U.S. Participation in International Geoscience Unions

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Proposal GEO-0701397; Lawson, Elaine; National Academy of SciencesAbstractThe 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.