Tech Programs Among Most Innovative

Six technology-related programs are among the 96 semifinalists for the 2000 Innovations in American Government Awards. The award, which recognizes innovation and effectiveness in public sector programs, has become one of the most prestigious public-service honors in the country. Innovations in American Government was established in 1986 by the Ford Foundation and is administered by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Announced last week, the 96 semifinalists were selected from more than 1,300 nominees across all levels of government. Twenty-five finalists will be named in late summer. The 10 top finalists each will receive $100,000; the remaining 15 will receive $20,000 a piece.

Technology-related semi-finalists include:

• Fast Track Program, Department of Defense, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics). Fast Track is a public-private collaboration to enable small companies to develop commercially successful new technologies through the Defense Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program
• Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT), Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Information. EMPACT is an interagency program that works with communities to provide residents with current and reliable local environmental information. EMPACT projects provide information to millions of people in the United States, enabling them to make informed decisions about activities and behaviors as they relate to environmental conditions and concerns.
• Environmental Technology Verification Program, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development. By working with public and private sector partners to make credible environmental technology information available to decision makers, the Environmental Technology Verification Program enables more widespread adoption of improved technology to meet the national goal of protecting human health and the environment.
• Community College Institute, Department of Energy, Office of Science. The Community College Institute was created to provide the largest population of undergraduate students in the country with science/technical experience that would bring them into the mainstream of the workforce. This goal was accomplished by incorporating new Internet technologies, grassroots recruiting, and on-going communications among students, faculty, laboratory scientists, and DOE program managers.
• Perritech, Perry High School, Perry Local Schools, Ohio. Perry High School's Perritech program, by providing students with industry recognized technology certification programs, has provided firsthand evidence that American students can compete at world-class standards in the classroom and on the job.
• Hawarden Integrated Technology, Energy & Communications, Telecommunications Department, City of Hawarden, Iowa. Digital divide eliminated. Residents of a rural community connect to the Information Superhighway through their own initiative and enjoy the same advanced technologies, at competitive prices, which residents of large metropolitan areas take for granted.