23 scientists and innovators win medals

NSF

The National Medal of Science honors researchers.

By Alan Boyle

President Barack Obama has named 12 researchers and 11 inventors as recipients of the federal government's highest honors in their fields: the National Medal of Science, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

The newly named recipients will receive their awards at a White House ceremony next year.

"I am proud to honor these inspiring American innovators,"?Obama said today in a White House statement. ?"They represent the ingenuity and imagination that has long made this nation great ? and they remind us of the enormous impact a few good ideas can have when these creative qualities are unleashed in an entrepreneurial environment."

The National Medal of Science was established in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation. The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was created in 1980, under the auspices of the Commerce Department's Patent and Trademark Office. Committees select nominees for each of the medals?? the science medal for contributions to research, and the technology medal for contributions to American competitiveness and quality of life.

National Medal of Science recipients include:

  • Allen Bard, chemist focusing on artificial photosynthesis, University of Texas at Austin
  • Sallie Chisholm, biologist focusing on marine organisms, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Sidney Drell, physicist and arms control expert, Stanford University
  • Sandra Faber, astronomer focusing on evolution of galaxies and cosmic structure, University of California at Santa Cruz
  • Sylvester James Gates, physicist focusing on supersymmetry and string theory, University of Maryland
  • Solomon Golomb, mathematician and the inventor of polyominoes, University of Southern California
  • John Goodenough, physicist credited for development of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, University of Texas at Austin
  • M. Frederick Hawthorne, chemist focusing on boron hydrides, University of Missouri
  • Leroy Hood, biologist focusing on DNA medicine, Institute for Systems Biology
  • Barry Mazur, mathematician focusing on geometry and number theory, Harvard University
  • Lucy Shapiro, biologist focusing on developmental biology, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Anne Treisman, psychologist focusing on visual attention, perception and memory, Princeton University

NIST

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation goes to inventors and engineers.

National Medal of Technology and Innovation:

  • Frances Arnold, engineer focusing on directed evolution, California Institute of Technology
  • George Carruthers, inventor, physicist and space scientist, U.S. Naval Research Lab
  • Robert Langer, engineer focusing on biotechnology and medical technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Norman McCombs, engineer focusing on oxygen therapy, AirSep Corp.
  • Gholam Peyman, retina surgeon credited with invention of Lasik eye surgery procedure, Arizona Retinal Specialists
  • Art Rosenfeld, physicist focusing on energy efficiency technologies, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • Jan Vilcek, microbiologist focusing on the immune system, NYU Langone Medical Center
  • IBM:?Samuel Blum,?Rangaswamy Srinivasan and?James Wynne, co-inventors of the ultraviolet excimer laser
  • Raytheon BBN Technologies, R&D company focusing on military as well as civilian applications, represented by CEO Edward Campbell

The White House says the affiliations are the awardees' most recently identified employers. Some of the awardees are now retired.

More about science at the White House:


Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/21/16075058-obama-names-23-scientists-and-innovators-as-medal-winners?lite

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Teaching with Purpose - Pilant's Business Ethics

Francis Bacon - Teaching with Purpose

Francis Bacon ? Teaching with Purpose

Teaching with purpose

I?m one of the NRA?s ?bad guys? ? Salon.com

Why do I do this? I teach creative nonfiction. More importantly, I teach critical thinking skills, which, if Wayne LaPierre is any example, are in short supply in this country. I insist that students read books about difficult topics precisely because I want students to understand how to pick apart a difficult argument and how to see through the eyes of someone else, or because I simply want to see if my students? vision of life squares up with those that they read. Sometimes, they are able to see themselves depicted in those pages, and sometimes they are able to examine their own prejudices (be they class, gender, race or education level) by being forced to look at the world through the eyes of the other.

I?m one of the NRA?s ?bad guys? ? Salon.com

I, too, teach critical thinking skills. It?s an uphill battle. My students having endured years of NCLB testing are superb factual test takers but have little experience with expressing an informed opinion. Quite often, a request for an opinion results not in an informed opinion based on any kind of fact or thinking but a reiteration of the worst elements of talk radio and 24 hours ?news.? Simple tests where opinions and facts are listed and the student asked to identify which is which are routinely failed even by good students.

Business ethics and business law both demand higher level thinking skills. Deciding what should be done when there are ethical questions can well depend on religious beliefs, philosophical perceptions, life experience and practical considerations all at once. Critical thinking is key to making intelligent business decisions both routine and ethical.

James Pilant

From across the web -

From, http://izygekev.wordpress.com/ -

Critical thinking refers to a process of judgment taken after an analytical evaluation of a problem. It can be developed through the practice of intentional analyzing of every situation in life. Critical thinking skills can be developed by inculcating a habit of analytical and strategic thinking. If you can get yourself into the habit of analyzing every situation critically, you will gradually acquire critical thinking skills.

Your educational background plays a major role in the development of your thinking skills. Education that requires you to think analytically, the education that instills in you the principles of analytical thinking and reasoning leads you to become a critical thinker. The development of problem solving and reasoning skills since an early age is an excellent way of developing critical thinking skills. Fields that require you to acquire and evaluate information before reaching a conclusion indeed help in the development of critical thinking skills. Exposing yourself to questions that stimulate thinking can develop critical thinking skills.

From the web site, vive la internet -

No one always acts purely objectively and rationally. We connive for selfish interests. We gossip, boast, exaggerate, and equivocate. It is ?only human? to wish to validate our prior knowledge, to vindicate our prior decisions, or to sustain our earlier beliefs. In the process of satisfying our ego, however, we can often deny ourselves intellectual growth and opportunity. We may not always want to apply critical thinking skills, but we should have those skills available to be employed when needed.
Critical thinking includes a complex combination of skills. Among the main characteristics are the following:

Rationality
We are thinking critically when we
? rely on reason rather than emotion,
? require evidence, ignore no known evidence, and follow evidence where it leads, and
? are concerned more with finding the best explanation than being right analyzing apparent confusion and asking questions.

From the web site, Rliberni?s Blog, Radical Language -

How do we focus on the teaching of Critical Thinking skills in a standardized test focused curriculum?
What a fun topic for me this week (per usual for edchat). ?I actually almost missed it as I was running late from a meeting. ?Don?t tell my superintendent, but I may have pushed the speed limit a bit in a school vehicle to get to my computer. ?
As an administrator for the past 9 years, I have wrestled with this question often. ?I feel horrible about focusing so much on the test when I know that focusing on the test probably isn?t what is what our kids need for being better thinkers. ??

Many strong opinions were shared during this amazing fast paced hour of learning. ?It is hard to argue that critical thinking skills are vital to be taught and what we SHOULD be teaching. ?However, it is scary for teachers and administrators to deviate from not teaching to the tests when the system is currently set up with sanctions and penalties for those schools that do not do well on the tests. ?It was agreed by many, including me, that great teaching that includes teaching students how to think, rather than what to think, while ultimately produce strong results.?

?

Source: http://pilantsbusinessethics.com/2012/12/22/teaching-with-purpose/

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Social Media And Harley Hearses Changing Funeral Biz, Not All ...

From funeral homes joining Facebook to Harley-Davidson hearses, members of the ?baby boom? generation continue impacting national consumer trends until their final days.

The funeral business ? seen by some as slow to embrace change ? is becoming increasingly innovative in order to meet the needs of aging boomers.

But as Peter Gray reports, not everyone in the business is along for the ride.

[.mp3?- 5:00]

Photos of the Harley Funeral Coach:?

In the front room of Springfield?s Butler Funeral Home, Lew Bird of Springfield prepares to say goodbye to a friend he?s known more than 30 years.? Bird says his buddy Dave spent much of his time on the road ? seated on a Harley.

BIRD: ?When we came to this day and having to make the choice of how we were going to get him to the cemetery, they happened to have this hearse that?s pulled by a trike ? it?s a three-wheeled motorcycle ? so yeah, we said, go ahead and let?s do that.? ?

Read the rest of this post »

Will Obama include his Hollywood supporters in the discussion about repairing a culture that ?glorifies guns and violence?? (Michellemalkin)

One Dead, 17 Injured In Texas Dust Storm Accidents

LUBBOCK (AP) ? A state trooper says one person was killed and least 17 injured in a series of accidents that occurred when a violent West Texas dust storm forced authorities to close a portion of Interstate 27 north of Lubbock.

Cpl. John Gonzalez of the Texas Department of Public Safety says 23 vehicles were involved in a series of chain-reaction crashes Wednesday afternoon south of Abernathy. He described conditions as ?like a white-out, only this would be black,? as sand and dirt were kicked up by the wind.

Gonzalez says a man died at the scene after his sport utility vehicle slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer. He says injuries suffered in the crashes appeared minor.

Gonzalez says the highway remains closed in both directions because of concern over more accidents.

(? Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Also Check Out:

?

Source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/12/20/one-dead-17-injured-in-texas-dust-storm-accidents/

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One Direction Tease 'Pure Stupidity' In 'Kiss You' Vid!

The guys break down what fans should expect to see in their 'Kiss You' video, out next month.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Chris Kim


One Direction's Harry Styles and Zayn Malik in their "Kiss You" teaser
Photo: Columbia Records

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1699378/one-direction-kiss-video-stupidity.jhtml

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SEO Elite Software ? Search Engine Optimization ? Link Popularity ...

SEO Elite Software - Search Engine Optimization - Link Popularity - Web Promotion - Link Exchange Search ToolClick Image To Visit SiteIntroducing: The secret tool that tens of thousands of the top ranked Google sites have been quietly using for years?

"Who Else Wants To Finally Get A #1 Google Ranking In As Little As 7 Days? And Drive A Minimum Of 789 Unique Visitors To Your Websites Per Day?"

Introducing the ONLY search engine optimization software product that has been 100% PROVEN to dramatically increase your rankings in Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

From This: 19 random visitors a day To This: Averaging 12,783 visitors a day!

Above is a real-life screenshot of 1 of my many websites. The site above gets, on average, 12,783 visitors PER DAY!

My name is Brad Callen. I?ve been marketing online since the early 2000s and have been fortunate enough to have generated millions of dollars solely from the internet.

I got my start online in the weight loss niche, marketing an eBook I?d written that is no longer on the market. It was an eBook called "Ultimate Weight Loss Revealed".

Here?s a picture of my very first website and product. Not too bad for having no idea what I was doing, eh? :-)

While marketing to that industry, my website achieved #1 and #2 Google rankings for every single major keyword related to the weight loss niche!

That?s pretty much unheard of to rank #1 or #2 for every single major keyword in a niche, but I did it all from my 2 bedroom apartment, on a dial-up internet connection!

At the time, My dinky little website selling my eBook was beating out fortune 500 companies like Jenny Craig and LA Weight Loss, who had million dollar marketing and advertising budgets. I was spending exactly $0.00 and I was doing this from my 2 bedroom apartment, on a dial up? Read more?

Source: http://businessinternettool.com/?p=97

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Thu, December 20, 2012 - Playing with Fire: Artists of the California Studio Glass Movement

The best of the Bay Area for KQED fans: discover events hand-picked by our editors, sponsored listings, and more.

The event you are looking for cannot be found.

From here you can:

  1. Select a shaded day 17 from the mini-cal.
  2. Use the mini-cal to Navigate forward > or backward < a month.
  3. Click here to view this week's events.

Source: http://events.kqed.org/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=24539

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Texas Upsets UNC: No. 23 Tar Heels Fall To Longhorns, 85-67

AUSTIN, Texas -- Sheldon McClellan scored 18 points and struggling Texas upset No. 23 North Carolina 85-67 on Wednesday night.

Julien Lewis added 16 points for the Longhorns (7-4), who are off to their worst start since coach Rick Barnes' first season in 1999 while playing without star guard Myck Kabongo. The NCAA is investigating the sophomore's relationship with an agent and the Longhorns have given no indication when or if he'll return.

Reggie Bullock led the Tar Heels (8-3) with 18 points and 13 rebounds. It was the first loss for North Carolina since being clobbered by then-No. 1 Indiana on Nov. 27, and this was mostly another humiliation after trailing by as many as 19 points.

North Carolina cut the deficit to four points in the second half before Texas sealed the badly needed victory.

Barnes knew that a roster of 10 sophomores and freshmen could make for some growing pains. Texas has been used to fast starts for most of the last decade, but the first 10 games felt more like a nosedive at times than some bumps in the roads.

It began with the school announcing that Kabongo, who started 34 games last season, wouldn't join the team immediately. The NCAA has raised questions about Kabongo's relationship with Rich Paul, the agent of LeBron James of the Miami Heat.

The low point was an embarrassing defeat to Division II Chaminade, followed a few weeks later by a 23-point loss to Georgetown.

Beating a ranked team was a chance at finally getting some traction, and the Longhorns may have found some with just two games left before the start of their Big 12 schedule. They will need it: up next is No. 20 Michigan State on Saturday.

James McAdoo had 14 points and joined Bullock as the only Tar Heels in double figures. North Carolina shot a season-low 31.3 percent from the field and turned the ball over 18 times.

Texas attempted 46 shots in the first half. North Carolina had only 30.

"It was an ugly night for us to say the least," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said.

Jonathan Holmes scored 15 points and Ioannis Papapetrou added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Longhorns.

North Carolina made just 3 of 19 3-point attempts. P.J. Hairston, the Tar Heels' third-leading scorer, shot just 2 of 12 from the field.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/20/texas-unc-upset-85-67_n_2335085.html

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79% of UAE Residents Planning Leisure Travel: MasterCard Survey ...

Dec 19 2012

more articles from

The UAE Remains a Popular Destination for Travelers from Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and KSA

Tweet this: #MasterCard survey shows 79% of #UAE residents set to #travel for leisure in coming months http://bit.ly/T5ZkVW

Dubai, UAE, 19 December 2012 ? According to the latest findings of a MasterCard survey, 79% of UAE residents are set to travel for leisure in the coming months, a 9% increase from the 2011 results. The survey also shows that 71% of residents plan to increase or maintain their levels of leisure travel when compared to the previous year, which is 6% higher than the 2011 findings.

UAE residents indicated that they are most likely to travel to Asia-Pacific in the coming months, with 47% of respondents aiming to travel to these markets. Asia-Pacific remains the most popular destination for UAE travelers, though fewer UAE residents are planning trips to the region as compared to 2011 (55%). This is followed by Middle East Africa (43%) and Europe (10%) as the next most popular destinations. Interestingly, 3% more respondents are planning to travel within the Middle East than in 2011.

In terms of international destination countries India led the pack once more, with 29% of UAE residents aiming to travel there in the coming months. The United Kingdom (10%) and Malaysia (10%) were also high on the list of destinations for UAE travelers. While Malaysia was also a key destination market in 2011, the United Kingdom did not feature in 2011?s top ten destination markets, marking a new trend. In terms of domestic travel, UAE respondents indicated that Fujairah (41%) remains a popular destination, followed by Abu Dhabi (39%) and Ras Al Khaimah (32%).

With respect to inbound travel, the UAE continues to be a popular destination of choice for GCC residents. In Oman, of those inclined to travel internationally, 42% are likely to travel to the UAE in the near future, a substantial increase from 2011?s score of 35%.This is followed by Qatar (32%), Kuwait (20%) and KSA (13%), which also featured as top origin countries for the UAE in 2011.

?It is encouraging to see that a great number of UAE residents plan to travel internationally in the coming months. This is a reflection of the market?s healthy consumer confidence levels, and certainly bodes well for the travel industry. At the same time, the UAE remains a very attractive destination for leisure travelers from around the globe. In fact, the recent MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index ranks Dubai 8th globally in terms of expected inbound international visitors in 2012, while Abu Dhabi is the world?s fourth fastest growing destination city by international visitor numbers,? said Eyad Al-Kourdi, UAE country manager, MasterCard Worldwide.

Other UAE highlights:

Over the last year, 79% of UAE respondents travelled internationally for leisure, while 50% travelled locally for vacation, marking an increase of 7% for international travel and a decrease of 7% for domestic travel as compared to 2010.

With regard to business travel, 11% of UAE residents travelled abroad and 9% travelled domestically over the last year. Business travel has decreased since the last survey, when 21% of residents travelled internationally in the previous year, and 19% travelled locally.

Among the respondents travelling by airlines, national airlines remained the most popular (47%), followed by budget carriers (37%) and international carriers (33%). Interestingly, budget carriers have seen an increase of 23% in popularity since 2011.

UAE travelers were most likely to stay at luxury hotels (41%) during their business travels, while almost half (42%) of respondents preferred to stay with friends/relatives when travelling for leisure. Luxury hotels have witnessed a 22% increase in popularity for business trips since the last survey.

UAE travelers enjoy shopping at airports, with 79% of residents indicating that they have purchased items at an airport during their travels in past months. Edible items (53%) and cosmetics/fragrances/personal care (26%) remain the most popular purchases at airports, followed by books/magazines (20%).

UAE residents are keen to find the best travel deals, and indicated that airline websites (76%) are the most popular outlet to find a bargain. Travel agents (55%) remain popular for bargain-hunters, and some travelers also look for deals in newspapers (12%). Social media (7%) and coupon sites/apps (3%) lag behind when it comes to finding travel deals.

Not surprisingly, 90% of UAE residents cite their mobile phone as their must-have travel gadget, while 9% won?t leave home without their laptop. One percent must have their MP3 device with them during their travels.

Cash emerges as the most popular payment choice for UAE travellers in relation to expenses under US$ 100 (59%), transportation (50%) and accommodation (38%). Credit cards are the second most popular method of payment for UAE travellers in relation to the purchase of products over US$100 (41%), transportation (37%) and accommodation (34%). Debit/ATM cards are the least preferred by UAE travelers for all categories. It is worth noting that 11% fewer respondents prefer to pay for accommodation with cash as compared to the previous survey conducted a year ago.

Middle East findings:

Across the Middle East, consumers from Kuwait (82%) top the list when it comes to the percentage of consumers aiming to travel for leisure internationally in the coming months. They are followed by consumers in UAE (79%), Qatar (77%), Oman (52%), KSA (43%), Lebanon (19%) and Egypt (14%). Kuwait?s top ranking this year takes the place of Saudi Arabia?s position in 2011.

Budget carriers have gained some presence in the Middle East in the last year, with the majority of consumers in Kuwait and Oman and substantial proportions in other markets using this mode of air travel in past months. National airlines were the most used airlines in the other Middle East countries surveyed.

Purchases at airports remained popular in the region, with around 75% of Middle East air travelers making purchases in the last year. In general, edible items (45%), cosmetics/ fragrance (32%) and cigarettes/ tobacco (21%) are the most popular categories.

The latest survey was conducted between April and June 2012 with respondents aged 18 ? 64 in 25 markets[1]. Data collection was via internet surveys, personal, telephone and Computer Aided Telephone interviews, with the questionnaire translated to the local language wherever appropriate and necessary. The Index and its accompanying reports do not represent MasterCard financial performance.

MasterCard and its Suite of Research Properties Asia/Pacific, Middle East Africa

The MasterCard Worldwide Index suite in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa includes the long-running MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence, as well as the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women?s Advancement, Online Shopping, Index of Financial Literacy, and the Index of Global Destination Cities. In addition to the Indices, MasterCard?s research properties also include a range of consumer surveys including Ethical Spending and a series on Consumer Purchasing Priorities (covering Travel, Dining Entertainment, Education, Money Management, Luxury and General Shopping).

MasterCard also regularly releases Insights reports providing analysis of business dynamics, financial policies and regulatory activities in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa region. Over 80 Insights reports have been produced since 2004.

MasterCard has also released a series of four books on Asian consumer insights, authored by Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Global Economic Advisor for MasterCard Worldwide and published by John Wiley Sons.

About MasterCard Worldwide
MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a global payments and technology company. It operates the world?s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard?s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities ? such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances ? easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the conversation on Cashless Conversations Blog and subscribe for the latest news.

Contacts: Nadia Ejaz; GolinHarris ? Dubai; Tel: +971 4 3323308; Email: nejaz@golinharris.com

Jandr? Nieuwoudt; GolinHarris ? Dubai; Tel: +971 4 3323308; Email: jnieuwoudt@golinharris.com

[1] Australia, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, South Africa, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam

? Press Release 2012


? Copyright Zawya. All Rights Reserved.


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