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| The latest news from the Academies
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Nov. 18 -- A new report from the National Research Council presents nine research challenges and four research initiatives that are poised to advance the study of how Earth's landscapes change. These research paths could help resolve environmental issues, from coastal erosion to landslides, by helping predict how processes such as wind, ice, water, tectonics, and ecosystems drive changes in the Earth's surface.
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Nov. 9 -- The fifth annual conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative took place this week in Accra, Ghana. The three-day event focused on how expert advice from science academies and others can guide policies aimed at reducing maternal, newborn, and child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The opening ceremony began with video messages by science and policy leaders from around the world, congratulating the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences on its 50th anniversary, and emphasizing the importance of evidence-based advice in the policymaking process.
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Nov. 2 -- The current means for managing the radio frequency spectrum -- which is used by researchers for myriad purposes, including weather forecasting and astronomical investigations, and by consumers for such technologies as cellular phones and wireless Internet -- must be changed, says a new report from the National Research Council. The current policies threaten to thwart scientific discovery, diminish the utility of critical environmental observations, and limit economic growth because of inefficient use of these resources.
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Oct. 30 -- A great deal of science learning takes place outside of school -- in museums and after-school programs, for example, and through TV programs, books, and online activities. A new guide based on an earlier National Research Council report describes how museum professionals, media specialists, and educators can create experiences that foster science learning for people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures.
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| Breaking stories in science
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Nov. 19 -- Last week, for the first time in four years, a competitor in NASA’s "space elevator" challenge qualified for one of the contest's cash prizes. Part of NASA’s Centennial Challenges program, the contest challenges participants to transmit power from a remote transmittor to a device that climbs a cable suspended one kilometer high. If successfully developed, applications of such a technology could include providing power to remote areas of military bases or operating unmanned aircraft for extended periods or even powering an elevator to the moon. Programs like the Centennial Challenges program encourage private companies and students to come up with creative solutions in aerospace research and technology.
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Nov. 9 -- A new report from the national science academies of seven African countries estimates that the lives of nearly 4 million women, newborns, and children in sub-Saharan Africa could be saved every year if already well-established, affordable health interventions reached 90 percent of families. The report was released at the annual conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative in Accra, Ghana.
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Nov. 4 -- Former NAS President Bruce Alberts, former NIH Director and IOM member Elias Zerhouni, and Nobel prize-winning chemist and NAS member Ahmed Zewail have been appointed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to serve as science envoys to Muslim majority countries. The envoys will travel to North Africa, the Middle East, and South and Southeast Asia "to fulfill President Obama’s mandate to foster scientific and technological collaboration," Clinton said, speaking at a forum in Morocco.
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Nov. 3 -- Earlier last week Bill and Melinda Gates launched a new project through their foundation in order to emphasize the importance of government contributions to global health. The couple highlighted the previous success of U.S. government initiatives in combating malaria, reducing child mortality rates through immunization, and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. These successes underscore how critical maintaining global health care funding is, despite the recent economic downturn.
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Oct. 20 -- The U.S. Census Bureau has released alternative estimates of poverty for the 2008 calendar year. The Bureau’s calculations are based on recommendations in the 1995 National Research Council report, “Measuring Poverty: A New Approach.” Using the report’s revised definitions, the Census Bureau calculated a higher rate of poverty (15.8 percent) than the Bureau’s official annual estimate (13.2 percent).
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| Featured Books |
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| Site Highlights
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Planning the Assessment/Evaluation of HIV/AIDS Programs Implemented Under the US Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 , attend open sessions of the meeting Nov. 23.
An Ocean Infrastructure Strategy for U.S. Ocean Research in 2030, attend open sessions of the meeting Dec. 1.
When the Mountains Come to You
, attend the Dec. 2 lecture in Irvine, CA.
Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress , attend open sessions of the meeting Dec. 3 in Jacksonville, FL.
Forum on the Future of Nursing: Community Health, Public Health, Primary Care, and Long-Term Care, attend the Dec. 3 forum in Philadelphia, PA.
Radio host Bob Edwards to moderate discussion following film screening of WhizKids at NAS Dec. 9. Register to attend.
Full-text of over 5,000 NAP reports dating from 1863 to 1987 are now publicly-accessible and searchable through Google Book Search or the National Academies Research Center collections database, Acadalog.
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| This Week in PNAS
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