National Council for Science and the Environment. (Forum).

The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), a nongovernmental organization based in Washington, D.C., works to develop and promote a comprehensive and integrated scientific basic for environmental decision making. The NCSE, which is supported by nearly 500 government, academic, business, and environmental organizations, is particularly interested in advancing ideas from diverse communities to facilitate understanding of environmental issues. Its website, located at http://www.ncseonline.org/, offers insight into the group's policies, academic programs, and other activities, including its annual National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment.

From the Science Policy page, visitors can access archived news articles on congressional and presidential actions on science policy, NCSE testimony before Congress and the President's Council on Science and Technology, the council's Handbook of Federal Funding for R&D, and back issues of the council's monthly Science, Environment and Policy Report. Visitors can also access more than 1,200 Congressional Research Service reports covering a broad range of topics including climate change, pesticides, pollution, risk and reform, transportation, and waste management. These documents are prepared specifically for Congress and are written so that nonscientists can easily understand the science behind policy-making initiatives. They are available to the general public only through this website.

The NCSE National Library for the Environment (NLE) link on the homepage is a portal to yet more information. This portion of the site includes a link to the NCSE Native Americans and the Environment project, which is aimed at educating the public about environmental problems encountered by Native American communities and about the Native American perspective on environmental issues. The PopPlanet and PopEnvironment links go to information on population issues and how they can impact the environment. Visitors can search a bibliography and abstracts of more than 14,000 publications and other materials on population or peruse population, health, and environment profiles of 15 countries in Africa, Central America, and Southeast Asia. Each profile includes an overview of the country's specific environmental issues, laws, and treaties, links to nongovernmental organizations working with the country, and information sources for pertinent environmental issues such as desertification, human health, and marine issues/fisheries.

Nearly 3,000 Internet-based information sources can be accessed through the Reference Resources link on the NLE page. These sources are organized by category (for example, environmental journals, reports and data, treaties, photographs) and searchable by keyword and phrase. The Toxicology Resources link leads to more specialized information on topics including brownfields, state cancer registries, and state toxic chemical release inventory programs.

Back at the main NCSE page, visitors can find information on the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors, an NCSE-sponsored professional organization of leaders of college and university institutes of environmental studies. With more than 100 members, the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors facilitates the exchange of research findings and ways to bolster interest in interdisciplinary environmental education and research among not only students but also policy makers, industry, and nongovernmental organizations.

The Minority Programs link on the homepage brings together resources on national and international environmental justice initiatives and grant opportunities, and includes access to resource directories on specific environmental and educational subjects. The About These Programs page details how the NCSE works with more than 300 colleges and universities serving minority populations to help develop research and outreach programs tailored to their unique needs.