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Dr. Anthony Green has been appointed vice president of regional technology initiatives for Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
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The Association of University Research Parks named the Science Center in Philadelphia "Outstanding Research Park of the Year."
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The Hershey Center for Applied Research announced that Laura Butcher will serve as its first executive director, effective Jan. 3.
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Peggy Schaffer left Maine's Office of Innovation to become chief of staff of the Maine Senate Majority Office.
Maine to Increase R&D Activity to $1B by 2010
A plan to increase Maine's R&D activity to $1 billion by 2010 was revealed last week by the Department of Economic and Community Development's (DECD) Office of Innovation and the Maine Science and Technology Council (MSTAC). The level of R&D activity in Maine currently stands at $430 million.
Pennsylvania to Hold Summit to Create Commonwealth's Future
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, in concert with the Pennsylvania State University, are presenting the inaugural Creating Pennsylvania’s Future: A Higher Education, Economic and Community Development Summit, aimed at energizing institutions of higher education, busi
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Chris Capelli, currently director of the technology transfer office at University of Pittsburgh, is leaving to become vice president for technology transfer at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
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Richard Lunak is the new CEO of Innovation Works and Ron Bianchini has been named chairman of the organization.
Independent MTI Assessment Reveals Economic Impact
If the success of its funded companies is revealing, the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) has done well to spur innovative activity in Maine, suggests an independent analysis recently released in the state.
Pennyslvania Outlines Role and Function of Its TBED Portfolio
Is Pennsylvania getting enough bang -- or the right bang -- from its investments in promoting a tech-based economy? The state has been one of the nation's leading public investors in technology-based economic development (TBED) for more than 20 years. Programs have evolved and been added over the years as factors affecting innovation and private sector growth changed. The result is now Pennsylvania's researchers and entrepreneurs have a complex portfolio of public-private resources available to them.
Recent Research: A Response to the Morrison Paper on Leading Firms
Editor's Note: Last week's issue of the Digest included a Recent Research item, Are Leading Firms Team Players? that drew an animated reaction from a reader whose opinion SSTI holds in great respect because of his contributions to improving the understanding and delivery of technology-based economic development initiatives. As a result, Dr.
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Jack Pfunder is the new executive director of the Manufacturers Resource Center in Bethlehem, Pa.
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Rebecca Bagley is the new Deputy Secretary for Technology Investment in the PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development.
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After nine years as deputy director of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Joseph Bordogna is resigning. He will return to the University of Pennsylvania as Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Engineering.
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Richard Overmoyer, deputy secretary for technology investment at the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, is leaving to join the lobbying group, GSP Consulting.
Initiatives Aim to Close Digital Divide Among Low-Income Households
Two initiatives aimed at closing the digital divide, particularly among low-income Americans, were announced earlier this month.
Programs Recruit, Train Workers and Youth for Critical ‘Middle Skill’ Jobs
Across the nation, policymakers, business leaders, private foundations and nonprofit groups are investing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates to maintain a competitive U.S. workforce. From middle school math and science labs to engineering-centered summer camps and tuition reimbursement for undergraduates who pursue these fields, there is widespread support for STEM graduates.
Recent Reports & Studies: Bayer Survey Shows Strong Public Support for S&T
Americans say they take pride in our nation's leadership role in science and technology and believe the U.S. needs to continue investing in scientific research and development (R&D) in order to remain at the forefront of discovery and innovation, according to a Gallup survey conducted on behalf of the Bayer Corporation in partnership with the National Science Foundation.
NSF Awards $45 Million to Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center
The next U.S. supercomputing system operating at speeds well beyond a trillion calculations per second will reside at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) through an expected $45-million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Last week, the National Science Board (NSB), NSF's governing body, authorized the three-year award following a national competition.
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Rob Jaffe, director of federal funding programs with Innovation Philadelphia, is resigning to become a senior underwriter for Institutional Lending at Commerce Bank.
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George Burrell is the new president and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia.
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Krista Paternostro is the new vice president of operations at the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
Maine Issues Guide for the Creative Economy
Maine Gov. Mark Baldacci has unveiled a new handbook intended to help communities to capitalize upon their cultural resources to spur economic growth. Maine's Creative Economy Community Handbook: Maine State Government Resources for Communities offers advice for community leaders interested in building a creative and dynamic workforce. The guidelines it gives for designing a strategic plan could benefit communities across the country interested in similar initiatives.
Maine Continues $41M Laptop Program
It caught the attention of quite a few people when it was first proposed in early 2001, but Maine's investment in 2002 to provide every seventh and eighth grader with a new laptop - approximately 32,000 students and 4,000 teachers - continues to provide a useful example of the size and type of commitment and risk that elected leaders have to be willing to make to transform the outlook for a state or regional economy. It took strong leadership and determination from then-Gov.
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Dr. Alan Brown was named executive director of the Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center, a newly formed economic development initiative.