The Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) is a joint unit of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. Most of its members are current or former members of the Councils of the three institutions.

COSEPUP mainly conducts studies on cross-cutting issues in science and technology policy. It was chartered by the Academies to address "the concerns and requests of the President's Science Advisor, the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Chair of the National Science Board, and heads of other federal research and development departments and agencies, and the Chairs of key science and technology-related committees of the Congress." It also monitors key developments in U.S. science and technology policy for the Academies' leadership.

COSEPUP studies are usually conducted by special interdisciplinary panels comprising the nation's best scientific and engineering expertise. While many studies are sponsored by government agencies, COSEPUP procedures safeguard its studies from the influence of sponsors or other outside groups. 

Latest Report Release

Assessing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters: The Perspective from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi: Summary of a Workshop  (June 2011)
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Natural disasters are having an increasing effect on the lives of people in the United States and throughout the world. Every decade, property damage caused by natural disasters and hazards doubles or triples in the United States. More than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coast, and all Americans are at risk from such hazards as fires, earthquakes, floods, and wind. The year 2010 saw 950 natural catastrophes around the world--the second highest annual total ever--with overall losses estimated at $130 billion. The increasing impact of natural disasters and hazards points to increasing importance of resilience, the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, or more successfully adapt to actual or potential adverse events, at the individual , local, state, national, and global levels.

Assessing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters reviews the effects of Hurricane Katrina and other natural and human-induced disasters on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi and to learn more about the resilience of those areas to future disasters. Topics explored in the workshop range from insurance, building codes, and critical infrastructure to private-sector issues, public health, nongovernmental organizations and governance. This workshop summary provides a rich foundation of information to help increase the nation's resilience through actionable recommendations and guidance on the best approaches to reduce adverse impacts from hazards and disasters.