different agencies into a comprehensive and accessible 

 database. 



The assistant secretary served as cochair of the Committee 

 for Environmental and Natural Resources (CENR) within the 

 President's National Science and Technology Council. CENR 

 is leading the effort to coordinate federal environment and nat- 

 ural resource research and development activities and improve 

 the links between the scientific and policy components of the 

 executive branch. 



Through its International Project Development Group, the 

 office worked with various Smithsonian bureaus to develop 

 sources of outside funding for research and training initiatives. 



The assistant secretary chaired the planning advisory 

 group for a possible National Biodiversity Information Cen- 

 ter, which would link existing U.S. databases on biodiversity 

 in an electronic information network. 



The secretary approved the final plan for the Smithsonian's 

 150th anniversary observance. The deputy assistant secretary 

 for external affairs heads the steering committee for the 

 celebration. 



The secretary invited Thomas Ybarra-Frausto of the Rocke- 

 feller Foundation to serve as chair of the Smithsonian Council 

 upon the retirement as chair of Maxine F. Singer, who as- 

 sumed a new role as chair of the Commission on the Future of 

 the Smithsonian Institution. 



Smithsonian museums, as well as at other U.S. institutions, in- 

 cluding the National Gallery of Art, the Holocaust Museum, 

 the Los Angeles County Museum, the Exploratorium, the Mu- 

 seum of Modern Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 

 OIR also obtained nearly 200 visas and other travel docu- 

 ments for Smithsonian researchers and program officers wish- 

 ing to do work abroad. 



Several special conferences, meetings, or briefings were or- 

 ganized by OIR for international groups, including the dele- 

 gates to the ASEAN-U.S. Economic Dialogue, and planners 

 for new museums in Thailand, Japan, and Australia. 



OIR represents the Smithsonian at a number of interna- 

 tional organizations and agencies. During 1994, for example, 

 OIR participated in meetings at: the U.S. State Department 

 and U.S. Information Agency; the U.S. Department of 

 Defense's Legacy International Cultural Workshop; the U.S. 

 board of the International Committee on Monuments and 

 Sites; the U.S. -Hungary Joint Board on Scientific and Techno- 

 logical Cooperation; the Joint Boards on Scientific and Tech- 

 nological Cooperation for the U.S. and the Czech Republic, 

 Slovenia, and Poland; and the Indo-U.S. Subcommission on 

 Education and Culture. 



Office of Special Events and Conferences 



Office of International Relations 



Francine C. Berkou'itz, Director 



The Office of International Relations (OIR) provides technical 

 assistance and diplomatic support for Smithsonian programs 

 abroad. It serves as the point of contact and channel of com- 

 munication for the Smithsonian with foreign institutions or 

 individuals, as well as with international organizations and 

 government agencies. OIR assists with the technical details of 

 international exchanges of museum objects and staff, and it ad- 

 ministers two funding programs to encourage international co- 

 operation in scholarly research and museum programs. 



OIR routinely coordinates the visits and residencies at the 

 Smithsonian of official government visitors. During 1994, this 

 included more than 75 individuals or groups, among them a 

 number of high-level visits, including the Emperor of Japan, 

 the Ministers of Culture from the Czech Republic, Mongolia, 

 Norway, and Tajikistan, the Director General of the Environ- 

 ment for Israel, and the President of the Slovenian Academy 

 of Sciences and Arts. In addition, the office continued to han- 

 dle arrangements for the long-term exchange program be- 

 tween the Smithsonian, Japan's Ministry of Construction, and 

 the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. 



During FY1994, OIR provided visa documentation for al- 

 most 170 foreign researchers and interns doing work at 



Katherine Kir/in, Acting Director 



The Office of Special Events and Conferences (OSEC) orga- 

 nizes events and conferences throughout the Institution that 

 contribute to developing and maintaining important current 

 and potential constituencies. In 1994, the office coordinated ac- 

 tivities with Smithsonian bureaus, corporations, and organiza- 

 tions whose missions coincide with those of the Institution. 

 Each year the office handles all arrangements for Smithsonian 

 Board of Regents, Smithsonian Council, and this year, the 

 Commission on the Future of the Smithsonian. The Office 

 also helps Smithsonian scholars and managers plan and coordi- 

 nate conferences, international symposia, and collaborative 

 programs. 



In September 1994, OSEC coordinated all logistics for the 

 installation of I. Michael Heyman as the tenth Secretary of the 

 Institution. OSEC also organized the Regents Dinner in 

 honor of Secretary Adams. 



In 1994, OSEC coordinated several large conferences: the 

 "75th Annual Meeting of Mammalogists," the "Second Inter- 

 national Conference on Ancient DNA," and the "Society for 

 the History of Technology Meeting." 



In April 1994, OSEC assisted staff from the National Afri- 

 can American Museum Project with arrangements for their 

 Task Force Meeting as well as for their special event "From 

 Tap to R&B: Celebrating Cholly Atkins." OSEC also worked 

 with staff from the Program in African American Culture in 



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