%0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T A Decision Framework for Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs %@ 978-0-309-49184-6 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25424/a-decision-framework-for-interventions-to-increase-the-persistence-and-resilience-of-coral-reefs %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25424/a-decision-framework-for-interventions-to-increase-the-persistence-and-resilience-of-coral-reefs %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 212 %X Coral reefs are critical to ocean and human life because they provide food, living area, storm protection, tourism income, and more. However, human-induced stressors, such as overfishing, sediment, pollution, and habitat destruction have threatened ocean ecosystems globally for decades. In the face of climate change, these ecosystems now face an array of unfamiliar challenges due to destructive rises in ocean temperature, acidity and sea level. These factors lead to an increased frequency of bleaching events, hindered growth, and a decreasing rate of calcification. Research on interventions to combat these relatively new stressors and a reevaluation of longstanding interventions is necessary to understand and protect coral reefs in this changing climate. Previous research on these methods prompts further questions regarding the decision making process for site-specific interventions. A Decision Framework for Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs builds upon a previous report that reviews the state of research on methods that have been used, tested, or proposed to increase the resilience of coral reefs. This new report aims to help coral managers evaluate the specific needs of their site and navigate the 23 different interventions described in the previous report. A case study of the Caribbean, a region with low coral population plagued by disease, serves as an example for coral intervention decision making. This report provides complex coral management decision making tools, identifies gaps in coral biology and conservation research, and provides examples to help individuals and communities tailor a decision strategy to a local area. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T A Research Review of Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs %@ 978-0-309-48535-7 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25279/a-research-review-of-interventions-to-increase-the-persistence-and-resilience-of-coral-reefs %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25279/a-research-review-of-interventions-to-increase-the-persistence-and-resilience-of-coral-reefs %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 258 %X Coral reef declines have been recorded for all major tropical ocean basins since the 1980s, averaging approximately 30-50% reductions in reef cover globally. These losses are a result of numerous problems, including habitat destruction, pollution, overfishing, disease, and climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions and the associated increases in ocean temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations have been implicated in increased reports of coral bleaching, disease outbreaks, and ocean acidification (OA). For the hundreds of millions of people who depend on reefs for food or livelihoods, the thousands of communities that depend on reefs for wave protection, the people whose cultural practices are tied to reef resources, and the many economies that depend on reefs for fisheries or tourism, the health and maintenance of this major global ecosystem is crucial. A growing body of research on coral physiology, ecology, molecular biology, and responses to stress has revealed potential tools to increase coral resilience. Some of this knowledge is poised to provide practical interventions in the short-term, whereas other discoveries are poised to facilitate research that may later open the doors to additional interventions. A Research Review of Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs reviews the state of science on genetic, ecological, and environmental interventions meant to enhance the persistence and resilience of coral reefs. The complex nature of corals and their associated microbiome lends itself to a wide range of possible approaches. This first report provides a summary of currently available information on the range of interventions present in the scientific literature and provides a basis for the forthcoming final report. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Safety is Seguridad: A Workshop Summary %@ 978-0-309-08706-3 %D 2003 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10641/safety-is-seguridad-a-workshop-summary %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10641/safety-is-seguridad-a-workshop-summary %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Industry and Labor %K Earth Sciences %P 160 %X Approximately 32.8 million persons of Hispanic descent live in the United States, half of whom were born outside the United States (Therrien and Ramirez, 2000). By the year 2050, it is expected that Hispanics will constitute more than 25 percent of the total U.S. population and approximately 15 percent of the U.S. labor force. These estimates and the fact that 90 percent of Hispanic American men and 60 percent of Hispanic American women participate in the U.S. workforce strongly suggest a need for occupational safety and health information in Spanish. The growing presence of Spanish-speaking workers and employers in the United States and the unprecedented 12-percent increase in the overall rate of workplace fatalities among Hispanic workers in 2000 highlights the need to better communicate occupational safety and health information in Spanish to both employees and employers. To address this need the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is preparing a strategy for developing and disseminating Spanish-language occupational safety and health educational and technical material. To gather information necessary to create this strategic plan the National Research Council (NRC) was asked to host a workshop. The committee commissioned five white papers (see Appendices D-H) and organized a workshop on May 29-30, in San Diego, California. Safety is Seguridad: A Workshop Summary is a synopsis of the presentations and discussions at the workshop. It does not contain any conclusions and recommendations. The conclusions and recommendations in the white papers represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the committee or the NRC. It is intended as input to the NIOSH strategic planning in this area. Chapter 2 discusses the available information and identifies information gaps regarding risks and adverse events for Latino workers. Chapter 3 examines the available health and safety training resource materials for Latino workers, especially for those with little or no English capabilities; in particular, it discusses issues of the linguistic and cultural appropriateness of materials. Chapter 4 considers issues surrounding the assessment of existing materials and the development of new materials. Chapter 5 discusses the various means of conveying information to Spanish-speaking workers, again focusing on cultural appropriateness and ways of maximizing understanding. Chapter 6 summarizes the discussion in the prior chapters and presents some overarching issues raised by the workshop attendees. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Review of the Draft NTP Monograph: Systematic Review of Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Health Effects %@ 978-0-309-67316-7 %D 2020 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25715/review-of-the-draft-ntp-monograph-systematic-review-of-fluoride %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25715/review-of-the-draft-ntp-monograph-systematic-review-of-fluoride %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Health and Medicine %P 60 %X The National Toxicology Program (NTP) conducted a systematic review of the evidence of adverse neurodevelopmental and cognitive effects of fluoride exposure. NTP's conclusions are summarized in the monograph Systematic Review of Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Health Effects. At the request of NTP, a committee convened by the National Academies reviewed their monograph to ensure the integrity of that report. It is important to note that the committee was tasked with reviewing the monograph and focused its efforts on evaluating whether evidence as presented in the monograph supported NTP's conclusions. Thus, it did not conduct its own independent evaluation of the evidence, and it did not conduct a data audit. However, it did review some key literature to enable its review of the monograph. Review of the Draft NTP Monograph contains findings and suggestions for improvements and some overarching findings concerning methods, assessment of animal and human evidence, and NTP's hazard conclusion. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Application of Systematic Review Methods in an Overall Strategy for Evaluating Low-Dose Toxicity from Endocrine Active Chemicals %@ 978-0-309-45862-7 %D 2017 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24758/application-of-systematic-review-methods-in-an-overall-strategy-for-evaluating-low-dose-toxicity-from-endocrine-active-chemicals %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24758/application-of-systematic-review-methods-in-an-overall-strategy-for-evaluating-low-dose-toxicity-from-endocrine-active-chemicals %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 180 %X To safeguard public health, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must keep abreast of new scientific information and emerging technologies so that it can apply them to regulatory decision-making. For decades the agency has dealt with questions about what animal-testing data to use to make predictions about human health hazards, how to perform dose-response extrapolations, how to identify and protect susceptible subpopulations, and how to address uncertainties. As alternatives to traditional toxicity testing have emerged, the agency has been faced with additional questions about how to incorporate data from such tests into its chemical assessments and whether such tests can replace some traditional testing methods. Endocrine active chemicals (EACs) have raised concerns that traditional toxicity-testing protocols might be inadequate to identify all potential hazards to human health because they have the ability to modulate normal hormone function, and small alterations in hormone concentrations, particularly during sensitive life stages, can have lasting and significant effects. To address concerns about potential human health effects from EACs at low doses, this report develops a strategy to evaluate the evidence for such low-dose effects. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Review of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Process %@ 978-0-309-30414-6 %D 2014 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18764/review-of-epas-integrated-risk-information-system-iris-process %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18764/review-of-epas-integrated-risk-information-system-iris-process %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 170 %X The Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) is a program within the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that is responsible for developing toxicologic assessments of environmental contaminants. An IRIS assessment contains hazard identifications and dose-response assessments of various chemicals related to cancer and noncancer outcomes. Although the program was created to increase consistency among toxicologic assessments within the agency, federal, state, and international agencies and other organizations have come to rely on IRIS assessments for setting regulatory standards, establishing exposure guidelines, and estimating risks to exposed populations. Over the last decade, the National Research Council (NRC) has been asked to review some of the more complex and challenging IRIS assessments, including those of formaldehyde, dioxin, and tetrachloroethylene. In 2011, an NRC committee released its review of the IRIS formaldehyde assessment. Like other NRC committees that had reviewed IRIS assessments, the formaldehyde committee identified deficiencies in the specific assessment and more broadly in some of EPA's general approaches and specific methods. Although the committee focused on evaluating the IRIS formaldehyde assessment, it provided suggestions for improving the IRIS process and a roadmap for its revision in case EPA decided to move forward with changes to the process. Congress directed EPA to implement the report's recommendations and then asked the National Research Council to review the changes that EPA was making (or proposing to make) in response to the recommendations. Review of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Process provides an overview of some general issues associated with IRIS assessments. This report then addresses evidence identification and evaluation for IRIS assessments and discusses evidence integration for hazard evaluation and methods for calculating reference values and unit risks. The report makes recommendations and considerations for future directions. Overall, Review of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System Process finds that substantial improvements in the IRIS process have been made, and it is clear that EPA has embraced and is acting on the recommendations in the NRC formaldehyde report. The recommendations of this report should be seen as building on the progress that EPA has already made. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Learning to Think Spatially %@ 978-0-309-09208-1 %D 2006 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11019/learning-to-think-spatially %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11019/learning-to-think-spatially %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %P 332 %X Learning to Think Spatially examines how spatial thinking might be incorporated into existing standards-based instruction across the school curriculum. Spatial thinking must be recognized as a fundamental part of K–12 education and as an integrator and a facilitator for problem solving across the curriculum. With advances in computing technologies and the increasing availability of geospatial data, spatial thinking will play a significant role in the information-based economy of the twenty-first century. Using appropriately designed support systems tailored to the K–12 context, spatial thinking can be taught formally to all students. A geographic information system (GIS) offers one example of a high-technology support system that can enable students and teachers to practice and apply spatial thinking in many areas of the curriculum. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Developing Capacities for Teaching Responsible Science in the MENA Region: Refashioning Scientific Dialogue %@ 978-0-309-28639-8 %D 2013 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18356/developing-capacities-for-teaching-responsible-science-in-the-mena-region %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18356/developing-capacities-for-teaching-responsible-science-in-the-mena-region %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Education %K Conflict and Security Issues %P 152 %X Spurred on by new discoveries and rapid technological advances, the capacity for life science research is expanding across the globe—and with it comes concerns about the unintended impacts of research on the physical and biological environment, human well-being, or the deliberate misuse of knowledge, tools, and techniques to cause harm. This report describes efforts to address dual use issues by developing institutes around the world that will help life sciences faculty learn to teach about the responsible conduct of science. Based on the successful National Academies Summer Institute for Undergraduate Biology Education and on previous NRC reports on effective methods for teaching about dual use issues, the report's authoring committee designed a general framework for the faculty institutes and chose the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region to test a prototype faculty institute. In September 2012, the first Institute was held in Aqaba, Jordan, bringing together 28 participants from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, and Yemen to engage with effective, evidence-based teaching methods, develop curricular materials for use in their own classrooms, and become community leaders on dual use and related topics. Developing Capacities for Teaching Responsible Science in the MENA Region: Refashioning Scientific Dialogue offers insights from the institute that will help in the design and implementation of future programs in the MENA region, and in other parts of the world. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T A Class Approach to Hazard Assessment of Organohalogen Flame Retardants %@ 978-0-309-49118-1 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25412/a-class-approach-to-hazard-assessment-of-organohalogen-flame-retardants %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25412/a-class-approach-to-hazard-assessment-of-organohalogen-flame-retardants %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 102 %X In the 1970s, flame retardants began to be added to synthetic materials to meet strict flammability standards. Over the years, diverse flame retardants have been manufactured and used in various products. Some flame retardants have migrated out of the products, and this has led to widespread human exposure and environmental contamination. There also is mounting evidence that many flame retardants are associated with adverse human health effects. As a result, some flame retardants have been banned, restricted, or voluntarily phased out of production and use. This publication develops a scientifically based scoping plan to assess additive, nonpolymeric organohalogen flame retardants as a class for potential chronic health hazards under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, including cancer, birth defects, and gene mutations. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Olson, Steve %E Labov, Jay B. %T Thinking Evolutionarily: Evolution Education Across the Life Sciences: Summary of a Convocation %@ 978-0-309-25689-6 %D 2012 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13403/thinking-evolutionarily-evolution-education-across-the-life-sciences-summary-of %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13403/thinking-evolutionarily-evolution-education-across-the-life-sciences-summary-of %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 110 %X Evolution is the central unifying theme of biology. Yet today, more than a century and a half after Charles Darwin proposed the idea of evolution through natural selection, the topic is often relegated to a handful of chapters in textbooks and a few class sessions in introductory biology courses, if covered at all. In recent years, a movement has been gaining momentum that is aimed at radically changing this situation. On October 25-26, 2011, the Board on Life Sciences of the National Research Council and the National Academy of Sciences held a national convocation in Washington, DC, to explore the many issues associated with teaching evolution across the curriculum. Thinking Evolutionarily: Evolution Education Across the Life Sciences: Summary of a Convocation summarizes the goals, presentations, and discussions of the convocation. The goals were to articulate issues, showcase resources that are currently available or under development, and begin to develop a strategic plan for engaging all of the sectors represented at the convocation in future work to make evolution a central focus of all courses in the life sciences, and especially into introductory biology courses at the college and high school levels, though participants also discussed learning in earlier grades and life-long learning. Thinking Evolutionarily: Evolution Education Across the Life Sciences: Summary of a Convocation covers the broader issues associated with learning about the nature, processes, and limits of science, since understanding evolutionary science requires a more general appreciation of how science works. This report explains the major themes that recurred throughout the convocation, including the structure and content of curricula, the processes of teaching and learning about evolution, the tensions that can arise in the classroom, and the target audiences for evolution education. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Benchmarking the Competitiveness of the United States in Mechanical Engineering Basic Research %@ 978-0-309-11426-4 %D 2007 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12055/benchmarking-the-competitiveness-of-the-united-states-in-mechanical-engineering-basic-research %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12055/benchmarking-the-competitiveness-of-the-united-states-in-mechanical-engineering-basic-research %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Engineering and Technology %K Math, Chemistry, and Physics %P 118 %X Mechanical engineering is critical to the design, manufacture, and operation of small and large mechanical systems throughout the U.S. economy. This book highlights the main findings of a benchmarking exercise to rate the standing of U.S. mechanical engineering basic research relative to other regions or countries. The book includes key factors that influence U.S. performance in mechanical engineering research, and near- and longer-term projections of research leadership. U.S. leadership in mechanical engineering basic research overall will continue to be strong. Contributions of U.S. mechanical engineers to journal articles will increase, but so will the contributions from other growing economies such as China and India. At the same time, the supply of U.S. mechanical engineers is in jeopardy, because of declines in the number of U.S. citizens obtaining advanced degrees and uncertain prospects for continuing to attract foreign students. U.S. funding of mechanical engineering basic research and infrastructure will remain level, with strong leadership in emerging areas. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Building Ocean Science Partnerships: The United States and Mexico Working Together %@ 978-0-309-05881-0 %D 1999 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5874/building-ocean-science-partnerships-the-united-states-and-mexico-working %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5874/building-ocean-science-partnerships-the-united-states-and-mexico-working %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 292 %X Building Ocean Science Partnerships describes a set of potential ocean science projects for cooperative research between scientists from the United States and Mexico, particularly focused on the Pacific Coast of California and Baja California, the Gulf of California, and the Gulf of Mexico. Barriers to cooperation between scientists of the two nations are identified, and methods to overcome such barriers are recommended. The book describes how interactions can be promoted by enhancing opportunities for education and training, building and sharing scientific infrastructure, participating together in large-scale marine research programs and regional ocean observing systems, planning joint science events and publications, and developing sources of binational funding. Building Ocean Science Partnerships will be published in English and Spanish to make its contents widely accessible in the United States and Mexico. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Bridging Boundaries Through Regional Marine Research %@ 978-0-309-06832-1 %D 2000 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9772/bridging-boundaries-through-regional-marine-research %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9772/bridging-boundaries-through-regional-marine-research %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 128 %X As appreciation of the interdisciplinary and multidimensional character of environmental issues has increased, there have been attempts to address regional needs more directly. One of these, the Regional Marine Research Program (RMRP), was established by Congress in 1990 to provide a mechanism to fund coastal marine research based on regionally-defined priorities. The RMRP legislation established a system of nine regional marine research boards around the United States. Each board was responsible for planning marine research to address issues of water quality and ecosystem health on a regional scale. Although all nine regions received funding for planning activities and development of a research plan, only the Gulf of Maine RMRP received funding for program implementation. The completion of the Gulf of Maine program, in 1997, presents an opportunity to evaluate whether the process for planning and managing the Gulf of Maine research was adequate, whether the research fulfilled the goals of the program, and whether this experience should serve as a model for similar regional programs elsewhere. Bridging Boundaries through Regional Marine Research is a study of the RMRP, with a specific review of the Gulf of Maine program as well as an assessment of other modesl for regional marine research. This report assesses the need for regional marine research,reviews processes by which regional marine research needs can be defined, and discusses existing programs for regional marine research in the United States. It also identifies short- and long-term approaches that might be taken by NOAA. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T The Airliner Cabin Environment: Air Quality and Safety %@ 978-0-309-03690-0 %D 1986 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/913/the-airliner-cabin-environment-air-quality-and-safety %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/913/the-airliner-cabin-environment-air-quality-and-safety %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 320 %X Each year Americans take more than 300 million plane trips staffed by a total of some 70,000 flight attendants. The health and safety of these individuals are the focus of this volume from the Committee on Airliner Cabin Air Quality. The book examines such topics as cabin air quality, the health effects of reduced pressure and cosmic radiation, emergency procedures, regulations established by U.S. and foreign agencies, records on airline maintenance and operation procedures, and medical statistics on air travel. Numerous recommendations are presented, including a ban on smoking on all domestic commercial flights to lessen discomfort to passengers and crew, to eliminate the possibility of fire caused by cigarettes, and to bring the cabin air quality into line with established standards for other closed environments. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Dolphins and the Tuna Industry %@ 978-0-309-04735-7 %D 1992 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1983/dolphins-and-the-tuna-industry %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1983/dolphins-and-the-tuna-industry %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 192 %X This book presents key conclusions about the controversial killing of thousands of dolphins each year during tuna fishing in the eastern tropical Pacific. Dolphins drown in nets that are set to catch yellowfin tuna, which tend to swim beneath dolphin herds. After 20 years of intense debate among environmentalists, the tuna industry, and policymakers, this fatal by-product of tuna fishing remains a high-profile public issue. Dolphins and the Tuna Industry provides a neutral examination of the scientific and technical questions at the core of the problem. Recommendations for solutions are offered in two areas: developing new techniques that promise to reduce dolphin mortality with the existing purse-seine method of tuna fishing, and developing entirely new methods of finding tuna that are not swimming with dolphins. Dolphins and the Tuna Industry provides a comprehensive, highly readable overview of the dolphin-tuna controversy, useful to experts and newcomers to the issue. It explores the processes of tuna fishing and dolphin mortality, the status of the tuna industry, and the significant progress made in reducing dolphin mortality through modifications in fishing practice. The volume includes: An overview of U.S. laws and policies relating to tuna and dolphins. An illustrated look at how tuna fishing crews use their equipment, focusing on the purse seine, which is the method most economical to the industry but most deadly to the dolphins. An overview of what is known about tuna and dolphin populations and the remarkable bond between them. A step-by-step description of the fishing process and efforts to let dolphins escape from the nets. An analysis of possible approaches to reducing dolphin kill, including more stringent regulatory approaches and incentives for the tuna industry. This book will be indispensible to environmental and animal protection groups, tuna fishing crews and processors, companies that market tuna products, policymakers, regulators, and concerned individuals. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Minerals, Critical Minerals, and the U.S. Economy %@ 978-0-309-11282-6 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12034/minerals-critical-minerals-and-the-us-economy %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12034/minerals-critical-minerals-and-the-us-economy %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Industry and Labor %K Earth Sciences %P 262 %X Minerals are part of virtually every product we use. Common examples include copper used in electrical wiring and titanium used to make airplane frames and paint pigments. The Information Age has ushered in a number of new mineral uses in a number of products including cell phones (e.g., tantalum) and liquid crystal displays (e.g., indium). For some minerals, such as the platinum group metals used to make cataytic converters in cars, there is no substitute. If the supply of any given mineral were to become restricted, consumers and sectors of the U.S. economy could be significantly affected. Risks to minerals supplies can include a sudden increase in demand or the possibility that natural ores can be exhausted or become too difficult to extract. Minerals are more vulnerable to supply restrictions if they come from a limited number of mines, mining companies, or nations. Baseline information on minerals is currently collected at the federal level, but no established methodology has existed to identify potentially critical minerals. This book develops such a methodology and suggests an enhanced federal initiative to collect and analyze the additional data needed to support this type of tool. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean %@ 978-0-309-21469-8 %D 2011 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13169/future-science-opportunities-in-antarctica-and-the-southern-ocean %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13169/future-science-opportunities-in-antarctica-and-the-southern-ocean %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %K Explore Science %P 212 %X Antarctica and the surrounding Southern Ocean remains one of the world's last frontiers. Covering nearly 14 million km&sup2 (an area approximately 1.4 times the size of the United States), Antarctica is the coldest, driest, highest, and windiest continent on Earth. While it is challenging to live and work in this extreme environment, this region offers many opportunities for scientific research. Ever since the first humans set foot on Antarctica a little more than a century ago, the discoveries made there have advanced our scientific knowledge of the region, the world, and the Universe--but there is still much more to learn. However, conducting scientific research in the harsh environmental conditions of Antarctica is profoundly challenging. Substantial resources are needed to establish and maintain the infrastructure needed to provide heat, light, transportation, and drinking water, while at the same time minimizing pollution of the environment and ensuring the safety of researchers. Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean suggests actions for the United States to achieve success for the next generation of Antarctic and Southern Ocean science. The report highlights important areas of research by encapsulating each into a single, overarching question. The questions fall into two broad themes: (1) those related to global change, and (2) those related to fundamental discoveries. In addition, the report identified key science questions that will drive research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in coming decades, and highlighted opportunities to be leveraged to sustain and improve the U.S. research efforts in the region. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T High-School Biology Today and Tomorrow %@ 978-0-309-04028-0 %D 1989 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1328/high-school-biology-today-and-tomorrow %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1328/high-school-biology-today-and-tomorrow %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %P 364 %X Biology is where many of science's most exciting and relevant advances are taking place. Yet, many students leave school without having learned basic biology principles, and few are excited enough to continue in the sciences. Why is biology education failing? How can reform be accomplished? This book presents information and expert views from curriculum developers, teachers, and others, offering suggestions about major issues in biology education: what should we teach in biology and how should it be taught? How can we measure results? How should teachers be educated and certified? What obstacles are blocking reform? %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants %@ 978-0-309-27253-7 %D 2014 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18294/lessons-learned-from-the-fukushima-nuclear-accident-for-improving-safety-of-us-nuclear-plants %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18294/lessons-learned-from-the-fukushima-nuclear-accident-for-improving-safety-of-us-nuclear-plants %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Conflict and Security Issues %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Energy and Energy Conservation %P 394 %X The March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami sparked a humanitarian disaster in northeastern Japan. They were responsible for more than 15,900 deaths and 2,600 missing persons as well as physical infrastructure damages exceeding $200 billion. The earthquake and tsunami also initiated a severe nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Three of the six reactors at the plant sustained severe core damage and released hydrogen and radioactive materials. Explosion of the released hydrogen damaged three reactor buildings and impeded onsite emergency response efforts. The accident prompted widespread evacuations of local populations, large economic losses, and the eventual shutdown of all nuclear power plants in Japan. Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety and Security of U.S. Nuclear Plants is a study of the Fukushima Daiichi accident. This report examines the causes of the crisis, the performance of safety systems at the plant, and the responses of its operators following the earthquake and tsunami. The report then considers the lessons that can be learned and their implications for U.S. safety and storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste, commercial nuclear reactor safety and security regulations, and design improvements. Lessons Learned makes recommendations to improve plant systems, resources, and operator training to enable effective ad hoc responses to severe accidents. This report's recommendations to incorporate modern risk concepts into safety regulations and improve the nuclear safety culture will help the industry prepare for events that could challenge the design of plant structures and lead to a loss of critical safety functions. In providing a broad-scope, high-level examination of the accident, Lessons Learned is meant to complement earlier evaluations by industry and regulators. This in-depth review will be an essential resource for the nuclear power industry, policy makers, and anyone interested in the state of U.S. preparedness and response in the face of crisis situations. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Using 21st Century Science to Improve Risk-Related Evaluations %@ 978-0-309-45348-6 %D 2017 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24635/using-21st-century-science-to-improve-risk-related-evaluations %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24635/using-21st-century-science-to-improve-risk-related-evaluations %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 200 %X Over the last decade, several large-scale United States and international programs have been initiated to incorporate advances in molecular and cellular biology, -omics technologies, analytical methods, bioinformatics, and computational tools and methods into the field of toxicology. Similar efforts are being pursued in the field of exposure science with the goals of obtaining more accurate and complete exposure data on individuals and populations for thousands of chemicals over the lifespan; predicting exposures from use data and chemical-property information; and translating exposures between test systems and humans. Using 21st Century Science to Improve Risk-Related Evaluations makes recommendations for integrating new scientific approaches into risk-based evaluations. This study considers the scientific advances that have occurred following the publication of the NRC reports Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy and Exposure Science in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy. Given the various ongoing lines of investigation and new data streams that have emerged, this publication proposes how best to integrate and use the emerging results in evaluating chemical risk. Using 21st Century Science to Improve Risk-Related Evaluations considers whether a new paradigm is needed for data validation, how to integrate the divergent data streams, how uncertainty might need to be characterized, and how best to communicate the new approaches so that they are understandable to various stakeholders. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T The Future of U.S. Chemistry Research: Benchmarks and Challenges %@ 978-0-309-10533-0 %D 2007 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11866/the-future-of-us-chemistry-research-benchmarks-and-challenges %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11866/the-future-of-us-chemistry-research-benchmarks-and-challenges %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Math, Chemistry, and Physics %P 160 %X Chemistry plays a key role in conquering diseases, solving energy problems, addressing environmental problems, providing the discoveries that lead to new industries, and developing new materials and technologies for national defense and homeland security. However, the field is currently facing a crucial time of change and is struggling to position itself to meet the needs of the future as it expands beyond its traditional core toward areas related to biology, materials science, and nanotechnology. At the request of the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Research Council conducted an in-depth benchmarking analysis to gauge the current standing of the U.S. chemistry field in the world. The Future of U.S. Chemistry Research: Benchmarks and Challenges highlights the main findings of the benchmarking exercise. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety and Security of U.S. Nuclear Plants: Phase 2 %@ 978-0-309-38888-7 %D 2016 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21874/lessons-learned-from-the-fukushima-nuclear-accident-for-improving-safety-and-security-of-us-nuclear-plants %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21874/lessons-learned-from-the-fukushima-nuclear-accident-for-improving-safety-and-security-of-us-nuclear-plants %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Conflict and Security Issues %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Energy and Energy Conservation %P 238 %X The U.S. Congress asked the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a technical study on lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident for improving safety and security of commercial nuclear power plants in the United States. This study was carried out in two phases: Phase 1, issued in 2014, focused on the causes of the Fukushima Daiichi accident and safety-related lessons learned for improving nuclear plant systems, operations, and regulations exclusive of spent fuel storage. This Phase 2 report focuses on three issues: (1) lessons learned from the accident for nuclear plant security, (2) lessons learned for spent fuel storage, and (3) reevaluation of conclusions from previous Academies studies on spent fuel storage. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research %@ 978-0-309-11249-9 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12026/the-role-of-theory-in-advancing-21st-century-biology-catalyzing %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12026/the-role-of-theory-in-advancing-21st-century-biology-catalyzing %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 208 %X Although its importance is not always recognized, theory is an integral part of all biological research. Biologists' theoretical and conceptual frameworks inform every step of their research, affecting what experiments they do, what techniques and technologies they develop and use, and how they interpret their data. By examining how theory can help biologists answer questions like "What are the engineering principles of life?" or "How do cells really work?" the report shows how theory synthesizes biological knowledge from the molecular level to the level of whole ecosystems. The book concludes that theory is already an inextricable thread running throughout the practice of biology; but that explicitly giving theory equal status with other components of biological research could help catalyze transformative research that will lead to creative, dynamic, and innovative advances in our understanding of life. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Animal Research in a Global Environment: Meeting the Challenges: Proceedings of the November 2008 International Workshop %@ 978-0-309-21502-2 %D 2011 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13175/animal-research-in-a-global-environment-meeting-the-challenges-proceedings %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13175/animal-research-in-a-global-environment-meeting-the-challenges-proceedings %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Agriculture %P 284 %X Animal research will play an essential role in efforts to meet increasing demands for global health care. Yet the animal research community faces the challenge of overcoming negative impressions that industry and academia engage in international collaborations in order to conduct work in parts of the world where animal welfare standards are less stringent. Thus, the importance of ensuring the international harmonization of the principles and standards of animal care and use cannot be overstated. A number of national and international groups are actively working toward this goal. The Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR), a program unit of the US National Research Council, is committed to promoting both the welfare of animals used in research and the quality of the resulting science. In 2008, to follow up on the 2003 event, ILAR convened a workshop which brought together 200 participants from 17 countries. Their mission was to identify and promote better understanding of important challenges in the conduct of animal research across country boundaries. These challenges include: the sourcing of animals; the quality of veterinary care; competent staff; the provision of a suitable environment (including nutritious food and potable water) for animals; and ongoing oversight of the animal program; among others. Animal Research in a Global Environment summarizes the proceedings of the 2008 workshop. The impact of this 2008 workshop has extended beyond the oral presentations conveyed in these proceedings. It has been a vital bridge for diverse colleagues and organizations around the world to advance initiatives designed to fill gaps in standards, professional qualifications, and coordination of animal use. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Melvin, April %T Wildland Fires: Toward Improved Understanding and Forecasting of Air Quality Impacts: Proceedings of a Workshop %@ 978-0-309-27737-2 %D 2022 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26465/wildland-fires-toward-improved-understanding-and-forecasting-of-air-quality-impacts %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26465/wildland-fires-toward-improved-understanding-and-forecasting-of-air-quality-impacts %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 80 %X Wildland fires pose a growing threat to air quality and human health. Fire is a natural part of many landscapes, but the extent of area burned and the severity of fires have been increasing, concurrent with human movement into previously uninhabited fire-prone areas and forest management practices that have increased fuel loads. These changes heighten the risk of exposure to fire itself and emissions (smoke), which can travel thousands of miles and affect millions of people, creating local, regional, and national air quality and health concerns. To address this growing threat, the National Academies brought together atmospheric chemistry and health research communities, natural resource managers, and decision makers to discuss current knowledge and needs surrounding how wildland fire emissions affect air quality and human health. Participants also explored opportunities to better bridge these communities to advance science and improve the production and exchange of information. This publication summarizes the workshop discussions and themes that emerged throughout the meeting. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Fostering Transformative Research in the Geographical Sciences %@ 978-0-309-38934-1 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21881/fostering-transformative-research-in-the-geographical-sciences %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21881/fostering-transformative-research-in-the-geographical-sciences %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 92 %X The central purpose of all research is to create new knowledge. In the geographical sciences this is driven by a desire to create new knowledge about the relations between space, place, and the anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic features and processes of the Earth. But some research goes beyond these modest aims and creates new opportunities for further research, or affects the process of knowledge acquisition more broadly, or changes the way other researchers in a domain think about the world and go about their business. Due to its positive impacts, transformative research can be regarded as inherently having greater value than more conventional research, and funding agencies clearly regard transformative research as something to be encouraged and funded through special programs. Assessments of transformative research funding initiatives are few and provide a mixed picture of their effectiveness. The challenge is whether transformative research can be identified at the time it is proposed rather than after it has been conducted, communicated, and its influence on the discipline has become clear. Fostering Transformative Research in the Geographical Sciences reviews how transformative research has emerged in the past, what its early markers were, and makes recommendations for how it can be nurtured in the future. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference %@ 978-0-309-07090-4 %D 2000 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9868/incorporating-science-economics-and-sociology-in-developing-sanitary-and-phytosanitary-standards-in-international-trade %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9868/incorporating-science-economics-and-sociology-in-developing-sanitary-and-phytosanitary-standards-in-international-trade %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Food and Nutrition %K Health and Medicine %P 289 %X The rapid expansion of international trade has brought to the fore issues of conflicting national regulations in the area of plant, animal, and human health. These problems include the concern that regulations designed to protect health can also be used for protection of domestic producers against international competition. At a time when progressive tariff reform has opened up markets and facilitated trade, in part responding to consumer demands for access to a wide choice of products and services at reasonable prices, closer scrutiny of regulatory measures has become increasingly important. At the same time, there are clear differences among countries and cultures as to the types of risk citizens are willing to accept. The activities of this conference were based on the premise that risk analyses (i.e., risk assessment, management, and communication) are not exclusively the domain of the biological and natural sciences; the social sciences play a prominent role in describing how people in different contexts perceive and respond to risks. Any effort to manage sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues in international trade must integrate all the sciences to develop practices for risk assessment, management, and communication that recognize international diversity in culture, experience, and institutions. Uniform international standards can help, but no such norms are likely to be acceptable to all countries. Political and administrative structures also differ, causing differences in approaches and outcomes even when basic aims are compatible. Clearly there is considerable room for confusion and mistrust. The issue is how to balance the individual regulatory needs and approaches of countries with the goal of promoting freer trade. This issue arises not only for SPS standards but also in regard to regulations that affect other areas such as environmental quality, working conditions, and the exercise of intellectual property rights. This conference focused on these issues in the specific area of SPS measures. This area includes provisions to protect plant and animal health and life and, more generally, the environment, and regulations that protect humans from foodborne risks. The Society for Risk Analysis defines a risk as the potential for realization of unwanted, adverse consequences to human life, health, property, or the environment; estimation of risk is usually based on the expected value of the conditional probability of the event occurring times the consequence of the event given that it has occurred. The task of this conference and of this report was to elucidate the place of science, culture, politics, and economics in the design and implementation of SPS measures and in their international management. The goal was to explore the critical roles and the limitations of the biological and natural sciences and the social sciences, such as economics, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and political science in the management of SPS issues and in judging whether particular SPS measures create unacceptable barriers to international trade. The conference's objective also was to consider the elements that would compose a multidisciplinary analytical framework for SPS decision making and needs for future research. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens in the Human Diet: A Comparison of Naturally Occurring and Synthetic Substances %@ 978-0-309-05391-4 %D 1996 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5150/carcinogens-and-anticarcinogens-in-the-human-diet-a-comparison-of %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5150/carcinogens-and-anticarcinogens-in-the-human-diet-a-comparison-of %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Health and Medicine %P 436 %X Despite increasing knowledge of human nutrition, the dietary contribution to cancer remains a troubling question. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens assembles the best available information on the magnitude of potential cancer risk—and potential anticarcinogenic effect—from naturally occurring chemicals compared with risk from synthetic chemical constituents. The committee draws important conclusions about diet and cancer, including the carcinogenic role of excess calories and fat, the anticarcinogenic benefit of fiber and other substances, and the impact of food additive regulation. The book offers recommendations for epidemiological and diet research. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens provides a readable overview of issues and addresses critical questions: Does diet contribute to an appreciable proportion of human cancer? Are there significant interactions between carcinogens and anticarcinogens in the diet? The volume discusses the mechanisms of carcinogenic and anticarcinogenic properties and considers whether techniques used to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of synthetics can be used with naturally occurring chemicals. The committee provides criteria for prioritizing the vast number of substances that need to be tested. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens clarifies the issues and sets the direction for further investigations into diet and cancer. This volume will be of interest to anyone involved in food and health issues: policymakers, regulators, researchers, nutrition professionals, and health advocates. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences %D 1991 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1543/opportunities-in-the-hydrologic-sciences %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1543/opportunities-in-the-hydrologic-sciences %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 371 %X Hydrology—the science of water—is central to our understanding of the global environment and its many problems. Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences explains how the science of water historically has played second fiddle to its applications and how we now must turn to the hydrologic sciences to solve some of the emerging problems. This first book of its kind presents a blueprint for establishing hydrologic science among the geosciences. Informative and well-illustrated chapters explore what we know about the forces that drive the global water system, highlighting promising research topics in hydrology's major subfields. The book offers specific recommendations for improving hydrologic education, from kindergarten through graduate school. In addition, a chapter on the basics of the science is interesting for the scientist and understandable to the lay reader. This readable volume is enhanced by a series of brief biographical sketches of past leaders in the field and fascinating vignettes on important applied problems, from the relevance of hydrology to radioactive waste disposal to the study of ancient water flows on Mars. The volume concludes with a report on current research funding and an outline of strategies for scientists and professional societies to advance the field. Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences is indispensable to policymakers in science and education, research managers in geoscience programs, researchers, educators, graduate students, and future hydrologists. %0 Book %T Arctic Contributions to Social Science and Public Policy %D 1993 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9556/arctic-contributions-to-social-science-and-public-policy %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9556/arctic-contributions-to-social-science-and-public-policy %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 88 %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Kosti, Ourania %T The Science of Responding to a Nuclear Reactor Accident: Summary of a Symposium %@ 978-0-309-31659-0 %D 2014 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/19002/the-science-of-responding-to-a-nuclear-reactor-accident-summary %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/19002/the-science-of-responding-to-a-nuclear-reactor-accident-summary %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Conflict and Security Issues %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 52 %X The Science of Responding to a Nuclear Reactor Accident summarizes the presentations and discussions of the May 2014 Gilbert W. Beebe Symposium titled "The Science and Response to a Nuclear Reactor Accident". The symposium, dedicated in honor of the distinguished National Cancer Institute radiation epidemiologist who died in 2003, was co-hosted by the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Cancer Institute. The symposium topic was prompted by the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was initiated by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami off the northeast coast of Japan. This was the fourth major nuclear accident that has occurred since the beginning of the nuclear age some 60 years ago. The 1957 Windscale accident in the United Kingdom caused by a fire in the reactor, the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the United States caused by mechanical and human errors, and the 1986 Chernobyl accident in the former Soviet Union caused by a series of human errors during the conduct of a reactor experiment are the other three major accidents. The rarity of nuclear accidents and the limited amount of existing experiences that have been assembled over the decades heightens the importance of learning from the past. This year's symposium promoted discussions among federal, state, academic, research institute, and news media representatives on current scientific knowledge and response plans for nuclear reactor accidents. The Beebe symposium explored how experiences from past nuclear plant accidents can be used to mitigate the consequences of future accidents, if they occur. The Science of Responding to a Nuclear Reactor Accident addresses off-site emergency response and long-term management of the accident consequences; estimating radiation exposures of affected populations; health effects and population monitoring; other radiological consequences; and communication among plant officials, government officials, and the public and the role of the media. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Kosti, Ourania %T Long-Term Health Monitoring of Populations Following a Nuclear or Radiological Incident in the United States: Proceedings of a Workshop %@ 978-0-309-49263-8 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25443/long-term-health-monitoring-of-populations-following-a-nuclear-or-radiological-incident-in-the-united-states %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25443/long-term-health-monitoring-of-populations-following-a-nuclear-or-radiological-incident-in-the-united-states %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 88 %X Accidents and terrorist attacks that lead to the release of radioactive materials can cause deaths, injuries, and a range of psychosocial effects in the surrounding community and team of emergency responders. In the United States, federal, state, and local agencies respond with the necessary resources to address the consequences of nuclear and radiological incidents and monitor the affected population. Following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident and the 2017 Gotham Shield National Level Exercise, the CDC recognized an opportunity to improve their practices by establishing a more efficient and timely health effect surveillance system before another incident occurs. On March 12-13th, 2019, the National Academies convened a workshop to discuss the process for preparing a radiation registry for monitoring long-term health effects of populations affected by a nuclear or radiological incident. Participants assessed existing information, useful practices, and tools for planning a radiation registry that will enhance incident monitoring and response methods. This publication summarizes the discussions and presentations from the workshop. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Challenges and Opportunities for Education About Dual Use Issues in the Life Sciences %@ 978-0-309-15840-4 %D 2011 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12958/challenges-and-opportunities-for-education-about-dual-use-issues-in-the-life-sciences %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12958/challenges-and-opportunities-for-education-about-dual-use-issues-in-the-life-sciences %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Education %K Policy for Science and Technology %K Conflict and Security Issues %P 146 %X The Challenges and Opportunities for Education About Dual Use Issues in the Life Sciences workshop was held to engage the life sciences community on the particular security issues related to research with dual use potential. More than 60 participants from almost 30 countries took part and included practicing life scientists, bioethics and biosecurity practitioners, and experts in the design of educational programs. The workshop sought to identify a baseline about (1) the extent to which dual use issues are currently being included in postsecondary education (undergraduate and postgraduate) in the life sciences; (2) in what contexts that education is occurring (e.g., in formal coursework, informal settings, as stand-alone subjects or part of more general training, and in what fields); and (3) what online educational materials addressing research in the life sciences with dual use potential already exist. %0 Book %E Wilson, E.O. %E University, Harvard %T Biodiversity %D 1988 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/989/biodiversity %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/989/biodiversity %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 538 %X This important book for scientists and nonscientists alike calls attention to a most urgent global problem: the rapidly accelerating loss of plant and animal species to increasing human population pressure and the demands of economic development. Based on a major conference sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution, Biodiversity creates a systematic framework for analyzing the problem and searching for possible solutions. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Burland, Donald M. %E Doyle, Michael P. %E Rogers, Michael E. %E Masciangioli, Tina M. %T Preparing Chemists and Chemical Engineers for a Globally Oriented Workforce: A Workshop Report to the Chemical Sciences Roundtable %@ 978-0-309-09203-6 %D 2004 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11059/preparing-chemists-and-chemical-engineers-for-a-globally-oriented-workforce %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11059/preparing-chemists-and-chemical-engineers-for-a-globally-oriented-workforce %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Industry and Labor %K Math, Chemistry, and Physics %P 90 %X Globalization—the flow of people, goods, services, capital, and technology across international borders—is significantly impacting the chemistry and chemical engineering professions. Chemical companies are seeking new ideas, a trained workforce, and new market opportunities regardless of geographic location. During an October 2003 workshop, leaders in chemistry and chemical engineering from industry, academia, government, and private funding organizations explored the implications of an increasingly global research environment for the chemistry and chemical engineering workforce. The workshop presentations described deficiencies in the current educational system and the need to create and sustain a globally aware workforce in the near future. The goal of the workshop was to inform the Chemical Sciences Roundtable, which provides a science-oriented, apolitical forum for leaders in the chemical sciences to discuss chemically related issues affecting government, industry, and universities. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Successful Response Starts with a Map: Improving Geospatial Support for Disaster Management %@ 978-0-309-10340-4 %D 2007 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11793/successful-response-starts-with-a-map-improving-geospatial-support-for %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11793/successful-response-starts-with-a-map-improving-geospatial-support-for %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 198 %X In the past few years the United States has experienced a series of disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which have severely taxed and in many cases overwhelmed responding agencies. In all aspects of emergency management, geospatial data and tools have the potential to help save lives, limit damage, and reduce the costs of dealing with emergencies. Great strides have been made in the past four decades in the development of geospatial data and tools that describe locations of objects on the Earth's surface and make it possible for anyone with access to the Internet to witness the magnitude of a disaster. However, the effectiveness of any technology is as much about the human systems in which it is embedded as about the technology itself. Successful Response Starts with a Map assesses the status of the use of geospatial data, tools, and infrastructure in disaster management, and recommends ways to increase and improve their use. This book explores emergency planning and response; how geospatial data and tools are currently being used in this field; the current policies that govern their use; various issues related to data accessibility and security; training; and funding. Successful Response Starts with a Map recommends significant investments be made in training of personnel, coordination among agencies, sharing of data and tools, planning and preparedness, and the tools themselves. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Neel, James V. %E Schull, William J. %T The Children of Atomic Bomb Survivors: A Genetic Study %@ 978-0-309-04537-7 %D 1991 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1800/the-children-of-atomic-bomb-survivors-a-genetic-study %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1800/the-children-of-atomic-bomb-survivors-a-genetic-study %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 530 %X Do persons exposed to radiation suffer genetic effects that threaten their yet-to-be-born children? Researchers are concluding that the genetic risks of radiation are less than previously thought. This finding is explored in this volume about the children of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki—the population that can provide the greatest insight into this critical issue. Assembled here for the first time are papers representing more than 40 years of research. These documents reveal key results related to radiation's effects on pregnancy termination, sex ratio, congenital defects, and early mortality of children. Edited by two of the principal architects of the studies, J. V. Neel and W. J. Schull, the volume also offers an important comparison with studies of the genetic effects of radiation on mice. The wealth of technical details will be immediately useful to geneticists and other specialists. Policymakers will be interested in the overall conclusions and discussion of future studies. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Assessing Equity in the Distribution of Fisheries Management Benefits: Data and Information Availability %@ 978-0-309-71189-0 %D 2024 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27313/assessing-equity-in-the-distribution-of-fisheries-management-benefits-data %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27313/assessing-equity-in-the-distribution-of-fisheries-management-benefits-data %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 128 %X Fisheries are essential to the global economy and feed billions around the world; they, support individuals and communities, and sustain cultural heritages and livelihoods. Although U.S. fisheries have been managed for commercial fishing historically, there has been an interest more recently in better accounting for and meeting the needs of the diverse individuals, groups, and communities that rely on and participate in fisheries, or aspire to do so. At the request of the National Marine Fisheries Service, this report considers information needs and data collection for assessing the distribution of fisheries management benefits. Assessing Equity in the Distribution of Fisheries Management Benefits identifies information needs, obstacles to collecting information, and potential methodologies for assessing where and to whom the primary benefits of commercial and for-hire fishery management accrue. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T The Chemistry of Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface %@ 978-0-309-27705-1 %D 2022 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26460/the-chemistry-of-fires-at-the-wildland-urban-interface %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26460/the-chemistry-of-fires-at-the-wildland-urban-interface %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Math, Chemistry, and Physics %K Earth Sciences %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 214 %X Wildfires in America are becoming larger, more frequent, and more destructive, driven by climate change and existing land management practices. Many of these fires occur at the wildland-urban interface (WUI), areas where development and wildland areas overlap and which are increasingly at risk of devastating fires as communities continue to expand into previously undeveloped areas. Unlike conventional wildfires, WUI fires are driven in part by burning of homes, cars, and other human-made structures, and in part by burning vegetation. The interaction of these two types of fires can lead to public health effects that are unique to WUI fires. This report evaluates existing and needed chemistry information that decision-makers can use to mitigate WUI fires and their potential health impacts. It describes key fuels of concern in WUI fires, especially household components like siding, insulation, and plastic, examines key pathways for exposure, including inhalation and ingestion, and identifies communities vulnerable to exposures. The report recommends a research agenda to inform response to and prevention of WUI fires, outlining needs in characterizing fuels, and predicting emissions and toxicants. %0 Book %A National Research Council %A Institute of Medicine %T Respiratory Diseases Research at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health %@ 978-0-309-11873-6 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12171/respiratory-diseases-research-at-niosh-reviews-of-research-programs-of %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12171/respiratory-diseases-research-at-niosh-reviews-of-research-programs-of %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %K Industry and Labor %P 250 %X Respiratory diseases caused by exposures to dangerous materials in the workplace have tremendous implications for worker health and, by extension, the national economy. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates that deaths from work-related respiratory diseases and cancers account for about 70% of all occupational disease deaths. NIOSH conducts research in order to detect and reduce work-related hazardous exposures, injuries, and diseases; its Respiratory Disease Research Program (RDRP) focuses on respiratory diseases. This National Research Council book reviews the RDRP to evaluate the 1) relevance of its work to improvements in occupational safety and health and 2) the impact of research in reducing workplace respiratory illnesses. The assessment reveals that the program has made essential contributions to preventing occupational respiratory disease. The National Research Council has rated the Program a 5 out of 5 for relevance, and a 4 out of 5 for impact. To further increase its effectiveness, the Respiratory Disease Research Program should continue and expand its current efforts, provide resources for occupational disease surveillance, and include exposure assessment scientists in its activities. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides %@ 978-0-309-28583-4 %D 2013 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18344/assessing-risks-to-endangered-and-threatened-species-from-pesticides %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18344/assessing-risks-to-endangered-and-threatened-species-from-pesticides %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 194 %X The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are responsible for protecting species that are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and for protecting habitats that are critical for their survival. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for registering or reregistering pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and must ensure that pesticide use does not cause any unreasonable adverse effects on the environment, which is interpreted to include listed species and their critical habitats. The agencies have developed their own approaches to evaluating environmental risk, and their approaches differ because their legal mandates, responsibilities, institutional cultures, and expertise differ. Over the years, the agencies have tried to resolve their differences but have been unsuccessful in reaching a consensus regarding their assessment approaches. As a result, FWS, NMFS, EPA, and the US Department of Agriculture asked the National Research Council (NRC) to examine scientific and technical issues related to determining risks posed to listed species by pesticides. Specifically, the NRC was asked to evaluate methods for identifying the best scientific data available; to evaluate approaches for developing modeling assumptions; to identify authoritative geospatial information that might be used in risk assessments; to review approaches for characterizing sublethal, indirect, and cumulative effects; to assess the scientific information available for estimating effects of mixtures and inert ingredients; and to consider the use of uncertainty factors to account for gaps in data. Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides, which was prepared by the NRC Committee on Ecological Risk Assessment under FIFRA and ESA, is the response to that request. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Assessment of the Scientific Information for the Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program %@ 978-0-309-09610-2 %D 2005 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11279/assessment-of-the-scientific-information-for-the-radiation-exposure-screening-and-education-program %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11279/assessment-of-the-scientific-information-for-the-radiation-exposure-screening-and-education-program %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 430 %X The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was set up by Congress in 1990 to compensate people who have been diagnosed with specified cancers and chronic diseases that could have resulted from exposure to nuclear-weapons tests at various U.S. test sites. Eligible claimants include civilian onsite participants, downwinders who lived in areas currently designated by RECA, and uranium workers and ore transporters who meet specified residence or exposure criteria. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which oversees the screening, education, and referral services program for RECA populations, asked the National Academies to review its program and assess whether new scientific information could be used to improve its program and determine if additional populations or geographic areas should be covered under RECA. The report recommends Congress should establish a new science-based process using a method called "probability of causation/assigned share" (PC/AS) to determine eligibility for compensation. Because fallout may have been higher for people outside RECA-designated areas, the new PC/AS process should apply to all residents of the continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, and overseas US territories who have been diagnosed with specific RECA-compensable diseases and who may have been exposed, even in utero, to radiation from U.S. nuclear-weapons testing fallout. However, because the risks of radiation-induced disease are generally low at the exposure levels of concern in RECA populations, in most cases it is unlikely that exposure to radioactive fallout was a substantial contributing cause of cancer. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Science Needs for Microbial Forensics: Developing Initial International Research Priorities %@ 978-0-309-30245-6 %D 2014 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18737/science-needs-for-microbial-forensics-developing-initial-international-research-priorities %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18737/science-needs-for-microbial-forensics-developing-initial-international-research-priorities %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Behavioral and Social Sciences %K Health and Medicine %P 252 %X Microbial forensics is a scientific discipline dedicated to analyzing evidence from a bioterrorism act, biocrime, or inadvertent microorganism or toxin release for attribution purposes. This emerging discipline seeks to offer investigators the tools and techniques to support efforts to identify the source of a biological threat agent and attribute a biothreat act to a particular person or group. Microbial forensics is still in the early stages of development and faces substantial scientific challenges to continue to build capacity. The unlawful use of biological agents poses substantial dangers to individuals, public health, the environment, the economies of nations, and global peace. It also is likely that scientific, political, and media-based controversy will surround any investigation of the alleged use of a biological agent, and can be expected to affect significantly the role that scientific information or evidence can play. For these reasons, building awareness of and capacity in microbial forensics can assist in our understanding of what may have occurred during a biothreat event, and international collaborations that engage the broader scientific and policy-making communities are likely to strengthen our microbial forensics capabilities. One goal would be to create a shared technical understanding of the possibilities - and limitations - of the scientific bases for microbial forensics analysis. Science Needs for Microbial Forensics: Developing Initial International Research Priorities, based partly on a workshop held in Zabgreb, Croatia in 2013, identifies scientific needs that must be addressed to improve the capabilities of microbial forensics to investigate infectious disease outbreaks and provide evidence of sufficient quality to support legal proceedings and the development of government policies. This report discusses issues of sampling, validation, data sharing, reference collection, research priorities, global disease monitoring, and training and education to promote international collaboration and further advance the field. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Why Indoor Chemistry Matters %@ 978-0-309-08399-7 %D 2022 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26228/why-indoor-chemistry-matters %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26228/why-indoor-chemistry-matters %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Math, Chemistry, and Physics %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 190 %X People spend the vast majority of their time inside their homes and other indoor environments where they are exposed to a wide range of chemicals from building materials, furnishings, occupants, cooking, consumer products, and other sources. Despite research to date, very little is known about how exposures to indoor chemicals across complex chemical phases and pathways affect human health. The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased public awareness of indoor environments and shed light on the many outstanding questions about how best to manage chemicals indoors. This report identifies gaps in current research and understanding of indoor chemistry and new approaches that can be applied to measure, manage, and limit chemical exposures. Why Indoor Chemistry Matters calls for further research about the chemical transformations that can occur indoors, pathways and timing of indoor chemical exposure, and the cumulative and long-term impacts of exposure on human health. Research priorities should consider factors that contribute to measurable environmental health disparities that affect vulnerable populations, such as the age, location, and condition of buildings that can alter exposures to indoor chemicals. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions %@ 978-0-309-10178-3 %D 2006 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11671/facing-hazards-and-disasters-understanding-human-dimensions %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11671/facing-hazards-and-disasters-understanding-human-dimensions %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Behavioral and Social Sciences %K Earth Sciences %K Conflict and Security Issues %P 408 %X Social science research conducted since the late 1970's has contributed greatly to society's ability to mitigate and adapt to natural, technological, and willful disasters. However, as evidenced by Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, and other recent events, hazards and disaster research and its application could be improved greatly. In particular, more studies should be pursued that compare how the characteristics of different types of events—including predictability, forewarning, magnitude, and duration of impact—affect societal vulnerability and response. This book includes more than thirty recommendations for the hazards and disaster community. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Cumulative Environmental Effects of Oil and Gas Activities on Alaska's North Slope %@ 978-0-309-10370-1 %D 2003 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10639/cumulative-environmental-effects-of-oil-and-gas-activities-on-alaskas-north-slope %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10639/cumulative-environmental-effects-of-oil-and-gas-activities-on-alaskas-north-slope %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 304 %X This book identifies accumulated environmental, social and economic effects of oil and gas leasing, exploration, and production on Alaska's North Slope. Economic benefits to the region have been accompanied by effects of the roads, infrastructure and activies of oil and gas production on the terrain, plants, animals and peoples of the North Slope. While attempts by the oil industry and regulatory agencies have reduced many of the environmental effects, they have not been eliminated. The book makes recommendations for further environmental research related to environmental effects. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Guidance on PFAS Exposure, Testing, and Clinical Follow-Up %@ 978-0-309-48244-8 %D 2022 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26156/guidance-on-pfas-exposure-testing-and-clinical-follow-up %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26156/guidance-on-pfas-exposure-testing-and-clinical-follow-up %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Health and Medicine %P 300 %X In thousands of communities across the United States, drinking water is contaminated with chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are used in a wide range of products, such as non-stick cookware, water and stain repellent fabrics, and fire-fighting foam, because they have properties that repel oil and water, reduce friction, and resist temperature changes. PFAS can leak into the environment where they are made, used, disposed of, or spilled. PFAS exposure has been linked to a number of adverse health effects including certain cancers, thyroid dysfunction, changes in cholesterol, and small reductions in birth weight. This report recommends that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) update its clinical guidance to advise clinicians to offer PFAS blood testing to patients who are likely to have a history of elevated exposure, such as those with occupational exposures or those who live in areas known to be contaminated. If testing reveals PFAS levels associated with an increased risk of adverse effects, patients should receive regular screenings and monitoring for these and other health impacts. Guidance on PFAS Exposure, Testing, and Clinical Follow-Up recommends that the CDC, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and public health departments support clinicians by creating educational materials on PFAS exposure, potential health effects, the limitations of testing, and the benefits and harms of testing. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %A National Research Council %T The Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory's Thyroid Function Study: A Radiological Risk and Ethical Analysis %@ 978-0-309-05428-7 %D 1996 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5106/the-arctic-aeromedical-laboratorys-thyroid-function-study-a-radiological-risk %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5106/the-arctic-aeromedical-laboratorys-thyroid-function-study-a-radiological-risk %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 116 %X During the 1950s, with the Cold War looming, military planners sought to know more about how to keep fighting forces fit and capable in the harsh Alaskan environment. In 1956 and 1957, the U.S. Air Force's former Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory conducted a study of the role of the thyroid in human acclimatization to cold. To measure thyroid function under various conditions, the researchers administered a radioactive medical trace, Iodine-131, to Alaska Natives and white military personnel; based on the study results, the researchers determined that the thyroid did not play a significant role in human acclimatization to cold. When this study of thyroid function was revisited at a 1993 conference on the Cold War legacy in the Arctic, serious questions were raised about the appropriateness of the activity—whether it posed risks to the people involved and whether the research had been conducted within the bounds of accepted guidelines for research using human participants. In particular, there was concern over the relatively large proportion of Alaska Natives used as subjects and whether they understood the nature of the study. This book evaluates the research in detail, looking at both the possible health effects of Iodine-131 administration in humans and the ethics of human subjects research. This book presents conclusions and recommendations and is a significant addition to the nation's current reevaluation of human radiation experiments conducted during the Cold War. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T End Points for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste in Russia and the United States %@ 978-0-309-08724-7 %D 2003 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10667/end-points-for-spent-nuclear-fuel-and-high-level-radioactive-waste-in-russia-and-the-united-states %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10667/end-points-for-spent-nuclear-fuel-and-high-level-radioactive-waste-in-russia-and-the-united-states %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 153 %X End Points for spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste in Russian and the United States provides an analysis of the management of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in Russia and the United States, describing inventories, comparing approaches, and assessing the end-point options for storage and disposal of materials and wastes. The authoring committee finds that despite differences in philosophy about nuclear fuel cycles, Russia and the United States need similar kinds of facilities and face similar challenges, although in Russia many of the problems are worse and funding is less available. This book contains recommendations for immediate and near-term actions, for example, protecting and stabilizing materials that are security and safety hazards, actions for the longer term, such as developing more interim storage capacity and studying effects of deep injection, and areas for collaboration. %0 Book %A National Research Council %A Institute of Medicine %T Mining Safety and Health Research at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health %@ 978-0-309-10342-8 %D 2007 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11850/mining-safety-and-health-research-at-niosh-reviews-of-research %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11850/mining-safety-and-health-research-at-niosh-reviews-of-research %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Industry and Labor %K Earth Sciences %P 290 %X The U.S. mining sector has the highest fatality rate of any industry in the country. Fortunately, advances made over the past three decades in mining technology, equipment, processes, procedures, and workforce education and training have significantly improved safety and health. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mining Safety and Health Research Program (Mining Program) has played a large role in these improvements. An assessment of the relevance and impact of NIOSH Mining Program research by a National Research Council committee reveals that the program makes essential contributions to the enhancement of health and safety in the mining industry. To further increase its effectiveness, the Mining Program should proactively identify workplace hazards and establish more challenging and innovative goals toward hazard reduction. The ability of the program to successfully expand its activities, however, depends on available funding. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %A National Research Council %E Altevogt, Bruce M. %E Pankevich, Diana E. %E Shelton-Davenport, Marilee K. %E Kahn, Jeffrey P. %T Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research: Assessing the Necessity %@ 978-0-309-22039-2 %D 2011 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13257/chimpanzees-in-biomedical-and-behavioral-research-assessing-the-necessity %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13257/chimpanzees-in-biomedical-and-behavioral-research-assessing-the-necessity %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Health and Medicine %K Agriculture %P 200 %X For many years, experiments using chimpanzees have been instrumental in advancing scientific knowledge and have led to new medicines to prevent life-threatening and debilitating diseases. However, recent advances in alternate research tools have rendered chimpanzees largely unnecessary as research subjects. The Institute of Medicine, in collaboration with the National Research Council, conducted an in-depth analysis of the scientific necessity for chimpanzees in NIH-funded biomedical and behavioral research. The committee concludes that while the chimpanzee has been a valuable animal model in the past, most current biomedical research use of chimpanzees is not necessary, though noted that it is impossible to predict whether research on emerging or new diseases may necessitate chimpanzees in the future. %0 Book %A National Research Council %A Institute of Medicine %T The Health Hazard Evaluation Program at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health %@ 978-0-309-12647-2 %D 2009 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12475/the-health-hazard-evaluation-program-at-niosh-reviews-of-research %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12475/the-health-hazard-evaluation-program-at-niosh-reviews-of-research %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Industry and Labor %K Health and Medicine %P 226 %X It is the unique mission of the Health Hazard Evaluation Program within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to respond to requests to investigate potential occupational health hazards. In contrast to other NIOSH programs, the Health Hazard Evaluation Program is not primarily a research program. Rather, it investigates and provides advice to workplaces in response to requests from employers, employees and their representatives, and federal agencies. The National Research Council was charged with evaluating the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program and determining whether program activities resulted in improvements in workplace practices and decreases in hazardous exposures that cause occupational illnesses. The program was found to play a key role in addressing existing widespread or emerging occupational health issues. This book makes several recommendations that could improve a very strong program including more systematic use of surveillance data to facilitate priority setting, and greater interaction with a broader array of workers, industries, and other government agencies. %0 Book %A National Research Council %A Institute of Medicine %T Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Research at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health %@ 978-0-309-11579-7 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12088/agriculture-forestry-and-fishing-research-at-niosh-reviews-of-research %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12088/agriculture-forestry-and-fishing-research-at-niosh-reviews-of-research %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %K Earth Sciences %K Health and Medicine %P 354 %X The agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors are the cornerstone of industries that produce food, fiber, and biofuel. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts research in order to improve worker safety and health in these sectors. This National Research Council book reviews the NIOSH Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Program to evaluate the 1) relevance of its work to improvements in occupational safety and health and 2) the impact of research in reducing workplace illnesses and injuries. The assessment reveals that the program has made meaningful contributions to improving worker safety and health in these fields. To enhance the relevance and impact of its work and fulfill its mission, the NIOSH Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Program should provide national leadership, coordination of research, and activities to transfer findings, technologies, and information into practice. The program will also benefit from establishing strategic goals and implementing a comprehensive surveillance system in order to better identify and track worker populations at risk. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Future U.S. Workforce for Geospatial Intelligence %@ 978-0-309-26864-6 %D 2013 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18265/future-us-workforce-for-geospatial-intelligence %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18265/future-us-workforce-for-geospatial-intelligence %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Conflict and Security Issues %K Earth Sciences %P 184 %X We live in a changing world with multiple and evolving threats to national security, including terrorism, asymmetrical warfare (conflicts between agents with different military powers or tactics), and social unrest. Visually depicting and assessing these threats using imagery and other geographically-referenced information is the mission of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). As the nature of the threat evolves, so do the tools, knowledge, and skills needed to respond. The challenge for NGA is to maintain a workforce that can deal with evolving threats to national security, ongoing scientific and technological advances, and changing skills and expectations of workers. Future U.S. Workforce for Geospatial Intelligence assesses the supply of expertise in 10 geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) fields, including 5 traditional areas (geodesy and geophysics, photogrammetry, remote sensing, cartographic science, and geographic information systems and geospatial analysis) and 5 emerging areas that could improve geospatial intelligence (GEOINT fusion, crowdsourcing, human geography, visual analytics, and forecasting). The report also identifies gaps in expertise relative to NGA's needs and suggests ways to ensure an adequate supply of geospatial intelligence expertise over the next 20 years. %0 Book %A National Academy of Engineering %A National Research Council %E Olson, Steve %E Labov, Jay B. %T Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape: Summary of a Summit %@ 978-0-309-25654-4 %D 2012 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13399/community-colleges-in-the-evolving-stem-education-landscape-summary-of %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13399/community-colleges-in-the-evolving-stem-education-landscape-summary-of %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %P 156 %X The National Research Council (NRC) and National Academy of Engineering (NAE) have released a new report, Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape: Summary of a Summit. Based on a national summit that was supported by the National Science Foundation and organized by the NRC and the NAE, the report highlights the importance of community colleges, especially in emerging areas of STEM (Sciene, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and preparation of the STEM workforce. Community colleges are also essential in accommodating growing numbers of students and in retraining displaced workers in skills needed in the new economy. Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape: Summary of a Summit looks at the changing and evolving relationships between community colleges and four-year institutions, with a focus on partnerships and articulation processes that can facilitate student success in STEM; expanding participation of students from historically underrepresented populations in undergraduate STEM education; and how subjects, such as mathematics, can serve as gateways or barriers to college completion. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Safeguarding the Bioeconomy %@ 978-0-309-49567-7 %D 2020 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25525/safeguarding-the-bioeconomy %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25525/safeguarding-the-bioeconomy %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 392 %X Research and innovation in the life sciences is driving rapid growth in agriculture, biomedical science, information science and computing, energy, and other sectors of the U.S. economy. This economic activity, conceptually referred to as the bioeconomy, presents many opportunities to create jobs, improve the quality of life, and continue to drive economic growth. While the United States has been a leader in advancements in the biological sciences, other countries are also actively investing in and expanding their capabilities in this area. Maintaining competitiveness in the bioeconomy is key to maintaining the economic health and security of the United States and other nations. Safeguarding the Bioeconomy evaluates preexisting and potential approaches for assessing the value of the bioeconomy and identifies intangible assets not sufficiently captured or that are missing from U.S. assessments. This study considers strategies for safeguarding and sustaining the economic activity driven by research and innovation in the life sciences. It also presents ideas for horizon scanning mechanisms to identify new technologies, markets, and data sources that have the potential to drive future development of the bioeconomy. %0 Book %A National Academy of Engineering %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Microbiomes of the Built Environment: A Research Agenda for Indoor Microbiology, Human Health, and Buildings %@ 978-0-309-44980-9 %D 2017 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23647/microbiomes-of-the-built-environment-a-research-agenda-for-indoor %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23647/microbiomes-of-the-built-environment-a-research-agenda-for-indoor %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Engineering and Technology %P 317 %X People's desire to understand the environments in which they live is a natural one. People spend most of their time in spaces and structures designed, built, and managed by humans, and it is estimated that people in developed countries now spend 90 percent of their lives indoors. As people move from homes to workplaces, traveling in cars and on transit systems, microorganisms are continually with and around them. The human-associated microbes that are shed, along with the human behaviors that affect their transport and removal, make significant contributions to the diversity of the indoor microbiome. The characteristics of "healthy" indoor environments cannot yet be defined, nor do microbial, clinical, and building researchers yet understand how to modify features of indoor environments—such as building ventilation systems and the chemistry of building materials—in ways that would have predictable impacts on microbial communities to promote health and prevent disease. The factors that affect the environments within buildings, the ways in which building characteristics influence the composition and function of indoor microbial communities, and the ways in which these microbial communities relate to human health and well-being are extraordinarily complex and can be explored only as a dynamic, interconnected ecosystem by engaging the fields of microbial biology and ecology, chemistry, building science, and human physiology. This report reviews what is known about the intersection of these disciplines, and how new tools may facilitate advances in understanding the ecosystem of built environments, indoor microbiomes, and effects on human health and well-being. It offers a research agenda to generate the information needed so that stakeholders with an interest in understanding the impacts of built environments will be able to make more informed decisions. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Boyle, Elizabeth %E McKay, Alexandra %T Children's Environmental Health: Proceedings of a Workshop %@ 978-0-309-69802-3 %D 2023 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26848/childrens-environmental-health-proceedings-of-a-workshop %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26848/childrens-environmental-health-proceedings-of-a-workshop %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 104 %X The National Academies Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, and Board on Children Youth and Families convened a workshop in August 2022 to explore the impact of specific environmental exposures in utero, infancy, early childhood, and adolescence. Experts in epidemiology, toxicology, dose response methodology, and exposure science explored gaps in knowledge around vulnerabilities to environmental hazards as well as opportunities to inform public policy moving forward. This Proceedings of the workshop summarizes important discussions held during the virtual event and outlines recommendations for ways the Environmental Protection Agency can incorporate new research methods into its risk assessments.