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June 28, 2014
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CONGRESS
AND THE BUDGET
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house, senate offer competing revisions of higher education act
 The
785-page draft by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chair of the Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee contains what the Chronicle of
Higher Educations reports are five key categories: student aid;
for-profits; consumer information; borrower protection; and loan
repayment. Among other provisions, it would: revive year-round Pell
grants with some modifications; offer money to states to help Dreamers;
tighten limits on for-profits' earnings and make it less lucrative for
them to attract veterans; "create a universal net-price calculator that
would allow students to compare costs across colleges"; create an index
of student-default risk at individual colleges; and require
reviews of colleges with high default rates. The draft, which has
drawn letters of support
from an array of organizations, should be seen mostly as a Democratic
campaign document. Harkin retires this year and Republicans, with a
good chance of seizing control of the chamber, are unlikely to enshrine
his vision into law. Read a summary.
HOUSE GOP WOULD Roll back OBAMA INITIATIVES: According to Inside
Higher Ed, the plan offered by Rep. John Kline, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee (right) "effectively
calls for the repeal or blocking of large chunks of the Obama
administration’s higher education agenda over the past six years": the
proposed college ratings; "gainful employment" rules; and greater
oversight of teacher preparation. Republicans appear to put more
emphasis on nontraditional students andstreamlining student aid. "The
vast differences in the competing plans set the stage for partisan
clashes in the coming months -- and likely well into next year."
advanced manufacturing is bipartisan: CQ
reports that a "downsized" version of Obama's proposed National Network
for Manufacturing Innovation "appears to be gaining traction in both
houses." House Science, Space, and Technology chair Lamar Smith (R,
Texas) wants to move forward in July with a $300 million measure
cosponsored by Tom Reed (R,-N.Y.) and Joseph P. Kennedy (R-Mass.).
Although the GOP is looking to offset the cost, Kennedy says he's
optimistic. It's the same size as a Senate bill introduced by Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
Note: Capitol Shorts will not be published next week.
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DATA
POINTS
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recent research funding by year
The
graphic prepared by the American Association for the Advancement of
Science will change for FY 2015 if the appropriations gridlock
continues and a continuing resolution is passed to beginthe next fiscal year. That would mean flat funding.
GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT
Full-time
or part-time status of employed recent graduates with bachelor's
degrees in science, engineering, or health, by major field of degree:
October 2010. Source: NSF
Employment
sector and median salary of full-time employed recent graduates with
bachelor's degrees in science, engineering, or health, by major field
of degree: October 2010. Source: NSF
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THE
ADMINISTRATION AND RESEARCH AGENCIES
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15 SCHOOLS GET NASA RESEARCH: The awards, $750,000 each,
were made under the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive
Research (EPSCoR) program. Research will include climate change,
nanotechnology, astrophysics, aviation. See the list.
GETTING TO MARS . . . is
"incredibly hard," says Jonathan Lunine, director of the Center for
Radiophysics and Space Research at Cornell. Co-chair of a National
Academies committee on human space exploration, he told a House panel
the mission would require "budgetary support that exceeds growth in
purchasing power." Panel co-chair Mitch Daniels, president of Purdue,
says it would also demand expanded "partnerships with other spacefaring
nations, including an openness to working with China with whatever
safeguards we might have to put in place." The U.S. should "engage with
any partner" that can help solve the techn ical problems. A GAO report indicates NASA could do a better job of safeguarding sensitive technologies.
DEADLINE LOOMS: Proposals for NSF CAREER grants, which give a big leg up for young faculty, are due July 21 (BIO, CISE, EHR), July 22 (ENG) and July 23 (GEO, MPS, SBE).
NOMINATIONS ARE DUE OCT. 1 for the National Science Board's prestigious Vannevar Bush and Public Service awards. Read the guidelines.
A WHITE HOUSE REPORT details
progress to date on the administration's strategy to examine the impact
of nanotechnology on the environment, health, and safety. It appears
few results are in from the effort launched in 2011. Needed, the report says,
is "insight and expertise of the entire stakeholder community
(including, for example, representatives from industry, academic
researchers, and the public.)
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NATIONAL ACADEMIES
TALENT, RESOURCES, AND BASIC RESEARCH . . . remain the three pillars of a successful research enterprise, a National Academies report
affirms. But data collection and measurement need to be improved. They
could include "indicators of human and knowledge capital, indicators of
the flow of knowledge in specific fields of science, indicators that
can be used to track the flow of foreign research talent, portfolio
analyses of federal research investments by field of science,
international benchmarking of research performance, and measures of
research reproducibility."
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PUBLIC
POLICY AND HIGHER
ED
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MOOC RESEARCH YIELDS A MIXED BAG: On
the one hand, people who enroll in MOOCs because they can't afford
college -- and who complete the courses -- finish with greater
distinction. On the other, there's little sign as yet that this success
helps them in the job market. Read more.
MALAISE: France needs to step up its game on innovation. Even the grandes ecoles model is getting a little rusty, says the OECD. Read more.
COMMERCIALIZING RESEARCH: The
University of California used to maintain that "in general, it is not
appropriate for the unversity to invest directly in enterprises when
such investment is tied to the commercial development of new ideas
created or advanced through university research." The reason: "If the
university were to be an equity participant in the work of one or more
faculty members, it could be seen as favoring those faculty members."
But that was then. UC President Janet Napolitano has rescinded the 1989
policy, allowing UC "to take equity in companies or services that UC
has supported" and make direct financial investments.
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ASEE
& COMMUNITY NEWS
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the conrad spirit of innovation challenge was founded in 2008 by Nancy Conrad
to honor the legacy of her husband, astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad. It
awards prizes to teams of students who create commercially viable,
sustainable projects in aerospace and aviation, cybersecurity, energy,
and health. Two of this year's winners, high school seniors Margaret Pan and Christopher
Yuan, went on to present their invention -- a wastewater collection
system for spacecraft -- at the White House Science Fair. This year,
for the first time, the competition is being expanded to include teams
of university engineering students. Find out more. The challenge offers access to mentors webinars, videos, articles and other resources to help students excel as entrepreneurs.
‘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.
STAY
UP TO DATE
on ASEE's Retention Project by
clicking here
for updates.
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EDITOR: Mark Matthews; CONTRIBUTOR:
William E. Kelly
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