SSTI Digest

Serious deficiencies in pre-college education and wavering support for basic research may erode the nation's ability to convert science and technology into new products, jobs, and profits and decrease the prospects of better lives for U.S. citizens, according to a new book from the National Research Council (NRC).

Harnessing Science and Technology for America's Economic Future: National & Regional Priorities identifies goals and actions to guide the science and engineering community and government policy-makers in meeting the nation's future economic needs. The book presents the findings, recommendations and papers of the National Forum on Harnessing Science and Technology for America's Economic Future and an NRC committee co-chaired by former governor and SSTI Board chairman Dick Thornburgh and William Spencer, CEO of Sematech.

The goals and recommendations outlined by the committee include:

The Department of Energy has announced the selection of 204 Phase I awards under the 1999 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The grants were made to companies in the 31 states listed in the accompanying table. More detailed information for each award can be found on the newly redesigned DOE SBIR website: http://www.sbir.er.doe.gov/sbir

State

Awards

State

Awards

CA

44

Preparation of S&T indicators on a local or regional level continues to increase. The Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Sciences, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, has released Cincinnati's Technology Benchmarking Study. The report compares the technology assets and performance of 24 urban areas across the U.S. using 17 indicators, then makes recommendations for strengthening Cincinnati's technology base. The report is on the Internet at www.iams.org

While more people are connected to the nation's information infrastructure, the "Digital Divide" between those Americans with the information tools to participate in the New Economy and those without is actually widening, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide is the third study NTIA has prepared examining Americans' access to telephones, computers, and the Internet. The report provides more than 100 charts and tables outlining the state of the problem across several measures and presents trends over the period 1984-1998.

Calling it one of the most important economic development activities of his administration, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge recently announced the creation of the "Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse" -- a public/private partnership intended to provide support, infrastructure, and the expertise needed to accelerate the development and re-use of system-on-a-chip (SOC) technology.

The Greenhouse — a partnership of three Pittsburgh universities, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, the Commonwealth, and three international corporations — is intended to make southwestern Pennsylvania a worldwide leader in the development of SOC technology.

Education Secretary Richard W. Riley has established the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, which will recommend ways to improve the recruitment, preparation, retention, and support of math and science teachers. John Glenn will chair the 31-member commission. Governors Geringer (WY) and Hunt (NC) also will serve on the commission. Other members will include representatives of business, industry, academia, non-profit organizations, and government.

The U.S. is expected to need an additional 2.2 million teachers over the next decade due to a record number of retirements and the increase in the number of school-aged children. Math and science teachers are anticipated to be in particularly short supply.

The Commission will report its recommendations to Secretary Riley by the Fall of 2000.

The NASA Ames Research Center is developing a 200-acre research and development complex at Moffett Federal Airfield in Silicon Valley. NASA hopes to spawn partnerships between scientists at Ames Research Center and the private sector, fostering opportunities for technology transfer and contract R&D. The Complex will ultimately encompass the entire 2,000-acre federal property owned by NASA's Ames Research Center, Ames officials said.

NASA has developed agreements with the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale to establish the California Air and Space Center (CASC), and with Stanford University and the University of California at Santa Cruz on research partnership planning. CASC will be a science and technology learning center and teacher institute supported by futuristic NASA technologies. It will showcase Silicon Valley cutting-edge technologies and NASA missions.

Ninety-five percent, or $102 million, of all royalties received by six technology related federal agencies during fiscal years 1996-1998 were for licenses issued by the National Institutes of Health, according to a recent General Accounting Office (GAO) study. Technology Transfer: Number and Characteristics of Inventions Licensed by Six Federal Agencies is a compilation of statistics collected from a survey of the National Institutes of Health, the departments of the Army, Navy and the Air Force, the Department of Energy, and NASA.

The report provides information on:

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the National Institutes of Standards (NIST) and Technology have awarded a $350,000 grant to the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) for a technology-based economic development project to boost the growth of Michigan businesses. The pilot project is expected to serve as a model for possible state and nationwide efforts on behalf of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

ITI will assess the technology needs of the state's rural and inner-city SMEs. ITI also will study ways in which technical assistance can best be provided to these businesses.

Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership is seeking an Executive Director, who will oversee a staff of approximately 20 and a budget of more than $3 million. The successful candidate will be able to create a vision for the growing organization, the leadership skills to achieve that vision, and a strong interest in the growth and success of manufacturing. Applications are due August 9.

In last week's issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest, several of the state rankings for the number of awards received under the DOD SBIR 99.1 selections were incorrect. Following is a list of the states and their correct ranks: Florida was tied for 7th with New Jersey; New Hampshire was tied for 17th with Washington; Hawaii, North Carolina, District of Columbia and Utah were all tied for 23rd.

The Department of Energy has posted its selections for Phase II awards under the 1999 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The 85 Phase II grants were made to companies in the 23 states listed in the accompanying table. More detailed information for each award can be found on the DOE website: http://sbir.er.doe.gov/sbir

State

# of Awards

State

# of Awards

Alabama

1