September 



Publication: With the autumn 1986 issue, the circulation of Research Reports, a 

 three-times-a-year periodical produced by the Office of Public Affairs en 

 research in the sciences, art and history at the Institution, reached 45,500, an 

 increase of 10,000 over 1S85. 



September 



IV PSA: A public service announcement for television use was produced by the 

 Office of Public Affairs for television use in the greater Washington, D.C. area, 

 reminding residents to enjoy the Smithsonian—their local museums — while summer 

 crowds are gone. 



September 



Forum: To initiate pr ograms focused on biological diversity, the Directorate of 

 International Activities joined with the National Academy of Sciences to organize 

 a highly successful National Forum on BioDiversity. The four-day, well- 

 publicized event provided the public and media with the learned views of 

 distinguished scientists and scholars on the subject of the rapid destruction of 

 the Earth's natural habitats and the subsequent loss of plants and animals. 

 Concurrent with the Forum was a poster-panel exhibition, film showings, displays 

 of literature and audio-visual materials and the Smithsonian's first live 

 national teleconference via satellite and cable. 



September 



Automated Systems: The decision was made to use the U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture's service bureau, the National Finance Center, for the Institution's 

 personnel management, payroll and reporting computer systems. A contract will be 

 negotiated with processing anticipated to begin mid-1987. 



September 



Visit: Kenton Miller, Director General of the International Union for the 

 Conservation of Nature, visited Panama to discuss the sponsorship and scheduling 

 of the Fourth World National Parks Congress to be held in 1992. The Smithsonian 

 Tropical Research Institution was instrumental in promoting this action and has 

 offered its assistance towards the planning and conduct of this international 

 event in Panama. 



September 



Milestone: Smithsonian Institution Libraries staff began using Electronic Mail 

 for intralibrary communications. 



September 



Research: Seventy-five scientists from the Smithsonian and other institutions 

 throughout the world began a long-term multidisciplinary study of a mangrove 

 ecosystem at Twin Cays, Belize, Central America, sponsored by the National Museum 

 of Natural History. 



