The 24 inaugural recipients of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communication have been announced. Given by the National Academies in partnership with Schmidt Futures, the awards recognize science journalists and research scientists who have developed creative, original work about issues and advances in science, engineering, and medicine.

The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine today announced awards totaling $3.4 million to support four projects that reduce the burden of disaster-related mental health consequences with a focus on acute disasters.

Following a national search, Victoria Sheehan will join the National Academies on Dec. 5 as the new executive director of the Transportation Research Board. Sheehan comes to the organization from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, which she has led as its commissioner for the past seven years.

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.

With renewed attention on mining gold at both new and historical sites in Virginia, the state’s regulations and practices should be updated to protect against the potential environmental and health impacts of gold mining — though the risk of adverse impacts cannot be eliminated completely, says a new report.

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.”

NAS and the Polish Academy of Sciences have launched a new grant program that would allow teams of Ukrainian scientists, engineers, and researchers to continue their work at Polish academic or research institutes. The program was established with the aim of sustaining and eventually rebuilding a healthy research system in Ukraine.

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.

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.

The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today its 2022-2024 cohorts of Early-Career Research Fellows in the Offshore Energy Safety and Education Research tracks.

Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took the stage at the 2023 annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board to discuss the federal government’s plan to reach “net-zero” carbon emissions in the U.S. transportation sector by 2050.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater surveillance has provided advance indications of community-level outbreaks, sometimes weeks before other indicators. A new report says that wastewater surveillance is worthy of investment and outlines a vision for the future of a national system.

The insufficient supply of seeds from native plants is a major barrier to ecological restoration and other revegetation projects across the U.S., especially as climate change increases the possibility of extreme weather events that can damage natural areas.

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.

In a new NAE Perspective, Idalis Villanueva Alarcón argues that engineering must recognize and permanently remove negative hidden curriculum. It is only then that engineering can create a new image, one where everyone is equitably welcomed, valued, invested in, and sustained for generations to come.

Pulling from research and institutional examples, the Remediation Working Group of the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education has published a paper that examines the types of power differentials in academia, how abuses of power can take the form of sexual harassment, and strategies for preventing and remediating such abuses.

The Gulf of Mexico region faces numerous complex challenges, from extreme weather events to potential offshore oil spills. The National Academies’ Gulf Research Program is enlisting serious gaming as part of its strategy to help the region prepare and respond.

Today the science academies of the G-7 nations released statements calling on their governments to address systemic risks and improve decision-making related to climate change, restore and recover ocean biodiversity, and deliver better health and well-being for aging populations.

Two remarkable women who made invaluable contributions to the work of the Committee on International Security and Arms Control (CISAC) died in recent months -- Catherine Kelleher and Jo Husbands. Their accomplishments and qualities have been described well by others, including especially Women in International Security (WIIS). We at CISAC want additionally to honor their work for us.

Most of the offshore oil and gas industry operating in the Gulf of Mexico has improved its management of systemic risk in recent years, according to a new report that also points out where uneven progress and critical gaps remain for industry and regulators to address.

A new NAE Perspective by Adiba M. Proma, Robert M. Wachter, and Ehsan Hoque discusses how helping people change their behaviors may be where technology can have its greatest impact on climate change.

This week, ESET experts released several research publications that shine the spotlight on a number of notable campaigns and broader developments on the threat landscape

As the UK mulls new rules for ransomware disclosure, what would be the wider implications of such a move, how would cyber-insurance come into play, and how might cybercriminals respond?

Password leaks are increasingly common and figuring out whether the keys to your own kingdom have been exposed might be tricky – unless you know where to look

$90,000/year, full home office, and 30 days of paid leave for a junior data analyst – what's not to like? Except that these kinds of job offers are only intended to trick unsuspecting victims into giving up their data.

Understanding and preparing for the potential long-tail costs of data breaches is crucial for businesses that aim to mitigate the impact of security incidents

Why organizations of every size and industry should explore their cyber insurance options as a crucial component of their risk mitigation strategies

A study of a sophisticated Chinese browser injector that leaves more doors open!

ESET researchers have discovered threats abusing the success of the Hamster Kombat clicker game

If a software update process fails, it can lead to catastrophic consequences, as seen today with widespread blue screens of death blamed on a bad update by CrowdStrike

The widespread IT outages triggered by a faulty CrowdStrike update have put software updates in the spotlight. Here’s why you shouldn’t dread them.

Ever attuned to the latest trends, cybercriminals distribute malicious tools that pose as ChatGPT, Midjourney and other generative AI assistants

In the digital graveyard, a new threat stirs: Out-of-support devices becoming thralls of malicious actors

Demystifying CVE-2024-7262 and CVE-2024-7263

ESET Research has conducted a comprehensive technical analysis of Gamaredon’s toolset used to conduct its cyberespionage activities focused in Ukraine

ESET researchers also find that CosmicBeetle attempts to exploit the notoriety of the LockBit ransomware gang to advance its own ends

With just weeks to go before the US presidential election, the FBI and the CISA are warning about attempts to sow distrust in the electoral process

Building efficient recovery options will drive ecosystem resilience

Attributing a cyberattack to a specific threat actor is a complex affair, as evidenced by new ESET research published this week

You may not always stop your personal information from ending up in the internet’s dark recesses, but you can take steps to protect yourself from criminals looking to exploit it

Jiro's Pick this week is CountLettersNum by Edgar Guevara.Edgar created this interesting visualization inspired by a blog post by @matthen2. The concept is simple.Start with a number between 1 and... read more >>

The active internet user base aged 12 years and older has grown more than 20% year-on-year to reach 595 million in 2022.

​​"IoT is one of the fastest-growing business segments for Airtel Business. This venture into NB-IoT strengthens our credentials as the largest cellular IoT player in the country and places us as a partner of choice for Discoms looking to invest in smart meters," said Ajay Chitkara, director and CEO, Airtel Business.

The new MSSP agreement will provide a managed service offering for Palo Alto Networks Zero Trust OT Security solution, allowing customers to outsource the management of their OT security to LTTS.

“The task of coordinating, connecting and integrating all the work is what probably the Bharat 6G Alliance should do in enabling India's presence to be felt on the global telecommunications map,” Rajaraman said.

Banks invest in data analytics and AI technologies to enhance customer experience, optimize decision-making, and prevent financial fraud. They focus on platform models, identity analytics, and fraud detection to improve services and security, aiming to capture the customer's financial journey for insights into their buying process.