Featured news
Student coverage of the AAAS 2021 Annual Meeting
NASW's Education Committee paired 22 students with professional science writers for a mentorship program held in conjunction with the virtual AAAS 2021 Annual Meeting.
Jeff Weld: Charting a Course for American Education from out on a limb at the executive branch
In 2017, Jeff Weld, then head of STEM Education for Iowa, was tapped to be a senior policy advisor for STEM education at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. His mission: to develop a nationwide STEM education policy within one year. In Charting a Course for American Education from out on a limb at the executive branch, Weld tells how he and colleagues met that goal.
Desk Notes Newsletter, March 17, 2021
Inside the March 2021 edition: Tell us how can we support you! Plus updates for freelancers, grant and fellowship deadlines, meet a new member, & more.
Michelle Nijhuis: Beloved Beasts—Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction
Over the last 500 years, our planet has lost at least 755 animal species and 123 plant species, Michelle Nijhuis reports in Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction. Humans continue to kill species and destroy habitats, while climate change amplifies these threats. Growing worldwide conservation efforts, she says, have averted extinction of many species and aim to save more.
Unpacking Perseverance: a look into the updates on NASA’s new rover
NASA’s newest rover, Perseverance, landed on Mars last month equipped to hunt for signs of life—and to pave the way for human exploration in the future.
Light, Perception, and Architecture: How Your Environment Can Make You Feel Better
Walking into the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is a feast for the senses. Through the graceful curve of the cavernous ceilings, the gentle diffusion of light permeating the floor and the grandness of an echoing space, the nearly 800-year-old iconic house of worship serves as an example of how our built environment influences the human sensory experience.
Artificial intelligence is getting chatty, but still hasn’t perfected the gift of gab
It’s one thing to be able to talk; but it’s another to converse. And artificial intelligence (AI) has yet to check off the latter. Even with tremendous progress over the last years, the technology still hasn’t achieved the level of naturalness that would make you want to trade your best friend or favorite coworker for a smart virtual assistant.