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SSTI Digest
NSF Connecting Higher Ed and K-12 for Math & Science
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has made a first round of grants to researchers at 31 institutions nationwide under a new program enabling talented graduate students and advanced undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering and technology to serve as teaching fellows in K-12 schools.
The grants, made under the NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program, will go to institutions in 24 states from New York to Hawaii, as well as Puerto Rico. The multi-year awards were made after reviewing proposals from 157 institutions in 46 states. Collectively, the 31 new grants, totaling $13.4 million for the first year, will fund about 300 graduate and 100 undergraduate students annually.
Planned as a pilot effort in 1999, the program received such a positive response from colleges and universities that NSF allocated more funds than originally planned. A formal program has been requested and approved by Congress as part of NSF's 2000 budget.
House Says States Must Develop Standards for Science Education
The House of Representatives approved an amendment to H.R. 2, the Student Results Act, that would require all states to develop standards and testing requirements for science education. Similar standards and testing requirements already exist for math and reading. The amendment to add the words “and science” to the list of standards and testing requirements in section 1111 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was offered by Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers (R-Michigan) and Congressman Tom Petri (R-Wisconsin). As written, the new requirements take effect for the 2005-06 school year, allowing districts time to meet the new standards.
H.R. 2 now advances to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for its consideration. The bill can be downloaded through: http://thomas.loc.gov/
NCIIA Supporting Higher Education Entrepreneurship
The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) seeks proposals that support innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship programs in U.S. colleges and universities. Through December 1999, NCIIA will award $400,000 in grants to faculty and students of member institutions. The next deadline is December 15, 1999.
The NCIIA is interested in proposals for courses and projects which further the concept of E-Teams. E-Teams (the "E" stands for "excellence" and "entrepreneurship") are groups of students, faculty, and professionals who join together to pursue the development of an idea, product, or invention, or to solve a problem in a way that has the promise of developing an enterprise that will generate jobs and social benefits.
NCIIA offers two types of grants:
North Carolina to Host Six-State Regional SBIR/ATP Conference
The North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) will host a six-state regional conference promoting three federal business technology investment programs: the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program.
All ten federal agencies participating in SBIR will make presentations and have representatives available for one-on-one sessions with conference attendees. ATP will be the focus of a plenary session led by Marc Stanley, ATP Associate Director for Policy & Operations.
The two-day event will be held December 14-15 in Research Triangle Park, NC, and was developed and promoted in cooperation with Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and South Carolina. The event also is supported by the Department of the Navy and the NC Biotechnology Center.
Air Force DUS&T Offers Pre-Solicitation Workshop
The Air Force Dual Use Science & Technology Program (DUS&T) will be holding a pre-solicitation conference to provide businesses an opportunity to participate in the process of generating topics for the Air Force DUS&T solicitation to be released in January.
The DUS&T Program is designed to help the Department of Defense partner with industry to jointly fund the development of technologies that have both military utility and sufficient commercial potential to support a viable industrial base. This is accomplished through streamlined contracting procedures, and cost sharing between the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the individual Services, and industry.
USDA Awards $13 Million for Rural Telecommunications Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded almost $13 million in grants for distance learning and telemedicine projects in rural areas of 34 states and Puerto Rico. The announcement was made on the 50th anniversary of the program. Since the program’s inception, $11 billion in loans and grants have been made, resulting in more than 1 million miles of phone lines and thousands of miles of optic cable being laid.
The distance learning grants will provide students in rural schools the opportunity to take college preparatory classes taught by an instructor located miles away. The telemedicine grants will provide life-enhancing and life-saving health technology, allowing patients in rural clinics to be examined by medical specialists in distant locations, providing speedier diagnosis.
The accompanying table provides the number of grants awarded in each category as well as the total dollar amount by state.
Socioeconomic Data Website Up
The Economic Development Administration has funded the creation of EconData.Net (http://www.econdata.net/), a website providing a searchable database with approximately 400 links to web-related socioeconomic data resources. EconData.Net provides a single site for referencing many materials used for developing science and technology indices or for comparing a state or region’s economic posture with other jurisdictions.
More than 300 information links are sorted across ten subject categories, including:
Florida Space Research Institute Off the Ground
The Florida legislature recently approved legislation creating the Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI), an independent, industry-led organization designed to coordinate the space-related research capabilities of several public and private universities. FSRI will strive to expand the universities’ involvement in space research and education, and to insure that state academic resources are available to support the space-related needs of industry, NASA, and the military.
The seven-member board, which includes representatives of Enterprise Florida, the Spaceport Florida Authority, the Florida Space Business Roundtable, the Florida Aviaiton Aerospace Alliance, Bionetics, Command & Control Technologies, and Boeing, held its first board meetings in early October.
40 Community Technology Centers Funded By Dept. of Education
The U.S. Department of Education has selected 40 awards for the Community Technology Centers program, a new federal initiative to promote the development of model programs that demonstrate the educational effectiveness of technology in urban and rural areas and economically distressed communities. Community Technology Centers provide access to information technology and related learning services to children and adults.
Ben Franklin had $2.9 Billion Economic Impact, Report Says
Pennsylvania’s $187 million investment in the Ben Franklin Partnership boosted the state’s economy by $2.9 billion between 1989 and 1996, according to a new economic impact study. A Record of Achievement: The Economic Impact of the Ben Franklin Partnership concludes that between 1989 and 1996 the Ben Franklin Partnership achieved the following:
SBA Funds 22 State SBIR Programs
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has selected 22 organizations to receive funding to support outreach and proposal assistance for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The organizations will split $1 million for an average award of just over $45,000. The exact amount for each award was not provided.
Each recipient must match the federal award 50 cents on the dollar. Awardees
include:
NSF Funds $10 M Center for Bioengineering Ed Technology
A five-university partnership led by Vanderbilt University (TN) will develop bioengineering educational technologies and curricula at a new Engineering Research Center funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Through a five-year, nearly $10-million cooperative agreement, the center will support and enhance the education of a new generation of bioengineers needed to strengthen the industry.
The partnership includes Northwestern University (IL), University of Texas at Austin, and the joint Division of Health Sciences and Technology of Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.