SSTI Digest

Marv Clement, former manager of Entrepreneurial Programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, retired in April 2002. Bob Filka, vice president of strategic initiatives for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is leaving to become chief operating officer of the Michigan Broadband Authority Board. William Rosenberg will become the new board's first director. Alex Fisher, chief of staff for Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist, is leaving to become the director of technology transfer and economic development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Molly Lambert, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development since 1998, is resigning July 1 to become head of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association. The Agency is comprised of the Departments of Economic Development, Tourism and Marketing, and Housing and Community Affairs.

Marv Clement, former manager of Entrepreneurial Programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, retired in April 2002.

Bob Filka, vice president of strategic initiatives for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is leaving to become chief operating officer of the Michigan Broadband Authority Board. William Rosenberg will become the new board's first director.

Alex Fisher, chief of staff for Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist, is leaving to become the director of technology transfer and economic development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Molly Lambert, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development since 1998, is resigning July 1 to become head of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association. The Agency is comprised of the Departments of Economic Development, Tourism and Marketing, and Housing and Community Affairs.

Dramatic increases in research and development (R&D) investments during the past decade, largely from industry, have contributed to U.S. standing as a global economic power, according to Science and Engineering Indicators 2002, a biennial report of the National Science Board. The U.S. had $244.1 billion in R&D investments in 1999, an increase of nearly $33 billion from 1997, the report shows. In addition, the U.S. accounts for 44 percent of the total worldwide investment in R&D — an amount equal to the combined total of Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Italy. R&D investments by U.S. industry, S&E Indicators reports, have contributed to a steady stream of innovations and spurred economic growth, increasing per-capita income. The report adds that changes in the conduct of research and development also have led to transformations in other areas, including a growth in science-based patents and an increased level of high-tech exports. Meanwhile, the balance of R&D investments continues to shift, according to…

Defense Concedes: Will Honor 2.5% Set Aside Mid-April letters from the Department of Defense to Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO), respectively chair and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, marked the end of a four-month standoff and a $75 million win for small tech firms across the country. At issue was whether an eleventh-hour insertion in the 2002 Defense Appropriations, which effectively halved the SBIR obligation of the Missile Defense Agency (see the 1/11/02 SSTI Weekly Digest for the original story), also reduced the entire Defense Department's requirement to award 2.5 percent of its extramural R&D to small companies through the SBIR program. Dov S. Zakheim, Under Secretary for Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer, wrote in the agency's response to a Jan. 29 letter from the two Senators, "We have spent a good deal of time reviewing both the proviso in the 'Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Defense-wide' appropriation in Public Law 107-117 and the provisions of the…

Two recent studies on Internet usage in Maryland and Maine offer detailed maps of broadband infrastructure. The studies offer some insights on how businesses and, in the case of Maryland, private citizens are accessing the Internet. Specific findings are not presented below; however, each of the studies are available in their entirety via the links that follow the respective summaries. eReadiness Maryland  The first-ever, comprehensive statewide study on Internet usage, access and infrastructure among Maryland's businesses and households became available April 18. eReadiness Maryland: Assessing our Digital Opportunities includes the survey results of 1,422 households and 1,126 businesses, real-time dial-up connection speeds from 24 locations and previously unavailable maps of fiber infrastructure, DSL service and cable modems. The study provides statistical indicators for both businesses and households. Analysis on Internet connectivity and a national comparison is emphasized for the former. For households, eReadiness Maryland relates…

The National Science Foundation reports the number of doctorate awards from U.S. universities in physics, after hitting a record high in 1994, fell 22 percent by the year 2000. Doctorates in engineering declined 15 percent by the year 2000 from the 1996 peak. The declines were a result of a decrease of awards made to non-U.S. citizens, according to the April InfoBrief "Declines in U.S. Doctorate Awards in Physics and Engineering." Specifically, 59 percent of the decline in physics awards and 74 percent of engineering doctorates are accounted for by non-U.S. citizens, especially from several East Asian countries. Drops in students from China represented half of the total decline for doctorates in physics. The percentage of doctorates in physics awarded to U.S. citizens remained relatively flat during the period, accounting for 50.97 percent in 1994 and 51.62 percent in 2000. Actual values for doctorates to U.S. citizens were 789 in 1994 and 622 in 2000. Two-thirds of the decline in engineering doctorates is explained through decreases in students from…

With a large land mass and a population surpassing the 21 least populated states and the District of Columbia combined, California has scores of public programs and nonprofit organizations dedicated to encouraging technology-based economic development on the state, regional, local and sub-local levels. Best practices in the field, then, could have applications in a number of other states and communities. Last week, Governor Gray Davis announced the 12 winners of the 2002 Governor's Technology & Innovation Awards, which honor non-profit organizations, public-private partnerships, educational institutions, individuals, and philanthropic programs that help foster California's tech-based economy in exemplary and innovative ways. The program is administered by the Division of Science, Technology and Innovation of the California's Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency. Award winners — which include a business incubator, a high school principal, a workforce training program, community tech-access programs, a public-private science education collaborative…

Alaska The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is better equipped to study technologies and barriers to developing energy resources in Alaska, thanks to a cooperative agreement with the University of Alaska. A story in Inside Energy reported that NETL recently established its fourth office in the U.S. in Fairbanks, helping to fulfill a Department of Energy (DOE) venture begun in FY 2000. In 2001, DOE awarded a $24-million grant to the university to operate the new Arctic Energy Technology Development Laboratory. A total of $30 million is expected to be awarded by September toward the effort. California To complete a school assignment aimed at closing the digital divide, engineering and business students at the University of Southern California have teamed with a church to create a cyber cafe, the Daily Trojan recently reported. The cafe, which will be free to the community, is intended to bridge the technological gap among minorities via computer training. Colorado The Colorado Public…

With technology's pervasiveness and important role in most aspects of the policy agenda before Congress, the need for accurate, nonpartisan information on technology may never have been greater. Two approaches to meeting the need were the topic of Technology Assessment: Identifying the Needs of Congress, a recent forum co-hosted by ASME International and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The forum provided an opportunity for an exchange of information on technology assessment legislation currently proposed in the House and Senate. Forum speakers included Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ); Jonathan Epstein, Congressional Fellow, Senator Jeff Bingaman's (D-NM) office; and, Amy Fraenkel, Counsel, U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Attendees included representatives from various scientific, engineering and technology organizations. There are currently two bills pending in Congress that would help address the need for improved technology assessment for Congress. Rep. Holt has introduced H.R. 2148 to reauthorize the…