This article provides commentary on the five articles in this issue on large-scale interventions in science education for diverse student groups in varied educational settings. Using these articles as a point of departure, I discuss three challenges to science education research and practice. The first concerns the changed meaning of science…

In the past few decades, with the explosion of biotechnology and the aging of the population, the use of human subjects in research has increased significantly. The United States has done much to protect human research subjects, and no one can deny the importance of keeping them safe. But at the same time, researchers whose work poses no threat to…

The sympoisum was held to describe the roots and future plans of the Engineering Research Center's (ERC's) concept and program. The first section of this symposium compilation describes the national goals that the ERCs represent. The second section presents the point of view of the National Science Foundation on the ERCs--the concept behind them,…

Discusses emerging ideas about the future of federal research and development activities as they relate to the future of industry and especially to institutions of higher learning. Discusses energy research today, a future perspective, the future of the research community, and challenges. Highlights the future orientation of the Office of Energy…

Lists the five criteria used in the USSR for the selection of goals for scientific and technological activity. Identifies several recent programs which reflect new priorities and provides a three-variable model which defines the characteristics of a progressive science policy. (JDH)

Discusses the formulation of science policy--the decisions and legislation that dictate what research and development will be performed through which federal agencies and with what resources. Highlights the legislative process and the budget cycle in the executive and legislative branches. (JRH)

Since 1991, the U.S. has had a national research and development (R&D) center focused on programs that help adults to improve their language, literacy, and numeracy skills; to acquire a General Educational Development (GED) or other high school certification; and to transition into postsecondary education or training. For the first five years,…

Four individuals comment on a previous article (SE 539 642) which dealt with a national research strategy. These individuals are: (1) Harold T. Shapiro; (2) John Diebold; (3) Slade Gorton; and (4) Walter E. Massey. (JN)

Includes "Introduction" (Vessuri); "University-Industry Relationships and Periphery Development: The Case of the University of Campinas, Brazil" (Dagnino); "R&D at the Autonomous National University of Mexico" (Chazaro); and "Scientific Activities in Large Institutions of Higher Education: The Case of the…

Examines the claim in a recent paper that biotechnology develops in a self-organizational mode, which is empirically supported by a multivariate analysis of documents from core biotechnology journals showing a relationship between title words and region of origin. This paper argues that this claim is an artifact of the method used. (Author/MES)

In the US debate over science-based educational research, experimentation is again coming to the fore as ideal for establishing an evidence base of what works in educational interventions thus contributing to the climate of accountability in educational research and practice. Mixed methods research is being positioned in this discussion as a…

In this second of three excerpts from seminars on collaborative knowledge generation, a historian and a biologist explore the special circumstances for the fields of science. Historical trends in collaborative work in the sciences and how these changes affect policy formation are discussed, and synergistic collaboration and possible gender bias…

We argue that the existence of the gap is perhaps a result of an overallegiance to the medical model and the lack of measurable criteria regarding the definition of an educated and psychologically healthy student. Further, an additional and equally daunting problem for school psychological practice is that it is influenced by general education…

Problems of international economic competition, environmental degradation, and quality of life demand the very best form the United States research community. New information assembled by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) documents a deeply troubled mood among university researchers, even those who have been successful…

Without continued technical innovation and rapid conversion of these innovations to quality products and processes, America cannot remain a viable competitor in today's global markets. This volume contains five presentations at a symposium convened by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine,…