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Daily Archives: December 13, 2016

New Report Recommends Research Agenda for Effective Science Communication

“A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine highlights the complexity of communicating about science effectively, especially when dealing with contentious issues, and proposes a research agenda to help science communicators and researchers identify effective methods.  The most widely held model of what audiences need from science communication — known as the “deficit model,” which focuses on simply conveying more information — is wrong, the report says. A major research effort is needed to understand the complex factors that affect science communication – for example, the ways people process the scientific information they hear, and the individual and social factors that influence people’s trust in science and in sources of information about it.  Research is also needed to help science communicators identify the right communication approach for their particular goals, determining which approaches are effective for whom, when, and under what conditions, the report says…”

Human Rights Groups Release Statement of Eligibility Requirements for Top Administration Officials

“As President-elect Trump continues to announce his selections for top positions in the new administration, 21 of the nation’s largest human rights and faith organizations today released a joint statement of principles regarding the eligibility of nominees for Senate-confirmed positions. Today’s statement outlines key requirements of top administration officials that should be evaluated by the… Continue Reading

Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016-2021

Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016-2021 [via Darlene Fihter] “Libraries are, let us not forget, a golden thread throughout our lives… The library does more than simply loan books. It underpins every community. It is not just a place for self-improvement, but the supplier of an infrastructure for life and learning, from… Continue Reading

New report looks at creating a Single Library Digital Presence to support Public Libraries in the future

Vai SLC – “Today sees the launch of ‘Essential Digital Infrastructure for Public Libraries in England: A Plan moving forward’. The report, written by BiblioCommons, looks at how users experience their libraries currently and outlines an approach to building a single digital presence for libraries. The report is funded by the Arts Council and supported… Continue Reading

Will Government Science from agencies be deleted from public sites?

Motherboard – Researchers are preparing for Trump to Delete Government Science From the Web Written by Jason Koebler, December 13, 2016 – “When Donald Trump takes over the federal government on January 21, his administration will also gain complete control over much of the .gov suite of websites, which currently hosts a treasure trove of… Continue Reading

Perspectives on Global Development 2017 International Migration in a Shifting World

“Perspectives on Global Development 2017 presents an overview of the shifting of economic activity to developing countries and examines whether this shift has led to an increase in international migration towards developing countries. The report focuses on the latest data on migration between 1995 and 2015, and uses a new three-way categorisation of countries. It describes… Continue Reading

U.S. Office of Government Ethics weighs in on Trump divestiture requirements

NPR – “President-elect Donald Trump should divest himself of his vast business interests in order to avoid conflicts of interest while in the White House, according to a letter from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. Moreover, transferring ownership of his businesses to his grown children wouldn’t go far enough to address the conflicts, the… Continue Reading

EPA Report – Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas

U.S. EPA. Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States (Final Report). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-16/236F, 2016. “This final report provides a review and synthesis of available scientific information concerning the relationship between hydraulic fracturing activities and drinking water… Continue Reading

NYT details how Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.

Follow up to posting series captioned Unreleased CIA assessment concludes Russia aided Trump – see The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S. By Eric Lipton, David E. Sanger and Scott Shane – Dec. 13, 2016: “It was the cryptic first sign of a cyberespionage and information-warfare campaign devised to disrupt the 2016 presidential… Continue Reading

WaPo – Scientists are copying U.S. climate data, fearing it might vanish under Trump

“The efforts include a “guerrilla archiving event” in Toronto where experts will copy irreplaceable public data, and meetings at the University of Pennsylvania focused on how to download as much federal data as possible in the coming weeks…At the University of Toronto this weekend, researchers are holding what they call a “guerrilla archiving” event to… Continue Reading