Transportation Safety
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.
Editor's Journal
Research Reconsidered
A group of experienced analysts and practitioners of science policy gathered in Washington in late November to discuss the theme of “Basic Research in the Service of National Objectives.” The purpose was… Read More
From the Hill
From the Hill – Winter 2001
FY 2001 will be a banner year for federal research programs On December 15, more than two months into fiscal year (FY) 2001, President Clinton and the 106th Congress finally reached agreement… Read More
Perspectives
Expanding the Mission of State Economic Development
State technology-based economic development (TED) programs need an integrated dual agenda. Most states have two quite different and rarely joined economic agendas: an economic development agenda and an economic-social agenda. Through the… Read More
Real Numbers
Past Progress, Future Problems
Fatalities by Transportation Mode Mode 1970 1980 1990 1995 1998 Large air carrier 146 1 39 168 1 Commuter air N 37 7 9 0 On-demand air taxi N 105 50 52… Read More
Features
Information Warfare: Time to Prepare
IW presents special problems for U.S. defense planners. Many, if not most, targets of an IW attack against the United States would probably be commercial computer and communications systems. These systems are… Read MoreCivilizing the Sport Utility Vehicle
Now that the media craze about the Firestone-Ford tire and sport utility vehicle (SUV) controversy is winding down, it’s time to take a broader and more patient look at the impact that… Read MoreJust Say No to Greenhouse Gas Emissions Targets
The emissions targets of the Kyoto Protocol are dead, and the international community should let them rest in peace. Diplomatic necessity may require that the United Nations (UN) and signatory states to… Read MoreToo Old to Drive?
For every mile they drive, people age 75 or older are more likely to be seriously injured or killed in an automobile accident than are drivers in any other age group except… Read MoreUsing Safety Labels to Make Cars Safer
What is the best way to make cars safer? As in the case of reducing environmental risks, the traditional strategy has been government regulation. Design standards have been used to require certain… Read MoreImproving Air Safety: Long-Term Challenges
Air travel in the United States has seen dramatic improvements in safety in the past 50 years. Through the cooperative efforts of manufacturers, airlines, governments, and others, pilots are better trained with… Read MoreIntroduction
During the past two decades, the United States has made substantial progress in reducing traffic fatalities and injuries by improving vehicle crashworthiness, promoting the use of seat belts and other occupant protections,… Read MoreAuto Safety and Human Adaptation
Vehicle manufacturers around the world are spending large sums of money to develop sophisticated new safety devices. Anti-lock brakes were one of the first. Within the next 5 to 10 years, adaptive… Read MoreFilling the Policy Vacuum Created by OTA’s Demise
The first president and and the first Congress of the new millennium are taking office in January. This has inevitably generated media speculation about how the rapid pace of technological change will… Read More
Book Reviews
Public Health Crisis
Laurie Garrett, author of The Coming Plague and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for her reporting of the 1995 outbreak of the Ebola virus in Zaire, has been an important voice for… Read More
Voodoo Science
A former boss of mine, then-White House Science Advisor Jack Gibbons, used to tell the story of an aging despot who called in a succession of science advisors to tell him how… Read More
Archives – Winter 2001
Photo: National Academy Archives Simon Flexner Simon Flexner (1863-1946), like his brother Abraham Flexner, was a prime mover in U.S. medical education and research. At the same time that Abraham’s 1910 book… Read More