SSTI Digest

Capturing an overwhelming majority of the votes needed to override Gov. Mark Sanford’s veto, the South Carolina Legislature prevailed last week in its efforts to position the state as a leader in hydrogen technology. The Hydrogen Infrastructure Development Act, S. 243, authorizes the state to offer up to $15 million over the next four years in grants for research related to hydrogen production, storage, distribution and dispensing infrastructure. The bill also offers $300 tax rebates for in-state purchases of flex- and hydrogen-fuel vehicles and up to $500 for conversion equipment purchases. The veto was overridden with a 40-2 vote in the Senate and a 99-1 vote in the House.                       In his veto message to the legislature, Gov. Sanford expresses concern regarding an overemphasis on hydrogen technology at the expense of excluding other types of research. The governor provides several examples of the state's previous and ongoing support in hydrogen research, including a commitment of $3.6 million in recurring state…

The national economy is a dynamic system, and the techniques to measure the system must be updated in order to understand its complexity, according to a recent report published by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). In Understanding Business Dynamics: An Integrated Data System for America’s Future, NAS outlines steps that could be taken to properly capture pertinent information about firms, especially the young and small ones that are driving the emerging sectors of the economy. While the report primarily concentrates on the operations of federal agencies and the recording of statistics that are national in scope, it raises an alternative question: Are the states properly measuring small business dynamics?   The report’s recommendations are divided into three categories, which may be applicable to states wishing to improve their data collection systems: Steps to increase the measurement of young businesses; Steps to coordinate data collection efforts; and, Steps to accommodate data sharing while protecting confidentiality. Because the current system of data collection focuses on larger companies and…

Every year, the National Science Foundation releases Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in S&E, a report filled with detailed statistics about the characteristics of science and engineering graduates enrolled at U.S. institutions. Using the annual report, SSTI has prepared a table showing the total number of graduate students for each year from 2001 to 2005 in each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Additionally, each state is ranked by the percent change in science and engineering graduate enrollment from 2001 to 2005. For the U.S. as a whole, the country’s science and engineering graduate population increased by 11.5 percent over the five years. Among states, Minnesota experienced the largest increase at 61.8 percent, rising from 6,602 students in 2001 to 10,685 in 2005. North Dakota, Alaska, Idaho and Hawaii rounded out the states with the largest percent increase, all over 30 percent. Of the states with a total S&E graduate student population over 10,000 in 2001, Ohio, Florida, California and North Carolina experienced increases over 15 percent. The average growth rate among the entities was 13.6…

SSTI is pleased to announce that Mr. Kevin Plank, chairman and chief executive officer of Under Armour Inc., will be a keynote speaker at SSTI's 11th Annual Conference on Oct. 18-19 in Baltimore. As a former special teams captain for the University of Maryland, Kevin Plank began to foster the idea that is now Under Armour in 1995 during his time on the football field. Tired of repeatedly changing the cotton T-shirt under his jersey as it became wet and heavy during the course of a game, he set out to develop a next-generation shirt that would remain drier and lighter and consistently perform under the most extreme conditions.  After earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland, Mr. Plank has taken Under Armour from a small operation in his grandmother's basement to a company employing more than 1,000 people in just one decade.  Mr. Plank oversaw the company's November 2005 IPO, the first to double on opening day in five years, and the December 2006 move from the NASDAQ to the New York Stock Exchange. In addition, the "PROTECT THIS HOUSE™" and "CLICK-CLACK™…

The following were named recipients of the 2005 National Medal of Technology: Alfred Cho, adjunct vice president of semiconductor research at Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs in Murray Hill, N.J. Dean Sicking, professor of civil engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Team in Madison, N.J. Genzyme Corporation in Cambridge, Mass. Semiconductor Research Corporation in Durham, N.C. Xerox Corporation in Stamford, Conn. Gary Carter is stepping down as the executive director of the Tax Increment Financing Commission in Kansas City to become a senior vice president of Davenport One, a regional economic development agency in Davenport, Iowa. Augustine Cheng was appointed managing director of Arizona Technology Enterprises. Steve Gage announced he will retire as president of MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, effective July 13. Fatima Weathers will serve as acting president for the manufacturing advocate in Northeast Ohio, beginning July 16. Craig Heim was named licensing manager for start-up companies at the Wisconsin…

The following were named recipients of the 2005 National Medal of Technology: Alfred Cho, adjunct vice president of semiconductor research at Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs in Murray Hill, N.J. Dean Sicking, professor of civil engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Team in Madison, N.J. Genzyme Corporation in Cambridge, Mass. Semiconductor Research Corporation in Durham, N.C. Xerox Corporation in Stamford, Conn.

Gary Carter is stepping down as the executive director of the Tax Increment Financing Commission in Kansas City to become a senior vice president of Davenport One, a regional economic development agency in Davenport, Iowa.

Augustine Cheng was appointed managing director of Arizona Technology Enterprises.

Steve Gage announced he will retire as president of MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, effective July 13. Fatima Weathers will serve as acting president for the manufacturing advocate in Northeast Ohio, beginning July 16.

Craig Heim was named licensing manager for start-up companies at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

Victor Hwang, the immediate past president of Larta Institute, has co-founded T2 Venture Capital.

Nick Sacia is the new executive director of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce in St. Augustine, Fla.