SSTI Digest

Dr. Norman P. Neureiter has been sworn in as Science and Technology Adviser to Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. In his capacity as Science and Technology Adviser, Dr. Neureiter will work directly with the most senior Department officials to ensure strong leadership on science-related issues. He will chair a senior-level science policy committee at the Department and will serve as the Department's principal liaison with the science, engineering and technology community -- in government, academia, and the private sector -- to promote active, long-term partnerships and to identify common objectives.

Advanced Technology Program

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) within the National Institute of Standards and Technology is accepting applications for three leadership positions: the Deputy Director for ATP, the Director of the Economic Assessment Office, and Director of Information Technology and Applications. Starting pay for all three positions is $115,811 - $130,200. Position descriptions and application procedures are available at the following webpages:

SSTI will be closed October 9 for observation of Columbus Day. We will reopen Tuesday, October 10.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

This summer, North Carolina joined a growing handful of states and regions that have completed innovation assessments or report cards to aid in the development and implementation of state’s science and technology policies. Tracking Innovation: North Carolina Innovation Index 2000 was released in conjunction with a high-tech cluster analysis and a new S&T strategic plan for the state entitled Mapping the Vision.

The plan and index are the culmination of Vision 2030: Science & Technology Driving North Carolina into the New Economy. The Vision 2030 Project was a 15-month effort involving more than 800 people and encompassing several studies, assessments, conferences, task forces, surveys and focus groups. The goal of the project was to both educate and challenge North Carolinians “to begin building the science and technology-based platforms needed to support North Carolina’s economy in the 21st century.”

The first $90 million has been awarded through NSF’s new program Information Technology Research (ITR) initiative. The goal of the program is to build US leadership in information technology (IT) through support of fundamental research and innovative applications of IT. The ITR program is designed to strengthen the nation’s IT knowledge base as well as the IT workforce.

Only 210 projects were chosen from the more than 1,400 proposals submitted. Sixty-two large projects, and averaging $1 million per year for three to five years, were funded (involving 41 institutions in 22 states). Each of the remaining 148 projects total $500,000 or less for up to three years; these went to 81 institutions in 32 states. The accompanying table presents the distribution of awards by state.

Earlier this week, Senator Conrad Burns from Montana led an effort to save the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Rural Outreach Program, which allows small businesses in rural America, with help from state and local assistance providers, to play an integral role in federal research programs.

The Senate version of the FY 2001 Commerce-Justice-State (CJS) appropriations bill does not include funding for the Rural Outreach Program. Burns and six Senate colleagues asked the author of the CJS appropriations bill to provide $2 million in funding for the Rural Outreach program. Co-signers included Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY), Kit Bond (R-MO), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Burns is the second-ranking Republican on the Senate Small Business Committee.

An educated populace is a key ingredient for a state's success in competing in a knowledge-based economy. Workforce development, digital divide, and income inequalities are all tied to the educational attainment of a population or group within a population. Educational Attainment in the United States, a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, reveals several positive trends in this area: