ASME
International Capitol Update
October 24, 2001
![]()
 Senate Confirms Two Senior
Science and Technology
Appointees
-- OSTP Director
and Under Secretary of Commerce
for Technology approved unanimously
Education
Provisions Advance in Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
Bills
-- House and Senate
versions differ on funding levels for math and science education
initiatives
.gif) "Quadrennial
Defense Review Report" Released
-- Report recommends
increasing S&T funding to three percent of DOD
budget
Whitaker Foundation to Phase
Out Grant Program
-- Grant phase out to
coincide with Foundation's planned closing in 2006
Department of Education
Announces Grants for Transitions to Teaching
Program
-- $31 million allocated to
recruit mid-career professionals for teaching
careers
SENATE CONFIRMS TWO SENIOR
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY APPOINTEES
On October
23rd, the Senate unanimously confirmed John H. Marburger III of New York
to be Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Marburger
managed Brookhaven, a facility in Upton, NY, that conducts basic and applied research for the Department
of Energy. He was president of Stony Brook from 1980 until 1994. At his
confirmation hearing last month before the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science and Transportation, he stated that
directing research to help combat terrorist attacks and emphasizing research on global
climate change would top his list of priorities. Marburger indicated that
he would urge the Bush Administration to support research across many
disciplines, especially in the chemistry, engineering and mathematics disciplines. "Balance
in this broad research portfolio recognizes that advances in one field,
such as medicine, are often dependent on gains in other disciplines," he
noted.
The Senate
also confirmed Phillip Bond of Virginia to be Under Secretary of Commerce
for Technology. In that capacity, Bond will oversee technology policy,
space commercialization and
next-generation vehicles for the U.S. Department of Commerce. He will also
supervise the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Technical Information
Service (NTIS). Bond had previously served as Director of Federal Public
Policy Programs for Hewlett-Packard.
EDUCATION PROVISIONS ADVANCE IN LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION
APPROPRIATIONS BILLS
House and Senate appropriators are moving
forward on FY 2002 funding of key Department of Education math and science education improvement programs.
However, their respective appropriations bills vary significantly on
specific funding levels. Last year, funding for these programs was
contained in the Eisenhower program's $485 million budget to fund teacher
professional development, with $250 million set aside specifically for
professional development in math
and science. The current year's budget
eliminates the Eisenhower program and consolidates teacher professional
development into a broader category called "Teacher Quality."
Within the
"Teacher Quality" category is a new initiative, the Math and Science Partnerships, which will provide
competitive grants to partnerships of university departments,
state education agencies, local school districts and others to improve math and science education through professional
development and other activities.
For FY 2002, the House appropriation would provide between $476 million
and $635 million for the partnership initiative, compared with
only $25 million in the Senate appropriation. The difference will be
settled by a House-Senate conference.
For
additional information on K-12 science, math, engineering and technology education, contact Patti
Burgio at 202.785.3756 or at burgiop@asme.org.
"QUADRENNIAL DEFENSE REVIEW REPORT"
RELEASED
The
"Quadrennial Defense Review Report," issued every four years by the
Department of Defense (DOD), is a planning document to guide changes in
program direction. A central objective of the most recent review as to
shift the basis of defense planning from a threat-based model that has
dominated thinking in the past to a capabilities-based model for the
future. The report, compiled by senior civilian and military leaders within DOD, calls
for a significant increase in funding for science and technology (S&T) programs to a
level of three percent of DOD spending annually. By comparison, the Bush
Administration's FY 2002 request for DOD is $343 billion. Of that amount,
2.7 percent would be allocated to S&T.
The report
states, "A robust research and
development effort is imperative to achieving the Department's
transformation objectives. DOD must maintain a strong S&T program that
supports evolving military needs and ensures technological superiority
over potential adversaries." DOD S&T activities consist of the 6.1,
6.2 and 6.3 programs. .
To view a
copy of the report, go to http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/qdr2001.pdf.
For additional information on DOD S&T issues, contact Kathryn Holmes
at 202.786.3756 or at holmesk@asme.org.
WHITAKER FOUNDATION TO PHASE OUT GRANT
PROGRAM
The Whitaker
Foundation, which has invested more than $575 million in biomedical
engineering education and
research, is continuing to phase out its grant programs to coincide with
its planned closing in 2006. The goal of the foundation has been to
accelerate the formation of a solid educational infrastructure at
universities and a well-trained
cadre of researchers and teachers
by investing all of its resources over a relatively short period of time.
In 1991, the foundation set a closing date of 2006 and accordingly raised its annual
spending from $14 million in 1991 to between $60 million and $70 million annually from 2001
through 2005.
The
foundation will continue to fund existing multiyear awards, but will no
longer accept new applications for Leadership-Development Awards, i.e.,
large, long-term institutional awards. Four more competitions will be held
for the Special Opportunity in Biomedical Engineering awards, three-year
institutional awards to develop and enhance educational programs. Two
more annual competitions will be held for the Graduate Fellowships in
Biomedical Engineering, designed to help graduate students prepare for
research careers in biomedical engineering. For additional information on
these and other grant programs,
go to www.whitaker.org/news/phaseout.html.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ANNOUNCES GRANTS FOR
TRANSITIONS TO TEACHING PROGRAM
The
Department of Education has announced 42 grants totaling $31 million to
recruit mid-career professionals and recent college graduates for
teaching careers. The grants, to be issued under the new Transitions to
Teaching Program, will go to school districts, states or national
organizations. Grantees must ensure that the recruits receive special
assistance, guidance, support, and in some cases stipends and incentives, to make teaching a
long-term career. Information on the funded projects is available at www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/.
In a related
matter, the Department of Education has also awarded $5 million to the
National Council on Teacher Quality to launch the American Board for
Certification of Teacher Excellence. See www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2001/10052001e.html.
The Board will create a standard for teachers from non-traditional
backgrounds to ensure that they will have credibility within the education
system. The National Council on Teacher Quality is a nonprofit
organizations affiliated with the Education Leaders Council and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.
For additional information, go to www.nctq.org/about.html.
For
additional information on education-related issues, contact Patti Burgio
at 202.785.3756 or at burgiop@asme.org.
For additional information, contact the
Government Relations Department at the ASME Washington Center at mailto:%20grdept@asme.org or (202)
785-3756.
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