Public Policy

Public Input Sought on Balancing Cyber Security
With Innovation
The Department of Commerce is seeking public input on  "Cybersecurity, Innovation and Internet Policy" in order to better understand the nexus between cyber security challenges in the commercial sector and innovation in the Internet economy.  Comments are sought from all stakeholders, and will help inform a DOC report offering policy recommendations to the Administration.    more

Priorities Outlined for FY12 S&T Budget Request
A July 21 memo by White House OMB Director Peter Orzag outlines the Administration's S&T funding priorities in guidance to federal agencies for development of the 2012 budget request.  As a goal, the guidance calls for total government and private sector investment in R&D to equal 3% of gross domestic product.  Overall priorities include job creation, health care, clean energy, climate mitigation, biodiversity and sustainability, and security.     more

NASA Reauthorization Moves in House Committee
On July 22,the House Committee on Science and Technology approved H.R. 5781, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010, a three year budget reauthorization that restructures NASA’s exploration program.     more

Senate Commerce Committee Reports
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act
On  July 22, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation favorable reported their version of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (S. 3605), which joins the queue of legislation now awaiting Senate action.   more

White House CTO Testifies on U.S. Manufacturing
In 14 July testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra outlined seven principles that underpin the Administration's strategy for revitalizing U.S. manufacturing.     more

Presidential Science Advisors Live Webcast on July 16
The meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) will focus on the National Institute of Standards and Technology, S&T diplomacy, and the progress of studies on health IT, STEM education, and innovation.   more

Input Sought on National Nanotechnology Plan
The President's Office of Science and Technology Policy has asked for input to assist the Federal government in the development of the 2010 Strategic Plan for the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). The NNI sets priorities for over $1.5B in annual nanotechnology-related R&D at 25 federal agencies.   more

National Advisory Panel on Innovation
& Entrepreneurship Named
On July 13, the Commerce Dept. announced formation of a national advisory panel charged to advise the president on ways to foster entrepreneurship and transform laboratory ideas into new businesses and jobs.    more

Progress on Smart Grid Coordination and Standards
The July 1 hearing focused on the progress to date in developing Smart Grid architectures and interoperability standards.  Witnesses include John McDonald, chair of NIST Smart Grid Interoperability Panel Governing Board and IEEE Standards board member.      more.

Challenges to Federal Cybersecurity R&D
GAO report emphasizes need for stronger leadership, a prioritized R&D agenda, and processes for tracking R&D funding.   more

Supreme Court Rules in Bilski Case
In a case testing the patentability of business methods and process patents, the Supreme Court adopted a narrow ruling that preserves for now the patentability of software.    more.

July Meeting Addresses Cybersecurity and Innovation
The Department of Commerce will hold a symposium on "Cybersecurity and Innovation in the Information Economy" on July 27, 2010,  in Washington, D.C. Interested stakeholders are invited to comment on the relationship between cybersecurity in the commercial space and innovation in the Internet economy, with particular emphasis on businesses that operate non-critical infrastructure.   more.

Council on Competitiveness Announces
U.S. Manufacturing Initiative
On 24 June, the Council on Competitiveness announced a new initiative to enhance U.S. competitiveness through the manufacturing sector. The initiative will be led by chief executives from industry, academia, national laboratories and organized labor.   more.

National Initiative Announced for Cybersecurity Education
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced a National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), a new interagency program to promote cybersecurity awareness and know-how across the country and among citizens of all ages.    more.

White House Unveils National IP Protection Strategy
On June 22, Victoria Espinel, the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, unveiled the Administration's first strategic plan for cracking down on intellectual property theft, including the pirating of TV shows, movies, and other online content.  The plan takes a global focus and outlines ways in which the federal government will help businesses trying to enforce their IP rights abroad.    more.

NIST Proposes Metric Only Labeling Option
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued two publications calling for the amendment of labeling laws to allow the voluntary use of only metric units on some consumer products. NIST researchers suggest that adoption of metric labeling will lead to greater agreement between state and federal labeling laws and simplify domestic and international commerce.   more.

Anniversary of First Programmable Computer
Sixty years ago this week, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS, now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST) informed the nation about the dedication of the first programmable computer in U.S. history, the Standards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC). The revolutionary device moved information as sound wave pulses traveling through 64 mercury-filled glass tubes—in an early data-storage system known as acoustic delay.    more.

Suresh To Head National Science Foundation
Subra Suresh, dean of engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been tapped by the White House to replace Arden Bement Jr. as Director of the NSF when Bement steps down in June.

FCC Outlines Proposed Legal Framework
for Broadbrand Regulation
After a federal court decision cast doubt on the Federal Communication Commission's legal authority to regulate broadband services, the FCC is attempting to establish a legal foundation for implementing key recommendations of the National Broadband Plan.    more.

Senate Hearing to Look at Innovation in America
The U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion Subcommittee will hold a hearing on June 22 entitled Innovation in America: Opportunities and Obstacles.    more.

Real-Time Forecasting for Renewable Energy Development
On June 16, the House Science Subcommittee on Energy and Environment held a hearing to discuss forecasting data and services necessary to expand reliable, renewable sources of power.  Other June Science Committee hearings focused on technology transfer and

Hearing Examines Keys to Technology Transfer
On June 10, the House Science Subcommittee on Research and Science Education held a hearing focused on the process of transferring knowledge and technology from academic researchers to the private sector, and concluded that a more comprehensive set of metrics should be established to better determine the success of technology and knowledge transferred from colleges and universities.

Measuring Impact of Federal R&D
A new initiative promises to monitor the impact of federal science investments on employment, knowledge generation, and health outcomes. Science and Technology for America's Reinvestment: Measuring the Effect of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness and Science, or STAR METRICS, is a multi-agency venture led by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).     more.

NSF 2008 Data Shows Growth in Engineering Enrollments
For the first time since 2003, first-time enrollment in engineering fields grew faster among U.S. citizens and permanent residents than among foreign students with temporary visas.     more.

Marrett Named Acting Director of NSF
Arden Bement departed the National Science Foundation (NSF) as planned on Friday, May 28 to direct the Global Policy Research Institute at Purdue University.  Acting NSF Deputy Director Cora Marrett was named Acting Director effective June 1.   Previously, she headed up NSF's Education and Human Resources Directorate and is an emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

House Passes America COMPETES Reauthorization
After dividing the question to force separate votes on the Republican amendments contained in a motion to recommit, the House passed the underlying America COMPETES legislation (H.R. 5116) by a 262 to 150 vote on 28 May.  The bill retains Democratic-favored innovation and technology commercialization programs targeted for removal in the re-committal motion and supports the original 5 year reauthorization that Republicans had hoped to trim to 3 years as a cost savings measure.     [Vote Breakdown][Science Majority Release][Science Minority Release]

Plans to Update Communications Act Announced
On 24 May, Senator Jay Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Rep. Henry  Waxman, the Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Senator John Kerry, the Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, and Rep. Rick Boucher, the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet announced plans to reform the Communications Act of 1996 to encompass federal regulation of digital communications. As the first step, they will invite stakeholders to participate in a series of bipartisan, issue-focused meetings beginning in June.    more.

Revised America COMPETES Act Fails to Pass
On 19 May, the House failed to pass by the required 2/3s vote (under suspension of the rules) a revised version of the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 5315), which was identical to H.R. 5116 as amended and recommitted by the House last week with two exceptions:  it reduces the period that R&D programs are authorized from five to three years in order to reduce the overall cost of the bill and it bans the use of the authorized funds to pay the salary of federal employees disciplined for looking at pornography at work.  [Final Vote Results]   more.

May Hearings Look at Nuclear R&D,
Spaceflight Plans and Public Safety
During May, the House Science Committee will hold hearings to review DOE's nuclear energy R&D roadmap, NASA's proposed human spaceflight  plan, and the interoperability of public safety communications equipment.

America COMPETES Act Held Up in House
After approving a number of amendments to the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act, the House of Representatives sent it back to the House Science Committee for reconsideration after Republicans employed a procedural motion that would have forced Democratic supporters of the bill to oppose a provision barring use of authorized funds to pay federal employees accused of surfing porn.  [Gordon Statement] [Hall Statement]

NASA Research Capabilities Declining
NASA's abilities to meet major mission goals such as advancing aeronautics, exploring the outer planets, and understanding the beginnings of the universe are being seriously jeopardized by a steady and significant decrease in the agency's basic research capabilities according to a new report from the National Research Council.    more. 

IEEE Welcomes 2010 WISE Interns
IEEE is pleased to introduce IEEE student members Kristie Chin (Brown University) and Levi Lyons (University of Kansas), who were selected to participate in the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE) program for Summer 2010.   more. 

White House Energy Innovation Summit
Leaders from the private sector, nonprofits and government gathered at the White House on May 7 to discuss how they can work together to accelerate energy innovation, and support entrepreneurs and small businesses in the energy sector.  [Streaming Video]   more. 

Public Comment Sought on Promoting
Commercialization of University Research
The President's Office of Science and Technology Policy is seeking ideas for promoting the commercialization of federally funded research, starting with university research.  The deadline for comment has been extended to 26 May.    more. 

Building a High-Tech Workforce
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee held a hearing on 6 May to explore STEM K-12 education initiatives and how programs authorized in the America COMPETES Act have addressed these issues for purposes of providing Congress with guidance during the legislation’s upcoming reauthorization.    more. 

Focus on Smart Grid Communications
IEEE-USA is a co-sponsor of the 1st IEEE International Conference on Smart Grid Communications, to be held 4-6 Oct. in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  The program will include a focus on regulatory issues related to Smart Grid communications.  Paper proposals are due by 21 May.    more. 

America COMPETES Advances from Committee
On April 29, the House Science and Technology Committee successfully reported the America COMPETES Act reauthorization bill with amendments by a 29 to 8 vote     more. 

White House Streamlines Progress-Report System
for Federal R&D Grants
April 23 release of a new, universal, standardized progress-reporting format (pdf) for academic scientists and other Federal grantees is designed to free additional time for research.    more. 

Administration Outlines Proposal for Reforming U.S. Export Controls on Technology
In an April 20 speech, Defense Secretary Robert Gates outlined proposals to reform the U.S. export control system, including use of a single technology control list and licensing agency.     more. 

President Speaks on Future of Space Exploration Program
President Obama and other senor Administration officials will outline the Administration's plans for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in space flight at the Kennedy Space Center on April 15. [on-line coverage]   more

White House Seeks Input on the Future of
U.S. Advanced Manufacturing
The President's Office of Science and Technology Policy is inviting public input on the future of advanced manufacturing, posing 10 questions on the federal government's prospective role in advancing manfacturing technology, supporting new and existing manufacturing, and the key elements of a national manufacturing strategy.     more. 

Federal S&T Agencies Release "Open Government" Plans
In response to a White House "Open Government" directive to make their work more accessible to the general public, federal departments and agencies released their plans on April 7.

• Department of Defense

• Department of Energy

• National Institutes of Health (HHS)

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• Nat'l Institute of Standards and Technology (Dept. of Commerce)

• National Science Foundation

• All Departments/Agencies

NTSC To Coordinate Federal Role in Standards
The President's National Science and Technology Council has formed a Subcommittee on Standards to provide high-level leadership so federal agencies are strategically focused and actively engaged on critical standards-related issues.    more.

FCC Submits National Broadband Plan to Congress
The plan calls for connecting 100 million households to affordable 100-megabits-per-second service by 2020, building the world's largest market of high-speed broadband users and ensuring that new jobs and businesses are created in America.  [Executive Summary]   more.

IEEE-USA-backed Legislation Supporting Integration
 of Engineering into K-12 Education
Introduced on Feb. 25 in the House by Rep. Paul Tonko and in the Senate by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), the Engineering Education for Innovation (E2) Act (H.R. 4709/S.3043) would authorize federal planning and implementation grants to State educational agencies to help integrate engineering education into K-12 instruction and curriculum and to evaluate the efficacy of K-12 engineering education.   more.

President's Budget Request Sustains S&T Investments
The President's FY2011 budget request calls for a 5.9% increase in overall federal spending on R&D (above FY2010 appropriated levels), keeping NSF, NIST and DOE's Office of Energy Sciences on the doubling path called for the in "Gathering Storm" report, but proposing to cancel the Constellation rocket, the centerpiece of NASA's human space flight program, in favor of technology development and robotic exploration.    budget highlights   Agency Specific Highlights:  [DOE] [DOD] [NIST] [NASA] [NIH] [NSF]

NIST Unveils Smart Grid Standards Framework
NIST Director Patrick Gallagher announced the release of NIST's Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 1.0, at the IEEE Innovative Smart Technologies Conference on Jan. 19.     more. 

IEEE Launches Smart Grid Portal
On Jan. 19, IEEE launched the its Smart Grid Web Portal, an integrated gateway to Smart Grid intelligence, education and news designed for manufacturers, policymakers, educators, academics, governments, engineers, computer scientists, researchers and other stakeholders in the power and energy, information technology (IT), and communications industries.    more

House Science Committee Outlines 2010 Priorities
The House Committee on Science and Technology will focus its efforts in 2010 on reauthorizing the America COMPETES Act, advancing clean energy technology, building the high-tech workforce, protecting natural resources, exploring space, building intelligent transportation infrastructures, using technology to enhance security, and restoring scientific integrity.    more

Scholarly Publishing Report Outlines Recommendations
on Federal Public Access Policy
A small panel of stakeholders convened by the House Science and Technology Committee in consultation with the President's Office of Science and Technology Policy has outlined a set of recommendations regarding federal public access policies that attempts to accommodate the interests of scholarly publishers while enhancing access to peer reviewed research publications.     more

OSTP Launches Policy Forum on Public Access
to Federally Funded Research
As part of open government initiative, OSTP invites public comment on the extent and under what circumstances research articles—funded by taxpayers but with value added by scholarly publishers—should be made freely available on the Internet.    more

Also see IEEE-USA's Eye on Washington

Updated:  27 July 2010
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