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President Obama Stresses Importance of Science and Technology to the Nation's Future from The National Academies on Vimeo.

President Obama Stresses Importance of Science, Technology at NAS Annual Meeting

April 29, 2013 - President Barack Obama reiterated his strong support for science and technology to members of the National Academy of Sciences at its 150th annual meeting. Science, technology, engineering, and medicine are critical to the nation's prosperity, Obama said, noting that investments made today are bound to pay off for many years to come.

You can watch the full video of the President's address above, or read the full, annotated transcript at Notes from NAP. Below, you'll find a list of National Academies reports selected to accompany the President's remarks.


U.S. Competitiveness [view more like this]

Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited
Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5104 pages | Paperback | Price: $17.95

In the face of so many daunting near-term challenges, U.S. government and industry are letting the crucial strategic issues of U.S. competitiveness slip below the surface. Five years ago, the National Academies prepared Rising Above the Gathering... [more]

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation
Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America's Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads286 pages | Paperback | Price: $36.00

In order for the United States to maintain the global leadership and competitiveness in science and technology that are critical to achieving national goals, we must invest in research, encourage innovation, and grow a strong and talented science and... [more]

Research Universities and the Future of America
Research Universities and the Future of America: Ten Breakthrough Actions Vital to Our Nation's Prosperity and Security250 pages | Paperback | Price: $44.10

Research Universities and the Future of America presents critically important strategies for ensuring that our nation's research universities contribute strongly to America's prosperity, security, and national goals. Widely considered the best... [more]

Next Generation Science Standards
Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States496 pages | Paperback | Price: $35.95

The U.S. has a leaky talent pipeline for K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), with too few students entering STEM majors and careers at every level—from those with relevant postsecondary certificates to PhD's. To stimulate and... [more]

A Framework for K-12 Science Education
A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas400 pages | Paperback | Price: $35.95

Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S.... [more]

Successful K-12 STEM Education
Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics44 pages | Paperback | Price: $11.65

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are cultural achievements that reflect our humanity, power our economy, and constitute fundamental aspects of our lives as citizens, consumers, parents, and members of the workforce. Providing all... [more]

Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels
Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels170 pages | Paperback | Price: $53.10

For a century, almost all light-duty vehicles (LDVs) have been powered by internal combustion engines (ICEs) operating on petroleum fuels. Energy security concerns over petroleum imports and the effect of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions on global climate are... [more]

Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels in the United States
Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels in the United States231 pages | Paperback | Price: $57.60

Biofuels made from algae are gaining attention as a domestic source of renewable fuel. However, with current technologies, scaling up production of algal biofuels to meet even 5 percent of U.S. transportation fuel needs could create unsustainable demands for... [more]

America's Energy Future
America's Energy Future: Technology and Transformation650 pages | Paperback | Price: $62.95

Energy touches our lives in countless ways and its costs are felt when we fill up at the gas pump, pay our home heating bills, and... [more]

Climate Change [view more like this]

America's Climate Choices
America's Climate Choices144 pages | Paperback | Price: $26.95

Climate change is occurring. It is very likely caused by the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities, and poses significant risks for a range of human and natural systems. And these emissions continue to increase, which will result in further... [more]

Climate and Social Stress
Climate and Social Stress: Implications for Security Analysis252 pages | Paperback | Price: $48.60

Climate change can reasonably be expected to increase the frequency and intensity of a variety of potentially disruptive environmental events--slowly at first, but then more quickly. It is prudent to expect to be surprised by the way in which these events may... [more]

Climate Stabilization Targets
Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts over Decades to Millennia298 pages | Paperback | Price: $42.30

Emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels have ushered in a new epoch where human activities will largely determine the evolution of Earth's climate. Because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is long lived, it can effectively lock the Earth... [more]

Nuclear Physics
Nuclear Physics: Exploring the Heart of Matter259 pages | Paperback | Price: $57.60

The principal goals of the study were to articulate the scientific rationale and objectives of the field and then to take a long-term strategic view of U.S. nuclear science in the global context for setting future directions for the field. Nuclear Physics:... [more]

Optics and Photonics
Optics and Photonics: Essential Technologies for Our Nation360 pages | Paperback | Price: $58.50

Optics and photonics technologies are ubiquitous: they are responsible for the displays on smart phones and computing devices, optical fiber that carries the information in the internet, advanced precision manufacturing, enhanced defense capabilities, and a... [more]

Consumer Health Information Technology in the Home
Consumer Health Information Technology in the Home: A Guide for Human Factors Design Considerations24 pages | Not for Sale

Every day, in households across the country, people engage in behavior to improve their current health, recover from disease and injury, or cope with chronic, debilitating conditions. Innovative computer and information systems may help these people manage... [more]

New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics
New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics324 pages | Paperback | Price: $35.95

Driven by discoveries, and enabled by leaps in technology and imagination, our understanding of the universe has changed dramatically during the course of the last few decades. The fields of astronomy and astrophysics are making new connections to... [more]

Defending Planet Earth
Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies152 pages | Paperback | Price: $32.85

The United States spends approximately $4 million each year searching for near-Earth objects (NEOs). The objective is to detect those that may collide with Earth. The majority of this funding supports the operation of several observatories that scan the sky... [more]

Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022
Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022400 pages | Paperback | Price: $49.50

In recent years, planetary science has seen a tremendous growth in new knowledge. Deposits of water ice exist at the Moon's poles. Discoveries on the surface of Mars point to an early warm wet climate, and perhaps conditions under which life could have... [more]

A New Biology for the 21st Century
A New Biology for the 21st Century112 pages | Paperback | Price: $26.77

Now more than ever, biology has the potential to contribute practical solutions to many of the major challenges confronting the United States and the world. A New Biology for the 21st Century recommends that a "New Biology" approach--one that depends... [more]


President Obama's 2009 Address

President Barack Obama: Address on Science and Innovation from The National Academies on Vimeo.

President Obama addressed members of the National Academy of Sciences on April 27, 2009, announcing a renewed commitment to science, technology, engineering, and medicine. Topics included America's energy future, revitalizing our health care system, science and math education, and allocating funding and implementing policies to ensure that America reclaims a position of world leadership in scientific innovation.