A
weekly review of the latest
legislative & regulatory news from
Washington.
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THIS WEEK...
PANEL CONSIDERS DIFFICULT BALANCE BETWEEN OPEN RESEARCH,
SECURITY
On October 10, the House
Committee on Science held a
hearing entitled, "Conducting Research During the War on Terrorism:
Balancing Openness and Security."
Since the September 11th attacks and subsequent anthrax incidents,
Congress, the executive branch, and the scientific and technical communities have begun
discussions on how to prevent scientific research results and information from becoming national
security risks. This hearing focused on the treatment of sensitive
information and of foreign
faculty and students.
In
his testimony, Marburger stated: "This administration is determined not to
let terrorism deflect America from its trajectory of world leadership in
science... Having said this, we
must also take measures to safeguard our research enterprise, particularly
given that terrorists have already shown a willingness to use our
technology against us on our own soil. The question is one of balance,
and it is one that my office will
continue to work to achieve as we move forward." The other witnesses on
the panel, on the other hand, expressed concern over further government
regulation.
For more information about the hearing, go to: http://www.house.gov/science/hearings/full02/index.htm,
or by contacting Reese Meisinger at meisingerr@asme.org.
DEFENSE SCIENCE BOARD RECOMMENDS THREE PERCENT
OF DOD BUDGET FOR S&T
The Defense Science Board has recently made
available its latest study, "The Defense Science Board 2001 Summer Study on
Defense Science and Technology," which was forwarded to
the Department of Defense (DOD) in mid-June. The report reaffirms the
Board's earlier recommendation (made in the late 1990s) that three percent
of DOD's budget be allocated to science and technology (S&T) spending. The
DSB is an independent committee that provides advice to the Secretary of
Defense.
The report states, "The task force agrees that three
percent is a reasonable funding level. DOD leadership has concurred in
recent testimony to Congress. Furthermore, support appears to exist within
DOD and on Capitol Hill for
achieving this level based upon historical DOD S&T budgets. Therefore,
the task force recommends that the Secretary of Defense achieve and sustain the three percent S&T
funding level, recommended by the prior DSB study."
This 226-page
report, which made many recommendations about improving the conduct of
defense S&T, is on the Board's web site at http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/sandt.pdf
For more information, contact Kathryn Holmes at holmesk@asme.org.
NSF ISSUES 24 MATH AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
The
National Science Foundation (NSF)
recently announced 24 awards under the new Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program - an
anticipated investment of $240 million over five years in projects to
improve the achievement of K-12 students in science and mathematics. The Department of
Education is an NSF partner in this effort, co-funding two projects
involving state education agencies.
Seven comprehensive MSP awards
total about $147 million over five years and will affect about 1.8 million
students in 11 states. Seventeen targeted partnership grants, which are intended
to improve achievement in specific disciplines or grade ranges, total
about $90 million over five years and will affect about 200 school
districts and some 600,000 pre-K
through grade 12 students in 11 states.
Also, 12 smaller awards
for capacity building projects will focus on research, evaluation and technical assistance for the MSP
Learning Network. Through this vehicle, researchers and practitioners in MSP and other related projects will unite
in a national effort to further develop understanding of how students best
learn mathematics and science. It will also promote broad
dissemination and emulation of
successful strategies in educational practice.
More information
about the MSP program can be found at: http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/msp/. For
more information, contact Patti Burgio at burgiop@asme.org.
NASA SELECTS CORPORATION TO LEAD INNOVATIVE
RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has
announced that the Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, will team with
the National Institute of Aerospace Associates (NIAA), Reston, VA, to
create the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) to perform aerospace
and atmospheric research, develop
new technologies for the nation, and help inspire the next generation of
scientists and engineers.
The new institute represents a long-term commitment on the part of
NASA to expand collaboration with universities, industry, other government
agencies, and the broader
scientific community to fully leverage expertise inside and outside of government. Once fully
operational, the institute will become a strategic partner working with
NASA to enhance its aerospace and
atmospheric research capability.
Through its partner universities,
NIA will offer graduate degrees in science and engineering using both a local
campus and the latest innovations
in distance learning. The institute will also be a catalyst for economic
development by stimulating the commercialization of new intellectual
property and facilitating the
growth of new business opportunities.
For more information, go to:
http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/news_rels/2002/02-078.html,
or contact Kathryn Holmes at holmesk@asme.org.
BEST REPORT RECOMMENDS INCREASING DIVERSITY IN THE SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY WORKFORCE
Building Engineering and Science Talent (BEST) is a three-year
partnership of government,
industry, and academic leaders,
and is a follow-on to the
recommendations of the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of
Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology Development (CAMWSET).
BEST's purpose is to determine what has been proven effective in
encouraging "women, African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and persons with disabilities to choose
and stay with science and math educational paths." BEST has
released its first report entitled, "The Quiet Crisis: Falling Short in
Producing American Scientific and
Technical Talent."
"The Quiet Crisis" indicates that the U.S. is
not doing what is needed to develop the necessary S&T workforce for
the future, and calls for greater
efforts to increase the representation of women and minorities in the fields of science, engineering, and technology. Initial report
recommendations include tools to help communities develop workforce
diversity, a coherent national strategy, and increased federal, state, and local resources for expanding
"educational opportunities in mathematics and science for under-represented groups."
The report calls on professional societies, foundations, and other non-profit groups to work
together, "project a more positive public image of science, engineering, and technology," and "mobilize at the grass roots" level
to encourage diversity.
More information about BEST or "The Quiet
Crisis" can be found at http://www.bestworkforce.org/.
For further information, contact Patti Burgio at burgiop@asme.org.
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Melissa R. Murray Government
Relations ASME International 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 906 Washington, DC
20036 Phone: 202.785.7380 Fax: 202.429.9417 Email: mailto:murraym@asme.org
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