The U.S. should undertake a new research program to better understand the potential risks and benefits of ocean-based interventions to remove or sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and learn how these methods could be used to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Industry leaders, policymakers, administrators, and researchers will gather in person from Jan. 9 to 13 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., for the 101st annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB).

In a new NAE Perspective, Venkatesh Narayanamurti reflects on the need for more effective R&D funding, especially in technoscientific research, a key engine of innovation.

Following a national search, Carlotta M. Arthur will join the National Academies as the new executive director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education on Feb. 14.

Six scientists have been selected for the Offshore Energy Safety track of the Early-Career Research Fellowship (ECRF), announced the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The National Academies are partnering with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to administer a new funding opportunity that aims to recognize and further the leadership and scientific accomplishments of excellent biomedical researchers who — through outreach, mentoring, and teaching — have a record of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in their fields.

Biodiversity — the rich variety of living things that support and sustain life on Earth — is facing grave threats. A new booklet provides an easy-to-read overview, examining the causes of biodiversity loss and presenting actions that can be taken to stop this decline.

COVID-19 has offered several lessons about improving diagnosis — from expanding testing availability, to making at-home testing easier, to empowering people with data. At a recent workshop, experts discussed how to apply these lessons to the diagnosis of other health conditions.

As the omicron variant of the coronavirus sweeps through the U.S. and other parts of the world — and with the possibility of emerging new variants looming — building confidence in vaccines has become even more important. How can knowledge from the social sciences inform effective communication around vaccines?

To maintain U.S. global leadership and meet societal challenges — including generating medical advances, furthering the energy transition, and making food and water safer and more sustainable — new investments, collaborations, and educational practices in the chemical engineering field are needed.

A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns the increasingly numerous and widespread impacts of climate change may soon overcome our ability to adapt, unless action is taken to reduce emissions.

A presidential commission on bioethics has not been appointed since 2017. The Biden administration should reinstate a presidential bioethics advisory commission to help inform policy decisions that have bioethical implications, urge the NAS and NAM presidents and other experts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. has experienced shortages of masks, medical gowns, ventilators, and drugs, but demand surges and supply constraints for medical products predate the current public health crisis. A new report recommends measures to improve supply reliability for medical products, during both emergencies and normal times.

The presidents of the U.S. National Academies issued a statement condemning the “horrific and unprovoked” Russian invasion of Ukraine. “We stand in solidarity with the scientists, engineers, health care workers, and other colleagues in the research community of Ukraine, who like all Ukrainians, are doing their best to survive and resist.”

Lauren Alexander Augustine, executive director of the National Academies’ Gulf Research Program, discussed community resilience strategies before the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis at a March 9 hearing.

The emergence of biological physics as a field has had an impact on artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, the global response to COVID-19, and more. A new report outlines research directions and recommends ways federal agencies and universities can help strengthen the field’s future.

Vaccination mandates and requirements can be effective in increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates, but their success depends on being targeted and on building trust, says a new rapid expert consultation, which also outlines considerations for using incentives to promote booster uptake.

Assessing the success of ecological restoration efforts since the Deepwater Horizon platform explosion and oil spill in 2010 will require continued improvements in data analysis and coordination across the Gulf of Mexico region.

To provide high-quality care for all nursing home residents, the U.S. must strengthen the nursing home workforce, improve emergency preparedness, and increase the transparency and accountability of nursing homes’ finances and operations, among other actions.

A new decadal survey presents a comprehensive plan for the fields of planetary science and astrobiology, identifying priority missions, planetary defense efforts, strategic technology and infrastructure investments, and ways to support the profession.

The Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education today released three new individually authored publications to serve as resources for higher education institutions as they work to prevent sexual harassment and mitigate the damage it causes.

This description of practice summarizes the development and implementation of a policy by the University of Wisconsin (UW) System to prevent “passing the harasser,” a term that denotes a known harasser transitioning from one institution to another without (1) the new employer’s knowledge of previous violations of sexual harassment policy or ongoing investigations of such violations, and/or (2) facing disciplinary action.

The description of practice below summarizes the development and implementation of a policy by the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) to prevent “passing the harasser,” a term that denotes a known harasser transitioning from one institution to another without (1) the new employer’s knowledge of previous violations of sexual harassment policy or ongoing investigations of such violations, and/or (2) facing disciplinary action.

The Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine today announced grant awards totaling $8.6 million for 11 new projects supporting health equity and community resilience.

To meet its diversity and inclusion goals for competed mission leadership, NASA should invest in STEM career pathways, partner with historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions, and expand training and mentorship opportunities, among other actions.

Five scientists have been selected for the Human Health and Community Resilience track of the Early-Career Research Fellowship (ECRF), the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today.

The CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine should create an effective and innovative quarantine station model to confront new challenges in preventing the spread of infectious diseases in the U.S., and requires new investment and regulatory reforms to do so.

In a statement, National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt and National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau said that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade “will likely make it even more difficult for women to access high-quality health care in this country.”

The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law is poised to enable nationwide investments in roads, bridges, broadband, and more. A new National Academies initiative aims to help states, regions, and communities coordinate their investments and maximize the benefits.

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has selected winners for its annual University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs. Now in its 16th year, the prestigious competition encourages students to design innovative and practical solutions to challenges at airports.

Historic legislation has been enacted to boost U.S. competitiveness and security, spur innovation, and make real progress on climate change and human health, said the National Academies’ presidents in a statement. “The National Academies stand ready to mobilize the broader science, engineering, and medical and health communities to help inform and implement solutions.”

Emission reduction goals, changing transportation patterns caused by COVID, an influx of infrastructure investments, and the need to support mobility for all residents together present a challenge for planners. A recent webinar explored how cities can support a transition to more equitable, lower-emissions urban transportation systems.

The Gulf Research Program is providing awards totaling nearly $900K to five universities for the creation of interdisciplinary architectural studio design courses that engage with the unique features of the Gulf of Mexico region, such as offshore energy safety, environmental protection and stewardship, and Gulf health and resilience.

In an interview, NAE President John Anderson discusses the national and global transition to net-zero carbon emissions and how engineers — and NAE in particular — can support that shift. Energy Transitions is the theme of NAE’s annual meeting this year, taking place Oct. 2-3.

Maria Spiropulu and Michael Turner — co-chairs of a National Academies study underway to assess key science questions that will drive research in the field of elementary particle physics for the next decade and beyond — discuss the study, community engagement, and the field’s relevance to everyday life.

As the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP27) approaches, a new report recommends steps to improve the accuracy and usability of greenhouse gas emissions information for decision-makers, including creating a global information clearinghouse.

For decades the National Academies have provided objective, expert advice to help the nation understand issues related to maternal and reproductive health, unintended pregnancy, prenatal care, racial and ethnic disparities in health care, and abortion.

Engineering impacts everyone. Diversifying the field is imperative if we want to build on engineering’s legacy of extraordinary impact.

Life cycle assessments of low-carbon transportation fuels — such as electricity, biofuels, or hydrogen — are valuable tools for measuring environmental impacts, but uncertainties remain in the models that are currently used, and further research should be conducted to strengthen their reliability.

The Triennial Conference of the InterAcademy Partnership and the Worldwide Meeting of Young Academies will take place Nov. 1-3. The conference will convene the world’s senior and young science academies to explore how to make research structures and processes more inclusive, effective, and sustainable.

Congress should take action to facilitate the participation of all land-grant colleges and universities in multistate research projects, says a new report. Funding disparities have prevented many historically Black and tribal colleges and universities from fully collaborating with other land-grant institutions.

As the COP27 climate summit begins, the National Academies’ presidents urge world leaders to forge equitable solutions to the climate crisis. “[W]e are committed to enlisting science, engineering, and medicine to inform these efforts so that together, we can create a more secure, more sustainable, and more prosperous future for all.”

National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for her “significant contributions to the development of science and international scientific collaboration.”

Recent incidents have exposed vulnerabilities in the U.S. electric power system, which is made up of millions of components distributed across the continent. The National Academies have many resources aimed at better understanding the grid’s susceptibility, and how it can be improved and made more resilient to physical and cyberattacks, natural disasters, and other adverse events.

World leaders are gathering in Montreal for the U.N.’s COP15 global conference on biodiversity loss. The National Academies have identified opportunities for action that would help reduce the loss of critical species and lessen future climate change, discussed recently during an Academies webinar about the report “Biodiversity at Risk.”

Advanced manufacturing brings the potential for positive transformational change to a variety of areas, including the defense industry. It is essential that universities, companies, and the government take steps to better prepare the next generation of engineers to work with these emerging technologies.

The presidents of the U.S. National Academies warn that the Taliban’s decision to prevent Afghan women and girls from participating in higher education or attending secondary school ignores the scientific evidence on the benefits of education for women and could have “potentially disastrous consequences” for the future of Afghanistan.

Confucius Institutes are Chinese government-funded language and culture centers located worldwide. A new report proposes a set of criteria for the U.S. Department of Defense to consider in developing a waiver process that would potentially allow U.S. institutions of higher education to receive DOD funding while hosting a Confucius Institute.

Nobel Prize laureates and other esteemed experts and leaders will gather at “Truth, Trust and Hope” for a global dialogue on how to stop misinformation from eroding public trust in science. Hosted by NAS and the Nobel Foundation, the summit takes place May 24-26 in Washington, D.C., and virtually.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s facilities should be modernized to ensure that the agency can continue to deliver measurement science and standards that advance U.S. innovation and competitiveness on national technology priorities. Substandard facilities brought about through lack of investment have created ongoing problems that affect research.