Applying New Research to Improve Science Education
Every issue explores cutting-edge developments in technology, medicine, education, climate change, and much more. Articles provide in-depth analyses of science and technology’s impact on public policy, the economy, and society—bringing today’s best minds to bear on tomorrow’s most critical topics.
From the Hill
From the Hill – Fall 2012
R&D funding picture remains mixed, as budget negotiations stall The laborious process of crafting a federal budget for the next fiscal year (FY) 2013 appeared set to grind to a halt, when… Read More
Perspectives
Qualitative Metrics in Science Policy: What Can’t Be Counted, Counts
The past half-century has ushered in a veritable revolution in the science of metrics, as the surprisingly long life of Moore’s Law and related advances in information technology have led to a… Read More
Features
The Limits of Knowledge: Personal and Public
One of the most basic assumptions underlying much of Western thinking is that individuals are rational beings, able to form judgments based on empirical information and logical deliberations in their quest for… Read MoreArchives – Fall 2012
These paintings by Albert Herter adorn the walls of the Members’ Room of the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C. Opened in 1924, the building recently underwent a major two-year… Read MoreBack to Basics on Energy Policy
In June 1973, President Richard Nixon addressed the emerging energy crisis, saying that “the answer to our long-term needs lies in developing new forms of energy.” He asked Congress for a five-year,… Read MoreApplying New Research to Improve Science Education
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is critical to the U.S. future because of its relevance to the economy and the need for a citizenry able to make wise decisions on… Read MoreGlobal Bioethics: Hopes, Fears, and New Voices
During the 1990s, James Grifo, a physician and researcher at New York University, had been working to develop a technique to help treat certain kinds of infertility. Although in vitro fertilization (IVF) … Read MoreAffordable Access to Space
The high cost of reaching orbit is the major factor preventing the large-scale exploration and exploitation of space. When I fly from College Station, Texas, to almost anywhere in the United States,… Read MoreDecoupling Water and Violent Conflict
As the saying goes, water is the stuff of life. It is a basic human need, the lifeblood of critical ecosystems, and a basis for livelihoods and cultures for countless communities around … Read MoreDo High-Stakes Tests Improve Learning?
Test-based incentives, which reward or sanction schools, teachers, and students based on students’ test scores, have dominated U.S. education policy for decades. But a recent study suggests that they should be used … Read MoreEscape from the Great Distress: The Role of Rules
The early part of my career was focused on the elusive notion of an idea and its economic power. I worked both at the theoretical level and the policy level in thinking… Read More
Book Reviews
The Climate Struggle Heats Up
In The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars, Michael E. Mann offers a personal assessment of the controversies and shenanigans that have surrounded the issue of global warming during the past… Read More
Controlling the Arms Bazaar
In July 2012, after years of preliminary effort, United Nations (UN) member nations gathered in New York to draft a treaty that would provide the foundation for regulating the international arms trade.… Read More