New Report Calls for Policies and Practices to Promote Positive Adolescent Development and Close the Opportunity Gap

Thu, 16 May 2019 11:00 ET

The changes in brain structure and connectivity that occur between the ages of 10 and 25 present adolescents with unique opportunities for positive, life-shaping development, and for recovering from past adversity, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth provides recommendations for capitalizing on these opportunities, and for addressing inequities — in education, health care, child welfare, and the juvenile justice system — that undermine the well-being of many adolescents and leave them less able to take advantage of the promise offered by this stage of life. Read More

EngineerGirl Announces 2019 Writing Contest Winners

Wed, 15 May 2019 13:00 ET

The National Academy of Engineering today announced the winners of its 2019 EngineerGirl writing competition. This year's contest celebrates engineering design and problem solving, asking students in grades three to 12 to write a creative story in which women and girls save the day with their wits, skill, and whatever resources they can find. 

Organohalogen Flame Retardants Cannot Be Assessed for Hazards as a Single Class, But Can Be Assessed in

Wed, 15 May 2019 11:00 ET

A new National Academies report offers guidance to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on how to conduct a hazard assessment of nonpolymeric, additive organohalogen flame retardants (OFRs), which are used in some consumer products. OFRs cannot be treated as a single class for hazard assessment, the report says, but they can be divided into subclasses based on chemical structure, physical and chemical properties, and predicted biologic activity. The report identifies 14 subclasses that CPSC can use to conduct a class-based hazard assessment of OFRs. Such an approach is likely to be more efficient and less costly than the traditional approach of evaluating each chemical individually. Read More

NAE Elects President, Foreign Secretary, and Four Councillors

Tue, 14 May 2019 10:00 ET

The National Academy of Engineering has elected John L. Anderson, president emeritus and distinguished professor of chemical engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, to serve a six-year term as the NAE's president. Anderson succeeds C. D. Mote, Jr., who has served one term as president. Elected to serve a four-year term as the NAE's foreign secretary is James M. Tien, distinguished professor and dean emeritus at University of Miami. The Academy also elected four members to its governing Council. All terms begin July 1, 2019. Read More

NAE Selects Five Student Teams to Represent U.S. at the 2019 Global Grand Challenges Summit

Fri, 10 May 2019 11:00 ET

The U.S. National Academy of Engineering today announced five teams and an alternate, selected from more than two dozen U.S. competitors, to represent the United States in a business plan competition at the 2019 Global Grand Challenges Summit in London on September 12–18, 2019.Read More

New Report Identifies Ways Work-Related Disability Determinations Can Collect More Comprehensive Health Information

Thu, 09 May 2019 11:00 ET

Assessments of a person's ability to function at work provide important information for disability determinations, and many validated tests are available to assess work-related physical and mental functions. However, because no single test of function is likely to provide all of the information needed to evaluate an individual's ability to work, it is important to consider information from multiple sources, including health records, functional assessments, and standardized reports from the applicant and relevant health care providers, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report contains findings and conclusions regarding the collection of health data and the assessment of functional abilities that can help determine eligibility for Social Security disability benefits. Read More

New Report Examines Reproducibility and Replicability in Science, Recommends Ways to Improve Transparency and Rigor in Research

Tue, 07 May 2019 11:00 ET

While computational reproducibility in scientific research is generally expected when the original data and code are available, lack of ability to replicate a previous study — or obtain consistent results looking at the same scientific question but with different data — is more nuanced and occasionally can aid in the process of scientific discovery, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report recommends ways that researchers, academic institutions, journals, and funders should help strengthen rigor and transparency in order to improve the reproducibility and replicability of scientific research. Read More

G-7 Science Academies Issue Topical Statements

Mon, 06 May 2019 10:00 ET

On May 6, the science academies of the G-7 countries issued three joint statements to inform discussions during the G-7 summit to be held in August in France. In the statements, the academies call for strategies to maintain trust in science, manage the societal benefits and risks related to artificial intelligence, and maximize the benefits of citizen science in the Internet era. Read More

National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and Foreign Associates; Historic Number of Women Elected to Its Membership

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 10:00 ET

The National Academy of Sciences announced today the election of 100 new members and 25 foreign associates in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Forty percent of the newly elected members are women — the most ever elected in any one year to date. Read More

NAS Honors Award Winners

Sun, 28 Apr 2019 20:00 ET

During a ceremony at its 156th annual meeting, the National Academy of Sciences presented the 2019 Public Welfare Medal to agricultural scientist, policymaker, and visionary leader Agnes Kalibata "for her work to drive Africa's agricultural transformation through modern science and effective policy, helping to lift more than a million Rwandans out of poverty and scaling impacts for millions more African farmers." NAS also honored 18 other individuals with awards for their outstanding scientific achievements. News Release - Public Welfare Medal News Release - Awards Watch Awards Ceremony