SSTI Digest

Raymond Kammer was sworn in as eleventh director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on November 12. Kammer had been NIST's deputy director since 1993. Robert Hebner had been acting director of the agency since the position was vacated by Arati Prabhakar in March.

A new industry association, the Small Business Technology Coalition (SBTC), has been organized to represent the interests of small, high technology firms in Washington, D.C. and in individual states. Since its creation, SBTCs membership has grown to 300, with members from 30 different states. SBTCs initial objectives include: 1) becoming a strong recognized voice in the formation of public policy that is of direct interest to small, high technology firms; 2) providing a forum for executive networking and education as well as interfacing with investors; and 3) leveraging member efforts and buying power to provide cost effective business support services. For more information about SBTC call 415/813-9124 or visit their web site at www.sbtc.org

Former Ohio Governor Richard F. Celeste was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to India last week. Celeste has been a leader in the field of technology-based economic development for the last 15 years. While governor, Celeste established Ohio's Thomas Edison Program. Since leaving office in 1991, he has played a key role in advancing state-federal cooperation in the area of science and technology. Among other positions, Celeste served as chairman of Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government's Task Force on Science and Technology and the States; co-chairman of the State-Federal Technology Partnership Task Force; and as vice chairman of the State Science and Technology Institute's Board of Trustees. His support, encouragement, and counsel will be missed by the SSTI staff, who wish him well in his new post.

The House Committee on Science has begun a year-long study of the nation's science and technology policy in order to determine funding priorities for federal support of research. The study will be the first attempt by the House to systematically assess the nation's research and development needs since the end of the Cold War. The Science Policy Study, commissioned by committee chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, will be headed by committee vice chairman Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers (R-MI). Rep. Ehlers is a nuclear physicist and one of the few scientists in Congress. According to the House Committee on Science, Rep. Ehlers' team will address long-range S&T policy and science and mathematics education, as well as serve as a contact with the science community. The public will be invited to submit letters and papers to the team for consideration. The team intends to hold field briefings and hearings in the spring. One of the first actions undertaken by Rep. Ehlers was to convene a roundtable in late October. The roundtable of more than 30 representatives…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) recently testified before a Congressional committee on the changing missions of the Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories and perceived weaknesses in the management of the labs. According to GAO, DOE's efforts to meet the requirements of Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) offer an opportunity to achieve fundamental change in the way in which the department manages the national labs. GAO has reported previously on its concerns with the national laboratory system. The two major concerns are: DOE has not ensured that work in the national labs was focused and coordinated. DOE has not established clear missions for the labs or developed a clear consensus on the labs' appropriate mission in the post-Cold War era. GAO opined that the department has struggled to manage large projects successfully, is slow to realize benefits from internal reforms, and continues to face problems from a complex organizational structure. GAO reported that DOE has begun a number of reform initiatives to address mission and management…

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Office of Science and Technology Infrastructure (OSTI) has announced that funds will be available for additional Science and Technology Centers (STC). NSF is currently soliciting proposals from qualified candidates for the Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships Program. NSF established the STC Program in 1987, and charged it with pursuing university-based multidisciplinary research, encouraging knowledge transfer to non-academic sectors of society, and establishing innovative education activities. Two competitions led to the establishment of 25 STCs - 11 in FY 1989 and 14 in FY 1991. Currently 24 STCs remain: five in the biological sciences, three in computer and information science, one that spans both behavioral science and computer and information science, five in the geosciences, and ten in the mathematical and physical sciences. The average annual budget per center in 1995 was $2.6 million. U.S. academic institutions with significant research and education programs in any area of science and engineering normally…

Sixty young researchers have been selected for the second annual Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their careers. The awards recognize young scholars, their research contributions, their promise, and their commitment to broader societal goals. In all, 10 government agencies join together annually to nominate promising scientists and engineers for the awards. Those selected receive up to $500,000 over a five-year period to further their research and broadly advance science for important government missions. The supporting federal agencies are: the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. Award recipients came from 25 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The researchers were from the following states (multiple award winners are in parentheses): Alabama (2), California (6…

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is having a significant impact in accelerating the pace of technology development, according to a new study of 28 early ATP award winners. Half of the companies surveyed (14 out of 28) estimated that participation in the ATP reduced their technology development cycle by 50 percent, typically reducing a six-year process to three years. The majority (27 out of 28, or 96 percent) estimated that ATP participation reduced the cycle time anywhere from 30 to 66 percent. Accelerated technology development translates to dollars and cents according to the companies studied, with estimates of the economic impact of reducing cycle time ranging from one million to several billions of dollars for a single year of time saved. In addition, 24 of the companies (86 percent) indicated that participation in ATP resulted in cycle-time improvements that carried over to other technology development projects outside of ATP. They spoke of adapting specific "ATP practices" to related programs. The results are…

A coalition of science, engineering, and mathematics organizations endorsed a statement calling for a doubling of research funding over the next ten years. In total, 106 organizations offered their support of a "Unified Statement on Research" at a Capitol Hill Press Conference on October 22. The announcement is in response to a downward trend in federal science and engineering research investments. According to congressional reports, 5.7 percent of the federal budget in 1965 was spent on non-defense research and development. By 1997 that figure has dropped to 1.9 percent. Dr. Winfred M. Phillips, President- nominee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), stated "Investment in research provides the building blocks for our nation's competitive abilities. Federal support also provides the lifeblood for cutting-edge engineering research at colleges and universities, and is essential for educating the nation's future generations of engineers and scientists." Dr. Phillips was joined at the press conference by Dr. D. Allan Bromley, President of the American Physical Society, and…

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) has released a new study entitled Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. This assessment of the Massachusetts economy provides data on 33 quantitative indicators. The Index includes indicators such as industry clusters, pay per worker, manufacturing exports, education levels, R&D expenditures, Internet connectivity, and the number of patents, SBIR awards, and IPOs. The report establishes a baseline which will enable MTC to monitor, over time and in comparison to other states, Massachusetts progress in leveraging the state's resources through innovation to create quality jobs, productivity and rising incomes. The report highlights major changes in the structure of the Massachusetts economy that have occurred in the 1990s. For example, of the nine key industry clusters that drive the economy, the software and communications services cluster is the biggest gainer, growing by more than 20,000 jobs since 1992. This industry cluster also has the highest wages, averaging $56,000 per employee. In contrast, Massachusetts has become…

Two manufacturers - one for a second time - and two service firms have received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for their achievements in quality and business performance. The 1997 awards, announced by the Department of Commerce on October 15, went to 3M Dental Products Division, St. Paul, MN (manufacturing); Solectron Corp., Milpitas, CA (manufacturing); Merrill Lynch Credit Corp., Jacksonville, FL (service); and Xerox Business Services, Rochester, NY (service). Solectron Corp. also won the award in the manufacturing category in 1991. Further information on the 1997 award winners and the award itself is available on the World Wide Web at www.quality.nist.gov.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), in cooperation with members of the semiconductor industry and the U.S. Department of Defense, is launching a new initiative to expand certain long range applied microelectronics research at U.S. universities. This planned new initiative, the Focus Center Research Program, is being structured to utilize long range innovative applied research to meet industry needs. The envisioned Centers will: Concentrate attention and resources on those areas of microelectronics research that must be addressed to maintain the historic productivity growth curve of the industry; Strengthen the university research infrastructure and expand its capabilities in silicon related research; Achieve critical mass through relatively large blocks of funding together with the active participation of industrial visiting scientists; and, Provide the optimal balance of creative freedom and targeted objectives. It is contemplated that individual Focus Centers will be virtual (or distributed), in that they will typically consist of multiple universities. This will…