Whats New @ IEEE-USA -
Eye On Washington
Vol. 2007, No. 5 (1 May 2007)
1)
CAPITOL HILL WATCH
2) WHITE HOUSE & EXECUTIVE AGENCY WATCH
- ATP Announces Competition in Support of High-Risk R&D Projects
- Administration Issues Statement Objecting to a Senate Bill Advancing Competitiveness
3) REPORTS, SPEECHES &
DOCUMENTS OF NOTE
- Expanding the R&D Tax Credit
4) U.S. COURTS ACTIVITY
5) U.S. STATES WATCH
6) AWARDS & GRANTS
- The Goldwater Scholarship
- International Research and Education in Engineering (IREE) Supplement Opportunity
7) CONFERENCES, FELLOWSHIPS, PROGRAMS & INTERNSHIPS FOR ENGINEERS, and STUDENTS and SCHOLARS OF ENGINEERING
- 2007 Engineering R&D Symposium
- New York Regional Independent Inventors Conference – 12-13 May 2007
8) LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES
-
Track IEEE-USA's Progress
9) U.S. COMPETITIVENESS & INNOVATION: WHO'S DOING WHAT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE?
10) OTHER ITEMS OF POSSIBLE INTEREST
- Bless the Engineers…and the Boy Scouts
1) CAPITOL HILL WATCH
24 APR: As part of the recent push to boost U.S. competitiveness, the full House passed two Science and Technology Committee bills aimed at advancing our position in the global economy. The two bills, H.R. 362 (10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act) and H.R. 363 (Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act), both passed with broad bipartisan support.
H.R. 362 authorizes $1.5 billion through FY 2012 and provides $664 million in scholarships for math and science majors who commit to teaching those subjects in "high-need" schools for a period of time, thereby increasing the number of high-quality primary and secondary science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education teachers. The bill is designed to attract new teachers and strengthen education in the U.S. to ensure that the U.S. workforce can compete globally in high-tech industries.
H.R. 363 authorizes more research grants through 2012 for scientists at the start of their careers and creates an office to track federal research programs. The bill requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to allocate at least 3.5 percent of its research money to young-scientist programs. The intent is to support high-risk research, young researchers, and research infrastructure in the U.S. to ensure that the next generation of high-tech industries and products are developed in the U.S. The bill also authorizes an existing NSF program that helps fund young faculty in which NSF provides grants to help researchers establish a lab and pursue risky research in emerging fields.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the bills are part of a new focus on moving legislation that, "asserts our global economic leadership," and creates new business opportunities and jobs. "We cannot innovate without the investment in education, in science and technology," Pelosi said. "To meet the challenges of today and to create the jobs and economic security of tomorrow, the time to act is now."
The Innovation Agenda "will help spur the next generation of discovery and invention. [We] will continue throughout the 110th Congress to move forward on legislation that asserts our global economic leadership, creates new business ventures and jobs, and gives future generations increased opportunity to achieve the American Dream," stated Pelosi in a press release.
"It is important that our nation continues to lead the world in technological innovation," said Science and Technology Committee ranking member Ralph Hall (R-TX). "Americans understand that if we are to become energy independent we will need solutions that promote clean, affordable, and reliable American energy resources. That is why we introduced this competitiveness agenda and that is why I continue to support this initiative."
Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), the ranking member on the Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Research and Science Education praised passage of the bills, saying, "These bills represent a substantial commitment to expanding our ability to remain globally competitive by bolstering U.S. research and educational capacity."
"These grants will encourage scientists and engineers in the early stage of their academic careers to establish innovative lines of research," said Committee member Mike McCaul (R-TX). "This approach continues the successful model of partnership between the federal government and American Universities."
The House drafted both bills using recommendations from the 2005 National Academy of Sciences' report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which outlined America's relative decline in the STEM fields when compared with other nations that are investing generously in STEM education and basic research.
On the following day, the House Committee on Science and Technology passed two additional pieces of legislation aimed at increasing U.S. competitiveness: H.R. 1867 (National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2007) and H.R. 1868 (Technology Innovation and Manufacturing Stimulation Act of 2007).
H.R 1867 authorizes funding the NSF through FY 2010, and provides funding authorizations for new programs such as a pilot program of grants for young investigators to stimulate higher-risk research. The bill also contains provisions to encourage NSF to foster relationships between NSF, academia and industry, in order facilitate the transfer of basic research into commercialization. H.R. 1867 also increases funding for NSF education programs such as those created by H.R. 362, the 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Math and Science Scholarship Act.
H.R. 1868 funds the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through 2010, and authorizes increased funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a public-private partnership aimed at stimulating new manufacturing processes and technologies in the private sector. The bill also provides funding for the Technology Innovation Program (TIP), a remodeled version of the Advanced Technology Partnership (ATP), which the President eliminated his budget request. TIP funds high-risk technology development, focusing on small and medium-sized companies. Read other Members' statements on the Innovation Agenda:
Statement from Chairman George Miller: http://www.house.gov/georgemiller/rel042407.html
Statement from Chairman Gordon: http://www.science.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1789
- Other Tech-Related Bills in the 110th Congress
- S. 1114, expands the authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and reiterates FISA as the sole authority to permit domestic electronic surveillance
- H.R. 1908 and S. 1145, long-awaited companion measures to overhaul the nation's patent system
- H.R. 1930, reforms to the visa system for highly educated workers
- H.R. 1928, calls for an NSF report on the under-representation of certain groups in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
- H.R. 1952, which would create a national health information infrastructure and increase tax deductions for the purchase of qualified healthcare technology by medical providers
- H.R. 1863, which would initiate a two-year program to test a mobile processing unit to perform certain services of the Veterans Affairs Department
- H.R. 1864, which would mandate the automated processing of veterans' disability compensation claims
- H.R. 1893, requires the inclusion of warning labels on Internet and catalogue advertising of certain toys and games
- S. 1124 establishes a national, Internet-accessible filing system for federal tax liens
- S. 1133, excludes any electronically filed tax returns resulting in tax refunds distributed by refund anticipation loans from being counted toward congressionally mandated electronic-filing goals
- H.R. 1891, promotes the development of disaster plans that consider citizen input
- H. Res. 314, supports the goals of World Intellectual Property Day.
2) WHITE HOUSE & EXECUTIVE AGENCY WATCH
- ATP Announces Competition in Support of High-Risk R&D Projects
Approximately $60 million is expected to be available under a new Advanced Technology Program (ATP) competition to support high-risk industrial R&D projects. Part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the ATP offers funding for specific research projects by individual companies or industry-led joint ventures to accelerate the development of innovative technologies. Multiyear awards are made on a cost-shared basis for technically challenging, high-risk research that has the potential for broad national benefit. The ATP encourages path-breaking research on emerging or enabling technologies that lead to revolutionary new products and industrial processes and services that address national priorities and generate large societal benefits.
A single company can receive a total of up to $2 million for R&D activities over a three-year period. For single-company recipients, ATP funds may only be used to pay direct costs. A joint venture can receive funds for R&D activities for up to five years, with no funding limitation other than available funds.
Projects are selected in a competitive, peer-reviewed process. For more information, visit: http://www.atp.nist.gov/atp/helpful.htm.
- Administration Issues Statement Objecting to a Senate Bill Advancing Competitiveness
25APR: As the House was passing its innovation and competitiveness bills in April, the Senate was busy passing S. 761 (America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act). In response to passage, the White House Office of Management and Budget issued a policy statement, objecting to the costs of the bill. The full text can be read at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/sap/110-1/s761sap-s.pdf
Excerpts:
"… the Administration shares the goals of S. 761 to ensure the continued economic competitiveness of the United States through research and education and has been encouraged by the bipartisan support for addressing this vital topic. However, the Administration has serious concerns with S. 761 in its current form. The Administration believes that the bill does not prioritize basic research, authorizes excessive and inappropriate spending, and creates unnecessary bureaucracy and education programs."
"The research component of the ACI is a targeted effort to focus increased funding on enhancing physical sciences and engineering research at the three highest-leverage agencies… Unfortunately, the Senate bill creates at least 20 new programs across many agencies that, if enacted, would divert resources from and undermine and delay the priority basic research. The Senate bill would cost over $61 billion over the next four years – about $9 billion more than the President's ACI proposals. The bill conflicts with the Administration's well regarded Research and Development Investment Criteria by diverting funds from critical basic research to commercially-oriented research and other efforts that are less deserving of Federal support."
"The education components of the ACI are targeted toward filling clear and specific gaps in the Federal funding portfolio with programs that will improve the quality of math and science education in the Nation's K-12 schools."
"However, the Administration is disappointed that the bill does not authorize the President's Adjunct Teacher Corps, to encourage math, science, and other professionals to teach in our neediest middle and high schools."
"Also, the Administration is concerned that the bill expands many existing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs that have not been proven effective and creates new STEM education programs that overlap with existing Federal programs."
"In addition to the excessive authorization levels, lack of focus on basic research, and unnecessary new bureaucracy, created by S. 761, the specific provisions of serious concern include the following:
"Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E). …"
"Innovation Acceleration Research. The Administration strongly objects to requiring each Federal science agency to set aside 8 percent of its research and development budget – a new program of over $10 billion of the Federal R&D budget at dozens of agencies – for projects that are "too novel or span too diverse a range of disciplines to fare well in the traditional peer review process."
"Equitable Distribution of New Funds. The Administration strongly objects to a requirement specifying particular funding increases for Education and Human Resources (EHR) activities at NSF."
"Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology. The Administration believes that additional resources provided to NIST should focus on existing internal innovation-enabling research activities and strongly objects to creating new programs that would drain resources from such activities."
"Specialty Schools for Mathematics and Science."
"Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes. The Administration strongly objects to using DOE funds to support State and local economic development activities."
"Experiential-Based Learning Opportunities. The Administration objects to creating new K-12 education programs unless the need is clear and compelling, which is not the case for this program."
"Federal Information and Communications Technology Research. The Administration objects to the creation of a new program specifically aimed at "enhancing or facilitating the availability and affordability of advanced communications services."
"National Laboratories Centers of Excellence. The Administration objects to the use of DOE funds to establish Centers of Excellence at K-12 schools."
"Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The purpose of the EPSCoR program is to build research capacity; it is not an education program."
"Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. NSF's Robert Noyce scholarship program is too new to have been evaluated for its impact on improving the efficacy or retention of teachers who are program graduates."
"NASA Funding for Basic Science and Research and Aeronautics Research Institute. The Administration objects to the redirection of unobligated balances from existing NASA programs, because it would disrupt funding for ongoing activities."
"Constitutional Concerns."
3) REPORTS, SPEECHES & DOCUMENTS OF NOTE
- Expanding the R&D Tax Credit
In the last decade many nations have made innovation-led economic development a centerpiece of their national economic strategies. However, since the late 1980s, the U.S. has fallen from 1st to 17th among OECD nations in terms of providing the most generous tax treatment of R&D. A new paper by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, "Expanding the R&D Tax Credit to Drive Innovation, Competitiveness and Prosperity," argues that as a result, addressing America's competitiveness challenge will require policies that do more than boost the supply of innovation resources. Author Robert Atkinson calls on Congress to significantly expand the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit. Other suggestions include: make the R&D tax credit permanent, double the rate of the regular credit from 20 percent to 40 percent, expand the Alternative Simplified Credit, create a flat credit for collaborative R&D, allow firms to expense in the first year expenditures on research equipment, and exempt the credit from the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax. Download the paper at: http://www.itif.org/files/ExpandR&D.pdf
George Mason University researcher Richard Florida has garnered a lot of press for developing the concept of the "creative class" – innovative, talented people who use creativity, new ideas, and technology in their daily work. When many people think of the creative class, they think of hip urban areas or high tech hot spots like Silicon Valley. However, the creative class is also a key component of rural America's economy.
A new study finds that while metro areas have a higher proportion of individuals who work in "creative class" occupations, high concentrations of the creative class can also be found in some rural areas, especially those with scenic amenities. The research also shows that non-metro economies with more creative class occupations also perform better. These regions have faster growth rates, as well as higher rates of patent formation and adoption of new manufacturing technologies. Access the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (ERS) study, "The Creative Class: A Key To Rural Growth," by David A. McGranahan and Timothy R. Wojan For an HTML version, visit: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/April07/Features/Creative.htm
4) U.S. COURTS ACTIVITY
No items at this time.
5) US STATES WATCH
No items at this time.
6) AWARDS & GRANTS
- The Goldwater Scholarship
Congress established the Goldwater Scholarship in 1986 in honor of then-Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields, the Goldwater Scholarship is awarded in either a student's sophomore or junior year. It covers tuition, room and board, fees, and books-up to a maximum of $7,500 per year-for each student recipient's remaining period of study. http://www.act.org/goldwater/ The 2008 nomination materials are not yet listed; 2007 winners announced. Information regarding the 2008 competition will be posted by September 1, 2007.
- International Research and Education in Engineering (IREE) Supplement Opportunity
The National Science Foundation (NSF), through the Divisions in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE), announces the International Research and Education in Engineering (IREE) supplement opportunity. The objective of IREE is to provide opportunities for early-career researchers in the U.S. to gain international research experience and perspective, and to enhance U.S. innovation in education and research through closer interaction between U.S. institutions and their foreign counterparts.
Early-career researchers are defined as undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and tenure-track or tenured faculty members who are assistant or associate professors or their equivalent – who are working on current NSF awards.
The IREE offers supplemental funding to current Directorate for Engineering awards in participating divisions. IREE supports medium duration visits of between three to six months by U.S. early career researchers to collaborating institutions/laboratories outside of the U.S. The visits must be related to the objectives of ongoing work in current projects, augmented by evidence of engagement with the cultural activities in the countries visited. Supplement requests must be received at NSF by Tuesday, 29 May 2007, 5 p.m. submitter's local time. For more information: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf07032
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has a service called GrantsNet Express. Each week GrantsNet will provide a listing of science funding opportunities from private foundations and organizations, and new U.S. government grant announcements in the sciences. AAAS will send GrantsNet by e-mail to AAAS member subscribers. The weekly emails will include: — New science funding programs, divided into opportunities for postdocs/graduate students and undergraduates — Submission deadlines for funding opportunities scheduled in the upcoming week — New listings of funding for science-related research.
7) CONFERENCES, FELLOWSHIPS, PROGRAMS & INTERNSHIPS FOR ENGINEERS, and STUDENTS & SCHOLARS OF ENGINEERING
- 2007 Engineering R&D Symposium
Mark your calendar to attend the 5th Annual Engineering R&D Symposium scheduled for
Tuesday, May 8, 2007 in Washington, DC. Join leaders from the engineering community to gain firsthand knowledge of the administration's R&D priorities and the potential impact of the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request on the engineering, science and technology community. Engineers play a critical role in the public policy process, providing expertise and knowledge regarding research and technology issues facing the nation. The symposium will feature representatives from government, industry and academia, who will participate in panel sessions on innovation, U.S. competitiveness, research and development, and the state of the U.S. engineering enterprise. Contact Kathryn Holmes, Director, ASME Government Relations at holmesk@asme.org for additional information.
- New York Regional Independent Inventors Conference – 12-13 May 2007
Top officials from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, successful inventors and entrepreneurs will headline the PTO New York Regional Independent Inventors Conference on May 12th and 13th. The event will be held at the New York Academy of Sciences in New York City.
Registration is open for this two-day event. The $100/person registration fee includes all sessions and presentations, morning and afternoon refreshments and lunch for both days.
For additional information, call the Inventors Assistance Program at 571-272-8850. To register by phone call the National Inventors Hall of Fame at 330-849-6903. To register on-line go to: http://www.invent.org/iic/
8) LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES
Review IEEE-USA's year-to-date progress in working for the IEEE U.S. members at the new IEEE-USA Year-in-Review Web page. Check out what IEEE-USA activities and programs helped the IEEE U.S. members in 2004 at the new IEEE-USA Annual Report online. And find out what's on IEEE-USA's agenda through 2009, with the new, online IEEE-USA Strategic & Operational Plan.
For the IEEE-USA Year-in-Review, go to:
http://www.ieeeusa.org/about/yearinreview.asp
For the IEEE-USA Annual Report, go to:
http://www.ieeeusa.org/about/Annual_Report/2004.pdf
For the IEEE-USA Strategic & Operational Plan, go to:
http://www.ieeeusa.org/volunteers/strategicplan/index.html
Read a full listing of IEEE-USA lobbying activities on our web site at: http://ieeeusa.com/policy/policy/index.html
For more IEEE-USA in the News items, see: http://ieeeusa.org/communications/inthenews/default.asp.
The following is excerpted from an article written by Froma Harrop, a columnist for Creators Syndicate.
"The master plan, it seems, is to move perhaps 40 million high-skill American jobs to other countries. U.S. workers have not been consulted.
"Princeton University economist Alan Blinder predicts that these choice jobs could be lost in a mere decade or two. These involve computer programming, bookkeeping, graphic design and other careers once thought firmly planted in American soil."
"Blinder was taken aback when, sitting in at the business summit in Davos, Switzerland, he heard U.S. executives talk enthusiastically about all the professional jobs they could outsource to lower-wage countries."
"What America can do to stop this is unclear, but it certainly doesn't have to speed up the process through a government program. We refer to the H-1B visa program, which allows educated foreigners to work in the United States, usually for three years. Many in Congress want to nearly double the number of H-1B visas, to 115,000 a year."
"Ron Hira, a professor of public policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology, has studied the dark side of the H-1B program. He notes that the top applicants for visas are outsourcing companies, such as Wipro Technologies of India and Bermuda-based Accenture."
"The companies bring recruits in from, say, India to learn about American business. After three years, the workers go home better able to interact with their U.S. customers."
"In other cases, companies ask their U.S. employees to train H-1B workers who then replace them at lower pay. "This is euphemistically called, 'knowledge transfer,' " said Hira. "I call it, 'knowledge extraction.' "
"Another rap against the program is that it's used to depress the wages of American workers. The program's defenders argue that the law requires companies to pay "the prevailing wage."
But prevailing wage is a legalism, Hira says. It does not translate into market wage."
Read the full article at: http://wwwphp.dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/04/17/20070417-A7-04.html
9) U.S. COMPETITIVENESS & INNOVATION: WHO'S DOING WHAT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE?
- IEEE-USA Resource Web Page
U.S. Competitiveness: The Innovation Challenge - A comprehensive list of reports and activities can be found at http://ieeeusa.org/policy/issues/innovation/index.asp
10) OTHER ITEMS OF POSSIBLE INTEREST
- Bless the Engineers…and the Boy Scouts
Because good news is rare these days, we would like to tell you that Kevin Sterne, a Virginia Tech senior and social chair of the school's IEEE student branch, used his own ingenuity, smarts and Boy Scout training to save his own life during the events that unfolded on his campus on April 16th. IEEE-USA sends its best to Kevin. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire VA Tech community.
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IEEE-USA
Whats New @ IEEE-USAs Eye on Washington highlights important federal legislative and regulatory developments that affect U.S. engineers and their careers. In addition to this biweekly newsletter, subscribers receive legislative bulletins and action alerts on IEEE-USA priority issues, including: retirement security, employment benefits, research & development funding, computers and information policy, immigration reform, intellectual property protection and privacy of health/medical information.
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Copyright © 2007, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Permission granted to copy for personal use or for non-commercial republication with appropriate attribution.
Updated:
01 May 2007
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