Science Education & Policy

Fast food and coke instead of fruits and vegetables: the consequences can already be seen in children – more and more of them suffer from overweight and adiposity. But what are the reasons? In what way are they connected, for example, with social status and body weight of the parents? On the trail of overweight, the health scientist Prof. Dr. Günter Eissing, Technische Universität Dortmund, carefully examined 432 Dortmund children at the age of three, in cooperation with BKK Hoesch, Public Health Authority and the city’s statistical department. More precisely, he measured them. Based on…

BEIJING, August 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Training over 1.5 million people to provide professional security, medical, hospitality, guidance, and other services for the Olympic Games would be a daunting task for any organization but throw in the added challenge of training them to provide all those services in 10 foreign languages? Many might have considered that impossible when planning was underway for the Beijing Olympic Volunteer Program. aifly Education Technology Company accepted this "mission impossible", and their success has earned appreciation and accolades from volunteers, foreign guests…

Scientific happenings, big and small, on this day in history. For today’s quiz you’ll not only need to know a bit about science history, but need to have some familiarity with our military history as well. Which American aeronautics pioneer, born on this day in 1834, is the namesake for the Virginia military base that houses the United States Air Force’s 1st Fighting Wing? It’s not that hard really. Seriously, how many Virginia military bases do you know? But just to be sure, you can check the answer at the end of this article. And more on this day in science… EVENTS 1950 The Brookhaven…

A study by a group of prominent seismologists suggests that a pattern of subtle but active faults makes the risk of earthquakes to the New York City area substantially greater than formerly believed. Among other things, they say that the controversial Indian Point nuclear power plants, 24 miles north of the city, sit astride the previously unidentified intersection of two active seismic zones. Many faults and a few mostly modest quakes have long been known around New York City, but the research casts them in a new light. The scientists say the insight comes from sophisticated analysis of…

MANHASSET, New York, August 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The Oncology Group is pleased to announce the publication of the 11th edition of Cancer Management: A Multidisciplinary Approach, scheduled for release in the Fall of 2008. A popular resource for the oncology and hematology community, this guide aims to keep pace with these rapidly changing fields by providing clinicians with up-to-date, practical, and authoritative information on patient management. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080821/AQTH018) "Cancer Management: A Multidisciplinary Approach is designed to present important…

LONDON, August 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Integer, a leading business consultancy in the area of global emissions regulations, today announced its latest conference targeted at Europe's energy intensive Industries and EU Policy makers. 'Energy Intensive Industries and Climate Change' will be held in Brussels on 25-27 November. The aim of this independent conference is to provide energy intensive industries with exclusive insight into how other sectors are demonstrating their exposure to external competition at this time of regulatory uncertainty. As energy intensive industries express concern about…

DUBLIN, Ireland, August 21 /PRNewswire/ -- - Eurofound Publishes Annual Report on Pay Increases Across the European Union DUBLIN, Ireland, August 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Women in Europe earn on average almost 16% less than men doing similar jobs, according to new data published by Eurofound's European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO). The good news is that the gender pay gap in the EU15 countries is shrinking. The bad news, however, is that the pay gap between men and women doing similar jobs in the new EU Member States is wider than the EU average. The gender wage gap averaged 15.9%…

Atypical characteristics of children’s linguistic development are early signs of the risk of developing reading and writing disabilities, or dyslexia. New research points to preventive exercises as an effective means to tackle the challenges children face when learning to read. The results achieved at the Centre of Excellence in Learning and Motivation Research were presented at the Academy of Finland’s science breakfast on August21st. Headed by Professor Heikki Lyytinen at the University of Jyväskylä, the research delved into how to predict and prevent difficulties in learning to read and…

In a perfect zoo there is Zoo Doo. Some zoos in the U.S. offer an exotic way to fertilize their gardens through a unique method of recycling waste from zoo animals. At the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky where the mix is called Zoo Poopy Doo, the product consists of hoof stock manure from animals including elephants, rhinos, camels and giraffes. This is blended with hay, straw and wood shavings. The product was first introduced at the Louisville Zoo by Assistant Director Mark Zoeller. Experts at the zoo say it gets its appeal by improving the aeration of the soil and increasing root penetration…

LONDON, August 20 /PRNewswire/ -- - Award-Winning Speaker Carol Woodbury to Offer Advice on Security Compliance Through Series of Workshops and Her Key Note Speech to Delegates at Australasia's Largest IBM User Groups Event Renowned US security compliance expert, author and award-winning speaker, Carol Woodbury is to deliver the key note speech at Interaction's September 2008 annual conference in Australia's Surfer's Paradise. This significant event is the largest gathering of IBM solutions providers across Australia and New Zealand and is organised by IBM user group, Interaction. This…