http://www.dri.edu
	Spring 2006

Guiding global and national science—

DRI scientists lead the way You may already know that DRI has faculty members who are experts in their areas of research, but did you know that DRI also has scientists who are heads of international science organizations, one of whom leads a group of experts for a United Nations Convention? DRI’s talented scientists also serve on many committees, using their knowledge to aid U.S. and global researchers and policy-makers. Often, these positions involve countless hours of volunteer work, and by showing just a sample of the leadership roles DRI scientists are involved in, the time these scientists put into these jobs can be appreciated. In the field of science, DRI has researchers who are second to none—the same holds true in positions of science leadership in the United States and around the world.

Dr. Dave Mouat listens intently at the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Nairobi, Kenya. (Pictured from l to r): Members of the Group of Experts (GoE) Chair Dr. David Mouat, H.P. Singh from India and Ismail El Bagouri from Egypt. (photo courtesty of International Institute for Sustainable Development - Reporting Services Division)

The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution proclaiming 2006 as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Appropriately enough, the Desert Research Institute has a representative—Dr. Dave Mouat—who is very involved with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Most people know what deserts are, but many might not be familiar with the term “desertification.” Desertification refers to the processes of land degradation in arid and semiarid areas resulting from various factors, including the influence of climate and human activities. As a result, once-productive land (agriculture and rangelands) becomes less productive, soil resources are lost and biodiversity is diminished. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said that desertification is one of the world’s most alarming processes of environmental degradation. Desertification also can lead to impoverishment, and often, people lose their ability to maintain a sustainable and self-reliant existence.

“It is widely recognized that environmental degradation has a role to play in considerations of national security as well as international stability. Therefore, desertification has been seen as a threat to human security,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Hama Arba Diallo in a press release.

Mouat, a faculty member in the Division of Earth and Ecosystems Sciences (DEES) and a world expert on desertification, is the chairperson of the Group of Experts for the UNCCD. Mouat became involved with the UNCCD when he was recommended to be an independent expert within their Roster of Independent Experts. From this position, Mouat was selected to participate in an elite group of experts recommended by the 5th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the 191 signatory countries of the UNCCD. The Group of Experts, consisting of five people from each of the five U.N. annex areas (Western Europe and other governments, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, Africa and Central and Eastern Europe), first met in Hamburg, Germany, where Mouat was elected as its chairperson. They since have met in Bonn, Beijing, and most recently, Ispra, Italy. Mouat has reported on the activities of the group to U.N. meetings, including in Bonn and Nairobi.

It is clear that Mouat believes that his time on this committee is well spent, calling it “an opportunity and a responsibility.”

Mouat says, “Desertification processes lead to loss of human dignity,” a point that cannot be forgotten when turning to science for answers to help solve this global problem.

Led by Mouat, the Group of Experts will keep this question, posed by Mouat, in mind: “How can we connect our science with our obligation to actually develop and implement responses to these ultimately human problems?” With Mouat at the helm, they should have practical answers to help some of the most desperate people on Earth—those affected by desertification—and to empower them so they can participate in or initiate necessary lifestyle changes to improve their natural and social environments while living within constraints imposed by desertification.

Mouat declares, “The time to make these changes is now—before people suffer more and the situation becomes irreversible.”

Dr. Alan Gertler’s dedication to solving the world’s air-quality issues is known worldwide.

Another area of expertise that can be found at DRI is the study of various forms of air pollution—both what causes it and how it can be mitigated. Increasingly, air pollution is recognized as a growing problem around the world, especially in developing countries. DRI faculty member Dr. Alan Gertler, from the Division of Atmospheric Sciences, has extensive experience performing air-quality studies outside of the U.S. Building upon this background, he is stepping up to help lead the International Union of Air Pollution Prevention and Environmental Protection Associations (IUAPPA). Gertler was named vice president of IUAPPA in August of 2005 during the organization’s annual board meeting in Tokyo, Japan. After he serves a two-year term as vice-president, Gertler then will take over the position of president following the 2007 IUAPPA Congress in Brisbane, Australia.

The International Union of Air Pollution Prevention and Environmental Protection Associations was established to support advancements in prevention and control of air pollution, leading to wider protection of the environment by aiding in adoption of sustainable development. A non-governmental organization, IUAPPA represents environmental-protection specialists, including representatives from the private, public and voluntary sectors, from over 35 countries worldwide. In addition to being president of IUAPPA, Gertler also will serve as the representative of the U.S. member of IUAPPA, the Air and Waste Management Association. Finally, he will be responsible for organizing IUAPPA’s 2010 Congress to be held in Vancouver, Canada. These positions help put Gertler into an international spotlight, as his scientific colleagues and peers recognize him as one of the world’s leading experts in air-pollution issues.

Leading by example is DRI’s president, Dr. Steve Wells. Wells not only is the president of DRI, he soon will serve as president of the Geological Society of America (GSA) after holding the position as vice-president of GSA for almost two years. GSA is an international organization based in the U.S., with over 19,000 members from over 85 countries. Publishing some of the premier geology journals in the world, GSA’s stated mission, in part, is to promote the geosciences in the service of humankind. By being elected president of GSA, Wells’ capability as an international leader in the field of geosciences has been reaffirmed.

Many DRI faculty members aid the National Academies of Sciences, or NAS, lending their expertise and leadership to committees and authoring reports through the National Research Council, a part of the NAS. The Academies operate under congressional charter to provide independent science, technology and health-policy advice to public-policy decision makers, and the National Research Council was created by the NAS specifically to help fulfill the Academies’ purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. The National Research Council enlists the help of science and technology experts in the U.S. and the world to serve on committees formed to study and recommend solutions to problems of national and global interest.

Currently, Dr. Nick Lancaster, a DEES faculty member and Executive Director of the Center for Arid Lands Environmental Management (CALEM), is co-chair of the U.S. National Committee for the International Union for Quaternary Research (USNC-INQUA). Through the NAS, USNC-INQUA acts on behalf of Quaternary scientists in the United States to promote global interdisciplinary study of Earth’s environment and history during the Quaternary period, or the last 1 1⁄2 million years to the present.

DRI scientists also have been on NAS committees dealing with issues as diverse as how Earth’s life has changed through time, impacts of flooding and developing policy suggestions for controlling air pollution in China. Noted below are just a few of the DRI scientists who are or have been involved in serving on National Academies of Sciences committees.

Dr. Mike Auerbach, DEES division director, currently serves on a NAS committee called Extending Observations and Research Results to Practical Applications: A Review of NASA’s Approach. This committee, which includes both public- and private-sector representatives, will produce a report evaluating NASA programs, which will be used to help set budget and mission priorities. Other DRI scientists who are currently serving on NAS committees include Dr. John Warwick, Committee on Mine Placement of Coal Combustion Wastes, and Dr. John Watson, Changes in New Source Review Programs for Stationary Sources of Air Pollutants.

As an expert on climate, Dr. Kelly Redmond, a DRI faculty member in DAS and deputy director of the Western Regional Climate Center, has been on three NAS review panels. Redmond served on committees for the Boards on Earth Sciences and Resources and Atmospheric Sciences and Climate and the Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources, showing the scope and depth of his areas of expertise. It is clear that the NRC values Redmond’s expertise in these diverse fields of climate studies.

In October 2003, a group of experts organized by the NRC met in Beijing under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Engineering and U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE), a branch of the NAS. The aim of this joint panel was to aid in composing a plan for energy-use policy in China, looking specifically at how energy choices affect air quality. DRI’s Dr. Judith C. Chow and Watson coauthored a paper for this panel, entitled “Sampling and Analysis Monitoring and Assessing Particulate Matter,” which appears in a 2005 NRC report, “Urbanization, Energy, and Air Pollution in China: The Challenges Ahead.”

Serving as committee chair for a NAS study on preservation of geoscience collections and data, Vice President for Research Dr. Chris Maples compiled the final report for this committee, entitled “Geoscience Data and Collections: National Resources in Peril.” Maples also served on an NRC committee on the geologic record of biosphere dynamics, which examined changes in Earth’s life through time. The committee’s report points out the need to examine the past to help predict what effects future climate changes might have on life on Earth.

It would take much more space to enumerate all the leadership roles that DRI’s scientists fill. But, as seen from these examples, DRI’s scientists are involved in diverse leadership roles, and it is clear that DRI is privileged to have both excellent science researchers as well as global leaders in the scientific community.