WhiteHouse.gov Blog Feed: Office of Science and Technology Policy

OSTP Briefing on R&D and STEM Education in the 2013 Budget

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:43:04 +0000

OSTP will hold a briefing on the research, development, and STEM education portions of the President's FY2013 Budget on Monday, February 13, 2012.

DATE: Monday, February 13, 2012

TIME: 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST

WHERE: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC (closest metro stop: Metro Center)

To attend in person, please register at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/registration.

SPEAKERS:

John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Carl Wieman, Associate Director for Science, OSTP
Patrick Gallagher, Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Subra Suresh, Director, National Science Foundation
David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and Int’l Affairs, Department of Energy

Live Web streaming of this event will be provided as a public service by AAAS and can be accessed at http://www.aaas.org/go/ostp.

Relevant budget documents will be posted by 11:30 a.m. EST on Monday, February 13, 2012 at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp.

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A (Draft) Mortgage Form Simplified by You, for You

Aneesh Chopra — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:30:20 +0000

Last week, President Obama laid out a plan to help responsible homeowners who were struck by the housing crisis. Atop the proposed “Homeowner Bill of Rights” is a pledge to simplify mortgage disclosure forms. Thankfully, inspired by the principles of running a “lean startup”, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau tapped into the expertise of the American people through the “Know Before You Owe” initiative.

As background, everyone who applies for a mortgage loan receives two federally mandated disclosures with information about the mortgage: the Truth in Lending form and the Good Faith Estimate. The Dodd-Frank Act required the CFPB to combine these two forms into a single simplified disclosure. Empowering consumers with information is only as helpful as the design that ensures the data helps them make purchase decisions. Thus, the Bureau focused on making the new combined disclosure clear to consumers and lenders alike.

Don’t Mess With Texas … Science Students

Chelsea Martinez — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:32:00 +0000

President Barack Obama hosts the second White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. The President viewed the work of Presidio, Texas, students Janet Nieto and Ana Karen, of Presidio High School's Rocketry Team, and 7th grade student Gwynelle Condino, of Lucy Franco Middle School, in the Red Room of the White House, Feb. 7, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Driving around Texas, where I moved to study chemistry in graduate school, there was a bumper sticker I’d often see slapped onto the trucks of transplants like myself: “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could.” I was reminded of this aspirational slogan Tuesday at the White House Science Fair, where student teams from two towns in Texas were invited for the hard work and creativity they’ve applied to scientific and engineering problems—talents that will help them speed to whatever life and career they dream for themselves as fast as they can.

Rewarding Inventors Who Work to Solve Global Challenges

Quentin Palfrey and Hillary Chen — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:22:24 +0000

Today at the White House, United States Patent & Trademark Office Director Dave Kappos launched the Patents for Humanity pilot program, which creates business incentives for patent holders to engage in humanitarian issues. Under the new program, inventors who do the most to apply their technologies to pressing global challenges will be rewarded with a certificate that can be redeemed to accelerate a patent application, an appeal, or an ex parte reexamination proceeding before the USPTO. The awardee may choose to accelerate any patent application in their portfolio, not just the humanitarian technology that qualifies for the award.

Partnering to Modernize our Nation’s Air Transportation System

Aneesh Chopra, John Porcari, and Michael Huerta — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:13:00 +0000

On January 31st, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched a new, online dashboard providing increased transparency into a vital component of NextGen's modernization of our Nation’s air transportation system infrastructure. Referred to as Performance Based Navigation (PBN), the deployment of highly efficient flight routes takes advantage of GPS satellites and advanced equipment that is already installed on most commercial airliners. The new dashboard on the NextGen website features PBN data that is accompanied by video depictions and an interactive map highlighting the benefits of PBN deployments and new flight paths around the country.

Startups for Healthier Veterans, Smarter Kids, and Lower Utility Bills

Aneesh Chopra and Nick Sinai — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:20:52 +0000

What do healthier veterans, smarter kids, and lower utility bills have in common? In each of these areas of national interest – health care, education, and energy – startups are already making a difference.

Alaskan Permafrost Mapped from the Skies

Becky Fried — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:06:31 +0000

Last week, the Interior Department’s US Geological Survey (USGS) released details about a landmark airborne survey of permafrost in the Yukon Flats of Alaska that yielded some of the most detailed, data-rich maps of permafrost ever generated. Permafrost—frozen ground that remains at or below water’s freezing point for at least two years—accounts for only 0.022% of all water on Earth, but it covers more than 20% of exposed land of Earth’s northern high latitudes (in addition to areas of Antarctica and the Patagonia region), where it plays a potentially important role in climate dynamics.

Celebrating Digital Learning Day

Matt Gaydos — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:21:19 +0000

Yesterday we joined over 17,000 teachers, nearly 2 million students, and 38 states in celebrating the first-ever Digital Learning Day—an opportunity to highlight and learn from the exciting ways teachers are utilizing technology to strengthen education in America.

Happy Birthday, Startup America!

Tom Kalil and Doug Rand — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:28:24 +0000

One year ago, President Obama called for an all-hands-on-deck effort to accelerate the success of entrepreneurs across the country. One year later, Startup America has made major progress on three fronts:

“Equal Pay App Challenge” to Help Close the Gender Pay Gap

Hilda Solis and Aneesh Chopra — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:40 +0000

Ed. note: This is cross-posted from Work in Progress, the official blog of the Department of Labor

Yesterday, we celebrated the launch of an open innovation initiative to eliminate the gender gap in pay. Working together with the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, we commenced the “Equal Pay App Challenge” – a national competition to develop software applications, or “apps,” that leverage public data to promote equal pay for men and women.

Last Tuesday in his State of the Union address, President Obama recognized that “an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country.” “That,” the President emphasized, “means women should earn equal pay for equal work.”

In America, women make up half of the workforce and two-thirds of our families rely on a mother’s wages for a significant portion of their income. Yet, women, on average, make less on the dollar than men, and the gap is even greater for women of color and women with disabilities. Lower pay not only means less economic security for women, but also for the families that depend on them.

The President is committed to closing the pay gap once and for all. The first bill he signed into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, helps women who were victims of pay discrimination recover their wages. The President then created an inter-agency Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to crack down on equal pay law violations. And yesterday’s announcement is yet another way the administration is working to accomplish this goal.

Startup America Partnership Releases One-Year Anniversary Videos

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:43:29 +0000

One year ago yesterday, President Obama launched the Startup America campaign, an all-hands-on-deck effort to accelerate the success of entrepreneurs across the country. The President celebrated the first birthday of Startup America by sending Congress a set of proposals to help boost the startups and small businesses that create so many jobs in this country.

Public-Private Standards Efforts to Make America Strong

Aneesh Chopra and Patrick Gallagher — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:12:30 +0000

Standards—agreed upon parameters such as the size and shape of electrical outlets, the number of threads per inch on machine bolts, or the tolerances allowed for various medical tests—are critical to American competitiveness, technological innovation, and global trade because they facilitate manufacturing, speed delivery, and enable the widespread use of countless products and services in the market today. Standards also play a key role in public safety, as a new report described below makes clear.

Your Comments on Access to Federally Funded Scientific Research Results

Chelsea Martinez — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:58:45 +0000

In November, OSTP issued two Requests for Information—one on Public Access to Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Publications Resulting From Federally Funded Research and the other on Public Access to Digital Data Resulting From Federally Funded Scientific Research. Today we are posting the public comments for those two solicitations and encourage you to take a look at what scientists, citizens, publishers, scientific societies, libraries and other stakeholders had to say.

Honoring Advanced Manufacturing at the 2012 State of the Union

Dr. Hiroyuki Fujita — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:02:39 +0000

[Editor's Note: Dr. Hiroyuki Fujita is Founder, President, and CEO of Quality Electrodynamics in Cleveland, Ohio, and last Tuesday he was a guest in the First Lady's box at the 2012 State of the Union.]

Tuesday night, I was one of the First Lady’s guests for the State of the Union address, an immense honor and an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Beyond the sheer magnitude of simply being there, the event was inspiring as President Obama focused significantly on issues of importance to me: advanced manufacturing competitiveness, small business growth, developing an educated workforce at all levels and supporting immigration policies that retain people like me in the United States after they graduate with science and technology degrees.

CTO Aneesh Chopra Stepping Down

John P. Holdren — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:30:02 +0000

When President Obama came into office in January 2009, the Administration found a Federal government relying too heavily on 20th century technology. On his first day on the job, the President created the position of “Chief Technology Officer” to modernize our government while helping the country meet its goals from job creation, to reducing health care costs, to protecting the homeland.

Aneesh Chopra was sworn in as the Nation’s first Chief Technology Officer on May 22, 2009. When the President announced his “Strategy for American Innovation” in September 2009, he said, “That's why I've appointed the first-ever chief technology officer, charged with looking at ways technology can spur innovations that help government do a better and more efficient job.”

Aneesh has led that charge in an energetic, innovative, and amazingly effective manner, and sowed the seeds necessary to bring our government into the 21st century.

Working with Aneesh for nearly three years has been an invigorating experience. Among a dizzying array of accomplishments, Aneesh helped design the President’s National Wireless Initiative, including the development of a nationwide public safety broadband network, establish a set of Internet Policy Principles including the call for a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, and led the implementation of the President’s open government strategy focused on unlocking the innovative potential of the federal government to solve problems and seed the jobs and industries of the future.

I want to personally thank him for his leadership, friendship, and—most importantly—for his dedication and work on behalf of the American people.

John P. Holdren is Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Building a Strong, Lasting Economy With Energy Innovation

Aneesh Chopra and Nick Sinai — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:29:20 +0000

Today, President Obama is in Nevada, Colorado, and Michigan to discuss the Administration’s commitment to energy innovation and advanced manufacturing. Part of that commitment includes a focus on getting new energy technologies from lab to market, to transform new ideas into new jobs. In that spirit, the Department of Energy announced today the voting stage of “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator” challenge – an initiative that aims to unleash America's entrepreneurs and innovators to create new businesses based on discoveries made by our world-leading national laboratories.

Immigrant Entrepreneurs at the State of the Union

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:01:40 +0000

At the President’s State of the Union address, it’s a tradition for the First Lady to honor a small group of notable Americans as her guests in the gallery. Tonight, the First Lady’s guests will include two entrepreneurs who came to the United States as students and stayed to build companies. They symbolize a Presidential priority of making it easier for innovative immigrants to stay in America to develop job-creating small businesses.

Photos: Samantha Garvey with Dr. Holdren, Congressman Israel

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:24:30 +0000

Today, Dr. John P. Holdren hosted Congressman Steve Israel and his constituent, high school senior Samantha Garvey at OSTP’s offices in Washington, DC. In 2010, Garvey was a semifinalist in the Siemens National Competition in Math, Science & Technology. Earlier this month she was named one of 300 semifinalists in the Intel science contest for her research on ribbed mussels, an invasive species. Her achievements gained widespread attention following revelations that her economically struggling family was living in a homeless shelter when she learned of her award. Tonight, Samantha is Congressman Israel’s guest at President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Unlocking the Power of Education Data for All Americans

Aneesh Chopra and Zakiya Smith — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:26:52 +0000

In October, while announcing a series of actions to lower student loan payments, President Obama tasked the US Chief Technology Officer with further leveraging data and technology to help provide students and parents with more comparative information about college costs and college aid, so they can make more informed decisions about where to enroll.

Acid Rain Program Benefiting Environment, Human Health

Becky Fried — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:30:31 +0000

A Federal program to reduce pollutants that cause environmentally damaging acid rain has been remarkably successful, resulting in improved ecosystem health and providing human health benefits at a fraction of the predicted cost. That's the conclusion of a new report—National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program Report to Congress: An Integrated Assessment—released today by OSTP.

Green Button: Providing Consumers with Access to Their Energy Data

Aneesh Chopra — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:09:29 +0000

Imagine being able to shrink your utility bill, or knowing the optimal size and cost-effectiveness of solar panels for your home, or verifying that energy-efficiency retrofit investments have successfully paid for themselves over time. Far too often these and similarly important—and potentially money-saving—opportunities are unavailable to us. Why? Because consumers haven’t had standard, routine, easy-to-understand access to their own energy usage data. Today, the Obama Administration is announcing another step forward in solving this problem.

Jobs Council Discusses Innovation and American Competitiveness

Quentin Palfrey — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:19:08 +0000

Today, at a meeting with President Obama, the President’s Council on Jobs & Competitiveness released a new report entitled Road Map to Renewal, which lays out a set of recommendations to improve our Nation’s competitiveness over the long term. The Jobs Council – created by President Obama and made up of 27 prominent leaders from business, labor, and academia – advises the Administration on mechanisms for spurring job creation in the near term while also working to ensure lasting American competitiveness.

Insourcing American Jobs: The Importance of “Smart” Manufacturing, Broadband, and IT

Aneesh Chopra — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:00:00 +0000

On Wednesday, President Obama hosted a forum at the White House focused on the increasing number of companies choosing to “insource” jobs and make new investments in the United States. An important factor in this trend is the rising importance of information technology.

Recognizing Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring

Nafeesa Owens — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:01:44 +0000

President Barack Obama greets the 2010 (above) and 2011 (below) Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring recipients in the Oval Office, Dec. 12, 2011. (Official White House Photos by Pete Souza)

The President recently proclaimed January National Mentoring Month, a tribute to the many selfless Americans who devote themselves to the important educational endeavor of mentoring. His proclamation came on the heels of his recent personal recognition of 17 individuals and organizations who, at a White House ceremony in December, were awarded the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM).

Collaboration Through Innovation for 21st Century Global Development

Aneesh Chopra and Maura O’Neill — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:50:37 +0000

During his historic visit to India in November 2010, President Obama noted in his interaction with rural villagers from Kanpura that, “India may be in a position to leapfrog” service delivery through its newly launched “e-panchayat” program, an effort to connect all of India’s 250,000 rural villages to broadband Internet. We had the pleasure of visiting Kanpura when the service launched in September 2010 as part of the US-India Innovation Exchange, and celebrated its inclusion in an expo on Democracy and Open Government that shined a spotlight on opportunities for India and the United States to collaborate on open innovation. And we haven’t looked back since – from the formal launch of the US-India Open Government Dialogue to USAID Administrator Raj Shah’s recent announcement of the Millennium Alliance.

Combining the ingenuity of both the United States and India can help solve health, food, climate, and other key development challenges more quickly than if pursued separately. And this model can be used across the globe to ensure that foreign assistance is used in the most cost-effective manner.

Scientific Integrity Policies Increasingly in Place

John P. Holdren — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:12:42 +0000

Departments and agencies across the Federal government submitted to OSTP their latest and, in some cases, final, drafts of their scientific integrity policies this past week, in compliance with a deadline I set in October for completion of final or draft-final versions for review. The latest versions—produced by 20 Federal entities—reflect inputs received from OSTP this past fall to ensure that each includes the full range of assurances called for in President Obama’s March 2009 Memorandum on Scientific Integrity and my December 2010 Memorandum that outlined in greater detail the minimum requirements expected by this Administration.

As I’ve noted repeatedly in this space, the Obama Administration is firmly committed to the highest standards of scientific integrity. That does not mean that “science trumps all” in the policy-making process. Policy always reflects an array of equities, including scientific, economic, and social realities. Further, scientists do not always agree with one another on how to interpret or respond to scientific findings. But as the President’s science and technology advisor, it is my duty to ensure that when science is relevant to policy-making, the very best science—and the best thinking about that science—is at the table for consideration on its merits.

Extended Deadline for Public Access and Digital Data RFIs

Rick Weiss — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:24:31 +0000

In November, OSTP issued two Requests for Information (RFI), one on open access to scientific publications and the other on the management of digital data. Yesterday, responding to numerous requests, we submitted to the Federal Register an extension of the deadlines for those RFIs to January 12, 2012. We anticipate the official notice of that extension appearing in the Federal Register this Friday, but wanted to ensure that all stakeholders knew as soon as possible about the extended deadline.

Tech Initiatives to 'Build it Here, Sell it Everywhere'

Aneesh Chopra — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:41:25 +0000

Last week, Commerce Secretary Bryson spoke about his vision for American manufacturing – a vision he summarized as “Build it Here, Sell it Everywhere.” That inspired me to share an update on three tech initiatives that have achieved important milestones this month in furtherance of that vision.

'Investing in Innovation' Creates STEM Awards

Jefferson Pestronk — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:41:44 +0000

The Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation (i3) competition provides funding to school districts and non-profit organizations around the country to develop new approaches to longstanding challenges in education. Today, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the 23 applicants who will receive grants from the 2011 i3 competition. For the first time, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education was a priority of the competition. Five of the 23 awards will address that critical area and include programs devoted to:

A 'Bottom-up' Milestone towards a Safer America

Aneesh Chopra and Terrell McSweeny — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:20:50 +0000

Our friend and Seattle’s dynamic tech leader, Bill Schrier, recently issued a Request for Information to cull out innovative public/private partnerships to deliver a mobile broadband and mission-critical voice capability for the metropolitan area – an idea surfaced during our technology roundtable earlier this year in LA in support of President Obama’s National Wireless Initiative to build a nationwide interoperable wireless broadband network for America’s first responders.

More heartening is the spirit of voluntary collaboration as the RFI was released with the support of at least 10 other state and local governments, including several actively engaged in the build-out of wireless public safety infrastructure. In the spirit of “bottom-up” change, that group includes state governments (Oregon, Iowa, and Arizona), cities (Honolulu, HI; Chesapeake, VA; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Pembroke Pines, FL) and regions (San Francisco BayRICS; Calumet, Outagamie, and Winnebago Counties, WI).