nature Center in Utah; the Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC; and the Green Bank Science Center in West Virginia.

As well as looking at our planetary neighbors through a telescope, people are encouraged to photograph what they see and share the sights with the world through the Galilean Nights astrophotography competition. Photographers of all levels of experience are enthusiastically taking part in the competition as they try to produce their own captivating photographs of the Universe. Anyone with a camera and an appreciation of the night sky can take part.

Entries using the IYA2009 cornerstone project Galileoscope are particularly encouraged, Isbell says. More than 125,000 of these high-quality, hands-on telescope kits have been produced, and units are still available for order for $20 each, or $15 each for orders over 100, at www.galileoscope.org.

In addition to these activities, several observatories are making their facilities available to the world for remote observing sessions, allowing people to take photographs of astronomical objects from their own personal computers.

The Web site also includes lots of resources and downloadable materials for organizations interested in hosting their own events, such as the logo in numerous languages, information on sky objects, and pre-prepared presentations.

"Please register your events and report back to us with your results so we can make a good estimate of how successful the event was around the world," Isbell adds.

The vision of the IYA2009 is to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day and night-time skies the impact of astronomy and basic sciences on our daily lives, and understand better how scientific knowledge can contribute to a more equitable and peaceful society.

The cornerstones and special projects of IYA2009 aim to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme‚ "The Universe, Yours to Discover." IYA2009 events and activities hope to promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy that embody an invaluable shared resource for all countries.

For more information, visit:
www.galileannights.org
www.astronomy2009.us
www.astronomy2009.org

Contacts:

Douglas Isbell
U.S. Single-Point-of-Contact for IYA2009
Phone: 520-991-0380
Email: disbell@astronomy2009.us

Catherine Moloney
Galilean Nights Task Group Chair
Phone: +44 7881861400
Email: cmoloney@eso.org

Pedro Russo
IYA2009 Coordinator
ESO ePOD, Garching, Germany
Phone: +49 89 320 06 195
Cell: +49 176 6110 0211
Email: prusso@eso.org

Year Two of the Kids Science Challenge, the free nationwide competition for third to sixth graders which is made possible by the National Science Foundation, has officially been launched. The Kids' Science Challenge is a nationwide competition for students to submit experiments and problems for REAL scientists and engineers to solve. Nearly 800 children participated in the first year of the Kids' Science Challenge, and they are hoping to reach even more children this year.

Click here to download the press release, which will tell you about this years science challenges and much more!

Click here to visit the official website and learn more about the challenge.

Scientists Go Back to School

This October, the D.C. area's best and brightest scientists will donate their time to educate and engage local students in the wonders of science. Scientists will visit classrooms, work with teachers, participate in special assemblies and conduct hands-on experiments with students.

Sponsors and participants in Meet the Scientist expect that relationships forged between scientific organizations and schools will extend well past October of 2009. The project's goal is to test the event in Washington, D.C. and use what is learned to develop a nationwide effort.

Click here to learn more.

To All International Year of Astronomy Leaders:

For a long time many of you have worked hard to get a star party at the White House during the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). This effort has paid off, and we now need to make the most of this event.

This is the official statement from the White House Office of the Press Secretary:
"On Wednesday, the President will award the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in a ceremony at the White House. The President will also meet with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the evening, the President and First Lady will host an event at the White House for middle-school students to highlight the President's commitment to science, engineering and math education as the foundation of this nation's global technological and economic leadership and to express his support for astronomy in particular - for its capacity to promote a greater awareness of our place in the universe, expand human knowledge, and inspire the next generation by showing them the beauty and mysteries of the night sky."

Here is a summary of the planned event from an official WHSP organizer:
"The White House 'Star Party' will take place Wednesday October 7th. President Obama will kick-off the event with a brief address that will be streamed live on the whitehouse.gov website (estimated beginning at 8 pm EDT). The program at the White House includes more than 20 telescopes set up on the White House lawn focused on Jupiter, the Moon and select stars; interactive dome presentations, and hands on activities including scale models of the Solar System, impact cratering, and investigating meteorites and Moon rocks. You may wish to prepare similar activities at your facility. We will hear from NASA TV on Monday on what channel the President's address will be broadcast on NASA TV."

Click here to view the event flier.

Live Event Information:

Topic: "How We Know What We Know: Looking at Climate Change Through Polar Science"

Friday 16 October 2009 - 9 am Alaska Daylight Time (7 am HST, 10 am PDT, 11pm MDT, 12 pm CDT, 1 pm EDT)

Join us for this special live event celebrating Earth Science Week, with polar researchers and teachers Julie Brigham-Grette, Ross Powell, and Tim Martin.

How do you join an event?

In order to participate in any live event, we ask that you register online at . Instructions on how to join these events are sent out in an email once you register and are available for downloading on the website.

Contact: info@polartrec.com
http://www.polartrec.com

What are Live events?

* These are real-time, interactive events that utilize the Internet and phone for presentations.

* These events allow participants to learn about the research being conducted in the polar regions.

* Events are free to the public and at minimum require a phone or Internet access.

Questions? Please feel free to contact us at info@polartrec.com with questions about the live events.