In this issue:
ADVANCE YOUR CAREER AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE! APPLY FOR AN ASME FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FELLOWSHIP, INCLUDING A NEW OPPORTUNITY AT USAID!
ASME is currently accepting applications for participation in its Federal Government Fellowship Program through which ASME members provide engineering and technical expertise to policy-makers in Congress. Federal Fellows provide a valuable public service to the nation, while at the same time providing engineers with a unique opportunity to participate directly in the public policy making process.
ASME Congressional Fellowships
ASME is seeking individuals interested in serving as a 2012-2013 Congressional Fellow, who would spend one year in Washington, D.C. working with the staff of a congressional committee, U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative. Congressional Fellowships are designed to demonstrate the value of engineering-government interaction, bring technical backgrounds and external perspectives to the decision making process in Congress and provide a unique public policy learning experience to the Fellow. Because of the limited number of Congressional Fellowships available, the process is very competitive. The following credentials are encouraged: at least five years of professional experience; an advanced engineering degree; professional engineer registration; and, some public policy experience.
United States Agency for International Development
This year, ASME is also pleased to announce a Federal Government Fellowship opportunity with the USAID, the principal federal agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.
USAID is currently developing Grand Challenges for Development in rain-fed agriculture and off grid, renewable energy for agriculture. The Office of Science & Technology seeks a fellow who can help drive the development of these two challenges, ensure that the problem statement is scientifically valid and rooted in the most current data and information, and liaise with the necessary and appropriate parties – both within and outside of USAID. The Fellow will be expected to provide scientific, technical, and intellectual leadership, and analytical support contributing to the advancement of the Grand Challenges effort. The Fellow will serve as a liaison with internal and external partners, helping USAID enhance its network of development solution providers. The Fellow will also serve as an engineering adviser to the Director of the Office of Science & Technology.
All ASME Fellows will be awarded a stipend of $60,000 for the one year Fellowship. ASME Federal Fellows typically serve from September through August, but a January through December term is sometimes an option. Applications are accepted annually from December 1st through March 31st. All Fellows must be U.S. citizens and ASME members at the time of application.
To apply for an ASME Congressional Fellowship, fill out the online application at https://secure.asme.org/fedgovfellows/appform.cfm and provide the requested materials. The application deadline is March 31, 2012.
For additional information about the ASME Federal Government Fellowship Program, visit: http://www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/ GovRelations/Programs/Federal_Government.cfm or contact Patti Jo Snyder, ASME Government Relations, at snyderp@asme.org.
COMMERCE DEPARTMENT REPORT ON COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS U.S. COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION, INFRASTRUCTURE AND CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY
A report unveiled earlier this month by Commerce Secretary John Bryson entitled, “The Competitiveness and Innovative Capacity of the United States,” focuses on the need for the nation to continue to support the three pillars of innovation and competitiveness: basic research; education; and, infrastructure. The report was mandated by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act which was signed into law one year ago. While the legislation was aimed at a gradual doubling of the research budgets of key science and engineering federal research agencies by 2017, tight budgets since 2010 have left the country far off track for meeting the long-term funding goals of COMPETES.
The report concluded that “common to all three pillars—research, education, and infrastructure—is that there are areas where government has made, and should continue to make, significant investments. For a variety of reasons, the private sector under-invests in these areas so the government needs to step in to bring investment up to the socially optimal levels. An additional common thread between these three pillars is that the benefits of these investments took years to be fully realized. This long-term outlook should not be forgotten.”
“There are clear actions that can help this nation regain its innovative and competitive footing. To succeed, we must have the will to implement and to sustain the policies that will prepare the United States to continue to be an economic leader in the 21st century,” including the following:
- Continue to support government funding for basic research;
- Enhance and extend the R&D tax credit;
- Speed the movement of ideas from basic science labs to commercial application;
- Address STEM shortcomings;
- Increase spectrum for wireless communications;
- Increase access to data to help spur innovation;
- Coordinate Federal support for manufacturing;
- Continue and strengthen efforts to foster regional clusters and entrepreneurship;
- Promote America’s exports and improve access to foreign markets; and,
- Ensure that the conditions exist in which private enterprise can thrive.
The 160-page report may be reviewed at: http://www.commerce.gov/sites/default /files/documents/2012/january/competes_010511_0.pdf
To view a webcast of Secretary Bryson’s presentation of the report before the January 6th meeting of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST), please visit: http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/pcast/120106/ default.cfm?id=14254&type=flv&test=0&live=0
To read a White House Blog posting discussing the report, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/06/ new-report-investing-innovation-crucial-economic-growth-and-competitiveness
Paul Fakes handles public policy-related research and development issues for ASME. He can be reached at:
fakesp@asme.org
EIA REPORT ISSUED ON "STATE-LEVEL ENERGY-RELATED CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS, 2000-2009"
A recent report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has found a decline in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions nationwide and in most individual states from 2000 to 2009. The report, “State-Level Energy- Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions 2000-2009,” is EIA’s first to track state-level energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. The decline in CO2 emissions were attributed to two factors: the United States' shift away from an industry-intensive economy; and, the recession of the later part of the decade.
The paper presents a basic analysis of the factors that contribute to a state’s CO2 profile. The State-level emissions data presented in this paper count emissions based on the location where fossil fuels are used. To the extent that fuels are used in one State to generate electricity that is consumed in another State, emissions are attributed to the former rather than the latter.
Over the time period from 2000 to 2009, CO2 emissions fell in the United States and most individual states. Thirteen states, however, experienced emissions increases in that time period. The greatest percentage increase was in Nebraska at 13.3 percent (5.5 million metric tons), while Colorado experienced the greatest absolute increase (8.9 million metric tons or 10.5 percent). Other states that experienced growth included: Arizona (9.5 percent), Iowa (7.5 percent), South Dakota (5.1 percent), Missouri (4.7 percent), and Oklahoma (4.4 percent).
During the same period, the greatest percentage decrease in CO2 emissions occurred in Delaware at 29.7 percent, (5.0 million metric tons). The greatest absolute decline was 52.1 million metric tons in Texas (7.9 percent). New York also experienced a decline of 42.6 million metric tons (19.5 percent). Two states experienced reductions of slightly more than 32 million metric tons: Indiana and Michigan.
The report found that states exhibit very different emissions profiles by fuel type. For example, in 2009, coal consumption accounted for 79.3 percent of CO2 emissions in West Virginia. In California, 65.0 percent of CO2 emissions came from petroleum, while only 1.3 percent came from coal. Rhode Island had no emissions from coal consumption, but 44.6 percent of its emissions were from natural gas. Vermont's share of CO2 emissions from petroleum was 92.7 percent and Hawaii's share was 90.4 percent in 2009.
On a per capita basis, the paper found that in 2009 the following three states had the highest CO2 emissions: Wyoming (117 metric tons per capita); North Dakota (80.1 metric tons per capita); and Alaska (54.6 metric tons per capita). New York has the lowest per capita carbon dioxide emissions (9 metric tons per capita).
The complete 18-page report is available at: http://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/ state/analysis/pdf/stateanalysis.pdf
Robert Rains handles public policy-related energy issues for ASME. He can be reached at:
rainsr@asme.org
WHITE HOUSE RELEASES STEM EDUCATION INVENTORY
On December 15th, the White House National Science and Technology Council released a new inventory of the federal government’s spending on STEM education. In total, the report says the federal government spends $3.4 billion on STEM education programs, which are spread across 13 federal agencies. While other analyses have argued that there is much redundancy and overlap between federal STEM education programs, the report concludes this issue may have been overstated.
Some highlights of the report include:
- Of the $3.4 billion total, nearly $1 billion is spent on activities that target the specific workforce needs of particular agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Transportation;
- The remainder of the money is spent on broader STEM education matters, dominated by funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Education Department;
- About $1.1 billion has as its primary goal targeting populations underrepresented in the STEM fields (such as African-Americans, Hispanics, and females);
- Twenty-four investments totaling $312 million have the primary goal of improving teacher effectiveness;
- Eighty percent of all the federal spending comes from three agencies: the NSF ($1.2 billion), the Department of Education ($1 billion), and the Department of Health and Human Services ($577 million); and,
- About 60 percent of all the federal spending targets K-12 education, with the rest directed at the postsecondary level.
The report was required by the America COMPETES Act. In addition, per the America COMPETES Act, the White House must develop a five-year strategic plan for advancing STEM education, which is expected out in February.
For more information about this inventory, please visit: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/ curriculum/2011/12/amid_all_the_talk_about.html
Melissa Carl handles public policy-related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education issues for ASME. She can be reached at:
carlm@asme.org
EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE CHAIR RELEASES DRAFT ACCOUNTABILITY, TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS LEGISLATION
In late December, House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) said that while the Committee has been working for months on a bipartisan re-write of the “No Child Left Behind Law (NCLB),” the two parties were not able to reach agreement. Therefore, Republican lawmakers decided to release two additional pieces of NCLB legislation in early January, which are intended to improve accountability, increase flexibility, and support more effective teachers in the classroom.
In his statement, Chairman Kline said, “The upcoming 10 year anniversary of No Child Left Behind provides an opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing our nation’s classrooms,” said Chairman Kline. “There is a strong sense of urgency that the heavy-handed law must be reformed to ensure more children have access to the quality education they deserve.”
The first of the two bills is the Student Success Act, which focuses on updating NCLB’s accountability system, the adequate yearly progress metric. The bill intends to reform education by:
- Returning responsibility for student achievement to states, school districts, and parents, while maintaining high expectations;
- Providing states and school districts greater flexibility to meet students’ unique needs;
- Investing limited taxpayer dollars wisely;
- Strengthening programs for schools and targeted populations; and,
- Maintaining and strengthening long-standing protections for state and local autonomy.
To read a summary of the Student Success Act, go to: http://edworkforce.house.gov/UploadedFiles/ The_Student_Success_Act_Summary.pdf
To read the draft legislation, visit: http://edworkforce.house.gov/ UploadedFiles/The_Student_Success_Act.pdf
The second bill, the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act, would like to offer states and local districts more flexibility by:
- Providing information to parents on teacher effectiveness;
- Increasing school choice and engaging parents in their child's education;
- Increasing state and local innovation to reform public education;
- Eliminating unnecessary and ineffective federal programs; and,
- Supporting Impact Aid.
To read a summary of the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act, go to:
http://edworkforce.house.gov/UploadedFiles/ The_Encouraging_Innovation_and_Effective_Teachers_Act_Summary.pdf
To review the draft legislation, please visit: http://edworkforce.house.gov/UploadedFiles/ The_Encouraging_Innovation_and_Effective_Teachers_Act.pdf
A partisan ESEA bill in the House is a big development, since it might damper the likelihood that the reauthorization would be completed before the end of President Barack Obama's first term. While ESEA is not always passed by large bipartisan majorities as NCLB did in 2001, it is typically crafted in a bipartisan fashion.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) has said he won't seek to advance the Senate Committee-passed bill to the Senate floor until the House approves a bipartisan product. Therefore, if Congress does not take action, the administration's waivers will become the primary vehicle for updating the current law.
Additional analysis of the new Republican ESEA bill can be found at: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign- k-12/2012/01/advocates_policymakers_give_mi.html
Melissa Carl handles public policy-related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education issues for ASME. She can be reached at:
carlm@asme.org
AZ SCHOOL DISTRICT TO OFFER STEM DIPLOMAS
Starting next school year, the Chandler Unified School District in Arizona recently announced plans to offer two specialized STEM diplomas at one of its high schools, Perry High School in Gilbert. The two diplomas are called the “STEM Diploma” program and the more rigorous STEM “Scholar Diploma” program, and will emphasize project-based learning and provide students with what the district calls "real-world" experiences.
If enrolled in either diploma programs, students would take more rigorous, STEM coursework than is generally required to graduate, including five credits of math, including AP Statistics, and six credits of science (or a combination of science and engineering coursework). If enrolled in the STEM Scholar diploma, students would be required to take AP Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus, as well as a course on differential equations. Available electives also include human biology, biotechnology, and computer science. In addition, students must take a full load of non-STEM courses, including AP English and American History.
The district is also working with local universities, i.e. Arizona State University Polytechnic, to provide opportunities for students to take college courses. Additional requirements for the students include attendance at STEM workshops, as well as the completion of a job-shadow experience before their senior year.
These STEM diplomas were modeled after similar programs at Benton High School in Louisiana and CREST, a small specialty school in Paradise Valley, Ariz.
For more information, please visit: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/ 2011/12/arizona_high_school_to_offer_n.html
Melissa Carl handles public policy-related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education issues for ASME. She can be reached at: carlm@asme.org
ASME SUBMITS COMMENTS ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO PEER-REVIEWED SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS RESULTING FROM FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
On January 12th, ASME President Victoria Rockwell sent a letter to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) regarding its “Request for Information: Public
Access to Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Publications Resulting from Federally Funded Research” which appeared in the December 23rd edition of the Federal Register. The request for information (RFI) offered the opportunity for interested individuals and organizations to provide recommendations on approaches for ensuring long-term stewardship and broad public access to the peer reviewed scholarly publications that result from federally funded scientific research.
In her letter, President Rockwell emphasized that “ASME endorses the principle of providing public access and enhancing dissemination of federally funded research results in ways that advance public safety and welfare, and improve the quality of life throughout the world. In so doing, ASME is resolute on our position that it is critical to protect the authors’ rights to their intellectual property, as well as the critical functions of peer review. We are also concerned that in an era of dwindling federal resources, central federal repositories are duplicative, unnecessarily expense and a recurring burden that may not be viable for long-term stewardship. Agencies should seek productive and mutually beneficial projects and partnerships with publishers that ensure greater availability of both taxpayer-funded research directly from the government and peer-reviewed, value-added publisher content.”
Among the specific comments President Rockwell offered on public access to peer-reviewed scholarly publications are the following:
- OSTP must be careful to not establish mandates that undermine intellectual property rights without full, voluntary rights-holder authorization, intellectual property rights protection, and compensation;
- ASME supports the goals of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, which calls upon OSTP to coordinate agency policies related to the dissemination and long-term stewardship of the results of federally funded unclassified research;
- ASME opposes government mandates requiring that private-sector scholarly publications be made available online without authorization and compensation; and,
- ASME recommends that OSTP carefully review all approaches to public access and comprehensively consider the economic implications of various public access models, including the impact on the federal budget, the peer review process, and the health of America’s innovation ecosystem.
President Rockwell’s entire letter, PS-12-01 will soon be posted at: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/advocacy- government-relations/position-statements
Paul Fakes handles public policy-related research and development issues for ASME. He can be reached at:
fakesp@asme.org
THE ARTICLES CONTAINED IN CAPITOL UPDATE ARE NOT POSITIONS OF ASME OR ANY OF
ITS SUB-ENTITIES, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY NOTED AS SUCH. THIS PUBLICATION IS DESIGNED
TO INFORM ASME MEMBERS ABOUT ISSUES OF CONCERN BEING DEBATED AND DISCUSSED IN
THE HALLS OF CONGRESS, IN THE STATES, AND IN THE FEDERAL AGENCIES.
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