As the premier multi-disciplinary organization, AAAS has provided excellent leadership in science policy and practice. I look forward to the board discussion of promising directions for future efforts. The broad range of expertise on the board should provide an excellent set of issues.

From my own perspective I would like to highlight two crucial areas for our efforts:

1. promoting equity in the scientific enterprise and
2. offering new visions for public understanding of science that take advantage of our growing technological resources. See www.kie.berkeley.edu for details on related issues.

Business, industry, (see numerous assertions by industry leaders that they will sustain affirmative action programs) and academic institutions have identified many benefits of equity and affirmative action programs. Progress has been made but we are not done. Students in the inner cities not only lack access to science instruction but also lack support in the crucial transition from school to work. Advanced technologies that have been shown to promote science understanding are more available to the affluent than to the poor. Informal science programs from museums to summer camps serve males and wealthy students more than females and less advantaged students. And more subtle problems also need our attention from fair selection processes at the graduate and career level to family- friendly work environments. Let us shape creative, effective, and instrumental approaches to equity in science.

Public understanding of science

We need new visions of public understanding of science for the information age. No one can possibly keep up with rapidly expanding scientific knowledge. Rather than attempting to squeeze more and more into the curriculum, we need to design new approaches to lifelong learning. Citizens today need to regularly retrain themselves to take advantage of new job opportunities, new technologies, new medical treatments and more. We need a firm foundation not fleeting coverage of myriad science topics. And, we need opportunities for "just in time" learning to keep ourselves informed and employable.

The recent report of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) attests to the problems we face in forming a curriculum that promotes lifelong learning. (I have asked TIMSS to send reports to each board member. I particularly draw your attention to "A Splintered Vision" because it so accurately portrays problems with the precollege science curriculum that we can address.) See nces.ed.gov/timss/ and ustimss.msu.edu/ for additional information.

We have several avenues at AAAS for supporting public understanding of science. One that seems very promising from both a societal and business standpoint is Science Online. The current discussion illustrates advantages of this resource. We already have a range of resources for just-in-time learning and we can expand the on-line materials to serve a broader audience and more diverse needs. Another promising avenue for promoting public understanding of science involves forging a global discussion of the issues by bringing together our member societies from around the world.

AAAS at the Millenium Board Position Paper

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Dr. C. Eugene Allen, Dr. Patricia A. Anderson, Dr. Richard Atkinson, Dr. Mary Ellen Avery, Dr. Dorothy F. Bainton, Dr. Allen J. Bard, Dr. Joost Businger, Dr. Barry Commoner, Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus, Dr. Joseph G. Gavin, Dr. Carroll Ann Hodges, Dr. Gerald Holton, Dr. Leon Lederman, Dr. William A. Lester, Jr., Dr. Simon Levin, Dr. Marcia C. Linn, Dr. Mike McCormack, Dr. Gerard Piel, Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg