Smithsonian gives us 'the scoop' on dirt

SSSA, Fertilizer Institute sponsor "Dig It! The Secrets of Soil" 

 Special to The Science Leader

There are more living creatures in a shovel-full of soil than human beings on the planet, yet more is known about the dark side of the moon than about soil. These are just a couple facts visitors can learn from the new exhibition "Dig It! The Secrets of Soil," open through Jan. 3, 2010 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

The 5,000-square-foot exhibition reveals the complex world of soil and how this hidden ecosystem supports nearly every form of life on Earth. The exhibition is sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America and the Nutrients for Life Foundation, which is underwritten by The Fertilizer Institute.

"The mission of this exhibition to educate millions about the importance of soils truly aligns with the Soil Science Society of America's own purpose of advancing soils as being fundamental to life," said SSSA President Gary A. Peterson. "Soil has an impact on climate change and our carbon footprint, among other important environmental issues."

Truth, challenges highlight meeting

CSSP semi-annual event informative, intense

By Gaylen Bradley, Alumni Liaison to the CSSP Executive Board

Science leaders looking for cutting-edge information, intense debates, challenges and truths were not let down by the spring CSSP meeting lineup. 

The first day was kicked off with a series of intense sessions addressing the national science agenda, global science, the challenges of leadership and pioneering research.

The next morning, committees reviewed CSSP's public policy statements and made proposals to address issues that had either had not been dealt with adequately, or had changing circumstances bring them to the forefront. Awards were presented that evening to Paul Anastas of Yale University and John Warner of the University of Massachusetts for their leadership in "green chemistry." Robert Tai, University of Virginia, was honored for his evidence-based research on science education. Three intertwined topics - energy, global issues and education - were pervasive in the presentations and the subsequent spirited discussions. The 87 participants completed the formal sessions better informed, challenged and roused to action by the intense dialog on complex science-related problems facing professional organizations, members and the nation as a whole.

CSSP Chair Peter Jumars set the stage for the Spring 2008 meeting by examining how different constituencies viewed "truth." In the political arena, "truth" is what the people believe.

How do we score on talent, leadership? 

Ernst explores competition between United States, Asia

By Linda Froschauer, CSSP Board member

We have been aware of the issue surrounding global competitiveness for decades. A couple years ago we CSSP presidents had the advantage of hearing about the heightened awareness of the USA's changing predominance through sharing Rising Above the Gathering Storm. Arden Bement and others joined us for the December 2006 meeting when we were given the opportunity to discuss the major initiatives outlined in the prepublication document. Rising Above the Gathering Storm and Friedman's The World is Flat have both brought the competitiveness issue to the forefront.

Dieter Ernst, senior fellow from the East-West Center in Honolulu, spoke at the most recent CSSP meeting. His topic, "The New Geography of Innovation: Global Networks, Asia's Rise and America's Challenge," added to our perspective of the role of the United States in this new global economy. He discussed several questions surrounding the issue.

Can U.S. universities keep global talent? Foreign students are critical in our Ph.D. programs with our universities increasingly more dependent on the global talent pool. U.S. universities have a rising share of temporary residents in science and engineering and the doctorate degrees awarded by our universities has increased from 21% in 1985 to 36% in 2005. The major increases have been in engineering, math, computer science, physics and economics while lower in biosciences, medical and psychology. Asia dominates this Ph.D. supply with the top four countries of origin accounting for 52% of the population - China, India, Korea, Taiwan. China will produce more science and engineering doctorates than the United States by 2010.

How robust is U.S. leadership?

CSSP Member Profile: Judith Bond

It isn't just the YWCA that has noticed Judith Bond is an outstanding woman.

This CSSP board member is professor and chair of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Penn. She also serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and immediate past president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Bond received her bachelors in science from Bennington College in Vermont in 1961, followed by masters and doctorate degrees in biochemistry and physiology from Rutgers University in 1962 and 1966. She did postdoctoral work at Vanderbilt University until 1968, then joined the faculty of the department of biochemistry at the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University. She moved to Virginia Tech as professor and head of the department of biochemistry and nutrition in 1988, then on to her current position in 1992.

Bond has a sustained interest in graduate education, having trained a plethora of masters and doctorate students. She has trained 18 postdoctoral fellows.

Bond's service includes membership on the NIH Biochemistry Study and sitting on the NIDDK Advisory council of the NIH . She was elected president of the Association of Medical and Graduate Departments of Biochemistry, the Council of the International Proteolysis Society and the Council of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She was named YWCA Outstanding Woman in Science and Health in Virginia in 1989, Virginia's Outstanding Scientist in 1988, and was an NIH MERIT awardee. Her research on proteolysis, and particularly on unique and complex metalloproteases called meprins, has been funded continuously by the NIH for 30 years. She is an advocate for funding of fundamental, investigator-initiated research, the globalization of science and the next generation of scientists.

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