IEEE-USA Eye on Washington No 21

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Vol. 2009, No. 21 (9 December 2009)
125 Years of Innovation and Ingenuity

CAPITOL HILL

SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Moving Forward

Stimulus Money Directed at Small Businesses

THE WHITE HOUSE

President Obama Announces Assistant Secretary for Energy Reliability

FEDERAL AGENCY ACTIVITY

Department of Energy Secretary Chu Announces $100 Million for Advanced Research Projects

REPORTS, DOCUMENTS OF NOTE & INFO RESOURCES

U.S. Share of World Research Community Declines: A report from UNESCO

U.S. STATES

AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS

Department of Energy Announces Fellows Program for Advance Research Energy Projects

California Science & Technology Policy Fellowships

IEEE-USA Government Fellowships

National Science Foundation

LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

WISE 2010 - Seeking FMR Applications

2009 Government Fellow Tom Lee's Copenhagen Diary: Blogging the UN Climate Conference

IEEE Homeland Security Conference Seeks Technical Papers, Posters, Tutorials

IEEE-USA Releases Third E-Book in Innovation Series -- 'Fostering an Innovation Subculture'

CAPITOL HILL

SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Moving Forward

Senate Staff report that progress is being made passing a bill to reauthorize the SBIT and STTR programs. Both the House and Senate have passed versions of the reauthorization bill, but the two versions are not identical. Leaders from both Chambers are meeting this week to iron out their differences. A compromise bill is expected by early next week (Dec. 14th). Once produced, the bill should pass quickly.

The bill (H.R. 2965) will do more than simply continue the SBIR and STTR programs. It will also make significant changes to the programs. One of these will be to make it easier for federal agencies to give SBIT and STTR grants to small businesses that enter into partnerships with federal research labs and/or federal research and development center. This added flexibility should give small technology companies an additional way to qualify for the funds.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program awards grants to small businesses to help with R&D expenses. The Small Business technology Transfer Program (STTR) helps small businesses enter into join research programs with the national labs. Information on both programs can be found at http://www.sbir.gov/index.html.

Stimulus Money Directed at Small Businesses

After months of complaining, Senate and House Leaders have received assurances from several agencies that more stimulus money will be directed at smaller businesses. Passed in February, the Stimulus Bill contained billions of new federal dollars for R&D, infrastructure projects, alternative energy investments and other programs in which IEEE members were interested. However, because they were pushed to spend the new money quickly, most federal agencies were reluctant to divert significant amounts of these funds to small businesses. Agencies that were told to spend $10 billion by the end of 2009 did not have time to focus on relatively small proposals from small businesses. Now they do. Thanks, in part, to prodding by the House and Senate small business committees and complaints from small business owners, a number of federal agencies have reaffirmed their commitment to investing in small businesses. For example, the Department of Energy is in the process of awarding $56 million in stimulus money to small businesses, and expects to spend another $40 million in 2010 for companies in the SBIR and STTR programs. The National Science Foundation had awarded just under $50 million through the SBIR and STTR programs. In both cases, this fulfills the agencies obligation to spend at least 2.8 percent of their R&D funds on small businesses. IEEE-USA will continue to watch this issue and encourage other agencies to follow these examples.

More small business information can be found on the IEEE-USA Entrepreneur's Village.

THE WHITE HOUSE

President Obama Announces Assistant Secretary for Energy Reliability

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Patricia A. Hoffman for the positions of Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Department of Energy. Ms. Hoffman was named Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at the United States Department of Energy in November 2007. The focus of her responsibility is to provide leadership on a national level to modernize the electric grid, enhance the security and reliability of the energy infrastructure and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply both domestically and internationally. Patricia has 14 years of experience at the Energy Department developing and managing technology research programs critical to the electric sector for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability as well as the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. During her tenure, she managed efforts that resulted in the longest demonstration of ceramic components operating in an industrial gas turbine. Additionally, under her leadership, the Department demonstrated the first recuperated, industrial gas turbine for distributed generation applications. Ms. Hoffman holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Ceramic Science and Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University.

Presidential Proclamation - Critical Infrastructure Protection Month

"Critical infrastructure protection is an essential element of a resilient and secure nation. Critical infrastructure are the assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, public health or safety. From water systems to computer networks, power grids to cellular phone towers, risks to critical infrastructure can result from a complex combination of threats and hazards, including terrorist attacks, accidents, and natural disasters. During Critical Infrastructure Protection Month, we pledge to work together to shelter our communities from the harm of uncertain threats."

FEDERAL AGENCY ACTIVITY

Department of Energy Secretary Chu Announces $100 Million for Advanced Research Projects

7 DEC: U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that a second round of funding opportunities for transformational energy research projects that will be made available through the Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). At an event on Monday with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Secretary Chu announced $100 million in Recovery Act funding will be made available to accelerate innovation in green technology, increase America's competitiveness and create jobs. Today's announcement comes in advance of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"I am pleased to announce ARPA-E's second funding opportunity because it demonstrates our commitment to lead the next Industrial Revolution in clean energy technologies, creating thousands of new jobs while helping cut carbon pollution," said Secretary Chu. “This solicitation focuses on three cutting-edge technology areas which could have a transformational impact."

REPORTS, DOCUMENTS OF NOTE & INFO RESOURCES

U.S. Share of World Research Community Declines: A report from UNESCO

A new UNESCO report released in November claims to provide new evidence of the global distribution of science capacity. According to the report, the number of individuals engaged in research worldwide grew from 5.8 million in 2002 to 7.1 million in 2007. As much of this growth was in developing countries, the U.S. share of the total declined from 23.2precent to 20.3 percent. China's share, meanwhile, grew from 14.0 percent to 20.1 percent.As a fraction of each nation's population, however, the U.S. still has more than 4.5 times as many researchers as China. The number of researchers in the developing world grew by a remarkable 56 percent between 2002 and 2007, while those in developed nations rose by 8.6 percent

Several caveats were pointed out by some of your fellow IEEE members who had reservations about the report's findings. One responded by pointing out that the report did not define R&D expenditures, nor did the report mention whether the researchers performed any verification of data. Also, while the report is very specific on percentages and the trend of increased expenditures in other countries might be true, he suspects the official numbers. The conclusion of your fellow members was that it would have been helpful if the report had been more specific about a breakdown of what constitutes R&D and a breakdown of the qualifications/roles covered by numbers (e.g. does it include low level workers, unqualified for their role).

U.S. STATES

Stateline.org If you like to keep up with what's going on in state politics, StateLine.org provides a good overview of the activities in all 50 state legislatures. Stateline.org's annual report on state trends and policy, "State of the States 2009" is now available. The report is full of helpful graphics and maps, in addition to reports on the most significant developments in the 50 states.

AWARDS, FELLOWHIPS & GRANTS

Department of Energy Announces Fellows Program for Advance Research Energy Projects - The Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) announces the creation of the ARPA-E Fellows Program. ARPA-E Director, Dr. Arun Majumdar, made the announcement during a presentation to the MIT Energy Club and called on the next generation of energy leaders to join ARPA-E. The announcement follows US Energy Secretary Steven Chu's announcement that the Department is making $100 million in Recovery Act funding available to accelerate innovation in green technology, increase America's competitiveness and create jobs.

The ARPA-E Fellows Program will consist of highly technical scientists and researchers, who will actively help create the strategic direction and vision of the country's first agency devoted exclusively to transformational energy technology research and development. Fellows will support ARPA-E's Program Directors in program creation, while also undertaking independent explorations of promising future research areas for the agency. Fellows will also engage with world class researchers and innovators to develop theses for high impact ARPA-E research program areas, prepare energy technology and economic analyses, and make recommendations to DOE senior management.

Program participants are expected to have strong technical backgrounds and deep expertise in at least one energy technology related field. Senior Fellows should have more than three years of relevant work experience in energy innovation related fields, while Fellows will represent postdoctoral researchers and recent graduates with less than three years of work experience. Participants will be competitively selected from the best and the brightest up and coming researchers and entrepreneurs in the U.S. energy sector. ARPA-E Fellow terms will not exceed two years. All ARPA-E Fellows and Senior Fellows are full-time federal employees paid at a competitive salary.

California Science & Technology Policy Fellowships - The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2010-2011 California Science and Technology Policy Fellowships based in Sacramento. The S&T Policy Fellowship, a unique one-year professional development opportunity, provides the selected fellows with hands-on experience working with the California Legislature to incorporate science and technology into public policy. Eligible applicants will be PhD-level (or equivalent) scientists and engineers who have a sincere interest in California current events, the state legislative process, and a strong desire to learn how policy decisions are made. Please forward this announcement to any individuals or group listservs that may be interested in this exciting opportunity. Deadline for submission of applications is February 12, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. PST.

2011 IEEE-USA Government Fellowships- Each year, IEEE-USA sponsors three government fellowships for qualified IEEE members. The fellows spend a year in Washington serving as advisers to the U.S. Congress and to key U.S. Department of State decision-makers. Known as either a Congressional Fellowship or an Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowship, this program links engineers with government, providing a mechanism for IEEE's U.S. members to learn firsthand about the public policy process. Application materials now available. Deadline: 15 March 2010

National Science Foundation (http://www.nsf.gov/funding/)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) about the Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grants in Engineering (BRIGE) (NSF 10-010) - SUBMISSION DEADLINES: BRIGE proposals must be submitted via FastLane by 5:00 p.m., proposer's local time, on or before 25 February 2010. The following set of questions and answers refer to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grants in Engineering (BRIGE). Before preparing your BRIGE proposal, please read the BRIGE solicitation, this FAQ document, and refer to the general information about NSF proposal submissions including the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) submission guidelines.

Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation 2010 (EFRI-2010) - The Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation has established the Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) to serve a critical role in focusing on important emerging areas in a timely manner. The EFRI Office is launching a new funding opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of researchers to embark on rapidly advancing frontiers of fundamental engineering research. For this solicitation, we will consider proposals that aim to investigate emerging frontiers in the following two specific research areas: (1) Renewable Energy Storage (RESTOR), and (2) Science in Energy and Environmental Design (SEED): Engineering Sustainable Buildings. This solicitation will be coordinated with NSF Directorates listed above, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EFRI seeks proposals with transformative ideas that represent an opportunity for a significant shift in fundamental engineering knowledge with a strong potential for long term impact on national needs or a grand challenge. Full Proposal Deadline Date: 31 March 2010

Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service (SFS) - A Federal Cyber Service Training and Education Initiative - The SFS program seeks to increase the number of qualified students entering the fields of information assurance and computer security and to increase the capacity of the United States higher education enterprise to continue to produce professionals in these fields to meet the needs of our increasingly technological society. Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): 2 February 2010

Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) - The ITEST program responds to current concerns and projections about the growing demand for professionals and information technology workers in the U.S. and seeks solutions to help ensure the breadth and depth of the STEM workforce. ITEST supports research studies to address questions about how to find solutions. It also supports the development, implementation, testing, and scale-up of implementation models. A large variety of possible approaches to improving the STEM workforce and to building students' capacity to participate in it may be implemented and studied. ITEST projects may include students or teachers, kindergarten through high school age, and any area of the STEM workforce. Projects that explore cyberlearning, specifically learning with cyberinfrastructure tools such as networked computing and communications technologies in K-12 settings, are of special interest. Letter of Intent Deadline Date: January 19, 2010; Full Proposal Deadline Date: February 12, 2010

Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI) - CDI is NSF's bold five-year initiative to create revolutionary science and engineering research outcomes made possible by innovations and advances in computational thinking. Computational thinking is defined comprehensively to encompass computational concepts, methods, models, algorithms, and tools. Applied in challenging science and engineering research and education contexts, computational thinking promises a profound impact on the Nation's ability to generate and apply new knowledge. Collectively, CDI research outcomes are expected to produce paradigm shifts in our understanding of a wide range of science and engineering phenomena and socio-technical innovations that create new wealth and enhance the national quality of life. Anticipated Funding Amount: $36,000,000 - Pending availability of funds, a minimum of $36,000,000 will be available in FY 2010 for proposals submitted in response to this solicitation. Full Proposal Submission Window Date(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): 4 January 2010 - 4 February 2010 (Type I Full Proposal Submission Window); and 5 January 2010 - 5 February 2010 )Type II Full Proposal Submission Window)

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Opportunities - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) (Public Law 111-8) appropriates significant federal funding for technology-related programs in areas identified by IEEE-USA as being of high priority for strengthening the nation's innovation infrastructure and ensuring its long-term economic competitiveness. To stimulate the economy, funds are being distributed as quickly as possible, using existing federal programs as funding outlets where possible. This webpage provides information and links on these funding opportunities as a resource for IEEE members and their companies. Additional information is available on-line at Recovery.Gov. Members should also look to funds distributed through their respective state governments.

AAAS GrantsNet Express - A weekly American Association for the Advancement of Science 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.

Grants.gov - The President's 2002 Fiscal Year Management Agenda established grants.gov as a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs. The site provides access to approximately $400 billion in annual awards. Most agencies, such as the DOE's Office of Science, use only grants.gov to list all funding opportunities. Other funding opportunities of interest include the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and NASA.

AAAS: Communicating Science, Tools for Scientists & Engineers - Scientists and engineers who foster information-sharing and respect between science and the public are essential for the public communication of and engagement with science. Although traditional scientific training typically does not prepare scientists and engineers to be effective communicators outside of academia, funding agencies are increasingly encouraging researchers to extend beyond peer-reviewed publishing and communicate their results directly to the greater public. In response to this need in science communications, the AAAS Center for Public Engagement with Science and Technology has partnered with the National Science Foundation to provide resources for scientists and engineers, both online and through in-person workshops to help researchers communicate more broadly with the public.

Communicating Science online resources include webinars, how-to tips for media interviews, strategies for identifying public outreach opportunities, and more. Additionally, AAAS is providing workshops for scientists and engineers interested in learning more about science communication tools and techniques are now available. The schedule of NSF-sponsored workshops for the 2009-10 academic year has been updated and pre-registration is open. Please contact AAAS if you are interested in hosting a workshop at your institution.

LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

Public Policy Priority Issues (111th Congress, 1st Session, 2009)
Position Statements - The statements identify important technical or engineering career-related aspects of public policy issues deemed to be of concern to or affecting IEEE's U.S. members; and make specific public policy recommendations for the consideration of Congress, the Executive Branch, the Judiciary, representatives of State and Local Government, and other interested groups and individuals, including IEEE members.

WISE 2010

Call for WISE 2010 Faculty-Member-In-Residence - If you are an outstanding faculty member or policy professional, WISE needs you to mentor and teach engineering students about the interaction between S&T and policymaking during the 2010 WISE Program in Washington, DC. (PDF Flyer) The deadline for applications is 31 January 2010.

2009 Government Fellow Tom Lee's Copenhagen Diary: Blogging the UN Climate Conference - 2009 IEEE-USA Government Fellow Thomas Lee is in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Change Conference, and he will be blogging about the latest developments and "filling in the gaps and providing 'color commentary' to what you may see in press coverage."

IEEE Homeland Security Conference Seeks Technical Papers, Posters, Tutorials - Organizers of the 2010 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST 10) are seeking technical papers, posters and tutorials in the following areas:

-- Homeland cyber security
-- Land & maritime border security
-- Attack & disaster preparation, recovery & response
-- Counter-WMD techniques & key resources protection physical security

Accepted papers will be published by IEEE and presented at HST 10 at the Westin Waltham Boston in Waltham, MA, USA, 8-10 November 2010. At least one author of an accepted paper must register for the conference and pay the conference fee.

The event, the 10th in an annual series, will bring together leading researchers and innovators working on technologies designed to deter and prevent homeland attacks, protect critical infrastructures and people, mitigate damage and expedite recovery. Input from international partners is encouraged. Papers should focus on technologies capable of deployment within five years, particularly applied research addressing areas in which breakthroughs are needed. Proposals should be no more than 500 words. Tutorial and poster submissions should include a one-page abstract and one-page biography. The important 2010 submission dates to keep in mind are:

-- Abstract & tutorial proposal deadline: 24 April
-- Tutorial acceptance notification: 10 May
-- Full paper submission deadline: 25 June
-- Paper acceptance notification: 6 August
-- Poster abstract submission deadline: 13 August
-- Poster acceptance notification: 27 August
-- Publication-ready paper deadline: 3 September
-- Tutorial presentation deadline: 3 November

All submissions must describe original work not previously published or currently under review for publication in another conference or journal. Instructions can be found at http://www.ieee.org/portal/cms_docs/pubs/confpubcenter/pdfs/samplems.pdf .

For more information on submitting paper, poster and tutorial proposals, go to http://www.ieee-hst.org/technical_program/cfp/HST_2010_CFP_Nov_24_09.pdf. For general information on the conference, see http://www.ieee-hst.org/.

The IEEE Boston Section is producing HST 10 with organizational support from IEEE-USA. More than 450 people attended the 2009 conference, including representatives from at least 10 foreign countries. The Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate and the DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office are providing technical assistance.

Have an Idea For an IEEE-USA E-Book? - If you've got an idea for an e-book that will educate your fellow IEEE members on a particular topic of expertise, e-mail your e-book queries and ideas to IEEE-USA Publishing Manager Georgia Stelluto.

IEEE-USA Releases Third E-Book in Innovation Series -- 'Fostering an Innovation Subculture' - IEEE-USA has released the third e-book in its innovation series, "Doing Innovation: Creating Economic Value," this one focusing on "Fostering an Innovation Culture." Author Gus Gaynor, a retired 3M director of engineering, writes that this third book "provides the fundamentals for developing a culture that supports innovation." These fundamentals, according to Gaynor, include "finding the right people and providing the freedom to act, but with discipline; implementing effective and supportive management practices; providing the organizational resources and infrastructure; and promoting an organizational attitude that focuses on achieving results." You can purchase your copy of "Doing Innovation: Creating Economic Value – Book 3: Fostering an Innovation Culture" for the IEEE member price: $9.95. The nonmember price is $19.95. IEEE members can purchase other IEEE-USA E-Books at deeply discounted member prices -- and download some free e-books. To purchase IEEE members-only products and to receive the member discount on eligible products, members must log in with their IEEE Web account.

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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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