What's New @ IEEE-USA - Eye On Washington

Vol. 2008, No. 12 (12 September 2008)

CAPITOL HILL ACTIVITY

EXECUTIVE ACTIVITY

REPORTS & DOCUMENTS OF NOTE

U.S. STATES WATCH

AWARDS & GRANTS

CONFERENCES, FELLOWSHIPS, PROGRAMS & INTERNSHIPS FOR ENGINEERS

LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

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CAPITOL HILL ACTIVITY

The House Science and Technology Committee recently held a hearing to continue the committee's oversight of NextGen and to explore key issues related to the JPDO. Ranking Committee Member Ralph Hall (R-TX) said, "It is vitally important that there is accountability both at the FAA and among federal partners, and that roles and responsibilities are clearly articulated.

"So long as there is clarity in the management of NextGen, and a well-understood and sustainable research, development and implementation program, I am confident we will succeed."

Congress recognized that integrating new, automated features into a nationwide network of communications, navigation and surveillance systems, is a huge challenge, and the future system must also allow for more efficient routings to minimize delays and conserve fuel. The FAA recently realigned its NextGen activities and modified JPDO's position and status within the FAA by adding a Senior Vice President - Ms. Victoria Cox - for NextGen and Operations Planning to the Air Traffic Organization (ATO). At the hearing, Ms. Cox explained how the realignment gives the FAA "a clear decision-maker and a distinct line of authority on issues relating to NextGen."

GAO released 2 reports this week on NextGen:

Next Generation Air Transportation System: Status of Key Issues Associated with the Transition to NextGen GAO-08-1154T, September 11, 2008 Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 20 pages)

Next Generation Air Transportation System: Status of Systems Acquisition and the Transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System GAO-08-1078, September 11, 2008 Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 44 pages)

Senate Seeks to Toughen Copyright Laws

11 SEPT: The Senate Judiciary Committee approved S. 3325, legislation to combat copyright infringement by authorizing the Justice Department to sue individual copyright infringers and increase the damage awards that can be imposed in counterfeiting cases.

"This legislation will provide the tools, resources and structure needed for law enforcement at all levels to protect our intellectual property and to prosecute those who steal it," said Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT).

The movie and recording industries lobbied for the legislation, but several nonprofit and library groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Consumers Union, have questioned the need to give the Justice Department authority to sue rather than leaving that to private parties. Both groups said the provision was "an enormous gift of federal resources to large copyright owners with no demonstration that the copyright owners are having difficulties enforcing their own rights." Critics also questioned provisions that would allow for forfeiture of property that may not be owned or predominantly controlled by the copyright infringer.

Changes in the Chairmanship of House IP Committee

IEEE-USA will have a new chairman to deal with next year on the long belabored subject of patent reform. House Judiciary Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Howard Berman (D-Calif.) bid farewell to colleagues at a copyright hearing on Setember 11th . Congress is scheduled to adjourn later this month to campaign for the November elections and if Democrats retain control in the 111th Congress, Berman plans to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"If we don't have a lame duck, and I certainly hope we don't, this could be the last hearing that I get to chair with my dear friend Howard Coble," he said the ranking member from North Carolina. However, Berman noted that he hopes to remain a member of the subcommittee in the new Congress. "I'll still be down the row a few seats but someone else will have the slightly dubious honor of sitting here," Berman laughed.

IEEE is not only facing the new chairman on the subject of patent reform next year, but the subject of this hearing - the extensive copyright protection offered to scholarly journals and publicly funded research- is of great interest to IEEE. In a publication dated November 2007, the IEEE Publications and Products and Services Board adopted its "Principles of Scholarly Publishing." Included in those principles is the statement, "Copyright and intellectual property rights of authors and publishers must be protected in any publishing activity, including those that involve government-mandated policies on access to government sponsored research." Watch this space for our activities on this bill and other legislation that affects intellectual property rights.

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EXECUTIVE ACTIVITY

NSF Launches an Engineering Research Center for the Creation of a Green Energy Grid

5 SEP: The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced an award to North Carolina State University and its partners to establish a new NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC).  The ERC will develop interdisciplinary research and education programs that address an important energy issue and provide the foundation for new industries through innovation.  NSF will invest approximately $18.5 million in the Center over the next five years.

White House Announced 2007 National Medal of Science Laureates

3 SEPT: The White House announced the recipients of the 2007 National Medal of Science, the nation's highest honor for science and engineering. Honorees will receive the medals at a White House ceremony on 29 September 2008. Among the honorees are two IEEE members: Life Fellows Andrew Viterbi of San Diego, CA and Leonard Kleinrock of Los Angeles, CA. The National Science Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2009 National Medal of Science through 5 December 2008. Please go to www.fastlane.nsf.gov/honawards/ for detailed nomination information.

At the same time, the White House announced Dr. Armand Feigenbaum, Life Senior member from Pittsfield, MA, as a recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

Congratulations to everyone!

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REPORTS & DOCUMENTS OF NOTE

Government Accountability Office Reports

NASA Workforce: Briefing on National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Use of Term Appointments GAO-08-920R, September 10, 2008 Summary (HTML)   Full Report (PDF, 30 pages)

Elections: Federal Programs for Accrediting Laboratories That Test Voting Systems Need to Be Better Defined and Implemented GAO-08-770, September 9, 2008 Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 49 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service Reports

DHS: The Science and Technology Directorate’s Processes for Selecting and Managing Research and Development Programs

Council Challenges Next President to Execute 100-Day Energy Action Plan for America

11 SEPT: The Council on Competitiveness - of which IEEE-USA is an affiliate - has called on the next U.S. president to put the full weight of his office behind the a 100-Day Energy Action Plan. The Council’s roadmap for a sustainable energy future represents more than a year of collaboration by more than 200 private sector leaders, including CEOs, university presidents, organized labor leaders, national laboratory directors and energy experts. To read the plan, visit: http://www.compete.org/images/uploads/File/PDF%20Files/CoC_Prioritize_090808.pdf.

U.S. science and technology (S&T) competitiveness Deteriorating? No, Says RAND. Yes, Says ITIF.

The RAND Corporation recently released a report - U.S. Competitiveness in Science and Technology - arguing that the U.S. continues to lead the world science and technology (S&T) competitiveness. RAND's report has been interpreted to suggest that the "clarion call" of concern about threats to U.S. S&T competitiveness is alarmist and overblown. However, RAND’s report contains serious structural and analytic flaws that misread the fundamental position of U.S. S&T competitiveness according to Rose-Colored Glasses: How RAND’s Report on U.S. Competitiveness in Science and Technology Gets it Wrong by ITIF. ITIF counters with a critique of the RAND report showing that in contrast to RAND’s rosy assessment, America’s lead on a number of key S&T indicators is eroding rapidly, and in some cases vanishing entirely.

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US STATES ACTIVITIES

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.

NCSL Energy Policy Summit 2008

The National Conference of State Legislature's held their annual Energy Policy Summit recently in New Orleans.  Rising fuel costs, climate change and increasing dependency on imported energy resources were of course at the top of state lawmakers' agendas. Despite the challenges, many saw a chance to shape America's energy future in a way that energizes the economy and workforce by using domestic energy resources and American ingenuity. Speakers and topics included:

The Electric Power Challenge: Climate Change

Renewables, Transmission Integration and Energy Efficiency

The Business of Electricity and Climate Change: Financing Projects and Economic Development Potential

AWARDS & GRANTS

AAAS Grant Site

The American Association for the Advancement of Science supports GrantsNet Express.  Each week, GrantsNet provides 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.

Grants.gov

The President's 2002 Fiscal Year Management Agenda established grants.gov as a governmental grants resource. Grants.gov is a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs, and provides access to approximately $400 billion in annual awards. Most agencies, such as the DOE's Office of Science, use only grants.gov to list all funding opportunities. Other funding opportunities of interest include the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and NASA.

National Science Foundation

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

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CONFERENCES, FELLOWSHIPS, PROGRAMS & INTERNSHIPS FOR ENGINEERS

IEEE ENERGY 2030 - Towards A Sustainable Energy Infrastructure ( November 17 – 18, 2008, Atlanta, GA)

This new conference will provide a forum for the exchange of ideas amongst experts from a broad range of disciplines on the technology, policy and economic framework 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. The Conference is initiated by the IEEE TA New Technology Directions Committee, and co-sponsorship by IEEE-USA; IEEE Standards Association; and the following IEEE Societies: Industry Applications Society, Power Electronics Society, and the Power and Energy Society. For more info, visit: http://ewh.ieee.org/conf/energy2030/

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LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

8 SEPT: CNSF Coalition to House and Senate Appropriations Leaders urging National Science Foundation funding of at least $6.854B in the anticipated continuing budget resolution.

Public Policy Priority Issues - 110th Congress, 2d Session (2008):http://ieeeusa.org/policy/issues/index.html

Position Statements: http://ieeeusa.com/policy/positions/index.html

IEEE-USA In The News: http://ieeeusa.org/communications/inthenews/default.asp.

Former IEEE-USA Government Fellows Available to Speak to Sections

On Wednesday, June 11th, IEEE-USA Congressional Fellow George Hanover spoke to an IEEE PACE group in the San Francisco Bay area. He discussed the innovation and competitiveness issues that he worked on during the year he served as an IEEE-USA government fellow, working as a staffer for the Environment, Technology and Standards Subcommittee of the House Science Committee. George also served on the personal staff of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), a member of the House Science Committee. George also discussed an engineer's perspective on the "government process" and the IEEE-USA's involvement in that process. 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

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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.

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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: 12 September 2008