This book discusses light-based science, emphasizing its pervasive influence in science, technology, policy, and education. A wide range of contributors offers a comprehensive study of the tremendous, and indeed foundational, contributions of Ibn al Haytham, a scholar from the medieval period. The analysis then moves into the future development of light-based technology. Written as a multi-disciplinary reference book by leading scholars in the history of science and /or photonics, it covers Ibn al Haytham’s optics, LED lighting for sustainable development, global and atomic-scale time with new light sources, advanced technology, and vision science. Cutting-edge optical technologies and their global impact is addressed in detail, and the later chapters also explore challenges with renewable energy, the global impact of photonics, and optical and photonic education technology. Practical examples and illustrations are provided throughout the text.

This report contains a collection of papers from a workshopâ€"Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making for Sustainable Management of Scarce Water Resources for Agricultural Production, held in Tunisia. Participants, including scientists, decision makers, representatives of non-profit organizations, and a farmer, came from the United States and several countries in North Africa and the Middle East. The papers examined constraints to agricultural production as it relates to water scarcity; focusing on 1) the state of the science regarding water management for agricultural purposes in the Middle East and North Africa 2) how science can be applied to better manage existing water supplies to optimize the domestic production of food and fiber. The cross-cutting themes of the workshop were the elements or principles of science-based decision making, the role of the scientific community in ensuring that science is an integral part of the decision making process, and ways to improve communications between scientists and decision makers.

International Education and Foreign Languages reviews the Department of Education's Title VI and Fulbright-Hays Programs, which provide higher education funding for international education and foreign language programs. This book offers a timely look at issues that are increasingly important in an interconnected world. It discusses the effect of the nation's lack of expertise in foreign languages and cultural knowledge on national security and global competitiveness and it describes the challenges faced by the U.S. educational system and the federal government in trying to address those needs. The book also examines the federal government's recent proposal to create a new National Security Language Initiative, the role of the Department of Education, and current efforts to hold higher education programs accountable. This book provides information and recommendations that can help universities, educators, and policy makers establish a system of foreign language and international education that is ready to respond to new and unanticipated challenges around the world.

Chronicles the critical role the sciences have played in American foreign relations since World War II.