Meetings of the A.A.A.S. and A.I.B.S.: A Joint Statement.

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE at this time is engaged in planning future meetings for its affiliated scientific societies, and is completing arrangements for the 1950 meeting at Cleveland, December 26-30. At the same time, the American Institute of Biological Sciences is engaged in completing arrangements for the 1950 meeting of biological societies at The Ohio State University, September 11-13, and is exploring the available campus facilities for possible future meetings of biological societies. To some biologists, these activities have appeared competitive, and so many queries have come to the attention of the secretaries of the two organizations that a joint statement seems the best means of providing some of the answers and of clarifying objectives. The American Institute of Biological Sciences has a variety of functions, as stated in its Constitution; one of these is rendering assistance to biological societies in matters of common concern, such as arrangement of joint annual meetings, should any member society request it. Like the 216 scientific societies affiliated or associated with the AAAS, the 16 biological societies of the AIBS have varying degrees of affinity with respect to meetings. Some have customarily met with the AAAS; others have regularly arranged independent meetings; a few have chosen meeting associates and locales to accomplish immediate objectives. Like the AAAS, the AIBS has neither the power nor the desire to force any change in pattern or tradition upon its affiliates. Scientific societies that are members of both AIBS and AAAS should realize that the objectives of the two organizations are different. The American Association for the Advancement of Science, as its name implies, was founded to serve the interests of all science and all scientists. At its annual meetings the AAAS endeavors, not so much to put on a specialized program for each individual discipline, as it does to explore the interdisciplinary relationships between and among the several fields of pure and applied science. The 17 sections and subsections of the Association may, it is true, plan specialized programs, and those societies that meet with the Association are expected to stress their own fields of specialization. But all of them have the opportunity to meet jointly with other groups and to enjoy the fruits of cross-fertilization that have opened up so many horizons in scientific 1 Executive Secretary, AIBS. 2 Administrative Secretary, AAAS. 3 Assistant Administrative Secretary, AAAS. theory, in laboratory and field research, and in application. The American Institute of Biological Sciences, on the other hand, was founded to serve the interests of biologists, and the application of biological research to human welfare. At any joint annual meeting of biological societies under its sponsorship, the AIBS serves chiefly as a central organizing agency for making all arrangements necessary to insure a satisfactory meeting and to relieve the individual societies of as much detailed responsibility as possible. In offering its services to affiliates, the AAAS gives each one complete autonomy in arranging its own program. By making use of the downtown hotels in large cities the AAAS can, and does, insulate each affiliate from the simultaneous activities of other scientific groups to the degree it may desire, and in this way it achieves the same effect as could be attained in a small, independent meeting. Members have the option of seeing exhibits that may not strictly relate to their own field, of hearing general lectures, or of playing "hooky" to learn what goes on in other societies-or even what comes off in the local burlesque theater! Meetings arranged by the AIBS, on the other hand, are deliberately planned for an academic atmosphere, with the number of participants therefore naturally limited to the facilities of the university selected. Such meetings are arranged to provide the physical setting and facilities appropriate to the type of meeting desired by the participating AIBS societies. Among the desires that have been expressed, and to which particular attention is being paid, are (1) smaller meetings than those involving many scientific societies, but larger than those than can be organized by an individual society; (2) greater coherence of subject matter than is possible or desirable in a general scientific convention, but broader in scope than can be achieved by a single organization; (3) use of campus facilities, or other similar locales; (4) avoidance of a Christmas meeting, with preference, at present, for a September meeting just before or after Labor Day. The extent to which these desires can be met is severely limited. There are 16 constituent societies in the AIBS, with a nonduplicating membership of 14,000-a figure that is impressively large. It is evident that any meeting involving all, or most of, the member societies of the AIBS-and nonmember biological societies that, additionally, may wish to meet with it-could not be small. Furthermore, there are few campuses that can comfortably accommodate more