What's New @ IEEE-USA - Eye On Washington Vol. 2011, No. 13 (25 October 2011)

Dear Readers,

The latest issue of IEEE-USA's Eye on Washington is now available online.  For complete text and links to additional resources, please visit: http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/eyeonwashington/2011/14eow2011.asp

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

Note that we are once again accepting applications for both the WISE and Government Fellows programs.  If you know of an outstanding engineering student who is interested in spending 9 summer weeks in Washington, please encourage them to explore the WISE program (permanent residents or US citizens only).

Also, if you know of an engineer would like to spend a year in Washington, passing on their expertise to policymakers, please encourage them to explore the Government fellows program (US citizens only).

Seeking WISE Applications
SUMMER 2012 PROGRAM Monday, 4 June - Friday, 3 August
Each year, outstanding engineering students are selected to spend nine weeks in Washington, D.C., learning about the public policy process, including how government officials make decisions on complex technological issues and how engineers can contribute to legislative and regulatory public policy decisions. WISE seeks applications from outstanding engineering students who display evidence of leadership skills and have a keen interest in public policy. Minority students are encouraged to apply. Applicants should select a sponsoring society(s), fill out an application form (documents linked), write two (2) brief essays in response to questions, arrange for two (2)faculty references, and forward an official transcript. The deadline for 2012 is 31 December 2011.

Seeking 2013 Government Fellows Applications
Linking Science, Technology & Engineering Professionals with Government
Each year, IEEE-USA sponsors three government fellowships for qualified IEEE members. The fellows — chosen by the IEEE-USA Government Fellows Committee and confirmed by the Board — spend a year in Washington serving as advisers to the U.S. Congress and to key U.S. Department of State decision-makers. Known as either a Congressional Fellowship or an Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowship, this program links science, technology and engineering professionals with government, and provides a mechanism for IEEE's U.S. members to learn firsthand about the public policy process while imparting their knowledge and experience to policymakers. The application forms for 2013 are available online. (State; Congressional) The deadline for 2013 is Friday, 16 March 2012. (View upcoming webinar.)

Highlights of the current EOW  issue include:

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CAPITOL HILL

ARPA-Ed Passes First Hurdle - The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions - or HELP - Committee held a hearing exploring an overhaul No Child Left Behind. The comprehensive bill reflects 10 months of bipartisan negotiations between Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking Member Mike Enzi (R-WY), and addresses many of the problems created by ESEA’s most recent reauthorization, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), while advancing America’s commitment to helping all children succeed. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced an amendment that would bring ARPA-Ed to life. ARPA-Ed would put competitive grants and contracts in the hands of innovators seeking to develop technologies to revolutionize the way students learn. The amendment (Bennet X:1) was agreed to by voice vote.

House Hearing on Slowing the Exodus of Foreigners Who Obtain STEM Degrees in the US - The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement held a hearing to examine whether the US should do more to encourage STEM graduates of our universities to remain in the US once they've completed their studies.

Republicans Propose Significant & Jeopardizing Cuts to Science & Technology - House Science Republicans are proposing $1.5 billion in deficit reduction through cuts to S&T accounts in FY 2012. In an attempt to justify the partisan and questionable move, they say,"“Like you, we recognize the necessary task of controlling our nation’s ballooning deficit and getting our citizens back to work.  We also understand that the long term health of our country depends on our global competitiveness and the ability to continue to innovate.  With that in mind, we are recommending over $1.5 billion in savings in FY12 alone.  We believe that the attached recommendations prioritize research and development programs that protect our national security and leadership, allow private investors and the marketplace to thrive without undue Federal influence, and have the most potential for sustained long-term growth.”

New Legislation to Promote Community Wind Projects - U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) introduced legislation that would promote the local production of wind energy by providing tax credits to more community wind projects across the country. Sens. Franken and Tester introduced the "Community Wind Act," which would expand the existing small wind Investment Tax Credit to projects with capacity up to 20 megawatts (MW). Currently, a 30 percent investment tax credit is available for wind turbines with nameplate capacity up to 100 kilowatts. This legislation amends the credit by expanding it to projects with total capacity of no more than 20 MW. There is no restriction on the size of any individual turbine.

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THE WHITE HOUSE & FEDERAL AGENCY ACTIVITY

NASA Contest Heralds Dawn of the Electric Plane - NASA has provided a $1.65 million prize for the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation Green Flight Challenge competition, sponsored by Google. The competition took place in early October outside of Santa Rosa, CA. The purse is the largest aviation prize in history and attracted 13 teams, all led by American innovators. Three teams successfully completed aircraft and flight qualification requirements and are competing for the purse. Teams are flying electric and biofueled powered aircraft to prove they have the most fuel efficient, small aircraft in the world.

"Start Breaking Stuff'": Advice From America’s Top Young Women Scientists - What advice do some of the top women scientists and engineers in America have for girls all over the country? “Go ahead and start breaking stuff,” said researcher Gayle Hagler in the above White House video, because that’s how she got her start.

White House Announces Initiative To Help USCIS Obtain Industry Expertise - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas joined the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness in Pittsburgh this month to announce “Entrepreneurs in Residence.”  This new innovative initiative will use industry expertise to strengthen USCIS policies and practices surrounding immigrant investors, entrepreneurs and workers with specialized skills, knowledge, or abilities. Mayorkas announced the initiative at the Jobs Council’s High Growth Entrepreneurship Listening and Action Session at AlphaLab in Pittsburgh before the Council’s quarterly meeting with President Obama.

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LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

IEEE-USA In The News

WEBINAR What Does it Take to be an IEEE-USA Government Fellow? - WEBINAR November 22, 2011 at 2:00pm EST
Each year, IEEE-USA sponsors three government fellowships in which each recipient gets to spend a year in Washington serving as advisers to the U.S. Congress and to key U.S. Department of State decision-makers. Known as either a Congressional Fellowship or an Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowship, this program links science, technology and engineering professionals with government, and provides a mechanism for IEEE's U.S. members to learn firsthand about the public policy process while imparting their knowledge and experience to policymakers.
IEEE-USA wants to offer IEEE members some insight into what happens during this year long fellowship. Rebecca Taylor talk about some of the issues she's been able to have an impact on during her time in Washington.
PRESENTER: Ms. Taylor is an IEEE-USA Engineering & Diplomacy Fellow for 2011. Ms. Taylor will discuss the process and benefits of applying and being selected for this fellowship. She is serving the U.S. Department of State as Senior Advisor for Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State. An inventor and holder of patents in the field of mobile device communications, Ms. Taylor has formed or advised numerous software and hardware technology startups over the past 20 years. She is a speaker on topics related to starting companies, and judges university-led, international business plan competitions. Ms. Taylor has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Iowa State University and a Masters degree in Public Affairs from the University of Texas' LBJ School.

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REPORTS, DOCUMENTS OF NOTE & INFO RESOURCES

FIRST LOOK: GREEN TECH SEEN AS FUTURE - The Economist Intelligence Unit released a report, sponsored by GE, on the "Future of U.S. Manufacturing," based on a survey of 360 senior manufacturing executives. Among the findings: "When asked which sectors offered the greatest opportunity for growth over the next three years, they chose green tech (selected by 43% of respondents), energy (42%), high-tech (42%) and pharma/biotech (37%). ...The survey also found that executives favored government investment in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education over corporate tax cuts."

U.S. House - Recommendations of the House Republican Cybersecurity Task Force

Government Accountability Office

Federal Chief Information Officers: Opportunities Exist to Improve Role in Information Technology Management GAO-11-634, Sep 15, 2011 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF)  Full Report (PDF, 72 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)

Yucca Mountain: Information on Alternative Uses of the Site and Related Challenges GAO-11-847, Sep 16, 2011 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF)  Full Report (PDF, 57 pages)  Accessible Text

Data Mining: DHS Needs to Improve Executive Oversight of Systems Supporting Counterterrorism GAO-11-742, Sep 7, 2011 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 75 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)

Congressional Research Service

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act: Innovation Issues

Fiscal Impacts of the Foreign-Born Population

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program: Reauthorization Efforts

Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2012

The FCC’s Authority to Regulate Net Neutrality After Comcast v. FCC

The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape

Congressional Budget Office

    Cost Estimate - S. 1549, American Jobs Act of 2011

U.S. Department of Energy - The First Quadrennial Technology Review (QTR) - launched at the recommendation of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, lays out the principles that DoE will use to answer the question, "How should the department choose among the many technically viable activities it should pursue?"

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What's New @ IEEE-USA's Eye on Washington highlights important federal legislative and regulatory developments that affect U.S. engineers and their careers. In addition to this biweekly newsletter, subscribers receive legislative bulletins and action alerts on IEEE-USA priority issues, including: retirement security, employment benefits, research & development funding, computers and information policy, immigration reform, intellectual property protection and privacy of health/medical information.