9806286 Policansky NAS/NRC With this award, the National Academy of Sciences will conduct a study to identify, describe, and prioritize grand research challenges in environmental science and engineering. To provide information for the study committee, the advice of the broader scientific community will be sought. Several National Research Council (NRC) units will identify and prioritize up to three important challenges, based on criteria they identify. Professional societies will also be consulted. The study committee, based on information provided, will organize a workshop to discuss the most important grand challenges in the environment. A report will be issued by the end of 1999. The report will articulate a clear and credible intellectual foundation for the next two to three decades of basic research into the earth's environment and the life that it supports. The small number of research opportunities chosen are expected to further understanding of the most fundamental processes that control life and the environment on earth and constitute the best opportunities for substantial research progress. The scope of the study will be broad, as indicated by the NRC Boards that will provide input: Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Water Science and Technology, Ocean Studies, Biology, Agriculture, Earth Sciences and Resources, Polar Research, Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Chemical Sciences and Technology, Sustainable Development, Human Dimensions of Global Change, and Ecosystems. The National Academy of Engineering will also be involved. The study committee will be overseen by a group formed from the various NRC commissions in areas of physical sciences, mathematics, behavioral and social sciences, education, geosciences, environment and resources, engineering and technical systems, life sciences and agriculture. Interdisciplinary opportunities will be emphasized throughout the process.
