SSTI Digest

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and lawmakers recently gave the state's Department of Education a substantial boost by increasing the budget for the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) by two-thirds for fiscal year 2008 – a leading example in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.



Historically, Alabama has ranked low in educational attainment compared to the rest of the country. In 2005, Alabama ranked 47th in the nation in percentage of adults age 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree or higher (see the Nov. 27, 2006 Useful Stats table in the Digest). However, last week, Gov. Riley signed into law a record education budget, investing more funding than ever before in Alabama’s history. AMSTI, the Department of Education’s initiative to improve math and science teaching statewide, will receive $35.8 million, a significant increase from the FY07 appropriation of $22 million.



Created in 2002 as a pilot program, the initiative is similar to one of the proposed goals within the America COMPETES Act, introduced in Congress in March. Schools in Alabama become official AMSTI schools by sending all math and science teachers and administrators to summer institutes where they receive extensive math and science training. Teachers must attend the two-week program for two consecutive summers, and upon completion, they are provided with all of the math and science equipment and materials needed to conduct hands-on training in their classrooms.



The program has proved to be a success throughout the state, and the summer institutes have expanded into 10 regions. According to the Alabama Department of Education, students in AMSTI schools scored higher on the Stanford Achievement Test in math, science and reading on the Alabama High School Graduation Exam, compared to schools with similar demographics that did not participate in the program.



The program’s success is now the focus of a study being conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. The study, The Effectiveness of the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative, measures the impact of the program on student achievement over 2006-09.



More information about AMSTI is available at: http://www.amsti.org/

Bill Johnson, formerly the director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, left his position to become the grassroots coordinator of Gov. Bob Riley's re-election campaign. Doni Ingram, who was the agency's assistant director, is now acting director.

The Birmingham News reports Michael Alder, executive director of the Biotechnology Association of Alabama, is leaving to become director of technology finance at Brigham Young University.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced the 13 recipients for one of the most anticipated new federal workforce programs to be launched in several years. The $195 million Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) program attempts to integrate human capital issues of talent and skill development into larger technology-based economic development strategies. While that in itself is seemingly unique for a federal initiative, WIRED also requires regional cooperation that crosses political jurisdictions and traditional organizational missions.

Guin Robinson is the new director of the newly created Talladega office of the Alabama Technology Network.

The bottom line for all regional economic development initiatives should be improving the quality of life for the area's residents. A new report from the Census Bureau — revealing the increased percentage of the U.S. population living in poverty and median household income remaining flat again, after two years of decline — provides a not-too-subtle reminder for the technology-based economic development (TBED) field.

John Shields, president of the Alabama Technology Network since 1996, stepped down June 30. Mike Bailey is the new president.

Encouraging economic growth in rural America is the topic of a recent report, a new $500 million economic development investment program, and an upcoming conference worth further investigation.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced $14.4 million in Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) grants to 27 organizations in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Historically, TOP has been one of the most competitive tech-based economic development grant programs offered by the federal government, and 2004 was no exception – 494 applications were received, requesting $277.1 million.

Convergence Group Formed in Silicon Valley

Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, the lead regional economic development organization for the well known valley, helped announce the formation of the Technology Convergence Consortium. Outlined in Joint Venture's Next Silicon Valley strategic plan, the new group's purpose will be to provide a forum enabling the valley's entrepreneurs to take advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of the fields of biotechnology and nanotechnology.

Former president and CEO of the Columbus Technology Council William "Sandy" White is the new CEO of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Research Foundation.

Overall retention rates for female engineering graduates has remained steady over the last few years, and according to the latest survey from the American Society for Engineering Education, a significant percentage of women are focusing on the less traditional fields of engineering.