Cultures editorial&holdren by Cultures Magazine

A PUBLICATION OF ASM | VOL 1 | ISSUE 1 | JANUARY 2014

IN THIS ISSUE Across the Divide | 8 Three experts, Alberts, Ejeta, & Holdren, shed light on the role of scientists in meeting grand challenges. Voices | 40 Young scientists from around the world share their thoughts on their role in science communication and policy making. Sharing the Vision | 50 Staff from the American Chemical Society share their /// ÂŠ2014 / American Society forleveraged Microbiology / Cultures / Vol 1 / Issue 1 / Page 1 perspective on how societies can be to meet todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scientific needs.

JASON RAO See Photography + Art Credit on page 59 for copyright information.

In 2011, I left the White House for a position at the American Society for Microbiology. As the oldest and largest society of the life sciences, with nearly 40,000 members across the globe, I was eager to become a part of ASM and strengthen the voice of its members by advocating, educating, and connecting to advance science and society as a whole. With the collective power of so many individuals, scientific societies are poised to do great things, particularly for the so-called grand challenges we share around the globe. My friend and colleague, Dr. May Chu, joined ASM on nearly the same day as the Chair of the International Board, and together we crafted a plan to renew ASM’s international affairs. Central to this was the creation of a new kind of publication, one that would foster the voices of an increasingly diverse and broad set of players in the world of science, and one that would provide a platform for all, particularly early-career scientists around the globe. From this, Cultures was born. In considering the inaugural issue, we posed a question: “How can individual scientists help meet the global grand challenges we share in health, energy,

security, and the environment?” John Holdren, Bruce Alberts, and Gebisa Ejeta each answer from their unique vantage points while drawing from personal experiences. Each is a champion who illustrates the (awesome) power of the individual. In addition, a cohort of early-career scientists, ASM’s own “Young Ambassadors of Science,” contribute a piece on how young scientists can shape solutions for these global challenges. Despite representing an incredibly diverse set of countries, this group of eight talented scientists have one thing in common: passion for the global good. Their energy leaps from the page as they thoughtfully add to the discussion as well as articulate a path forward.

Words cannot express our gratitude for cannot be measured, but will surely be felt these contributions to Cultures. Bruce Al- for generations to come. A special thanks berts, who has inspired so many young also to another Science Envoy and World graduate students to do more with their Food Prize Laureate, Dr. Gebisa Ejeta, for science, not only through his textbook his pioneering efforts to use science to ad“the Cell” but also outside the laborato- dress one of the most daunting challengry, speaks for the first time on his role as es we all share: food security. His article a Science Envoy. As a graduate student captures the urgency of the challenge and many years ago, my own career path was what we can and must do to help. altered after hearing Bruce talk about science in global development and his expe- Finally, we are equally grateful to the rience as then Presi“Young Ambassadors of dent of the National Science,” who give Cul“SCIENTISTS OUGHT TO Academy of Scienctures the most important ‘TITHE’ TEN PERCENT OF es. Nearly a decade dimension: hope. Each THEIR TIME TO THINKING later, I would find of the authors recently ABOUT AND ENGAGING AT myself traveling THE INTERSECTION OF THEIR visited Washington, DC with Bruce in his SCIENTIFIC WORK WITH WIDER for a behind-the-scenes PUBLIC ISSUES. THE WORLD role as U.S. Science experience of science WOULD BE THE BETTER FOR IT.” policy and international Envoy to Indonesia; both of us working affairs. Many came to the - JOHN HOLDREN to realize President United States for the first Obama’s vision of bringing America’s vast time. During their visit, there was a rush Science and Technology enterprise for a of enthusiasm; their passion for making “New Beginning” with our friends around a difference through science was evident. the world. We were led then by the Presi- Seeing these young scientists’ excitement dent’s Science Advisor, John Holdren, who gives great hope, and even confidence, in has taken the time in this issue to con- what is to come. I hope Cultures serves as tribute a piece on climate change. John a platform for individuals across the globe speaks not just from his unique perspec- to channel their energy and act on their tive at the White House, but also as a sci- passion to make the world a better place entist and citizen. We can think of no bet- through science. John Holdren says it best; ter author on such a complex issue; John “scientists ought to “tithe” ten percent of defines integrity and is above all dedicat- their time to thinking about and engaging ed to restoring science to its rightful place at the intersection of their scientific work (on a daily basis) for all of us. His contribu- with wider public issues. The world would tion to science, policy, and the good fight be the better for it.” SNAPSHOT OF ASM TODAY

1/3

of our members are international

40,000+

members today (only 59 in 1899 when ASM was founded)

39,000+ facebook fans:

facebook.com/asmfan

CLIMATE CHANGE: CLOSING THE MISINFORMATION GAP JOHN HOLDREN

See Photography + Art Credit on page 59 for copyright information.

On June 25th of this year, addressing an outdoor audience of students, educators, government officials, and business leaders on the Georgetown University campus, President Obama laid out a comprehensive plan for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;coordinated assaultâ&#x20AC;? on climate change. Wiping his brow as temperatures climbed into the 90s, he made a commitment to cut U.S. contributions to climate change, expand preparations for climate-related impacts that can no longer be avoided, and redouble international efforts to address the threat on a global scale. Page 26 /// Across the Divide / Alberts / Ejeta / Holdren

ACROSS THE DIVIDE

He also made clear that the challenge of climate change is not one his Administration—or indeed any government—can meet by itself. “I’m convinced this is a fight that America must lead,” the President said. “But it will require all of us to do our part.” When it comes to tackling the thorniest issues we face as a nation—issues of economic fairness, access to quality health care, the need to make higher education affordable—President Obama often calls for an “all hands on deck” approach. He recognizes that a government “of the people” works best when it takes full advantage of the expertise, resources, capabilities, and enthusiasm of those very people. So when it comes to the daunting task of addressing climate change, he has made it very clear that everyone in America has a role to play—students and educators, state and local officials, builders and city planners, inventors and entrepreneurs, and, of course, scientists of all kinds.

Scientists have been central to defining the problem of climate change. Through painstaking observation, experimentation, modeling, and analysis, they have unveiled many of the mysteries of the Earth’s climate system; quantified the impacts that human activities are having on it; and assessed many of the options that individuals, communities, and governments now have for mitigating and adapting to those impacts. The President’s Climate Action Plan is grounded in this accumulated scientific evidence, but the responsibilities of scientists and the scientific community do not stop there. First, there is still a tremendous amount to learn about the biological and geophysical processes that shape global climate—to help engineers develop climate-relevant technologies and tools, and to help decision makers develop policies that support our climate goals. Atmospheric chemists, oceanographers, ecologists, modelers, and countless other species of scientists all have important parts to play in the effort to advance climate-related

ACROSS THE DIVIDE

knowledge—knowledge that in many cases resides at the intersection of basic and applied research. As readers of this inaugural issue of Cultures will appreciate more than many, microbiologists are clearly among those with much to offer in this regard. After all, humans are not the first critters to affect atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases: microbes have been having major impacts on global gas flux—and, in particular, CO2 flux— for billions of years. Plants tend to get all the credit, but the microbes today account for about one-half of all the carbon fixed through photosynthesis, with most of that activity happening in the oceans. But we still know too little about how those dynamics may shift in response to anthropogenic influences on terrestrial, marine, and atmospheric conditions. And while scientists have plumbed many aspects of microbial ecology and physiology in exquisite detail—with special attention, of course, paid to those bugs that tend to live on and inside us—large gaps remain in our understanding of the metabolism and community structures of environmental microbes. We need to understand the direct effects of climate change on these

microbes—how changes in rainfall, temperatures, and ocean pH may affect their activity and community structures—and what kind of havoc those changes might wreak on ecological systems. And we need to understand the indirect effects of climate change on microbes— through, for example, changes in plant growth patterns and soil characteristics that in turn have impacts on the structure and activity of microbial communities. And, of course, it is not just about CO2. Thirty to forty percent of global emissions of methane―the second most important long-lived greenhouse gas after CO2―are produced by microbes in rice paddies, natural wetlands, and moist soils; in landfills; in the guts of ruminants and termites; and even in the open oceans. How these emissions might grow in response to climate change—when, for example, the huge store of carbon locked in frozen arctic and alpine soils becomes susceptible to microbial activity because those soils are thawing for the first time in thousands of years―is a potential climate-change feedback of great importance. In addition, of course, there is the need for advances in the domain of biofuels, where many of the most promising production methods

Page 28 /// Across the Divide / Alberts / Ejeta / Holdren

“

History has shown time and again that where there is a vacuum of credible scientific information, misinformation will flow.

ACROSS THE DIVIDE

depend on microbes. Microbes such as bacteria and fungi are exceptionally good at breaking down certain complex polymers in plants, and some single-celled algae are positively obese with energy-rich lipids. Clearly, then, microbiologists have a lot to contribute as the United States and the world take on the challenge of climate change. Of course, so do solid-state physicists, plasma physicists, organic and inorganic chemists, and materials scientists, not to mention mathematicians, engineers, and social scientists of all varieties. Their work in their offices and laboratories to expand and apply relevant scientific understandings is not all that scientists can contribute to meeting the climate-change challenge, however. They also have an important role in informing and empowering decision makers and the public with credible, actionable information. Oceanographers, meteorologists, and soil scientists, for instance, need to engage with city planners, architects, and engineers who are deciding how best to gird shoreline properties against sea-level riseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or to help justify tough calls about when not to build at all because the risks of inundation have simply become too

great. These inputs need to be sustained, candid, and understandable to nonscientists, without sacrificing scientific rigor. Complementing efforts like these, scientific associations such as ASM can and should empower their members to fulfill this important charge by amplifying their collective voice, disseminating the scientific knowledge they generate, and promoting the promise of science and technology to solve our toughest problems. History has shown time and again that, where there is a vacuum of credible scientific information, misinformation will flowâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at best driven by sloppiness and at worst by deliberate attempts to mislead. Climate science, more than many sciences, has in recent years been subject to both of these influences, resulting in a damaging communication gap. According to one report published this year, while 97% of peer-reviewed papers in the climate science literature clearly affirm the reality of human-caused climate change, only 41% of Americans agree with the premise that global warming is happening and is caused by humans.1 Such a lack of public understanding of the climate-change problem

Page 30 /// Across the Divide / Alberts / Ejeta / Holdren

undermines the political imperative to take action to address it—and we simply cannot afford to wait. Scientists can help close this gap by speaking up about their relevant areas of expertise at every opportunity and proactively communicating credible scientific information to audiences outside their usual professional circles. Whether presenting findings at community meetings; discussing research results with family members; taking advantage of opportunities to talk to the media about new data; teaching and mentoring students; or explaining scientific concepts to faith leaders, teachers, and other trusted sources, scientists can make a difference. Scientists are not responsible for advocating for any particular policy, but they are responsible, in my view, for proliferating understandings derived from their scientific expertise when these are germane to the welfare of the public. I have argued elsewhere―and so again here―that scientists ought to

‘Tithe’ ten percent of their time to thinking about and engaging at the intersection of their scientific work with wider public issues. The world would be the better for it.

ABOUT JOHN HOLDREN Dr. John P. Holdren is Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and cochair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Scientific and Public Perceptions on Climate Change, June 3, 2013, Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. http://environment.yale.edu/climate-communication/files/ClimateNote_ Consensus_Gap_May2013_FINAL6.pdf 1

American Society for Microbiology Page 60 /// Across the Divide / Alberts / Holdren / Ejeta

1752 N Street NW Washington, DC 20036