Two measures, one dealing with improving access to higher education in Alaska, and another focusing on economic growth through renewable energy in Nebraska, recently were approved as part of the 2010 legislative sessions. Lawmakers in Alaska passed a measure establishing a merit-based scholarship program championed by Gov. Sean Parnell, but left funding for the program uncertain. Meanwhile, Nebraska legislators passed a bill to promote economic growth through renewable energy export.

Alaska

TBED People
Michael Burcham has been named the first president of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. Burcham currently serves as a clinical faculty member at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management.

Patrick Draper has been appointed as president and CEO of the Toronto Region Research Alliance.

Arlene Garrison has been appointed as vice president of University Partnerships at Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

Subra Suresh, dean of engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be the next director of the National Science Foundation.

Eric Cromwell, president and CEO, and Dan Schmisseur, vice president of operations and strategy, have resigned from the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation.

Several states recently enacted spending plans for the upcoming fiscal year, which started July 1 for most states. In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law the LA GRAD Act, granting universities more flexibility to raise tuition in return for meeting certain performance goals. Lawmakers in Massachusetts allocated $10 million to continue the state's investment in life sciences, Pennsylvania Gov.

Andre Pettigrew, the director of the Denver Office of Economic Development, will become the first executive director of Climate Prosperity Inc., a Washington, D.C., climate-change think tank. LaCharles Keesee, the city's deputy chief financial officer, will assume an interim role as head of the city's economic development department until a final replacement is named.

The third installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs' series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The first and second installments are available in the Jan. 5 and Jan. 12 editions of the Digest.

Climbing back from a deep recession without over burdening taxpayers is a main focus of this year's legislative session for many states, leaving little room for bold initiatives needed to position state and regional economies for future growth. Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, however, is asking lawmakers to look beyond the state's current conditions and invest in economic sectors he says are likely to create high-quality jobs and enhance the state's "economic momentum."

Alabama then-Governor-elect Robert Bentley on January 3 named former House Speaker Seth Hammett as director of the Alabama Development Office, replacing Interim Director Linda Swann. He also appointed the president of the Birmingham-based Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, Bill Taylor, to lead efforts to grow and retain existing Alabama industries, while at the same time recruiting new businesses to the state.

Gov. Bill Haslam is the latest governor to unveil a broad-based proposal to grow the state's economy and create jobs through investments in S&T by asking lawmakers to dedicate $10 million for a research consortium that would recruit senior scientists to advance scientific discoveries into commercial applications and spur high-growth companies.

With the number of startups on the rise, several states and cities are reaching out to entrepreneurs to connect them with the assistance and capital they need to survive.

Indiana

Recent announcements of new and emerging technology incubators range from Google's selection of Cape Town, South Africa to launch a pilot incubator supporting technology entrepreneurs that it hopes to replicate globally to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley's plan to create a statewide business incubator focusing on workforce training. Select announcements from across the globe are highlighted below.

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce unveiled a new website targeting the region’s entrepreneurial community. The Nashville Entrepreneurial Center provides insight and advice on starting a new company, local business and innovation news and several ways to connect to other entrepreneurs and investors. Though the site already offers a blog and social networking features, the group plans to expand their services to include additional resources for entrepreneurs seeking funding and other types of assistance.

Tech Talkin' Govs, Part V
The fifth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs' series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Minnesota, New Jersey, and Tennessee. The first four installments are available in the Jan. 13, Jan. 20, Jan. 27, and Feb. 10 Digests.

The fifth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs' series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Minnesota, New Jersey, and Tennessee. The first four installments are available in the Jan. 13, Jan. 20, Jan. 27, and Feb. 10 Digests.

Development of a new graduate energy sciences and engineering program at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) that intends to create 200 faculty appointments for Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers is underway following near unanimous passage of a higher education bill last month during a special legislative session. The measure was approved 32-0 in the Senate and 93-2 in the House. In support of the new program, Gov.

The Tennessee Biotechnology Association has changed their name to Life Science Tennessee.

Ann Arbor SPARK recently added Bill Mayer as director of their business accelerator team.

A bill being debated in Congress would provide federal support for the development of research parks, a major contributor to scientific discovery, technology commercialization and new company formation. S. 583, entitled the Building A Stronger America Act and introduced earlier this year, would make available grants and loan guarantees for the development and construction of science parks to promote the clustering of innovation through high technology activities.

TBED People
Eric Abelquist has been named executive vice president of Oak Ridge Associated Universities and deputy director of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

Arn Boezaart, who has been interim executive director of the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center the past six months, will take over the position permanently.

Mike Koop, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Community & Economic Development, is resigning effective March 1 to return to the private sector.

A number of regional economic development organizations in Tennessee have formed a partnership called Innovation Valley Inc. Partners in Innovation Valley Inc. include the Blount County Chamber of Commerce, Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership, Loudon County Economic Development Agency, Oak Ridge Economic Partnership, The Roane Alliance and Tellico Reservoir Development Agency.