NAS, NAM Members Receive Prestigious Lasker Awards

TUE, 11 Sep 2018 14:00 EST

The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation announced today that National Academy of Sciences members Michael Grunstein and C. David Allis share the 2018 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for discoveries into how gene expression is influenced by the chemical modification of histones — the proteins that package DNA within chromosomes. Joan Argetsinger Steitz, a member of both the NAS and the National Academy of Medicine, is the recipient of the 2018 Lasker~Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science for four decades of leadership in biomedical science — exemplified by pioneering discoveries in RNA biology, generous mentorship of young scientists, and vigorous and passionate support of women in science.For more than 70 years, the Lasker Awards have recognized the contributions of leaders who made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of human disease. The prestigious awards each carry an honorarium of $250,000.

U.S. Department of Transportation Should Revisit Federal Safety Regulations for Liquid Petroleum Gas Distribution Systems, Says New Report

MON, 10 Sep 2018 11:00 EST

Current federal safety regulations for small distribution systems used for propane and other liquefied petroleum gases (LPGs) should be improved for clarity, efficiency, enforceability, and applicability to risk, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Because compliance with the federal regulations is not enforced consistently by states, there is little understanding of how the requirements affect the safety of the gas pipeline systems, particularly the smallest ones with fewer than 100 customers. Read More

John L. Anderson Nominated to Be Next National Academy of Engineering President

FRI, 07 Sep 2018 11:00 EST

The National Academy of Engineering 2019 nominating committee has recommended John L. Anderson, President Emeritus and distinguished professor of chemical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), as the sole candidate for the NAE presidency. NAE members will vote in March 2019 to elect a new NAE president to a six-year term beginning July 1. If elected, Anderson will succeed C. D. (Dan) Mote, Jr., whose term will end June 30, 2019. Read More

Report Identifies Steps to Secure Americans' Votes

THU, 06 Sep 2018 11:00 EST

To protect the integrity and security of U.S. elections, all local, state, and federal elections should be conducted using human-readable paper ballots by the 2020 presidential election, says a new report from the National Academies. In addition, every effort should be made to use paper ballots in the 2018 federal election. Ballots that have been marked by voters should not be returned over the Internet or any network connected to it, because no current technology can guarantee their secrecy, security, and verifiability. Read More

NASA Should Lead a Large Direct Imaging Mission to Study Earth-Like Exoplanets, Says New Report

WED, 05 Sep 2018 11:00 EST

To answer significant questions about the planetary systems — such as whether our solar system is a rare phenomenon or if life exists on planets other than Earth — NASA should lead a large strategic direct imaging mission capable of studying Earth-like exoplanets orbiting stars similar to the sun, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Read More

National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Announces Winners of the NAKFI Challenge

TUE, 04 Sep 2018 11:00 EST

The National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI) announced the recipients of three $500,000 NAKFI Challenge awards. A 15-year, $40 million dollar program funded by the W.M. Keck Foundation, NAKFI was initiated in 2003 to break down barriers between fields and to promote interdisciplinary research. The NAKFI Challenge awards support activities that will carry forward NAKFI’s work beyond its 15 years as an activity of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Open only to NAKFI alumni who participated in the program’s annual interdisciplinary conferences, the call for proposals generated 78 applications. Applications underwent a round of peer-to-peer community judging by fellow applicants. The 30 highest scoring proposals were then judged by an expert panel consisting of members of NAKFI conference organizing committees. The three winners were chosen by the presidents of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine. Read More

Gulf Research Program Announces 2018 Early-Career Research Fellowships

WED, 29 Aug 2018 11:00 EST

The Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine today announced the recipients of its 2018 Early-Career Research Fellowships. These competitive awards are among a suite of program activities aimed at supporting the development of future generations of scientists, engineers, and health professionals who are prepared to work at the intersections of offshore energy system safety, human health and well-being, and environmental stewardship in the Gulf of Mexico and other U.S. coastal regions. Read More

Up to 8 Million Deaths Occur in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Yearly Due to Poor-Quality Health Care, Says New Report; Major Quality Chasm Must Be Fixed in Order to Reap Benefits of Universal Health Coverage

TUE, 28 Aug 2018 09:00 EST

Recent gains against the burden of illness, injury, and disability and commitment to universal health coverage are insufficient to close the enormous gaps that remain between what is achievable in human health and where global health stands today, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report calls for urgent, comprehensive efforts led by ministries of health worldwide to transform the design of health care through systems thinking and principles of human factors, acknowledge and engage the informal care sector, focus on settings of extreme adversity, embrace digital technologies and emerging innovations, and address corruption. Read More

'The Death and Life of the Great Lakes' Wins Best Book Award From Academies; Crossing the Line Productions and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, Science Magazine, ProPublica/NPR Also Take Top Prizes

THU, 23 Aug 2018 11:00 EST

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today the recipients of the 2018 Communication Awards. Supported by the W.M. Keck Foundation since 2003 as part of the Keck Futures Initiative, these prestigious awards -- each of which includes a $20,000 prize -- recognize excellence in reporting and communicating science, engineering, and medicine to the general public. The winners will be honored during a ceremony on Oct. 11 in Washington, D.C. Read More

Registration Opens for Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing

WED, 22 Aug 2018 09:00 EST

Registration is now open for the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing, which will take place Nov. 27-29 in Hong Kong. The three-day summit will be co-hosted by the Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong, the Royal Society of London, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine. For more information and a draft agenda, visit the summit website. General registration | Journalist and news media registration