Date: June 29, 2009
Editor: Sharon Yep
"Reports & Events" is a monthly list of selected events open to the public and a listing of National Academies reports tentatively scheduled for release next month. A complete listing of events can be accessed at http://search.nap.edu/nap-cgi/events.cgi.
MEETINGS
Climate change and next steps for U.S.
July 13 and 14
(Washington, D.C.)
An information-gathering meeting will be held to inform America's Climate Choices, a congressionally requested study by the National Academy of Sciences that will generate reports on how the nation can limit the magnitude of climate change, adapt to its impacts, and provide paths to action. The meeting will be held in Room 101 of the National Academies' Keck Center, 500 Fifth St., N.W. For more information, visit http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/meetingview.aspx?MeetingId=3589 or www.americasclimatechoices.org. Reporters who wish to attend should register in advance.
CONTACT: Office of News and Public Information, 202-334-2138
Future of nursing
July 14
(Washington, D.C.)
A new study from the Institute of Medicine on the future of nursing will outline ways to ensure that the nursing work force has the capacity in numbers and skill competencies to meet patient needs. The first meeting of this study will focus on the study’s scope and an overview of a new Nursing Research Network established by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The public session will run from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Lecture Room of the National Academies building, 2100 C St., N.W. An agenda and registration are available at http://www.iom.edu/CMS/28312/64233.aspx.
CONTACT: Office of News and Public Information, 202-334-2138
Nutritional impacts of the global food price crisis
July 14-16
(Washington, D.C.)
This three-day meeting will explore the implications of recent global food price increases and the economic crisis for nutrition and health. International presenters will discuss the effects of the price spikes, responses to the crises on country and global levels, U.S. policies surrounding the crises, and actions to mitigate the current situation and prevent future crises. The event will be held at the Kaiser Family Foundation's Barbara Jordan Conference Center, 1330 G St., N.W. An agenda and registration information can be found at http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3783/62976/65148.aspx.
CONTACT: Office of News and Public Information, 202-334-2138
Health care strategies
July 16-17
(Washington, D.C.)
This workshop will explore promising methods of decreasing waste and inefficiency in the health care system. It is the second of three of workshops focused on lowering costs and improving outcomes that are being convened by the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine. The event will be held in Room 100 of the National Academies' Keck Center, 500 Fifth St., N.W. Registration and additional information can be found at http://www.iom.edu/CMS/28312/RT-EBM/68831.aspx.
CONTACT: Office of News and Public Information, 202-334-2138
REPORTS
The following reports from the National Academies are tentatively scheduled for release during July. However, release dates depend on successful completion of the review process and publishing schedules. Reporters who would like to be notified when a report is due for release should contact the Office of News and Public Information -- 202-334-2138 or e-mail <news@nas.edu> -- and ask to be placed on the contact list.
HEALTH
Accelerating the Development of Biomarkers for Drug Safety -- Workshop Summary
[Institute of Medicine]
Summarizes presentations and discussions at a public workshop that explored current methods of determining unintended effects early in drug development, addressed obstacles to the development of biomarkers for drug safety, and discussed how to accelerate the development of biomarkers through public and private means. The report reflects participants' views and information, and contains no recommendations or statements by the Institute of Medicine.
Assessment of Future Scientific Needs for Live Variola Virus
[Institute of Medicine]
Assesses what research needs remain that require use of live smallpox virus and whether to maintain U.S. stocks of the virus.
Emergency and Continuous Exposure Guidance Levels for Selected Submarine Contaminants: Volume 3
[National Research Council]
Evaluates the U.S. Navy's current and proposed emergency exposure guidance levels and continuous exposure guidance levels for selected submarine contaminants and determines whether any changes to the levels should be made.
Secondhand Smoke and Acute Coronary Events
[Institute of Medicine]
Assesses the strength of the evidence for causal links between exposure to secondhand smoke and heart problems in nonsmokers and the effects of factors that might exacerbate or lessen the effects of exposure, such as smoking bans.
Sustaining Global Surveillance and Response to Emerging Zoonotic Diseases
[Institute of Medicine]
As the latest influenza outbreak has demonstrated, infectious diseases that jump from animals to humans can cause significant illness and societal and economic upheaval. This report offers a comprehensive strategy for achieving sustainable global capacity for surveillance and response to emerging diseases that originate in domestic and wild animals.
ENVIRONMENT
Evaluation of the Future Strategic and Energy-Efficient Alternatives for the Delivery of Utility Services to the U.S. Capitol Complex
[National Research Council]
Evaluates plans before the Architect of the Capitol aimed at making the U.S. Capitol Complex – the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, House and Senate office buildings, and Library of Congress – more energy efficient.
Letter Report on the WATERS Network Science Plan
[National Research Council]
Reviews the draft report on the conceptual design for the National Science Foundation's Water and Environmental Research Systems (WATERS) Network.
Second Report from the Committee on the Review of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Program
[National Research Council]
Evaluates the final report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce hurricane risk to Louisiana's population and infrastructure.
Workshop Summary on Uncertainty Management in Remote Sensing of Climate Data
[National Research Council]
Gives an overview of the presentations and discussions of a workshop that examined sources of uncertainty with satellite and other remote data collection systems, including issues of sampling, scale, processing, and validation. The report includes no findings or recommendations.
SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE
In the Matter of a National Broadband Plan for Our Future -- Letter Report
[National Research Council]
Discusses passive scientific use of the radio spectrum – using receiving systems to detect natural emissions – with regard to the Federal Communications Commission’s recent Notice of Inquiry proposing an inventory of radio spectrum usage.
ALSO OF INTEREST
Neuroscience, Memory, and the Performing Arts
(Washington, D.C.)
The Shakespeare Theater will present a free performance of Replica, a collaborative piece by Daniel Archam, Jonah Bokaer, and Judith Sanchez Ruiz that examines memory loss, pattern recognition, and perceptual faculties as they apply to the human body. A panel discussion will take place that evening.
July 1, Noon – Replica performance, Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St., N.W.
July 1, 6:30 p.m. – Panel discussion, National Academies’ Keck Center, 500 Fifth Street, N.W.
For more information, visit http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Experience_Future_Events_Neuroscience
CONTACT: Alana Quinn, 202-334-2415 or e-mail <aquinn@nas.edu>
Marian Koshland Science Museum
(Washington, D.C.)
The Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences holds public programs on science-related topics. Upcoming events include:
-- New Hands-on Science Activities (July 11)
-- Beware Slimy Sandwiches: Free Family Day (Aug. 1, noon)
For more information, visit http://www.koshland-science-museum.org.
CONTACT: Annie Drinkard, 202-334-1612 or e-mail <adrinkard@nas.edu>
Distinctive Voices @ The Jonsson Center
(Woods Hole, Mass.)
These public events at the Jonsson Center explore the far-reaching role of science, technology, and medicine in our lives. Upcoming programs include:
-- 9 Billion People + 1 Planet = ?, Lecture by New York Times reporter Andy Revkin (July 13, 7 p.m.)
-- The Flat World: How Globalization Is Transforming Science and Technology (July 27, 7 p.m.)
For more information, visit http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Jonsson_Upcoming_Events
CONTACT: Margaret Collins, 508-548-2502 or e-mail <mcollins@nas.edu>
RESOURCES FOR REPORTERS
Science, medicine, and technology form the basis for many of the day's top news stories. Whether you are looking for background or searching for a different angle, check out http://national-academies.org/headlines.
Check out podcasts from the National Academies on all areas of science, engineering, and medicine at http://national-academies.org/podcast/, booklets at http://national-academies.org/publications/#booklets, and resources on evolution at http://national-academies.org/evolution/.
View the most recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences articles online by visiting This Week in Early Edition at http://www.pnas.org/site/misc/highlights.shtml, or PNAS in the News at http://www.pnas.org/site/misc/news.shtml. Journalists may register to receive embargoed material by contacting the PNAS News Office at <pnasnews@nas.edu>.
This guide, along with news releases and other documents from the Office of News and Public Information, is available on the Internet at http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/bydate.aspx.
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