10.05.07
Perspectives on U.S. Competitiveness in Science and Technology
Perspectives on U.S. Competitiveness in Science and Technology
Source: RAND Corporation
Is the United States in danger of losing its competitive edge in science and technology (S&T)? In response to this concern, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness asked RAND to convene a meeting, held on November 8, 2006, to review evidence presented by experts from academia, government, and the private sector. The papers presented at the meeting addressed a wide range of issues surrounding the United States’ current and future S&T competitiveness, including science policy, the quantitative assessment of S&T capability, globalization, the rise of Asia (particularly China and India), innovation, trade, technology diffusion, the increase in foreign-born S&T students and workers in the United States, new directions in the management and compensation of federal S&T workers, and national security and the defense industry. These papers provide a partial survey of the facts, challenges, and questions posed by the potential erosion of U.S. S&T capability.
+ Full Document (PDF; 1.1 MB)
05.23.07
Online Health Information Category Grows 12 Percent in Q1 2007
Online Health Information Category Grows 12 Percent in Q1 2007: Versus Last Year to More Than 55 Million Visitors per Month
Source: comScore
During the first quarter of 2007, the health information category reached an average of 55.3 million monthly U.S. visitors (31 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience), an increase of 12 percent versus the same period last year. WebMD Health led the category with an average of 17.1 million unique visitors per month in Q1 2007 (up 25 percent), followed by NIH.gov with 9.8 million (up 8 percent), MSN Health with 8.1 million (up 1 percent), and Yahoo! Health with 6.7 million (up 83 percent).
Press release contains tables, statistics.
05.18.07
2007 Drug Trend Report
2007 Drug Trend Report (PDF; 2.3 MB)
Source: Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
From introduction:
The Medco 2007 Drug Trend Report provides readers with an in-depth review of the changes driving drug trend and spending in 2006. In addition, the report analyzes the key factors likely to influence trend and spending in the coming months and years – particularly as it relates to the drug pipeline. The Medco 2007 Drug Trend Report provides insights into some of the cutting-edge healthcare issues and technologies plan sponsors will need to address in the near future, and explains how they can be better prepared to manage their prescription drug costs.
Free registration required
Social Isolation and American Workers: Employee Blogging and Legal Reform
Social Isolation and American Workers: Employee Blogging and Legal Reform (PDF; 330 KB)
Source: Harvard Journal of Law & Technology
Times have changed. Americans, and particularly American workers, live in a much more socially isolated world than they did in the past. Union halls and employee group bowling are rare these days. In some respects, the Internet and today’s “virtual world” have contributed to these developments. For example, when employees are telecommuting or working “virtually” off-site, developing a strong sense of community with their colleagues is far more difficult. But while the Internet may be part of the problem, it also has the potential to be part of the solution.
05.17.07
Authentic Learning for the 21st Century: An Overview
Authentic Learning for the 21st Century: An Overview
Source: EDUCAUSE
Learning-by-doing is generally considered the most effective way to learn. The Internet and a variety of emerging communication, visualization, and simulation technologies now make it possible to offer students authentic learning experiences ranging from experimentation to real-world problem solving. This white paper explores what constitutes authentic learning, how technology supports it, what makes it effective, and why it is important.
+ Full Paper (PDF; 144 KB)
05.16.07
The Preparation and Role of Technology Leadership for the Schools
The Preparation and Role of Technology Leadership for the Schools (PDF; 88 KB)
Source: Annual Meeting of the Eastern Educational Research Association (via ERIC)
Today, an increasing proportion of the school system budget is being spent in support of technology; and, the technology departments of schools are staffed with a growing team of both educators and technicians. Despite this growth, only a minority of state education departments has created licensing or certification credentials for instructional technology leaders. Because of this, the case can be made for two separate professional certifications or educational specializations within the school systems. One person is needed who can work with the teaching and administrative professionals of the district in designing technology systems which integrate well into the various schools’ programs. A second professional is necessary to support the technical side including networking, internet applications, infrastructure, technology support, and systems security. In addition to these two professionals, school districts will need a group of technologists who can work under the leadership of the Director of Education Technology in curriculum development. A second group of technologists is required who will work with the Network Administrator on system maintenance and support. These latter personnel will perform the day-to-day tasks of maintaining the system and doing “as needed” repair work. The efficiency of their work is critical to the success of any educational technology effort.
05.05.07
Energy Department and Centers for Disease Control Documents Call for Open Public Access to Research
Energy Department and Centers for Disease Control Documents Call for Open Public Access to Research
Via a news release:
Recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) highlight growing recognition of the need for public access to taxpayer-funded research. Both the CDC Professional Judgment for Fiscal Year 2008 and a workshop report from the DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) indicate clearly the importance to each agency of having agency-funded research made openly available.
The CDC Professional Judgment, which was submitted to the House Committee on Appropriations, Labor/HHS Subcommittee on April 20, 2007 by CDC Director Julie Gerberding, includes public access at the top of a list of critical needs, calling for:
Open access to CDC’s research publications for other scientists and the public (rapid, free, and unrestricted online access) to CDC sponsored peer reviewed research and access to ‘data in progress’ among scientists, especially during emergencies like SARS…”
The CDC Professional Judgment is online and will be considered by the House Appropriations Committee in making final appropriations decisions for 2008.
The Department of Energy workshop report is the product of a meeting organized by OSTI to “discuss and develop a roadmap for advancing science and technology by accelerating the sharing of scientific and technical knowledge.” Entitled Workshop Panel Report on Accelerating the Spread of Knowledge Science and Technology – Examination of the Needs and Opportunities…Among the panel’s list of eight key conclusions is that,
The spread of knowledge will be accelerated if DOE-funded unclassified research results are made available expeditiously in a publicly accessible system.
The report is online.
Source: The Alliance for Taxpayer Access
05.01.07
The Future of Disability in America
The Future of Disability in America
Source: Institute of Medicine (via National Academies Press)
From press release:
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has helped increase awareness of barriers faced by people with disabilities, and advances in science and engineering have led to better assistive technologies that make it easier for individuals to lead productive, independent lives, outdated regulations too often impede access to health care coverage and assistive devices for many who need them, says a new report by the Institute of Medicine.
The report calls on Congress and appropriate federal agencies to improve decision making about what and who Medicare and Medicaid will cover and to eliminate waiting periods for qualified individuals to receive Medicare coverage. The federal government should find ways to ease restrictions that prevent people from getting effective assistive services and technologies to help them live as independently as possible and participate in work and other activities outside the home.
Read for free online
04.20.07
“Net Neutrality,” Non-Discrimination and Digital Distribution of Content Through the Internet
“Net Neutrality,” Non-Discrimination and Digital Distribution of Content Through the Internet (PDF; 296 KB)
Source: Networks, Electronic Commerce, and Telecommunications (“NET”) Institute
The vast majority of US residential consumers face a monopoly or duopoly in broadband Internet access. Up to now, the Internet was characterized by a regime of “net neutrality” where there was no discrimination in the price of a transmitted information packet based on the identities of either the transmitter or the receiver or based on the application or type of content that it contained. The providers of DSL or cable modem access in the United States, taking advantage of a recent regulatory change that effectively abolished net neutrality and non-discrimination protections, and possessing significant market power, have recently discussed implementing a variety of discriminatory pricing schemes. This paper discusses and evaluates the implication of a number of these schemes on prices, profits of the network access providers and those of the complementary applications and content providers, as well as the impact on consumers. We also discuss an assortment of anti-competitive effects of such price discrimination, and evaluate the possibility of imposition of net neutrality by law.
04.19.07
Creating Markets for Green Biofuels: Measuring and Improving Environmental Performance
Creating Markets for Green Biofuels: Measuring and Improving Environmental Performance (PDF; 2.05 MB)
Source: National Resources Defense Council
From press release:
As the market for ethanol booms, there is growing concern that not all biofuels are created equal when it comes to environmental performance. In fact, whether the impact is positive or negative can vary greatly depending on how the fuel is made. To help investors, policymakers and consumers understand the differences, a new report commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and released today by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley offers a comprehensive ratings system for assessing whether a biofuel is truly green.
Guidelines in the report, “Creating Markets for Green Biofuels: Measuring and Improving Environmental Performance,”could help stem potential backlash against the ethanol industry’s explosive growth.
