SSTI Digest

While the Presidential election remains up in the air, the eleven state gubernatorial and 5,918 state legislative races produced more definitive results. Here is a brief summary. Governors Overall, Democratic candidates won eight governorships, a net gain of one. Republicans took three. Incumbents held their positions in Indiana (Frank O’Bannon - D), New Hampshire (Jeanne Shaheen - D), Utah (Michael Leavitt -R), Vermont (Howard Dean - D), and Washington (Gary Locke - D). New Democratic governors include Ruth Ann Minner in Delaware, Bob Holden in Missouri, Mike Easley in North Carolina, and Bob Wise, who upset Governor Cecil Underwood in West Virginia. The two new Republican governors are Judy Martz in Montana and John Hoeven in North Dakota. Governorships were also decided in American Samoa and Puerto Rico. Sila Calderon, candidate of the Popular Democratic Party and current Mayor of San Juan, becomes the first woman governor of Puerto Rico. Democrat Tauese P.F. Sunia narrowly won re-election in American Samoa. State Legislatures…

Several ballot initiatives that affect technology-based economic development were approved by voters around the country on Tuesday, including: A $3.1 billion bond issue to support capital improvements at North Carolina’s community colleges, colleges, and universities. The issue is the largest single borrowing package in state history. A sales tax increase in Arizona from which an estimated $55 million would be directed to the Board of Regents to establish a New Economy Initiative Fund program for investments in research and technology and to the Community College Board to create a Workforce Development Initiative Fund. Most of the proceeds will go to K-12 education to increase teacher pay, reduce class size, and build new schools. Approval to establish lotteries in Arkansas and South Carolina. Proceeds from Arkansas’ lottery will go to grants to qualified high school graduates for post-secondary education, and South Carolina’s proceeds will be directed to a Education Lottery Account. An initiative in Washington that would increase education spending. The…

The National Science Foundation has released the final version of State Science and Engineering Profiles and R&D Patterns: 1997-98 (Early Release Tables were made available in May). The special report includes several statistical tables of value to states developing Innovation Indices, S&T Report Cards, or other comparative studies. The report provides easy 30 statistics for each state as well as the distribution of federal R&D obligations by department and performer in each state. Of special note in the 30 page overview is Table 4 which presents the state distribution of R&D expenditures by sector and source of funds for the odd years between 1987-1997. Trends in R&D activity within each state are easily identified. Table 3 presents R&D intensity within each state for 1997. Intensity is measured by R&D as a percentage of Gross State Product (GSP). Using the 1997 figure and generating a similar measure for 1987 based on Table 4 and 1987 GSP estimates, SSTI has developed the accompanying table presenting the approximate change in R&D intensity for each…

The majority of an anonymous gift of $26.5 million to the University of Southern California (USC) will be used to increase the representation of women in the hard sciences and engineering faculty and encourage middle school girls to choose a science pathway in education. Money also will be used to create new faculty positions in the sciences, upgrade laboratories, increase scholarship aid for undergraduates, create new fellowships for graduates and fund child care. The USC program favors a long-term approach to redressing the gender imbalance in the sciences and engineering faculty. USC will use most of the $20 million of the gift apportioned to the issue as an endowment, applying its investment income toward hiring women faculty and providing enduring support for faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students. A networking group composed of USC’s female scientists has advised the university on the establishment of the program, called WISE, for Women in Science and Engineering. USC expects the program to initiate more competition among elite institutions of higher education to train,…

Dr. Angeline Dvorak has been named as the first full-time president of Mississippi Technology, Inc. She will also serve as chief executive office of the Institute for Technology Development. The Maine Science & Technology Foundation has appointed Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones as statewide director of the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). SSTI is sad to report the October death of Gloria Timmer, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO). Ms. Timmer was very helpful to SSTI on several projects in her capacity at NASBO and previously as the Kansas state budget director.

Dr. Angeline Dvorak has been named as the first full-time president of Mississippi Technology, Inc. She will also serve as chief executive office of the Institute for Technology Development.

The Maine Science & Technology Foundation has appointed Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones as statewide director of the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

SSTI is sad to report the October death of Gloria Timmer, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO). Ms. Timmer was very helpful to SSTI on several projects in her capacity at NASBO and previously as the Kansas state budget director.

With what’s shaping up to be the closest presidential election in the last 40 years and control of the U.S. House and Senate up in the air, little press attention has been focused on the other elections occurring throughout the country. Today’s issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest provides an overview of some of the other races affecting S&T. On Thursday we’ll report on the results. Gubernatorial Candidates on Technology . . . While much of the country is focused on the race for the White House, eleven states will hold elections for governor (Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia). In at least five of those states, technology issues were on the front burner for at least one of the candidates. Most of the candidates’ technology initiatives center on access to the Internet, providing tax incentives, and supporting research and educational opportunities for universities and their students. In Indiana, both candidates include a technology angle in their stated positions…

Minnesota Technology Inc. (MTI), the leading technology-based economic development organization in the state of Minnesota, is seeking a Deputy Director to serve as the right hand to the CEO. This critical position will be responsible for the following: Identifying and evaluating technology initiatives being developed in other public sector jurisdictions, educational institutions, or private sector associations for their potential application in Minnesota. Working with the CEO and other key partners to develop MTIs strategic direction and related products and services. Directing the development of an annual operations plan that supports the strategic direction. Working closely with internal managers to monitor progress with the operating plan. Representing MTI with key public and private sector leaders in promoting the role of technology-based economic development and serving as the organization liaison with related groups such as SSTI, NIST, and MEP. More information concerning this and other career opportunities can be found on S&T Job Corner of the SSTI…

In an economy driven increasingly by computer literacy and connectivity, leading the nation in the percentage of households not connected to the Internet is a distinction many in the South are working to eliminate. One South, Digitally Divided, the second annual TelecomSouth conference of the Southern Technology Council (STC), and its accompanying report Creating the CyberSouth are efforts in that direction. Creating the CyberSouth, prepared for STC by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, presents a discussion of the implications of the Digital Divide, statistics revealing the extent of the Divide in each of fourteen southern states, and examples of the programs and actions underway in several southern states to address the inequalities. Thirteen of the 14 Southern states were below the national average for the percentage of households with home computers in 1998. Virginia Polytechnic found all of the Southern Growth members are responding in one way or another to the challenge of the Divide. For example, all 13 states and Puerto Rico have been actively working to…

After surpassing $1 billion in university-based R&D for the first time ever in FY 2000, and receiving a budget increase of $633 million for FY 2001, NASA has kicked off a major effort to further strengthen its relationship with universities and colleges. On October 19, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin and NASA Science Advisor General Spence Armstrong hosted a NASA/University Cyber-Conference laying out funding opportunities and technical research areas for universities to be more integral partners in NASA research and development programs. In his opening remarks Administrator Goldin lamented the recent 6.5 percent and 2.0 percent decline in science and engineering (S&E) graduates, respectively, and the 15 percent drop in foreign-born Ph.D.s at the same time that the U.S. demand for scientists and engineers is projected to grow by 50 percent. The impact on the mission and activities of an agency like NASA, which is driven entirely by science and engineering, will be enormous if steps are not taken to address the trends, Goldin warned. NASA recognizes the critical role universities…