Welcome to the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative
Welcome to the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI), a program of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) with support from the W.M. Keck Foundation. Launched in 2003, NAKFI has been catalyzing interdisciplinary research at the intersection of science, engineering and medicine, and enhancing education among researchers, funding organizations, and universities. We also support scientific communication by awarding four $20,000 cash prizes to those who bring science, engineering and medicine to the public through books, newspapers, television, radio, films and online media. We are an important component of the pursuit of discovery that President Obama, in his speech at the NAS annual meeting in spring of 2009, said is necessary to fuel our prosperity and success as a nation for the next 50 years.
NAKFI’s objectives include enhancing the climate for conducting interdisciplinary research, and breaking down related institutional and systemic barriers. We work toward these objectives by harnessing the intellectual horsepower of approximately 150 of the brightest minds from diverse backgrounds who apply to attend our annual “think-tank” style conference to contemplate the real world challenges of our day; and by awarding seed grants – on a competitive basis – to conference participants to enable further pursuit of bold, new ideas and inspirations generated at the conference. The generative ideas that surface in this process are the impetus for collaborative efforts with new partners toward new frontiers, and often remind us that the whole is better than the sum of its parts.
If you’re interested in interdisciplinary discovery and being part of an intellectually stimulating community, sign up for our email alerts and apply to attend our next conference. Conference attendees comprise the “Futures Network,” a virtual community to connect with fellow NAKFI alumni, share research ideas, search for collaborators and funders, and further the breakthroughs discovered through the NAKFI experience.
Complex Systems Grantee Publishes Paper in Physical Review Letters
In 2009, NAKFI awarded Complex Systems attendee Raissa M. D’Souza from the University of California, Davis a grant to explore design principles for resilient critical infrastructure. D’Souza’s proposed project was to develop a mathematical framework for modeling interacting networks, focused on enhancing resilience of critical infrastructure such as transportation networks, electrical grids, water distribution systems and the Internet.
Two National Academies Communication Award Winners Receive Guggenheim Fellowships
In 2003, Carl Safina (co-founder, Blue Ocean Institute) received the National Academies Communication Award in the Book category, and in 2006 The New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert received the award in the Magazine/Newspaper category. It was recently announced that each of these individuals have received a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship.
Keck Futures Initiative Awards $1.25 Million for 13 Research Projects
The National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI) awarded $1.25 million for 13 research projects on synthetic biology. Projects Include a workshop that will explore the potential roles for synthetic biology in NASA missions and the development of technology that could pave the way for biological sensors that detect and treat cancer and gastrointestinal diseases.
Five National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Alumni Elected to National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences announced last week the election of 72 new members and 18 foreign associates from 14 countries in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
NAKFI Complex Systems Grantee Publishes Essay in book Cultures of Change: Social Atoms and Electronic Lives
NAKFI Complex Systems Conference attendee James P. Crutchfield received a grant in 2009 to explore the topic of sustainability in complex systems, “Is Sustainability Possible? Frontiers in Collective Modeling via Scientific Open Source.” His work in this area involved the adaptation of modern complex system methods – both theoretical and computational – to the problem of global sustainability. It was recently published as an essay in the book Cultures of Change: Social Atoms and Electronic Lives published by ACTAR Publishers as part of an international conference that took place in Barcelona, Spain in December 2009. The conference – titled “Cultures of Change/Changing Cultures” was part of the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme, where sociologists, philosophers, mathematicians, biologists, physicists, technologists, and artists contribute their views on cultural dynamics.
NAKFI Synthetic Biology Conference Attendee Publishes Paper on Undergraduate Science Education in CBE Life Sciences – Education
NAKFI conference attendee Jay B. Labov – senior advisor for education and communication, National Academy of Sciences – coauthored an article in the Spring, 2010, issue of CBE Life Sciences –Education on the recent thinking and efforts to restructure high school and undergraduate science education in the life sciences to make it more relevant and accessible to a broader spectrum of students. The article summarizes recommendations for research and education agendas as published in the NRC Report, “A New Biology for the 21st Century: Ensuring the United States Leads the Coming Biology Revolution.”
First Two Imaging Science Webcast Tutorials Launch
Harrison H. Barret's tutorial on stochastic models of objects, images and imaging systems; and Matthew A. Kupinski's tutorial on task-based assessment of image quality launches at: : www.keckfutures.org/conferences/imaging-science/webcast_tutorial_index.html.
September 16, 2010 9:00 AM PDT
Two New Imaging Science Webcast Tutorials Launch
Eero P. Simoncelli's tutorial on statistical image models: engineering, perception, and neurobiology; and Peter Lawson's tutorial on imaging exoplanets launches at: www.keckfutures.org/conferences/imaging-science/webcast_tutorial_index.html.
October 22, 2010 4:00 PM PDT
2010 Communication Award Winners Honored
The 2010 Communication Award winners will be honored at an invitation-only event in Washington, D.C.
National Academies Keck Futures Initiative
100 Academy 2nd Floor | Irvine, CA 92617 T: 949 721 2270 | F: 949 721 2216 | E:KeckFutures@nas.edu I:www.keckfutures.org
