The materials research and development programs of nine federal departments and agencies are available in a new report, The Federal Research and Development Program in Materials Science and Technology 1995. The report was developed as a guide for materials researchers in industry, government, and universities. The emphasis in the report is on R&D directly linked to industrial applications, particularly in the areas of aeronautics, automotive technology, electronics, environmental technology, and infrastructure.

The New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NJMEP) seeks qualified applicants for the position of Executive Director. A successful candidate will have a established record of entrepreneurship demonstrated through a history of leadership in firm or division status, new product launches, development of new marketing strategies, or similar endeavors. Applicants must have senior-level management experience in an industrial manufacturing firm with full profit and loss responsibility.

The State of Rhode Island has selected two Research Centers of Excellence designed to expand research initiatives and encourage investment and job opportunities. The Rhode Island Center for Cellular Medicine and the Ocean Technology Center are the state's first technology centers.

The State of Delaware has selected its first three Advanced Technology Centers (ATCs), public/private partnerships designed to bolster the state's technology base and to create and retain quality high-tech jobs. The centers will receive $2.31 million from the state's 21st Century Fund for their first year of operation and are eligible for two more years of state funding given satisfactory performance.

The centers selected are:

In partnership with the Ohio Department of Development, BP America, and the Great Lakes Industrial Technology Center, NASA Lewis Research Center has opened a technology based incubator. The Lewis Incubator for Technology (LIFT) will enable companies to gain comprehensive business, financial, and marketing assistance as they work to commercialize NASA-developed technologies.

The South Florida Manufacturing Technology Center (SFMTC), a regional office of the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership, is currently seeking a Director. SFMTC is located in Pompano Beach, Florida and serves seven counties along Florida's southeast coast: Broward, Dade, Martin, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie.

President Clinton announced his intention to nominate three members to the National Science Board (NSB), an advisory body to the National Science Foundation. The three are:

Mary K. Gaillard of Berkeley, California, a professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and a faculty senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

We've been keeping you focused on SSTI's 12th annual conference, coming up Oct 14-16 at the Intercontinental Hotel Cleveland, but believe it or not, we're already working to ensure the 2009 and 2010 are as good or even better!

On Feb. 13, we announced the 2009 conference will be hosted by KTEC, one of the oldest and most successful TBED models in the country. The event will be held in Overland Park, KS on Oct. 20-22, 2009.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced a four-year plan to invest approximately $70 million a year in a nationwide network of life science research centers. The Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network will employ high-tech screening methods to identify molecules that can be used as probes to explore the functions of cells. This research is intended to help increase the pace of discovery in the field of chemical probes, which have become a key resource in fighting disease.

Drawing on its high-tech cluster, Provo, Utah garnered the highest score in the 2008 Best-Performing Cities Index released today by the Milken Institute and Greenstreet Real Estate Partners.

The rebounding technology sector boosted several newcomers to the top 10 in the annual ranking of where America's jobs are being created and sustained. Metros that are highly dependent on resource extraction and export-intensive industries also showed success.

On a per student basis, state support for public higher education on average increased 4.2% over the four years of 2003-2006. Over the same time period, enrollment figures increased even more rapidly.

Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Whether it's symptomatic of a tough job market or increased recognition of the economic rewards for obtaining an advanced degree, the number of doctoral degrees awarded and graduate enrollment in the U.S. rose sharply in 2007.

States are increasingly seeking new approaches to maintaining a pipeline of skilled workers, qualified to fill the gaps left by baby boomers retiring in the coming years and college graduates pursuing career options elsewhere.

Cluster strategies show proximity is seen as an important requirement for tacit knowledge flows and the resulting economic development benefits of innovation and entrepreneurship.

As news on the economy turns darker shades of bleak, communities across the country are looking for alternative ways to finance their innovation strategies. Some of their approaches will be the topic of two breakout sessions at SSTI's upcoming conference, Encouraging Regional Innovation. This story looks at one example.