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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

Eye
On Washington Newsletter -
29 June.
America COMPETES Act
re-authorization, intellectual property enforcement,
national space policy, new federal support for broadband,
and more.
current
White House Releases Updated National Space Policy
Policy stresses
expanded international cooperation in space activities and
supports human and robotic exploration of the solar system,
transformative technologies for more affordable human
exploration beyond the Earth, and private sector
partnerships for commercial spaceflight capabilities.
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.
Feds to Outline Cybersecurity R&D Priorities
On
May 19, 2010, NITRD representatives from NSF, DHS, and
other agencies will present new Federal cybersecurity
R&D themes. This event will take place at the Claremont
Resort in Oakland, California, and follows the
IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy. This event
will be the first discussion of these Federal
cybersecurity R&D objectives and will provide insights
into the priorities that are shaping the direction of
Federal research activities.
more.
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.
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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