SSTI Digest

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is seeking nominees for Small Business Person of the Year. The deadline for nominations is November 15. A Small Business Person of the Year is selected from every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. From this pool, one individual is selected as the national Small Business Person of the Year. Each state's Small Business Person of the Year must meet criteria which include staying power, growth in employment, increase in sales/unit volume, innovation, response to adversity, and evidence of contributions to their community. Advocate awards are also presented to persons who have used their professional skills or personal talents to further public understanding and awareness of small business. Candidates must have taken an active role in creating opportunities to promote the interests of small business. Advocate categories include : Women in Business, Minority, Veteran, Accountant, Financial Services and Media. Special awards are also presented to the Small Business Exporter and Young…

President Clinton recently announced his intention to nominate Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Distinguished Professor of Zoology at Oregon State University, to the National Science Board, an advisory body to the National Science Foundation. The National Science Board recommends overall national policies for promoting basic research and education in the sciences. Lionel "Skip" Johns, associate director for technology at the White House's Office of Science and Technology (OSTP), announced he would be leaving his position in October. Sigfried Hecker, the director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, announced that he is stepping aside in order to participate more closely in scientific collaboration between US and Russian researchers. Hecker has headed Los Alamos since 1986. Jay F. Honeycutt, the director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), has announced his plans to retire from NASA in early 1997. He became director in 1995. Dr. Robert Schrieffer (Physics, Florida State University and University of Florida), Dr. Kenneth J. Arrow (Economics, Stanford University), Dr. Elsa Garmire (…

President Clinton recently announced his intention to nominate Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Distinguished Professor of Zoology at Oregon State University, to the National Science Board, an advisory body to the National Science Foundation. The National Science Board recommends overall national policies for promoting basic research and education in the sciences.

Lionel "Skip" Johns, associate director for technology at the White House's Office of Science and Technology (OSTP), announced he would be leaving his position in October.

Sigfried Hecker, the director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, announced that he is stepping aside in order to participate more closely in scientific collaboration between US and Russian researchers. Hecker has headed Los Alamos since 1986.

Jay F. Honeycutt, the director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), has announced his plans to retire from NASA in early 1997. He became director in 1995.

Dr. Robert Schrieffer (Physics, Florida State University and University of Florida), Dr. Kenneth J. Arrow (Economics, Stanford University), Dr. Elsa Garmire (Engineering, Dartmouth College) and Dr. Joan Argetsinger Steitz (Life Sciences, Yale University) were chosen by President Clinton to serve on the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science. The National Medal of Science was created by federal law to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to science and engineering.

Please take a few minutes to complete this form and return it to SSTI. We would like to have responses faxed back to us by November 8, 1996 Fax: 614-421-9123 Your Name: Approximately how many people in your office regularly read the SSTI Weekly Digest? Which articles do you read? Which 3 do you find most useful? Which types would you like to see more or less of Article Type We Read These Find These 3 Most Useful Include More of These Include Fewer of These Federal awards         Federal solicitations         Federal budgets         Federal program changes  …

A Memorandum of Understanding has been entered into between the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration (TA) and the National Governors' Association (NGA) to develop the U.S. Innovation Partnership (USIP). USIP will be developed to help combine and coordinate state and federal efforts in science and technology and manufacturing extension programs. USIP is intended to integrate inter-governmental policies and strategies to support the development of competitive businesses through innovation and the diffusion of technological resources. Seventeen governors have committed to participate on the USIP working group, and each governor has also committed the time of a senior policy advisor to serve on the USIP planning committee. Twelve federal agencies will be participating in the working group.   TA will analyze past state-federal activities; develop a high-level steering committee in cooperation with other agencies and the NGA to provide state-federal policy input; and develop information resources that will help better explain federal programs and involvement in science…

While most of the attention has been focused on the presidential election and the fight for control of the Congress, eleven states will also be electing governors on November 5. Four of those races are for open seats where the governor has either decided not to seek reelection or is prohibited from running again. The states with gubernatorial elections are: Delaware -Tom Carper, the Democrat incumbent, is facing Janet Rzewnicki, the Republican State Treasurer. Carper has been elected to various offices nine times and has not lost once in the last 20 years. No poll results were available. Indiana - Frank O'Bannon, the Democrat Lieutenant Governor, is running against Stephen Goldsmith, the Republican mayor of Indianapolis. A poll in early October showed the race a dead heat with O'Bannon receiving 45% of the vote and Goldsmith 44%. The current governor, Democrat Evan Bayh, can not run for a third term. Missouri - The incumbent governor, Democrat Mel Carnahan, is opposed in his bid for a second term by the Republican State Auditor, Margaret Kelly. A poll in early October…

SSTI has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Economic Development Administration to examine how state investments in science and technology can support development in distressed areas. The project includes: an inventory of recent science and technology planning initiatives in all 50 states, an in-depth examination of science and technology planning and implementation, a roundtable to develop recommendations on how to use science and technology resources to benefit distressed areas, regional training for state and local economic development practitioners, a final report on best practices in state s&t planning, and a national workshop to provide direct technical assistance to state policymakers and practitioners. The National Governors' Association and the Best Practices Committee of the Science and Technology Council of the States will participate in the project. The project is one of several being funded by EDA's research and technical assistance program. Additional projects funded by EDA and the prime contractors are: Developing criteria to evaluate…

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently released its annual report on funding for university projects that Congress specifically directed federal agencies to support. According to the Chronicle, nearly $299 million was earmarked in FY96 for higher education activities. The FY96 level of earmarks was a significant decrease from the $600 million identified in FY95. The projects, in which specific universities were named either in appropriations bills or the legislative reports that accompany them, were identified by officials of the agencies or universities involved, or by Congressional aides. The report addresses items for which federal agencies did not request funding or sponsor merit-based competitions (although there were a few projects for which funding was added to projects that had previously been competitively awarded). There are differences in the way funding was awarded for these projects. In some cases, Congress intended the money to go directly to the university named, although funding was to be shared with other institutions. In other cases, universities were to receive money…