SSTI Digest

A recent survey of 343,336 of the nation's fourth and eighth graders indicates more students are performing better in mathematics, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In the math portion of NCES' National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), large gains were shown among the lowest 10 percent of fourth grade students and most of the lower-scoring eighth grade students since the study was last conducted in 2000. Additionally, higher-scoring students posted gains at a smaller rate, lessening the overall achievement gap. The NAEP math assessment presents a broad view of what U.S. students know and can do in mathematics. The assessment was developed and reviewed by math educators and curriculum and assessment experts to capture the goals of the mathematics framework. The framework, which describes the kinds of exercises the assessment should feature, was created by the National Assessment Governing Board through a comprehensive national process involving teachers, administrators and state education officials. In math, the proportion of students reaching the Basic…

Nothing in the performance of the residential broadband market suggests that federal subsidies or other government intervention will enhance the market from the perspective of economic efficiency, concludes the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in a new report, Does the Residential Broadband Market Need Fixing? CBO prepared the report for the Senate Budget Committee, reviewing recent trends in the market for residential fast Internet access to determine whether there are impediments to the market's growth. Since 1999, CBO states, the adoption of broadband services by households and businesses has increased at a rapid rate. CBO points to two key Federal Communications Commission statistics to support its case: As of December 2002, 17.4 million households and small businesses subscribed to high-speed lines for Internet access, compared to just 1.8 million in December 1999. And, In 1999, more than 40 percent of the nation's zip codes had no broadband service subscribers. By the end of 2002, the number had dipped to 12 percent. Some contend the market could experience greater penetration if…

Alaska Technology Councils To Merge The Alaska High-Tech Business Council and the Technology Entrepreneurs Coalition will be merging January 1 to form HiTechAlaska. With more than 100 members, the new organization will focus on promoting the growth and development of the state's tech industry and strengthening industry ties with the University of Alaska system. The group will also broaden its focus beyond information and communication technologies. The organization's website, www.hitechalaska.com, will be launched in the beginning of 2004. Dallas-Fort Worth Forms Life Science Coalition In late November, the DFW Life Sciences Partnership - Biometroplex Alliance was formed by a coalition including the Greater Dallas Chamber, the Fort Worth Chamber, the Health Industry Council and the North Texas Commission, to continue fostering the growth of the region's broad life sciences industry. The coalition will actively promote the industry within the Metroplex to make the region a more significant player in both U.S. and international biotech and life sciences. The DFW Life…

The National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges elected University of Georgia president Michael Adams as chairman of its council of presidents. Lizabeth Ardisana was elected Chairperson of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the state. Sonya Buckner has resigned her position as director of the small business incubator for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce to become vice president of special projects for the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce. Douglas Jones will assume leadership of the Montgomery Incubator. The Chicago based Committee of 200, an organization of leading women in business, has named Diane Graham as its new chair. The University of Minnesota Duluth Center for Economic Development has named Elaine Hansen as its new permanent director. The winners of the Siemens Westinghouse/AAAS Competition for the Best Teen Scientists and Mathematicians of the Year were announced this week: 17-year-old Yin Li of New York City was the individual grand prize winner for his…

The National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges elected University of Georgia president Michael Adams as chairman of its council of presidents.

Lizabeth Ardisana was elected Chairperson of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the state.

Sonya Buckner has resigned her position as director of the small business incubator for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce to become vice president of special projects for the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce. Douglas Jones will assume leadership of the Montgomery Incubator.

The Chicago based Committee of 200, an organization of leading women in business, has named Diane Graham as its new chair.

The University of Minnesota Duluth Center for Economic Development has named Elaine Hansen as its new permanent director.

The winners of the Siemens Westinghouse/AAAS Competition for the Best Teen Scientists and Mathematicians of the Year were announced this week: 17-year-old Yin Li of New York City was the individual grand prize winner for his project "Characterizing the Prion Properties of a Translational Regulator Expressed in Mouse Brain." Brothers Mark and Jeffrey Scheider, 18 and 16, respectively, of South Windsor, Conn., won the grand prize in the team category for the "Simulation of the West Nile Virus using STELLA 7.02." Each award comes with a $100,000 prize. More information, including a list of all national winners, is available at: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2003/1208siemensIntro.shtml

Ken Olsen will become the new executive director of the Palouse Economic Development Council in Washington State.

Tom Wallace has stepped down as president of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum.