Table of Contents
Education Environmental Issues Health and Medicine Engineering Fellowships and Postdoc Opportunities Policy and Research Issues Transportation Events and Open Meetings

Education


Changes Needed to Boost K-8 Science Learning

Improving science education in kindergarten through eighth grade will require major changes in how science is taught in America's classrooms, as well as shifts in commonly held views of what young children know and how they learn, says a new National Research Council report.


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Environmental Issues


Aging Water Distribution Systems Raise Concerns

A large portion of the 1 million miles of pipes that make up US water distribution systems are nearing the end of their expected life span, and an increasing proportion of waterborne disease outbreaks are linked to contamination of distribution systems, says a new National Research Council report. It proposes that EPA work with states to establish consistent "cross-connection" control programs and to improve and unify plumbing codes, among other recommendations.

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Understanding and Responding to Multiple Environmental Stresses

Understanding the impact of environmental changes is essential for developing effective response strategies. Using case studies on drought and other atmosphere-ecosystem interactions, the National Academies held a workshop to gather different perspectives on multiple stress scenarios. The conclusion that emerged from the workshop is that new and improved strategies are required for coping with multiple stresses and their impacts on natural socioeconomic systems. The workshop report describes the specific improvements needed.

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Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades

A new National Research Council report evaluates the progress made by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a multibillion-dollar effort to restore historical water flows to the Everglades and return the ecosystem closer to its natural state, before it was transformed by drainage and by urban and agricultural development. The report finds that while progress has been made in some areas, some important projects have been delayed due to factors such as budgetary restrictions and a planning process stalled by unresolved scientific uncertainties. The report outlines an alternative approach to help the initiative move forward as it resolves remaining scientific uncertainties.

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Health and Medicine


ALS Associated With Gulf War Service, But No Unique Syndrome

Evidence suggests there may be an elevated rate of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among Gulf War veterans as well as increased risk for developing certain psychological conditions, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Although these veterans report symptoms of illness at high rates, studies have not found a cluster of symptoms that constitutes a unique syndrome.

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Progress Is Slow in Reversing Childhood Obesity Trend

Innovative actions and interventions to reduce childhood obesity are encouraging, but most of the programs are not being evaluated, making it difficult to identify effective practices, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The report, based on a study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, provides an evaluation framework to assess progress for a range of childhood obesity prevention efforts across different sectors and settings, measures progress related to recommendations in the 2005 report, and offers recommendations for leadership and commitment to childhood obesity prevention efforts.

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Preventing HIV Infection among Injecting Drug Users in High Risk Countries

The sharing of contaminated injecting equipment has become a driving force behind the global AIDS epidemic and is the primary mode of HIV transmission in many countries, including in Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and much of Asia. HIV spreads rapidly from drug users to their partners through sexual transmission, and from drug users and their partners to newborns. With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Institute of Medicine has evaluated strategies for preventing HIV transmission among injecting drug users and, in its report "Preventing HIV Infection among Injecting Drug Users in High Risk Countries: An Assessment of the Evidence," finds that several key approaches can reduce the use and injection of illegal drugs and curb other drug- and sex-related risk behavior that increases the risk of HIV infection.

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Strengthening the US Drug Safety System

A lack of clear regulatory authority, chronic underfunding, organizational problems, and scarcity of data hamper the US Food and Drug Administration's ability to evaluate and address the safety of prescription drugs after they have reached the market, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The report recommends steps to strengthen FDA's authority and enforcement tools to help protect the health of the public.

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Medicare Should Gradually Adopt Pay-for-Performance System

Because Medicare's current fee-for-service payment system does little to promote improvements in health care quality, it should be gradually replaced with a new pay-for-performance system for reimbursing participating health care providers, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The new system should be phased in to build on lessons learned along the way and to avoid unintended negative consequences.

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Engineering


Former MIT President Charles Vest Nominated for Next NAE President

A National Academy of Engineering nominating committee has unanimously recommended Charles M. Vest, president emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for election to succeed Wm. A. Wulf as NAE president. Vest became an NAE member in 1993 and has served on numerous National Academies study committees, most recently the 2005 report "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future." If elected by NAE's membership, Vest will begin a six-year term on July 1, 2007.

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Fellowships and Postdoc Opportunities


L'Oreal 2007 USA Fellowships for Women in Science

L'Oreal is accepting applications for $40,000 fellowship grants to be awarded to five outstanding female postdoctoral researchers in science, math, engineering, and computer sciences. A jury of eight scientists, chaired by NAS President Ralph J. Cicerone, will select the 2007 L'Oreal USA Women in Science fellows. Applications are due by October 31, 2006.

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Policy and Research Issues


Census Bureau Should Improve 'Residence Rules'

Rules used in the 2000 census to help people identify their "usual residence" were too complicated, says a new National Research Council report. Core principles to determine residency should be developed for the 2010 census, the report says, and the Census Bureau should improve how it communicates them to respondents. The bureau also should study ways to collect data on individuals' ties to other locales and dwellings.

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Effort Needed to Maximize Potential of Women in Academic S&T

Eliminating gender bias in universities requires immediate overarching reform, as well as decisive action by university administrators, professional societies, government agencies, and Congress, says a new report from the National Academies. Women face barriers to hiring and promotion in research universities in many fields of science and engineering -- a situation that deprives the United States of an important source of talent.

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Academies Hold Summit to Encourage US Competitiveness

About 800 policymakers, educators, business leaders, and researchers from across the country attended a National Academies event in Washington to encourage bold leadership on initiatives to strengthen US competitiveness. They identified actions that state and local officials can take within the next six months to foster job growth, improve education, and enhance the environment for innovation. In addition to the presidents of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, speakers included senators Jeff Bingaman, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Lamar Alexander, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, and corporate and academic leaders. You can listen to the convocation at the accompanying link.

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Transportation


Transportation System Security Website

Since September 11, 2001, citizens and government officials have looked to the scientific and engineering research community to develop faster and more effective ways to detect, thwart, and respond to terrorist attacks on the transportation system. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) and other divisions of the National Academies have developed a bookshelf of resources and guides for transportation professionals, decision makers, and members of the general public on ways to enhance transportation security. In addition, TRB has assembled a wide-ranging transportation system security website that highlights transportation security activities and resources available from around the world.

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Commuting in America (3rd. vol.)

The third edition of "Commuting in America" is being published by the National Academies' Transportation Research Board this fall. The report is one of the most comprehensive documents of its kind. Based on the latest census information available, it contains 155 figures, 79 tables, and some 100 "factlets" that tell the story of America's commuting trends and patterns over the past ten years. This publication will be a valuable reference for the transportation community--practitioners, researchers, and decision makers--who wish to understand how individual behavior and public policies affect commuting patterns.

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Events and Open Meetings


MEETING: International Capacity Building for the Protection and Sustainable Use of Oceans and Coasts

The Committee on International Capacity Building for the Protection and Sustainable Use of Oceans and Coasts will host a meeting November 13-14 in Panama. The sessions will include discussions of lessons learned from Panama as well as presentations by local and regional representatives of government, communities, and funders, and experts in design and administration. Project information and the draft agenda are posted at the accompanying links. If you would like to attend the sessions of this meeting that are open to the public or need more information please contact Jodi Bostrom, by email at <jbostrom@nas.edu> or by telephone at 202 334 2628.

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CONFERENCE: Disaster Planning for the Car-less

The Transportation Research Board is cosponsoring a conference on "Disaster Planning for the Car-less" February 8-9, 2007, in New Orleans. The conference will explore how America can better prepare for evacuating carless residents from cities during emergencies, including the elderly, disabled, and transit-dependent populations. Registration and additional conference information is posted at the accompanying link. (Early bird registration ends December 1, 2006.)

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MEETING: International Human Rights Network

The next biennial meeting of the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies will be hosted by the Sri Lanka Academy of Sciences in Colombo April 4-6, 2007. It is expected that some 45 national academies will be represented at the meeting, which will include lectures by prominent human rights experts. Additional information about the meeting is posted at the accompanying link. The proceedings from the Network's previous meeting, in May 2005 at the Royal Society in London, are also posted at the accompanying link.

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