Massachusetts city and state officials are working with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) to ensure that battered women fleeing abusive environments will not need to abandon their beloved pets. Through the Noah's Ark program, animals will be transported to an undisclosed veterinary office for free medical treatment, and then to a secret foster home with an MSPCA-trained family. Women will be reunited with the animal once they leave the shelter. Officials believe that relationships with pets may prevent some women from leaving dangerous situations, and that those very bonds provide a source of comfort for women as they return to normalcy.

In order to attract undergraduates into science early on in their college careers, the National Science Foundation has helped to charter three Undergraduate Research Centers (URCs) at participating universities as part of a 5-year, $9 million project. The URCs will give students the chance to carry out authentic faculty-student research that may lead to publishable results by providing access to modern scientific equipment and methods, connecting students to industrial and government laboratories, and sponsor symposia and workshops. The initiative targets first and second year students, particularly in 2-year community colleges where nearly half of today's college students begin their studies.

Great Britain's Arts Council has created Own Art to elevate contemporary art in its society by providing interest-free loans to purchase fine and decorative arts such as paintings, photography, sculpture, glassware and furniture. Buyers may borrow up to $3,545 repayable in monthly installments at over 250 participating venues across the country. So far, the program has lent over $4.4 million to more than 4,000 customers, helping to support both the artists that create their pieces, and the galleries that exhibit them.

Law enforcement officials across the country are experimenting with new tools that can help identify and recover stolen vehicles. Jurisdictions in Utah and California have tested roof-mounted scanners and cameras that can read license plates at speeds of up to 140 mph. Some technologies can take a picture of the car, feed the plate number into a computer database, and determine if the vehicle is stolen, or whether its owner is wanted in an unrelated felony. Officials emphasize that these technologies, which can automatically read several thousand plates a day, can multiply the reach of law enforcement without the expense of hiring additional officers.

An investment in technology promises to bring speedier and more transparent elections to Orange County, California. For years, the county has been known for its slow electoral returns, frustrating both candidates and voters. To address this problem, a command center to track election-day complications has been established. The system will help officials quickly pinpoint issues, such as broken voting machines, and will allow voters to monitor the balloting process through a website with real-time data.

In response to recent research demonstrating the salutary effects that work can have for those with mental illnesses, several state and federal agencies are experimenting with ways to incorporate supported employment into their programs. The U.S. Social Security Administration, for instance, has recently announced pilot projects in 20 cities that will give qualified applicants the chance to earn regular salaries without jeopardizing their benefits. California's Department of Mental Health also plans to incorporate work initiatives into its treatment programs. Some experts predict that up to a third of the 8 million Americans with a severe mental illness may eventually work alongside the general public, saving the mental health system a large amount of money.

In response to the proliferation of electronically published scholarly materials, the Library of Congress' National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) has announced a $3- million grant award for the development of Portico, a digital preservation initiative sponsored by JSTOR, Ithaka, and the Mellon Foundation. As electronic resources become a significant part of the scholarly record on which future students and researchers must rely, Portico will help advance the NDIIPP goal of developing a technical infrastructure to support long-term preservation of digital content for future generations and an economically-viable business model that sustains future digital preservation services.

To help today's students and tomorrow's wage-earners communicate at the sophisticated level required by the global economy, educators, business leaders, and policymakers are expanding literacy instruction strategies to high schools. Portland area schools, reacting to poor reading results for its 10th graders, are hiring literacy coaches, starting reading classes, and encouraging teachers to emphasize reading, writing, and critical thinking in all subjects.

Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies housing report analyzes the interaction of housing markets with economic, demographics and social trends.

The Service to America Medals honor the finest achievements of federal employees. Honorees will be chosen based on their commitment and innovation, as well as the impact of their work on addressing the needs of the nation. The awards are accompanied by cash prizes, from $3,000 to $10,000.

The American Society for Public Administration Conference, the most comprehensive public administration conference of the year, will be held March 31 through April 4, 2006, in Denver, Colorado. Hundreds of public service experts will be on hand to offer creative solutions to challenges public administrators face.