AAAS President Alice S. Huang said that overt discrimination against women in science "is pretty well gone," but women are still less likely to hold management-level positions in government, industry, and academia.

"It seems as if the bar is set higher for women," said Huang, who spoke before international media at a breakfast on the first day of the 2011 AAAS Annual Meeting. She called the advancement of women and minorities in science one of her lifelong "passions."

In response to questions from journalists, Huang said the U.S. Congress should fund science and technology as an investment to keep pace with similar spending in China and other economically surging countries. She also said that educators and scientists have made great strides in reaching out to the public, but could do more to share their work with a larger audience.

"Historically, scientists who try to communicate have lost their credentials as serious scientists," she noted, "but over the years we've seen that fade away."

Huang said her presidential address tonight will discuss her work on animal viruses and their implications for human health, as well as science education and the need for increased international cooperation in science.