SSTI Digest

A National Science Foundation (NSF) program to foster significant public/private partnerships and help better position local communities to accommodate new and enhanced research and development is continuing into a second year, NSF announced last month. 



The $14 million in grants awarded last year under NSF's Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) have been supplemented with more than $7 million for 12 new grants in 2001 to cover projects in 11 states involving more than 150 partner organizations. 



The twelve lead institutions receiving new PFI awards include: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland; the University of Alaska, Anchorage; the universities of Maine, Southern Mississippi, Southern California, Pennsylvania and South Dakota; Montana Tech; Michigan Technological University; and Montana State, Northwestern and Wichita State universities. 

A recent report released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), The Nation’s Report Card: Science 2000, shows the average scores of fourth- and eighth-graders were essentially unchanged from 1996, and the scores for 12th-graders declined by three points, a significant change. 



Scale scores for the report, a survey conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), generally show what students know and can do in a given subject. The National Assessment Governing Board, the independent body that sets policy for NAEP, developed the three NAEP achievement levels used in the report: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. 



From 1996 to 2000, the percentage of 4th-graders attaining these levels showed no change. In 2000, only 29 percent of 4th-graders scored Proficient or better on the NAEP science assessment. A mere 32 percent of 8th-graders and 18 percent of 12th-graders fared the same. 

One of the key findings in the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress science assessment was the correlation between student performance and the use of computer technology in the classroom. For eighth-graders, the use of computer simulation and modeling corresponded with higher assessment scores. 



Fortunately, free or affordable resources are available so each local science teacher is not required to create their own computer applications. One of the most recent examples is www.getsmarter.org, launched by the Council on Competitiveness right before Thanksgiving. 

Using the statistics provided in the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress science assessment, SSTI has prepared a table ranking states based on the percent of 8th grade students scoring at or above proficiency in 2000. Ties were broken by the states' average scores for the year. 



Montana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio and North Dakota were the top five states in the ranking — all with at least 40 percent of their 8th grade students scoring at or above proficiency in 2000. Thirteen other states were at or above the national average of 30 percent. 



The SSTI table also presents each state's 1996 assessment score for 8th grade students, the change between 2000 and 1996, and the percentage of fourth-graders scoring at or above proficiency in 2000. 



The table can be found on the following webpage: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/113001t.htm 

2002 college graduates, particularly those with masters and doctoral degrees, can expect a tougher time finding employment after graduation next spring, according to the 31st annual Recruiting Trends survey conducted by the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University. 



The survey of 286 employers, primarily in the manufacturing and professional services sectors, determined that graduates with bachelor degrees will see a 6 percent to 13 percent decline in hiring during the 2001-02 academic year. 2002 grads with master’s and doctoral degrees could see a 20 percent decline. 



In addition, survey respondents reported hiring 34 percent fewer bachelor’s degree recipients and 45 percent fewer master’s degree graduates than they projected last year. 



The largest declines in hiring include engineering, computer science, and business. 

Baton Rouge 

The Louisiana Business and Technology Center (LBTC) celebrated on Wednesday its 13th year of existence with a reception at the Louisiana State University Faculty Club, honoring those tenants to graduate from the center's incubation program. LBTC, a small business incubator located on the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge, began in 1988 as a joint venture between LSU, the Greater Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce and the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority. The center has over 45,000 sq. ft. of office space that is currently leased to 20 tenant companies and has graduated 82 companies since 1988, including 66 companies still in operation. 



Folkston, Georgia 

More than 45 days into the new fiscal year, several budget bills have finally moved out of Congress. Representatives from nearly all of the programs highlighted below will be participating in SSTI's fifth annual conference, discussing their priorities, plans and funding cycles for FY 2002. An entire track of breakout sessions has been dedicated toward federal funding opportunities for tech-based economic development programs and their clients. 



FAST, ROP Take Hits in SBA FY 2002 Budget 

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO), RESI (a regional economic studies institute at Towson University), and the Maryland Business Incubation Association (MBIA) presented on Thursday the results of the Maryland Incubator Impact Study — a first-of-its-kind study for the state by measuring the economic impact of Maryland's six public- and university-related high-tech business incubators on the state's economy. 



Maryland's incubators are a significant economic boon to the state of Maryland, the study shows, estimating that incubator tenants and graduates generate between $184 and $530 million in gross state product and between $31 and $96 million in taxes annually. 



The study also reveals the following: 

Innovation indices or S&T report cards can be useful tools for assessing the health and direction of a region or state's economy. The results can be helpful for determining appropriate policies and programs to affect change and measuring progress. Evolving over the past five years, many states, localities and national organizations have prepared indices. Links to past Digest articles covering these reports are massed on the following web page: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Indices/indices.htm

The President has nominated Sean O'Keefe to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. O'Keefe replaces Daniel Goldin, who resigned last month. 



O'Keefe is currently the Deputy Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Previously he served as the Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy at the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Additionally, he served as the Director of National Security Studies which provides executive education programs for senior military and civilian Department of Defense managers.



Before joining Syracuse University, O'Keefe was Professor of Business Administration and Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Research and Graduate Education at Pennsylvania State University. He received an undergraduate degree from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a Master's degree in Public Administration from The Maxwell School at Syracuse University. 

Fresno, California 

The Valley Angels Investment Network soon will be administered by San Joaquin Venture Partners, a venture capital fund created in June, and California State University, Fresno, according to a recent article published in the Fresno Bee. Already, the network has nearly 20 prospective angels and 20 service providers and is set to help IQ Biometrix, a computer software company. Next to the Sierra Angels, the Sacramento Angels, the North Bay Angels, and the Tech Coast Angels, the network stands to be one of several such groups in California. Investors interested in becoming angels must have a net worth of $1 million or more or have earned at least $200,000 in each of the past two years. More information is available at: http://www.sjvp.org 

PricewaterhouseCoopers has released the detailed data for the third quarter results of its Moneytree™ survey. The survey found a total of $6.5 billion was invested in 601 financing rounds — a 23 percent decline in dollars and a 16 percent decline in rounds compared to last quarter. SSTI has prepared a table presenting the state-by-state results.