The Defense Appropriations bill approved by the committee Thursday calls for a basic research tab of nearly $2.3 billion, 5 percent above the currently enacted level. In its report, the panel said it was "discouraged" by the Pentagon's proposed cuts in basic, which it called "the foundation upon which other technology is developed." It noted that "basic research . . .spans across universities and colleges, small businesses and laboratories, growing future scientists and creating new business opportunities." The House-passed appropriation (see report) provided about $300 million less for basic research. If the Senate bill passes the full chamber, something that may not happen until a lame-duck session, the final number would be worked out in a conference. History suggests the two chambers would then split the difference.

A PITCH FOR RENEWABLES: The appropriations panel provides an extra $75 million for Army, Navy, and Air Force R&D on "promising alternative energy technologies," and wants continued research into use of solar in dry-dust regions. The Navy should work on "ocean renewable energy technologies," power generation and energy storage, and reducing the risk of "thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries.

. . . AND FOR THE 'OPEN CAMPUS': Senate appropriators say the Army Research Lab's "Open Campus" concept "benefits the academic community and industry through collaboration with ARL's research staff, leading to continued technological superiority . . . " It suggests the same concept be used in ARL's expanded work on metals and materials. For more on the Open Campus, click here.

NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND ARCTIC AWARENESS: Appropriators want to see technologies that enhance the Navy's ability to operate in contested zones and permit autonomous placement of undersea surveillance systems. They also want more licensing of DoD patents across a range of industries, and would provide $2,500,000 for tech transfer of defense technology by universities "with robust programs in aviation and aerospace research." They instruct the Pentagon to produce a plan "to ensure arctic domain awareness coverage for the foreseeable future."

MANUFACTURING: The Committee backs Pentagon plans for five "manufacturing innovation institues," but says it should limit its own support to five years. After that, institutes can apply to other federal sources. The panel urges DoD to break down barriers to wider use of additive manufacturing in the defense industrial base.

DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, "must utilize a wider set of colleges and universities, smaller defense contractors, and commercial firms," the senators say.

INNOVATION IN STEM:

MEDICAL CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS: "CPS research is revealing numerous opportunities and challenges in medicine and biomedical engineering," the NSF says. It's urging that such research become a focus of Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers, which foster long-term partnerships among academe, industry, and government. Read the Dear Colleague.

BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENING: The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering is soliciting research "leading to the development of new blood-pressure measurement technologies for rapid, minimally intrusive, flexible monitoring and management of hypertension in underserved populations." Learn more.

NEXT-GEN BRAIN IMAGING: This is the first National Institutes of Health initiative "to challenge the research community to form new teams to innovate and invent a new generation of truly transformative human imaging methodologies." So writes NIBIB Director Roderic Pettigrew, left, in an editorial appearing in Science and Translational Medicine. Learn more about the initiative.

City College of New York dean Gilda Barabino and Bruce Tromberg, biomedical engineering professor at UC Irvine, will keynote NIBIB's New Investigator Symposium July 30.

THE WHITE HOUSE RELEASED the first National Plan for Civil Earth Observations, calling it "an important step in our ability to understand, prioritize, and coordinate Federal Earth observations and to better inform our investments in civil Earth observation systems." See a webcast of last week's public meeting of the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology. Subjects include nanotechnology and ocean science.

NATIONAL ACADEMIES

A DISCONNECT IN GLOBAL RESEARCH: The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that international research collaboration is "hampered by traditional organizational silos, turf battles, or just plain inaction" involving offices that oversee research and those responsible for institutions’ global strategy. "It’s a missed opportunity in an era when research and researchers alike increasingly cross borders—one-quarter of all scientific papers now have co-authors from two or more countries."

ANNUAL CONFERENCE - STORIFY VERSION: ASEE's Engineering Libraries Division has put together a lively collection of photos and tweets that captures the collaboration and  camaraderie of the Indy conference. Check it out here.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) invites engineering deans and chairs to the Third Annual Deans’ Forum on Hispanic Higher Education: Advancing Graduate School Opportunities and Success for Hispanic Students, following HACU’s 28th Annual Conference, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. The forum will address issues facing Hispanic students in graduate education and highlight promising practices to enhance access and success. For more information, see http://www.hacu.net/hacu/Deans_Forum.asp.

‘PROFILES’ IS OUT: ASEE's eagerly awaited 540-page Profiles of Engineering and Engineering Technology Colleges has been published. Call ASEE (202-331-3500) to order a copy.

ASEE DIVERSITY COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER: The spring edition of the semi-annual newsletter is now available. ASEE Past President J.P. Mohsen discusses a proposed Year of Dialogue on Diversity and details on safe zone ally training at the annual conference are posted, among other items.

VIDEOS OF THE PPC: View sessions from February's Public Policy Colloquium of the Engineering Deans Council dealing with advanced manufacturing, federal R&D, and K-12 engineering.

on ASEE's Retention Project by clicking here for updates.