NSTA WebNews Digest

Science News: Science and Public Policy

A U.S. Makeover for STEM Education: What It Means for NSF and the Education Department

4/19/2013 - ScienceInsider
A proposed reshuffling of federal STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education programs in the United States would move the Department of Education (ED) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to the head of the class. Their new status would be a major change for the federal government, which now spends nearly $3 billion on 226 STEM education programs run by a dozen agencies.

A Short and Long-Term Solution to America's STEM Crisis

3/12/2013 - TheHill.com
During the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, Intel founder and CEO Andrew Grove used to say that a green card should come stapled to every science Ph.D. awarded in the United States. Grove, an immigrant from Hungary, was hardly joking. At a time when companies were scrambling for talent, foreign-born scientists and engineers were a key to filling the gap and helping companies in America compete globally and create good U.S. jobs. Fifteen years later they still are.

S.T.E.M. Education Inspiring Girls Nationwide

2/11/2013 - MSNBC.com
In a panel discussion, participants addressed how important each of the STEM. fields are in promoting self-esteem and nourishing potential, as well as in eliminating negative stereotypes for women.

Bill Nye, Neil DeGrasse Tyson Speaking at Science Committee's Members Only Retreat

2/6/2013 - U.S. News & World Report: Washington Whispers blog
Bill Nye (the Science Guy) and Neil DeGrasse Tyson were scheduled to speak at a private, bipartisan retreat for members of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology Tuesday, according to a staff member of the committee.

What’s More Important: Science Literacy or News Literacy?

2/1/2013 - Discover
Discover blogger Keith Kloor weighs in on why he thinks News Literacy is so vital.

U.S. Universities Report Highest-ever R&D Spending in Fiscal Year 2011

11/27/2012 - National Science Foundation
Between fiscal years 2010 and 2011, university spending on research and development rose 6.3 percent to $65 billion.

Italian Scientists Sentenced to 6 Years for Earthquake Statements

10/23/2012 - Scientific American
A year-long trial about downplayed risks from a 2009 quake came to a close with the verdict, which alarmed earth scientists worldwide.

Bill Nye: Creationism Threatens U.S. Science

9/24/2012 - HUFF POST: Science
The man known to a generation of Americans as "The Science Guy" is condemning efforts by some Christian groups to cast doubts on evolution and lawmakers who want to bring the Bible into science classrooms.

NSF Research Alliances Begin New Efforts to Accelerate Innovation

8/1/2012 - National Science Foundation
Eight teams around the country establish collaborations that strengthen the innovation ecosystem.

How Fireworks May Harm the Eyes

7/4/2012 - Web MD
Scratches from explosive material, not blast pressure, is behind most firework-related eye injuries.

H5N1 Research Censorship 'Problematic'

5/3/2012 - BBC News
The editor of the world-leading scientific journal Nature says current procedures to assess and censor medical research potentially of use to terrorists need to be improved.

Trust Acts to Open Research Findings to the Public

4/18/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
The trend toward open access scientific publishing gained strength last week when the Wellcome Trust, the second-largest nongovernmental funder of scientific research in the world, said it was considering sanctions against scientists who do not make the results of their research freely available to the public.

NSF Budget Year Starts Out Well

4/18/2012 - ScienceInsider
The National Science Foundation would receive a 3.3% budget increase next year under a bill taken up today by a Senate spending panel. Although the $240-million increase falls $100 million short of the president's request for the $7-billion agency, it still represents a remarkable show of support for the basic research agency.

Panel Says Schools’ Failings Could Threaten Economy and National Security

3/21/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
A report cites critical shortages in foreign-language speakers and a growing lack of expertise in science, defense, and aerospace as baby boomers retire.

World Bank Issues SOS for Oceans, Backs Alliance

2/27/2012 - Reuters
The World Bank announced on Friday a global alliance to better manage and protect the world's oceans, which are under threat from over-fishing, pollution and climate change.

Bringing Evolutionary Science to the Community

2/6/2012 - U.S. News & World Report
Center promotes Darwin Day to inspire next generation of scientists.

National Research Council Warns on Nanotechnology

1/26/2012 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The federally chartered National Research Council is joining those who are warning about the possible environmental, health, and safety implications of nanotechnology.

Report Challenges Ambitious Plan for U.S. Climate Research

1/6/2012 - ScienceInsider
A report from the National Research Council points out that a draft federal plan to coordinate research into how to respond to climate change is unlikely to succeed without added resources and new ways to manage the program.

Citing Drug Resistance, U.S. Restricts More Antibiotics for Livestock

1/5/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Federal drug regulators announced on Wednesday that farmers and ranchers must restrict their use of a critical class of antibiotics in cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys because such practices may have contributed to the growing threat in people of bacterial infections that are resistant to treatment.

Federal Panel Asks Journals to Censor Reports of Lab-Created ‘Bird Flu’

12/21/2011 - The Washington Post; requires free registration
Scientists seeking to fight future pandemics have created a variety of “bird flu” potentially so dangerous that a federal advisory panel has for the first time asked two science journals (Science and Nature) to hold back on publishing details of research.

Obama Commission Seeks Stronger Protections for Human Research Subjects

12/15/2011 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues on Thursday issued the second half of a pair of studies requested by President Obama following last year’s revelation that U.S. government scientists in the 1940s intentionally infected hundreds of people in Guatemala with gonorrhea and syphilis as part of a public-health research project.

Climate Summit Ends with Promise for a Deal in 2020

12/12/2011 - NewScientist
In the early hours of Sunday morning an agreement was struck on climate change in Durban, South Africa. European nations are convinced it commits China, India, Brazil, and the U.S. to accept legally binding targets on their greenhouse gas emissions that will come into force from 2020.

On the Horizon? European Commission Outlines €80 Billion Research Budget

12/1/2011 - ScienceInsider
The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, is trying to not let the region's financial woes curb its commitment to scientific and technological research. Even as E.U. finance ministers struggle to prop up debt-ridden member states, the commission laid out its proposal for a significant increase in the region's research funding over the 7-year period from 2014 to 2020.

Chimps’ Days in Labs May Be Dwindling

11/14/2011 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Because of a major push by advocacy organizations, a decision to stop chimp research in the United States could come within a year.

Limiting School Sales of Soda and Other Sweetened Beverages Doesn’t Cut Kids’ Consumption, Study Finds

11/8/2011 - The Washington Post (requires free registration)
Restricting the sale of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages in schools doesn’t make a dent in students’ overall consumption of those high-calorie drinks, research published Monday afternoon finds.

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