The Dish: Friday Blog Roundup
A quick look at some of the policy-related stories making the rounds on the science and technology blogs.
The United Kingdom, an “Innovation Nation”
Last summer, the United Kingdom Government created the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. The new Department has an ambitious goal, outlined in a new report: to turn the United Kingdom into an “Innovation Nation” that is the world’s most attractive country for innovative businesses.
A Computer Program That Sees What You See
Scientists at the University of California-Berkeley have developed a “visual decoder” which employes a computational algorithm to identify what someone saw just by examining their brain activity. The success of the study represents an advance in the scientific understanding of how the brain processes images, but could also have potential ramifications for mind-reading technology.
Be a Nerd Or Work for a Nerd: Bill Gates Testifies on House Science and Tech Committee 50th Anniversary
Microsoft Corporation Chairman Bill Gates advised Congress to reform both the United States education system and immigration policies during a hearing yesterday honoring the 50th anniversary of the House Committee on Science and Technology.
BIOETHICS
A Shot In the Rear
Recent investigations into performance-enhancing drug use in professional sports has driven debate over the substances in the public square. But when making decisions about steroids, one size does not fit all, and there’s more to consider than just “did he or didn’t he?”
New Report Argues That “Broken Pipeline” At NIH Is Leaking Young Investigators
After steady increases from 1998 to 2003 that doubled the budget for the National Institutes of Health, five years of stagnant funding have reduced purchasing power at the NIH by 13 percent, according to a report released yesterday by a consortium of research universities.
Subcommittee Questions Funding Cuts for Two NIST Programs
The President’s plan to slash two highly successful National Institute of Standards and Technology programs drew the ire of Subcommittee members during a hearing on NIST’s FY 2009 budget request yesterday.
POLICYMAKING
21st Century Government: The Next Big Thing
Applying the tools of 21st century technology and innovation to the science of governing offers a wealth of opportunities to promote the common good.
Bill Gates Testifies on Innovation
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates will appear before the House Science and Technology Committee tomorrow in what will be the first of a series of hearing on challenges to our nation’s innovation agenda. A look at recent findings, including the National Science Foundation’s biennial report on the state of science and engineering research and education, shows that there is cause for concern.
INTERNET
Net Neutrality 101
Tomorrow’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on net neutrality and free speech on the Internet brings the controversial issue back into congressional crosshairs. To help make sense of the issue, Science Progress and the Center for American Progress have put together this net neutrality 101, a beginner’s guide to understanding the debate that could alter the very future of the Internet.
EPA Employees Would Like to Have Their Science Recognized
The Washington Post reports that unions at the Environmental Protection Agency have broken with management over Administrator Stephen Johnson’s disregard for scientific integrity. The news comes only a two weeks after Johnson published the official explanation for the agency’s refusal to allow California’s emissions reduction standards, despite the fact that the ruling ignored the “unanimous recommendation of the EPA’s legal and technical staffs.”
Embryonic Stem Cells As Anti-cancer Labs
Amid the premature hype about induced pluripotent stem cells (hyped by everyone but the scientists who did the work themselves), the unique characteristics of embryonic stem cells as platforms for learning about human disease can too easily be lost. An important new study should help correct this oversight.
The Coupled Economics of Food and Biofuels
In his most recent column, Chris Mooney traced the complexities of the the current debate over biofuels. One major concern is that increased demand for biofuels leads farmers to plant more feedstocks for ethanol and devote less land to growing food. The New York Times tackled the issue of food crops yesterday, offering a substantial cover story on the growing gap between global grain production and soaring grain demand.
Heartland Blog Roundup
The Heartland Institute gathered a group of skeptics of global warming in New York City during Mar. 2 through Mar. 4. The conference speakers criticized the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Al Gore, the two winners of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Science and Tech Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from Mar. 10 to Mar. 14.
Computer Science Can Shape Policy, But There May Be Fewer Computer Scientists In the Pipeline
Collaborations between computer scientists and life science researchers facilitate new ways of doing science that could inform sound policy decisions. But current numbers indicate that the far fewer U.S. students are enrolling in computer science programs than they were at the beginning of the decade.
PUBLIC HEALTH
What Are They Smoking?
In Congress there is astonishingly shortsighted opposition to the obvious need for the Food and Drug Administration to police the tobacco industry.
Two DOE Undersecretaries Snub House S&T Subcommittee Hearing
Controversy marred a Wednesday hearing on the Department of Energy’s FY2009 budget request for research and development when two DOE undersecretaries invited to testify decided at the last minute to skip the event.
Solar Thermal Power in the News
As The New York Times reviews the rising popularity of solar thermal power plants, Congress hears from an Arizona Public Service Company spokesperson about Solana, the world’s largest solar thermal plant to be built in Arizona. The output of ten planned solar thermal plants in Arizona, California, and Nevada could equal the output of three nuclear reactors, but they could be built in two years instead of ten or more.
ENERGY
Biofuel Warfare
The latest scientific research suggests that current biofuel production might not reduce carbon emissions significantly, or at all. It’s clear now that the issue is “wickedly complicated.” Are we wise enough to handle it?
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