Science And Society

Standards-based education, American workforce, lifelong learning. 'Tough Choices OR Tough Times' is the recently published report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. The Commission calls for a total shake-up in how America educates its people with an innovative system that boosts students to unprecedented levels of learning throughout their lives while creating a structure that gives them the best teachers and schools the country can offer. Marc Tucker is co-author of 'Thinking for a Living - Education and the Wealth of Nations', selected by Business Week as one of the 10 best business books of 1992.

Nanotechnology, nanomaterials, risk analysis, public policy. Dr. Jo Anne Shatkin is a recognized expert in nanotechnology, human health risk assessment, and technical communications. She has organized the Emerging Nanoscale Materials Specialty Group of the Society for Risk Analysis. Dr. Shatkin is a Research Assistant Professor in the Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and a Research Fellow at The George Perkins Marsh Institute at Clark University.

Math education, science education, artificial intelligence, serious games. The K12 at USC project focuses on the design, development, and evaluation of technology-based learning resources in math and science. K12 at USC creates intelligent tutoring systems and serious games to provide middle and high school students with individualized instruction based on prior achievement, cognitive skills, and learner motivation. The project has a special focus on creating learning systems to reach students who have traditionally not become highly engaged with math and science.

Global warming, renewable energy, infectious diseases, science education. Scientific American, founded in 1845, is the foremost publication for individuals who want to understand the science and technology that is shaping our world. John Rennie is only the seventh editor in chief in the 160-year history of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN magazine. In 2000 the Council of Scientific Society Presidents bestowed on Mr. Rennie its Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science, which is given annually 'to honor those who have become concurrently accomplished as researchers and-or educators, and as widely recognized magnifiers of the public's understanding of science'.

Lifestyle medicine, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, nutrition. One of the nation's leading health experts, Dr. Steven Aldana is a regular consultant to the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Aldana is the author of 'The Culprit and the Cure' and a new pocket reference, 'The Stop and Go Fast Food Nutrition Guide', which offers at-a-glance nutritional information about America's favorite fast foods.

Energy security, climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy. Stephen Piccot has more than 22 years experience executing and managing environmental research projects for the U.S. EPA, the U.S. DOE, and private industry. Since 1997, Mr. Piccot has advised several global organizations on technology performance verification issues, including the World Bank, the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Center for the Advancement of Energy Markets.

Science education, problem-based learning, diversity initiatives. Dr. Pat Marsteller has taught courses on evolution, Darwin and the idea of evolution, and many others over her 30 years of college teaching. She also works with college and pre-college faculty on developing curriculum materials and on using active learning strategies in the teaching of science and mathematics.

EPA Green Power Partnership, climate change, greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership, a voluntary, climate protection program, seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by building demand for renewable power. EPA's growing numbers of Green Power Partners are purchasing more than seven billion kilowatt-hours of renewable power annually. This electricity would be equivalent to roughly ten billion pounds of CO2 if generated by conventional means. The Partnership has over 650 partners including 39 Fortune 500 companies.

Womens cardiac care, healthy heart program, hypertension, Dr. Niesa Goldberg is the author of the award winning and highly acclaimed book 'Women Are Not Small Men', which is now updated and titled 'The Women's Healthy Heart Program - Lifesaving Strategies for Preventing and Healing Heart Disease', published by Ballantine Books. She has appeared many times on 'The Today Show', 'The View', and 'Good Morning America', and has been featured in 'The Wall Street Journal' and 'The New York Times', discussing women and heart disease.

Science education, Siemens Foundation, advanced placement, biology. David Stanley Ely, a biology teacher at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesberg, VT for nearly 35 years, has received many honors, including the Vermont Teacher of the Year, an Advanced Placement Teacher Recognition Award and the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering Teaching Excellence Award. Mr. Ely has participated in and coordinated 65 local, state, and national summer institutes and workshops. He is a member of the Association of Presidential Awardees for Excellence in Science Teaching.

Biomaterials, tissue engineering, wound healing, medical devices. Ratner BioMedical Group technologies stem from the intersections of materials science, engineering, biology, and medicine, and have synergistic potential for translation to unique biomedical products and services. RBG's focus is advancing medical care in tissue regeneration, wound healing, and unique biomaterials for enhanced drug delivery.

Crystallography, protein molecular structure, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute. In 1985, Dr. Herbert Hauptman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Although he is a mathematician by training who has taken only one chemistry course in his life, he was able to use classical mathematics to resolve a critical problem in chemistry. The structures of thousands of molecules have now been solved by crystallographers using Dr. Hauptman's methods.

Nature Publishing Group, Dr. Philip Campbell, science writing, medicine. Dr. Philip Campbell has been the Editor-in-Chief of Nature since December 1995. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics. Under Dr. Campbell's editorship, Nature has won several prestigious publishing awards from the Periodical Publishers' Association, including International Magazine of the Year in 1998. Nature's circulation has grown significantly since 1996, and has the highest impact factor of multidisciplinary journals.

Digital curricula, digital textbooks, AP physics. Kinetic Books Company creates and publishes Kinetic Textbooks, the next generation of digital curriculum. The company's full line of textbooks have been adopted in every state that has gone through a physics text approval process since Kinetic Books introduced its products in 2005, and two of its textbooks have been approved by The College Board for Advanced Placement coursework. Kinetic Books digital textbooks are in use by thousands of high schools and colleges in over 40 states and 15 countries.

Nanotechnology, biomimetics, biosensors, cancer research. CNSE is the first college in the world dedicated to research, development, education, and deployment in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience, and nanoeconomics. CNSE's Albany NanoTech complex is the most advanced research facility of its kind at any university in the world - a 3.5 billion dollar, 450,000-square-foot complex that attracts corporate partners from around the world. Dr. Nathan Cady plans to provide insight for bioengineering applications such as materials biocompatibility, prosthetics, and medical device design.

Sbarro Health Research Organization, cancer research, diabetes, Temple University. At the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine at Temple University, promising researchers from around the globe pursue groundbreaking research in the molecular workings of cancer and other devastating diseases. Dr. Antonio Giordano has been an internationally recognized researcher specializing in the genetics of cancer and gene therapy for 20 years. He has published 270 papers on his work in the fields of cell cycles, gene therapy and the genetics of cancer.

Nanotechnology, nanocomposites, materials science, polymers. The University of Dayton Research Institute's Center for Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites and Devices is the world's first manufacturing center for product demonstration of nano-enhanced polymer composites. Created in collaboration with the National Composite Center in Dayton, OH, the facility gives manufacturers the opportunity to evaluate state-of-the-art materials in their composite products, but without the risk involved in purchasing new equipment and retooling their facilities. Richard Garozzo has more than 20 years experience performing research and development in advanced composite materials, and extensive experience in composite and plastic processing and composite reinforcements and matrix systems.

Cancer research, molecularly targeted cancer therapy, personalized medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in such areas as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, cardiovascular medicine, AIDS, obesity, cancer and psychiatry. The primary focus of Dr. Barbara Hempstead's basic research is the role of growth factors, called neurotrophins, and their receptors in human physiology and pathology. She has authored more than 70 scientific articles, with two papers published in 'Science' and one in 'Nature' in the last four years.

Griffith Observatory, astronomy, science education. Opened in 1935, Griffith Observatory is one of the best-known and most visited public observatories in the world. Dr. Edwin Krupp is recognized internationally as an expert on ancient, prehistoric, and traditional astronomy. His most recent book for adults, 'Skywatchers, Shamans, and Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power'.

RNA viruses, influenza, H5N1 avian flu, nucleoprotein. Dr. Jane Tao's scientific research efforts are focused on RNA viruses. Recently, Dr. Tao's group determined the atomic structure of the influenza virus nucleoprotein, a well-conserved protein with essential roles in viral RNA replication. The atomic structure reveals interesting features that may have important applications in the development of new anti-influenza drugs.