NEWS

Current News From the National Academies

Report Selects 16 Highest Priorities to Guide NASA's Technology Development Efforts

February 1 -- During the next five years, NASA technology development efforts should focus on 16 high-priority technologies and their associated top technical challenges, says a new report from the National Research Council. The technologies were selected with input from the external technical community as part of NASA’s draft technology roadmaps and include items such as radiation mitigation; guidance, navigation, and control; nuclear systems for both power generation and transportation; and solar power generation (see news release for full table). These priorities were chosen to align with three main facets of NASA's overall mission: extending and sustaining human activities beyond low Earth orbit; exploring the evolution of the solar system and the potential for life elsewhere; and expanding our understanding of Earth and the universe.
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Public Health Action Needed to Reduce Burdens of Chronic Illness

January 31 -- A new report from the Institute of Medicine says public health actions are urgently needed to tackle the vast and growing toll of chronic illness on individuals and society. The report’s recommendations focus on optimizing efforts to better understand the burden and needs of people with chronic diseases, improving the dissemination of effective community-based interventions and preventive clinical guidelines, promoting the testing of an aligned health system to help people live well with chronic illness, and promoting the creation and implementation of public health policies in emerging legislation.
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Bruce B. Darling Named Executive Officer of National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council

January 27 -- Bruce B. Darling, currently vice president for laboratory management at the University of California, will soon join the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council as executive officer. His transition from the university to NAS will occur over the next several months. He will succeed E. William Colglazier, who now serves as science and technology adviser at the U.S. Department of State.
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Strategic Research Plan Needed to Help Avoid Potential Risks of Nanomaterials

January 25 -- Despite extensive investment in nanotechnology and increasing commercialization over the last decade, insufficient understanding remains about the environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanomaterials. Without a coordinated research plan to help guide efforts to manage and avoid potential risks, the future of safe and sustainable nanotechnology is uncertain, says a new report from the National Research Council. An effective implementation of such a plan would require sufficient management and budgetary authority to direct research across federal agencies.
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TRB'S 2012 Annual Meeting Highlights Putting Innovation and People to Work in Transportation

January 20 -- The 91st annual meeting of the National Research Council's Transportation Research Board will have more than 4,000 transportation-related presentations in nearly 650 sessions and workshops. Some 11,000 people from around the world -- including policymakers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, journalists, and representatives of government, industry, and academia -- will attend the meeting. This year's spotlight theme is "Transportation: Putting Innovation and People to Work." The event will take place Jan. 22-26 in Washington, D.C.
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NAS Honors 17 for Major Contributions to Science

January 19 -- The National Academy of Sciences will recognize 17 individuals with awards for their extraordinary scientific achievements. The recipients will be honored in a ceremony on Monday, April 30, during the Academy’s 149th annual meeting.
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Unintended Acceleration Controversy Reveals Need for NHTSA to Anticipate Safety Challenges From Automotive Electronics

January 18 -- The increasing role of electronic systems in automobiles creates new safety oversight challenges that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must address explicitly and proactively, says a new report from the National Research Council's Transportation Research Board. As these electronics systems become more complex, interconnected, and capable, safety assurance demands will grow, as will the need to maintain public confidence in their safe performance. NHTSA will need to become more familiar with how manufacturers design safety and security into electronics systems, identify and investigate system faults that may leave no physical trace, and respond convincingly when concerns arise about system safety.
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Shapiro to Receive Public Welfare Medal, Academy’s Most Prestigious Award

January 18 -- Harold T. Shapiro, an economist lauded for his ability to distill, debate, and resolve the complex aspects of controversial scientific issues, has been awarded the Public Welfare Medal, the National Academy of Sciences’ most prestigious award. Established in 1914, the medal is presented annually to honor extraordinary use of science for the public good.
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Reuse of Treated Wastewater Has Potential to Augment Water Supplies

January 10 -- With recent advances in technology and design, treating and reusing municipal wastewater for drinking water, irrigation, industry, and other applications could significantly increase the nation's total available water resources, particularly in coastal areas facing water shortages, says a new report from the National Research Council. Moreover, new analyses suggest that the possible health risks of exposure to chemical contaminants and disease-causing microbes from wastewater reuse do not exceed, and in some cases may be significantly lower than, the risks of existing water supplies.
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Call for Nominations for 2012 Communication Awards

January 5 -- The Keck Futures Initiative -- a program of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine -- is accepting nominations for the 2012 Communication Awards for excellence in reporting and communicating science, engineering, and medicine to the public during 2011. A $20,000 prize will be awarded in each of the following categories: book; newspaper or magazine; online; and TV, radio, or film.
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