Science, Technology, and Public Policy

David Keith writes that the risks of solar geoengineering cannot be sensibly evaluated without a scenario for goals and governance as with other technologies.

The 2020 election is happening amidst unprecedented disagreement about election security, as the coronavirus pandemic challenges traditional in-person voting. On the one hand, the incumbent president claims that postal voting will lead to widespread electoral fraud. On the other, Democrats argue that the U.S. postal system is being deliberately degraded to make it less likely that mailed ballots will be counted in time. Both political scientists who work on voting, and information security specialists, who think systematically about the failure modes, attack surfaces, and threat models of large information systems, can help us understand—and mitigate—the likely failures of large-scale voting systems operating under unexpected circumstances in a context of increased fear over manipulation.

Join Hubwonk host Joe Selvaggi and security technologist Bruce Schneier as they discuss risks associated with car telematics as well as how best to ensure public safety in the future of the internet of everything.

Ice in the Arctic is melting at record rates and warming at twice the global average — and the Trump administration continues to hand over control of the Arctic to Big Oil. The House Natural Resources Democrats hosted a forum on Monday, October 5, to learn how the higher temperatures are wreaking havoc on wildlife, fisheries and humans who have call the Arctic home for generations.

Technological innovation and widespread deployment of clean-energy technologies in emerging economies are critical for a global clean energy transition. Success or failure in this endeavour will have long-term energy and carbon consequences. A fundamental question exists about whether, and how, emerging economies can accelerate clean-energy transitions, given the unprecedented scales of their impending socio-economic and infrastructure transitions, and often-underdeveloped technological innovation capabilities and supporting finances. 

Epidemiological modeling is an important but under-supported field of science that lacks a clear home among the federal science-funding agencies. Additional basic research and translational work in the field is needed between pandemics, and greater operational capabilities are needed during epidemics. The authors of this report have identified here a series of actions that can strengthen modeling efforts and their operationalization, to make the country better prepared for the next pandemic.

The authors, Mariana Budjeryn and Togzhan Kassenova, are two women who were born at opposite ends of the vast Soviet empire. They describe racism and discrimination in the former Soviet Union with a focus on nuclear issues.

The authors write that the COVID-19 pandemic has erased many of the spatial and temporal horizons that people rely on, even if they don't notice them very often. People don't know how the economy will look, how social life will go on, how their home routines will be changed, how work will be organized, and how universities or the arts or local commerce will survive.

John P. Holdren and coauthors argue that the next presidential administration must renew its commitment to investing in science and technology regardless of who wins in November. The United States is facing a great host of challenges that underscore the urgent need for renewed investment in the science and technology enterprise and the rapid application of new scientific knowledge and advanced technology to solve complex problems.

This discussion paper explores, through an analysis of scholarly and gray literature, along with semi-structured interviews of researchers and research managers in India, the landscape and dynamics of a broad range of linkages between multinational enterprise R&D centers in India and Indian higher education and research institutes, businesses, startups, and policy makers.