SSTI Digest

Armed with professional advice from mentors in scientific fields and free access to sophisticated design and engineering software, teachers and students from Hawaii, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Vermont and Virginia will participate in a national competition to solve a real-world engineering challenge defined by the aviation industry.
 
The idea behind the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Real World Design Challenge is to create a pipeline of highly qualified workers by preparing high school students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields based on issues facing high-tech and defense industries.
 
Ralph Coppola, director of Worldwide Education for Parametric Technology Corporation, said many aerospace and defense companies that work as contractors to national security agencies are concerned the U.S. is not producing enough qualified workers who must be able to work on both the defense and commercial side. A survey conducted with these companies in the Northeast found 54 percent of the workforce is 45 years or older and one-third are eligible for retirement today. At the same time, engineering degrees make up only 5 percent of the total baccalaureate population in the U.S., Coppola said.
 
U.S. Continues to Trail Behind in STEM Graduates
A coalition of 16 leading business organizations echoed this concern with the release of a report last month assessing three years’ progress in working toward a goal of doubling the number of students earning bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields by 2015. The report by Tapping America’s Potential indicates growing support for the group’s agenda to advance U.S. competitiveness in STEM, but shows little progress toward the goal. In fact, the number of degrees in STEM fields awarded to undergraduate students has only grown by 24,000 since 2005 – a small increase that is not on track to reach the goal of 400,000 over the next seven years, the report finds.
 
The Real World Design Challenge hopes to reverse this trend by providing high school students with the background and framework for competing more effectively in the global economy. In designing the program, aerospace and defense companies voiced a need for employees having seven to 10 years of experience and the necessary education and skills. Recognizing that this requirement would add another decade to the pipeline, program administrators suggested integrating the real-world experience at the K-12 and undergraduate level. 
 
Engaging Youth in Real-world Situations
Ten states with significant aerospace industry presence were invited to participate in the challenge during the pilot year. So far, six states have confirmed their participation, beginning with an announcement last month from Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas. Next year, the challenge will be open to all U.S. states and territories. Once a school has signed on, the teachers are trained to use software and other tools to apply in teaching design and global engineering. Teachers will then lead teams of 3-7 students who will work on the same design challenge defined by Cessna engineers – an issue currently being addressed in the aviation industry.
 
Each participating teacher will receive nearly $1 million in engineering software to be used in the challenge. Teachers and students are given access to DOE energy laboratories and may consult with industry experts from the Federal Aviation Administration. Teams will submit their solutions to a review board consisting of experts in government, K-12 education, higher education and industry. The governors of each participating state will announce a winning team within their state in early spring who will then go on to compete in a national challenge in Washington, D.C., which consists of a written submission and oral presentation on a newly defined challenge.
 
A major goal of the challenge is to teach students to become better innovators, Coppola said. The student teams are built around real industry roles, including a project manager, scientist, engineer, and community relations and marketing specialist. The national presentation will be much like submitting and defending a proposal for a contract or a thesis in which students are challenged and must defend their position, Coppola said.
 
More information on the Real World Design Challenge, a partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration, Parametric Technology Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Corporation and Flometrics Inc., is available at: http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/RWDC/index.html

The Aerospace, Manufacturing and Information Technology (AMIT) Cluster of Southern Arizona has consolidated its operations with the Arizona Technology Council.

When given a list of seven technology categories to possibly target and invest money and resources over the next 10 years, 37 percent of U.S. respondents selected “fuel efficiency and alternative fuels” as their leading choice, according to a national survey commissioned by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) in Virginia. The remaining choices provided by the survey, which was conducted in March 2008, were as follows (ranked by overall popularity):

Regional and industry cries of a highly skilled worker shortage, particularly for scientists and engineers appear well grounded based on a recent InfoBrief from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Foundation reports in 2006, the unemployment rate for scientists and engineers in the U.S. fell to 2.5 percent. Decreasing from 3.2 percent in 2003, the figure is the lowest unemployment rate measured since the early 1990s using the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System, NSF reports.
 
The findings are quite sobering when paired with this week’s release of the widely covered report by America’s Promise Alliance that reveals more than 1.1 million children in the U.S. drop out of high school each year.

Adjourning from the 2008 legislative session on March 13, Virginia legislators passed the fiscal year 2008-10 biennial budget but immediately called for a special session to resolve differences in the proposed capital outlay plan that supports university R&D and commercialization efforts. 
 
Gov. Tim Kaine unveiled the bond package in December, which includes funding to upgrade university research buildings and laboratories and purchase new research equipment. The bond package also targets construction projects focused on developing a skilled workforce (see the Dec. 19, 2007 issue of the Digest). Lawmakers will reconvene April 23 to act on the bond package and to consider the governor’s amendments and vetoes to the state budget.
 
Faced with a projected budget shortfall of $339 million for the remaining fiscal year and more than $1 billion in FY09-10, Gov. Kaine announced last month a revised budget revenue proposal to his original recommendations unveiled late last year.
 
To address the shortfall, Gov. Kaine called for reductions across executive budget branch agencies, targeted cuts to many of his own proposals and withdrawing funds from the Revenue Stabilization Fund. Specifically, the plan trims $1.8 million over the biennium for the Virginia Community College System and $7.7 million from the Commonwealth Technology Research Fund for the biennium. The governor’s original proposal provided $10.5 million over the biennium for the fund.
 
An amendment in the conference report for the FY08-10 biennial budget splits the appropriation for the Governor’s Development Opportunity Fund between the two years of the biennium to help address cash flow needs in FY09. The biennial appropriation is unchanged and totals $15.1 million, $7.6 million of which would be available in the first year.
 
The conference report includes $17.4 million each fiscal year for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership – $100,000 above the governor’s recommendation. Another $50,000 in FY09 is included to support physical and programmatic activities of the Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority.
 
The Innovative Technology Authority - the governing body of the Center for Innovative Technology - is slated to receive $5.8 million each fiscal year with $500,000 over the biennium earmarked for the Virginia Electronic Commerce Technology Center. The conference report does not include the governor’s recommendation of $500,000 each year for a new initiative within the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop a higher education center and fund rural broadband.
 
Lawmakers reduced by $10 million the governor’s recommendation for the Education Research Initiative. Research grants under the initiative are intended to encourage university collaboration, benefit economically distressed regions and attract industry-sponsored R&D. Lawmakers approved $1.9 million in FY09 and $9.2 million in FY10 for the initiative.
 
HB 1312, a bill to transfer responsibility for the management of the state’s workforce development program to the Virginia Community College System, also was passed during the legislative session. The bill calls for developing a strategic plan for workforce development and training programs to coordinate with the state’s economic development strategic plan.
 
The conference report for the FY 2008-10 biennial budget is available at: http://leg2.state.va.us/MoneyWeb.NSF/Bud2008

The Indiana Business Incubator Society announced its plans to become a formal organization.

Facing a projected budget deficit of more than $600 million, Gov. Tim Kaine told lawmakers the state must invest more money in research and commercialization efforts to accelerate Virginia’s progress in key areas.

 

Anticipating the state’s investments in R&D will pay off in the future, Gov. Kaine unveiled a $1.65 billion bond package for higher education needs that includes support for researchers and research facilities aimed at R&D and commercialization. The governor’s fiscal year 2009-10 budget includes an additional $44.3 million for colleges and universities and continued funding for research across the state’s higher education institutes.



The bond package targets 75 projects for new construction and renovation focusing on developing a 21st century workforce in emerging fields such as science, engineering, education and health care. Upgrades are needed to provide researchers with the equipment to develop cutting-edge technologies, Gov. Kaine said in a press release. The proposed General Obligation Bond, which would be provided through the Virginia College Building Authority, must receive support from the General Assembly and voter approval.

 

Providing continued support for the Education Research Initiative, which was unveiled in the FY 2006-08 budget proposal, Gov. Kaine recommends $4.5 million in FY09 and $16.8 million in FY10. The initiative provides funds to leverage additional federal and private funding for commercialization efforts at the state’s public research universities (see the Dec. 19, 2005 issue of the Digest).

 

As part of a comprehensive general research fund package intended to support leading research programs while encouraging self-sustaining enterprises, Gov. Kaine recommends $29 million in FY09 to the state’s institutions of higher education. The governor also proposes an additional $40.5 million over the biennium for a competitive research program to examine the link between higher education institutions and economic development.

 

The Commonwealth Technology Research Fund is slated to receive $10.5 million over the biennium. This fund provides competitive grants for economic development efforts through institutions of higher education.



Additionally, the governor’s budget authorizes $15 million each year in Higher Education Trust bonds for research equipment – also distributed on a competitive basis. Funding for specific research projects include:

A complete description of this opportunity and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.



The U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes international scientific and technical collaboration, is seeking a program manager for its Partner Development Program. The ideal candidate for this position is a highly motivated individual with a background in business development, marketing or international business who can network with U.S. industry and pursue new U.S. and Russian partner development opportunities. A bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience is required; a master's degree is preferred. Candidates also must have 2-4 years of prior work experience managing projects, with specific expertise in one or more of three fields: business development, marketing or international business.

Chris Copenhaver, an employee of the Department of Economic Development in Roanoke, Va., was named the city's first entrepreneurial specialist.

Many Digest stories in recent years have described the actions of states and regions to build a stronger educational foundation in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The National Science Board (NSB), the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation, released its recommendations to improve the ability of all American students to receive the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully participate in the workforce of the future. In A National Plan for Addressing the Critical Needs of the U.S. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education System, NSB describes two central challenges of equal importance that form the core of their actionable steps: (1) Ensure a coherent STEM education system throughout the entire country, and (2) ensure that U.S. students are educated by well qualified and highly effective teachers.

 

The report offers some perspectives on America’s lagging rankings in STEM critical thinking skills compared to other industrialized nations and includes information from the National Center for Education Statistics, which reports 30 percent of first-year college students take remedial math and science courses because of their lack of readiness for college-level courses. Actionable steps are organized into four categories: coordinating and enhancing local, state and federal programs; providing horizontal coordination of STEM education among states; providing vertical coordination of STEM education across grade levels from pre-K to the first years of higher education; and, increasing the number and quality of STEM teachers.



The first recommendation listed in the report - and the one that seems to be generating the most discussion among policymakers - endorses the creation of a new National Council for STEM Education. Designed to be created by congressional legislation and approved by the president, the council would be responsible for coordinating and facilitating STEM education initiatives across the U.S., and informing policymakers and the public on the condition of the country’s STEM education system. Comprised of approximately 25 members, the council’s voting membership would come from local and state governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations, and non-voting members would include representatives of Congress and the president. Recommendations of who should comprise the council, from governors to community college representatives to practicing STEM classroom teachers, are defined in the report. Arguments against the creation of the Council have included the concern of a top-down approach to organizing federal STEM initiatives.

 

Besides the creation of the National STEM Council, recommendations include:

Virginia could capitalize on its strong energy R&D foundation of universities, federal laboratories and businesses through coordination among research activities and by creating a consistent funding stream for federal R&D funding and technology commercialization, finds a new state energy plan released last week.

 

Mandated by SB 262 from the 2006 General Assembly, the Virginia Energy Plan outlines specific goals and recommendations that set forth energy policy for the Commonwealth over the next 10 years. Under the plan, the state will reduce the rate of growth in energy use by 40 percent, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent and seek to increase in-state energy production by 20 percent. The plan also calls for expanding consumer energy education and increased R&D within the areas of nuclear technologies, alternate transportation fuels, coastal energy production, and carbon capture and storage.



Economic development opportunities are found within the state’s institutes of higher education, federal laboratories and businesses. However, the challenge is coordinating the varied R&D activities in ways that increase their value to the Commonwealth, according to the report. Current university energy R&D strengths include coal use, fuel cells and alternative fuel development. Virginia also is home to three federal research laboratories, which collectively conduct research on the impact of aviation of the environment, efficiency of alternative vehicles, fuels and transportation systems, and energy efficiency of weapons and electric guns. Businesses, for their part, undertake a wide range of energy-related R&D, and significant strengths exist in the Areva NP/BWXT nuclear cluster around Lynchburg, at Northrop Gurmman Newport News, at private technology businesses, and in small businesses spun off from university R&D, the report states.

 

One idea for coordinating the varied R&D activities is to create an energy R&D roadmap that matches areas of core strength with the best value proposition for investment in energy R&D. In addition, a public-private governance structure, the Virginia Energy Research and Development Organization, should be established as a virtual organization to set priorities for public energy R&D funding. To that end, the report calls for consistent funding for energy R&D through a state fund as a subset of the Commonwealth Technology Research Fund. In addition, the plan calls for increased investments in energy R&D by $10 million per year, with half from state resources and half from private and federal investments. To capitalize on energy economic development-related opportunities, the report recommends the following actions:

The deepest mine in the U.S. has been selected by the National Science Foundation as site of its Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. Also known as the “Homestake” in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the site contains 375 miles of tunnels, some extending more than 8,000 feet into the earth.



Why build a national laboratory with some components more than a mile below the earth’s surface? Because the unique environment deep under the earth allows for some very interesting experiments to occur. In the field of particle physics for example, thousands of feet of rock can be used to shield equipment from the cosmic rays that make particle detection difficult. In microbiology, tiny organisms living without sunlight miles below the surface with the ability to degrade waste and produce energy can be observed and studied. And in the earth sciences, geophysical characteristics of the earth’s crust including thermal properties and tectonic stresses can be further explored.



The winning proposal was presented by a team consisting of the University of California at Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA). The SDSTA was created by the South Dakota state legislature in 2004, specifically to convert the mine into a center for science, research, and education.



The state of South Dakota allocated $35 million toward the effort of transforming the site. Additionally, the philanthropist T. Denny Sanford pledged $70 million for the laboratory if the project were to choose Homestake. In recognition of the gift, the laboratory will be named the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, or SUSEL. Now that the site is selected, NSF will provide $5 million per year over the next three years to prepare detailed technical designs for the laboratory. The entire project is estimated to cost $500 million, but in order for the project to move forward, it must be approved by the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the president and Congress and must successfully compete against future NSF research projects.



The decision to move forward with the underground national lab comes at a time when NSF may see its budget dramatically increase in the upcoming years, providing additional opportunities for states and regions that partner with NSF. Within the Administration’s federal budget proposal released in the beginning of this year, NSF’s funding for fiscal year 2008 was $6.43 billion, an increase of 8.7 percent from the previous fiscal year.



In recent weeks, FY 2008 appropriation bills began making their way through Congress. Both House and Senate versions of the appropriations bill would increase NSF’s budget by at least 10 percent. The Association of American Universities reports, however, that President Bush has threatened to veto the bill, because the overall Commerce-Justice-Science appropriation is 5 percent higher than the Administration’s FY08 request. 



NSF’s website for the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, which contains technical information and links to the winning site, is http://www.dusel.org/.