Congress Approves America COMPETES Act Conference Report (8/6/07)
http://presszoom.com/story_138743.html
The United States Senate and House of Representatives approved the America COMPETES Act conference report late Monday night.

FEATURE: House Passes NSF Reauthorization, Emphasizing Research and Math and Science Education
http://presszoom.com/story_130821.html
The House of Representatives passed HR 1867, called the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2007, which intends to improve US competitiveness by NSF-coordinated cooperation between academia and industry. The Act also aims to support NSF STEM education.

FEATURE: House advance U.S. Competitiveness, STEM Package (05/21/07)
http://science.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1837
H.R. 2272, the 21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007, passed the House on May 21 by voice vote. The legislative package is comprised of bills authored and steered by the House Committee on Science and Technology – H.R. 362, H.R. 363, H.R. 1068, H.R. 1867 and H.R. 1868. Each of these bills previously passed the House by wide bipartisan margins.

House passage of H.R. 2272 sets in motion a conference with similar bipartisan innovation and competitiveness legislation which recently passed the U.S. Senate – S. 761, the America COMPETES Act.

The House legislative package authorizes a total of $23.6 billion over fiscal years 2008 – 2010, including $21 billion for research and education programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF), $2.5 billion for the research labs, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and other activities at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST), and $96 million for early career awards and teacher professional development programs at the Department of Energy (DOE). An additional $70 million is authorized for these programs at DOE for fiscal years 2011-2012.

FEATURE: Media took little notice of Senate vote on America COMPETES Act (05/06/07)
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070506/COLUMNISTS18/705060330/1005/OPINION
Although the America COMPETES Act was one of the most significant pieces of legislation to pass in the current two year Congress, its passage was given little coverage by the media. In a major bipartisan effort, senators working on the Act are collaborating to find and allocate the funding required, as well as requesting the support of the President.

FEATURE: Keeping the U.S. a World Leader in Science

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/

Colleges and Universities Awarded Grants to Strengthen Science and Engineering Education (06/29/07)
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2007/06/06292007.html
Twenty nine grants totaling $3.5 million were awarded to 25 colleges and universities by the US Department of Education under the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP), aiming to improve representation of women and minorities in the sciences while strengthening America’s science and engineering workforce.

Clinton Taps Clout of Indian-Americans
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/06/AR2007070601935.html
Democratic Presidential candidate Hilary Clinton spoke to the Indian Institute of Technology reunion in Santa Clara via satellite, confirming her support for increasing the number of H1-B visas and explaining that many Americans fear losing their jobs due to outsourcing. She expressed her support for a “bilateral” relationship between the U.S. and India.

South Dakota Wins Federal Lab Project
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071001406.html
The National Science Foundation is expected to spend $5 million establishing an underground lab in South Dakota’s Homestake Gold Mine. The lab will be the deepest underground lab built to date, and will study physics, astrophysics, earth science and geomicrobiology.

2 Top NASA Officials to Leave
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/14/AR2007071400613.html
Scott Horowitz, head of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and associate administrator Rex Geveden, have announced plans to leave NASA. Although NASA expects to launch the new Orion spacecraft by 2015, leaders say that these resignations will not cause disruption in its development.

California to build “world’s largest” solar farm

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/07/09/solar.california.reut/index.html?iref=newssearch
Cleantech America LLC plans to build a 640-acre solar farm that can provide energy to 21,000 homes, 17 times larger than the largest existing solar farm. This scale will enable the company to provide solar energy at lower prices.

National policies for technical change: Where are the increasing returns to economic research?
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/contentCIT
Keith Pavitt finds that in many cases basic research provides important intangible skills, while the most important technology developments may be coming from basic services companies rather than increasingly high-tech software companies.

Senate Gives NIH a Raise (06/20/07)
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2007/620/4?rss=1
On June 20, the Senate promised an additional $1 billion to the National Institutes of Health, increasing the budget to $29.9 billion. Two hundred million dollars of this would go to the Global Aids Fund, and $111 million will be for the National Children’s Study. The money supports a grant program that offers publication of submitted papers in a free online archive. However, the president has expressed his intent to veto the bill for excessive spending.

New NAE President Arrives
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=09152006

Charles Vest begins a six-year term as the new president of the National Academy of Engineering this month. Vest, a mechanical engineer, is president emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Elected to the NAE in 1993, he has participated in a number of National Academies studies, including the landmark 2007 report Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, which focused on the key role science and engineering play in U.S. innovation and international competitiveness.

Science academies issue statements on energy efficiency, innovation (05/16/07)
http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20070516.html
The U.S. National Academy of Sciences joined 12 other national science academies today in calling on world leaders -- particularly G8 leaders who met in June -- to address global climate change and energy-access issues by promoting low carbon-emission energy systems and more efficient use of energy. The academies also urged leaders to facilitate scientific and technical innovation, and to simplify and enforce a balanced intellectual property regime.

Science Academies' Joint Statement: Promotion and Protection of Innovation http://www/includes/G8Statement_Innovation_07_May.pdf

Science Academies' Joint Statement: Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, and Climate Protection http://www/includes/G8Statement_Energy_07_May.pdf

FEATURE: The United States of Technology? (07/06/07)
http://money.cnn.com/2007/07/05/technology/fastforward_us.fortune/index.htm
David Kirkpatrick notes that while the United States still produces some of the leading recent innovations such as the iPhone and Facebook, European and Asian innovators are catching up. However, he recommends that instead of attempting to compete with other countries, the United States should embrace the growing prosperity of other nations.

S&P's Tech Survey: The LBO Pace Quickens (07/03/07)
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/jul2007/pi2007073_452498.htm?chan=search
Standard and Poor predicts moderate positive growth in the tech industry, particularly in the areas of software and telecommunications. Even companies that are undergoing investigation for backdating are expected to rebound with growth.

Alexander says U.S. can win competition with China for brain power (05/30/07)
http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2007-05-30-0011.html
China has begun recruiting American university professors in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage in terms of brainpower. According to Lamar Alexander, The America Competes Act, which funds the National Science Foundation, scholarships for K-12 teachers in math and science, and research grants, will help the United States maintain its competitive edge.

Bush funding restrictions increase biotech costs for stem cell research (05/20/07)
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=1002156&srvc=biz
Boston area biotech firms and universities report that Bush administration restrictions on stem cell funding are causing significant cost increases for researchers who must purchase and label all supplies from expensive equipment to pens and pencils.

Paul L. Hill: Research, technology lead to brighter future (05/08/07)
http://wvgazette.com/section/Opinion/200705079
Individual states are addressing the concerns of the report “Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” and in West Virginia, programs such as the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research have been revitalized. West Virginia has dedicated additional funds, including lottery revenue, to the Research Challenge Fund, resulting in large increases in research grants and venture capital. Paul L. Hill, executive director of the West Virginia Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (WVEPSCoR), anticipates that the America Competes Act will provide much-needed investment in math, science, and engineering and will stimulate states to follow suit.

Supreme Court ruling loosens patent standards (04/30/07)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=abwmITHCVcxQ&refer=home
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that sided with technology companies such as Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. and appeared to extend a trend limiting patent holders' rights. "Granting patent protection to advances that would occur in the ordinary course without real innovation retards progress," said Justice Anthony Kennedy

Look Who's Fighting Patent Reform (07/09/07)
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_28/b4042075.htm?chan=search
A group termed the "innovation ecosystem," including entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, trade groups, engineering societies, and universities, are lobbying to prevent Congress from reforming patent laws in favor of large technology and pharmaceutical companies.

U.S. Rep. Sounds IT Wake-Up Call (05/11/07)
http://www.channelinsider.com/article/US+Rep+Best+Jobs+May+Soon+Be+Found+Overseas/207334_1.aspx
In Issues in Science and Technology, Congressman Bart Gordon (D-TN), chair of the Committee on Science and Technology in the House of Representatives asserts that because fewer students are pursuing science and math today, the current generation will see a decreased standard of living as high-tech jobs move offshore.