NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

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NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES NATIONAL RESEARCH
COUNCIL Research Priorities Earth Sciences and
Public Health Board on Earth Sciences and
Resources Board on Health Sciences
Policy Sponsors National Science
Foundation U.S. Geological Survey National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
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• The National Academy of Sciences was established
  by President Lincoln in 1863 to honor the
  nations eminent scientists, and to arrange a
  more formal conduit for advice to the federal
  government from the science community
• The National Academies (National Academy of
  Sciences, National Academy of Engineering,
  Institute of Medicine, National Research
  Council)
• provide independent advice to the nation
• are essentially consultants for (predominantly)
  federal agencies

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• provide assessments of the current status of
  research rather than undertaking new research
• subject to FACA
• strict bias and conflict of interest rules
• seek broad and open input, but deliberate in
  closed session
• reports are confidential until externally
  reviewed and released
• audience is typical Hill staffer

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Statement of Task

• A National Research Council ad hoc committee will
  assess the present status of research at the
  interface between medicine and earth science, and
  will advise on the high priority research
  activities that should be undertaken for optimum
  societal benefit. The committee will report on
  the most profitable areas for communication and
  collaboration between the earth science and
  medical communities, recognizing both the
  infectious disease and environmental components.
  The committee is specifically tasked to

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• Describe the present state of knowledge in the
  emerging medical geology field.   
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• Describe the connections between earth science
  and public health, addressing both positive and
  negative societal impacts over the full range
  from large-scale interactions to micro-scale
  biogeochemical processes.
• Evaluate the need for specific support for
  medical geology research, and identify any basic
  research needs in bioscience and geoscience
  required to support medical geology research.

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• Identify mechanisms for enhanced collaboration
  between the earth science and medical/public
  health communities.
• Suggest how future efforts should be directed to
  anticipate and respond to public health needs and
  threats, particularly as a consequence of
  environmental change.

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Work Plan We are in the final stages of
nominating a study committee, which will have
approximately equal earth science (e.g.,
biomineralogy, environmental geochemistry,
geospatial analysis, hydrology, soil science,
etc) and public health (e.g., environmental
epidemiology, infectious diseases, public health,
toxicology, dental medicine, etc) expertise.
The committee will hold four meetings, the
second of which will be a workshop (probably in
Irvine, CA in late summer), and prepare a report.
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The consensus report is due for release by August
2005, and will then be widely disseminated.