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Date: July 27, 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
Effects of chemicals on DNA
July 30 and 31
(Washington, D.C.)
Chemicals that cause mutations or
deletions in DNA sequences have been a concern for their potential to cause
genetic and irreversible effects that contribute to cancer and other diseases. Studies
indicate that chemicals can also cause another type of change -- known as an
“epigenetic” change -- that modifies the translation of information encoded in
a gene into RNA or a protein. A National Research Council workshop will explore
research needed to help inform decision makers about chemicals that could cause
these effects, examine the current regulatory paradigm for handling such
chemicals, and identify areas of scientific controversy. More information and
an agenda are available at http://nas.edu/envirohealth. The workshop
will be held at the National Academies' Keck Center,
500 Fifth St., N.W.
Reporters who wish to attend should register in advance.
CONTACT:
Office of News and Public Information, 202-334-2138
Vitamin D and calcium’s roles in
health
Aug. 4
(Washington, D.C.)
An Institute of Medicine
committee evaluating the science on how much vitamin D and calcium people need
to be healthy will hold a public meeting to gather data and insights from
experts. The presentations will help inform the committee, which will not reach
any conclusions or issue any statements based on the meeting. The event will
run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 100 of the National Academies’ Keck Center,
500 Fifth St., N.W.
A draft agenda and registration information are available online at http://iom.edu/CMS/3788/61170/68400.aspx.
CONTACT:
Office of News and Public Information, 202-334-2138
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing
Aug. 31 and Sept. 1
(Washington, D.C.)
Companies are increasingly offering
genetic tests directly to consumers to assess their risk for certain illnesses.
These tests have raised concerns over whether people will be given adequate
counseling -- given that the tests are not administered health care providers
-- and whether the privacy of consumers’ genetic information will be protected.
This workshop will explore the health, policy, and ethical implications of
direct-to-consumer genetic testing. It will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug.
31 and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 1 in Room 100 of the National
Academies’ Keck Center, 500 Fifth St., N.W. A preliminary agenda is available at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/stl/PGA_050739. Reporters who wish to attend should register
in advance.
CONTACT: Office of News and Public
Information, 202-334-2138
REPORTS
The following reports from the
National Academies are tentatively scheduled for release in August. 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.
ENVIRONMENT
Global Environmental Health:
Research Gaps and Barriers for Providing Sustainable Water, Sanitation, and
Hygiene Services -- Workshop Summary
[Institute of Medicine]
Summary of a workshop designed to
consider a better coordinated and more holistic approach to water services.
Topics included the interdependence of public health and water services and
integrated social, economic, health, technological, and political aspects
into a sustainable interdisciplinary global solution.
HEALTH and
SAFETY
Assessing and Improving Value in
Cancer Care -- Workshop Summary
[Institute of Medicine]
Oncology is an area of rapid growth,
in terms of technological innovation and treatment costs. This report
summarizes a workshop that addressed the balance between escalating costs and
clinical benefits. Participants discussed the implications of value
considerations at many levels, from a patient’s bedside to the evidence base to
payment systems.
Evaluating Occupational Health and
Safety Research Programs: Framework and Next Steps
[National Research Council and Institute of Medicine]
Summarizes a series of
reports that assess the impact and relevance of the research programs of the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and lessons learned from
the process of conducting these evaluations.
Nanotechnology in Food Products:
Impact on Food Science, Nutrition, and the Consumer -- Workshop Summary
[Institute of Medicine]
Summary of presentations and
discussions at a workshop that explored nanotechnology's applications to foods,
the safety and efficacy of modified food products, and informing consumers
about uses of nanomaterials in food.
Sixteenth Interim Report of the Committee on Acute Exposure
Guideline Levels
[National Research
Council]
Provides
recommendations for improving draft acute exposure guideline levels (AEGLs) for
15 chemicals and two chemical groups and for updating the standard operating
procedures for AEGLs.
Sustaining Global Surveillance and
Response to Emerging Zoonotic Diseases
[Institute of Medicine]
This report provides a blueprint for
building a sustainable global system for detecting and responding to diseases
that can jump from animals to humans. Necessary technical, financial, and
political actions are addressed.
The U.S. Oral Health Work Force in the
Coming Decade -- Workshop Summary
[Institute of Medicine]
Summary of presentations and
discussions at a workshop that examined the current size and composition of the
dental health work force, the oral health care needs of specific populations,
and strategies to improve patients' access to dental care.
Veterans and Agent Orange: Update
2008
[Institute of Medicine]
Presents new findings about whether
certain diseases and conditions could be associated with exposure to Agent
Orange and other defoliants used in the Vietnam War or with the dioxin that contaminated
these herbicides. The report is the latest in a biennial series that weighs
evidence from new studies along with findings from previous research to
determine whether health problems might be linked to the herbicides or their
contaminants.
SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE
2007-2008 Assessment of the Army
Research Laboratory
[National
Research Council]
Assesses
the scientific and technical quality of the Army Research Laboratory. The
report includes findings and recommendations regarding the appropriateness of
research and development in each of the lab’s business areas.
Evaluation of the NSF's Vertically
Integrated Grants for Research and Education (VIGRE) Program
[National
Research Council]
Evaluates
the VIGRE program and describes its achievements to date. The report also
recommends data collection strategies and monitoring approaches.
Examination of the U.S. Air
Force’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Work Force
Needs in the Future and Its Strategy to Meet Those Needs
[National
Research Council]
Assesses
whether the U.S. Air Force’s STEM capabilities are sufficient for current needs
and makes recommendations on work-force organization and management.
Research at the Intersection of the
Physical and Life Sciences
[National
Research Council]
Describes
areas of research in which interaction between the physical and life sciences
is needed for scientific advancement. The report identifies high-priority
research opportunities and possible avenues for enabling interaction between
these fields, such as collaboration, training, education, and instrumentation.
SOCIAL
ISSUES
Re-engineering the Survey of Income
and Program Participation
[National Research Council]
The Census Bureau began the Survey
of Income and Program Participation 25 years ago to fill gaps in data on the
short-term dynamics of income, household composition, employment, and
participation in government assistance programs experienced by U.S.
families. This report will aid the bureau’s effort to re-engineer SIPP to
reduce its costs and improve the quality and timeliness of its data.
SPACE
Fostering Visions for the Future: A
Review of the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts
[National
Research Council]
Evaluates
how well the Institute for Advanced Concepts, which lost funding in 2007,
developed revolutionary aeronautical and space concepts. The report recommends
whether a successor entity should be federally funded, and if so, how it should
operate.
Letter Report on the Orbiting Carbon
Observatory
[National Research Council]
Reviews the
role of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, which failed to launch in February
2009, and current methods for monitoring and verifying greenhouse gas emissions
from space.
Review of Near Earth Object Surveys
and Hazard Mitigation Strategies -- Interim Report
[National
Research Council]
Describes
the optimal approach to enable monitoring of more than 90 percent of
potentially hazardous near-Earth objects by 2020, as mandated by the 2005 NASA
Authorization Act. The report, half of a two-phase study, outlines the best ways
to detect, track, catalog, and characterize these objects.
Review of the St.
Johns River Alternative Water Supply Cumulative Impact Assessment,
Report 1
[National Research Council]
Evaluates a
report by the St. Johns River Water Management District that studied the
feasibility of using rivers in the watershed to supply water in east central Florida.
ALSO OF
INTEREST
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:
-- Challenges and Opportunities of an Aging Society (Aug. 6,
7 p.m.)
-- Creativity:
Unlocking Hidden Potential (Aug. 11, 7 p.m.)
-- Sustainability:
The Path Forward? (Sept. 2, 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>
New photo exhibit at NAS
(Washington, D.C.)
“The Rarest of the Rare: Stories
Behind the Treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History,” an exhibition
of photographs by Mark Sloan, looks at rare scientific specimens with
fascinating histories. The exhibit opens on Aug. 3 at the National Academy of
Sciences building, 2100 C St.,
N.W. A public reception with the artist is planned
for Oct. 4, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
For more
information, visit http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=View_Future_Exhibitions_Mark_Sloan
CONTACT:
Alana Quinn, 202-334-2415 or e-mail <aquinn@nas.edu>
Spectacular Saturn, Images from the Cassini-Huygens Mission
(Washington, D.C.)
Since 2004,
the spacecraft Cassini has orbited
Saturn, studying the planet and revealing a world of wind and lightning,
rippling rings and a menagerie of moons. This exhibit will be on display until
Dec. 8 at the first floor gallery of the National Academies' Keck Center,
500 Fifth St., N.W.
Viewable by appointment only. For more information, visit http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=View_Future_Exhibitions_Saturn
CONTACT:
Alana Quinn, 202-334-2415 or e-mail <aquinn@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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