AAAS member Tee L. Guidotti receives Knudsen Award Thursday, May 16, 2013 On April 28, 2013, longtime AAAS member Tee L. Guidotti received the William S. Knudsen Award for Lifetime Career Achievement in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. NIH announces sequestration policies A look at the NIH sequestration policies Capitol Connection May 20, 2013 On May 8th, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced how sequestration will impact the agency’s fiscal policies. The NIH is now operating under a $29.15 billion dollar budget, which is roughly five percent less than last fiscal year. While this cut was anticipated, it puts further stress on already financially starved labs and scientists. Alex Wild, an insect photographer Behind the lens of an insect photographer Driving Force May 9, 2013 Alex Wild never set out to be a professional photographer. In 2001 he was simply a graduate student researching insects and species classification. He wanted better images to use with talks and presentations, so he bought a simple camera and started taking pictures. This was before the rise of social media so rather than uploading them to Facebook or Instagram, he built a website and started to post his images there. Winners of 2013 AAAS Student Poster Competition Tuesday, April 30, 2013 The 2013 Student Poster Competition took place at the AAAS Annual Meeting In Boston February 14-18. The student winners' work displayed originality and understanding that set them apart from their peers. The AAAS Poster Sessions provide individuals with an opportunity to present their research, offering an excellent venue for extended informal discussion with meeting attendees. All posters are peer-reviewed, and accepted posters are listed in the AAAS Annual Meeting Poster Book. Abstracts appear on the Annual Meeting Abstract CD, within the Program Book. Patricia Brennan Attack on researcher highlights growing need for public education of basic science Capitol Connection May 10, 2013 Researcher Patricia Brennan poses a challenge question: Name one thing that doesn't use fundamental science? You'll be hard pressed to find one thing that we do or use in our modern world that hasn't come from using fundamental science. From the clothes we wear, to the food that's undergone millennia of artificial selection to smartphones we're permanently attached to, there is not a single thing that hasn't stemmed from our curiosity and desire to make our world better. With this said, we can plainly see how important fundamental science research is. However, as Brennan encountered, the general public may not understand the value of basic science and it's up to the science community to make sure they do. Return on Investment of education from a business perspective Return on investment of education from a business perspective Driving Force May 17, 2013 In the previous blog I wrote, I began a discussion about the return on investment (ROI) of a university education. From a student standpoint, the answer to what makes a university education is personal, and the math to figure out if it is worth it isn't clean. Now, I'd like to continue the discussion from the standpoint of what I've learned about hiring recent university grads as a small business owner is science and technology. Return on investment for a university education Return on investment for a university education Driving Force May 13, 2013 Growing up, spending time in the library, reading, taking notes, learning, and, yes, even writing reports was something I didn't just love – I thrived on it. I spent countless hours dreaming of the days when I'd graduate from high school and continue my academic education in a university, then continue on to be a researcher myself. Nominations for the 2013 AAAS Mentor Awards Thursday, April 25, 2013 The two categories of the AAAS Mentor Awards, the Lifetime Mentor Award and the Mentor Award, honor individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the science and engineering PhD workforce. These groups include: women of all racial or ethnic groups; African American, Native American, and Hispanic men; and people with disabilities. All nominations are due by July 31, 2013. smart phone use Professionalism in the workplace Driving Force April 30, 2013 As I'm finishing up my master's degree in geology, I often think about starting a career or even getting a job for the sheer love of my field, not just for a secondary income besides writing and my own business. Also, as a business owner on the cusp of being able to hire people, I often think about what type of people I want to hire for the positions I need filled. This leads me to endless number of small business workshops and seminars, hours of Internet and library research, all followed by talking to my elders about who, what, and whys of hiring. Perils of peer review Perils of peer review Driving Force May 3, 2013 This spring I’ve participated in grants review panels for two federal agencies. As a former NSF division director and coauthor of a book on peer review, Peerless Science: Peer Review and U.S. Science Policy (1990), revisiting the process—with others one or two generations younger, but without disclosing anything that confidentiality proscribes—is prudent.