March 9: Series Premiere of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Mark your calendar for the premiere of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, on Sunday, March 9, at 9:00 p.m. eastern/8:00 p.m.
Museum Announcements
Celebrate National Nutrition Month
March is National Nutrition Month, a time to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Does your dinner plate reflect the latest science-based nutrition guidelines? Do you know what’s in your supplements? How can we help schools give students the foundation they need to develop a healthy lifestyle?
Engineering for You Video Contest Open through March 31
Engineering achievements in the past 50 years have helped land astronauts on the moon, create the Internet, and decode the human genome. What will engineering create in the next 50 years?
Student Short Film Contest Open through March 21
Students in grades 6-12 are invited to submit a short film (30-90 seconds) showcasing an example of science in popular culture to compete for a grand prize of $2000 as part of the 2014 Science and Engineering Festival. Winners also receive a trip to the festival in Washington, D.C. April 26-27.
February 27: NAS and The Royal Society to Release Joint Publication on Climate
Join the National Academy of Sciences and the U.K.'s Royal Society for the release of "Climate Change: Evidence & Causes ," a brief publication by a team of leading climate scientists that addresses key questions about climate change.
Summary: The Science of Science Communication
A summary of a National Academy of Sciences’ colloquium exploring ways to improve the communication of science to lay audiences is now available. The colloquium, held in the fall of 2013 and titled “The Science of Science Communication II,” convened leading social, behavioral, and decision scientists, other scientists, and communication practitioners to share current research and discuss opportunities to enhance public engagement with science.
New Workshop Summary Explores Microbes and Our Health
A new workshop summary from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) offers perspectives on the scientific and therapeutic implications of the microbial communities that live in and around our bodies and those of other organisms.
Increasingly in recent years, scientific evidence has illuminated complex and dynamic interactions among hosts, microbes, and the environment, leading some scientists to suggest a paradigm shift away from the conventional “one-microbe, one-disease” view to encompass a more nuanced perspective on microbial ecology as it relates to health and disease.
February 20: DASER on Art as a Way of Knowing
The next D.C. Art Science Evening Rendezvous (DASER), a monthly discussion forum on art and science projects, will be held Thursday, February 20 starting at 6:00 p.m.. DASERs provide a snapshot of the cultural environment and foster interdisciplinary networking. This month, in celebration of its third anniversary, DASER explores the theme of art as a way of knowing.
Research Finds Adapting to Climate Change Is Cheaper than Responding to Its Impacts
A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that the cost of strategies to adapt to projected sea level rise are lower than the potential costs of flooding damage that could occur in the absence of such adaptation measures.
Workshop Summary: Food for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet
How can we create systems that provide a safe, nutritious, and consistent food supply while also reducing the strains placed on natural resources such as land, water, and air? A new workshop summary from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) considers the issues.