Issues in Science and Technology articles from June 2005

Issues in Science and Technology archives from June 2005

Future oil supplies.(FORUM)
June 22, 2005... As Robert L. Hirsch, Roger H. Bezdek, and Robert M. Wendling themselves point out, their "Peaking Oil Production: Sooner Rather Than Later?" (Issues, Spring 2005) repeats an often-heard warning. Who knows, maybe they are right this time. Right...

Syndromic surveillance.(FORUM; epidemiology)
June 22, 2005... Michael A. Stoto's "Syndromic Surveillance" (Issues, Spring 2005) catalogues numerous reasons why these early warning systems for large outbreaks of disease will disappoint the thousands of U.S. counties and cities planning to implement them....

Problems with nuclear power.(FORUM)
June 22, 2005... Rather than provide a careful exploration of the future of nuclear technologies, Paul Lorenzini's "A Second Look at Nuclear Power" (Issues, Spring 2005) rehashes the industry's own mythical account of its stalled penetration of the U.S. energy...

Childhood obesity.(FORUM)
June 22, 2005... We have failed our children, pure and simple. Nine million just in America are heavy enough to be in immediate health danger. And obesity is but one of many problems brought on by poor diet and lack of physical activity. For reasons woven...

State science policy.(FORUM)
June 22, 2005... Knowledge of science and technology (S & T) has become critical to public policymaking. With increasing incorporation of technology in society, there is hardly a public policy decision that does not have some element rooted in scientific or...

Genetics and public health.(FORUM)
June 22, 2005... In "Genomics and Public Health" (Issues, Spring 2005), Gilbert S. Omenn discusses the crucial role of public health sciences in realizing "the vision of predictive, personalized and preventive health care and community health services." Here, I...

Public health and the law.(FORUM)
June 22, 2005... Lawrence O. Gostin's "Law and the Public's Health" (Issues, Spring 2005) is of significant interest to public health authorities. Gostin presents the framework of public health law, describing the profound impact it had on realizing major...

Reducing teen pregnancy.(FORUM)
June 22, 2005... I appreciate the many issues touched on by Sarah S. Brown in her interview with Issues in the Spring 2005 issue. As a former National Campaign staffer, I think the organization plays a significant role in bringing needed attention to teen...

House bucks Bush, votes to relax stem cell restrictions.(FROM THE HILL)
June 22, 2005... Bucking the opposition of President Bush, the House of Representatives in May passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 810), which would relax federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell research by allowing federal researchers to...

Bush plan for earth-penetrating nuclear weapon hits roadblock.(FROM THE HILL)
June 22, 2005... Despite a continuing strong push from the Bush administration, the House of Representatives is providing a cool reception for a program to study earth-penetrating nuclear weapons. The recently approved House fiscal year (FY) 2006 Energy and...

Fraud allegations roil Yucca Mountain project.(FROM THE HILL)
June 22, 2005... Nevada's representatives in the House are using a report alleging fraud as a new means of scuttling the construction of a permanent repository site for high-level nuclear waste in their state. On April 5, Rep. John Porter (R-Nev.), chairman of...

Senators clash over terrorist priorities.(FROM THE HILL)
June 22, 2005... At a May 18, 2005, hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, senators clashed over the potential terrorist threat of two loosely organized groups, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Environmental Liberation Front...

Secrets of the Celtic tiger: act two; Ireland achieved a stunning economic revival in the past two decades; its plan for the next stage of growth could be another winner.(PERSPECTIVES)
June 22, 2005... Ireland's brilliant catch-up strategy of the 1990s offers important lessons for countries that want to build a modern technology-based economy. But Ireland is not growing complacent. It knows that a decade of steady and strong economic growth,...

Bolstering U.S. supercomputing: the nation's needs for supercomputers to strengthen defense and national security cannot be satisfied with current policies and spending levels.
June 22, 2005... In November 2004, IBM's Blue Gene/L, developed for U.S. nuclear weapons research, was declared the fastest supercomputer on the planet. Supercomputing speed is measured in teraflops: trillions of calculations per second. Blue Gene/L achieved on...

Games, cookies, and the future of education: games, simulations, user models, and other information tools have revolutionized and personalized entertainment and services. What about education?
June 22, 2005... In February 1990, President George H. W. Bush joined Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas to embrace the goal that by the year 2000, "U.S. students will be first in the world in mathematics and science achievement." The two leaders were reacting,...

A reality check on military spending: the United States can fight an effective war on terrorism while still substantially cutting defense spending.
June 22, 2005... For fiscal year (FY) 2005, military spending will be nearly $500 billion, which is greater in real terms than during any of the Reagan years and surpassed only by spending at the end of World War II in 1945 and 1946 and during the Korean War in...

The national nanotechnology initiative: present at the creation; The U.S. government was a pioneer in supporting nanoscale research; now it must boost funding to maintain the nation's leadership.
June 22, 2005... The United States, which made a major early commitment to nanotechnology in 2000, has been the world's research leader, but as the promise of nanotechnology has grown the government commitment has flattened. We are concerned that lukewarm...

The economic promise of Nanotechnology: congress must continue to support U.S. leadership in this field as a key component of future national prosperity.
June 22, 2005... As a U.S. senator, I have championed several initiatives over the past several years to nurture U.S. leadership in innovation. Perhaps none was more exciting than sponsoring the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research & Development Act, which was...

Harnessing Nanotechnology to improve global equity: the less industrialized countries are eager to play an early role in developing this technology; the global community should help them.
June 22, 2005... Developing countries usually find themselves on the sidelines watching the excitement of technological innovation. The wealthy industrialized nations typically dominate the development, production, and use of new technologies. But many...

Getting nanotechnology right the first time: government and industry should be working to identify and manage possible health and environmental risks before new products are widely used.
June 22, 2005... Nanotechnology--the design and manipulation of materials at the molecular and atomic scale--has great potential to deliver environmental as well as other benefits. The novel properties that emerge as materials reach the nanoscale (changes in...

Facing the Global Competitiveness challenge: a renewed and systematic focus on innovation is the key to U.S. economic growth and prosperity.
June 22, 2005... The United States today faces a new set of economic challenges. Indeed, for the first time since the end of World War II, U.S. global leadership in innovation is being brought into question. During the past 15 years, the rise of China,...

The global water crisis.(REAL NUMBERS)
June 22, 2005... People living in the United States or any industrialized nation take safe drinking water for granted. But in much of the developing world, access to clean water is not guaranteed. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2...

Thinking about the indeterminate.(Catastrophe)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Catastrophe, by Richard A. Posner, New York: Oxford University Press, 2004, 322 pp. Judge Richard Posner, a prominent legal scholar and a leading intellectual of our time, has explored a dazzlingly diverse array of subjects. He seems to...

Green urbanism.(Native to Nowhere: Sustaining Home and Community in a Global Age)(Book Review)
June 22, 2005... Native to Nowhere: Sustaining Home and Community in a Global Age, by Timothy Beatley. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2004, 392 pp. In Native to Nowhere, Timothy Beatley builds on the rich literature about the importance of the built...

Runway illumination.(ARCHIVES)(Brief Article)
June 22, 2005... In 1918, aviation was still in its infancy, with a number of basic problems awaiting solutions. One of these was the illumination of airfields for night landings. Work on this problem for the Army was overseen by the National Research Council...