IEEE-USA Eye on Washington, No, 7 2010

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Vol. 2010, No. 7 (29 June 2010)

CAPITOL HILL

America COMPETES Reauthorization Passes House

Conyers and Smith Welcome IPEC Report and Urge IPEC Be Given Sufficient Resources

THE WHITE HOUSE

Statement by the President on the New National Space Policy

Presidential Memorandum: Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution

Fact Sheet for National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace

FEDERAL AGENCY ACTIVITY

New FERC Nominees: Moeller, LaFleur

NASA Plays Key Exploration Role In New Administration Space Policy

LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

Meet the IEEE 2010 WISE Interns

IEEE-USA Pleased that Supreme Court's Ruling Preserves Software Patents

IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellow Begins Reporting on Sci-Tech at Voice of America in Washington

U.S. STATES

OCAST Remains A Stand Alone Entity

State R&D Sheets

Maryland Governor Proposes $100 Million for Startup Companies

$75M for Innovation Incentive Fund in Florida Budget

AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS

REPORTS, DOCUMENTS OF NOTE & INFO RESOURCES

Council on Competitiveness Announces U.S. Manufacturing Initiative

CAPITOL HILL

America COMPETES Reauthorization Passes House

After failing twice in the U.S. House of Representatives, the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act passed the House. The bill now moves to the Senate for further action. The final House version includes the full five-year reauthorization and the increases in authorization levels for the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy Office of Science over the next three years - proposals that were removed in previous versions of the bill. COMPETES is expected to be marked up in the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. We had hoped that it would come to the Senate floor before the July 4 recess, but it doesn't appear likely to happen. Read the House committee press release.

Conyers and Smith Welcome IPEC Report and Urge IPEC Be Given Sufficient Resources

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued a statement in support of the recently released 2010 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement released by the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (“IPEC”), Victoria Espinel. The Joint Strategic Plan provides a much-needed blueprint for making federal prosecution and deterrence of intellectual property crime more effective and efficient.

"With the passage of the 2008 Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property (PRO-IP) Act, Congress created the IPEC position to serve as a key intellectual property policy advisor within the administration.

IP-intensive industries are crucial to American economic growth. Counterfeits of U.S. goods replace legitimate exports and cost American jobs. Counterfeited products, from toothpaste to toys, pose grave health and safety threats to consumers. We hope that the IPEC will be given the resources and interdepartmental coordination required to implement this important plan in a manner consistent with the IPEC’s mandate.

IPEC Espinel has included policy recommendations to Congress and with due regard for her policy expertise, we will closely consider them. We remain committed to fulfilling the promise of the PRO-IP Act, protecting consumers and stopping the theft of American technology, creativity and goods."

THE WHITE HOUSE

Statement by the President on the New National Space Policy

"Over the past fifty years, America has led the world in space exploration, broadening humanity’s horizons and our understanding of the universe. And our achievements have in turn led to incredible technological advances that have improved our lives and transformed our economy. We can point to satellites orbiting hundreds of miles overhead that can identify our location within inches, or communications systems that allow information to flow around the world as never before. In part, what has made this progress possible was a commitment by our nation to scientific discovery and technological innovation, and an unyielding faith in the future – even during difficult times." FACT SHEET. See NASA's response.

Presidential Memorandum: Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution

America's future competitiveness and global technology leadership depend, in part, upon the availability of additional spectrum. The world is going wireless, and we must not fall behind. The resurgence of American productivity growth that started in the 1990s largely reflects investments by American companies, the public sector, and citizens in the new communications technologies that are what we know today as the Internet. The Internet, as vital infrastructure, has become central to the daily economic life of almost every American by creating unprecedented opportunities for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs. We are now beginning the next transformation in information technology: the wireless broadband revolution. FACT SHEET

Fact Sheet for National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace FACT SHEET

FEDERAL AGENCY ACTIVITY

New FERC Nominees: Moeller, LaFleur

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Philip Moeller and Cheryl LaFleur as commissioners to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Commissioner Philip Moeller will be serving his second term as a member of FERC. He joined the Commission in July 2006, and his new term expires in 2015. Commissioner Moeller's energy policy experience is broad: he served as an energy policy advisor to U.S. Senator Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) where he worked on electricity policy, electric system reliability, hydropower, energy efficiency, nuclear waste, energy and water appropriations and other energy legislation. He also was Staff Coordinator for the Washington State Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications, where he was responsible for a wide range of policy areas that included energy, telecommunications, conservation, water, and nuclear waste. Prior to his term at FERC, Commissioner Moeller headed the Washington, D.C., office of Alliant Energy Corporation, and also worked in the Washington office of Calpine Corporation.

Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur is a new member of the Commission; her term ends in 2014. She has more than 20 years experience as a leader in the electric and natural gas industry. She retired in 2007 as executive vice president and acting CEO of National Grid USA, responsible for the delivery of electricity to 3.4 million customers in the Northeast. Her previous positions at National Grid and its predecessor New England Electric System included COO, president of New England distribution and general counsel. She helped lead the company through the deregulation of energy supply, the transition to performance-based ratemaking, and several mergers. She was also responsible for leading award-winning conservation and demand response programs for customers. She practiced law in Boston earlier in her career, and has been a community and nonprofit leader.

NASA Plays Key Exploration Role In New Administration Space Policy

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued the following statement today regarding President Obama's new National Space Policy:

"NASA is pleased to be an integral part of President Obama's National Space Policy. NASA's new direction, announced as part of the fiscal year 2011 budget, is embodied in the new National Space Policy.

"NASA has a key role in achieving the goals defined in the new policy. We are committed to working with other agencies, industry, and international partners to achieve national goals in exploration - human and robotic - and technology development that will ensure a robust future for the U.S. and our friends around the world." Complete press release.

LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

IEEE-USA In The News

Recent IEEE-USA Letters to Congress & Administration

Public Policy Priority Issues (111th Congress, 2nd Session, 2010)
Public Policy Position Statements on issues deemed to be of concern to or affecting IEEE's U.S. members. The statements 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.

Meet the IEEE 2010 WISE Interns - Kristie Chin, a Brown University senior with dual civil engineering and architectural studies degrees; and Levi Lyons, a University of Kansas junior majoring in electrical engineering and accounting.

IEEE-USA Pleased that Supreme Court's Ruling Preserves Software Patents

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 this week that a new method of doing business can be patented, and that the ability to patent software should not be limited. In Bilski v. Kappos, the high court ruled that passing the "machine or transformation" test is not the sole test for determining whether a business process is patentable. Abstract ideas, however, cannot be patented. IEEE-USA was party to an amici curiae brief filed with the court.

"We are generally pleased that the Supreme Court did not introduce rules that would limit the scope of ideas available for patent protection in our current information age," IEEE-USA Intellectual Property Committee Chair Keith Grzelak said. "We are disappointed, however, that the court's decision did not provide a clearer standard for determination of patentability. The court cited a trilogy of cases that basically say patents should not be granted for abstract ideas. By ruling that Bilski's business method was too abstract, the Supreme Court essentially provided lower federal courts a you'll-know-it-when-you-see-it legal standard to follow.

"Applicants attempting to protect business methods will now be left to guess what is and is not abstract. Inconsistent determination by patent examiners and courts could lead to years of costly litigation, something we warned against in our brief."

Bernard Bilksi and Rand Warsaw, petitioners in the case, attempted in 1997 to patent a hedging system to protect consumers and utilities from major swings in energy prices and demand. The U.S. Patent Office denied the application and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision. Associate Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, called Bilski and Warsaw's system an "unpatentable abstract idea."

IEEE-USA seeks to ensure that U.S. patent and copyright law promotes the progress of science and the useful arts consistent with the principles set forth by our nation's founders.

IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellow Begins Reporting on Sci-Tech at Voice of America in Washington

IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellow Smitha Raghunathan has begun her 10-week media internship preparing news stories on science, engineering and technology in Washington at the Voice of America. Raghunathan has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is currently pursuing her master's degree in biomedical engineering from the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences. She served this past year as social chair of Wake Forest's IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society student branch.

Raghunathan has "a natural gift for communication and social interaction," wrote Dr. Jessica Sparks, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech-Wake Forest, in her recommendation letter for her student's Mass Media Fellow application. Shehas spoken on her graduate research into liver tissue modeling as a volunteer at high schools near Winston-Salem, N.C. She also volunteers at an animal adoption and rescue organization.

Since 2000, 13 U.S. IEEE undergraduate and graduate students have served as IEEE-USA Mass Media Fellows, helping journalists in print and broadcast fields communicate authoritatively to the public about science, engineering and technology. IEEE-USA is the only engineering organization in the Mass Media Fellows program, which is administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In 2009, 12 AAAS Fellows produced more than 285 original sci-tech stories in print and broadcast media.

New IEEE-USA E-Books Available - Four new E-Books have been added to IEEE-USA's E-Book catalog, including the 2009 IEEE-USA Salary & Fringe Benefits Survey, the 2009 Profile of IEEE Consultants and two new GovDocs.

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.

U.S. STATES

OCAST Remains A Stand Alone Entity

The Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) will remain a stand-alone entity after a proposal by Gov. Brad Henry to consolidate the agency within the Department of Commerce failed to win legislative approval. OCAST provides funding and resources to help businesses develop and commercialize technologies. The agency is slated to receive $19.15 million in FY11, a 6 percent reduction from the previous year.

In a separate bill, the Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund, which provides seed and start-up stage equity financing to small, technology-based Oklahoma companies, would receive $4.3 million from the OCAST appropriation. The fund is managed by i2E under contract to OCAST. The Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority is slated to receive $424,289 in FY11, down from $493,215 approved for the authority last year.

A proposal floated by Gov. Henry to create a permanent funding source for the Oklahoma Economic Development Generating Excellence (EDGE) initiative was not included in legislation this session. The FY11 budget approved by the legislature fills a $1.2 billion shortfall through agency cuts, reserve and stimulus funds, and cost recovery methods such as expedited tax collections and a moratorium on tax credits, according to the governor's office. Under the agreement, $6.7 billion in general revenue is appropriated to state agencies and programs, a 7.6 percent reduction from the FY10 budget. Gov. Henry is expected to take action on the bills June 12. Appropriation bills SB 1561 and SB 1425 are available online.

State R&D Sheets

The State R&D Sheets for 2010 are now available. IEEE-USA, along with ACS, MRS, and SPIE, sponsor development of the data and pages which is handled by ASTRA. They may be helpful to your committees and other activities. To access, visit
http://www.usinnovation.org/state/state_rd_list.asp

Maryland Governor Proposes $100 Million for Startup Companies

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley recently announced a new effort to direct $100 million to public and private venture capital investors. The InvestMaryland program would offer insurance companies tax credits to generate the funds, which would either be invested directly in startup companies or in private venture firms. Governor O'Malley's current proposal would provide $50 million to the Maryland Venture Fund and the other $50 million to venture capital firms. The state's Department of Business and Economic Development plans to work with legislators, businesses and universities to draft a bill for next year's legislative session.

Maryland, like much of the country, has experienced a significant decline in venture capital (VC) investment since the beginning of the current recession. Venture firms across the country invested $17.8 billion last year, 41.5 percent less than in 2007, according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Moneytree Survey. Maryland, experienced a larger relative decline than the country as a whole, sliding from $602 million to $284 million, a 52.8 percent decrease. In his announcement, Gov. O'Malley noted that venture investment is particularly important in the life sciences, in which research and commercialization can take years, requiring reliable sources of sustained capital. The InvestMaryland program would be of particular benefit to the life sciences sector, which continues to struggle with capital availability, according to the governor.

The Maryland Venture Fund was created in 1997 and has invested $51 million in more than 200 companies. Under the funds guidelines, companies with no more than 25 employees and less than $1 million in revenues may receive initial investments of up to $100,000. Approximately 60 percent of the fund is invested in software, communications, and IT security companies, and the other 40 percent is invested in life sciences companies in the areas of therapeutics, medical devices, and diagnostics. In recent years, however, the fund has been depleted as the recession has hit both the state budget and its portfolio companies. The $50 million boost included for the program in the governor's proposal would help the fund continue investing in seed- and early-stage high-tech startups. The remaining $50 million would be available in invest through private venture capital firms. Though the details have not yet been set, the governor said the funding would be invested in Maryland-based VC firms to provide capital for Maryland-based tech businesses.

$75M for Innovation Incentive Fund in Florida Budget

Florida's FY11 budget, signed into law last month by Gov. Charlie Crist, replenishes the Innovation Incentive Fund with $75 million. The recruitment fund was immediately tapped by lawmakers for $50 million toward enticing Maine's Jackson Laboratory to open a branch in Collier County, leaving $25 million for other major R&D projects and create high wage jobs throughout Florida. The state has promised the Jackson Lab project an additional $80 million over the next three years if developed. The $75 million FY11 appropriation for the Innovation Incentive Fund is contingent upon passage of increased federal Medicaid funds to the states, however.

Established in 2006, the Fund is responsible for attracting some of the most recognizable life sciences institutions, including the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, SRI International, and the Max Plank Society. The newest recruit, Maine-based Jackson Labs, specializes in genetics research. A 14,000-square-foot research institute that could break ground as early as fall is planned for the Florida branch, reports Marco Eagle.

In addition to a Jobs Bill approved by the legislature earlier in the session, the FY11 budget allocates the following funds for tech-based economic development initiatives:

$31.2 million for space initiatives, including $3.9 million for SpaceFlorida operations (up from $3.8 million approved last year), $11 million for launch complexes and space transportation facilities; $10 million for financing, business development and infrastructure; $3.2 million for retraining workers; and $3 million for business development and recruitment;

$11.1 million in total funds ($6.2 million in general funds) for Enterprise Florida, down slightly from $11.4 million approved last year;

$3 million for the Institute for Commercialization of Public Research to provide funding to assist in the commercialization of product development from the R&D activities of small businesses; and,

$2 million for the Economic Gardening Technical Assistance Pilot Program to provide grants to local and regional organizations seeking to implement or expand local economic gardening projects.

A total $42.2 million from the Biomedical Research Trust Fund is appropriated for two Florida Biomedical Research programs administered by the Florida Department of Health. The James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program will receive $22.2 million and the Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research Program will receive $20 million. The budget also includes $16.5 million for the Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund program and the Qualified Defense Contractors Tax Refund program. Both programs assist companies that create high-tech jobs.

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

Top 8 Scholarships for Girls in Science

Top 8 summer internships and programs for women in science/technology

National Science Foundation Recent opportunities include:

Conferences and Workshops in the Mathematical Sciences - Conferences, workshops, and related events (including seasonal schools and international travel by groups) support research and training activities of the mathematical sciences community. Proposals for conferences, workshops, or conference-like activities may request funding of any amount and for durations of up to three years. Proposals under this solicitation must be submitted to the appropriate DMS programs at the deadline specified on the program webpage. Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant. Estimated Number of Awards: 10 to 100 Number of awards depends on funding available to disciplinary programs. Anticipated Funding Amount: $200,000 to $4,000,000 Up to $4,000,000 per year, pending availability of funds. Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):Proposals Accepted Anytime. However, proposals must be submitted in accordance with the due date for the appropriate disciplinary program.

Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings: Informal Science Education (ISE) Program Solicitation (NSF 10-565) - The ISE program supports innovation in anywhere, anytime, lifelong learning, through investments in research, development, infrastructure, and capacity-building for STEM learning outside formal school settings. Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): July 22, 2010, except CRPA proposals (which do not require preliminary proposals) Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): December 07, 2010 except CRPA proposals (which do not have deadlines)

Directorate for Biological Sciences; Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education; Directorate for Geosciences; Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences; Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences; Office of Polar Programs; Office of International Science and Engineering; and Office of Cyberinfrastructure: Research Coordination Networks (RCN) Program Solicitation ( NSF 10-566) - The goal of this program is to advance a field or create new directions in research or education. Innovative ideas for implementing novel networking strategies are especially encouraged. Groups of investigators will be supported to communicate and coordinate their research, training and educational activities across disciplinary, organizational, geographic and international boundaries. Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): August 18, 2010 (for more specific deadlines, please visit the web site.

Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) – Phase IB Option - The Phase IB supplement will award research supplements to active SBIR/STTR Phase I grantees that are currently conducting Phase I SBIR/STTR research projects. This supplement opportunity is intended to further SBIR/STTR Phase I research and attract third party investment from industrial partners, venture capitalists, angel investors, and State and Federal governments. Deadline Dates: There are two deadline dates for Phase IB supplemental requests, October 15th and/or April 15th. Note -- Eligible SBIR Phase I grantees have one option to submit a Phase IB supplement request. In the case of STTR Phase I grantees, they also have one option but two potential submission dates.

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.

REPORTS, DOCUMENTS OF NOTE & INFO RESOURCE

Council on Competitiveness Announces U.S. Manufacturing Initiative

The Council on Competitiveness announced a new initiative to enhance U.S. competitiveness through the manufacturing sector. The initiative will be led by chief executives from industry, academia, national laboratories and organized labor. The complete survey results full can be accessed at http://www.deloitte.com/globalcompetitiveness.

National Science Foundation

New Data on U.S. Industry's Global R&D: An NSF Webcast: National Science Foundation releases first data from new Business Research & Development and Innovation survey

Data Show Increase in First-Time Science and Engineering Graduate Students: In 2008, there were more students enrolled in U.S. science and engineering (S&E) graduate programs than in the previous year. New data show graduate enrollment in S&E programs grew 2.5 percent over comparable data for 2007. Noteworthy was the 7.8 percent increase in first-time, full-time enrollments of S&E graduate students, and the increase occurred across all S&E fields.NSF's Division of Science Resources Statistics released the data in an InfoBrief posted on the federal agency's website. The survey, the 2008 Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS), was cosponsored by NSF and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Government Accountability Office

Environmental Satellites: Planning Required to Mitigate Near-term Risks and Ensure Long-term Continuity GAO-10-858T
June 29, 2010 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 20 pages)

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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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