SSTI Digest

Recognizing an immediate need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the adverse consequences of climate change, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have announced their intention to become partners and act aggressively to address climate change and promote energy diversity.



Gov. Schwarzenegger and Prime Minister Blair signed an agreement during an hour-long roundtable focusing on clean energy and climate issues. The event, held July 31, was attended by more than a dozen CEOs. At the signing, Gov. Schwarzenegger did not shy away from criticizing the lack of action on the federal level.

For many areas of the country, the first five years of the 21st century may well be remembered as a period of dramatic economic transformation, or the beginning of one as the rate of change continues at a fast clip. Having statistics for the five-year period of 2000-2005, however, provides the first opportunity for policymakers and academic researchers to look for meaning in the trends. The previous Digest included an article on a Brookings study looking at manufacturing losses in the Great Lakes region (see the July 24 issue of the Digest). This week, our attention is turned to New Jerseys New Economy Growth Challenges, the July 2006 Rutgers Regional Report written by James Hughes and Joseph Seneca at Rutgers School of Planning and Public Policy.

American K-12 students are becoming less and less interested in math, science and technology fields. Recent studies reveal that students are increasingly dropping science and math classes and pursuing careers in the arts and social services. Since national and regional competitiveness in high-tech fields depends on a skilled labor market, fueled by college graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, many areas are attempting to generate more interest in these subjects. Several recent efforts are doing so by giving students access to more advanced technologies.

A new report released in conjunction with the Fourth International Competitive Brazil Congress gives a positive assessment of the country's potential as a leader in life sciences and provides useful model for competitiveness assessments in other regions. The report, Mechanisms of Innovation and Competitiveness, was prepared by the Center for the Support of Technology Development at the University of Brasilia and coordinated by the five-year-old Competitive Brazil Movement (Movimento Brasil Competitivo, MBC).

 

Five science and technology parks were selected for analysis in order to collect data on the progress of Brazilian innovation over the course of two years. During the study, the MBC developed an assessment methodology that can be applied to evaluate the potential of an environment to foster innovation and improve regional competitiveness. This model, based on previous studies by the U.S. Council on Competitiveness in North Carolina and Mexico, relies on several categories of high-tech competitiveness indicators including:

Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.



Griffin Analytical Technologies, a producer of premium chemical detection systems, is seeking a research associate to assist the company with R&D efforts related to Griffins products. Griffin serves U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security applications, environmental health and safety monitoring, and research and teaching laboratories. The research associate will be responsible for exploring new applications for Griffins technology and will report directly to the company's staff of senior research scientists. Applicants should have a bachelor's or master's degree in chemistry and two or more years of applicable experience in instrumentation maintenance and operation.

John Butler, director of the Institute for Innovation and Creativity, was appointed distinguished scholar and adjunct professor at Babson College.



James DeLong is the new vice president of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association.



William Even was named South Dakota's new economic development director.



The National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices has named Chris Hayter as its program director for economic development, a newly created position. Hayter joins NGA from the National Council for Advanced Manufacturing.

John Butler, director of the Institute for Innovation and Creativity, was appointed distinguished scholar and adjunct professor at Babson College.