1) CAPITOL HILL WATCH

• House Committee Amends R&D Bill To Promote Environmentally Sound Offshore Energy Development

2) WHITE HOUSE & EXECUTIVE AGENCY WATCH

• OSTP To Convene National S&T Summit

3) REPORTS, SPEECHES & DOCUMENTS OF NOTE

• Government Accountability Office Reports
• National Academies Press

4) U.S. COURTS ACTIVITY

5) U.S. STATES WATCH

• Alabama Plans $71M Next Generation Robotics Training, Research Facility

6) AWARDS & GRANTS

7) CONFERENCES, FELLOWSHIPS, PROGRAMS & INTERNSHIPS FOR ENGINEERS, and STUDENTS and SCHOLARS OF ENGINEERING

• Have an Interest in Renewables?
• FIRST: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology

8) LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

• Call for Nominees: IEEE-USA Awards
• IEEE Energy 2030
• Former IEEE-USA Government Fellows Available to Speak to Sections
• New & Revised IEEE-USA Position Statements
• IEEE-USA's Recent Policy Communications
• IEEE-USA Public Policy Priority Issues - 110th Congress, 2d Session (2008)
• Track IEEE-USA's Progress
• IEEE-USA In The News

9) OTHER ITEMS OF POSSIBLE INTEREST

• ASEE Finds U.S. Engineering Degrees Decline in 2007

1) CAPITOL HILL WATCH Congress is in recess until July 7th

• House Committee Amends R&D Bill To Promote Environmentally Sound Offshore Energy Development

The House Committee on Science and Technology passed H.R. 5618, the National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2008), that will is intended to focus research and development on ways to extract offshore energy reserves in an environmentally-sound way. H.R. 5618 creates a partnership between state and federal government, universities, and the private sector to promote the understanding, conservation, and management of our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. The legislation increases interaction between the National Sea Grant Office and the individual state programs, increases funding levels, and improves programmatic performance reviews.

"H.R. 5618 continues the great tradition of utilizing our nation's universities to train the next generation of ocean researchers while at the same time, providing invaluable benefits to coastal communities and other stakeholders," said Ranking Member Ralph Hall (R-TX).

Committee members offered amendments that would:

--create a program element to the National Sea Grant College Program to minimize conflicts and delays in the production of offshore oil and gas, geothermal, wind, and thermal ocean power, and
--ensure that the partners to the Sea Grant College program will look at ways to minimize conflicts between the environmental community and the development of energy resources, and provide support to research and training within education programs to ensure that competing interests are balanced as we seek to site windmills or utilize natural gas or geothermal resources in the ocean's floors.

2) WHITE HOUSE & EXECUTIVE AGENCY WATCH

• OSTP To Convene National S&T Summit

As called for by the 2007 America COMPETES Act (Public Law 110-69), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) will convene the National Science and Technology Summit at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN on August 18-19, 2008. The theme of the Summit is "Science, Technology, and American Competitiveness: Progress and Direction Forward."

The Summit will feature key government, university, and private sector leaders, including keynote addresses by: Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, National Semiconductor CEO Brian Halla, and IBM Senior Vice President for Research and Development Dr. John E. Kelly, III. Numerous key Congressional leaders are also expected to attend and participate, including Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Congressmen Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Zach Wamp (R-TN).

The Summit will focus on assessing the status of consensus policy recommendations to strengthen long-term U.S. economic competitiveness through science and technology. The American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) will be among the policy proposals reviewed at the Summit. For more information on the Summit or to register to receive future information updates, visit: http://www.ornl.gov/natlscitechsummit/index.shtml.

3) REPORTS, SPEECHES & DOCUMENTS OF NOTE

• Government Accountability Office Reports

Department of Energy: Implementation and Use of Other Transactions Authority Provided in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 GAO-08-798R  6 June 2008 Summary (HTML)  Full Report (PDF, 12 pp.)

Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Federal Actions Needed to Ensure Safety and Expand Their Potential Uses within the National Airspace System GAO-08-511  May 15, 2008 Summary (HTML)  Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 67 pp.)

• National Academies Press

Charles W. Wessner, Editor, Committee for Capitalizing on Science, Technology, and Innovation: An Assessment of the Small Business Innovation Research Program, National Research Council - Entrepreneurs in the United States see opportunities and are willing and able to take on risk to bring new welfare-enhancing, wealth-generating technologies to the market. Yet, while innovation in areas such as genomics, bioinformatics, and nanotechnology present new opportunities, converting these ideas into innovations for the market involves substantial challenges.

4) U.S. COURTS ACTIVITY

None at this time.

5) US STATES WATCH

If you like to keep up with going on in state politics, StateLine.org provides a good overview of the activities in all 50 state legislatures.

• Alabama Plans $71M Next Generation Robotics Training, Research Facility

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley announced a plan to launch a $71 million advanced robotics research, training and education center to prepare workers for the robotics industry and attract high-tech employers to the state. Calhoun Community College in Decatur will host the center, in partnership with the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Riley first proposed the robotics campus in 2006 and believes the center will help increase the state's profile as a leader in the robotics industry. In addition to training facilities, the center will also provide support for the applied research activities of Redstone Arsenal, which houses several U.S. Army directorates, and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

The Advanced Technology Robotics Research and Development Complex will be a collaborative project, supported by the state of Alabama, the state's community college system, Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) and partners from the private sector. Current plans call for a Robotic Maintenance Training Center, an Advanced Technology Research and Development Center, and an Integration and Entrepreneurial Center to be rolled out over the next few years.

The first component, the Robotic Maintenance Training Center, will begin operations within 18 months and cost between $14 million and $15 million. The state will contribute $8 million in interest-bearing bond proceeds for the project, with another $7 million to $8 million from the Department of Post-Secondary Education and local governments. Private robotics companies, including Omoron and Mitsubishi, plan to contribute $40 million in robotics equipment for the center, as well as supplying trainers for the program. The center is expected to train 450 students each year.

The second two installations are expected to cost $7 million to $8 million each and be rolled out within a "reasonable" period, accounting for changes in the economic climate. The Advanced Technology Research and Development Center would be used by the NASA and the U.S. Army Missile Command to develop and test new robotics technologies for space exploration and military applications. Existing robotics companies would also be able to use the facilities for testing purposes. The Integration and Entrepreneurial Center would provide facilities for new companies to test their software and equipment and to train new workers. Read Gov. Riley's announcement about the center at: http://governorpress.alabama.gov/pr/pr-2008-06-09-01-robotics_research-photo.asp

6) AWARDS & GRANTS

• AAAS Grant Site

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has a service called GrantsNet Express.  Each week GrantsNet will provide a listing of science funding opportunities from private foundations and organizations, and new U.S. government grant announcements in the sciences. AAAS will send GrantsNet by e-mail to AAAS member subscribers. The weekly emails will include: — New science funding programs, divided into opportunities for postdocs/graduate students and undergraduates — Submission deadlines for funding opportunities scheduled in the upcoming week — New listings of funding for science-related research.

• National Science Foundation

For information on NSF Engineering (ENG) Active Funding Opportunities, visit: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_list.jsp?org=ENG

Opportunities include:

TeraGrid Phase III: eXtreme Digital Resources for Science and Engineering (XD) Program Solicitation
Synopsis of Program: In many areas of research, a key to making advances is the ability of scientists and engineers to manipulate extremely large quantities of information.  Examples include: numerical simulation and modeling; the analysis of very large datasets, whether generated by new generations of scientific instrumentation or by numerical models; and the mining of a wide range of collections of digital artifacts.  At the largest scales, the resources needed to work with huge volumes of digital information are expensive and scarce.  In recent years, the research community, with support from NSF, has developed the TeraGrid as a way of providing wide access to these scarce, expensive resources.  The need for such widely shared, national resources continues to grow and as the currently funded phase of TeraGrid operations approaches its close, NSF is inviting innovative proposals for a new infrastructure to deliver the next generation of high-end digital services, as national resources, that will provide researchers and educators with the capability to work with extremely large amounts of digitally represented information.
Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
November 04, 2008, Deadline for preliminary proposals for Integrating Services
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
November 04, 2008, Deadline for full proposals for High-Performance Remote Visualization & Data Analysis Services
June 15, 2009, Deadline for full proposals for Integrating Services

7) CONFERENCES, FELLOWSHIPS, PROGRAMS & INTERNSHIPS FOR ENGINEERS, and STUDENTS & SCHOLARS OF ENGINEERING

• NREL: Have an Interest in Renewables?

If you are a student, a great starting place to check out college degree programs and other available training in renewable energy and energy efficiency is the Department of Energy's EERE Energy Education Web Site. Also, EERE's Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development Web Site offers a good listing of Universities and Courses in Sustainable Development.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Education Web Site provides a gateway to everything from K-12 programs to graduate, post-graduate, sabbatical and faculty appointments in fields associated with renewable energy.

For internships at NREL, contact Linda Lung at linda_lung@nrel.gov or (303) 275-3044.

DOE's Office of Science Workforce Development Web Site provides students information about possible energy careers through programs such as Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships. These paid positions in science and engineering at any of several DOE facilities offer students an opportunity to work with scientists or engineers on projects related to the laboratories' research programs. The mission of the Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists program is to provide a continuum of opportunities to the Nation's students and teachers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

If you are interested in next generation transportation technologies, EERE's University Research and Education Programs Database is a searchable database of U.S. college and university academic departments, laboratories, and research centers providing courses and/or conducting research in the areas of hydrogen and fuel cells.

Department of Energy's The Solar Decathalon - The teams for the next Solar Decathlon have been selected and are already hard at work. The next Solar Decathlon will take place in the fall of 2009 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. For more details visit: http://www.solardecathlon.org/

The 2008 North American Solar Challenge (NASC2008) is a competition to design, build, and drive solar-powered cars in a cross-country time/distance rally event. Teams compete in a 2400 mile drive from Dallas, Texas to Calgary, Alberta. For more info: http://americansolarchallenge.org/

• FIRST: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology
  

FIRST - Founded in 1989, FIRST hopes to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. Competitions include:

--FIRST Tech Challenge: http://www.usfirst.org/community/fvc/default.aspx?id=968
--FIRST Robotics Competition: http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc/default.aspx?id=966

8) LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

• Call for Nominees: IEEE-USA Awards

IEEE-USA is seeking nominations for 2008 awards for recognition of professional, technical and literary contributions to public awareness and understanding of the engineering profession in the United States. These distinguished awards are administered under the IEEE-USA Awards and Recognition Committee, and approved by the IEEE-USA Board of Directors. The deadline for nominations is 31 July 2008. For more Info.

• IEEE Energy 2030

IEEE-USA has signed onto the IEEE Energy 2030 Conference, an upcoming forum for the exchange of ideas among experts from the disciplines - technology, policy and economic - required for the creation of a global sustainable energy infrastructure by 2030. The IEEE, as a global technology leader in electrical and related technologies, with 43 societies and 370,000 members, is uniquely positioned to help define what the transformed infrastructure is likely to look like, and to initiate the discussion on the challenges that need to be overcome to achieve success. This will be a great networking opportunity as well as a learning venture. Please plan to attend. Click here for the Call for Papers.

• Former IEEE-USA Government Fellows Available to Speak to Sections

On June 11th, former IEEE-USA Congressional Fellow George Hanover spoke to an IEEE PACE group in the San Francisco Bay area about the innovation and competitiveness issues that he worked while serving as staff to both the Environment, Technology and Standards Subcommittee of the House Science Committee, and Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.). George also discussed an engineer's perspective on the "government process" and the IEEE-USA's involvement in that process. Former fellow Marty Sokoloski is scheduled to make a similar presentation about his year-long fellowship experience at the PDS (Professional Development Seminar), part of the WIE (Women in Engineering) Conference "Engineering Your Future," to be held on October 3–5, 2008, in Atlantic City NJ.

If your section is interested in having one of the former government fellows speak to your group about the program, how the legislative process works in Washington, and how IEEE-USA is influencing it, please contact Erica Wissolik at e.wissolik @ ieee.org. For more information on the IEEE-USA Government Fellows Program, please visit: http://ieeeusa.org/policy/govfel/default.asp

• New & Revised IEEE-USA Position Statements

The Board approved the following new IEEE-USA position statements at the June Board meeting:

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Encryption Research Provisions
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/DMCAEncryption.pdf

Encryption Policy
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/encryptionpolicy.pdf

Energy Efficiency
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/energyefficiency.pdf

Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Innovation and Competitiveness
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/competitiveness.pdf

Nanotechnology Research and Development
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/nanotechr&D.pdf

Nondiscrimination in Employment Based on Genetic and Other Health Information
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/geneticnondiscrimination.pdf

Remote Sensing
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/remotesensing.pdf

Reverse Engineering
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/reverseengineering.pdf

Upgrading the National Airspace System
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/nationalairspacesystem.pdf

• IEEE-USA's Recent Policy Communications

Read a full listing of IEEE-USA lobbying activities at: http://ieeeusa.com/policy/policy/index.html

• IEEE-USA Public Policy Priority Issues - 110th Congress, 2d Session (2008)
  

The public policy priorities list is available at: http://ieeeusa.org/policy/issues/index.html

• Track IEEE-USA's Progress

View the 2007 Annual Report (542MB): http://www.ieeeusa.org/about/annual_report/2007.pdf

View the Strategic & Operational Plan: http://www.ieeeusa.org/volunteers/strategicplan/index.html

Position statements are available online at: http://ieeeusa.com/policy/positions/index.html

• IEEE-USA In The News

For IEEE-USA in the News items, see: http://ieeeusa.org/communications/inthenews/default.asp.

• Its election Year!!

Make sure that you're a part of the solution. Register to vote: http://www.engineeringthevote.org/register.asp

Given the many urgent scientific and technological challenges facing America and the rest of the world, the increasing need for accurate scientific information in political decision making, and the vital role scientific innovation plays in spurring economic growth and competitiveness, NPR calls for a public debate in which the U.S. presidential candidates share their views on the issues of The Environment, Health and Medicine, and Science and Technology Policy. http://sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php

9) OTHER ITEMS OF POSSIBLE INTEREST

• ASEE Finds U.S. Engineering Degrees Decline in 2007

Despite a growing national demand for their skills, the number of engineers graduating from American colleges went down in 2007, according to latest edition of Profiles of Engineering and Engineering Technology Colleges, prepared by the American Society for Engineering Education. The decline in engineering bachelor's degrees was the first since the 1990s, ending seven years of growth. Although the drop was small ­ 1.2 percent from the previous year ­ ASEE fears it is the beginning of a trend that may continue for several years. Undergraduate enrollment also dropped in 2004 and 2005. Engineering master's degrees show an even sharper drop than bachelor's degrees, having declined 8.8 percent since 2005. Ph.D. degrees, by contrast, have been growing an average of 11 percent since 2004.

The pain is not being felt uniformly across all sectors of engineering; aerospace and biomedical engineering have shot up in popularity while electrical and computer engineering have fallen. The fall in the number of engineering graduates comes at a time of growing technological competition from Asia and mounting concern about problems involving energy, the environment and infrastructure that require engineering solutions. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected a need for 160,000 more engineering positions over the 10-year period between 2006 and 2016. This 11 percent increase does not include the replacement of many retiring engineers.

The 2007 edition of Profiles details the state of engineering education today, listing all college enrollments, degrees awarded, faculty and research expenditures at the undergraduate and graduate levels. More information can be found online at www.asee.org/colleges.

Top of Page | What's New@IEEE | IEEE-USA

What's New @ IEEE-USA's Eye on Washington highlights important federal legislative and regulatory developments that affect U.S. engineers and their careers. In addition to this biweekly newsletter, subscribers receive legislative bulletins and action alerts on IEEE-USA priority issues, including: retirement security, employment benefits, research & development funding, computers and information policy, immigration reform, intellectual property protection and privacy of health/medical information.

You can change your IEEE-USA Eye on Washington subscription status by using the forms at http://www.ieeeusa.org/communications/emailupdates/default.asp

Copyright © 2008, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.  Permission granted to copy for personal use or for non-commercial republication with appropriate attribution.

Updated: 30 June 2008