November 18 -- A new report from the National Research Council presents nine research challenges and four research initiatives that are poised to advance the study of how Earth's landscapes change. These research paths could help resolve environmental issues, from coastal erosion to landslides, by helping predict how processes such as wind, ice, water, tectonics, and ecosystems drive changes in the Earth's surface.
November 9 -- The fifth annual conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative took place this week in Accra, Ghana. The three-day event focused on how expert advice from science academies and others can guide policies aimed at reducing maternal, newborn, and child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The opening ceremony began with video messages by science and policy leaders from around the world, congratulating the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences on its 50th anniversary, and emphasizing the importance of evidence-based advice in the policymaking process.
November 2 -- The current means for managing the radio frequency spectrum -- which is used by researchers for myriad purposes, including weather forecasting and astronomical investigations, and by consumers for such technologies as cellular phones and wireless Internet -- must be changed, says a new report from the National Research Council. The current policies threaten to thwart scientific discovery, diminish the utility of critical environmental observations, and limit economic growth because of inefficient use of these resources.
October 30 -- A great deal of science learning takes place outside of school -- in museums and after-school programs, for example, and through TV programs, books, and online activities. A new guide based on an earlier National Research Council report describes how museum professionals, media specialists, and educators can create experiences that foster science learning for people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures.
October 28 -- Data from NASA's National Aviation Operations Monitoring Service (NAOMS) project, a survey administered to pilots in order to track safety-related incidents during air travel, should not be used to measure rates or trends in safety in the National Airspace System, says a new report from the National Research Council. Deficiencies in several aspects of the survey design make the data gathered unreliable.