U.S. Participation in International Council of Scientific Unions

现在人们普遍认识到，鉴于世界各地许多国家都具有卓越的科学和工程能力，对美国科学家和工程师来说，与外国同行的活动和计划保持密切联系变得越来越重要，部分原因是为了与他们规划联合研究项目。此外，要了解许多重要的科学问题，例如与全球环境有关的问题，需要在多国基础上进行合作的科学努力。美国科学家和工程师有许多可用的机制与其他国家的科学家和工程师保持密切沟通。在这些机制中，最古老和最广泛的是非政府国际学科联盟（第一个成立于1919年），今天由国际科学联盟理事会（ICSU）组成，其中有70多个国家的代表。这些联合会的国家成员以及国际科学联合会本身都是私人科学团体，其活动通常由在职科学家委员会决定。在美国，国家科学院（NAS）是ICSU及其工会的官方附属机构，NAS的纪律和非纪律工作人员代表ICSU及其工会的美国国家委员会管理美国的参与。

It is now widely recognized that in view of the excellent science and engineering capabilities that exist in many countries in all parts of the world, it is increasingly important for U.S. scientists and engineers to remain in close touch with the activities and plans of their foreign colleagues, in part as a means for planning joint research programs with them. Additionally, gaining an understanding of many important scientific problems, such as those associated with the global environment, requires cooperative scientific efforts on a multinational basis. U.S. scientists and engineers have a number of available mechanisms to maintain close communication with scientists and engineers in other countries. Among the oldest and most extensive of these mechanisms are the non-governmental international disciplinary unions (the first was established in 1919) which today comprise the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) in which more than 70 countries are represented. National members of these unions, as well as ICSU-proper, are private scientific bodies whose activities are normally determined by committees of working scientists. In the United States, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is the official adhering body to ICSU and its unions, and NAS disciplinary and non-disciplinary staff officers manage U.S. participation on behalf of the U.S. National Committees for ICSU and those unions.