On Feb. 13, 1997, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting and Science Innovation Exposition was held in Seattle for the first time since 1940. Exposition speakers included Seattelites Leroy Hood, Mary-Claire King and Bill Gates among the featured speakers.

The theme of the meeting was “Engaging Science—Sustaining Society” with Jane Lubchenco’s presidential lecture, “Entering the Century of the Environment,” delivered on February 15. The conference strongly emphasized the role of science in addressing environmental degradation and the need to link environmental issues with economics.

The AAAS, founded in 1848, marked the emergence of a national scientific community in the U.S., and was the first organization established to promote the development of science and engineering at the national level and to represent the interests of all its disciplines.