Issues in Science and Technology articles from December 1998

Issues in Science and Technology archives from December 1998

The image of engineering.
December 22, 1998... We must celebrate the creativity of engineering to attract more, and more diverse, engineers. Something's wrong with the public perception of engineering. A recent Gallup poll found that only 2 percent of the respondents associated...

R&D is big winner in 1999 federal budget.
December 22, 1998... A last-minute congressional spending frenzy helped boost federal R&D funding significantly in the FY 1999 year to $80.2 billion - $4.1 billion or 5.3 percent more than FY 1998. Every major R&D funding agency except the National Aeronautics and...

House science policy study receives mixed reviews.
December 22, 1998... The House Science Committee unveiled the results of its 11-month National Science Policy study on September 24, billing its report, in the words of Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.), as "an attempt to build a foundation upon which we can base future...

Russia's woes continue to plague space station project.
December 22, 1998... Although the first piece of the international space station, a Russian-built module called Zarya, was launched on November 20, Russia's problems in meeting its commitments to the project continue to hamper the station's development. Russia's...

United States signs Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
December 22, 1998... Although Congress continues to oppose the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, the Clinton administration signed the document on November 12, saying that it hoped to spur overall progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The protocol was...

Crisis in U.S. organ transplant system intensifies.
December 22, 1998... More than 10 Americans die each day while awaiting organ transplantation. The U.S. organ transplant system has been in "crisis" for decades, but recently its systemic failures have become more glaring. Indeed, the crisis has worsened since I...

New radon reports have no effect on policy.
December 22, 1998... Indoor radon poses a difficult policy problem, because even average exposures in U.S. homes entail estimated risks that substantially exceed the pollutant risks that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) usually deals with and because there...

The Ehlers report.(Editorial)
December 22, 1998... "Unlocking Our Future" contains too many of the musty concepts of the past. To be fair, one should be realistic about what can be achieved in a relatively brief overview of all U.S. science and technology (S&T) policy. When House Speaker...

Environmental alarmism: the children's crusade.
December 22, 1998... If the goal is to reduce the health risks to children, environmental regulation is not the place to begin. The next generation of Americans has long been a focus of attention for policymakers and policy advocates, but in the past several...

Facing up to family violence.
December 22, 1998... A concerted effort to understand the complexities of abuse and the effectiveness of treatments is essential to making homes safe. For an alarming number of Americans, the family is a source of fear and physical violence. The 1996 National...

The new competitive landscape.(national economy)
December 22, 1998... Although the U.S. position has improved recently, important changes are needed to ensure its long-term strength. Only a decade ago, global competition shook U.S. self-confidence to the core. U.S. industry seemingly could not match the price...

Toward a learning economy.(includes related article on leveraging information technology and organizing R&D in the service industries)
December 22, 1998... The country's economic prosperity demands that we shift the focus of business and government toward strengthening the service sector. More Americans now work in physicians' offices than in auto plants. Roughly as many work in retailing as...

Why standards matter.(international standards)
December 22, 1998... The United States must play a more forceful role in the development of international standards. Today the United States is the world's most prolific exporter, its strongest competitor, and its most productive innovator. Yet there are no...

Sandia's science park: a new concept in technology transfer.(Sandia National Laboratories)
December 22, 1998... When Sandia National Laboratories announced plans for a new science and technology (S&T) park, it opened a new avenue for partnership with private industry. For years, the national laboratories have been urged to create better connections with...

Fixing the research credit.
December 22, 1998... The political forces are lining up behind changes that will enhance the credit effectiveness. Even as economists describe the importance of R&D in a knowledge-based economy and policymakers increase their fiscal commitments to other forms...

Antitrust and technological innovation.
December 22, 1998... We need to broaden our understanding of government policies that have an effect on research and innovation. The courtroom drama of U.S. v. Microsoft, now playing in Washington, D.C., has drawn hyperbolic press notices. Some observers...

The Productive Edge: How U.S. Industries Are Pointing the Way to a New Era of Economic Growth.(Review)
December 22, 1998... By Richard Lester. New York: Norton, 1998, 368 pp. Barely a decade ago, many if not most commentators portrayed the U.S. economy as reeling under the onslaught of foreign competition. In industry after industry, on virtually every measure...

Global Public Policy: Governing Without Government?(Review)
December 22, 1998... By Wolfgang H, Reinecke. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1998, 307 pp. Pundits and other policy sophisticates in Washington love to lampoon Americans who worry about preserving national sovereignty. Although there are...

Pollution Control in the United States: Evaluating the System.(Review)
December 22, 1998... By J. Clarence Davies and Jan Mazurek, Washington, D.C.: Resources for the Future, 1998, 319 pp. To the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is faced with legislative requirements to better explain its goals and achievements under...

Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940.(Review)
December 22, 1998... Stephen I. Schwartz, ed. Bruce G. Blair, Thomas S. Blanton, William Burr, Steven M. Kosiak, Arjun Makhijani, Robert S. Norris, Kevin O'Neill, John E. Pike, and William J. Weida, contributing authors. Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution...