TY - BOOK AU - Transportation Research Board AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Long-Term Stewardship of Safety Data from the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Letter Report: October 14, 2013 DO - 10.17226/22484 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/22484/long-term-stewardship-of-safety-data-from-the-second-strategic-highway-research-program-shrp-2-letter-report-october-14-2013 PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Transportation and Infrastructure AB - On October 14, 2013, TRB’s Committee on the Long-Term Stewardship of Safety Data from the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) sent its second letter report to Victor Mendez, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration; David Strickland, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and Bud Wright, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The letter report provides advice about the future administration of data now being collected as part of SHRP 2’s safety research program.This letter report builds off of the Committee’s first letter report of May 3, 2013, that recommended a phased approach to the long-term administration of the driving-safety data. The first phase (Phase 1), which would be overseen by a governance board, would be a period of experimentation with the administration of the driving-safety data and its actual use for research purposes.In the October 14 report, the committee provides a set of principles intended to maximize the use of the data and to ensure that their use is appropriate (e.g., that privacy is protected) and sustained. In addition, the committee provides recommendations concerning priority issues for the governance board to consider and specific activities for obtaining key empirical information in Phase 1. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Transportation Research Board AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Long-Term Stewardship of Safety Data from the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Letter Report: May 3, 2013 DO - 10.17226/22583 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/22583/long-term-stewardship-of-safety-data-from-the-second-strategic-highway-research-program-shrp-2-letter-report-may-3-2013 PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Transportation and Infrastructure AB - On May 3, 2013, TRB’s Committee on the Long-Term Stewardship of Safety Data from the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) sent its first letter report to Victor Mendez, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration; David Strickland, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and Bud Wright, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.The letter report provides advice on the future administration of data now being collected as part of SHRP 2’s safety research program. The report highlights the importance of an effective and rapid transition from data collection to widespread data use by researchers, and includes recommendations related to transition planning in anticipation of the time when SHRP 2 comes to an end in 2015.The committee that produced the report recommends a phased approach to the administration of the data, rather than entering into long-term agreements at this time based on insufficient information. The report discusses ownership, governance, and operation of the data during a first phase lasting about five years. As part of phase 1 planning and implementation to gain practical experience to inform long-term decision making, the committee recommends that potential user groups be identified, that rigorous estimates of cost elements for long-term implementation be obtained, and that evaluation criteria and a process for collecting lessons learned be established in ways that are not overly burdensome. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Improving Self-Escape from Underground Coal Mines SN - DO - 10.17226/18300 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18300/improving-self-escape-from-underground-coal-mines PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Industry and Labor KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences AB - Coal mine disasters in the United States are relatively rare events; many of the roughly 50,000 miners underground will never have to evacuate a mine in an emergency during their careers. However, for those that do, the consequences have the potential to be devastating. U.S. mine safety practices have received increased attention in recent years because of the highly publicized coal mine disasters in 2006 and 2010. Investigations have centered on understanding both how to prevent or mitigate emergencies and what capabilities are needed by miners to self-escape to a place of safety successfully. This report focuses on the latter - the preparations for self-escape. In the wake of 2006 disasters, the U.S. Congress passed the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act), which was designed to strengthen existing mine safety regulations and set forth new measures aimed at improving accident preparedness and emergency response in underground coal mines. Since that time, the efforts of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) have contributed to safety improvements in the mining industry. However, the Upper Big Branch mine explosion in 2010 served as a reminder to remain ever vigilant on improving the prevention of mine disasters and preparations to help miners survive in the event of emergencies. This study was set in the context of human-systems integration (HSI), a systems approach that examines the interaction of people, tasks, and equipment and technology in the pursuit of a goal. It recognizes this interaction occurs within, and is influenced by, the broader environmental context. A key premise of human-systems integration is that much important information is lost when the various tasks within a system are considered individually or in isolation rather than in interaction with the whole system. Improving Self-Escape from Underground Coal Mines, the task of self-escape is part of the mine safety system. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Robert Pool TI - New Directions in Assessing Performance Potential of Individuals and Groups: Workshop Summary SN - DO - 10.17226/18427 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18427/new-directions-in-assessing-performance-potential-of-individuals-and-groups PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences AB - As an all-volunteer service accepting applications from nearly 400,000 potential recruits annually from across the U.S. population, the U.S. military must accurately and efficiently assess the individual capability of each recruit for the purposes of selection, job classification, and unit assignment. New Directions for Assessing Performance Potential of Individuals and Groups is the summary of a workshop held April 3-4, 2013 to examine the future of military entrance assessments. This workshop was a part of the first phase of a larger study that will investigate cutting-edge research into the measurement of both individual capabilities and group composition in order to identify future research directions that may lead to improved assessment and selection of enlisted personnel for the U.S. Army. The workshop brought together scientists from a variety of relevant areas to focus on cognitive and noncognitive attributes that can be used in the initial testing and assignment of enlisted personnel. This report discusses the evolving goals of candidate testing, emerging constructs and theory, and ethical implications of testing methods. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Making the Soldier Decisive on Future Battlefields SN - DO - 10.17226/18321 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18321/making-the-soldier-decisive-on-future-battlefields PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Conflict and Security Issues KW - Engineering and Technology AB - The U.S. military does not believe its soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines should be engaged in combat with adversaries on a "level playing field." Our combat individuals enter engagements to win. To that end, the United States has used its technical prowess and industrial capability to develop decisive weapons that overmatch those of potential enemies. In its current engagement—what has been identified as an "era of persistent conflict"— the nation's most important weapon is the dismounted soldier operating in small units. Today's soldier must be prepared to contend with both regular and irregular adversaries. Results in Iraq and Afghanistan show that, while the U.S. soldier is a formidable fighter, the contemporary suite of equipment and support does not afford the same high degree of overmatch capability exhibited by large weapons platforms—yet it is the soldier who ultimately will play the decisive role in restoring stability. Making the Soldier Decisive on Future Battlefields establishes the technical requirements for overmatch capability for dismounted soldiers operating individually or in small units. It prescribes technological and organizational capabilities needed to make the dismounted soldier a decisive weapon in a changing, uncertain, and complex future environment and provides the Army with 15 recommendations on how to focus its efforts to enable the soldier and tactical small unit (TSU) to achieve overmatch. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Norman M. Haller TI - U.S. Air Force Strategic Deterrence Capabilities in the 21st Century Security Environment: A Workshop Summary SN - DO - 10.17226/18337 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18337/us-air-force-strategic-deterrence-capabilities-in-the-21st-century-security-environment PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - Changes in the 21st century security environment require new analytic approaches to support strategic deterrence. Because current adversaries may be deterred from the use of nuclear weapons differently than were Cold War adversaries, the Air Force needs an analytic process and tools that can help determine those Air Force capabilities that will successfully deter or defeat these new nuclear-armed adversaries and assure U.S. allies. While some analytic tools are available, a coherent approach for their use in developing strategy and policy appears to be lacking. Without a coherent analytic approach that addresses the nuances of today's security environment, Air Force views of its strategic deterrence needs may not be understood or accepted by the appropriate decision makers. A coherent approach will support Air Force decisions about its strategic force priorities and needs, deter actual or potential adversaries, and assure U.S. allies. In this context, the Air Force in 2012 requested that the Air Force Studies Board of the National Research Council undertake a workshop to bring together national experts to discuss current challenges relating strategic deterrence and potential new tools and methods that the Air Force might leverage in its strategic deterrence mission. The workshop consisted of two 3-day sessions held in Washington, DC on September 26-28, 2012 and January 29-31, 2013 and was attended by a very diverse set of participants with expertise in strategic deterrence and a range of analytic tools of potential interest to the Air Force. U.S. Air Force Strategic Deterrence Capabilities in the 21st Century Security Environment summarizes this workshop. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Constance F. Citro A2 - Miron L. Straf TI - Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Fifth Edition SN - DO - 10.17226/18318 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18318/principles-and-practices-for-a-federal-statistical-agency-fifth-edition PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Publicly available statistics from government agencies that are credible, relevant, accurate, and timely are essential for policy makers, individuals, households, businesses, academic institutions, and other organizations to make informed decisions. Even more, the effective operation of a democratic system of government depends on the unhindered flow of statistical information to its citizens. In the United States, federal statistical agencies in cabinet departments and independent agencies are the governmental units whose principal function is to compile, analyze, and disseminate information for such statistical purposes as describing population characteristics and trends, planning and monitoring programs, and conducting research and evaluation. The work of these agencies is coordinated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Statistical agencies may acquire information not only from surveys or censuses of people and organizations, but also from such sources as government administrative records, private-sector datasets, and Internet sources that are judged of suitable quality and relevance for statistical use. They may conduct analyses, but they do not advocate policies or take partisan positions. Statistical purposes for which they provide information relate to descriptions of groups and exclude any interest in or identification of an individual person, institution, or economic unit. Four principles are fundamental for a federal statistical agency: relevance to policy issues, credibility among data users, trust among data providers, and independence from political and other undue external influence. Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Fifth Edition explains these four principles in detail. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Adapting to a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities in Undergraduate Physics Education SN - DO - 10.17226/18312 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18312/adapting-to-a-changing-world-challenges-and-opportunities-in-undergraduate PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Education AB - Adapting to a Changing World was commissioned by the National Science Foundation to examine the present status of undergraduate physics education, including the state of physics education research, and, most importantly, to develop a series of recommendations for improving physics education that draws from the knowledge we have about learning and effective teaching. Our committee has endeavored to do so, with great interest and more than a little passion. The Committee on Undergraduate Physics Education Research and Implementation was established in 2010 by the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Research Council. This report summarizes the committee's response to its statement of task, which requires the committee to produce a report that identifies the goals and challenges facing undergraduate physics education and identifies how best practices for undergraduate physics education can be implemented on a widespread and sustained basis, assess the status of physics education research (PER) and discuss how PER can assist in accomplishing the goal of improving undergraduate physics education best practices and education policy. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine A2 - Mark Smith A2 - Robert Saunders A2 - Leigh Stuckhardt A2 - J. Michael McGinnis TI - Best Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America SN - DO - 10.17226/13444 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13444/best-care-at-lower-cost-the-path-to-continuously-learning PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - America's health care system has become too complex and costly to continue business as usual. Best Care at Lower Cost explains that inefficiencies, an overwhelming amount of data, and other economic and quality barriers hinder progress in improving health and threaten the nation's economic stability and global competitiveness. According to this report, the knowledge and tools exist to put the health system on the right course to achieve continuous improvement and better quality care at a lower cost. The costs of the system's current inefficiency underscore the urgent need for a systemwide transformation. About 30 percent of health spending in 2009—roughly $750 billion—was wasted on unnecessary services, excessive administrative costs, fraud, and other problems. Moreover, inefficiencies cause needless suffering. By one estimate, roughly 75,000 deaths might have been averted in 2005 if every state had delivered care at the quality level of the best performing state. This report states that the way health care providers currently train, practice, and learn new information cannot keep pace with the flood of research discoveries and technological advances. About 75 million Americans have more than one chronic condition, requiring coordination among multiple specialists and therapies, which can increase the potential for miscommunication, misdiagnosis, potentially conflicting interventions, and dangerous drug interactions. Best Care at Lower Cost emphasizes that a better use of data is a critical element of a continuously improving health system, such as mobile technologies and electronic health records that offer significant potential to capture and share health data better. In order for this to occur, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, IT developers, and standard-setting organizations should ensure that these systems are robust and interoperable. Clinicians and care organizations should fully adopt these technologies, and patients should be encouraged to use tools, such as personal health information portals, to actively engage in their care. This book is a call to action that will guide health care providers; administrators; caregivers; policy makers; health professionals; federal, state, and local government agencies; private and public health organizations; and educational institutions. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Don A. Dillman A2 - Carol C. House TI - Measuring What We Spend: Toward a New Consumer Expenditure Survey SN - DO - 10.17226/13520 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13520/measuring-what-we-spend-toward-a-new-consumer-expenditure-survey PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Industry and Labor KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The Consumer Expenditure (CE) surveys are the only source of information on the complete range of consumers' expenditures and incomes in the United States, as well as the characteristics of those consumers. The CE consists of two separate surveys: (1) a national sample of households interviewed five times at three-month intervals; and (2) a separate national sample of households that complete two consecutive one-week expenditure diaries. For more than 40 years, these surveys, the responsibility of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), have been the principal source of knowledge about changing patterns of consumer spending in the U.S. population. In February 2009, BLS initiated the Gemini Project, the aim of which is to redesign the CE surveys to improve data quality through a verifiable reduction in measurement error with a particular focus on underreporting. The Gemini Project initiated a series of information-gathering meetings, conference sessions, forums, and workshops to identify appropriate strategies for improving CE data quality. As part of this effort, BLS requested the National Research Council's Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) to convene an expert panel to build on the Gemini Project by conducting further investigations and proposing redesign options for the CE surveys. The charge to the Panel on Redesigning the BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys includes reviewing the output of a Gemini-convened data user needs forum and methods workshop and convening its own household survey producers workshop to obtain further input. In addition, the panel was tasked to commission options from contractors for consideration in recommending possible redesigns. The panel was further asked by BLS to create potential redesigns that would put a greater emphasis on proactive data collection to improve the measurement of consumer expenditures. Measuring What We Spend summarizes the deliberations and activities of the panel, discusses the conclusions about the uses of the CE surveys and why a redesign is needed, as well as recommendations for the future. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Preparing the Next Generation of Earth Scientists: An Examination of Federal Education and Training Programs SN - DO - 10.17226/18369 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18369/preparing-the-next-generation-of-earth-scientists-an-examination-of PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Education AB - Earth science, which in this context does not include oceanic, atmospheric, and space sciences, is vital to the wellbeing of the United States and many of its issues, such as water resources, are expected to grow in importance. An earth science workforce will be needed to deal with this issues and it's important that this workforce draw on the talents of all citizens. Thus, federal education programs can be implemented to help attract and retain students on an earth science pathway; however, tight funding means agencies need to invest in programs that actually work. As a result, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Office of Science Quality and Integrity asked the National Research Council (NRC) to establish a committee to carry out a study, organized around a workshop, to address several tasks including: examining recent earth science education programs with a research or training component, both formal and informal, in these federal agencies; indentifying criteria and the results of previous federal program evaluations, and summarizing the knowledge and skills identified in recent NRC workforce reports that are needed by earth scientists in their careers. Preparing the Next Generation of Earth Scientists: An Examination of Federal Education and Training Programs presents the committee's finding. The investigation was completed through information provided by federal agency managers and published articles and reports. A 2-day workshop was also held to examine federal earth science education programs and efforts to leverage resources. The report includes the workshop agenda, a glossary of abbreviated terms, and more. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine AU - National Research Council A2 - Deepali M. Patel A2 - Melissa A. Simon A2 - Rachel M. Taylor TI - Contagion of Violence: Workshop Summary SN - DO - 10.17226/13489 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13489/contagion-of-violence-workshop-summary PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - The past 25 years have seen a major paradigm shift in the field of violence prevention, from the assumption that violence is inevitable to the recognition that violence is preventable. Part of this shift has occurred in thinking about why violence occurs, and where intervention points might lie. In exploring the occurrence of violence, researchers have recognized the tendency for violent acts to cluster, to spread from place to place, and to mutate from one type to another. Furthermore, violent acts are often preceded or followed by other violent acts. In the field of public health, such a process has also been seen in the infectious disease model, in which an agent or vector initiates a specific biological pathway leading to symptoms of disease and infectivity. The agent transmits from individual to individual, and levels of the disease in the population above the baseline constitute an epidemic. Although violence does not have a readily observable biological agent as an initiator, it can follow similar epidemiological pathways. On April 30-May 1, 2012, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Forum on Global Violence Prevention convened a workshop to explore the contagious nature of violence. Part of the Forum's mandate is to engage in multisectoral, multidirectional dialogue that explores crosscutting, evidence-based approaches to violence prevention, and the Forum has convened four workshops to this point exploring various elements of violence prevention. The workshops are designed to examine such approaches from multiple perspectives and at multiple levels of society. In particular, the workshop on the contagion of violence focused on exploring the epidemiology of the contagion, describing possible processes and mechanisms by which violence is transmitted, examining how contextual factors mitigate or exacerbate the issue. Contagion of Violence: Workshop Summary covers the major topics that arose during the 2-day workshop. It is organized by important elements of the infectious disease model so as to present the contagion of violence in a larger context and in a more compelling and comprehensive way. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan: Assessment of Readjustment Needs of Veterans, Service Members, and Their Families SN - DO - 10.17226/13499 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13499/returning-home-from-iraq-and-afghanistan-assessment-of-readjustment-needs PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - As of December 2012, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in Iraq have resulted in the deployment of about 2.2 million troops; there have been 2,222 US fatalities in OEF and Operation New Dawn (OND)1 and 4,422 in OIF. The numbers of wounded US troops exceed 16,000 in Afghanistan and 32,000 in Iraq. In addition to deaths and morbidity, the operations have unforeseen consequences that are yet to be fully understood. In contrast with previous conflicts, the all-volunteer military has experienced numerous deployments of individual service members; has seen increased deployments of women, parents of young children, and reserve and National Guard troops; and in some cases has been subject to longer deployments and shorter times at home between deployments. Numerous reports in the popular press have made the public aware of issues that have pointed to the difficulty of military personnel in readjusting after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of those who have served in OEF and OIF readjust with few difficulties, but others have problems in readjusting to home, reconnecting with family members, finding employment, and returning to school. In response to the return of large numbers of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan with physical-health and mental-health problems and to the growing readjustment needs of active duty service members, veterans, and their family members, Congress included Section 1661 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008. That section required the secretary of defense, in consultation with the secretary of veterans affairs, to enter into an agreement with the National Academies for a study of the physical-health, mental-health, and other readjustment needs of members and former members of the armed forces who were deployed in OIF or OEF, their families, and their communities as a result of such deployment. The study consisted of two phases. The Phase 1 task was to conduct a preliminary assessment. The Phase 2 task was to provide a comprehensive assessment of the physical, psychologic, social, and economic effects of deployment on and identification of gaps in care for members and former members, their families, and their communities. The Phase 1 report was completed in March 2010 and delivered to the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the relevant committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The secretaries of DOD and VA responded to the Phase 1 report in September 2010. Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan: Assessment of Readjustment Needs of Veterans, Service Members, and Their Families fulfills the requirement for Phase 2. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine A2 - Harold W. Kohl III A2 - Heather D. Cook TI - Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School SN - DO - 10.17226/18314 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18314/educating-the-student-body-taking-physical-activity-and-physical-education PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Education AB - Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Linda J. Waite A2 - Thomas J. Plewes TI - New Directions in the Sociology of Aging SN - DO - 10.17226/18508 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18508/new-directions-in-the-sociology-of-aging PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences AB - The aging of the population of the United States is occurring at a time of major economic and social changes. These economic changes include consideration of increases in the age of eligibility for Social Security and Medicare and possible changes in benefit levels. Furthermore, changes in the social context in which older individuals and families function may well affect the nature of key social relationships and institutions that define the environment for older persons. Sociology offers a knowledge base, a number of useful analytic approaches and tools, and unique theoretical perspectives that can facilitate understanding of these demographic, economic, and social changes and, to the extent possible, their causes, consequences and implications. New Directions in the Sociology of Aging evaluates the recent contributions of social demography, social epidemiology and sociology to the study of aging and identifies promising new research directions in these sub-fields. Included in this study are nine papers prepared by experts in sociology, demography, social genomics, public health, and other fields, that highlight the broad array of tools and perspectives that can provide the basis for further advancing the understanding of aging processes in ways that can inform policy. This report discusses the role of sociology in what is a wide-ranging and diverse field of study; a proposed three-dimensional conceptual model for studying social processes in aging over the life cycle; a review of existing databases, data needs and opportunities, primarily in the area of measurement of interhousehold and intergenerational transmission of resources, biomarkers and biosocial interactions; and a summary of roadblocks and bridges to transdisciplinary research that will affect the future directions of the field of sociology of aging. ER -