Leadership Notes

5 April 2021

World Scientific Summit

Hello CSSP Members,

In 2014 the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP) convened the World Scientific Summit and follow-on Global Scientific Summit events that were co-chaired by Paul Bertsch and Martin Apple. With international coordination and attendance, the First World Scientific Summit on Climate Engineering was held at the National Academy of Sciences headquarters location in Washington, DC.

Subsequent global scale summit events have, and will address such topics as climate change, ecosystems, ocean life and lawful equity, scientific data and publishing, and ethics. These past and future World Scientific Summit and Global Scientific Summit events endeavor to engage the broader scientific community, including women and minority scientists to bring new and innovative perspectives to the development of global principles and ethics – encompassing the potential social, ecological, and economic effects on climate engineering.

CSSP is working toward re-establishing its leading role, through planning for future World Scientific Summit events to continue the establishment of guiding principles and ethics for science.


Cindy Paska
Executive Director

16 February 2020

A new look for CSSP

Hello CSSP Members,

If you’ve visited the CSSP website recently you may have noticed our new look as well as the improved organization and navigation tools that have been added.

Along with the new look come some administrative changes that have also happened. In order to login, you will first need to set up your password for our updated website. Click here to add your password. Once updated, you can login here.

While you are logged in, please take a moment to complete your profile. Your profile details will be searchable to help people find you. (Don’t worry, this feature is only available to members when logged in.) We’re still working on fine-tuning some small details, but we’re pleased with the look and excited with the new website. We hope you will be, too.

Along with the switch to our new website you’ll see the confirmed details for the Spring Leadership Workshop that are well underway. Registration is now open for the event, scheduled for May 2 – 5, 2020. Register by April 10, 2020 in order to save with early-bird rates.

We work hard to ensure that all our speakers and panelists are engaged to share their knowledge and experiences around topics we have heard are of interest to you. The focus on presentations around Society Best Practices, an area where we frequently hear that past presidents who have sat in your seat, or walked in your shoes are interesting in hearing about, continues to grow. We have learned that this is an area that will assist in adding value to the strength of your individual presidency, which is something with which we strive to be supportive.

If this will be your first CSSP Workshop, please schedule time to arrive for the Saturday morning Primer, a chance to have an open discussion to address areas that concern you, and learn from returning member Presidents who are ready to share their experiences with you.

Each time we gather we are excited to hear about what each unique society has been working on and to network across the many different scientific disciplines within CSSP.

CSSP has also secured favorable hotel rates at the Mayflower Hotel, located at 1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20036.

We look forward to seeing your name on the growing list of attendees for May 2 – 5, 2020.


Cindy Paska
Executive Director

1 November 2018

45th Anniversary and Reunion

Hello CSSP Members,

Planning for our exciting 45th Anniversary and Reunion at our Winter Leadership Development Workshop is well underway. Both alumni members and speakers have committed to attending and speaking, either as a first time panelist at our workshop, or to share their experience and memories from their prior attendance. All speakers have been engaged to share their knowledge and experiences around topics we have heard are of interest to you. In addition, we continue to strengthen the presentations around Society Best Practices, an area where we frequently hear that the experience of past presidents who have sat in your seat, or walked in your shoes, is invaluable to the strength of your individual presidency.

Returning member societies will also be sending leaders from their organizations. We look forward to learning about what their societies have been working on and to network across the many different scientific disciplines within CSSP.

In addition to the general workshop content, the Frontiers of Science (e.g. the “Brain Candy” of each workshop) is, once again, shaping up to offer exciting new scientific breakthroughs. For example, we will learn about “Cementing the Future with Geopolymers: Opportunities and Challenges.”

With registration open, both for the Workshop and the Mayflower Hotel, we look forward to seeing your name on the growing list of attendees for December 1 – 4, 2018.


Deborah Bronk, PhD
Chair, CSSP
Former President, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography