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Increasing Women’s Representation in STEMM Fields Will Require Culture Change Driven by Systemic Actions by Higher Education Institutions, Funding Agencies, Congress

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine urges systemic action to change the culture in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) to address the underrepresentation of women in these fields.




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National Academies Completes Review of National Toxicology Program’s Draft Monograph on Fluoride and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Effects

Today the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released its review of the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) draft monograph Systematic Review of Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Health Effects.




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Effectiveness of Homemade Fabric Masks to Protect Others from Spread of COVID-19 Examined in New Rapid Response to Government from Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases

A new rapid expert consultation from a standing committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine responds to questions from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) regarding the effectiveness of homemade fabric masks to protect others from the viral spread of COVID-19 from potentially contagious asymptomatic or presymptomatic individuals.




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DOD Biological Threat Reduction Program Should Be Part of a New Interagency Mechanism to Coordinate Efforts to Prevent Biological Threats, Including Natural Disease Outbreaks - Report Offers Five-Year Strategy for BTRP

Over the next five years, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) should encourage and be among co-leaders in the federal government’s development of an enduring interagency mechanism to address an array of biological threats – including natural disease outbreaks, accidental releases, and intentional attacks -- to deployed U.S. forces and to the nation itself, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine




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Making Diversity Programs More Effective

Increasing diversity among employees is a priority for many organizations, which spend substantial resources on diversity initiatives.




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Facing a Future Shaped by COVID-19 - How Public Universities Are Handling the Crisis

Many U.S. colleges and universities responded to the COVID-19 pandemic this spring by swiftly moving courses online, but they now face a range of longer-term quandaries, from weighing how to safely reopen campuses to navigating new financial challenges.




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New Executive Director of Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences Appointed at National Academies

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today that, following a national search, Tina Bahadori will join the organization as the new executive director of its Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences on June 22, 2020.




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Academies Study Will Give Guidance to K-12 Schools on How to Safely Reopen

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine began a study this week to provide states and school districts with guidance about whether and how to safely reopen schools.




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New Executive Director of Division on Earth and Life Studies Appointed at National Academies

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today that, following a national search, Elizabeth Eide has been named executive director of its Division on Earth and Life Studies (DELS).




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Winners Selected for the 2019-2020 TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has selected winners for its annual University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs.




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COVID-19 and Disabilities - Inclusive Disaster Planning Is Crucial for Vulnerable Populations

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives and routines of people with disabilities in countless ways, said panelists during a recent National Academies webinar.




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Troubleshooting the Pandemic - Engineers Pitch Innovative Solutions to Help Address COVID-19

While the world waits for a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 infection, international and multigenerational teams of engineers have come together through the National Academy of Engineering’s COVID-19 Call for Engineering Action to find creative solutions to problems caused by the pandemic.




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Historically Black Colleges and Universities Take Center Stage as the Nation Responds to COVID-19 and Systemic Racism

Most U.S. colleges and universities are struggling to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Historically Black Colleges and Universities — known as HBCUs — are facing their own unique challenges.




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New Report Recommends National Framework to Strengthen Evidence on Effective Responses to Public Health Emergencies, Says Current Evidence Base Is Deficient

Research and funding priorities tend to shift from one disaster to the next, which has resulted in a sparse evidence base and hampers the nation’s ability to respond to public health emergencies in the most effective way, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Promising Strategies for Encouraging COVID-19 Protective Behaviors, Including Mask Wearing and Physical Distancing, Identified in New Guidance

A new rapid expert consultation from the Societal Experts Action Network identifies promising strategies to make the adoption of protective behaviors against COVID-19, such as wearing a mask or regularly washing your hands, more likely.




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Reopening U.S. Research Universities - Weathering the Pandemic, and Looking Beyond It

The COVID-19 pandemic is posing some entirely new challenges to U.S. research universities — the need to dramatically ramp up online education, for example, and to find ways to protect the health and safety of faculty, students, and staff.




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New Guidance Says Decision-Makers Can Offer Incentives and Partner with Trusted Sources, Among Other Strategies, to Encourage Cooperation in COVID-19 Contact Tracing

A new rapid expert consultation from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Societal Experts Action Network says strategies such as giving advance notice, partnering with trusted sources, and offering incentives can encourage individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 to respond to health department contact tracing and share information about people they may have exposed to the virus.




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Heritable Genome Editing Not Yet Ready to Be Tried Safely and Effectively in Humans - Initial Clinical Uses, If Permitted, Should Be Limited to Serious Single-Gene Diseases

Human embryos whose genomes have been edited should not be used to create a pregnancy until it is established that precise genomic changes can be made reliably without introducing undesired changes — a criterion that has not yet been met by any genome editing technology, says a new report by an international commission of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.K.’s Royal Society.




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Improving Health Outcomes for Sickle Cell Disease Care Requires Comprehensive Team-Based Care, New Payment Models, and Addressing Institutional Racism in Health

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provides a blueprint and eight overarching strategies for improving health care for the approximately 100,000 people in the United States living with sickle cell disease (SCD).




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Stephen Hinshaw Receives National Academy of Medicine’s Sarnat Award for Contributions to Understanding and Treating Mental Health Conditions in Childhood and Adolescence and Stigma Prevention Efforts

The National Academy of Medicine today announced Stephen P. Hinshaw is the recipient of the 2020 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health, for basic and applied research on individuals with externalizing disorders, and for efforts to reduce mental illness stigma through youth-based programs and the promotion of humanization.




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Anthony Fauci Receives Lienhard Award From National Academy of Medicine for Decades of Work Improving Public Health and Leadership in Shaping COVID-19 Pandemic Response

For his role as a leader of federal research and policy on infectious diseases and, in particular, for his deft, scientifically grounded leadership in shaping an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Academy of Medicine today announced Anthony S. Fauci is the recipient of the 2020 Gustav O. Lienhard Award for Advancement of Health Care.




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Shaheen and Ford to Lead Transportation Research Board Executive Committee in 2021

Susan Shaheen and Nathaniel Ford have been appointed as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the 2021 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Executive Committee by Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences and chair of the National Research Council. Their terms will begin in January 2021 during the virtual TRB Annual Meeting.




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Action Collaborative Releases Repository of Initiatives Aimed at Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education

The Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education, a group of over 60 colleges, universities, and research institutions working to prevent sexual harassment, has released a repository of information on their efforts, along with an annual report on the Action Collaborative’s activities.




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TRB Announces 12 Awardees for the 2020-2021 Airport Cooperative Research Program Graduate Research Awards

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) today announced winners of its annual Graduate Research Awards.




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Colleges and Universities Should Strengthen Sustainability Education Programs by Increasing Interdisciplinarity, Fostering Experiential Learning, and Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Colleges and universities should embrace sustainability education as a vital field that requires tailored educational experiences delivered through courses, majors, minors, and research and graduate degrees, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Fishing for Answers - Genomes of Some Ocean Creatures May Reveal How We Could Live to Be 100

What Can Lobsters, Clams, and Rockfish Tell Us About Human Aging? Some species of rockfish only live to age 7. Others live over 200 years while maintaining the necessary functions to find food, mate, resist disease, and evade predators.




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New Report Calls for More Comprehensive Data on LGBTQI+ Well-Being

More Americans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or other non-binary identities (LGBTQI+) than ever before, but significant gaps remain in data collection and understanding of their well-being, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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National Academies Launch New COVID-19 Strategic Science Initiative

To help decision-makers navigate through this ongoing crisis and take actions toward a strong and sustained recovery, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have launched a new strategic science initiative to provide rapid, scenario-based analyses aimed at protecting critical societal functions, avoiding worst outcomes, and building upon potential opportunities.




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Colleges and Universities Need Campuswide Culture Change to Better Support Students’ Well-Being and Address Mental Health Problems

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls on U.S. colleges and universities to take comprehensive, campuswide approaches to more effectively address mental health and substance use problems among students and to develop cultures that support well-being.




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National Academies Complete Review of National Toxicology Program’s Second Draft Monograph on Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Effects

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released today a review of the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) second draft of the monograph Systematic Review of Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Health Effects.




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Reducing the Disposal of Unused, Expensive Injectable Medications Requires Changes in the Way the U.S. Produces, Administers, and Pays for Drugs

Every year, significant amounts of drugs left over and unused from single-dose vials are discarded, but because of the way drugs are priced and paid for in the United States, the cost of the discarded amount cannot be recouped, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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National Academy of Medicine Launches Initiative on Advancing Pandemic and Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Preparedness and Response

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has established an international committee (IC) in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Global Affairs (OGA) to inform and facilitate efforts to advance global influenza pandemic preparedness.




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Emerging Evidence Indicates COVID-19 Pandemic Has Negatively Impacted Women in Academic STEMM Fields, Endangering Progress Made in Recent Years

Preliminary evidence indicates that the COVID 19 pandemic has negatively affected the well-being of women in academic STEMM fields in a range of areas, including productivity, work-life boundary control, networking and community building, and mental well-being, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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National Academy of Medicine Launches Initiative Supported by YouTube on Evaluating the Authoritativeness of Online Providers of Health Information

In order to enhance the accessibility of trustworthy health information on its platform, YouTube asked the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to identify preliminary definitions of “authoritative” sources of health information and the criteria by which these sources derive and maintain their authority.




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Despite Increasing Rates of STIs, Federal Investment Has Been Flat - Report Recommends Approach to Address Structural Drivers of STIs While Expanding No-Cost Care Services, New Vaccines and Diagnostics

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) impose billions of dollars in medical costs in the U.S., but STI prevention and control is chronically underfunded, stigmatized, and siloed from efforts to promote overall health and well-being, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Science Academies of G-7 Nations Call for Action to Reach Net-Zero Emissions, Reverse Declines in Biodiversity, and Improve Data-Sharing to Prepare for Future Health Emergencies

Science academies from the G-7 nations today issued three statements recommending that their governments take urgent action to build a net-zero emissions, climate-resilient future, reverse global declines in biodiversity, and improve data-sharing for future health emergencies.




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New Rapid Expert Consultation Shares Insights from Social Science on Communicating COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Equity

As COVID-19 vaccinations continue and accelerate across the U.S., a new rapid expert consultation from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine offers advice for decision-makers communicating to the public about vaccine efficacy, effectiveness, and equity — drawing on findings from social and behavioral science.




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Dr. Laura Castillo-Page Named National Academies’ Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today that Laura Castillo-Page will become its first chief diversity and inclusion officer, effective June 1.




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‘Our Planet, Our Future’ Statement Signed by 126 Nobel Laureates Delivered to World Leaders Ahead of G-7 Summit

Organizers of the recent Nobel Prize Summit shared a statement titled “Our Planet, Our Future - An Urgent Call for Action” — issued by the summit’s steering committee and co-signed by 126 Nobel laureates — with leaders of the G-7 countries and the U.N. secretary general, as well as other groups.




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Use of Radioactive Materials in Commercial Applications Has Increased by 30 Percent - Government Should Improve Security and Support Development of Alternatives, Says New Report

The use of high-risk radioactive materials in medical, research, and commercial applications has increased by about 30 percent in the U.S. in the last 12 years, and the government should improve security, tracking, and accountability to reduce health and security risks — while also supporting the development of nonradioactive alternatives to replace them — says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Winners Selected for the 2020-2021 TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has selected winners for its annual University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs.




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Cato T. Laurencin Receives Prestigious Springarn Medal from NAACP

Cato T. Laurencin — a member of the National Academy of Sciences (2021), National Academy of Engineering (2011), and National Academy of Medicine (2004) — is being awarded the Springarn Medal from the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization.




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National Academies Summit Explores Persistent Lack of Diversity in STEMM and Approaches Needed to Drive Change

A National Academies summit explored the structural inequalities and biases that lead to a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in STEMM fields, and examined approaches that can increase diversity, equity, and inclusion.​




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Nine Winners Selected for the TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program Graduate Research Awards

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) today announced nine winners of its annual Graduate Research Awards.




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National Academies Mark 20th Anniversary of 9/11

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and in the years following, the National Academies mobilized expertise and resources to help inform and advance national security priorities and protect the health and well-being of U.S. veterans who served selflessly to defend the nation from acts of terrorism.




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National Academies Presidents Commemorate 20th Anniversary of 9/11

The presidents of the National Academies join the nation in commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.




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National Academies Appoints New Executive Director of Health and Medicine Division

Monica Feit has been named executive director of the National Academies’ Health and Medicine Division, effective Nov. 1, 2021. She brings to the position a wealth of leadership experience in health policy, international health, and cross-Academies collaboration.




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National Science Foundation Should Create Next-Generation Earth Systems Science Initiative, New Report Says

To explore the complex interactions between the natural world and society and enhance our understanding of Earth’s systems, the National Science Foundation should create a next-generation Earth systems science initiative.




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How College and University Leaders Are Getting Their Campuses Vaccinated

For the first time since the pandemic struck, many colleges and universities are bringing students back to campus at full capacity. Their administrators are turning to new strategies and incentives to get students vaccinated against COVID-19.




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Ford and Wilson to Lead Transportation Research Board Executive Committee in 2022

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. and Shawn Wilson have been appointed as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the 2022 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Executive Committee by Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences and chair of the National Research Council.