%0 Book %A National Academy of Sciences %T Climate Change and Ecosystems %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25504/climate-change-and-ecosystems %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25504/climate-change-and-ecosystems %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 28 %X The National Academies convened a forum on November 8-9, 2018 to highlight current research frontiers such as the effects of climate extremes, interactions among climate and other stressors, the timing, sequence, and clustering of climate-related events, and tipping points for abrupt change. Topics of discussion at the forum pertained to the changes ecosystems are currently undergoing, sustaining ecosystems, the impact of ecosystems on global climate change, societal adaptation to climate change, and priorities for future research. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the forum. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25368/climate-communications-initiative-strategic-plan %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25368/climate-communications-initiative-strategic-plan %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Policy for Science and Technology %P 43 %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030 %@ 978-0-309-47392-7 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25059/science-breakthroughs-to-advance-food-and-agricultural-research-by-2030 %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25059/science-breakthroughs-to-advance-food-and-agricultural-research-by-2030 %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %K Food and Nutrition %K Earth Sciences %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 242 %X For nearly a century, scientific advances have fueled progress in U.S. agriculture to enable American producers to deliver safe and abundant food domestically and provide a trade surplus in bulk and high-value agricultural commodities and foods. Today, the U.S. food and agricultural enterprise faces formidable challenges that will test its long-term sustainability, competitiveness, and resilience. On its current path, future productivity in the U.S. agricultural system is likely to come with trade-offs. The success of agriculture is tied to natural systems, and these systems are showing signs of stress, even more so with the change in climate. More than a third of the food produced is unconsumed, an unacceptable loss of food and nutrients at a time of heightened global food demand. Increased food animal production to meet greater demand will generate more greenhouse gas emissions and excess animal waste. The U.S. food supply is generally secure, but is not immune to the costly and deadly shocks of continuing outbreaks of food-borne illness or to the constant threat of pests and pathogens to crops, livestock, and poultry. U.S. farmers and producers are at the front lines and will need more tools to manage the pressures they face. Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030 identifies innovative, emerging scientific advances for making the U.S. food and agricultural system more efficient, resilient, and sustainable. This report explores the availability of relatively new scientific developments across all disciplines that could accelerate progress toward these goals. It identifies the most promising scientific breakthroughs that could have the greatest positive impact on food and agriculture, and that are possible to achieve in the next decade (by 2030). %0 Book %A National Academy of Engineering %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Moulding, Brett %E Songer, Nancy %E Brenner, Kerry %T Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center %@ 978-0-309-48260-8 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25216/science-and-engineering-for-grades-6-12-investigation-and-design %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25216/science-and-engineering-for-grades-6-12-investigation-and-design %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %P 328 %X It is essential for today's students to learn about science and engineering in order to make sense of the world around them and participate as informed members of a democratic society. The skills and ways of thinking that are developed and honed through engaging in scientific and engineering endeavors can be used to engage with evidence in making personal decisions, to participate responsibly in civic life, and to improve and maintain the health of the environment, as well as to prepare for careers that use science and technology. The majority of Americans learn most of what they know about science and engineering as middle and high school students. During these years of rapid change for students' knowledge, attitudes, and interests, they can be engaged in learning science and engineering through schoolwork that piques their curiosity about the phenomena around them in ways that are relevant to their local surroundings and to their culture. Many decades of education research provide strong evidence for effective practices in teaching and learning of science and engineering. One of the effective practices that helps students learn is to engage in science investigation and engineering design. Broad implementation of science investigation and engineering design and other evidence-based practices in middle and high schools can help address present-day and future national challenges, including broadening access to science and engineering for communities who have traditionally been underrepresented and improving students' educational and life experiences. Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center revisits America's Lab Report: Investigations in High School Science in order to consider its discussion of laboratory experiences and teacher and school readiness in an updated context. It considers how to engage today's middle and high school students in doing science and engineering through an analysis of evidence and examples. This report provides guidance for teachers, administrators, creators of instructional resources, and leaders in teacher professional learning on how to support students as they make sense of phenomena, gather and analyze data/information, construct explanations and design solutions, and communicate reasoning to self and others during science investigation and engineering design. It also provides guidance to help educators get started with designing, implementing, and assessing investigation and design. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Forest Health and Biotechnology: Possibilities and Considerations %@ 978-0-309-48288-2 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25221/forest-health-and-biotechnology-possibilities-and-considerations %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25221/forest-health-and-biotechnology-possibilities-and-considerations %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 240 %X The American chestnut, whitebark pine, and several species of ash in the eastern United States are just a few of the North American tree species that have been functionally lost or are in jeopardy of being lost due to outbreaks of pathogens and insect pests. New pressures in this century are putting even more trees at risk. Expanded human mobility and global trade are providing pathways for the introduction of nonnative pests for which native tree species may lack resistance. At the same time, climate change is extending the geographic range of both native and nonnative pest species. Biotechnology has the potential to help mitigate threats to North American forests from insects and pathogens through the introduction of pest-resistant traits to forest trees. However, challenges remain: the genetic mechanisms that underlie trees' resistance to pests are poorly understood; the complexity of tree genomes makes incorporating genetic changes a slow and difficult task; and there is a lack of information on the effects of releasing new genotypes into the environment. Forest Health and Biotechnology examines the potential use of biotechnology for mitigating threats to forest tree health and identifies the ecological, economic, and social implications of deploying biotechnology in forests. This report also develops a research agenda to address knowledge gaps about the application of the technology.