Table of Contents
Earth Sciences Education Environmental Issues Health and Medicine New at the National Academies Policy and Research Issues Upcoming Events and Open Meetings

Earth Sciences


Emerging Technologies Identified to Improve Farming in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

A new report from the National Research Council presents 60 innovations that could significantly boost crop and animal production in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, including nine that could be immediately developed into agricultural applications. The technologies range from those that are years from being implemented to others that are available but not widely applied in these regions.

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Education


Report Offers Guidance on Assessing Preschoolers

A new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council offers guidance on how to assess children in preschool and early childhood programs such as Head Start. Well-planned assessments can help improve programs and lead to better outcomes for children, but poor assessments or misuse of results can harm both children and programs, the report says. Extreme caution is needed in implementing high-stakes assessments in early childhood settings.

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Environmental Issues


Public Participation Usually Improves Environmental Decisions

When done correctly, public participation improves the quality and legitimacy of federal agencies' decisions about the environment, says a new report from the National Research Council. Agencies should recognize public participation as valuable to their objectives, not just as a formality required by law. The report details principles and approaches to successfully involve the public.

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Texas to Invest Record Amount into Renewable Energy

Texas utility regulators announced the largest renewable-energy investment in the U.S. when they recently approved a $4.9 billion plan that will build extensive transmission lines to carry wind-generated electricity from remote western parts of the state to urban centers. In 2007, the National Research Council issued the report Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects, which analyzes the environmental benefits and drawbacks of wind energy. It says that government guidance to help communities and developers evaluate and plan proposed wind-energy projects is often lacking, and offers an evaluation guide to aid decision-making about projects.

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Health and Medicine


Addressing the Barriers to Pediatric Drug Development: Workshop Summary

Decades of research have demonstrated that children do not respond to medications in the same way as adults. Addressing the Barriers to Pediatric Drug Development is the summary of a workshop, held in Washington, D.C. on June 13, 2006, that was organized to identify barriers to the development and testing of drugs for pediatric populations, as well as ways in which the system can be improved to facilitate better treatments for children.

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Dispensing Medical Countermeasures for Public Health Emergencies: Workshop Summary

Countermeasure dispensing must harness all types of imaginative partnerships between public and private institutions, working together in ways tailored to meet individual community needs. This workshop summary highlights the presentations and subsequent discussion that occurred at the workshop.

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National Immunization Awareness Month

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognize August as National Immunization Awareness Month. While many people are routinely immunized, there are still tens of thousands of deaths around the world caused by vaccine-preventable diseases. The IOM considers the national immunization system to be highly successful, providing invaluable protection against infectious disease. While many people already participate in the vaccination program, a new approach toward financing and distributing vaccines would achieve broader public access to immunization throughout the U.S. and also help sustain the development and production of vaccines in the future.

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New at the National Academies


Free Booklet -- Drinking Water: Understanding the Science and Policy behind a Critical Resource

The National Academies have released "Drinking Water: Understanding the Science and Policy Behind a Critical Resource," a free booklet designed to give the public a comprehensive introduction to drinking water issues and the extensive undertaking needed to protect the safety and reliability of America's tap water. The booklet draws from several of the National Research Council's expert, consensus reports on topics related to drinking water science, safety, and management. Copies are available for free and may be ordered online at http://water.nationalacademies.org.

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New NAP Publications Online

To review all recent National Academies publications, visit The National Academies Press website.

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The Sounds of Science Podcast from the National Academies

This informative and entertaining weekly series of audio podcasts puts the spotlight on the high-impact work of the National Academies. Focusing on a wide range of critical issues in science, engineering, and medicine, these short 10-minute episodes are a quick and easy way to tune in to all the key findings and important recommendations made by the Academies.

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Policy and Research Issues


U.S. Participation in International Fusion Research Needs Stable Funding

To date, U.S. plans for participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project have been effective and well thought out, says a new National Research Council report. However, funding uncertainties cast doubt on U.S. commitment to this international collaboration. Stable U.S. funding is needed to effectively plan for participation in ITER, to benefit from coming fusion energy research, and to take part in future international scientific collaborations.

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Upcoming Events and Open Meetings


EVENT: Assessment of Technologies for Improving Light-Duty Vehicle Fuel Economy

To be held September 9 and 10, 2008 in Washington, D.C., this is the first meeting of the committee that will provide updated estimates of the cost and potential efficiency improvements of technologies that might be employed over the next 15 years to increase the fuel economy of various light-duty vehicle classes.

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EVENT: Global Connections between Earth Sciences, Health, and Policy: A Symposium

This symposium, to be held September 25, 2008 in Washington, D.C., will address the relationship between geosciences and public health and why an understanding of this interaction is important. It is part of the Board on International Scientific Organization’s celebration of the International Year of Planet Earth, which was declared by the United Nations to be 2008. The symposium will include talks on how water, air, soil, and climate change are interconnected with public health concerns, as well as focus on related policy issues.

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EVENT: Global Issues in Water, Sanitation, and Health

Approximately one third of the world’s population now lives in areas with scarce freshwater resources. The lack of access to and availability of clean water and sanitation has had devastating effects on many aspects of daily life. The IOM will host a two-day public workshop on “Global Issues in Water, Sanitation, and Health,” on September 23 and 24, 2008, in Washington, DC. This workshop will explore such issues as: classification and surveillance of water-related microbial diseases; metrics for measuring water quality; relationships between human change, ecology and disease; models of disease emergence and transmission; and, interventions to improve water access and sanitation; and impact assessments.

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From Doctorate to Dean or Director: Sustaining Women through Critical Transition Points in Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine (CWSEM) of the National Academies is hosting a workshop on sustaining women through critical transition points in science, engineering, and medicine. The workshop will take place at the Keck Center of the National Academies in Washington, DC on September 18 and 19, 2008. It will include panel discussions on crucial transition points in academic careers, proven strategies for helping women transition in industry, and how the changing nature of science, engineering, and medicine—specifically the growth in interdisciplinary fields—impacts career progression now and in the future.

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Koshland Science Museum Announces Fall Events

The Marian Koshland Science Museum’s fall program will begin in Sept. and feature a lecture on antibiotics and resistant germs, a science-inspired scavenger hunt, and a competition celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship.

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