What's New @ IEEE-USA - Eye On Washington, Vol. 2010, No. 7 (29 June 2010)

Dear Readers -

The latest issue of Eye on Washington is now available online.  For full text and links to additional information, please visit:  http://ieeeusa.org/policy/eyeonwashington/2010/07eow2010.asp

At this point, we had expected the Senate to finish their work on the COMPETES bill, however, the mark-up is now scheduled for mid-July.  We had also expected some activity on the patent reform bill but there has been no movement on this long pending legislation.  Congress will be out of DC next week for their July 4th recess.  They'll come back on July 11th, work for a couple of weeks and then leave for their long summer recess August 9th - September 12.

You can change your IEEE-USA Eye on Washington subscription status by using the forms at http://www.ieeeusa.org/communications/emailupdates/default.asp

Highlights of the current issue include:

*****CAPITOL HILL

America COMPETES Reauthorization Passes House - After failing twice in the U.S. House of Representatives, the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act passed the House. The bill now moves to the Senate for further action. The final House version includes the full five-year reauthorization and the increases in authorization levels for the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy Office of Science over the next three years - proposals that were removed in previous versions of the bill. COMPETES is expected to be marked up in the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. We had hoped that it would come to the Senate floor before the July 4 recess, but it doesn't appear likely to happen. Read the House committee press release.

Conyers and Smith Welcome IPEC Report and Urge IPEC Be Given Sufficient Resources - House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued a statement in support of the recently released 2010 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement released by the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator ("IPEC"), Victoria Espinel. The Joint Strategic Plan provides a much-needed blueprint for making federal prosecution and deterrence of intellectual property crime more effective and efficient.   IPEC Espinel has included policy recommendations to Congress and with due regard for her policy expertise, we  will closely consider them.  We remain committed to fulfilling the promise of the PRO-IP Act, protecting consumers and stopping the theft of American technology, creativity and goods."

*****THE WHITE HOUSE

Statement by the President on the New National Space Policy -  "Over the past fifty years, America has led the world in space exploration, broadening humanity's horizons and our understanding of the universe.  And our achievements have in turn led to incredible technological advances that have improved our lives and transformed our economy.  We can point to satellites orbiting hundreds of miles overhead that can identify our location within inches, or communications systems that allow information to flow around the world as never before.  In part, what has made this progress possible was a commitment by our nation to scientific discovery and technological innovation, and an unyielding faith in the future – even during difficult times."

Presidential Memorandum: Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution - America's future competitiveness and global technology leadership depend, in part, upon the availability of additional spectrum.  The world is going wireless, and we must not fall behind.  The resurgence of American productivity growth that started in the 1990s largely reflects investments by American companies, the public sector, and citizens in the new communications technologies that are what we know today as the Internet.  The Internet, as vital infrastructure, has become central to the daily economic life of almost every American by creating unprecedented opportunities for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs.  We are now beginning the next transformation in information technology: the wireless broadband revolution.

*****FEDERAL AGENCY ACTIVITY

New FERC Nominees: Moeller, LaFleur - The U.S. Senate has confirmed Philip Moeller and Cheryl LaFleur as commissioners to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

NASA Plays Key Exploration Role In New Administration Space Policy - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued the following statement today regarding President Obama's new National Space Policy:

"NASA is pleased to be an integral part of President Obama's National Space Policy. NASA's new direction, announced as part of the fiscal year 2011 budget, is embodied in the new National Space Policy.

"NASA has a key role in achieving the goals defined in the new policy. We are committed to working with other agencies, industry, and international partners to achieve national goals in exploration - human and robotic - and technology development that will ensure a robust future for the U.S. and our friends around the world." Complete press release.

*****LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

Meet the IEEE 2010 WISE Interns - Kristie Chin, a Brown University senior with dual civil engineering and architectural studies degrees; and Levi Lyons, a University of Kansas junior majoring in electrical engineering and accounting.

IEEE-USA Pleased that Supreme Court's Ruling Preserves Software Patents - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 this week that a new method of doing business can be patented, and that the ability to patent software should not be limited. In Bilski v. Kappos, the high court ruled that passing the "machine or transformation" test is not the sole test for determining whether a business process is patentable. Abstract ideas, however, cannot be patented. IEEE-USA was party to an amici curiae brief filed with the court.

IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellow Begins Reporting on Sci-Tech at Voice of America in Washington - IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellow Smitha Raghunathan has begun her 10-week media internship preparing news stories on science, engineering and technology in Washington at the Voice of America. Raghunathan has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is currently pursuing her master's degree in biomedical engineering from the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences. She served this past year as social chair of Wake Forest's IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society student branch.

*****U.S. STATES

OCAST Remains A Stand Alone Entity - The Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) will remain a stand-alone entity after a proposal by Gov. Brad Henry to consolidate the agency within the Department of Commerce failed to win legislative approval. OCAST provides funding and resources to help businesses develop and commercialize technologies. The agency is slated to receive $19.15 million in FY11, a 6 percent reduction from the previous year.

State R&D Sheets - The  State R&D Sheets for 2010 are now available. IEEE-USA, along with ACS, MRS, and SPIE, sponsor development of the data and pages which is handled by ASTRA. They may be helpful to your committees and other activities. To access, visit
http://www.usinnovation.org/state/state_rd_list.asp

Maryland Governor Proposes $100 Million for Startup Companies - Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley recently announced a new effort to direct $100 million to public and private venture capital investors. The InvestMaryland program would offer insurance companies tax credits to generate the funds, which would either be invested directly in startup companies or in private venture firms. Governor O'Malley's current proposal would provide $50 million to the Maryland Venture Fund and the other $50 million to venture capital firms. The state's Department of Business and Economic Development plans to work with legislators, businesses and universities to draft a bill for next year's legislative session.

$75M for Innovation Incentive Fund in Florida Budget - Florida's FY11 budget, signed into law last month by Gov. Charlie Crist, replenishes the Innovation Incentive Fund with $75 million. The recruitment fund was immediately tapped by lawmakers for $50 million toward enticing Maine's Jackson Laboratory to open a branch in Collier County, leaving $25 million for other major R&D projects and create high wage jobs throughout Florida. The state has promised the Jackson Lab project an additional $80 million over the next three years if developed. The $75 million FY11 appropriation for the Innovation Incentive Fund is contingent upon passage of increased federal Medicaid funds to the states, however.

*****AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS

Top 8 Scholarships for Girls in Science

National Science Foundation Recent opportunities include:

Conferences and Workshops in the Mathematical Sciences - Conferences, workshops, and related events (including seasonal schools and international travel by groups) support research and training activities of the mathematical sciences community.  Proposals for conferences, workshops, or conference-like activities may request funding of any amount and for durations of up to three years.  Proposals under this solicitation must be submitted to the appropriate DMS programs at the deadline specified on the program webpage. Anticipated Type of Award:  Standard Grant or Continuing Grant. Estimated Number of Awards: 10 to  100   Number of awards depends on funding available to disciplinary programs. Anticipated Funding Amount: $200,000  to $4,000,000  Up to $4,000,000 per year, pending availability of funds. Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):Proposals Accepted Anytime. However, proposals must be submitted in accordance with the due date for the appropriate disciplinary program.

Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings: Informal Science Education (ISE) Program Solicitation (NSF 10-565) - The ISE program supports innovation in anywhere, anytime, lifelong learning, through investments in research, development, infrastructure, and capacity-building for STEM learning outside formal school settings. Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): July 22, 2010, except CRPA proposals (which do not require preliminary proposals) Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): December 07, 2010 except CRPA proposals (which do not have deadlines)

Directorate for Biological Sciences; Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education; Directorate for Geosciences; Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences; Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences; Office of Polar Programs; Office of International Science and Engineering; and Office of Cyberinfrastructure: Research Coordination Networks (RCN) Program Solicitation ( NSF 10-566) - The goal of this program is to advance a field or create new directions in research or education. Innovative ideas for implementing novel networking strategies are especially encouraged. Groups of investigators will be supported to communicate and coordinate their research, training and educational activities across disciplinary, organizational, geographic and international boundaries. Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): August 18, 2010 (for more specific deadlines, please visit the web site.

Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) – Phase IB Option - The Phase IB supplement will award research supplements to active SBIR/STTR Phase I grantees that are currently conducting Phase I SBIR/STTR research projects. This supplement opportunity is intended to further SBIR/STTR Phase I research and attract third party investment from industrial partners, venture capitalists, angel investors, and State and Federal governments. Deadline Dates: There are two deadline dates for Phase IB supplemental requests, October 15th and/or April 15th.  Note -- Eligible SBIR Phase I grantees have one option to submit a Phase IB supplement request. In the case of STTR Phase I grantees, they also have one option but two potential submission dates.

*****REPORTS, DOCUMENTS OF NOTE & INFO RESOURCE

Council on Competitiveness Announces U.S. Manufacturing Initiative

National Science Foundation - New Data on U.S. Industry's Global R&D: An NSF Webcast: National Science Foundation releases first data from new Business Research & Development and Innovation survey

Data Show Increase in First-Time Science and Engineering Graduate Students: In 2008, there were more students enrolled in U.S. science and engineering (S&E) graduate programs than in the previous year. New data show graduate enrollment in S&E programs grew 2.5 percent over comparable data for 2007. Noteworthy was the 7.8 percent increase in first-time, full-time enrollments of S&E graduate students, and the increase occurred across all S&E fields.NSF's Division of Science Resources Statistics released the data in an InfoBrief posted on the federal agency's website. The survey, the 2008 Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS), was cosponsored by NSF and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Government Accountability Office - Environmental Satellites: Planning Required to Mitigate Near-term Risks and Ensure Long-term Continuity GAO-10-858T
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