APS Division of Plasma Physics Presentation Philadelphia November 1, 2006

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING, AND INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE

OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

-APS

Division of Plasma Physics

Presentation

Philadelphia

November 1, 2006



Committee• Norman Augustine (chair)

• Craig Barrett

• Gail Cassell

• Steven Chu

• Robert Gates

• Nancy Grasmick

• Charles Holliday

• Shirley Ann Jackson

• Anita Jones

• Joshua Lederberg

• Richard Levin

• Dan Mote

• Cherry Murray

• Peter O’Donnell

• Lee Raymond

• Robert Richardson

• Roy Vagelos

• Charles Vest

• George Whitesides

• Richard Zare

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING, AND

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE




Charge to the Committee

Bipartisan request from House and Senate:

• Identify top actions federal policy makers could take so US can successfully compete, prosper, and be secure in the global economy of the 21st century

• Determine an implementation strategy with several concrete steps for each action






Some Context

• Growing concern about the U.S. economy:

– Globalization

– Out-sourcing & off-shoring

– Rapid rise of other nations






Some Indicators

• The United States is today a net importer of high-technology products. Its trade balance in high-technology manufactured goods shifted from plus $54 billion in 1990 to negative $50 billion in 2001.

• Chemical companies closed 70 facilities in the United States in 2004 and tagged 40 more for shutdown. Of 120 chemical plants being built around the world with price tags of $1 billion or more, one is in the United States and 50 are in China.

• In 2005, only four American companies ranked among the top 10 corporate recipients of patents granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office.






• Fewer than one-third of US 4th grade and 8th grade students performed at or above a level called “proficient” in mathematics; “proficiency” was considered the ability to exhibit competence with challenging subject matter. About one-third of the 4th graders and one-fifth of the 8th graders lacked the competence to perform even basic mathematical computations.

• US 15-year-olds ranked 24th out of 40 countries that participated in 2003 administration of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) examination, which assessed students’ ability to apply mathematical concepts to real-world problems.






• In South Korea, 38% of all undergraduates receive their degrees in science or engineering. In France, the figure is 47%, in China, 50%, and in Singapore 67%. In the United States, the corresponding figure is 15%.

• Some 34% percent of doctoral degrees in natural sciences and 56% of engineering PhDs in the United States are awarded to foreign-born students.

• Federal funding of research in the physical sciences, as a percentage of GDP, was 45% less in FY 2004 than in FY 1976.






Findings of the Report

• Concern that the S&T building blocks critical to economic leadership are eroding when many other nations are gathering strength.

• “Death of Distance” -- skilled labor with a strong drive to succeed is just a mouse-click away in growing and globalized economies.

• Worldwide strengthening is good, but will the United States be able to compete when great minds and ideas exist elsewhere at a lower cost?

• If we do not have high-quality jobs, then we do not have means for a high standard of living.

• Concern about abruptness with which lead can be lost.






Two Key Challenges

• Creation of high-quality jobs for all Americans—not just scientists and engineers

• Response to nation’s need for clean, affordable, and reliable energy






Conclusions

• Actions needed not only by federal government, but state and local levels, and each American family

• Need to avoid complacency in assumption US will remain competitive and preeminent in science and technology

• World is changing and the US needs to take action to renew nation’s commitment in education, research, and innovation policies so our children will have jobs






How to Compete?

• Optimize knowledge-based resources, particularly in science and technology.

• Sustain most fertile environments for new and revitalized industries and the well-paying jobs they bring.






Four Recommendations and

Twenty Implementation Actions






Recommendations

• K-12 Science and Mathematics Education

• Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research

• Best and Brightest in Science and Engineering Higher Education

• Incentives for Innovation






Ten Thousand Teachers, Ten Million Minds

• Recruit 10,000 teachers, educate 10 million minds: Attract bright students through competitive 4-year merit-based scholarships for BS in sciences, engineering, or math with concurrent K-12 science & math teacher certification in exchange for 5 years public service teaching in K-12 public schools

• Strengthen 250,000 current teachers’ skills: Summer institutes, Master’s degrees, AP/IB (Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate) training

• Enlarge the Pipeline: Create opportunities and financial incentives for pre-AP/IB and AP/IB science & math courses






Sowing the Seeds• Increase federal investment in long-term basic

research--10%/year over next 7 years focusing on physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, information sciences and DOD basic research funding.

• Provide early-career researcher grants—200 grants at $100,000/year over 5 years to outstanding researchers.

• National Coordination Office for Advanced Research Instrumentation and Facilities--$500 million/year over 5 years.

• Catalyze high-risk, high-payoff research—Allocate 8% of federal research agency budgets to technical program managers for discretionary purposes.

• Institute a Presidential Innovation Award—Recognize those who develop unique scientific and engineering innovations in the national interest.

• Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy—Modeled on DARPA, ARPA-E would focus on creative, out-of-the-box, transformational energy research.






Best and Brightest • Increase US citizens earning science, engineering, and math

degrees: – 25,000 new 4-year undergraduate scholarships per year– 5,000 new portable graduate fellowships per year

• Encourage continuing education of current scientists and engineers: Federal tax credits to employers

• International students and scholars– Less complex visa processing and extensions– New PhDs in S&E: 1-year automatic extension and (if offered a

job) automatic work permit and expedited residency status– Skills-based, preferential immigration points system to prioritize

access to US citizenship• Reform "deemed exports" policy: Allow access to information

and research equipment in non-national security fields






Incentives for Innovation• Enhance IP protection for global economy, while

allowing research– Sufficient resources for Patent and Trademark Office – Institute “first-inventor-to-file" system and

administrative review after patent granted– Shield research uses of patented inventions from

infringement liability– Review IP laws that impact industries differently

• Increase research & experimentation tax credit from 20 to 40% of qualifying increase

• Provide financial incentives so US is competitive for long-term innovation-related investment

• Affordable broadband access






White House• President's 2006 State of the Union speech and the

FY2007 Budget – American Competitiveness Initiative

• AP/IB• Research Funding for NSF, NIST, and DOE Office

of Science • R&D Tax Credit

– Advanced Energy Initiative• Research funding portion of ACI passed House and

Senate Appropriations• Some education program funding approved by House

Appropriations (AP/IB, teacher training)






Appropriations(As of Oct 2006)

FY 2006 Funding

$ in millions

$ in millions

% change vs FY 2006

$ in millions

% change vs FY 2006

$ in millions

% change vs FY 2006

$ in millions

% change vs FY 2006

Basic Research(Recommendation B-1)

NSF 5,581 6,020 7.9 6,020 7.9 5,992 7.4Dept. Energy, Science 3,596 4,102 14.1 4,132 14.9 4,241 17.9NIST, R&D only 395 467 18.2 467 18.2 467 18.2DOD, 6.1 Basic Research 1,470 1,422 -3.3 1,571 6.9 1,479 0.6 1552 5.6DOD Defense Wide, 6.1 Basic Research 260 283 8.8 335 28.8 255 -1.9 299 14.8

Education(Recommendations A-1, A-2, A-3) AP Program 32 122 281.3 80 150NSF Robert Noyce Program 10

Innovation(Recommendation D-1)Patent and Trade Office 1,682 1,843 9.6 1,771 5.3 1,771 5.2

Administration’s FY 2007 ACI Research

House FY 2007 Appropriations

Senate FY 2007 Appropriations

FY 2007 Conference



U.S. Senate

• Protecting America’s Competitive Edge (Senators Domenici, Alexander, Bingaman, Mikulski): PACE-Energy (S.2197); PACE-Education (S.2198); PACE-Finance (S.2199)– 70 cosponsors (35 Democrats/35 Republicans)

• National Innovation Act (S.2109) (based on Council on Competitiveness Innovate America report)

• Advanced Research Projects Energy (ARPA-E) Act (S.2196)• Right "TRACK" Act (S.2357)• Energy Competitiveness Act (S.2398)• Research Competitiveness Act (S.2720)• American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2006 (S.2802)• National Competitiveness Investment Act (S. 3936)

--Merger of PACE and National Innovation Act/American Innovation and Competitiveness Act

--39 cosponsors (20 Republicans/19 Democrats)






House of Representatives• 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math

Scholarship Act ( H.R. 4434)• Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-

E) Act (H.R. 4435)• Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering

Research Act (H.R. 4596)• Innovation and Competitiveness Act (H.R. 4845)• Accelerating the Creation of Teachers of Influence for

Our Nation Act (H.R. 5141)• National Science Foundation Scholars Program Act

(H.R. 5152)• Science and Mathematics Education for

Competitiveness Act (H.R. 5358)• Research for Competitiveness Act (H.R. 5356)






Convocation on Rising Above the Gathering Storm:

Energizing and Employing Regions, States, and Cities

for a Brighter Economic Future

September 28, 2006



Purposes of the Convocation

• Convene leadership of industry, government, research, and education community from all 50 states and the federal government.

• Share knowledge and encourage leadership of initiatives at the state and local level to strengthen US competitiveness.

• Discuss current national proposals to respond to the nation’s competitiveness challenge and their implications for states, localities, and regions.






Participants in the Convocation

• From all 50 states

• 850 participants in person in Washington

• Another 500 participants via video and web connections in California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and elsewhere

• From state/local governments, industry, foundations, universities, and the K-12 education community






State Action Items in K-12 STEM Education

• Educate the American public about the need to improve STEM education in America’s schools.

• Coordinate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education reform efforts with state legislatures and Departments of Education to get real changes in STEM curriculum.

• Attach to the US Senate bill a statement encouraging states to form coalitions to improve STEM education.

• Design systems approach to integrate STEM education from pre-K to college. This means addressing key variables, such as teacher professional development, teacher education, salaries, support in the classroom, after-school programs, distance learning, and parent/community education.

NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING, AND








More STEM K-12 State and Local Actions

• Encourage underrepresented groups to go into teaching.• Create systematic collaboration between universities and

K-12 schools in their regions on curriculum development and teacher preparation.

• Establish a state mechanism/clearinghouse to facilitate the involvement of the enormous pool of the state’s scientists and engineers in K-12 education, with special focus on those scientists who have retired or will be retiring in the next few years.

• Develop a streamlined accreditation process that would enable these retirees to become middle school and high school teachers.



More K-12 STEM Activities

• Work with science centers and museums to coordinate their programs with state STEM curriculum.

• Encourage partnerships with local companies to enable technical staff scientists and engineers to become actively involved as volunteers in local schools in STEM subjects.

• Establish a Teacher Advisory Council of Math & Science teachers, collaborating with a stakeholder organization to develop goals and actions.

• Organize a K-12 state-wide symposium and use role models to excite elementary and middle school students to engage women/minorities.

• Discuss what science, engineering, and mathematics courses should look like.



State Action Items in Higher Education

• Establish in-state scholarship programs for high school graduates in STEM.

• Address issue of large undergraduate debts in discouraging underrepresented groups in STEM fields from continuing with graduate studies.

• Tailor science, engineering, and mathematics courses for state needs.

• Work in partnership with K-12 school systems on K-12 STEM topics described in previous slides.



State Action Items in Research

• Initiate a major, state-wide awards program, to reward success in research and in STEM education, to create role models for science/ engineering students. Awards should be for research accomplishment at all levels from undergraduate student, graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, junior faculty/researcher, senior faculty/researcher.

• Develop strategies and a structure that will ensure greater collaboration and synergy among research universities, government labs, and the tech business sector.



State Action Items in Innovation

• Establish a statewide S&T authority.• Conduct an assessment of state’s strengths and

weaknesses in the development and commercialization of intellectual property, benchmarked against the best performing states.

• Appoint a high level group, possibly under the auspices of the Governor, to identify areas where a state has the potential to build national and world leadership positions.

• Set up state-based competitively-awarded funds for universities to support transfer of technology to early stage start-ups.



State Action Items in Communications

• Involve governors and legislators: ask the governor to convene a meeting of leaders from all sectors.

• Go back to state/region and learn what is already happening. Ask governors, mayors, etc. “Have you read the Rising Above the Gathering Storm report?”

• Identify best practices to educate state legislators about the value of graduate education. Increase awareness of the importance of grad education.

• Educate the public and measure public opinion via literature, campaigns, town hall meetings.

• Create awareness/urgency among the public, including parents via media and internet activities.

• Fund rotating science exhibits at local shopping malls.



Other State Action Items Identified by Participants

• Work with the National Governors’ Association on their innovation initiative. Inform and work with regional governor’s associations (such as the Western Governor’s Association).

• States should work together to establish joint funding, best practices, and joint projects that would benefit all states.

• Post best practices on the web, but also remember that one size does not fit all.

• Mobilize association members and establish alert networks• Hold state specific meetings on the Gathering Storm

report.



Future National Academies Activities

• Video of meeting presentations at www.nationalacademies.org/gatheringstorm

• List of action items, by State, identified by convocation participants, will be posted.

• Brief summary of convocation discussions.

• Follow-up in 6 months and 1 year later to monitor impact on state and local actions.

NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING, AND








For more information

www.nationalacademies.org/gatheringstorm

PDF of executive summary and full report can be downloaded at no cost




Date post:	24-Jan-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	abba
View:	19 times
Download:	0 times

APS Division of Plasma Physics Presentation Philadelphia November 1, 2006

Documents