What's New @ IEEE-USA -
Eye On Washington
Vol. 2007, No. 1 (1 February 2008)
1)
CAPITOL HILL WATCH
- Significant Anniversaries at a Time When Congress Seems to be Unsure of How to Strengthen Our Future
2) WHITE HOUSE & EXECUTIVE AGENCY WATCH
- Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before (Science Funding Facing Peril)
- 2008 State of the Union: A Reinforcement of 2006 ACI Goals
- National Science Foundation to Host Annual Budget Request Rollout & Open
House on February 4th
3) REPORTS, SPEECHES &
DOCUMENTS OF NOTE
- BIO Study Finds Lack of Evidence to Support Sped-Up, Exclusionary Efforts to Reform Patent Law
- Study Shows China as World Technology Leader
- New Tools to Measure Innovation
- NSF's Science Resources Statistics division Report Provides Indicators About Future S&E Workforce: Foreign Science and Engineering Graduate Students Returning to U.S. Colleges
4) U.S. COURTS ACTIVITY
5) U.S. STATES WATCH
6) AWARDS & GRANTS
7) CONFERENCES, FELLOWSHIPS, PROGRAMS & INTERNSHIPS FOR ENGINEERS, and STUDENTS and SCHOLARS OF ENGINEERING
- IEEE-USA Government Fellowships: Linking Engineers With Government
8) LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES
9) OTHER ITEMS OF POSSIBLE INTEREST
- IEEE-Backed "Design Squad' to be Featured on 'Jeopardy!' TV Game Show
1) CAPITOL HILL WATCH
- Significant Anniversaries at a Time When Congress Seems to be Unsure of How to Strengthen Our Future
31 JAN: Today is the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first U.S. satellite – Explorer I – and the dawn of the U.S. space program. The House Committee on Science and Technology marked the anniversary by introducing a U.S. House Resolution remembering the landmark and the remarkable advances of the U.S. space program.
 2008 also marks the 50th anniversary of the House Committee on Science & Technology itself .
Originally established as a select committee
on 5 March 1958 to respond to
the October 1957 Soviet Sputnik satellite launch, Congress moved the Committee to a standing body on
July 21st. The committee's members
vow to mark the milestone all year by continuing
to address the emerging challenges
facing the U.S. The Committee is also working to produce an historical
record of the past 50 years of its work.
Explorer Team: William Pickering, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
James Van Allen, Univ. of Iowa physicist, directed design & creation of Explorer's instruments;
Wernher von Braun,
head of the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency team
Initially the Committee was focused
on space exploration, but over time
the jurisdiction expanded to include almost all nondefense
federal scientific R&D. Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) noted, "We must embrace
the American Spirit of innovation if we are to protect
U.S. global competitiveness, invest in math and
science education, advance the development of energy
technologies, address the threats of climate change,
embrace the opportunities presented by nanotechnology,
better protect our homeland, and ensure the continued
success of all of NASA's missions. Each of these
areas will take center stage on our agenda."
We welcome the commitment, but will it happen? Read on.
2) WHITE HOUSE & EXECUTIVE AGENCY WATCH
- Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before
30 JAN: Dr. Raymond L. Orbach,
Under Secretary for Science,
U.S. Department of Energy delivered a speech at the
Universities Research Association in
Washington, in which he said, "we are now at a perilous moment in the history of funding for science in the United States." He went on to reiterate the same cries we've heard during the last couple of budget cycles that nonexistent congressional funding for the sciences will have dire consequences for the United States. The US budget process begins every year with the president's State of the Union address and is completed when he signs the appropriations bills. Read Orbach's full speech here: http://www.er.doe.gov/News_Information/speeches/speeches/08/SC08.htm
- 2008 State of the Union: A Reinforcement of 2006 ACI Goals
During the 2008 State of the Union address, the president proposed his R&D budget and once again asked Congress to double funding
at key science agencies as part of the American Competitiveness
Initiative. The president signed legislation in August authorizing the funds needed to fulfill
ACI goals, but
Congress failed to actually appropriate the money during the FY 2008 budget cycle.
The cause and
effect of not providing the funding necessary to keep an innovation economy health? Cutbacks to science programs will
leave scientists at the national laboratories without jobs and
prompt the furlough of many others. Students will become wary of majoring in mathematics and science. We will have no new "Sputnik moments" or life altering inventions such as the Internet.
Lobbyists are using the current debate over an economic stimulus package to try and restore the funds. But Congress has thus far stuck to promises not
to load the bill with long-term repairs for the economy.
There are a couple of bright spots 'though. A Defense Department
supplemental funding bill is expected to move in March. In it are proposals to fund $150 million that the United States pledged to the international fusion research project known as ITER that is
now under construction in France (IEEE-USA Government Fellows Committee Chairman Ned Sauthoff serves as the US representative to the ITER project); $50 million to keep the International
Linear Collider alive, and $150 million to keep staff and equipment to
run the Department of Energy's synchrotron light-source facilities. Pharmaceutical companies and computer chip makers use the
synchrotron equipment to check products. But with existing backups for
time on the machines, there are worries that industry will take their
research overseas and scientists will move if the U.S. labs are closed
for a year.
Support to restore at least $100 million in ITER funding is gaining traction. Going back on our signed agreement to fund ITER would not only result in a
damaged reputation for the U.S., we face a $500 million penalty. IEEE-USA sent a letter Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) , Chair of the House Appropriations Committee's Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, expressing our concern that ITER received no funding in FY 2008 appropriations calling for continuation of our state commitment to the ITER project.
- National Science Foundation to Host Annual Budget Request Rollout & Open
House on February 4th
Looking for a reason to play hookey from work on Monday? The National Science Foundation (NSF) will hold its annual budget request
rollout event and open house on 4 February 2008, at its headquarters at 4201
Wilson Blvd, Arlington, Va (Ballson Metro if you're in the DC area) .
The 3:30 p.m. rollout event, consisting of a briefing by NSF Director Arden
Bement followed by break-out sessions for each NSF directorate, will
provide details about the amount of funding the administration is seeking
from Congress for NSF in fiscal year 2009. Senior NSF leaders will discuss funding requests for major scientific
research programs and projects and will be available to members of the news
media for interviews.
NSF will also host an open house from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the same
location. The open house will feature demonstrations of NSF-sponsored
research, showcasing several fascinating, interactive exhibits and displays
to include, but not limited to:
PIRE: Humanoids -- Two-legged robots engineered to mimic human form and
function. This international partnership between the United States and
Korea envisions a future where robots interact with people and assist in
everyday chores. Such a vision demands advancing artificial intelligence
and information technologies on robots.
IceCube Project -- See a Digital Optical module like those deployed over
1400 meters deep below the South Pole to detect neutrino events. Visitors
can try on the cold weather gear that scientists wear at the South Pole and
see an interactive display of real events detected by IceCube using
computer monitors.
How Do They Do It? Animal Movements Lead to Advances in Technology -- A
live chameleon and toad demonstrate their extremely rapid prey capture
movements. Animal studies lead to a novel muscle function model that may
revolutionize the field of muscle physiology, influence the design of
prostheses, and improve the efficiency of electric motors.
Thrill to Drill in the Chill -- See sample sediment and rock cores. This is
an illustration of work conducted by a team of scientists, who will drill a
meteorite impact lake called El'gygytgyn Crater Lake in north eastern
Russia in 2009 to recover a continuous 3.6 million-year-long record of
Arctic climate change.
3) REPORTS, SPEECHES & DOCUMENTS OF NOTE
- BIO Study Finds Lack of Evidence to Support Sped-Up, Exclusionary Efforts to Reform Patent Law
31 JAN: The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) released a study by University of Virginia researchers, finding that the reports often cited as justification for a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. patent system lack any empirical data to support the claims that have alleged over-patenting and poor quality patents are hampering innovation and successful commercialization of inventions.
"BIO continues to support consensus-oriented approaches to patent reform that would truly improve the U.S. patent system," stated BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood. "However, this study demonstrates that draconian measures that would fundamentally weaken patents for the benefit of a handful of industries to the detriment of many others are simply not justified by an objective review of the facts."
The study, entitled "Proposed Patent Reform Legislation: Limitations of Empirical Data Used to Inform the Public Policy Debate," analyzed reports on patent reform produced by the Federal Trade Commission, and the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council.
The new study found that, contrary to the assertions of the industry proponents of the pending patent reform legislation, the evidence contained in these reports actually demonstrates that the current patent system is working well to promote innovation. The study states that the reports relied upon conjecture, anecdotes and individual publicized cases rather than upon empirical data supporting the underlying premise of bad quality patents.
The study also examined how several recent court cases have addressed some of the concerns and recommendations contained in the reports, further undermining the need for sweeping legislative changes to the U.S. patent system.
"While certain reform measures could improve the U.S. patent system, it remains the best in the world at promoting and rewarding innovation," stated Greenwood. "This study reinforces our continuing request of Congress: when it comes to patent reform, tread carefully and first, do no harm." The study is available at http://bio.org/ip/domestic/UVA_Limitations_of_Empirical_Data.pdf
24 JAN: A new study by the Georgia Institute of Technology shows that China is ahead of the U.S. in technological standing. By studying worldwide indicators of technological competitiveness, GA Tech's report suggests China may soon rival the United States as the principal driver of the world's economy – a position the U.S. has held since the end of World War II. If that happens, it will mark the first time in nearly a century that two nations have competed for leadership as equals. For more information, visit: http://www.gatech.edu/news-room/release.php?id=1682
- New Tools to Measure Innovation
In late 2006, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez announced the creation of a blue ribbon Advisory Committee on Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy. The panel, chaired by Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, was composed of leading business executives and academic experts. The panel was asked to review how the US government tracks and measures innovation and provide recommendations for how measurement systems can do a better job of tracking new forms of innovative activity.
The panel's just-released report based its findings on the working definition of innovation: "The design, invention, development and/or implantation of new or altered products, services, processes, systems, organizational structures, or business models for the purpose of creating new value for customers and financial returns for the firm." This definition helped the Committeefocus their work on measuring the creation of new value, not just something new.
The report includes a series of recommendations for both government and business. Download the January 2008 report of The Advisory Committee on Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy, Innovation Measurement: Tracking the State of Innovation in the American Economy. http://www.innovationmetrics.gov/Innovation%20Measurement%2001-08.pdf
- NSF's Science Resources Statistics division Report Provides Indicators About Future S&E Workforce: Foreign Science and Engineering Graduate Students Returning to U.S. Colleges
Enrollment of first-time, full-time foreign graduate students on temporary visas studying science and engineering (S&E) grew by 16 percent in 2006, following a 4 percent increase in 2005. The increases in the past two years reflect a reversal of the declines in enrollments of new foreign S&E graduate students experienced after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. To see stats, visit: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08302/
4) U.S. COURTS ACTIVITY
No items at this time.
5) US STATES WATCH
No items at this time.
6) AWARDS & GRANTS
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.
- National Science Foundation
For information on
NSF Engineering (ENG) Active Funding Opportunities, visit: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_list.jsp?org=ENG
7) CONFERENCES, FELLOWSHIPS, PROGRAMS & INTERNSHIPS FOR ENGINEERS, and STUDENTS & SCHOLARS OF ENGINEERING
- IEEE-USA Government Fellowships: Linking Engineers With Government
Application information for the 2009 Fellowships is available online: Congressional and Engineering & Diplomacy. The deadline for both is 14 MARCH 2008. When you see your new IEEE-USA president Russ Lefevre, ask him about his 2001 experience as a government fellow in Senator Jay Rockefeller's office.
***Please note, the eligibility requirements and stipend levels have changed for the 2009 fellowship year.
8) LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES
- IEEE-USA Public Policy Priority Issues - 110th Congress, 2d Session (2008)
The updated public policy priorities list is available online at: http://ieeeusa.org/policy/issues/index.html
- IEEE-USA Commends President for Asking Congress to Double Federal Support
for Critical Basic Research
IEEE-USA President Russ Lefevre commended
the president for asking "Congress to double federal support for
critical basic research in the physical sciences" in his 2008 State of the Union.
"We appreciate the president reminding Congress how paramount funding into
basic research is to keeping the United States the world's technology
leader," Lefevre said. "Much of our nation's
economic growth over the past 50 years can be attributed to the fruits of
research by scientists and engineers."
The president also referred to the America Competes Act authorization bill
that he signed into law last August, but was not fully funded by Congress.
The bill supports many of the same initiatives he outlined in his January
2006 American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI).
In his speech, the president said:
"To keep America competitive into the future, we must trust in the skill of
our scientists and engineers and empower them to pursue the breakthroughs
of tomorrow.
"Last year, Congress passed legislation supporting the American
Competitiveness Initiative, but never followed through with the funding.
This funding is essential to keeping our scientific edge.
"So I ask Congress to double federal support for critical basic research in
the physical sciences and ensure America remains the most dynamic nation on
earth."
Both the ACI and the America Competes Act call for a doubling of federal
funding at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy
Office of Science and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
labs.
The America Competes Act also includes significant funding increases for
NSF's Math and Science Partnership Program and the Noyce Teacher
Scholarship Program. The former is designed to make significant improvement
in K-12 math and science education, while the latter strives to encourage
science, technology, engineering and math majors and professionals to
become K-12 science and math teachers.
While serving a 2001 IEEE-USA congressional fellowship as Senator Jay
Rockefeller's (D-W.Va.) science adviser, Lefevre led the Senate effort to
establish the Math and Science Partnership Program and was personally
responsible for inclusion of the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.
"The America Competes Act has the potential to play a critical role in our
nation's economic and technological future," Lefevre said. "We will
continue to lobby Congress to provide full funding for this important
legislation."
- IEEE Life Fellow Becomes IEEE-USA President, Will Work to Enhance U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness
IEEE Life Fellow Dr. Russell Lefevre of Redondo Beach, CA, became IEEE-USA president on New Year's Day, and firmly committed IEEE-USA to working to increase federal investment in basic research and bolstering U.S. innovation and competitiveness in 2008.
"Our overarching goal is to keep the United States the most technologically advanced nation on earth," Lefevre said. "By increasing our nation's investment in high-tech research and development (R&D), we can help bring good, high-paying jobs to the United States. That's why we support and advance programs that foster innovation and unleash the U.S. entrepreneurial spirit."
Lefevre succeeded John Meredith of Colorado Springs, CO. Meredith will serve as IEEE-USA's past president in 2008. Dr. Gordon Day of Boulder, CO, is the the president-elect.
In addition to a greater R&D investment and programs that promote innovation, Lefevre said IEEE-USA will focus on supporting K-12 math and science education to encourage technical literacy and train future technologists; provide serious, career-long continuing education to maintain a competitive U.S. workforce and preserve careers; and offer increased member value in products and services.
For more details, see Lefevre's first president's column at http://www.ieeeusa.org/communications/presidentscolumn/index.html.
As chair of the IEEE Technical Activities Board New Technology Directions Committee, Lefevre has been instrumental in promoting emerging technologies. The committee joined IEEE-USA last year in co-sponsoring symposia on homeland security, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, Internet-based medical information and radio frequency identification (RFID). IEEE RFID 2008 will convene in Las Vegas in April, and the 2008 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security in May.
IEEE-USA is in year three of its strategic plan to help the United States become more competitive in the face of global competition. Lefevre said the association will lobby Congress to fully fund the America Competes Act it authorized last year. IEEE-USA will also continue to work with industry and labor groups to press Congress to reform high-tech immigration. The IEEE-USA Innovation Institute, which began last year, will continue to promote innovation through training and mentoring tomorrow's technology leaders. See http://www.innovation-institute.org/.
Registration is now open for the Science, Engineering, Technology 2008
Congressional Visits Day (CVD)scheduled for March 4 and 5 in Washington, DC.
CVD is sponsored by a coalition of private sector companies, professional
societies, and educational institutions. The objective of the event is
to demonstrate the importance of science, engineering and
technology to our Nation's future growth with Congressional decisionmakers.
Approximately 200 scientists, engineers and technologists from around the
country will meet here in Washington with Members of Congress and the
Administration in a series of briefings and meetings during the two-day event. We are especially
interested in attracting first-time attendees and students this year.
If interested, please register for CVD online at:
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/cvd/2008/CVD2008.pdf
Registration Deadline 20 FEBRUARY 2008
- FYI - Recent IEEE-USA Letters to Congress
29 JAN: Letter to Congressional Appropriators urging restoration of FY 2009 funding for the U.S. contribution to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project.
28 JAN:
Letter by Baltimore & Washington Sections to Maryland House of Delegates urging repeal of new state computer services sales tax.
- Track IEEE-USA's Progress
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
Many newly approved position statements are now available online at:
http://ieeeusa.com/policy/positions/index.html
For more IEEE-USA in the News items, see: http://ieeeusa.org/communications/inthenews/default.asp.
Make sure that you're a part of the solution. Register to vote: http://www.engineeringthevote.org/register.asp
Given the many urgent scientific and technological challenges facing America and the rest of the world, the increasing need for accurate scientific information in political decision making, and the vital role scientific innovation plays in spurring economic growth and competitiveness, NPR calls for a public debate in which the U.S. presidential candidates share their views on the issues of The Environment, Health and Medicine, and Science and Technology Policy. http://sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php
9) OTHER ITEMS OF POSSIBLE INTEREST
- IEEE-Backed "Design Squad' to be Featured on 'Jeopardy!' TV Game Show
On 18 February - as part of "Jeopardy's" Teen Tournament
Week - the NBC TV program "Jeopardy!" will feature a category devoted entirely
to "Design Squad," the reality show for youngsters funded by
the IEEE and other groups. Footage from "Design Squad's" first season will be used to test
contestants' knowledge of basic engineering concepts through a series of questions co-developed by "Design Squad" and "Jeopardy!" producers. Host
Alex Trebek will introduce the category and encourage viewers to find
the program on PBS. The "Design Squad" logo will also be featured as the
category header.
The air date of the "Design Squad" episode is timed to coincide with
National Engineers Week which takes place 17-23 February. The Teen
Tournament series is one of "Jeopardy's" top-rated programs each year; "Jeopardy!" has an average daily viewership of 12,000,000.
"Design Squad" will begin its second season on PBS this April. The IEEE
is continuing its second year of funding support for the program that
features two teams of high-school students led by two young professional
engineers who compete to solve a new engineering challenge each week.
The program also incorporates educational materials distributed in local
communities activities and on a Web site.
Market research provided by WGBH, which produces the program, has shown
that 10- and 11-year-olds who watch "Design Squad" have increased their
understanding of the design process, reconsidered stereotypes about
engineering, and know more about engineering and science concepts. To
view past and current episodes, go to http://pbskids.org/designsquad/.
CONTACT: Pender M. McCarter, Senior Public Relations Counselor,
IEEE-USA, +1 202 530 8353
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IEEE-USA
What's New @ IEEE-USA's 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 February 2008
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