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Title: THOMAS LARSON, PENNDOT SECRETARY, FOCUSES ON TRB DURING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES IN SCIENCE POLICY
Accession Number: 00457954
Record Type: Component
Digital Copy: Availability: Find a library where document is available Abstract: This presentation is extracted from Thomas Larson's testimony at the hearings conducted by the U.S. House of Representatives Task Force on Science Policy on the role of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, and their operating arm, the National Research Council, in setting science policy in the past and in establishing and implementing future science policy. The presentation holds that in the complex atmosphere of technological advances and challenges to effectively apply new technology to America's transportation needs, the expertise provided by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) is critical. The presentation attempts to respond to 6 questions: How have the National Academies fulfilled their congressional mandate? Are they effective in meeting the needs of government agencies and in addressing policy concerns? Is the project-study approach the best? Should they have support for self-initiated studies? Should they have additional functions? and How are they perceived by citizens? Two aspects of TRB's activities that are particularly important in using improved technology to meet changing public and political expectations are discussed, namely, its Cooperative Research Program and its technology transfer activities. It is pointed out how the TRB brought specialists and professionals from several different fields to conduct the most detailed assessment ever done to evaluate the safety and energy conservation benefits of the 55-mph speed limit. The TRB also developed guidelines for measuring landside capacity at airports for the Federal Aviation Administration. The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) is quoted as an example of the success of the project-study approach applied by TRB to keep transportation agencies forward looking and technically prepared. The need for the NRC and TRB to have the capacity for self-initiated studies is emphasized. The uniquely effective partnership forged by the transportation agencies with TRB, and the unparalleled respect of the transportation community (national and international) for TRB are noted.
Corporate Authors: Transportation Research Board 500 Fifth Street, NW Pagination: p. 2-8
Publication Date: 1986-7
Serial: TRT Terms: Identifier Terms: Old TRIS Terms: Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Education and Training; Energy; Finance; Policy; Research; Society; Transportation (General); I10: Economics and Administration
Files: TRIS, TRB
Created Date: Sep 30 1987 12:00AM
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