The U.S. National Committees (USNC's) for four international unions in the geosciences the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), and the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) will coordinate and assure effective representation of the U.S. geosciences research community in these unions, in their meetings and related activities. These National Committees are housed within the Policy and Global Affairs Division of the Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The four international geosciences unions are members of the International Council for Science (ICSU).
The U.S. Committees will play a lead role within the international unions in addressing a wide-ranging set of issues that not only include identifying and encouraging development of new geosciences research initiatives, but also impact the conduct of science across disciplinary boundaries, such as restrictions on the free circulation of scientists and dissemination of research publications; effects of electronic publishing on the costs and accessibility of research articles in developing countries; and the impact of security considerations on the free flow of scientific and technical information. The U.S. Committees will also introduce scientists who are early in their career to international research
The Committees will undertake to keep the U.S. scientific community informed of the activities of the Unions, working in cooperation with U.S. professional scientific societies, such as the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, the Soil Science Society of America, and the American Quaternary Association, several of which are represented on the Committees. The Committees nominate the U.S. delegation to the general assemblies or council meetings of the unions, and plan and sponsor meetings that support union activities in the United States. Among the most important of the upcoming meetings are: the International Geological Congress, Oslo, Norway, summer 2008; the IUSS Intercongress Council Meeting, Brisbane, Australia, 2008; and the19th World Congress of Soil Science, Brisbane, Australia, August 1-6, 2010.
While the USNC's are the locus for U.S. membership and participation in the international Unions, these Committees will consult throughout this process with interested U.S. Government agencies, particularly the National Science Foundation.
The goals of this project were to (1) effectively represent the U.S. Earth Sciences community in four major international geoscience unions of the International Council for Science (ICSU), namely, the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), and the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), and (2) advance Earth sciences in the U.S. through the organization of scientific events and the support of early career scientists. The National Academy of Sciences is the official U.S. adhering body to each of the four geoscience unions, and effects this representation through the U.S. National Committees (USNCs) for Soil Science, Geodesy and Geophysics, Geological Sciences, and Quaternary Research, which performed this work. INTELLECTUAL MERIT Earth science research requires international participation and cooperation. The activities of the international unions and the USNCs benefit U.S. science and enable U.S. scientists to become more involved in international projects and initiatives, which in turn strengthens science in the United States. The USNCs lead by shaping union policy and projects to advance international science. They fulfill the role of connectors for the U.S. geosciences to the international community by representing U.S. scientists to the international scientific unions through nomination of U.S. scientists for leadership positions in the unions, by sending official delegations, and by proposing resolutions that influence union activities and governance. Scientific sessions organized by the USNCs at professional society meetings, such as the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, have informed scientists, policymakers, and the press about state-of-the-art Earth science discoveries and critical issues, with special attention to their societal impact. Three workshops on teaching climate change were organized jointly with a professional society and a geosciences education initiative, where the USNC defined the scope of the project and provided the scientific knowledge that underpinned the workshops. The USNCs organized and managed four travel fellowship programs for U.S. early career scientists to present their research at international geoscience congresses by leveraging NSF funds with money from private sources. BROADER IMPACT The USNCs for the Earth sciences fulfill the role of neutral conveners: they create a space where members of academia, federal and state governments personnel, representatives from professional societies, and industry staff can discuss issues that are relevant to the U.S. scientific enterprise and its place within international science, and address them through interactions with other scientists and policymakers and the organization of different types of activities. At the national level, the USNCs facilitate the sharing of concepts among the various Earth sciences and cross-fertilization with other areas of science. Interactions among the USNCs make possible the exchange of information about the international geoscience landscape to help better position U.S. science and scientists. An important USNC role is to increase the U.S. scientific community's awareness of the unions and their activities, and to encourage U.S. participation. Symposia and other presentations at professional society meetings are a cost-effective means to promote the science being done internationally and in the U.S. within an integrative framework. These sessions explore important subjects for members of the media, geoscientists and scientists in disciplines other than the geosciences, and policymakers. In addition to describing up-to-date research, these sessions are effective tools in geoscience outreach and education and have resulted in dozens of press articles and interviews. More than three quarters of the travel fellowship awardees stated that they would not have been able to present their research at these international congresses without the programs organized by the USNCs. These early career scientists got exposure to international research and networking, became familiar with the USNCs and the international unions, shared their experiences at their academic institutions, and many expressed interest in becoming involved in international science as part of their careers. The activities of the USNC/INQUA helped national efforts to increase climate change literacy by hosting a series of three workshops for formal and informal educators and helping build freely-accessible web-based teaching resources. Hundreds of students and members of the public have been reached as a result of this initiative. In summary, the USNCs provide the link between the U.S. scientific community and the international unions. They carry out an important domestic function by informing the U.S. community of the activities of the union and identifying topics of importance to the U.S.; by developing activities to advance geoscience, either on their own or in partnership with other U.S. organizations; by nominating and supporting U.S. scientists in leadership positions at the union level; and by providing expert advice in national and iinternational scientific matters.
