Science As A Gateway To Understanding

In October 2007, the U.S. National Academies and the Iranian Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Science organized the first of a series of planned U.S.-Iranian workshops on the topic "Science as a Gateway to Understanding." This new workshop series is a component of the broader effort of the National Academies to support bilateral workshops and exchange visits in a variety of fields with a number of Iranian institutions that began in 2000. This book includes papers that were presented at the workshop and summaries of the discussions that followed some of the presentations. At the conclusion of the workshop there was general agreement that the presentations on many aspects of science and scientific cooperation that have a bearing on mutual understanding were an important first step. Several participants underscored that the next workshop should emphasize how scientific cooperation can lead in concrete terms to improved understanding among both academic and political leaders from the two countries.

The subject of waves particularly, electronic waves, has been piecemealed to a point where every text covers only a small part of the subject and leaves the rest to someone else to develop. At the present moment, there is no coherent and one-stop approach that covers this material from A to Z and presents it in such a way that an average person can wrap his wits around it. There has been a need for such a book for quite some time. Over the last hundred years, the field of electronic waves, initially placed on a firm ground by James Clerk Maxwell, has grown and blossomed magnificently, primarily in the area of applications to match up with the mathematical sophistication with which Maxwell's equations was presented. Today, almost anyone in our highly technological society strives toward a higher understanding of the inner workings of electronic equipment and desires to know the major principles behind this fascinating form of energy called electricity and electronic waves, and yet most electrical books present the basic concepts with so much complexity and filled with so many mathematical equations that the average individual has given up on the subject and perforce has decided to retire to the sideline to be a spectator on the subject. In other words, their hope has been dashed aside and their dream of a higher understanding has not been fulfilled in any of the modern texts on electricity The present work is the culmination of many years of study, observation and pondering on the dilemmas and enigmas of the physical universe in which we live with particular attention to electronic waves. In this work the origin of electronic waves and the resultant understandings that has been extracted from years of study of this sophisticated and at times incomprehensible subject, is presented with many lucid examples and applications. Within the confines of this book, one is given a chance for the first time to take an in- depth look and inspect first-hand, one of the most dynamic fields of study that has ever been developed in the history of mankind on this planet. The basics are laid in simple terms and clear explanations express the powerful principles lucidly and dynamically, providing an unforgettable impression in the reader's mind. Rather than looking into the complicated mathematical equations for solutions, Man's long search for answers to the riddles of the technical world will finally be amply rewarded through the pages of this book. By avoiding undue complexities, the reader will achieve occum's razor doctrine and will be actually traveling in the direction of "the actual why" and thus be able to put his thoughts on the right track for all the future problems forthcoming. It is an interestingly uncommon book intended to lift the aura of "black magic" surrounding the world of sciences particularly electricity, to enlighten and demystify the subject of sciences in the minds of ordinary individuals. It is written primarily for the technical as well as the non-technical man and intends to serve several classes of our society: a) The professional engineers, b) The technical inventors, c) The technically versed individuals, d) The college professors, e) The college senior and graduate students, f) The interested but non-technical individuals, and g) The business and industrial leaders. The scientist, armed with the tools solidly laid out in this book, will be well equipped to understand scientific journals and handle the problems of work-a-day world of sciences, particularly testing, analysis and design of devices, circuits and systems dealing with electric, magnetic or electronic wave phenomena. The increased depth of knowledge will allow one to achieve one's objectives with a much higher probability of success in this rapidly advancing subject.

During the first decade of the 21st century, the National Academies, working with a number of partner organizations in Iran, carried out a program of U.S.-Iran engagement in science, engineering, and health (herein referred to as science engagement). This book reviews important aspects of the science engagement program, including: (a) objectives of the program, (b) opportunities and constraints in developing the program, and (c) scientific and political impacts of the activities. Suggestions for future activities that draw on the conclusions and recommendations that have emerged from workshops and other types of interactions are set forth. Of course, the political turmoil within Iran and uncertainties as to the direction of U.S.-Iran government-to-government relations will undoubtedly complicate initiation and implementation of new science engagement activities in the near term. At the same time, many American and Iranian participants and important government officials in the United States and Iran have believed that science engagement can contribute to the evolution of an improved political environment for development of less adversarial relations between the two governments.

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David Klahr suggests that we now know enough about cognition--and hence about everyday thinking--to advance our understanding of scientific thinking.

Schools for Thought provides a straightforward, general introduction to cognitive research and illustrates its importance for educational change. If we want to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all children, we must start applying what we know about mental functioning--how children think, learn, and remember in our schools. We must apply cognitive science in the classroom. Schools for Thought provides a straightforward, general introduction to cognitive research and illustrates its importance for educational change. Using classroom examples, Bruer shows how applying cognitive research can dramatically improve students' transitions from lower-level rote skills to advanced proficiency in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Cognitive research, he points out, is also beginning to suggest how we might better motivate students, design more effective tools for assessing them, and improve the training of teachers. He concludes with a chapter on how effective school reform demands that we expand our understanding of teaching and learning and that we think about education in new ways. Debates and discussions about the reform of American education suffer from a lack of appreciation of the complexity of learning and from a lack of understanding about the knowledge base that is available for the improvement of educational practice. Politicians, business leaders, and even many school superintendents, principals, and teachers think that educational problems can be solved by changing school management structures or by creating a market in educational services. Bruer argues that improvement depends instead on changing student-teacher interactions. It is these changes, guided by cognitive research, that will create more effective classroom environments. A Bradford Book

Told with poetic prose and an imaginative voice, this “beautifully composed [and] original” (Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times bestselling author) debut novel explores family, trauma, and belonging through one woman’s journey to reconnect with her roots. Abby Rodier was a “drop-box baby,” a Korean orphan whose mother could not take care of her and left her as an infant. Abby’s tumultuous experience in the American foster care system has led her to live a solitary and guarded life, closed off to almost everyone except her best friend Iseul, whose parents took Abby into their home as a child. Abby’s work studying the origins of life in sea slugs and bacteria leads her to wonder about her birth parents and question her place in this world. It's not long before Abby stumbles upon a biological discovery that will change the course of her life. Meanwhile, Iseul’s devotion to their ill brother leads to an entanglement between her work as an investigative journalist and the murky world of black-market medicine. After a tragic event, Abby’s life is thrown into a tailspin. With the rug pulled from under her feet, she spirals into a disorientation of grief, apparitions, and compulsions. With the help of those around her, Abby must embark on a journey to understand her true roots and make peace with her present. From an exciting new voice in literary fiction, We Carry the Sea in Our Hands is a complex and layered ode to found family, perfect for fans of The Last Story of Mina Lee and Goodbye, Vitamin.