Science and Technology Publications
Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage Options in Developing Countries: A Review of Current Implementation Practices
Jul 07, 2011The authors discuss point-of-use drinking water treatment and safe storage options, which can accelerate the health gains associated with improved water. more
Hong Kong Conference Report: Part 1 (Chinese)
Jul 07, 2011Through a generous grant from the U.S. Institute of Peace, ECSP organized a forum in Hong Kong to provide opportunities for 65 environmentalists and journalists from the three areas of Greater China to discuss improving the capacity of environmental NGOs and the quality of environmental reporting in the region. Part 1 (Chinese). more
Brazilian Congressional Study Mission on Innovation
Apr 16, 2011In the First Brazilian Congressional Study Mission on Innovation, a group of Brazilian congressman and senators visited the Wilson Center, State Department, and MIT to discuss innovation policies in the United States. more
PEN 19 - Voluntary Initiatives, Regulation, and Nanotechnology Oversight
Nov 04, 2010Enough voluntary initiatives for nanotechnology have been implemented so they can be looked at together, in a comparative sense, and historically, in terms of their relationship to programs that have preceded them. This report provides that analysis for the first time. In Voluntary Initiatives, Regulation, and Nanotechnology Oversight: Charting a Path, Dr. Daniel Fiorino provides a taxonomy of the various types of voluntary initiatives (past and present) and the partnerships that underlie them, as well as an assessment of the factors that are most likely to contribute to program success. As nanotechnologies advance, along with other emerging technologies, voluntary programs will continue to play an important role in the governance portfolio. For this reason, evaluating and learning from these endeavors will remain critical to better oversight. This report is an important contribution to that learning process. more
From the Classroom to Washington: Einsteins on Education Reform
Sep 07, 2010On June 28-29, 2010, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted the 20th Anniversary Summit of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program. The fellows offer a unique perspective on U.S. schools and educational policy making; they have been chosen by the Department of Energy to spend a fellowship year, or two, in congressional or executive offices based on their excellence in teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in K-12 schools. This report highlights the outcomes of the summit and focuses on key issues in STEM education. more
Synthetic Biology Newsletter 2.0
Jul 18, 2010This July 2011 issue of Synthetic Biology 2.0 looks at the work of the United States Presidential Bioethics Commission, the dominant discourse in the synthetic biology debate, vaccines as the first commercial applicaiton of synthetic biology, do-it-yourself biology, biosecurity, and biofiction where science and arts meet. more
Trends in American & European Press Coverage of Synthetic Biology
Mar 12, 2010The increase in media coverage of synthetic biology between 2003-2008 is tracked in this 2008 report. The combined survey rests on the findings of individual U.S. and European press coverage analyses, and examines aspects of synthetic biology that may be cause for either potential public acceptance or rejection of the technology. The report concludes with an agenda for future social science research that can inform our understanding of how public perceptions of synthetic biology develop. more
New Life, Old Bottles
Mar 11, 2010In New Life, Old Bottles: Regulating First-Generation Products of Synthetic Biology, Michael Rodemeyer examines the benefits and drawbacks of using the existing U.S. regulatory framework for biotechnology to cover the new products and processes enabled by synthetic biology. The safety of early applications of synthetic biology may be adequately addressed by the existing regulatory framework for biotechnology, especially in contained laboratories and manufacturing facilities, according to the report. But further advances in this emerging field are likely to create significant challenges for U.S. government oversight.
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