American Association for the Advancement of Science

About: American Association for the Advancement of Science is a nonprofit organization based out in Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Science education & Government. The organization has 353 authors who have published 897 publications receiving 18841 citations. The organization is also known as: AAAS.

Standards for Postdoc Training

Abstract: ![Figure][1] CREDIT: COLELLA PHOTOGRAPHY Postdoctoral (Postdoc) training has become virtually institutionalized in many parts of the world as a discrete stage in the career progression in most science and engineering fields. However, there is far too much variability in what such training involves, across institutions and among the laboratories within them. Given its importance and pervasiveness—there are over 50,000 postdocs in the United States alone—we need to establish and enforce standards, norms, and expectations for mentors, mentees, and their institutions that are analogous to those for undergraduate and graduate education. The original rationale for postdoc training was to acquire additional skills that were not included in one's graduate program. That motivation has persisted, but an extended postdoc period has also become a way to establish one's credentials, or a source of temporary employment when regular jobs are scarce. In many fields it is almost impossible to get a permanent job directly out of graduate school, and it is not unusual for researchers in some fields to have had two or more postdoc experiences. In addition, postdocs have become nearly indispensable members of many research groups, because they provide novel ideas and do much of the hands-on experimentation. ![Figure][1] CREDIT: G. GRULLON, SCIENCE The U.S. National Academies' Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) did an in-depth analysis of the postdoc experience in 2000[*][2] and is revisiting the issues with another study committee now. The 2000 report concluded that postdoc training is far too variable and recommended a set of remedial steps. Examples include the development of distinct goals, policies, and standards for postdoc experiences; institutional recognition, status, and compensation in keeping with the important roles postdocs play in the research enterprise; and career guidance to prepare postdocs for regular employment. Unfortunately, none of these recommendations has been implemented on a broad scale. To convert them into reality requires oversight bodies both within and across research institutions that train postdocs. A critical COSEPUP recommendation was that every university should have a designated high-level office that oversees postdoc training across the entire institution. Although some institutions have established such offices, many lack the standing and influence needed to enforce adherence to standards and policies, and therefore the nature of postdoc training remains idiosyncratic from laboratory to laboratory. Another barrier to implementing these recommendations is the absence of national bodies that support the institutional officials responsible for postdoc training, collecting data important for decision-making and articulating standards and best practices. In the United States, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) represents graduate school deans and serves these functions for graduation education. The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) was founded by a small number of postdoc trainees in 2003 with the goal of improving the quality and consistency of U.S. postdoc experiences. The NPA now has about 171 institutional members, but, in contrast to the CGS, it lacks the full senior-level membership and official standing needed to foster consistency and standards across all institutions. Every institution that trains postdocs should have a high-level office responsible for ensuring the quality and consistency of its training programs. And all such institutions should join together and either strengthen the NPA or form an alternative organization that will have the standing to recommend in detail best practices and standards and offer technical assistance to its institutional members. For any such efforts to succeed requires the full endorsement and participation of all elements of the scientific community—faculty, students, administrators, and funders. Today's postdocs are the future of the science and engineering enterprise. Let's commit to ensuring that all of them get the quality postdoc experiences they need and deserve. [1]: pending:yes [2]: #fn-1

Climate change, transgenic corn adoption and field-evolved resistance in corn earworm.

Abstract: Increased temperature anomaly during the twenty-first century coincides with the proliferation of transgenic crops containing the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) (Bt) to express insecticidal Cry proteins. Increasing temperatures profoundly affect insect life histories and agricultural pest management. However, the implications of climate change on Bt crop-pest interactions and insect resistance to Bt crops remains unexamined. We analysed the relationship of temperature anomaly and Bt adoption with field-evolved resistance to Cry1Ab Bt sweet corn in a major pest, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). Increased Bt adoption during 1996-2016 suppressed H. zea populations, but increased temperature anomaly buffers population reduction. Temperature anomaly and its interaction with elevated selection pressure from high Bt acreage probably accelerated the Bt-resistance development. Helicoverpa zea damage to corn ears, kernel area consumed, mean instars and proportion of late instars in Bt varieties increased with Bt adoption and temperature anomaly, through additive or interactive effects. Risk of Bt-resistant H. zea spreading is high given extensive Bt adoption, and the expected increase in overwintering and migration. Our study highlights the challenges posed by climate change for Bt biotechnology-based agricultural pest management, and the need to incorporate evolutionary processes affected by climate change into Bt-resistance management programmes.

Testing Application of Geographical Information Systems, Forensic Geomorphology and Electrical Resistivity Tomography to Investigate Clandestine Grave Sites in Colombia, South America

Abstract: Colombian forensic investigators required assistance locating clandestine burials of missing persons related to human right atrocities from 14 years ago. Geoscientific search methods were trialled, including a predictive spatial statistical model, using various input and database information, to select the most likely grave locations in difficult mountainous terrain. Groundwork using forensic geomorphology, near-surface geophysics (ERT) and subsequent probing identified suspect burial positions. One site was in mountainous terrain and the other in former school grounds, both difficult to access and in poor weather conditions. In the mountainous area, a negative resistivity anomaly area was identified and intrusively investigated, found to be a buried rock. In school grounds, after MESP and intelligence were used to identify a burial site, surface depressions were identified, and ERT datasets collected over the highest priority depression; intrusive investigations discovered a hand-dug pit containing animal bones. This approach is suggested for Latin American searches.

Ethics in Research: Current Issues for Dental Researchers and Their Professional Society

Abstract: Values associated with scientific investigations affect the conduct, evaluation, and reporting of research and lead to ethical issues for scientists engaged in dental research. This essay examines the relationship between scientists and the larger society in which they work, and how that relationship defines the boundaries of scientific freedom and autonomy, on the one hand, and scientific responsibility and accountability, on the other. Values underlie disputes over data sharing, perceptions of conflict of interest, and scientists' commitment to research integrity. Professional societies, such as the IADR, can be a major influence in shaping the moral tone and ethical climate for research through the adoption of standards, the development of educational programs designed to reinforce those standards, and the public recognition of responsible conduct on the part of scientists.

Combining Geographic Information Systems and Agent-Based Models in Archaeology: Part 2 of 3

Abstract: Archaeologists are using spatial data in increasingly sophisticated analyses and invoking more explicit considerations of space in their interpretations. Geographic information systems (GIS) have become standard technology for professional archaeologists in the collection and management of spatial data. Many calls have been made to develop and adapt digital geospatial technologies for interpretation and understanding past social dynamics, but this has been limited to some extent by the static nature of map-oriented GIS approaches. Here, we illustrate how coupling GIS with agent-based modeling (ABM) can assist with more dynamic explorations of past uses of space and geospatial phenomena.