| ITRInews | December, 2002, No. 48 |
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Click on this link to see the present and past newsletters in color http://itri2.org/ITRInews/
An Editorial: The Dog That Didn't Bark
You may not have noticed the deletion on the OSTP homepage in the lead
article. I did, because I personally try to measure with objective
indicators whether the U.S. leads the world or not. Also, WTEC's
55 international benchmarking studies have played a leading role in measuring
U. S. progress toward this goal. I'm sure that OSTP would say that
this "maintaining world leadership" goal is still important to them, but
I'd like to see it on paper or in HTML. The last Administration produced
glossy strategic plans for S&T soon after taking office. They
made maintaining world leadership the leading goal, as it has been since
President Truman charged the new NSF with this responsibility.
Duane Shelton, Editor: rds@itri2.org
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In This Issue of ITRInews
OSTP Deletes Goal of Maintaining World Leadership
in S&T
WTEC Books on Tissue Engineering and Molecular Modeling
S&T in a Vulnerable World: Jan. 15 Seminar in
DC
US-PRC Program in Science Policy, Research, and Education
Featured Sites in International S&T:
New U.S. Government Site on Science
International Foundation for Science
Edge Foundation
Edinburgh International Science Festival
Australian S&T Links
RAND Corporation Reports on International S&T
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OSTP Deletes Goal of Maintaining World Leadership
in S&T
Until recently the homepage of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy started with the sentence, "The Federal Government plays a critical
role in maintaining American leadership in science and technology." http://ostp.gov/html/_aboutostp.html
A visitor to the OSTP site will now find no mention of this goal, except
that it is still listed first among goals in the most recent annual report
of the associated National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).
http://www.ostp.gov/NSTC/html/nstc_ar.pdf
However, this annual report is for 2000, and was written during the Clinton
Administration. The NSTC is theoretically chaired by the President
to set national S&T policy, but has yet to meet in this Administration.
Those of its committees that are active are engaged in more tactical issues.
http://ostp.gov/NSTC/html/NSTC_Home.html
The President has re-established the President's Council of Advisors
on Science and Technology (PCAST), and charged it with advising him on
S&T policy. Perhaps they will get around to issuing a set of
S&T goals in 2003, and we'll find out if world leadership is still
important.
The record at NSF is not encouraging. While its 1995 strategic plan listed as its first goal, "Enable the US to uphold a position of world leadership in all aspects of science, mathematics, and engineering,." in 1998, the NSF eliminated this goal entirely.
New Books from WTEC
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Academic Press has just published a hardbound version of the WTEC Panel
Report on Tissue Engineering Research. This was based on a WTEC international
technology assessment in 2000-1 led by Larry McIntire. Based on information
gathered from U.S. researchers, and study tours in Europe and Japan, the
panel rated the U.S. as leading the world in most aspects of this exciting
new field. While this book is a very attractive package, readers
of ITRInews know that WTEC retains the copyright for electronic
distribution, so the contents are available for free at http://www.wtec.org.
WTEC is now organizing an encore study, which will examine the layered manufacturing issues in biomedical materials and devices. This panel, chaired by Fritz Prinz, expects to make a study tour to Europe this summer. The workshop to present the results will be at NSF on June 24. |
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Similarly, Kluwer Academic Publishers has recently published a hardbound version of the WTEC Panel Report on Applications of Molecular and Materials Modeling. This is an encyclopedic compilation of the research going on in this field, which could be called the math of nanotechnology. Chair Phillip Westmoreland and his panel conducted study tours in the U.S., Japan, and Europe, and gathered much more information by phone and email from research groups they could not visit. Amazon.com is selling this book for $179, but you can get the contents for free at http://www.wtec.org. |
Science and Technology in a Vulnerable World
A seminar will be presented on January 15 by Al Teich of AAAS at the
George Washington Center for International Science and Techhology Policy.
http://www.gwu.edu/~cistp/index1.html
The
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 changed many things in the U.S.,
among them science policy and the federal budget for R&D. Federal
funding for counterterrorism R&D has increased by a factor of six,
while scientific organizations have mobilized their resources to
expand work in bioterrorism and infrastructure protection. New policies
relating to foreign students and other international exchanges, to scientific
publication, and to regulation of research and substances employed in research
are being put in place. This talk will examine the ways in which
the nation’s S&T policies have been affected. This is one of a series
of S&T policy seminars at GWU held for decades. For an invitation,
contact cistp@gwu.edu.
US-PRC Program in Science Policy, Research, and Education
The U.S.-China Cooperation Program in Science Policy, Research, and
Education is a decade-long initiative is now coordinated by George Mason
University and is built on two decades of cooperation between the U.S.
and the PRC in science and engineering. The relationship between
the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the U.S. (and the NSF Tokyo Regional
Office in Japan) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
is a cornerstone of this cooperation. http://techcenter.gmu.edu/programs/science_trade_policy/us_china.html
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FEATURED SITES THIS MONTH
U.S. Government Science Portal http://www.science.gov. came on-line in early January. It is a clearinghouse of U.S. Government sites selected from SciTechResources maintained by the National Technical Information Service. Also see http://www.firstgov.gov, which is a general USG site that can be searched for science.
International Foundation for Science
IFS is an NGO providing support to developing country scientists to
conduct research on the management, use, and conservation of biological
resources and their environment. Since 1974, IFS has provided support,
mainly in the form of small research grants, to over 3,200 scientists in
99 developing countries. http://www.ifs.se/
Edge Foundation This site provides a forum for leading intectuals to post their views on critical issues. For example they are currently pretending to be the President's science advisor, and providing advice on what they think is the most important scientific issue of the day; the results were picked up in New York Times and Wall Street Journal articles. http://www.edge.org
Edinburgh International Science Festival Edinburgh is famous for its 50-year-old arts festival. It is the largest in the world, and has spawned various off-shoots. http://www.eif.co.uk/ The city fathers have now adding an outstanding festival on science for adults and children for 12 days: 11-22 April, 2003. This looks like an idea that other countries might want to emulate. http://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/
Australian S&T Links Clearinghouse from the Australian government's international S&T organization. http://www.dest.gov.au/ist/organisations.htm
RAND Corporation Reports on International S&T
2002 reports include: Federal Investment in R&D,
Building a New Foundation for Innovation, Linking Effectively:
International Cooperation in Science and Technology, U.S. Government Funding
for Science and Technology Cooperation with Russia, New Foundations
for Growth: The U.S. Innovation System Today and Tomorrow. http://www.rand.org/scitech/stpi/Publications/portfolio.html
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Copyright © 2003 ITRI, Inc. Comments to rds@itri2.org please.
ITRI, Inc.
633A Main Street
Laurel, MD 20207
301-490-6835
| DATE | FEATURE ARTICLE | URL |
| Dec 02 | OSTP Deletes Goal of Maintaining World Leadership in S&T | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N48.html |
| Nov 02 | President to Sign "NSF Doubling" Bill Today | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N47.html |
| Sept/Oct 02 | U.S. High Technology Trade Surplus Disappears | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N46.html |
| Jul/Aug 02 | U. S. Internet Growth Halts | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N45.html |
| Jun 02 | U.S. Raises the Stakes in the Supercomputer Game;
Japan Raises that Raise |
http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N44.html |
| May 02 | Double-Double in U.S. S&T Investments | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N43.html |
| Apr 02 | Japanese Lap the U.S. in the Supercomputer Race | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N42.html |
| Mar 02 | Criteria for Basic Research Performance | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N41.html |
| Feb 02 | Internet Growth Slows | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N40.html |
| Dec 01 /Jan 02 | Japan Ups S&T Paper Quality and Quantity as U. S. Declines | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N39.html |
| Nov 01 | Marburger Shakes Up OSTP | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N38.html |
| Oct 01 | Impact of Terrorism on R&D | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N37.html |
| Sep 01 | US Technologies Lead;
US Technologists Lag |
http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N36.html |
| Aug 01 | Doctors of Economic Warfare | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N35.html |
| Jul 01 | Marburger to be OSTP Director | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N34.html |
| Jun 01 | Nano is Huge, and Getting Bigger | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N33.html |
| May 01 | R&D Budget Crash | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N32.html |
| Apr 01 | As DotComs Wilt, Internet Sprouts | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N31.html |
| Mar 01 | Research Famines: FY2002 Budgets | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews30.html |
| Feb 01 | Sherwood Boehlert:
New Science Committee Chair |
http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews29.html |
| Jan 01 | Andreessen's Law for the Internet | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews28.html |
| Dec 00 | S&T Policy of the Bush Administration | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews27.html |
| Nov 00 | Research Feasts: FY2001 Budgets | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews26.html |
| Oct 00 | Gingrich Praises Clinton | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews25.html |
| Sep 00 | Industry Leads U.S. R&D | http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews24.html |
| Aug 00
(Extra) |
Americans Like Being No. 1
and Want to Keep It That Way |
http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews23.html |
| Aug 00 | Pale Green Manufacturing:
US is 3rd out of 3 |
http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews22.html |
| Jul 00 | Science and Engineering Indicators 2000 Released by NSF | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews21.html |
| Jun 00 | American Leadership of S&T: Reality or Myth? | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews20.html |
| May 00 | Think That Government is Investing More in Research? Think Again. | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews19.html |
| Apr 00 | Who's Getting U.S. Patents? | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews18.html |
| Mar 00 | Bottom Line II: Trade Deficit Skyrocket Explodes | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews17.html |
| Feb 00 | S&T: Ready for Prime Time? | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews16.html |
| Jan 00 /
Dec 99 |
New Technology Czar(ina) | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews15.html |
| Nov 99 | Output in Papers: We're Number One? | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews14.html |
| Oct 99 | Is International S&T Assessment Needed? | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews13.html |
| Sep 99 | 200GB Disk: 40 Films on One CD | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews12.html |
| Aug 99 | Rep. George Brown Adjourns | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews11.html |
| Jul 99 | More Good News / Bad News
from the Academy |
http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews10.html |
| Jun 99 /
May 99 |
Teraflops Computers Meet Gates' Law | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews9.html |
| Apr 99 | GPRA Metastasizes Abroad | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews8.html |
| Mar 99 | Who's On First?
(US, But Not for Long) |
http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews7.html |
| Feb 99 | Who's the Bear, and Who's the Bull? Japan Doubles R&D; The US Cuts It | http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews6.html |
| Jan 99 /
Dec 98 |
The Bottom Line:
US Trade Deficit Skyrockets |
http://itri.loyola.edu/NEWS/ITRInews5.htm |
| Nov 98 | NRC to State:
Ignoring S&T is Ignorant |
http://itri.loyola.edu/NEWS/ITRInews4.htm |
| Oct 98 | Is S&T to Blame for the Asian Financial Crisis? | http://itri.loyola.edu/NEWS/ITRInews3.htm |
| Sep 98 | The Y1.998K Problem: Y2K Arrives 0.002K Early. Markets Crash, PMs Fired, Orioles 31 Games Behind | http://itri.loyola.edu/NEWS/ITRInews2.htm |
| Aug 98 | Left Hand/Right Hand: NSF and NAS Both Assess US Math Research | http://itri.loyola.edu/NEWS/ITRInews1.htm |