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PGA is pleased to celebrate our 10th Anniversary as a program division of the National Academies. Please enjoy the timeline below of milestones from 2001-2011.
Richard Bissell Executive Director
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The National Research Council has announced the first round of grant awardees for the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program, a partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to promote collaborative research between scientists in the U.S. and in developing countries that furthers USAID's development goals. Grants are being given to the institutions of developing country scientists who will build on related research already being conducted by NSF-funded U.S. scientists. The projects expand upon what NSF can fund because they include research and training activities to be carried out by non-U.S. nationals (e.g. education and training; dissemination and adaptation of new technologies; support for foreign students and researchers; and equipment, materials, and supplies for developing country institutions). This first batch of 2012 PEER awards will support 41 projects carried out by scientists from 25 developing nations. Approximately $5.2 million has been awarded, with grant amounts ranging from $20,000 for a small, two-year project in Indonesia to $325,000 for a large, three-year, multi-institutional project in Vietnam. For a list of awardees, their projects, and other details of the awards, please visit Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research; also see the announcement from the U.S. Department of State: USAID, Science Foundation Support Developing World Research | IIP Digital.
The Real CSI April 17th Thanks to the hit series CSI, forensic science has entered the consciousness of the mainstream public. On television, fingerprint, ballistic, and bite mark analyses are routinely used to help solve even the most difficult crimes — and ultimately put the guilty behind bars. But how reliable is the science in forensic science? CSTL’s 2009 report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, revealed that the science behind many forensic techniques is much less sound than Hollywood would have us believe. We hope you tuned in to PBS’ FRONTLINE on April 17th to uncover “The Real CSI.” The April 17th episode, which is part of a larger investigative series entitled Post Mortem, featured an interview with the co-chair of the committee that authored the CSTL report and demonstrates why a field that uses techniques which have not been validated scientifically undermines the pursuit of justice.
Micah Lowenthal, Director of the Committee on International Security and Arms Control (CISAC) has been elected as Vice Chair of the American Physical Society’s Forum on Physics and Society. Dr. Lowenthal will lead the planning for the forum’s sessions at the 2014 APS annual meeting and chair the forum following the meeting. Organized in 1971, the forum addresses issues related to the interface of physics and society as a whole.
The G-Science meeting hosted by NAS President Ralph Cicerone, and NAS Foreign Secretary and PGA Committee member Michael Clegg was held at The Keck Center on February 26-28. Fifteen world academies were represented by their officers and council members to draft academy statements on global issues that would provide input to their government leaders. The academies represented were Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia. Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Guests at the meeting included John Holdren, Assistant to President Obama for Science and Technology; and Robert Hormats, Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the US Department of State.
Fearing Bioterrorism, Government Panel Asks: What Research Should Be Secret? In an unprecedented step, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity asked prominent journals Science and Nature not to publish some of the details of biological experiments on the avian flu virus. Created in response to a recommendation in Biotechnology Research in an Age of Terrorism (2004) the board said that the general conclusions were ok for print but the methodology could possibly be used to replicate the experiments by those who intend harm. This is the first time the NIH board has advised restricting information since its inception.
Applications are available December 1 for 2012 NRC Research Associateship awards; the submission deadline is February 1, 2012. These awards offer graduate, postdoctoral, and senior level research opportunities at sponsoring federal laboratories and affiliated institutions.
The seventh annual conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI) took place November 14-16 in Kampala, Uganda, hosted by that country’s National Academy of Sciences. Officials from several African science academies met with counterparts from the U.S. National Academies, European science academies, and other experts from around the world to discuss aid effectiveness in Africa's health sector. The Uganda National Academy of Sciences unveiled a new report linked to the theme of the conference -- Informing Strategies, Improving Results: The Role of Civil Society Organisations in Managing for Results in Africa's Health Sector – presenting the results of a questionnaire of civil society organizations in Uganda and throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Workshop on Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Developing Regional Innovation Environments Continuing state initiatives to implement recommendations in Rising Above the Gathering Storm, the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) conducted a workshop September 20-22 in Madison, Wisconsin, to examine how states and regions can address today’s challenges for strengthening leadership in innovation. The workshop participants explored information, ideas and innovative examples that are crucial for state and regional initiatives in the broad areas identified by the Gathering Storm report (K-12 education, higher education and research, government-university-industry partnerships, and technology and entrepreneurship) and discussed effective strategies for sustaining and accelerating progress.
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Patent Reforms Recommended by Research Council Report President Obama has signed into law the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, which introduces some of the most significant reforms to the U.S. patent system in decades. The law enacts key recommendations of a 2004 National Research Council report, A Patent System for the 21st Century. Provisions in the new law that were recommended in the report include providing an "open review" procedure for third parties to challenge recently issued patents before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office administrative judges and converting to a first-inventor-to-file priority system to reduce disputes over who invented first and bring the U.S. patent system into conformity with patent systems of other nations. Several other recommendations in the 2004 report have already been addressed in administrative actions and federal court decisions intended to raise patent quality, reduce litigation costs, and improve USPTO efficiency.
Sustainability at the U.S. EPA A new report from the National Research Council presents a framework for incorporating sustainability into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s principles and decision making. The framework, which was requested by EPA, is intended to help the agency better assess the social, environmental, and economic impacts of various options as it makes decisions.The report is available for free as a PDF.
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The National Research Council has announced the first round of grant awardees for the 
Micah Lowenthal, Director of the Committee on International Security and Arms Control (
The G-Science meeting hosted by NAS President Ralph Cicerone, and NAS Foreign Secretary and PGA Committee member Michael Clegg was held at The Keck Center on February 26-28. Fifteen world academies were represented by their officers and council members to draft academy statements on global issues that would provide input to their government leaders. The academies represented were Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia. Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Guests at the meeting included John Holdren, Assistant to President Obama for Science and Technology; and Robert Hormats, Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the US Department of State.
