Books by National Research Council

Advanced polymer matrix composites are expected to play a greater role in future military systems. This report provides an assessment of fiber technology and industries, a discussion of R&D opportunities for DOD, and recommendations about accelerating technology transition, reducing costs, and improving understanding of the design methodology.

Explores the role and impact of students and scholars on US educational institutions and the US economy. This report discusses trends in international student enrollments, stay rates, and examines the impact of visa policies on international mobility of the highly skilled.

The Navy has put forth a construct for its strike forces. A key aspect of this construct is the need for flexible, adaptive command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems. This report provides an assessment of C4ISR capabilities for each type of strike group.

The increasing amounts of biological data along with advances in computing power are making possible the construction of predictive biological systems models. To assist this transformation, the US Department of Energy asked the NRC to recommend activities to enable more effective use of this data. This book takes a look at this study.

Because of the importance of high-field magnets in scientific research, the National Science Foundation asked the National Research Council to assess the state of and prospects of these magnets for high-field science and technology in the US. Focusing on scientific and technological challenges, this report presents the results of that assessment.

Because of the advances in the scientists' ability to analyze environmental information from geological data, the National Science Foundation and the US Geological Survey asked a National Research Council committee to assess the scientific opportunities and recommend how scientists can take advantage of these. This work presents these assessments.

To assist in the development of a framework for future space flight capabilities, NASA asked the National Research Council to convene workshops on technology policy issues concerning the relationship of the various stakeholders in advancing human and robotic exploration and development of space. This report summarizes the second workshop.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has supported the Industrial Technologies Program. This program supports R&D into energy efficiency technologies designed to decrease the energy intensity of the US industrial sector. DOE asked the NRC for a review of this program. This report presents the results of that review.

Evaluates the potential health effects of perchlorate. This report finds that the body can compensate for iodide deficiency, and that iodide uptake would likely have to be reduced by at least 75 percent for months or longer for adverse health effects, such as hypothryroidism, to occur.

Reviews the adequacy of information and research regarding the effectiveness of dispersants as an oil spill response technique, as well as the effect of dispersed oil on marine and coastal ecosystems. This book also includes recommended steps for policy makers faced with making hard choices regarding the use of dispersants.

Across the United States, municipalities, counties, and states grapple with issues of ensuring adequate amounts of water in times of high demand and low supply. This title reviews the instream flow programs that aim to balance ecosystem requirements and human uses of water, and try to determine how much water should be in rivers.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) manages sites across the nation that focus on research, design, and production of nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors for defense applications. This report addresses how DOE should incorporate risk into decisions about whether the nation should use alternatives to deep geologic disposal for some of these wastes.

Recommends research efforts involving the non-economic social and behavioural sciences that could contribute to improved decisions affecting environmental quality. This book offers a strategy for making environmental research more decision relevant, and recommends decision science research to improve analytical tools and deliberative processes.

The National Research Council's Disasters Roundtable and the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine were established as mechanisms for bringing various stakeholders together to discuss timely issues in a neutral setting. This title presents the summary of a workshop.

Explores the reasons for differences among leading cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) models of CRC screening, which public health policy makers increasingly rely on to help them sift through the many choices confronting them. This book discusses the results of a collaborative pre-workshop exercise undertaken by five research teams.

Community colleges play an important role in starting students on the road to engineering careers, but students often face obstacles in transferring to four-year educational institutions to continue their education. This book discusses ways to improve the transfer experience for students at community colleges.

The loss of the space shuttle Columbia resulted in a decision by NASA not to pursue the SM-4 mission leading to an end of Hubble's life in 2007-2008. The Congress directed NASA to request a study of the robotic and shuttle servicing options for extending the life of Hubble. This report presents an assessment of those two options.

More than 30 federal departments and agencies with a range of missions and programs manage large inventories of facilities, also called portfolios. This study lays out a framework for developing and evaluating trends in facilities portfolio conditions, investments, and costs and identifies key indicators that can be used to track performance.

Although more women than men participate in higher education in the United States, the same is not true when it comes to pursuing careers in science and engineering. This book discusses practices for recruitment, retention, and promotion for women scientists and engineers in academia.

Effective risk management is essential for the success of large projects built and operated by the Department of Energy (DOE). This work aims to provide DOE project managers with a basic understanding of both the project owner's risk management role and effective oversight of those risk management activities delegated to contractors.

The Defense Science Board concluded that Sea Basing will be a critical future joint military capability. This report of the workshop includes an examination of Sea Basing operational concepts; ship and aircraft technology available to make Sea Basing work; and issues involved in creating the sea base as a joint system of systems.

Reviews the technologies available for source remediation and their ability to reach goals, from meeting regulatory standards for groundwater to reducing costs. This report proposes elements of a protocol for accomplishing source remediation that enables project managers to decide whether and how to pursue source remediation at their sites.

The Department of Defense (DOD) supports basic research to advance fundamental knowledge in fields important to national defense. To explore the concerns of several groups on the changing nature of DOD-funded research, the Congress directed DOD to request a study from the National Research Council. This work covers the DOD's research.

Summarizes a conference organized to bring the lessons of the Academy's analysis of Government-Industry Partnerships to bear on the war on terror. This book contributes to an understanding of the potential of partnerships to bring security-enhancing technologies and equipment to the market.

In February 2004, the President announced a goal for NASA; to use humans and robots together to explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond. In response to this initiative, NASA has adopted exploration goals that depend, in part, on solar physics research. This report presents the results of that review.