OTA legacy

The Congressional Office of Technology Assessment closed on September 29, 1995. During its 23-year history, OTA provided Congressional members and committees with objective and authoritative analysis of the complex scientific and technical issues of the late 20th century. It was a leader in practicing and encouraging delivery of public services in innovative and inexpensive ways, including distribution of government documents through electronic publishing. This site honors that legacy by making available in electronic form the complete collection of OTA publications along with additional materials that
illuminate the history and impact of the agency.

Click here to check on those materials

EPTA conference 2006: Energy transition in Europe

Energy systems in transition was on the agenda when delegates from 12 European parliaments gathered on 17 October in Oslo, Norway for the 2006 EPTA conference.

Climate change and increasing energy demand have made the transition to new energy systems a major challenge for Europe. Countries and regions aim to reduce emissions of CO2 and other climate gases, to increase energy production from renewable and other sources, and to improve security of supply.

The EPTA conference 2006 brought parliamentarians, experts and officials the opportunity to come together and discuss and exchange experiences in persuing these goals.

The conference addressed four policy areas in particular:

- How can parliaments help the transition to low-fossil systems?

- Renewable energy – what difference can it make?

- Nuclear energy – can we do without it?

- Will clean fossils be clean enough?

The EPTA conference 2006 was hosted by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget ) and the Norwegian Board of Technology.

The Norwegian Board of Technology holds the EPTA presidency in 2006.

Programme here.

Magellan Prize

The first Magellan Prize was awarded to Pedro Raposo, a portuguese researcher working on Science History (CHC-UL).The Magellan Prize, established in commemoration of the feats of the great sixteenth-century Portuguese navigator Fernão de Magalhães, will be awarded in each year to the best student beginning graduate studies in the Oxford’s University in the language, literature, culture, or history of the Portuguese-speaking world.