In the August 7, 2006 Issue:

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United Kingdom, California to Collaborate on Climate Change Policy
Recognizing an immediate need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the adverse consequences of climate change, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have announced their intention to become partners and act aggressively to address climate change and promote energy diversity.

Gov. Schwarzenegger and Prime Minister Blair signed an agreement during an hour-long roundtable focusing on clean energy and climate issues. The event, held July 31, was attended by more than a dozen CEOs. At the signing, Gov. Schwarzenegger did not shy away from criticizing the lack of action on the federal level.

California will not wait for our federal government to take strong action on global warming, Gov. Schwarzenegger said. Today, we are taking an unprecedented step by signing an agreement between California and the United Kingdom. International partnerships are needed in the fight against global warming and California has a responsibility and a profound role to play to protect not only our environment, but to be a world leader on this issue as well.

Specifically, the agreement commits both California and the UK to:

Because of Californias massive and growing economy, the state is the 12th largest emitter of carbon in the world, despite leading the nation in energy efficiency standards and lead role in protecting its environment. During the roundtable, Gov. Schwarzenegger stressed the importance of protecting his state's economy and the environment at the same time.

People always say you can't be pro-business and pro-environment, but they are dead wrong, said Gov. Schwarzenegger. You can do both and were proving it everyday in California. We are attacking global warming and still creating thousands of new jobs. We are leaders in energy efficiency and leaders in attracting new investment.

The roundtable was hosted by the Climate Group, a nonprofit organization based in London, with an office in San Francisco, that mobilizes corporate and government leaders to build awareness about climate change to promote the acceleration of greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

"Because climate change is a global problem, it requires a global partnership between business, government and NGOs," said Dr. Steve Howard, chief executive officer of the Climate Group. "We have convened the roundtable so that Prime Minister Blair and Gov. Schwarzenegger can discuss practical ideas with business leaders. Focusing on how business and government can work together to bring about the technology revolution needed, the discussion will help accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy."

More information on the roundtable is available at: http://theclimategroup.org

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Rutgers Asks: Is It Time for the Next New Economy in NJ?
For many areas of the country, the first five years of the 21st century may well be remembered as a period of dramatic economic transformation, or the beginning of one as the rate of change continues at a fast clip. Having statistics for the five-year period of 2000-2005, however, provides the first opportunity for policymakers and academic researchers to look for meaning in the trends. The previous Digest included an article on a Brookings study looking at manufacturing losses in the Great Lakes region (see the July 24 issue of the Digest). This week, our attention is turned to New Jerseys New Economy Growth Challenges, the July 2006 Rutgers Regional Report written by James Hughes and Joseph Seneca at Rutgers School of Planning and Public Policy.

Where the Brookings paper examined the rate of advanced service jobs replacing manufacturing jobs for its selected states, the new Rutgers Regional Report considers the recent loss of New Jersey jobs in manufacturing and high-wage service sectors, such as information, financial activities and professional/business services. In other words, during the opening years of this decade, New Jersey is experiencing significant transformations of its traditional economic base as well as its more diversified, knowledge-based New Economy sectors.

Key parts of the core economy including the states unique concentrations of technology-based economic specializations have not only stopped growing in the 2000s but, in a number of important areas, have started to contract, the authors write.

Hughes and Seneca caution the pattern of New Jerseys loss is shared with its advanced-economy peers of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Rutgers profs note, however, that the losses of these states were more than made up by gains in states such as Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

That southern migration of employment is a cycle often repeated throughout the nations economic history, beginning perhaps with the shift of textile jobs, which are now moving rapidly from the southern states to other countries. With each past shift, the northern states have adapted through new innovations and new industries.

But with the trends emerging over the past five years, particularly that the jobs of the New Economy such as information technology and biotechnology are already shifting, several policy questions arise: If the New Economy is already acting old, then what is next for the economies of states like New Jersey? How long will the southern states enjoy the recent increases in advanced service sectors before those jobs move to other countries? What policies and investments should all states make now?

Hughes and Seneca point to three challenging trends for New Jersey trends that should resonate in other areas of the country: 1) employment growth has been mostly limited to below-average-pay job sectors; 2) once-unique core science and tech assets have started to erode; and 3) mergers and acquisitions have resulted in headquarter losses and the accompanying civic leadership and responsibility.

Without high priority policy intervention by the state, the authors contend, the relative standard of living enjoyed by New Jersey residents can only decline over time. The authors applaud the positive directions of the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority while outlining broad, but fundamental, recommendations to advance the state: Develop and implement the necessary policy changes, as led by the governor; centralize the economic development functions of the state government under the governor; dedicate state budget expenditures more consistently to growing income rather than redistributing it; invest in research enhancements to higher education institutions; and evaluate and revise the state's business cost structure.

New Jerseys New Economy Growth Challenges is available at: http://www.policy.rutgers.edu/news/reports/RRR/RRR_July_2006.pdf

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New Efforts in Minnesota, New Orleans to Get Kids Interested in Math and Science
American K-12 students are becoming less and less interested in math, science and technology fields. Recent studies reveal that students are increasingly dropping science and math classes and pursuing careers in the arts and social services. Since national and regional competitiveness in high-tech fields depends on a skilled labor market, fueled by college graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, many areas are attempting to generate more interest in these subjects. Several recent efforts are doing so by giving students access to more advanced technologies.

According tto the Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, the report issued earlier this year by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on the country's science and technology prospects, K-12 students are abandoning difficult STEM coursework, in favor of other subjects and less advanced STEM classes. NAS recommends public-private partnerships, greater cooperation between educational institutions, more rigorous requirements, and the creation of specialty high schools. The findings, however, focus more on improving teacher standards than programs to directly engage students with technology.

The Minnesota Department of Education recently released the results of the ACT Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPA), which gauges student interest in various fields. Only 10.8 percent of eighth graders, and 20.9 percent of 10th-graders expressed an interest in math, science or technology. The numbers come at a time when the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is currently projecting a 20 percent to 33 percent increase in the number of science and technology jobs over the next 10 years. New job growth in professional and high-tech industries is projected to need an extra 10,500 college grads every year. Without greater student engagement in STEM fields, the state's high-tech growth could be in jeopardy.

On the heels of these findings, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty introduced a new state initiative to give K-12 greater access to some of the more expensive tools of modern engineers. The state is partnering with PTC, a Massachusetts-based software company, to provide classrooms with free copies of Pro/Engineer Schools Edition -- a sophisticated computer-aided design program used by engineers to render three-dimensional model, assemblies, and two-dimensional measured drawing. The commercial cost of this software is $5,000 per computer, making it unaffordable for most students and schools. Pro/Engineer is taught at most top engineering schools, and experience with the program will give Minnesota students an academic edge, helping them to become more familiar with engineering careers. More information is available at: http://www.governor.state.mn.us/mediacenter/pressreleases/PROD007711.html

In addition, ExxonMobil announced last month that it would donate $10 million to enhance science and technology education in the Greater New Orleans area. The donation is aimed toward increasing student interest in STEM subjects and providing the equipment needed to teach STEM classes, much of which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. As a science and knowledge based company, ExxonMobil recognizes the importance of strong math and science programs in our schools and the critical role that educators play in encouraging students' interests in these areas, said Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of the company. The press release is available at: http://www.exxonmobil.com/corporate/Newsroom/NewsReleases/Corp_NR_NO_schools.asp

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Technology Parks are Vital to Brazilian Competitiveness, Says Report
A new report released in conjunction with the Fourth International Competitive Brazil Congress gives a positive assessment of the country's potential as a leader in life sciences and provides useful model for competitiveness assessments in other regions. The report, Mechanisms of Innovation and Competitiveness, was prepared by the Center for the Support of Technology Development at the University of Brasilia and coordinated by the five-year-old Competitive Brazil Movement (Movimento Brasil Competitivo, MBC).
 
Five science and technology parks were selected for analysis in order to collect data on the progress of Brazilian innovation over the course of two years. During the study, the MBC developed an assessment methodology that can be applied to evaluate the potential of an environment to foster innovation and improve regional competitiveness. This model, based on previous studies by the U.S. Council on Competitiveness in North Carolina and Mexico, relies on several categories of high-tech competitiveness indicators including:

Currently, 42 science and technology parks operate within the country, the strongest of which are located in the southeast region. According to the study, most of these parks have talented administrators and a wealth of quality researchers. However, these resources have not yet led to a large number of technology-based businesses. The life sciences sector is expanding, but entrepreneurs and researchers have had difficulty contending with the lack of venture capital in the country, unclear intellectual property regulations, the high cost of starting a business, and poor infrastructure.
 
In order to address these issues, the study provides several recommendations for Brazilian competitiveness strategies, including:

Merck & Co. Inc. financed much of the study, which also recommends that the approval timeline for new products through the National Health Surveillance Agency be shortened.
 
Read Mecanismos de Inovao e Competitividade at:
http://www.inovacao.unicamp.br/report/news-curtissimas060710_mecanismos-novacao-competitividade.pdf
('Presentation' section is in English and Portuguese)

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SSTI Job Corner
Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Griffin Analytical Technologies, a producer of premium chemical detection systems, is seeking a research associate to assist the company with R&D efforts related to Griffins products. Griffin serves U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security applications, environmental health and safety monitoring, and research and teaching laboratories. The research associate will be responsible for exploring new applications for Griffins technology and will report directly to the company's staff of senior research scientists. Applicants should have a bachelor's or master's degree in chemistry and two or more years of applicable experience in instrumentation maintenance and operation.

The Juneau Economic Development Council (JEDC) is seeking a technology engineer to assist Alaskan businesses trying to meet Department of Defense (DoD) mission-critical needs. The technology engineer will facilitate discussions and negotiations between DoD laboratories, Alaskan companies and other organizations in support of developing a range of agreements or contracts, including cooperative research and development agreements, product/technology licensing, contracts and Small Business Innovation Research Program grants. Candidates must have a degree in science, engineering or related field of study, plus directly related experience.

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People & Organizations

John Butler, director of the Institute for Innovation and Creativity, was appointed distinguished scholar and adjunct professor at Babson College.

James DeLong is the new vice president of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association.

William Even was named South Dakota's new economic development director.

The National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices has named Chris Hayter as its program director for economic development, a newly created position. Hayter joins NGA from the National Council for Advanced Manufacturing.

Bill Johnson, formerly the director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, left his position to become the grassroots coordinator of Gov. Bob Riley's re-election campaign. Doni Ingram, who was the agency's assistant director, is now acting director.

Rob Monsees left his position as Gov. Matt Blunt's deputy chief of staff-policy to become the executive director of the Missouri Technology Corporation.

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's Paper Technology Transfer Center has changed its name to the Paper Industry Resource Center.

The Center for Applied Innovation, a Chicago-based think tank, appointed Michael Patin as its new executive director.

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