Books by National Research Council

The Multifunction Phased Array Radar (MPAR) is one potentially cost-effective solution to meet the surveillance needs and of several agencies using radar networks. This book analyzes what is lacking in the system, the relevant capabilities of phased array technology, technical challenges, cost issues, and compares possible alternatives.

The 21st Century Truck Partnership (21CTP), a cooperative research and development partnership was launched in the year 2000 with high hopes that it would advance the technologies used in trucks and buses, yielding a cleaner, safer, more efficient generation of vehicles. This book examines the overall adequacy and balance of the 21CTP.

Reports on developments in population genetics and statistics. This volume offers recommendations for handling DNA samples, performing calculations, and other aspects of using DNA as a forensic tool. It examines statistical issues in interpreting frequencies as probabilities, including adjustments when a suspect is found through a database search.

Of all the outputs of forests, water may be the most important. Streamflow from forests provides two-thirds of the nation's clean water supply. This book identifies actions that scientists, forest and water managers, and citizens can take to help sustain water resources from forests.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) could alleviate the nation's dependence on oil and reduce US emissions of carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas. This book estimates the resources that will be needed to bring HFCVs to the point of competitive self-sustainability in the marketplace.

Reports on an international workshop, Global Challenges and Directions for Agricultural Biotechnology: Mapping the Course, organized by the National Research Council in Washington, DC. This book focuses on the potential applications of biotechnology and what developing countries might consider as they contemplate adopting biotechnology.

Integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) can accelerate materials development and unify design and manufacturing. This book offers a vision for ICME, a view of case studies and lessons learned, an analysis of technological barriers, and an evaluation of ways to overcome cultural and organizational challenges to develop the discipline.

Assesses desalination technologies, and factors such as cost and implementation challenges. This book describes long-term goals for advancing desalination technology, estimates the funding necessary to support the proposed research agenda, and identifies appropriate roles for governmental and nongovernmental entities.

The New Frontiers Program was created by NASA in 2002 at the recommendation of the NRC's decadal survey for solar system research. In order to optimize solar system research, the NRC recommended a series of principal-investigator missions that encourage innovation. This book presents a review of the missions.

Explores various specific research areas that have implications for US national security, and should therefore be monitored consistently by the intelligence community. This book is suitable for the health industry, the military, and those with a vested interest in technologies such as brain imaging and cognitive or physical enhancers.

Reviews individual, organizational, and societal (IOS) modeling research programs. This book evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the programs and their methodologies. It determines which have the greatest potential for military use. It guides the design of a research program to foster the development of IOS models useful to the military.

The US agency for International Development (USAID) has supported democracy and governance programs in approximately 120 countries and territories. This book presents a road map to enable USAID and its partners to assess what works and what does not.

Assesses the state of computer-based imaging technology in forensic firearms identification. This book evaluates law enforcement database of images of crime-related cartridge cases and bullets and recommends ways to improve the usefulness of technology for suggesting leads in criminal investigations.

A book from the National Research Council that recommends changes in how the federal government evaluates the efficiency of research at EPA and other agencies. Assessing efficiency should be considered only 1 part of gauging a program's quality and effectiveness. The efficiency of research processes should be evaluated using different approaches.

The National Research Council (NRC) committee evaluated a total of 17 mission concepts for space science missions. Of those, the committee determined that 12 would benefit from the Constellation System and 5 would not. This book presents the committee's findings and recommendations, including a review of the technical feasibility of each mission.

The FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership is a collaborative effort among the Department of Energy, the US Council for Automotive Research, and 5 energy companies to manage research that enables the vision of a clean and sustainable transportation energy future. This book presents an assessment of the progress in the research program management areas.

Presents a summary of the workshop discussions including those on perspectives on developments and implementation of ITAR; overarching issues; problems arising from ITAR's implementation; and, opportunities for near-term actions and improvements.

Assesses two studies that evaluate the various aspects of flows in the Klamath basin: The Instream Flow Phase II study (IFS), conducted by Utah State University, and the Natural Flow of the Upper Klamath Basin study (NFS), conducted by the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR).

NASA had requested the NRC to review the progress the Planetary Exploration Division has made in implementing recommendations from previous, relevant NRC studies. This book provides an assessment of NASA's progress in fulfilling those recommendations, including an evaluation how well it is doing and of contemporary trends.

In 2007 a group of chemists, chemical engineers, and others from academia, government, and industry participated in a workshop to explore how bioinspired chemistry can help solve some of the important energy issues the world faces. The workshop featured presentations and discussions on the contemporary energy challenges and how to address them.

In 1997, NASA established an Astrobiology program (the NASA Astrobiology Institute - NAI) as a result of a series of results from solar system exploration. This book presents an evaluation of NAI's success in meeting its goals for fostering interdisciplinary research, training future astrobiology researchers, and providing technical leadership.

"This report is a summary of a workshop on research evidence related to future skill demands convened by the National Research Council (NRC)"--P. xi.

The US Air Force has asked the NRC to examine the role that systems engineering (SE) can play during the acquisition life cycle to address root causes of program failure, especially during pre-milestone A and program phases. This book presents an assessment of the relationship between SE and program outcome; and an examination of the SE workforce.