May 8, 2015

MURKOWSKI INTRODUCES 17 ENERGY BILLS

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who chairs Energy and Natural Resources, introduced the package "as part of her effort to craft comprehensive energy legislation that can ultimately win broad support from Democrats and Republicans," CQ reports. The measures include an update and reauthorization of R&D on methane hydrates, a "vast energy resource"; coordination of all federal activities related to the "energy-water nexus"; and promotion of "hybrid micro-grid technologies, including renewable resources, for isolated communities . . . ." Next week, Murkowski will propose lifting the ban on U.S. oil exports.

APPROPRIATORS TIGHTEN BELTS: Some lawmakers of both parties want a new budget deal that raises discretionary spending. But what they have to work with right now is a budget approved by the House April 30 and by the Senate May 5 that cuts about $496 billion in non-defense spending over 10-years. Appropriations Chair Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) says the 12 bills his committee produces will adhere to the budget bill's guidelines. For the 2016 fiscal year, Congress added $96 billion in war funding -- not subject to caps -- to the defense budget. See the Pentagon's testimony at a recent hearing on defense R&D and the account by Dick Jones of the American Institute of Physics.

McCAIN RIPS HOMELAND SECURITY S&T:  The Arizona Republican's version of former Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn's "Wastebook" offers fewer examples and doesn't lampoon oddly titled National Science Foundation studies. But government-funded R&D is not ignored. McCain criticizes the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology office for canceling a pathogen-detection system after spending $23 million. He cites a report by the DHS inspector general contradicting DHS's claim that the system was no longer needed. The real reason for the cancellation was that DHS “did not have adequate standards for documenting its review and oversight of contracts by the program office.”

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS? In what ProPublica, the nonprofit investigative reporting service, calls "a striking but little-noticed shift," major groups representing nonprofit colleges and universities have joined in trying to block new Obama administration regulations aimed at curbing abuses by the for-profit sector. A letter circulated by the American Council on Education backs the Supporting Academic Freedom through Regulatory Relief Act, sponsored by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.). The bill would repeal regs that, among other things, require state authorization of institutions, create a rating system, apply the term "gainful employment," or define "credit hour.."

HOW THE PENTAGON'S RAPID INNOVATION PROGRAM IS WORKING

The Government Accountability Office reviewed how much Rapid Innovation Program R&D turns into technology that the armed services actually use. Drawing on Defense Department data, it found that "half of fiscal year 2011 projects and 41 percent of fiscal year 2012 projects had out-year funding committed by a partner or user, which DOD uses as an indicator of the likelihood transition will occur after project completion." See the report.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST REPORTED: The National Science Foundation has frozen $4.6 million in grants related to underwater commucation and exploration research at the University of Connecticut. According to the Hartford Courant,  NSF's inspector general found that two professors used $250,000 in grant money to buy equipment from a company they control.

EPSCoR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT: Letters of intent are due July 7 for research infrastructure grants to schools in states eligible for Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) funding. Awards "provide up to $4 million per year for up to 5 years to support physical, human, and cyber infrastructure improvements" that have "the best potential to improve future R&D competitiveness of the jurisdiction." Learn more.

RISE AND CREST: Deadlines have been issued by NSF affecting minority-serving institutions: Full proposals are due June 5 for Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST), HBCU Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering (RISE), and Broadening Participation Research projects. Also, the first of three webinars will be May 11 at 2 p.m. for Stimulating Research in Undergraduate STEM Education at Two-Year Hispanic Serving Institutions.

PROGRAM DIRECTORS SOUGHT . . . for  the NSF Process and Reaction Engineering Program, the Combustion and Fire Systems Program, and the Energy for Sustainability Program, Learn more.

IDEAS LAB: Applications are invited for "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Biomedical Data Science Challenges" at the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) located in the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, July 20-24, 2015.

NEUROIMAGING INFORMATICS: Funding is available to support the Neuroimaging Informatics Tools and Resources Clearinghouse (NITRC) and to enable collaborative research in neuroimaging informatics. NITRC "is a dynamic inventory of web-based neuroimaging informatics resources: software, data, and tools accessible via any computer connected to the internet."

DARPA's DISASTER CHALLENGE: This year's robot contest will have robots "face a course that simulates a disaster situation and will have to take on each task one after another. The robot must complete all the tasks in one hour," reports Computerworld.

    

AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN THE CLASSROOM? That's what a Gates-funded study found regarding distance education. ". . . (W)hen properly planned, designed, and supported by the appropriate mix of technology and pedagogy," it is "equivalent to, or in certain scenarios more effective than, traditional face-to-face classroom instruction. This highlights the importance of instructional design and the active role of institutions."

HEALTHY LOCALES: "(W)hen employers are looking for a site on which to build a new plant or to which to move their headquarters, they are now taking into account the health of the community surrounding the site. It is no longer just about infrastructure, education, and workforce availability, but also about how healthy the workforce is." (Excerpt from a National Academies workshop report, "Business Engagement in Building Healthy Communities.")

ASEE STRATEGIC ACTION - FEEDBACK WANTED

A new document posted on ASEE's website represents the beta (early) version of a plan that emerged from a strategy retreat held in New Orleans on March 1. The prior (alpha) version of the plan synthesized the work from October 2014 to March 2015 that included online and personal interviews with nearly 100 members, as well as a workshop conducted in Washington, DC in November, 2014. The Board of Directors anticipates that the next version of the strategic action plan will emerge from conversations and activities that take place during ASEE's annual meeting in Seattle in June 2015. The plan is a result of a "strategic doing" process initiated by ASEE President Nicholas Altiero. The document is password-protected and reserved for ASEE members.