From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Fri Dec 05 2003 - 11:12:46 PST
----- Original Message -----
From: wnadmin_at_nas.edu
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 2:05 PM
To: whatsnew_at_kunlun.nas.edu
Subject: What's New @ national-academies.org
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WHAT'S NEW at National-Academies.org -- your weekly guide to what's new on the Web from the National Academies.
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Dec. 5, 2003
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOP NEWS
-- Dec. 9: "The Prevention of Childhood Obesity: Understanding the Influences of Marketing, Media and Family Dynamics" (WEBCAST)
-- Jan. 14: Public Briefing on "Insuring America's Health: Principles and Recommendations" (WEBCAST)
-- Potassium Iodide Should Be Available to People Living Near Nuclear Plants
-- Strong Will Receive Public Welfare Medal
-- High Standards, Bonds with Teachers Can Motivate Urban Students
SCIENCE IN THE HEADLINES
-- U.K. Will Begin Testing National Identity Cards
-- Federal Panel Recommends More Aggressive Treatment for Obesity
-- 2003 Atlantic Hurricane Season Ends
-- December 1 Is World AIDS Day
NEW ONLINE CONTENT & UPCOMING EVENTS
-- CSTB Committee Holds Meeting on Supercomputing in the U.S.
-- TRB Magazine Article Deals with Making Transit Ticket Purchasing Accessible to All
SITE HIGHLIGHTS
-- IOM Releases New Web Site on Veterans' Health
-- NAE Launches New Project with WTOP Radio
-- New Addition to "InterViews" Web Site Is Now Available
-- New Beyond Discovery Japanese Translation Is Now Available
NEW ONLINE BOOKS
-- Titles from the National Academies Press Catalog and Backlist
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TOP NEWS
**Live Webcast**
An Institute of Medicine committee holds a workshop to assess the nature of childhood obesity in the United States beginning at 1 p.m. EST Tuesday, Dec. 9 in Room 100 of the National Academies' Keck Center, 500 Fifth St N.W., Washington, D.C. The committee is also developing recommendations to decrease its prevalence that focus on prevention. Participate by listening to a live audio webcast (requires free RealPlayer) and submitting questions using an e-mail form, both accessible on the National-Academies.org home page during the event.
http://www.iom.edu/event.asp?id=16821
**Live Webcast**
The Institute of Medicine releases "Insuring America's Health: Principles and Recommendations" during a one-hour public briefing at 9:30 a.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 14. Participate by listening to a live audio webcast (requires free RealPlayer) and submitting questions using an e-mail form, both accessible on the National-Academies.org home page during the event.
http://www.iom.edu/event.asp?id=16675
Potassium iodide pills should be available to everyone age 40 or younger -- especially children and pregnant and lactating women -- living near a nuclear power plant, says a new report from the National Academies' Board on Radiation Effects Research. Potassium iodide can prevent thyroid cancer caused by exposure to radioactive iodine, which could be released during a severe accident at a nuclear plant.
http://www.national-academies.org/morenews#tn1204
United Nations undersecretary-general Maurice F. Strong will receive this year's Public Welfare Medal, the National Academy of Sciences' most prestigious award. Strong, a Canadian and the first non-U.S. citizen to receive the award, is honored for his leadership in international environmental negotiations and his tireless efforts to link science, technology and society for common benefit. The award will be presented at the Academy's annual meeting in April.
http://www.national-academies.org/morenews#tn1203
Urban high schools that stress high academic standards and supportive relationships between teens and adults can motivate students to learn, says a new report from the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine. Scientific evidence shows that certain classroom and organizational strategies foster academic excellence in urban high schools that serve many disadvantaged students.
http://www.national-academies.org/morenews#tn1202
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SCIENCE IN THE HEADLINES
The United Kingdom will begin trials of a new, compulsory national identification card this January, government officials announced Wednesday. The test, to be conducted by the U.K. Passport Service, will run for six months and include 10,000 volunteers. Two recent reports from the National Academies' Computer Science and Telecommunications Board examine scientific and ethical issues surrounding identity-verification systems.
http://www.national-academies.org/headlines#sh1204
Doctors should make obesity screening routine for adults, according to a government-sponsored panel of medical experts. During the last decade, the number of obese Americans has increased by 70 percent, while the number of overweight Americans has grown by 12 percent. Two recent Institute of Medicine reports examine the cause, treatment and cost of obesity and related illnesses.
http://www.national-academies.org/headlines#sh1203
This year's Atlantic hurricane season produced an above-average 14 tropical storms, government forecasters said. Seven of those tropical storms became hurricanes -- including major hurricanes Fabian, Isabel and Kate -- making 2003 the seventh hurricane season with greater than normal activity since 1995. Two National Academies reports examine the science of climate forecasting.
http://www.national-academies.org/headlines#sh1202
Of the 40 million people worldwide living with HIV or AIDS, some 3 million are expected to die this year, making the disease the world's fourth leading cause of death. To raise awareness, the World Health Organization declared Monday, Dec. 1, World AIDS Day. Learn more about the changing face of AIDS in our Web Extra feature, "Getting More from HIV Prevention."
http://www.national-academies.org/headlines#sh1125
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NEW ONLINE CONTENT & UPCOMING EVENTS
Information Technology
The Computer Science and Telecommunications Board's Committee on the Future of Supercomputing held its fourth meeting Dec. 3-5. During the three-day meeting, the committee assessed the status of supercomputing in the United States.
http://www7.national-academies.org/cstb/project_supercomputing.html
Transportation
Helping people with impaired vision purchase transit tickets is the focus of a new Transportation Research Board project. Slight modifications to existing vending machines can create spoken prompts and tactile guides that allow the visually impaired to travel more independently. The project is featured in the current issue of Ignition magazine.
http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2127
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SITE HIGHLIGHTS
The Institute of Medicine has launched a new Web site on the health and protection of deployed military forces and veterans. The site features reports that address scientific and medical issues related to past and current military conflicts.
http://veterans.iom.edu
The National Academy of Engineering announces the start of a new project with WTOP, Washington, D.C.'s all-news radio station. A series of short radio pieces highlight engineering innovations in the context of everyday life.
http://www.nae.edu/nae/pubundcom.nsf/weblinks/CGOZ-5SZQNG?OpenDocument
Hear Roger Beachy on the National Academy of Sciences' "InterViews" Web site, which contains first-person accounts of the lives and work of NAS members. Beachy, founding president and director of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, is one of the creators of the first genetically modified food crop. In hour-long interviews (audio files require free RealPlayer), distinguished scientists talk about their research, why they became scientists and other aspects of their careers.
http://www7.national-academies.org/interviews
Check out the new Japanese translation of the "Beyond Discovery" article -- " Preserving the Miracle of Sight." Recent translations of other articles are also available in Spanish, German, Chinese and Japanese.
http://www.beyonddiscovery.org
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NEW ONLINE BOOKS
The following titles from the National Academies Press catalog and backlist are now available online.
Dioxins and Dioxin-like Compounds in the Food Supply: Strategies to Decrease Exposure
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10763.html
Review of NASA's Aerospace Technology Enterprise: An Assessment of NASA's Pioneering Revolutionary Technology Program
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10810.html
Securing the Future of U.S. Air Transportation: A System in Peril
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10815.html
Enabling Ocean Research in the 21st Century: Implementation of a Network of Ocean Observatories
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10775.html
Informing the Future: Critical Issues in Health, Second Edition
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10853.html
Engaging Schools: Fostering High School Students' Motivation to Learn
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10421.html
Learning and Instruction: A SERP Research Agenda
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10858.html
Distribution and Administration of Potassium Iodide in the Event of a Nuclear Incident
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10868.html
Evaluating Military Advertising and Recruiting: Theory and Methodology
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10867.html
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