In the August 8, 2005 Issue:

Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2005. 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.

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SSTI Releases 2005 Conference Agenda, PDF Brochure
SSTI is pleased to give regular Digest readers the first peek at a PDF version of the brochure for SSTI's 9th annual conference, Investing in a Brighter Future: Building Tech-based Economies, to be held in Atlanta on October 19-21, 2005.

A quick glance at the 28-page brochure reveals why the event is the premier professional development experience of the year for the tech-based economic development (TBED) community. The brochure includes:

Based on the number of early registrations and the excitement of our sponsors, the 2005 event already has signs of being SSTI's largest and best conference yet. We encourage you to check out the brochure or conference website soon to see what the buzz is all about: http://www.ssti.org/conference05.htm

Note: Heavy traffic on the site may make the above link temporarily unavailable. Please try again shortly or ask us to send you the 674kb PDF file. You are welcome to save the PDF and forward it to others in your TBED and legislative communities that should be aware of this important event.

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Business Leaders Create Action Plan to Sustain U.S. Competitiveness
Expressing concern over the nation's ability to sustain its scientific and technological superiority throughout the 21st Century, 15 leading business organizations have released an action plan that aims to double the number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates by 2015.

The report, Tapping America's Potential: The Education for Innovation Initiative, identifies several troubling indicators that the U.S. is losing its innovative edge. For example, the percentage of students planning to pursue engineering degrees declined by one-third between 1992-2002, and funding for basic research in the physical sciences as a percentage of the gross domestic product has declined by half since 1970.

Other indicators reveal measurable declines in patents and scientific articles in the U.S. However, one key statistic - the finding that more than 50 percent of engineering doctoral degrees awarded by U.S. engineering colleges are to foreign nationals - draws particular attention. Recommendations for reversing this trend and boosting the number of graduates in these fields are outlined across five core areas, including:

Following each recommendation are specific steps geared toward achieving each goal and addressed to the groups who should be in charge of implementing them. These groups include the federal government, business leaders, state officials, district leaders, and the higher education sector. Recognizing that the private sector can and must do more, the report states that the business community will lead in building public awareness and support for greater interest, investment and performance in science, technology, engineering and math.

To double the number of graduates, the report states that business leaders will work with the administration, Congress, governors, educators, colleges and universities, and member companies to identify special legislative, regulatory, programmatic and corporate philanthropic vehicles to adopt the outlined recommendations. The report is available in full at: http://www.businessroundtable.org/pdf/20050803001TAPfinalnb.pdf

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Final Component of Ohio's Third Frontier to Be Placed On Nov. Ballot
Following defeat at the polls two years ago, Ohio's state legislature has agreed nearly unanimously to again have voters decide on whether or not the state can issue bonds in support of the final component of Gov. Bob Taft's tech-based economic development strategy -- Ohio's Third Frontier Initiative.

This time around, legislators are hoping to gain support by packaging the constitutional amendment into a three-part, $2 billion bond package that includes $500 million for Third Frontier, alongside a $1.35 billion bond issue for roads, bridges, and water projects (see the May 2 issue of the Digest). In addition, $150 million is included for infrastructure obligations, including “Job-Ready Sites” that will prepare sites for industrial and business expansion to meet environmental and other requirements.

The larger and broader constitutional amendment is currently being referred to as the Jobs for Ohio Initiative by several lawmakers, according to an article in the Columbus Dispatch. H.J.R. 2 is available from the Ohio Legislature at: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/

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Lafayette Voters Approve $125M Broadband Project
The year-long battle between Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) and competitors BellSouth Louisiana and Cox Communications over the utility company's proposed Fiber for the Future project came to an end last month when voters approved the $125 million fiber optics plan by a vote of 62 percent to 38 percent.

The LUS Initiative, called Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), proposes to bring fiber optics to every home and business in Lafayette in order to deliver cable TV, telephone, and Internet services at a cost of 20 percent less than current providers. A special election was called last month to decide whether the city could issue $125 million worth of bonds to fund the project, according to The Advocate.

Under the LUS plan, the 25-year bonds could be paid off within 15 years, with LUS capturing 50 percent of the phone and cable markets. About 70 percent of consumers and 80 percent of businesses are interested in the fiber optics service, LUS surveys show.

BellSouth and Cox Communications, the local telephone and cable companies who are strongly opposed to the project, filed a lawsuit earlier this year citing that the utility company was using a portion of state bond law that contained no provision for citizens to call for a voter referendum, according to Terry Huval, LUS director. The state district court ruled in favor of BellSouth and Cox Communications and in March, LUS decided to go through with the voter referendum on their own.

LUS fiber optic connections have already been installed in 18 Lafayette-area schools and they could start activating consumers within two years. To begin the project, LUS is planning trial areas in two parts of the city, a mix of high and low-income and residential and commercial areas. More information on the Fiber for the Future project is available from LUS at: http://www.lus.org/site.php?pageID=184

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NSF Finds Substantial Increase in University Research Space
Increasing and modernizing university research capacity is a priority for many states. Contrary to programmatic or operational appropriations being required annually, funding for such construction projects can be phased over decades as part of a state's larger capital budget/bond programs. Recent research from the National Science Foundation (NSF) documents the results of the increased importance placed in university research building programs.

During fiscal years 2001-03, research-performing colleges and universities increased their research space by 11 percent, a substantially higher rate than any previous two-year period since 1988, a new NSF InfoBrief states.

NSF obtained data from a census of 465 science and engineering degree-granting universities that expended at least $1 million in R&D funds during FY 2002. The survey collected information on traditional bricks and mortar research space in addition to computing and networking infrastructure, which is playing an increasingly important role in the conduct of scientific research, the InfoBrief states.

All fields within S&E reported increased research space except for agricultural sciences, which reported a slight decline. Mathematics experienced the largest increase followed by computer science, medical sciences, and social sciences. Biological sciences and medical sciences, however, remained the fields with the largest total amount of space. Other findings from the survey include:

The InfoBrief also states that 67 percent of institutions reported 20 percent or less of their building areas are wireless. However, by the end of FY 2004, institutions indicate that their wireless coverage will extend substantially.

Academic institutions spent at least $7.6 billion for construction of new space during FY 2002-03, and plans for FY 2004-05 include an additional 19 million NASF at a cost of $9.1 billion, according to the survey. Engineering, biological, and medical sciences account for 72 percent of the planned FY 2004-05 construction. The InfoBrief is available in full from NSF at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf05314/

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Reliable Measurements Needed to Assess Workforce Investment Act, GAO Says
While local workforce boards are using substantial funds for worker training under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), little is known on a national level about the outcomes of those trained, says a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

In 1998, Congress passed the WIA to create a system connecting employment, education and training services to better match job seekers to labor market needs, according to the report. Since its creation, however, questions have been raised regarding how those funds are being used and how much is being spent on training. Also, according to the report, concern remains regarding the lack of accurate information on the extent to which WIA participants are enrolled in activities. The GAO report seeks to answer the following:

To answer these questions, GAO conducted a web-based survey of 590 local workforce investment boards examining program year 2003 funds. GAO also visited two local workforce investment boards within four states of varying population to obtain additional information on training policies, challenges and reliability of data systems.

Results indicate that local boards across the country used a combined total of approximately $2.4 billion in program year 2003 funds. Local boards also reported that an estimated 40 percent of WIA funding was used for training approximately 416,000 participants across the nation. Most local boards have developed policies to manage the use of ITAs, the report states, although many have encountered challenges implementing them. Lack of good performance data on training providers was cited as the most frequent challenge, while rural areas often face a lack of nearby training providers.

To collect and report information about the extent to which WIA participants are enrolled in training activities, GAO relied on the Department of Labor's (DOL) national participant database, the Workforce Investment Act Standardization Record Data (WIASRD). However, GAO references a number of weaknesses within the database, including concerns over completeness and accuracy of the records. Because of such weaknesses, the report states, little is known on a national level about the outcomes of those trained under the WIA.

In response to concerns over WIASRD, DOL stated that it is developing a single, streamlined reporting and record keeping system to replace several databases, including WIASRD.

The report, Workforce Investment Act: Substantial Funds Are Used for Training, but Little is known Nationally about Training Outcomes, is available in full from GAO at: http://www.gao.gov/

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U.S. Universities Partner with India for Satellite Engineering Education Program
A partnership between U.S. universities, research centers, private sector corporations, and Indian institutions recently was formed to improve engineering education in India and offer U.S. faculty the opportunity to collaborate with Indian researchers.

Universities UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, the State University of New York at Buffalo, and Case Western Reserve University are joining with Indian institutions led by AMRITA University, along with the government of India and the country's Department of Science and Technology. Private sector partners QUALCOMM Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and Cadence Systems, Inc. are funding the program.

To improve engineering education, AMRITA is developing world-class undergraduate and graduate engineering courses to be transmitted via Edusat, a satellite launched by the Indian Space Research Organization, to multiple educational institutions throughout India. Representatives from all the parties involved signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding last month, according to a news release. Under the agreement, U.S. university faculty are encouraged to spend a quarter or semester of their sabbatical at AMRITA University.

In addition, the program hopes to reverse the decline of foreign graduate enrollment in American universities and expose U.S. faculty to potential research partnerships in India, according to a news release. A survey from the Council of Graduate Schools conducted in 2004 indicates that first-time international graduate school enrollment fell 10 percent between 2002 and fall 2003 and fell 8 percent the year before (see the Nov. 8 issue of the Digest). The American Society for Engineering Education reports that nearly 58 percent of students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in the U.S. are not American citizens, the news release states.

Microsoft India is partnering with AMRITA University to set up the International Centre for Excellence in e-learning for education, research, and helping drive e-learning content. American universities also have agreed to make teaching materials available on a non-exclusive basis for a new digital content library being created by AMRITA for future students.

While program material will focus initially on engineering, computer science, and information and communication technologies, courses in biotechnology and bioformatics, nanotechnology, and medical sciences will be included.

Research partners from the U.S. also involved in the program include the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, UC's Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society, and Carnegie Mellon's CyLab.

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