We live today in a world in which the economic health of nations and the competitiveness of firms is determined largely by the ability to develop, commercialize, and most importantly, to appropriate (or capture) the economic benefits from scientific and technological (S&T) innovations. Intellectual property rights (IPRs), such as patents and copyrights, are an important means used by firms to h…
The growing Japanese role in high technology raises a number of questions for the United States. Some of these questions relate to the current status of the two countries, for example, in what industries do Japanese firms hold technologies more advanced than their U.S. rivals? Are there industries in which U.S. firms still lead but are under serious challenge by Japanese firms? Are there sector…
In the last decade it has become increasingly clear that the character of the world economy—and the role of the United States in the world economy—is changing. Two characteristics of global economic change are particularly important. First, over the last 35 years there has been substantial relative growth (in pan simply postwar reconstruction) of national economies in Europe and Asia. In th…
Internationalization is an increasingly pervasive force in U.S. manufacturing, creating new sources of competition and new standards for competitiveness. The growing importance of imports and exports in domestic manufacturing and the significant rise in foreign investment in the United States in recent years are the most obvious evidence of internationalization. Less obvious, but more important…
Courtland Perkins described the reasons for NAE to focus on manufacturing, and I would like to set the stage with a few more comments. But before I do that, let me acknowledge at the outset the work done by the various members of the steering committee. Without their efforts and their insight into this topic--a difficult topic I should say--today's program could not have taken place. New techno…
The papers published in this volume commemorate Ralph Landau's many years of service to the National Academy of Engineering. Over almost two decades, Ralph Landau served the NAE as member of the council, officer of the Academy, and in a variety of capacities as a vigorous intellectual contributor to the Academy's program. Ralph Landau is an innovator who combines the characteristics of a person…
The papers in this volume, and the symposium on which it is based, reflect the work of managers and union representatives, engineers and consultants, professors, and practitioners. Despite their common interests in the implementation of new technologies, these groups do not often meet and talk together. There are language barriers across the groups as well as within; there is no more automatic …
Health IT can improve patient safety in some areas such as medication safety; however, there are significant gaps in the literature regarding how health IT impacts patient safety overall Safer implementation and use begins with viewing health IT as part of a larger sociotechnical system All stakeholders need to work together to improve patient safety
(NPOESS) will serve civilian and defense needs for timely environmental data. These data notably support weather forecasting and "nowcasting," but, if appropriately calibrated and archived, they could support the examination of global change as well. The Department of Defense and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are the principal agencies responsible for NPOESS, but the N…
The Raymond and Beverly Sackler U.S.-U.K. Scientific Forum “Cybersecurity Dilemmas: Technology, Policy, and Incentives” was held on December 8 and 9, 2014, at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. With support from the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the Academies, the forum was organized by a steering co…
The primary objective of this report is to provide DOE project directors with a basic understanding of both the risk management role of an owner’s representative member of a project management team and the knowledge needed for effective oversight of risk management activities that are delegated to contractors. The report also discusses the roles and responsibilities of senior managers and pro…
This report is from a study of the federal government's capacity to recruit highly qualified individuals for the top science and technology (S&T)-related leadership positions in the executive branch. The effort was supported by the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government and by the National Research Council Fund of the Academies—National Academy of Sciences, National Academ…