Highlights:

 This Week in PNAS 
Highlights from the recent edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the Academy's scientific journal

  2009 President's Address to Members
Read NAS President Ralph Cicerone's annual address to members

  President Obama Addresses Academy at 2009 Annual Meeting
Watch the video and view photos of the April 27 speech to NAS members

  NAS InterViews Podcasts
Listen to audio interviews in which members talk about their research, why they became scientists, and other aspects of their research and careers.  

News:

  NASA’s Asteroid Detection Programs Not Yet Meeting U.S. Goals
August 12, 2009: NASA’s current near-Earth object surveys will not meet the congressionally mandated goal of discovering 90 percent of all objects over 140 meters in diameter by 2020. Funding for near-Earth object activities at NASA has been constrained, with most costs being met by funds from other programs.

  Academy Members Among Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients
August 3, 2009: President Obama recently named 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, including Janet Davison Rowley, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine, and Stephen Hawking, an NAS foreign associate. The medal, which was awarded at a ceremony on Aug. 12, is the United States' highest civilian honor.

  U.S. Energy Future Will Be Determined By Actions of the Next Decade
July 28, 2009: With a sustained national commitment, the U.S. could obtain substantial energy-efficiency improvements, new sources of energy, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through the accelerated deployment of existing and emerging energy technologies. Actions taken between now and 2020 to develop and demonstrate several key technologies will largely determine the nation's energy options for many decades to come.

  Draft of Hurricane Protection Program Lacks Long-Term Plan, Priorities
July 17, 2009: The Army Corps of Engineers' draft final report of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration program does not offer a long-term, comprehensive plan for hurricane protection and restoration measures across coastal Louisiana, nor does it contain a strategy for initial, high-priority projects. Together the Corps and state of Louisiana should identify several projects for initial implementation and agree on elements of a comprehensive plan.

  High-Risk, High-Payoff Vehicle Technology Research Should Continue
July 16, 2009: The FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership, a vehicle research and technology-development program, should continue to be structured around technologies that could prove transformational. In addition to an emphasis on technologies for the near term, there should be continued investment in long-term, high-risk technologies with strong potential to reduce petroleum use and emissions, such as hydrogen vehicle technology.

  Arctic Sea Ice Images Derived From Classified Data Should Be Made Public
July 15, 2009: Hundreds of images derived from classified data that could contribute to the understanding of rapid loss and transformation of Arctic sea ice should be released immediately and disseminated to the scientific research community. These images show detailed processes and provide information that are important for studying effects of climate change on sea ice and habitat -- data that are not available elsewhere.

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