SSTI Digest

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…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected three centers to conduct and coordinate earthquake engineering research for the nation. The contracts call for NSF to invest $2 million a year for five years in each of the three centers for a total of $30 million. NSF selected the three centers for their individual and complementary strengths. The University of California at Berkeley's Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center will develop technologies to reduce urban earthquake losses. The second center, the University of Illinois Mid-America Earthquake Center at the Urbana-Champaign campus, will emphasize reducing potential earthquake losses in the central and eastern U.S. by concentrating on problems associated with low-frequency seismic events. Finally, the State University of New York at Buffalo's Center for Advanced Technologies in Earthquake Loss-Reduction will focus on the application of advanced and emerging technologies to reduce earthquake losses. Improved performance loss assessment of buildings and civil infrastructure will be explored, as well as rehabilitation of critical…

October 29, 1997 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers will sponsor Accessing Technology in Rhode Island.  The briefing will provide information on state and federal technology resources available to assist businesses. For more information contact Reese Meisinger at 202/785-3756 or meisingerr@asme.org October 29 - 30, 1997 The National Technology Transfer Center is hosting a training course entitled Technology Assessment in Ridgecrest, CA. For more information call 800-678-6882, or visit http://www.nttc.edu November 10-11, 1997 The Red Herring magazine is presenting a venture capital conference entitled Venture Market East in Cambridge, MA. For more information, contact Tom Geck at 415/659-2871 or visit www.herring.com/events November 11-12, 1997 The Mid-Atlantic Venture Association and the Greater Philadelphia Venture Group is hosting the 1997 Mid-Atlantic Venture Fair in Vienna, VA. For more information call 410/560-5855 or visit www.mava.org. November 12-15, 1997 The National Business Incubation Association is sponsoring its annual Fall…

Job growth in information technology (IT) now exceeds the production of talent, according to a U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Technology Policy (OTP) study, America's New Deficit: The Shortage of Information Technology Workers. A recent survey of mid- and large-size U.S. companies by the Information Technology Association of American (ITAA) concluded that there are about 190,000 unfilled IT jobs in the U.S. today due to a shortage of qualified workers. Because information technology is an enabling technology that affects the entire economy, the failure to meet the growing demand for information technology professionals could have severe consequences for the United States' competitiveness, economic growth, and job creation. Evidence suggests that job growth in IT fields now exceeds the production of talent. Between 1994 and 2005, more than a million new computer scientists and engineers, systems analysts, and computer programmers will be required in the U.S., an average of 95,000 per year. In 1994, only 24,533 students earned a bachelor's degree in computer and information…

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced this year's Tibbetts Award winners. The 68 winners represent individuals and organizations that were judged to be models of excellence in technology through participation in or support for the SBIR program. The companies and individuals were selected based on the economic impact of their technological innovation and their overall business achievements. All 50 states and the District of Columbia had at least one award winner. The awards, named for Roland Tibbetts who was instrumental in the creation of the SBIR program, were established last year when 67 individuals and companies were recognized. This year's awards will be presented at an October 16 ceremony in Washington, D.C. A complete list of the award winners can be found on the web at http://www.sbaonline. sba.gov/gopher/SBA-Press-Releases/Current/ pres10.txt or by contacting SSTI at 614/421-SSTI (7784).

The proceedings of the Technology Transfer Metrics Summit is now available from the Technology Transfer Society. The book is based on the first working conference on measurement and evaluation for the technology transfer community, co-sponsored by the Engineering Foundation and the Technology Transfer Society. Topics include measurement of federal laboratory/university/industry partnering, state programs, intermediaries and economic development, manufacturing extension, and commercialization programs. The 370-page proceedings brings together industry case studies, international approaches, a conference executive summary, workshop summaries, and benchmarking examples. It also includes two items which evolved from the conference itself: 1) a matrix of standard metrics by organizational sector, and 2) a metrics standardization proposal. The cost for the publication is $75. Contact the Society at 312/644-0828 or by e-mail at 102234.166@compuserve.com to order.

Eight industry and economic development leaders have been appointed to serve on the newly created Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory Board. Meeting three times a year, the board will provide advice on MEP programs, plans and policies. The board will summarize its findings and recommendations to the Secretary of Commerce in an annual report. The board members are: Jay Brandinger; Trenton, N.J.; executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology; Roxi Downing; Des Moines, Iowa; chief executive officer, Qualis Inc.; Irwin Feller; University Park, Pa.; professor of economics at Pennsylvania State University; Maurice Lee; Boley, Okla.; president of Smokaroma Inc.; Ed Noha; Chicago, Ill.; chairman of the board of CNA Financial Corp.; James Quillin; Alamo, Calif.; senior advisor, Economic Development, California Conference of Machinists; Lawrence Rhoades; Irwin, Pa.; president of Extrude Hone Corp.; and William Webber; Greensboro, N.C.; interim director, PT CAM. A ninth member of the board is expected to be named…

The Delaware Economic Development Office recently announced the selection of two new Advanced Technology Centers (ATC). The Centers will focus on semiconductors and advanced optics. The Centers are public/private partnerships designed to bolster Delaware's technology base and to create and retain quality high-tech jobs. The State of Delaware is investing $4 million over three years in these two Centers through grants from the 21st Century Fund. The Center for Nanomachined Surfaces (CNS) will focus on developing and commercializing leading-edge nanomachining applications important to the semiconductor industry. The primary technical goal of the Center is to achieve the world's highest-precision polished, or nanomachined, photomask surfaces, ultimately affecting every integrated circuit made. For more information on CNS, visit their website at http://nanosurf.ece.udel.edu. The Applied Optics Center of Delaware, Inc. will focus on developing new applications for laser technology. Initially, the Center will concentrate on laser spectroscopy technology and laser diode-based…

The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology is requesting comments on proposed revisions to the agency's Advanced Technology Program regulations. The proposed changes are the result of a study of the ATP initiated by Commerce Secretary William Daley in March. Conducted by the department's Technology Administration and completed in July, the study solicited comments from the public and experts on research and technology concerning strategies to strengthen the program and increase its effectiveness. Key provisions in the proposed modifications to the ATP include: ATP may consider using the dollar value of the 500th company in Fortune Magazine's Fortune 500 listing in defining the term "large business" in ATP solicitations. This change is in response to concerns that the current process gives large firms an unfair advantage over medium-sized firms with limited resources. The cost sharing requirements for large companies applying as single proposers would increase to a minimum of 60 percent. Currently, all companies are treated alike…

The Role of Technology in the Connecticut Economy, a new report produced by the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC), provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of technology in the state's economy. Overall, the report reveals both a strong technology contribution to the Connecticut economy, as well as the state's dependence on technology for achieving its economic potential. The primary goal of the report is to draw attention to the technology resources in the state and to redefine how the state collectively views itself. The report's second goal is to start quantifying the state's technology resources in order to provide a basis for future planning and evaluation of technology performance over time. With this baseline data, private industry planners and public policy makers will be able to position Connecticut for growth in the future. The study discovered that Connecticut's technology industries are growing. Findings of the report include the following: In Connecticut, the technology sector accounts for one-sixth of total jobs but more than one-quarter of total payroll…

The U.S. Department of Commerce is accepting nominations for the 1998 National Medal of Technology. The Medal of Technology recognizes technological innovators who have made lasting contributions to enhancing America's competitiveness and standard of living. The Medal of Technology is awarded annually to individuals, teams, or companies for accomplishments in the innovation, development, commercialization, and management of technology, as evidenced by the establishment of new or significantly improved products, processes, or services. Nominations must be submitted by October 17. Eligibility requirements include: U.S. citizenship in the case of individuals and teams. Companies may be for-profit or not-for-profit, but more than 50 percent of the shares or assets must be owned by U.S. citizens. Nominees who are selected as finalists will be subject to an FBI security check. The 1998 Nomination Application Packet, including an individual/team application form and a company/division application form as well as criteria, is available on the Internet at www.…