This book describes the contributions of mathematics to the nation's advanced technology and to economic competitiveness. Examples from five industriesâ€"aircraft, petroleum, automotive, semiconductor, and telecommunicationsâ€"illustrate how mathematics enters into and improves industry. Mathematical Sciences, Technology, and Economic Competitiveness addresses these high-technology industries and breadth of mathematical endeavors in the United States as they materially contribute to the technology base from which innovation in these industries flows. The book represents a serious attempt by the mathematics community to bring about an awareness by policymakers of the pervasive influence of mathematics in everyday life.

The U. S. is losing its competitive edge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Thomas Friedman warns that America is not producing enough young people in STEM fields that are essential for entrepreneurship and innovation in the 21st century (The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, 2005).

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is one of the largest examples of U.S. public-private partnerships. Founded in 1982, SBIR was designed to encourage small business to develop new processes and products and to provide quality research in support of the many missions of the U.S. government, including health, energy, the environment, and national defense. In response to a request from the U.S. Congress, the National Research Council assessed SBIR as administered by the five federal agencies that together make up 96 percent of program expenditures. This book, one of six in the series, reports on the SBIR program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and finds that the program is making significant progress in achieving the Congressional goals for the program. Keeping in mind NASA's unique mission and the recent significant changes to the program, the committee found the SBIR program to be sound in concept and effective in practice at NASA.. The book recommends programmatic changes that should make the SBIR program even more effective in achieving its legislative goals.

Over three hundred years ago, Galileo is reported to have said, "The laws of nature are written in the language of mathematics." Often mathematics and science go hand in hand, with one helping develop and improve the other. Discoveries in science, for example, open up new advances in statistics, computer science, operations research, and pure and applied mathematics which in turn enabled new practical technologies and advanced entirely new frontiers of science. Despite the interdependency that exists between these two disciplines, cooperation and collaboration between mathematical scientists and scientists have only occurred by chance. To encourage new collaboration between the mathematical sciences and other fields and to sustain present collaboration, the National Research Council (NRC) formed a committee representing a broad cross-section of scientists from academia, federal government laboratories, and industry. The goal of the committee was to examine the mechanisms for strengthening interdisciplinary research between mathematical sciences and the sciences, with a strong focus on suggesting the most effective mechanisms of collaboration. Strengthening the Linkages Between the Sciences and the Mathematical Sciences provides the findings and recommendations of the committee as well as case studies of cross-discipline collaboration, the workshop agenda, and federal agencies that provide funding for such collaboration.

Digital age learners come to the science classroom equipped with a wide range of skills and a wealth of information at their fingertips. Although science and technology have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, the ubiquity of information technologies requires teachers to modify instruction and experiences for K-12 science learners. Environmental and societal changes have impacted how and when students acquire and synthesize knowledge. These changes compel us to modify and adjust to improve the practice of teaching science to meet the unique needs of students who are growing up in a society dominated by connected digital devices, constant communication, and the ubiquity of information. Theoretical and Practical Teaching Strategies for K-12 Science Education in the Digital Age disseminates theory-informed practices for science teachers that increase their instructional effectiveness in teaching digital age learners. It communicates how to increase science educators’ understandings of the needs of digital age learners, develops theoretical and practical teaching strategies that align with science content, and integrates technologies for learning with fidelity. Covering topics such as design-based inclusive science, project-based learning, and science instruction, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for administrators and science educators within K-12 education, pre-service teachers, teacher educators, librarians, researchers, and academicians.