In the September 29, 2000 Issue:

Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2002. Information in this issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest was prepared under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. Redistribution to all others interested in tech-based economic development is strongly encouraged — please cite the State Science & Technology Institute whenever portions are reproduced or redirected. Any opinions expressed in the Digest do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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New Centers Created by NSF
This week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the establishment of four new Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) and two new Engineering Research Centers (ERCs).

Materials Research Science & Engineering Centers
The MRSECs will explore innovative materials and stimulate the integration of research and education in the field of materials science. NSF will invest $24 million over five years in the new centerst to be located at the California Institute of Technology, the University of Oklahoma/University of Arkansas, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Virginia. Each award is initially for five years, and continued NSF support is possible through competitive review. State governments and industry partners will also contribute substantial support to the new centers.

NSF also announced new awards for 11 existing materials centers, for a total of $110 million over five years. They are located at Brown University, the University of California at Santa Barbara, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland/Rutgers University, Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of Wisconsin.

NSF currently supports 29 MRSECs with a total annual investment of $52.5 million. Each center focuses on a specialized area such as polymers, biomolecular, electronic or superconducting materials. They integrate their research and educational programs by involving students in research activities and contributing courses and materials to the academic institutions.

For information on the new and existing MRSECs, visit: http://www.nsf.gov/mps/dmr/mrsec.htm and http://www.mrsec.org

Engineering Research Centers 
NSF has launched two new Engineering Research Centers at the University of Michigan and Northeastern University in Boston Mass., with an estimated NSF investment of up to $32 million over five years. The two new ERCs, the Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems and the Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging, were each awarded $2.6 million for the first operating year. Each center will also receive support from participating universities, industry and state governments; the centers will conduct pioneering research in the fields of wireless microsystems and subsurface sensing systems.

More than 20 companies, the state of Michigan, and a university partnership of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University will help support the Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems. The center will develop low-cost, integrated microsystems capable of measuring or controlling a variety of physical parameters, interpreting the data and communicating with a host system over a bi-directional wireless link. Environmental monitoring and improved health care are two potential benefits which could result from this collaborative effort.

The Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems is supported by the state of Massachusetts, more than 30 companies, and a partnership of Northeastern University, Boston University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The focus of this center will be on detecting, locating and identifying objects obscured beneath covering media, such as underground plumes, tumors under the skin or developmental defects in an embryo. Using probes based on electro-magnetic and acoustical radiation, the center will attack biomedical and environmental problems and develop techniques for sensing subsurface conditions. 

For general information on the engineering centers, visit http://www.eng.nsf.gov/eec/erc.htm

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TOP Announces $13.9 Million in New Awards
The Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) awards for FY 2000 went to 35 organizations in 27 states and  the District of Columbia. Recipients are located in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, California (3 awards), Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts (2), Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico (2), New York (2), North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon (2), South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee (2), Texas, Washington, and West Virginia. The $13.9 million in federal funds will be matched by $18 million raised by the grant recipients from their project partners and sponsors.

TOP, formerly known as the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program, is part of the Clinton Administration's strategy to help overcome the Digital Divide in America. TOP grants help to realize the vision of an information society by demonstrating practical applications of new telecommunications and information technologies to serve the public interest.

Grants for FY2000, selected from a pool of 662 applications, include a number of projects developed by smaller, locally-based organizations, including tribal organizations, an Hispanic-serving institution, and other community-based organizations.

The projects employ a variety of technologies for the transmission, organization, and presentation of information. Advanced network technologies are represented by broadband Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) services and emerging wireless communications technologies. More than half of the projects for FY2000 focus either exclusively on rural communities or include a significant project component with a rural emphasis.

TOP is administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Project descriptions for all of the FY 2000 grants and the 662 applications are available at the NTIA web site: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/top/index.html

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Assessing E-Government Report now Available
This past summer, researchers at Brown University conducted the first nationwide content analysis of state and federal government Web sites. The study, Assessing E-Government: The Internet, Democracy, and Service Delivery by State and Federal Governments, focused on features available on-line, the level of variation across the country and between state and national governmental sites, and how those sites respond to citizen requests for information. Researchers surveyed state and federal chief information officers, performed an e-mail response test, and analyzed 1,813 websites for content in their study.

The researchers report that e-government - the delivery of information and services online through the Internet or other digital means - has not reached its full potential and that quality varies widely from state to state, and from state to nation, and even within each state. Federal web sites were better at providing information and services than were the states.

The authors suggested four steps government information officials should take to improve their e-government web sites:

A series of tables show the rankings of the states and federal sites for: security, privacy and disability access; foreign language access; services offered; and overall state ranking. Also included were percentages of sites that offered certain detailed information, that offered services, the most frequently offered services, those that offer democratic outreach, and length of response time.

To view the full report, please go to http://www.insidepolitics.org/egovtreport00.html

(Our thanks to Digest reader David Hochman for bringing this story to our attention)

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Research and Technology Funding Opportunities

Ford Foundation
In an effort to increase the presence of underrepresented minorities on the nation's college and university faculties, the Ford Foundation is seeking applications to fill approximately 60 predoctoral, 40 dissertation, and postdoctoral fellowships. Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens who belong to one of the following groups: Alaskan Natives (Eskimo or Aleut), Black/African Americans, Mexican Americans/Chicanas/Chicanos, Native American Indians, Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesian/Micronesian), or Puerto Ricans. Interested parties have until December 1, 2000 to submit applications. Supported disciplines include engineering, mathematics, and most sciences. The National Research Council administers the program for the Ford Foundation. The deadlines for predoctoral, dissertation and postdoctoral fellowships are November 10, December 1, and January 8, respectively. More information for each program is available at: http://www4.nationalacademies.org/osep/FordFellows.nsf

Department of Education
Institutions of higher education, higher education systems, and consortia of institutions are encouraged to submit applications to participate in the Distance Education Demonstration program. The program permits the waiver of certain federal regulations and statuatory requirements that are incompatible with distance learning.  There is no application form per se, but applicants are to follow the proposal instructions provided on the program's website. Proposals are due by February 16, 2001. More information is available at: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/PPI/DistEd/

Department of Energy
The Office of Biological and Environmental Research within the Office of Science seeks applications for research grants in Bioremediation and its Societal Implications and Concerns (BASIC). Partnerships between social scientists and physical/biological scientists are strongly encouraged. Pre-applications are due November 6. Full proposals are due December 21. It is anticipated that up to $500,000 per year will be available for multiple awards ranging between $50,000 and $200,000 in total annual costs for up to three years. More information on this and other grant opportunities from the Office of Science can be found at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html

The Division of High Energy Physics is interested in receiving applications for support under the Advanced Detector Research Program. Eligibility is limited to investigators involved in experimental high energy physics and connected to a U.S. academic institution. Letters of intent are to be submitted by November 1; full proposals are due on or before December 5. It is anticipated that up to $500,000 will be available in FY 2001 for multiple awards. More information on this and other grant opportunities from the Office of Science can be found at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html

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Conference Sponsor Profile
The Illinois Department of Commerce & Community Affairs 
Less than two years into his first term, Illinois Governor George Ryan has made tech-based economic development a leading priority. The cornerstone of the state's new commitment to science and technology is the $1.9 billion five-year Illinois VentureTech initiative, which was profiled in the February 18, 2000 edition of the SSTI Weekly Digest (see http://www.ssti.org/Digest/2000/021800.htm)

Under the leadership of Director Pam McDonough, the Illinois Department of Commerce & Community Affairs (DCCA) is playing a crucial role in carrying out the Governor's S&T agenda. Several DCCA tech initiatives have been launched or expanded over the past 18 months:

DCCA will have an exhibit and staff representatives available to answer questions at SSTI's annual conference. Until then, more information on DCCA's technology programs can be found on its website: http://www.commerce.state.il.us/technology/

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SSTI Closed October 2-4
SSTI will be closed October 2-4 to attend our annual conference, Beyond the Hype: Tools for Building Tech-based Economies. The offices will reopen on Thursday, October 5. Due to the conference, an abbreviated version of the SSTI Weekly Digest will be released on Friday October 6.

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