What's New @ IEEE-USA - Eye On Washington, Vol. 2012, No. 3 (30 March 2012)

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/2012/03eow2012.asp

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Highlights of the latest issue include:

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CAPITOL HILL

House Science Committee Explores Complexity and Promise of Increased Public Access to Research - The Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight today held an oversight hearing to examine various models for disseminating federally funded research and their corresponding effects on the scientific process. With the federal government funding 31 percent of research conducted in the country, access to the outcomes of the research is of significant interest to scholarly journals, researchers, and taxpayers who want access to what they have already helped to pay for.

Voluntary Consensus-Based Standards Promote Competition, Economic Growth, Witnesses Say - The Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation examined the principles of effective domestic and international standards development processes. Witnesses discussed how to better promote these principles internationally and how standards can sometimes be used as technical barriers to trade.

Unique Cybersecurity Challenges at NASA - The Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight examined the state of information security at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Witnesses discussed the details of recent NASA Office of the Inspector General (IG) reports concerning information security, the steps NASA is taking to address the recommendations contained in those reports, and future challenges to the Agency’s information security posture.

You Tube: Research that Pays Off: The Economic Benefits of Federally Funded R & D - In a 1988 national address, President Reagan asked Congress to increase spending on research, calling it "an indispensable investment in America's future." President Obama has said science is "essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, and our environment." But the federal share of research spending is now half of what it was in the 1950s. With China's investment in state-funded R&D on track to eclipse that of the U.S. in coming decades, our global status as number one in science is at risk. What consequences will this have for our long-term economic productivity and the future of American industry? In this luncheon briefing, an engaging panel will discuss the critical contributions that federal R&D have made to American industry in recent decades, how federally-funded R&D could continue to return dividends, and what effect this investment could have on long term economic prosperity. It turns out that many of the great economic engines of recent times had their start as federally funded initiatives.

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THE WHITE HOUSE & FEDERAL AGENCY ACTIVITY

Electric Vehicle Grand Challenge Targets Technology and Cost Breakthroughs - President Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the launch of EV Everywhere, a DOE-wide initiative that aims to make electric vehicles affordable within a decade to the average American family by targeting dramatic technological and cost improvements in batteries, electric motors, power electronics, light-weight structures, and fast charging technology. This is the second in a series of Clean Energy Grand Challenges to be announced by the Department of Energy (DOE). The first in the series, already underway, is the $1/watt SunShot Grand Challenge, which seeks to make solar power directly cost-competitive with electricity from fossil fuels by 2020.

Training New High-Tech Workers for Summer Jobs+ - In January, Obama announced Summer Jobs + to support low-income and disconnected youth by providing pathways for summer internships and training. Jon Bon Jovi, a member of the White House Council for Community Solutions, decided to take action in his private capacity and challenge technology companies to “educate and train young people who might not ordinarily consider a career in technology.” Jon Bon Jovi and technology companies Gilt Groupe, GroupMe and Onswipe announced their commitment to support Summer Jobs+ through the SummerQAmp initiative. SummerQAmp will train a new workforce in high-tech skills and help create tech jobs for American youth by providing software quality assurance internships.
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LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

Engineering for Change (E4C) LLC, founded – by ASME, IEEE and Engineers Without Borders – in the spirit of engineers' harnessing a common passion for designing and applying creative technical solutions to a broad range of significant humanitarian challenges. They welcome participation from the broader technical community, corporate sponsors, academic institutions, NGOs and other organizations in the development space.

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AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS

National Science Foundation Recent opportunities can be found here, including:

Dear Colleague Letter -Prepare, Engage, and Motivate a Diverse STEM Workforce - Design Proposals to Develop a Broadening Participation in STEM Resource Network - This letter is to call your attention to an opportunity in the Division of Human Resource Development (HRD) for design proposals to develop strategies to assist HRD grantees and other NSF stakeholders to achieve the NSF performance goal to "Prepare and engage a diverse STEM workforce motivated to participate at the frontiers." HRD anticipates funding up to five 18-month design projects for up to $250,000 each as described in the HBCU-UP solicitation. This opportunity is expected to also be included in other HRD program solicitations over the next six months which will be posted on the HRD web site. The window for submission of design proposals is January 12, 2012 to July 12, 2012.

Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I Solicitation FY-2013 (SBIR)

Core Techniques and Technologies for Advancing Big Data Science & Engineering (BIGDATA) - aims to advance the core scientific and technological means of managing, analyzing, visualizing, and extracting useful information from large, diverse, distributed and heterogeneous data sets so as to: accelerate the progress of scientific discovery and innovation; lead to new fields of inquiry that would not otherwise be possible; encourage the development of new data analytic tools and algorithms; facilitate scalable, accessible, and sustainable data infrastructure; increase understanding of human and social processes and interactions; and promote economic growth and improved health and quality of life. The new knowledge, tools, practices, and infrastructures produced will enable breakthrough discoveries and innovation in science, engineering, medicine, commerce, education, and national security -- laying the foundations for US competitiveness for many decades to come.

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REPORTS, DOCUMENTS OF NOTE & INFO RESOURCES

Makeshift: The Electronic Afterlife - Makeshift, “a quarterly magazine and multimedia website about creativity in unlikely places,” has created a very informative graphic of the lifecycle of e-waste.  They say, “Millions of tonnes of electronics are disposed each year, triggering a chain of devastating effects.”  The graphic analyzes e-waste and reveals the relationships between consumption and waste, and between formal and informal systems.

Business Use of Intellectual Property Protection Documented in NSF Survey  - Results from the Business Research and Development and Innovation Survey showed that in 2008 more U.S. businesses reported that trademarks (15%), trade secrets (14%), and copyrights (12%) were important forms of intellectual property (IP) protection, and fewer reported that design patents (6%), utility patents (5%), and mask works (copyright protection for semiconductor products) (3%) were important. However, the level of reliance on each of these forms of IP protection varied considerably across industry sectors.

Government Accountability Office Reports:

Export Controls: Proposed Reforms Create Opportunities to Address Enforcement Challenges. GAO-12-246, March 27. (Highlights)

NASA: Significant Challenges Remain for Access, Use, and Sustainment of the International Space Station by Cristina T. Chaplain, director, acquisition and sourcing management, before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. GAO-12-587T, March 28.

Visa Waiver Program: Additional Actions Needed to Mitigate Risks and Strengthen Overstay Enforcement, by Rebecca Gambler, Acting Director, Homeland Security and Justice, and Michael J. Courts, Acting Director, International Affairs and Trade, before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security. GAO-12-599T, March 27.

Congressional Research Service Reports:

Cybersecurity: Selected Legal Issues

U.S. National Science Foundation: An Overview

Broadband Loan and Grant Programs in the USDA's Rural Utilities Service

Background and Issues for Congressional Oversight of ARRA Broadband Awards

Patent Infringement and Experimental Use Under the Hatch-Waxman Act

Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy