CONGRESS AND THE BUDGET

Appropriators have sought to be the exception to congressional dysfunction, but that's proving impossible in an election year that has toppled House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and thrown the GOP leadership into disarray. The first House spending bill put on hold is the Agriculture appropriation (HR 4800). The chamber may instead take up the defense appropriation next week, CQ reports. In the Senate, the HHS-Labor bill -- always a lightning rod because of abortion and birth control -- is in limbo. The bill would fund research at the National Institutes of Health.

'minibus' rolls toward the floor: Three of the less controversial Senate appropriations measures -- Commerce-Justice-Science (with NSF, NIST, and NASA); Agriculture; and Transportation-HUD -- will be taken up by the full Senate next week. Their fate at that point is uncertain. Republicans are unhappy at the way Appropriations chair Barbara Mikulski (D, Md.) has divvied up the spending. CQ reports that the Senate is scheduled to spend the last two weeks of June on appropriations.

HOUSE PANEL CUTS NAVY, AIR FORCE R&D: Appriopriators cut $388 million from the administration's request for the Navy and $300 million for the Air Force, but added $126 million for the Army and $311 million Defense-wide. Their report urges further development of lithium-ion batteries and investigation of different anti-corrosion materials, including metallic coatings and types used in oil and gas industries; development of "environmentally sustainable, near 100 percent efficient explosive ordnance disposal technologies"; use of lightweight, "state of the art" polymers in ballistics; development of "cognitive map-based modeling and simulation tools to advance battlefield readiness"; exploration of "novel, high-performance, lightweight, transparent ballistic protection materials"; "new generation munitions material and manufacturing technologies". They back plans for an Arctic Center of Excellence, urging that it be located where academia can be involved, and plonk down $220 million to develop a U.S.-made liquid rocket engine. Appropriators call for "a pilot program on public-private technology transfer ventures" between Defense R&D centers and "regionally-focused technology incubators, with the goal of increasing the commercialization of intellectual property" energetics, unmanned systems, and rapid prototyping.

GAINS FOR STEM, HBCU's: While slicing $10 million from defense-wide basic research initiatives, the House Appropriations panel adds $10 million above the request for the National Defense Education Program, which funds scholarships, fellowships, and K-12 STEM efforts, and $10 million more for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As in previous years, House members put in large sums for a rapid innovation fund that the administration would have zeroed out. They dock DARPA $69 million for not spending money it already has but note that the agency's "efficiency, financial execution, and ability to obligate funds have greatly improved." They also want DARPA to develop restorative products and technologies that provide an alternative to amputation.
 

FIXING THE LEAKY PIPELINE: Georgia Tech engineering dean Gary May, above, hosted an all-female panel in a packed House hearing room this week to generate congressional interest in drawing more women into engineering and improving retention. All agreed on the need for exposure by fourth grade; acquainting girls with the variety of opportunities in engineering; stoking young women's confidence in their abilities; and mentoring. Ideas to help women academics ranged from eliminating tenure altogether to a "stop the clock" system to allow a pause for child-rearing without falling off track. Also needed, said Texas A&M vice chancellor M. Katherine Banks, is a system of assessment that takes account of interdisciplinary pursuits. Women students need to be persuaded to stick with engineering even if calculus and physics bring down their GPA. Once in the workplace, women need to be prepared for their ideas being ignored until a male colleague advances them them and for comments like "How nice that she gets a vacation after having a baby." A problem that may be harder to fix was identified by Makeda Cyrus, a 2011 Georgia Tech grad: Compared with some other occupations, engineering companies are "perceived as boring." (The pop-art illustration above comes from the Georgia Tech College of Engineering website.)

FOLLOW THE MONEY: House Republicans are livid over what they see as an administration obsession with climate change and curbing coal-fired power plants, but it's hard to tell from the proposed appropriation for the Department of Energy. The summary put out by the Energy and Water subcommittee even adopts President Obama's slogan of an "all of the above" energy policy, although panel members may argue that theirs is the real thing. They cut renewable energy by $113 million from current levels but still provided $1.8 billion. They added $31 million for fossil energy technologies and $9.8 million for nuclear. Appropriators provided $5.1 billion for science research -- the same as this year -- supporting "basic energy research, development of high-performance computing systems, and research into the next generation of clean energy sources." 

SPLIT DEEPENS ON SCIENCE PANEL: The partisan rift on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee extends beyond disputes over the National Science Foundation and social science research. Part Two of the GOP majority's reauthorization of science agencies veered off course this week when Democrats on a subcommittee, annoyed at a hasty markup, used a parliamentary maneuver to block action. The measure at issue was formerly given the acronym EINSTEIN but has been renamed the Department of Energy  Research and Development Act of 2014, including EINSTEIN  as its first title. The bill gives a hefty 5.1 percent hike to the Office of Science, but also proposes "sharp cuts to climate change research and restrictions on how findings from that research can be used to shape federal environmental policies," Jeff Mervis of Science reports. Despite subcommittee inaction,  the measure can still be taken up by the full committee.

DATA POINTS

THE ADMINISTRATION AND RESEARCH AGENCIES

ALL THINGS SMART: Back in December, two presidential fellows at the National Institute of Standards and Technology launched the SmartAmerica Challenge."The goal of the challenge was to engage the public and private sectors to explore the tangible benefits of the Internet of Things," according to a White House blog. Two dozen teams participated, illustrating what the blog says is "tremendous potential to create jobs and grow new businesses."

MADE TO ORDER: Noting that manufacturing "is growing at its fastest pace in more than a decade, the National Science Foundation is joining a Capitol Hill briefing June 17 to highlight the large-scale customization made possible by Internet-based platforms. Speakers include Neil Gershenfeld of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, and Steven R. Schmid, professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at Notre Dame.

'WHAT IS NEEDED FROM THE ENGINEERING COMMUNITY and How to Drive Change" is the title of a presentation by NSF Deputy Director Cora Marrett before the American Association of Engineering Societies. See her PowerPoint.

REACHING OUT: The National Institutes of Health Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) supports "proof-of-concept centers (Hubs) that facilitate and accelerate the translation of biomedical innovations into commercial products that improve patient care and enhance health." Learn more.

PLAYING TO THE CROWD: DOE's solar program Sunshort is sponsoring an "ideation contest" focusing on "crowdsourcing problem statements that can be solved through automation, algorithms, data, and software, especially by leveraging available data sets and tools. Find out more. avavailaailable data assets, tools, capabilities, and resources.available data assets, tools, capabilities, and resources.

NATIONAL ACADEMIES

SHRINKING PERMAFROST: A report of a National Academies workshop describes how  remote sensing can be used in innovative ways to enhance our understanding of changes in permafrost. Thaw caused by climate change "stands to have wide-ranging impacts, such as the draining and drying of the tundra, erosion of riverbanks and coastline, and destabilization of infrastructure.

PATHWAY TO MARS: Mitch Daniels, Purdue president and keynoter at ASEE's upcoming annual conference in Indianapolis, co-chaired a National Academies panel that urges a national "horizon goal" of putting humans on Mars. A press release says: "The success of this approach would require a steadfast commitment to a consensus goal, international collaboration, and a budget that increases by more than the rate of inflation." Read the report.

   PUBLIC POLICY  AND HIGHER ED

  ASEE & COMMUNITY NEWS

TSA JUDGES NEEDED! Volunteer judges are needed at the National Technology Student Association (TSA) Conference, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, MD on Saturday, June 28, Sunday, June 29, or Monday, June 30. For more details or to sign up, go to www.tinyurl.com/2014nationaljudge. Every judge will receive free lunch and a token of appreciation. Once you sign up, a confirmation will be sent with the rules and coordinator’s information.

MICRO-INEQUITIES: These are the negative micro messages that often cause colleagues who receive them to question their value and ultimately their commitment to a business. Conversely, well-crafted and constructive micro messages, Micro Advantages, have an equally powerful positive effect that promotes loyalty and heightened performance. Find out more at an ASEE workshop.

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.

INTERNATIONAL FORUM: The 3rd Annual ASEE International Forum, will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 14, 2014, immediately preceding the 2014 ASEE Annual Meeting. The forum will bring together engineering professionals from academia and industry from around the globe who are engaged in novel engineering education initiatives to share information on experiences and best practices. The theme this year is “Preparing Students to Meet Global Engineering Challenges."

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

EDITOR: Mark Matthews; CONTRIBUTOR: William E. Kelly