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January 31, 2015
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THE
ADMINISTRATION
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WHITE HOUSE DEFIES BUDGET CAPS; GOP
BALKS
 President
Obama's fiscal 2016 budget, due out Monday, will seek $74 billion above
the $1.01 trillion limit on discretionary spending imposed by the 2011
Budget Control Act, according to various press accounts. The extra
amount would be roughly divided between defense and nondefense sections
of the budget. CQ reports that while some Republicans support higher
defense appropriations, "they are largely against higher domestic
funding and plans to close tax breaks to pay for the increase." The
total administration tab, including entitlements that can't be changed
without new legislation, could top $4 trillion for the first time. John
Holdren, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, will
hold a briefing Monday at 1:30 p.m. on science and technology R&D
in the budget. The American Association for the Advancement of Science
plans to webcast
it. The same day, NSF's budget request will be found here.
PErsonal treatment: Some
$215 million of the budget would go toward "precision medicine,"
referred to elsewhere as "health care tailored to you." It takes
account of "individual differences in people's genes, microbiomes,
environments, and lifestyles." Jo Handelsman, a White House science
adviser, gives a video explanation.
Examples offered include molecular testing of cancer patients, and a
"personalized tracheal splint" 3D printed at the University of Michigan
that saved the life of a critically ill infant. The administration is
seeking a million research volunteers. See a fact
sheet. The National Institutes of Health provide more information here and here.
A plug for sparc: NIH's
Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) is
soliciting applications "to develop new and/or enhance exisiting tools
and technologies tailored to elucidate the neurobiology and
neurophysiology underlying autonomic control of internal organs in
health or disease, to inform next-generation neuromodulation
therapies." NIH intends to fund five to seven awards, altogether
spending $2.1 million a year. Read
more.
DON'T FORGET HYDROGEN: The Department of Energy hasn't. A funding
opportunity
expected in mid-February will offer up to $35 million for hydrogen and
fuel cell technologies research, development, and demonstrations. DOE
hopes for early adoption of fuel cell applications, for instance in
light-duty electric vehicles.
NSF TAPS GEORGE MASON CHAIR: Deborah
Goodings, chair of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering
at George Mason University, becomes director of the Division of Civil,
Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation at the National Science
Foundation.
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DATA
POINTS
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CONGRESS
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 REPUBLICANS SPLIT ON CLIMATE CHANGE:
The
Senate debate on the Keystone XL pipeline
put 15
Republicans on record in support of an amendment stating "it is the
sense of Congress that (1) climate change is real; and (2) human
activity contributes to climate change." The amendment fell short of
the 60 votes needed for adoption, but it revealed a division among
Republicans, many of whom reject a connection between human-generated
greenhouse gases and climate change. Five GOP senators -- Lamar
Alexander (Tenn.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lindsey
Graham (S.C.), and Mark Kirk (Ill.) -- joined Democrats in supporting
stronger language stating that "human activity significantly
contributes to climate change."
GREAT WORK GOING UNNOTICED: Engineering
elder statesman Norman Augustine used a House hearing
on supercomputing to raise anew his call for more government-funded
research. "The extent of America's disinvestment in research is such
that American now ranks 29th among developed nations in the fraction of
research that is government funded," he told the House Science panel's
subcommittee on energy. He also said that while a large body of
research at national labs has potential application well beyond energy
and national security, "relatively little of this potential is being
realized by American industry . . . ." Why? One reason is that
industry, "especially small firms, has little idea what research is
being conducted" at the labs. Also, "well-intended conflict-of-interest
rules make it difficult for the laboratories to work closely with
industry and also discourage . . . the movement of people between
government and industry." The hearing also heard from Boston
University's Roscoe
Giles, professor of electrical and computer engineering.
ON THE HOT SEAT: The
National Science Foundation's NEON (National Ecological Observatory
Network) project comes under scrutiny Tuesday in an oversight hearing
by two House subcommittees. The project drew a critical audit last
November
that noted thousands of dollars spent on meals, lobbying, and t-shirts.
Co-chair of the hearing will be Virginia Republican Barbara Comstock, a
newcomer to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, who
represents the district of former science champion Frank Wolf.
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NATIONAL ACADEMIES
100 YOUNG RESEARCHERS presented
their work on co-robotics, battery materials, technologies for the
heart, and shale gas and oil at the 2014 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering
Symposium. The papers have been assembled.
CENSORED: The
Navy has classified the final report of a National Academies committee
that reviewed the service's cyber-defense capabilities. An abbreviated
version offers limited information on the panel's work.
ASEE
& COMMUNITY NEWS
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REGISTER NOW FOR
THE PUBLIC POLICY COLLOQUIUM
The annual
event of
the Engineering Deans Council brings deans together in Washington D.C.
with policymakers, members of Congress and their staffs, and leaders of
research agencies.
ATTENTION, DEANS AND DEPARTMENT CHAIRS
 Please
help ASEE provide high-quality professional development to engineering
and engineering technology faculty by answering a few questions about
how much you would be
willing to pay for faculty professional development and what areas of
professional development you are most interested in for your faculty.
Click the link below to access the survey.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - ASEE MID-ATLANTIC SECTION: The
section annually recognizes an outstanding engineering or engineering
technology educator from the section with a Distinguished Teaching
Award. This individual is then nominated by the section for ASEE's
National Outstanding Teaching Medal. The section award, presented at
the spring meeting, consists of a $500 honorarium and a certificate of
recognition. The awards chair is Paul Butler (PButler_OCC@hotmail.com).
The section's next
meeting will be April 10-11 at Villanova University.
HAVE THE LAST WORD: Do
you have a strong argument to make about some aspect of engineering
education or the profession? Submit an op-ed-style essay for the Last
Word section of Prism. Read the guidelines.
ETLI 2014 VIDEOS: A playlist
of videos
from the Engineering Technology Leadership Institute includes a short
testimonial video, two panels, and Greg Pearson of the National Acadmy
of Engineering.
VIDEO INTERVIEWS:
Leaders at NSF and the Navy
Discuss the Future of
Engineering
Watch interviews with NSF Assistant Director for
Engineering Pramod Khargonekar, who talks
about exciting
NSF projects and opportunities for ASEE members, and Rear Admiral David Johnson, who discusses
the
importance of technology to the U.S. Navy and where naval research is
headed. The videos are part of
ASEE’s Advanced
Research Monitor Interview Series.
EDITOR:
Mark Matthews; MASTHEAD DESIGN by Francis Igot.
To read previous issues of Capitol Shorts, click
here.
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