“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.  

Selected Events in August 2023
Click on each event title below to access meeting details, an agenda, and registration information, or contact the Office of News and Public Information (e-mail news@nas.edu). Reporters should register for all meetings. Find more National Academies events at https://www.nationalacademies.org/events. 

Open Access and FAIR Data in the Chemical Sciences
Aug. 1
The 2022 Executive Order to make all federally funded research publicly accessible by 2025 underscores the need to update commonly used publication models in all scientific fields. This webinar will provide an overview of open access publishing and FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability) data guidelines, which have been widely accepted as solutions to increase the availability of research, and discuss challenges and solutions specific to the chemical sciences for equitable implementation. 

Dietary Patterns and Chronic Disease
Aug. 15 and 16
This workshop will explore the state of science on the links between dietary patterns and chronic disease. Speakers will examine how diet influences the origins of chronic disease as well as disease risk and susceptibility.  

Unequal Treatment Revisited
Aug. 16 and 17
The second in a series, this workshop will discuss the current state of racial and ethnic health care disparities in the U.S., including innovative approaches to address disparities, health care policy, and data and measurement needs. The discussion will inform the work of an ongoing National Academies study. 

Paving the Way for Continental-Scale Biology  
Aug. 21
At this event, experts will explore how biological research at multiple scales can inform the development of a continental-scale biology. The session will focus on data collection, collective engagement and involvement, and innovative tools and techniques to aid in the advancement and understanding of continental-scale biology.  

Environmental Justice Transportation Planning
Aug. 29
State DOTs are increasing their focus on environmental justice in their planning and processes. This webinar will look at the history of environmental justice within the context of transportation projects, and share successful strategies to promote equity and justice going forward. 

Voting Policies and Implications for Health
Aug. 30
In this webinar, speakers will discuss the historical and political context for American voting policies and how they impact health equity, as well as how American voting policies compare internationally.  

Forum on Cyber Resilience
Aug. 31 - Sept. 1
This meeting will convene experts from industry, academia, and government to collaborate and explore emerging critical challenges related to the security, trustworthiness, and resilience of the nation’s computing, communications systems, and critical infrastructures. 

Reports Scheduled for Release in August
Release dates for the following consensus reports and proceedings from the National Academies depend on successful completion of the review process and publishing schedules. Reporters who would like to be notified when a report is due for release should contact the Office of News and Public Information (e-mail news@nas.edu) and ask to be placed on a contact list.  

Creating a Framework for Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation in Health and Medicine
This report presents a cross-sectoral, coordinated governance framework for considering the potential benefits and risks that emerging science, technology, and innovation in health and medicine can bring to society. 

Review of EPA’s 2022 Draft Formaldehyde Assessment 
This report is a scientific review of EPA’s draft Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde. The review assesses whether EPA’s draft document adequately and transparently evaluates the scientific literature, uses appropriate methods to synthesize the current state of the science, and presents conclusions regarding the hazard identification analysis and dose-response analysis of formaldehyde.  

Review of the Department of Veterans Affairs Presumption Decision Process
This report assesses the revised administrative process to be used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to evaluate medical conditions and their possible relationships to military environmental exposures. The review examines whether the process is in accordance with current scientific standards for assessing the link between exposure to environmental hazards and the development of health outcomes, and whether the elements of the process are fair and consistent. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR REPORTERS 

• The National Academies’ Newsroom  
• PNAS in the News | Register to receive embargoed material from the PNAS News Office 
• Reports and other publications from the National Academies 
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