The newest volume of Environmental Research has a special section focusing in the biological and ecological impacts of plastics... and the results aren't pretty.

The law known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), enacted in 2002, set an ambitious goal: that across the nation, every state would test students annually in reading and math, and that the number of students scoring at the level of "proficient" or higher would rise each year, until all students reached proficiency in the year 2014.

This is the full 800-word version of a comparative book review that appeared in shorter form on the Sunday Pittsburgh Post-Gazette books page. The two books, Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D. and Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts About Alternative Medicine by Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst, M.D., may literally save lives.

Today is the first day of Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month. I encourage all eduactors to add a little history and perspective to your lessons this month. Highlight the contributions of Latino Science & Engineering professionals in your field and/or encourage students to do a biographical research report of Latino Scientists.

A news story about a BIG NSF grant to a US University to fund undergraduate scholarships in Engineering

Understanding science seriously influences our everyday lives, whether we are conscious of science or not.

With the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) coming on line tomorrow, 10 September 2008, many physicists are expecting the long-anticipated detection of the Higgs boson to follow soon after.

But what if they don't find it?

Are you smarter than Stephen Hawking? In this case, five high school kids were and now they'll have proclamations to prove it.

With the "Mommy Wars" once again erupting around Sarah Palin's nomination for V.P., a piece of valuable insight arises in the scientific realm. Planetary astronomer Heidi Hammel has managed to do world-class science requiring frequent travel while sharing the parenting of three children, ages 7, 9, and 11, with her equally busy husband. For insight into Heidi's work and how she balances her life, read "A Conversation with Heidi B. Hammel" in the Sept. 2, 2008, issue of the New York Times.

Then take the next step and read...

Abunga.com is having an online chat Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 2-3 p.m. EDT with Bayard Taylor, author of "The Late Great Ape Debate," to discuss his research on creation vs. evolution.