01.31.07
Committee Holds Hearing on Political Influence on Government Climate Change Scientists
Source: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
“The Oversight Committee held a hearing on January 30 regarding political interference in the work of government climate change scientists. In preparation for the hearing, Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis requested documents from the Council on Environmental Quality related to allegations that officials edited scientific reports and took other actions to minimize the significance of climate change.”
+ Documents (PDFs)
- Chairman Waxman’s Opening Statement
- Hearing Notice and Witness List
- Atmosphere of Pressure: Political Interference in Federal Climate Science
- Witness Testimony: Francesca T. Grifo, Ph.D., Union of Concerned Scientists
- Witness Testimony: Rick Piltz, Government Accountability Project
- Witness Testimony: Dr. Drew T. Shindell
- Witness Testimony: Roger A. Pielke, Jr., University of Colorado, Boulder
- Memo to Committee Members Regarding CEQ Documents
- Letter to CEQ Chairman James Connaughton
01.30.07
2006 U.S. Ocean Policy Report Card
Source: Joint Ocean Commission Initiative (U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and Pew Oceans Commission)
From press release (PDF; 140 KB)
The response of the Administration and the U.S. Congress to recommendations from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission has not been sufficient to address the significant challenges facing our ocean. “The report card released today by the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative reflects modest improvements in caring for our ocean, particularly at the regional level, but the generally poor grades show how much work remains to be done,” said Vikki Spruill, President and CEO of The Ocean Conservancy.
The Joint Ocean Commission’s second annual report card, released today, evaluates the progress of our elected officials in the following critical areas: national ocean governance reform; ocean and coastal funding; fisheries management reform; state and regional ocean governance reform; ocean science and education; and international leadership. The average grade of C- for 2006 represent a slight improvement from the D+ given in 2005.
+ Full Report (PDF; 203 KB)
Growing The Nation’s Biotech Sector: A Regional Perspective
Source: Biotechnology Industry Organization
From press release (Battelle Labs):
Key findings of the report include:
- More than half of the nation’s 361 MSAs have a specialization (employment concentration that is 20 percent greater than the national average) in at least one of the four major bioscience subsectors
- Many metro areas, including Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis, have a broad employment base in three or even four of the bioscience subsectors
- Other metro areas are highly specialized in one or two particular subsectors such as Minneapolis (medical devices), Washington, D.C. (research, testing, and medical labs), and Pittsburgh (research, testing, and medical labs and medical devices)
- Two metro areas, Lincoln, NE and Madison, WI, have a specialization in all four bioscience subsectors.
+ Full Report (PDF; 1.1 MB)
01.28.07
Bioacoustic Profiles: Evaluating Potential Masking of Wildlife Vocal Communication
Source: John Muir Institute of the Environment, Road Ecology Center, University of California-Davis
“Highway noise can mask vocal communication and natural sounds important to wildlife for mate attraction, social cohesion, predator avoidance, prey detection, navigation, and other basic behaviors. This acoustic interference can potentially result in the reduced ability of individuals to acquire mates successfully, reproduce, raise young, and avoid predation. Because different species have evolved unique vocal repertoires, they are differentially susceptible to the masking effects of highway noise. No single noise-level criteria can be used to accurately define impact thresholds for all species. Here we show the utility of using bioacoustic profiles of bird vocal signals to identify and describe the range and variability of acoustic-masking thresholds. Variation in noise load, source amplitude, and signal frequency are modeled to illustrate the dynamic nature of each species’ critical acoustic space.”
+ Full Paper (PDF; 339 KB)
See also: Synthesis of Noise Effects on Wildlife Populations
Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the Next Decade
Source National Science and Technology Council’s Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST)
National needs for ocean research were laid out in a new report issued today by the National Science and Technology Council’s Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST).
The report, Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the Next Decade, is the first national effort to establish research priorities that address the interactions between society and the ocean. It found that ocean science research should accomplish the following in the next two to five years: forecast the response of coastal ecosystems to persistent forcing and extreme events; compare marine ecosystem organization; develop sensors for marine ecosystems; and assess the meridional overturning variability, which will improve understanding of the ocean’s role in climate change.
News Release ||| Full Text (100 pages; PDF) ||| Fact Sheet (2 page; PDF) ||| Additional Info and Other Reports
2006 Report: Freedom of Expression in the 21st Century in the Americas
Source: James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University
“Though this report is the fruit of conversations among many journalists and human rights lawyers, the benefit of this mix was that the group often was able to present a united front on issues. And experience has shown, in many cases, that governments—in Mexico and Peru, for instance—initially have tried to stymie dialogue with civil society and limit rights, but that when civil society presses forward on its own and presents governments with a prepared list of freedoms and restrictions, governments find they have no choice but to embrace the proposal; were they to refuse, it could leave them with a black eye, as the public would see it laid bare that the government was unwilling to accept civil freedoms.”
In English and Spanish
01.27.07
National Science Foundation Issues Impact Report on Math and Science Partnership Program
Source: National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released its first national impact report assessing the NSF Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program, which was established in 2002 to integrate the work of higher education with K-12 to strengthen and reform mathematics and science education.
The document reports progress on improving teacher quality, quantity and diversity; developing challenging courses and curricula; emphasizing evidence-based design and outcomes; and promoting institutional change. It highlights examples of partnerships at all levels of education in communities across the country, and outlines impacts on student proficiency and benefits of professional development for teachers.
+ MSP Impact fact sheet (PDF; 507 KB):
+ MSP Impact Report (PDF; 2.4 MB):
+ Impact Report Executive Summary (PDF; 266 KB):
Recommendations to Reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Source: Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
From press release: “CCSSO is calling on Congress to update and strengthen ESEA through a set of core recommendations which do the following: promote innovative models and reinvent the peer review process; improve accountability determinations; differentiate consequences; improve assessment systems; properly include students with disabilities and English language learners in state assessment and accountability systems; enhance teacher quality; and strengthen resources to appropriately reflect the increased roles and responsibilities placed on states.”
