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"Transforming How the Environmental Protection Agency Does Science" by Terry F. Yosie

Transforming How the Environmental Protection Agency Does Science

Terry F. Yosie

Today’s globally integrated economy, with millions of supply-chain and value-chain pollution sources, has rendered the traditional command-and-control approach to regulation ineffective. Contemporary challenges are systemic in nature; each originates from multiple kinds of sources and economic enterprises. Agencies such as EPA need to modernize their approach to scientific and regulatory decisionmaking to better understand the causes of contemporary environmental risks and respond to them effectively.Read More

Science Diplomacy

science diplomacy and the rise of technopoles

Science Diplomacy and the Rise of Technopoles

Vaughan Turekian, Peter Gluckman

In today’s multipolar world of fracturing alliances, the influence of science and technology is increasingly tied to the advancement of individual nations’ geostrategic and economic interests. In this new context, science diplomacy must evolve.Read More

The Ongoing Transformation

How the Octopus Got to the Senate

Jennifer Jacquet, Lisa Margonelli

Should octopus be farmed for food? For Jennifer Jacquet, the answer is a resounding no. On our latest podcast, Jacquet discusses why octopuses are poor candidates for farming, the growing social movements around octopus protection, and why we need public conversations about new technologies before investments begin.Read More

State of the Science

Marcia McNutt, The State of the Science

For a More Competitive US Research Enterprise, the Work Begins Now

Marcia McNutt

The US scientific enterprise has for decades been a juggernaut for innovation, economic growth, and lasting national security and prosperity. How can America maintain its global leadership in scientific and technological innovation?Read More

Fiber Arts

Illustration of Megan Chong's essay on fiber arts, "Stitches and STEM," by Seesha Takagishi

Stitches and STEM

Megan Chong

When Megan Chong was about eight years old, her grandmother took her to a local fabric store to pick out a pattern for a dress they could sew together. Working on the dress, she felt like she was solving the ultimate wearable puzzle. She was also preparing for her PhD in cell biophysics.Read More

In Focus

Future Tense Fiction is a speculative fiction series that features short stories from acclaimed authors across a wide range of styles. Each story is paired with original artwork and a response essay from an expert who connects the fictional narrative to real-world policy debates.

The project also hosts events—such as this one with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg—that explore the intersection of imagination and policy.

Imagining Transportation Futures

What role does imagination play in managing an agency as sprawling and impactful as the Department of Transportation?Read More

The FALL Issue

Fall 2024 Issues in Science and Technology cover
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On the Front Lines of Change: Reporting From the Gulf of Mexico

“In many respects, the Gulf is on the front lines. Massive disruptions brought by climate change, the need to transition to a new energy economy, and the potential collapse of vital ecosystems are on the horizon for the nation as a whole, not just the Gulf region.”

—Lauren Alexander Augustine

Supporting the Gulf

A skiff cleans up oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Ten Years Into the Gulf Research Program

Lauren Alexander Augustine

The Gulf of Mexico is on the front lines of change. But massive disruptions brought by climate change, the need to transition to a new energy economy, and the potential collapse of vital ecosystems are on the horizon for the nation as a whole.Read More

Emergency Management

photograph of bulrushes for the roots that ward off disaster

The Roots That Ward Off Disaster

Samantha Montano

Recent disasters have strained the Gulf’s ability to respond. Building capacity for local emergency management agencies and disaster research could help the region cope—and thrive.Read More

The Loop Current

Gewin on the loop current

A Scientific “Forced Marriage” Takes on the Mysteries of the Loop Current

Virginia Gewin

Decisionmakers need insights on how this powerful current shapes hurricanes, fisheries, energy supplies, and life in the Gulf of Mexico. An ambitious project to collect data and predict the current’s erratic behavior is compelling scientists to cross disciplines as well as borders.Read More

The Energy Transition

Tristan Baurick on the energy transition in Port Arthur, Texas

How Will Carbon Capture Transform Port Arthur, Texas?

Tristan Baurick

Advances in engineering and financial incentives are putting a Gulf Coast city at the forefront of the energy transition. Can policies make good on promises to clean the environment and create jobs?Read More

News

Connecting today’s headlines with deeper policy analyses from the Issues archives.

Nobel Prizes Feature Work in Artificial Intelligence

How Researchers Can Fight Misinformation

California Outlaws Octopus Farming

Is the US Falling Behind in Fusion Research?

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