Global Advances Challenge U.S. Dominance in Science
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The United States remains the world leader in scientific and technological innovation, but its dominance is threatened by economic development elsewhere, particularly in Asia.
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(InfoWorld) - U.S. industry and education leaders, including Intel chairman Craig Barrett, called on Congress to pass bills that would provide scholarships for math and science teachers and increase federal funding for research. Barrett, testifying before the House of Representatives Science and Technology Committee Tuesday, said the two bills would be a "good first start" toward improving the competitiveness of U.S. workers and industry. Improved kindergarten-to-12th-grade education and increased funding for research were the top two priorities in a National Academies of Science report on U.S. competitiveness, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, released in late 2006. Executives and educators sounding the alarm about U.S. competitiveness aren't saying the "sky is falling," he said. The rest of the world is "copying what we did well for the last several decades," he said. "Our challenge is to do what is necessary to be successful for the next several decades." Congress has been slow to step up with policies that promote competitiveness, added Neal Lane, a physics professor at Rice University in Houston and former assistant to President Bill Clinton in the White House Office of Science and Technology. "In recent years, the U.S. has been reluctant to make the kind of long-term investments necessary to secure a bright future for Americans," Lane said. "We seem to have other priorities. My grandchildren and their generation will inherit a different America, and they think perhaps a used-up or worn-out America." Rep. Bart Gordon, a Tennessee Democrat and chairman of the committee, promised to push competitiveness bills through Congress this session, even though similar bills stalled during the last session. "There is a bipartisan consensus that investing in education and research...is necessary," he said. The first bill, the 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act, sets a goal of training 10,000 new math and science teachers per year for U.S. schools. The bill would provide scholarships for college students who want to be math and science teachers, with $70 million going into the scholarship program in 2008, rising to $196 million in 2012. The second bill, called the Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act, would authorize a 10 percent funding increase in the research budgets at five U.S. government agencies, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy. Gordon introduced both bills in January. In addition to the two bills, Barrett called for Congress to relax restrictions on the number of skilled foreign workers U.S. companies could hire per year. The current cap for the H-1B program is 65,000 workers per year, not counting an exemption for 20,000 workers per year who leave U.S. universities with graduate degrees. Barrett called on Congress to not put any hiring limits on the number of foreign workers who graduate from U.S. colleges. Congress should "staple a green card [worker visa] to every foreign student graduating with a degree in science and engineering," he said. Barrett's comments echoed comments from MicrosoftÂ chairman Bill Gates during testimony before a congressional committee last week. But Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, questioned the need to expand the H-1B visa program without linking it to programs that require businesses to help train U.S. workers. "There are freeloaders," he said. "They pay [the H-1B fee], but if you ask them to do anything with the local school district to help out, they're AWOL."
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The United States is losing its leadership role in particle physics as its best brains move to sunny Switzerland. But fear not: There's always another giant accelerator on the horizon. By John Borland.
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Science & environment: Challenges of next 50 years include reprogramming genes to prevent diseases and producing clean energy
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By Scarborough, Robert  FOR CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION, THE GLOBALIZATION OF the American economy is a challenge and an opportunity.
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Britain's performance in a league table of universities has improved, but the US still dominates.
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A scientific revolution of sorts is underway, with California taking a giant lead in the race to see which states become centers for basic research using human embryonic stem cells.
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The United States today reclaimed the lead in global supercomputing more than two years after Japanâs Earth Simulator shook the computing world by claiming the top spot.
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X-Prizes for breakthroughs in science or technology that solve the world's greatest challenges are planned.
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A new report released by an American Physical Society (APS) Special Committee on NASA Funding for Astrophysics has questioned the space agency's Moon, Mars and Beyond initiative. The APS assessment warns that t  he cost of overcoming technological challenges to make real the plan could far exceed budgetary projections and that numerous&nbsp;approved science programs could be jeopardized.
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The American system of higher education, long the envy of the world, is starting to become an important export.
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By Brian McIver  THE world's superpowers have always dominated the space race.  But with companies and agencies all rushing to attract tourists and commercial passengers to the heavens, Europe and Britain are now leading the way.
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A U.S. scientist said researchers should be using green chemistry to reduce future risks of nanotechnology.  Around the world, there is a growing urgency about nanotechnology and its possible health and environmental impacts, said University of Oregon Professor James Hutchison.
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Science and skill unite in the growth-investing universe.
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Where the frenetic pace of technological change is concerned Asia's general dominance in the race to provide the next must-have gadget seems only too apparent to many a European.
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(InfoWorld) - A group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation that aims to improve how U.S. workers and industries compete against the rest of the world by pumping more money into math and science programs. The bill, introduced Monday by Sen. John Ensign, a Nevada Republican, combines the efforts of several Senate committees working to address U.S. competitiveness. The bill would double the $5.6 billion annual funding for the U.S. NSF (National Science Foundation), a major backer of scientific research in the United States, and it would create a grant programs to help students struggling with mathematics. Many U.S. tech firms have called on Congress to address U.S. competitiveness by pumping more money into math and science programs. Some tech vendors, including Microsoft, have also called on Congress to increase the annual cap on foreign skilled worker visas, although tech worker groups have opposed such a move. "When it comes to innovation, America's entrepreneurs have led the way," Ensign said in a statement. "To keep our competitive edge, we need to embrace technology and ensure that our children receive a stronger education in the core subjects of mathematics and science." The legislation, with cosponsors including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, comes as two congressional committees host hearings on U.S. competitiveness. On Wednesday, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates will testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on U.S. competitiveness, and on the same day, leaders of six tech trade groups will testify before the House Small Business Committee. The bill, called the American Competes Act, would:  -- Increase the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science budget from $3.6 billion in the U.S. government's 2006 fiscal year to $5.2 billion in 2011. -- Create the Innovation Acceleration Research Program, directing federal agencies that fund research in science and technology to set goals of spending about 8 percent of their research and development budgets on high-risk research. -- Establish training programs for math and science teachers at the NSF. -- Expand math and science programs at the NSF and other agencies. Electronic Industries Alliance, a trade group, applauded the bill. The legislation "clearly offers the tech industry a great deal to cheer about," Charlie Robinson, the group's interim president and CEO, said in a statement. If Congress passes the bill, "American companies and workers will be more competitive and prosperous for years to come," he added.
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Nanotechnology is confronting the U.S. with a familiar problem - assessing claims of innovation that do not match up neatly with the way patent examiners are trained to categorize them.