Gas turbines are a key platform technology that supports a wide variety of strategic applications and industry sectors, including Aviation (Civil & Military), Defense, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas Production and Distribution, and Power Generation. This briefing will highlight the key technological and economic challenges facing these sectors today, and the public policies necessary to ensure U.S. leadership in advanced gas turbine technologies.

In addition to Lieuwen, experts Mike Aller of the Consortium for Advanced Production and Engineering of Gas Turbines and Rotating Machinery; Thomas Prete of Pratt & Whitney; Kenneth Hall of Siemens; and Karen A. Thole from Penn State highlighted key opportunities and challenges facing the industry. 

The briefing was sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Georgia Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, Energy Florida, and the Gas Turbine Association in conjunction with the House Natural Gas Caucus and the House Manufacturing Caucus.

Along with Abdallah, the hearing brought together expert testimony from representatives from federal and industry perspectives, including Diane Souvaine, chair of the National Science Board, and Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google and founder of Schmidt Futures.

In his testimony to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Abdallah stressed the importance of maintaining the U.S. position of leadership in R&D, and the importance of the collaboration between the federal government, higher education, and the private sector.

“The mission, alignment, and cooperation of these three actors have historically made the U.S. research landscape the most productive and admired in the world … and made the U.S. safer, healthier, and wealthier.”

He testified that those successes have also created competitors that now pose a threat to the nation’s competitiveness in critical technologies. The U.S. now risks falling behind in areas such as cybersecurity, quantum information systems, advanced manufacturing and materials, bioscience, and others. Those threats, Abdallah shared, pose an immediate national security risk and a long-term economic risk, including a negative effect on the capacity of the U.S. to create new knowledge, the potential to diminish the nation’s industry, and the possibility of losing the ability to attract the best and brightest minds in the world.

In his remarks, Abdallah testified that the United States must commit to cooperation and competition, when necessary, with an ever-vigilant eye toward research safeguards. He added that as the number of U.S.-born, college-age students and graduates dwindles, the U.S. must refocus its commitment to serving as a magnet for diverse talent in STEM from around the world, including American women and underrepresented minorities, as well as foreign-born students.

“Such individuals, many of whom, like myself, were initially educated under a different educational system and funded by the resources of another country, bring with them a different way of thinking, learning, and problem-solving,” he said. “Those unique perspectives, when coupled with our open research system and our American values, lead to a dynamic and healthy R&D enterprise.”

For Abdallah, the best opportunity and most enduring strategy for improving our national position in science and technology is to start with the talent pipeline, and for universities to admit college-ready students.

“[We must] nurture and engage a larger number from untapped domestic populations and provide an academic environment for them to strive and succeed as students, faculty, and researchers,” he said. “That rich and diverse pool of candidates must be increased, prepared, and nurtured in the K-12 system. It is incumbent upon American universities to continue to strengthen their collaboration with the federal agencies, government, and industry, and to assume more responsibility outside of our traditional roles.”

Abdallah also reiterated the importance of certain and long-term federal investment in institutions of higher education, emphasizing the varied roles federal funds play in academia, including recruiting, educating, and retaining top talent, supporting research facilities, and creating new intellectual property that leads to new markets and enterprises.

“It is important to keep in mind that what is now a critical technology was once a basic science research idea, or likely fundamental research funded by the federal government at a research university,” he said. “The federal dollar is usually the first dollar in the chain, and is converted by universities into basic knowledge and talent, feeding businesses and leading to solutions, technologies, and products that generate returns back into the federal treasury and benefit society.”

To watch the full hearing, visit the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology website.

There is no fee to submit your work for consideration or to participate if selected, but all selected artwork must be display-ready (framed, mounted, etc) when received by the Office of the Arts.

A reception honoring participating artists will be held September 14, at the opening of the exhibition. Visitors of the display have the opportunity to vote for their favorite piece of artwork on display for the "People's Choice Award".

For more information please visit arts.gatech.edu.

McMurray leads the Food Processing Technology Division at the Georgia Tech Research Institute. He also develops advanced robotic systems for the food, transportation and biomedical industries.

He spoke before the Senate Committee on Agricultural, Nutrition and Forestry during a hearing titled “Agricultural Research: Perspectives on Past and Future Success for the 2018 Farm Bill.”

McMurray stressed the critical role agricultural research plays in meeting future food production demands. While great strides have been made, he said more work must be done.

“Transformative innovation is needed,” said McMurray, who is also associate director of Georgia Tech’s Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines. “Transformative innovation moves beyond just improving existing methods and processes to totally re-thinking systems development by creating entirely new systems.”

He highlighted some of the work Georgia Tech is doing in conjunction with the University of Georgia to monitor crop health using autonomous systems.

For example, the institutions are developing ways for unmanned ground vehicles to work in conjunction with unmanned aerial vehicles to enable earlier detection of infected trees and plants and to identify the source of the problem so there can be more targeted intervention to prevent crop losses.

Read McMurray’s complete testimony here. 

The commission issued its consensus report addressing six imperatives and offering action items that can be implemented by President-elect Donald Trump and his team.

Antón highlighted recommended steps that would be of special interest to Georgia Tech students, faculty and researchers.

The commission declared that cybersecurity should be a basic requirement for the accreditation of any programs in engineering and computing disciplines.

“More than 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals are needed globally by 2020,” Antón said.

She also emphasized the recommendation that all IoT (Internet of Things) devices should be secure by default. These devices include everything from refrigerators to fitness trackers to the drill of an oil rig.

“This is a game changer because it takes the burden off the end users and places it on the engineers and manufacturers who design and create IoT products,” she said.

Another action item calls on the federal government to make the development of usable, affordable and inherently secure resilient systems its top priority for cybersecurity research and development.

Antón also stressed a recommendation for the federal government to support cybersecurity-focused research in traditionally underfunded areas such as policy, law and the social impacts of privacy and security technologies, as well as issues specific to small and medium-sized businesses.

“This highlights the need for more interdisciplinary classes and research,” she said. “It became clear to the commission that the human factors of cybersecurity are not well understood and require focused research nationally.”

Georgia Tech is already working in the area through programs such as the Institute’s Privacy Technology, Policy and Law course, Antón said.  

The commission was created in February by presidential executive order as part of the Cybersecurity National Action Plan. The group, which has been working since April, was tasked with making detailed recommendations on ways to strengthen cybersecurity in public and private sectors.

The 12-person nonpartisan commission included cybersecurity experts from government, academia and industry.

“The quality of thoughtful deliberation and debate among the commissioners was inspiring throughout this past year,” Antón said. “Debates were not held along party lines, but instead were constructive and focused solely on determining what was best for our nation and for securing the digital economy.”

Antón, an expert on software compliance with federal privacy and security regulations, has served on a number of privacy and security advisory boards, including for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Institute of Standards and Technologies.

See a full list of commission members here.

The commission issued its consensus report addressing six imperatives and offering action items that can be implemented by President-elect Donald Trump and his team.

Antón highlighted recommended steps that would be of special interest to Georgia Tech students, faculty and researchers.

The commission declared that cybersecurity should be a basic requirement for the accreditation of any programs in engineering and computing disciplines.

“More than 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals are needed globally by 2020,” Antón said.

She also emphasized the recommendation that all IoT (Internet of Things) devices should be secure by default. These devices include everything from refrigerators to fitness trackers to the drill of an oil rig.

“This is a game changer because it takes the burden off the end users and places it on the engineers and manufacturers who design and create IoT products,” she said.

Another action item calls on the federal government to make the development of usable, affordable and inherently secure resilient systems its top priority for cybersecurity research and development.

Antón also stressed a recommendation for the federal government to support cybersecurity-focused research in traditionally underfunded areas such as policy, law and the social impacts of privacy and security technologies, as well as issues specific to small and medium-sized businesses.

“This highlights the need for more interdisciplinary classes and research,” she said. “It became clear to the commission that the human factors of cybersecurity are not well understood and require focused research nationally.”

Georgia Tech is already working in the area through programs such as the Institute’s Privacy Technology, Policy and Law course, Antón said.  

The commission was created in February by presidential executive order as part of the Cybersecurity National Action Plan. The group, which has been working since April, was tasked with making detailed recommendations on ways to strengthen cybersecurity in public and private sectors.

The 12-person nonpartisan commission included cybersecurity experts from government, academia and industry.

“The quality of thoughtful deliberation and debate among the commissioners was inspiring throughout this past year,” Antón said. “Debates were not held along party lines, but instead were constructive and focused solely on determining what was best for our nation and for securing the digital economy.”

Antón, an expert on software compliance with federal privacy and security regulations, has served on a number of privacy and security advisory boards, including for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Institute of Standards and Technologies.

See a full list of commission members here.

Jilda Garton, vice president for research and general manager of the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, discussed how two federal programs, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), support start-up companies seeking to commercialize intellectual property that results from university research. Garton explained how the SBIR program helped three Atlanta startups – Pindrop, StarMobile and Zyrobotics – turn Georgia Tech research into successful companies.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology is considering reauthorization of two programs. A provision was introduced to increase the set-aside percentage from federally-funded research organizations for these programs, and Garton was called to testify to shed light on the key issues.

Garton was the only witness invited from an institution of higher education. The other witnesses included Pramod Khargonekar, assistant director of the National Science Foundation; Michael Lauer, deputy director of the National Institutes of Health; and Patricia Dehmer, deputy director for Science Programs of the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The testimony comes a month after more than 70 scientific and professional societies, higher education associations, universities and research institutions undersigned a letter to the Committee’s chair and ranking member noting that universities support SBIR and STTR programs. However, the institutions are concerned that there is no evidence or proof-of-necessity for increasing the set-aside for these programs. Doing so would reduce crucial research progress and disrupt the universities’ discovery to commercialization ecosystem. With federal research funding on the decline, an increase in a directed percentage to SBIR and STTR programs would yield additional cuts to the research and discovery base which supports innovation at the fundamental level.

Previously, Peterson chaired the USG task force on Campus Safety and Security, looking specifically at campus law enforcement, Title IX, and sexual assault policies on college campuses in the state of Georgia. The task force issued its report in May 2015.

"Georgia Tech is committed to maintaining a learning environment that is safe, and affirms the dignity, respect, and values of our campus community," Peterson said. "We expect every member of our community, to practice the highest ethical principles and standards of conduct."

The full text of his prepared statement is below along with documents detailing recent refinements to Tech’s student conduct process:

Stewart testified before the U.S. Senate, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry’s hearing on “Wildfire: Stakeholder Perspectives on Budgetary Impacts and Threats to Natural Resources on Federal, State and Private Lands.” He also serves as Chair of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), which represents more than 22 million family landowners in the U.S.

His comments highlighted the impacts of wildfire felt far outside the West, including here in Georgia, where Stewart has served as the state’s Economic Development Commissioner. During his tenure in 2007, Stewart said Georgia saw the largest wildfire in its history, burning more than 560,000 acres in Georgia and Florida and causing more than $60 million in damages.

“Even as wildfire costs are consuming more and more of the Forest Service budget, the Agency has also, in 8 of the last 15 years, still run out of firefighting funds before the end of the fiscal year, forcing the Agency to ‘borrow’ from other programs,” he said. “The impact on states like Georgia and on private and family landowners across the country, especially in the South, is significant. With the shrinking budgets and the disruptive borrowing, programs that provide private and family landowners with technical assistance to get ahead of wildfire problems are significantly short changed.

There are other non-fire impacts as well. Programs that help detect and prevent spread of invasive and native insect and disease issues, like the hemlock wooly adelgid or the Syrex Wood Wasp are also impacted. In 2012, due to the fire borrowing, a multi-state effort to improve forest resilience, which included significant coordination across states, was cancelled.

“The impact is not just on programs that provide assistance to private and family landowners. Important research and development efforts, such as those that help stimulate new markets and infrastructure to support the needed restoration treatments on the landscape, are also stymied by this fire funding issue,” he said.

“The good news is this — we know how to reduce wildfire threats and protect water supplies; we know that the solution needs to include both public and private lands in a landscape approach; and we know private landowners are willing to take action if we can help address their biggest barriers. We also know how to fix the problems with how wildfire fighting is paid for at the federal level.”

He cites a set of solutions including changing the way wildfire fighting is funded at the federal level, a landscape approach with coordination between both public and private lands with authorities, and finally, catalyzing infrastructure to support the needed restoration work on the ground. 

“Catalyzing infrastructure, including mills, loggers, foresters, that can work on both public and private lands to remove the restoration by-products and make use of these byproducts, will go a long way towards reducing treatment costs,” Stewart said. “Concentrating public investments to support infrastructure where the work is happening on public and private lands, will mean a better return on the investment.”

Additionally, public investments are needed to encourage research and development in new market uses of restoration by-products, he said, such as nanocellulosic technologies, new building technologies that use wood, and biomass energy technologies, many of which are included in the research portfolio of Georgia Tech and RBI.

To read the transcript of Mr. Stewart’s testimony, click here.

To read AFF’s Wildfire and Water report, click here.

The Committee's charge - to review recent NASA achievements in exploring our solar system - was addressed by Braun,  NASA Associate Administrator Dr. John Grunsfeld, Southwest Research Institute's Dr. Alan Stern, UCLA's Dr. Christopher Russell, and JPL's Dr. Robert Pappalardo.

One by one, Braun and his noted colleagues spoke about the importance of pushing our country's space program to go deeper into space -- to Pluto, Ceres, Europa, and beyond. Mindful that NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is currently seeking a .8 percent increase in its Congressional funding, each gave compelling reasons to underwrite their ambitious vision of the future. 

"Planetary science is one of America’s crown jewels," said Braun, a former NASA chief technologist and longtime GT-AE professor who testified as a private citizen.

"A unique symbol of our country’s technological leadership and pioneering spirit, this endeavor has consistently demonstrated that the United States is a bold and curious nation interested in discovering and exploring the richness of worlds beyond our own for the betterment of all....these missions are inspirational beacons, pulling young people into educational and career paths aligned with science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the foundation of continued U.S. economic competitiveness and global leadership in a world that is becoming more technologically advanced with each passing year."

Read the entire text of Braun's testimony.

See a webcast of all the testimony on the Committee's website.

In addition to his extensive history at NASA, Braun currently serves as vice chair of the National Research Council’s Space Studies Board and is chair of the Standing Review Board for the Mars 2020 Project. A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Braun was recently appointed to serve as the editor of AIAA's Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets.

Georgia Tech is leading the way, graduating the most female engineers in the nation, but the College of Engineering is not resting on its success. Its incoming freshman class this fall will have close to 30 percent women. Two of Georgia Tech’s engineering programs, biomedical and environmental, both have more than 50 percent women. 

Despite the success, Georgia Tech Dean of Engineering Gary May knows the Institute can do more.

“Right now we have a lot of work to do to build awareness and provide a support system for our women students as well as for our faculty, for that matter,” said May, who hosted a media roundtable in Washington, D.C. to discuss the challenges and success stories involved with attracting women to the STEM fields.

“I think the most critical aspect of what we’re doing is bringing awareness of the issues,” said May. “As an institution in a leadership position in the production of women engineers and scientists, it is our responsibility to get the word out about how important this is to the rest of the nation.”

The roundtable, held on Capitol Hill, highlighted a discussion of thought leaders from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, IBM and Caterpillar; representatives from academia; and recent alumni.  Panelists shared their personal stories about overcoming obstacles, how they developed their own career in a STEM field as well as shared what their employers are doing to encourage women in the STEM fields.

“I’m an engineer. I’ve had a terrific career and really enjoyed what I’ve done and the types of problems you can bring your toolset to solve,” said Patricia Falcone from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and a roundtable panelist. “When I went to school, it was kind of the early days for women going into engineering. What surprises me is that the numbers haven’t gone up. We know that having mixed and diverse teams really enables creativity and good solutions.”

“I believe the number one issue with girls and women in technical fields is confidence or lack of confidence,” said Susan Puglia, vice president of IBM’s Global University Programs and vice chair of IBM’s Academy of Technology board of governors. “Building that confidence early on as girls are going through middle school, high school and even college, as well as into the workforce, is so important.”

Puglia says that IBM and other companies have programs designed to support their female workforce.

“We’ve been focused on some programs at IBM on teaching women what computing and engineering is all about," she said. "In the workforce, it takes the form of coaches or sponsorships to help them progress and do well in their fields.

The media roundtables are an example of a collaborative effort between Georgia Tech’s Office of Government and Community Relations, College of Engineering, Office of Development and Institute Communications.

“Policymakers in Washington, D.C. are very concerned about the STEM crisis in our country and the impact it’s having on our competitiveness,” said Robert Knotts, Georgia Tech’s director of Federal Relations. "As the producer of more engineers than any other university in the country, it’s important that Georgia Tech lead the discussion about how we can get more girls and women engaged in engineering. We were thrilled to hear from Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (the ranking member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee) and from our distinguished panel of experts about what we can all do to encourage and support female engineers.”

“This collaborative effort was possible because we had the support of so many units across campus,” said Matt Nagel, director of media relations. “Media roundtables give us a unique opportunity to raise Georgia Tech’s profile among many of its key audiences on a national level including media, congressional staff and other influencers in the D.C. area.”

Georgia Tech media relations team is working on several upcoming media roundtables, but Nagel says they are always looking for good ideas from the units across campus.

“Each roundtable is different. The Women in Engineering roundtable was targeted toward congressional staff and higher education reporters. In the future, we may take a more specific topic and have a much more intimate group setting.”

Two researchers from Georgia Tech were invited by the White House to hear the announcement live. Robert E. Guldberg, executive director for the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and mechanical engineering professor along with Craig Forest, an assistant professor in mechanical engineering, were present to hear President Obama’s pledge.

“To hear the President’s announcement was exciting," Guldberg said. “Neuroengineering is a major strength at Georgia Tech and along with our state-wide partners, we are well poised to make significant contributions to this new initiative."

The project is modeled after previous scientific grant challenges, such as the Human Genome Project which mapped the human genome. Francis Collins, director, National Institute of Health, called the potential advancements from this research the next “greatest scientific frontier.”

Unlocking the human brain has the potential to impact dozens of diseases including, Parkinson’s disease, eye diseases, mental health, traumatic brain injury, to name just a few. The NIH committed $40 million from its budget for the project and other government agencies, including the National Science Foundation as well as Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency also made commitments. Additional funds will come from foundations and other non-profits.

“BRAIN represents a massive challenge across an interdisciplinary spectrum, for example, neuroengineering tool development, neuroscientific interpretation of the deluge of data to arise, and computing challenges in storage and processing,” said Forest who is currently conducting research in this area. “The magnitude of the undertaking by mankind is analogous to the Apollo Space Program or Manhattan Project in its breadth, depth, technical complexity and the need for large teams focused on ‘big science.’”

Forest recently collaborated with MIT to develop a way to automate the process of finding and recording information from individual neurons in the living brain. He was featured on CNN earlier this week for this work.

That is the message Henrik Christensen, Georgia Tech’s KUKA Chair of Robotics in the College of Computing, will bring to the Congressional Robotics Caucus on March 20 as he presents “A Roadmap for U.S. Robotics: From Internet to Robotics - 2013 Edition.”

The report, which outlines the progress of robots in multiple industries over the last five years and identifies goals for the coming decade, highlights robotics as a key economic enabler with the potential to transform U.S. society.

“Robots have the potential to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., to improve our quality of life and to make sure our first responders and warfighters stay safe,” said Christensen, who is also the coordinator of Robotics Virtual Organization (VO), sponsor of the report. “We need to address the technical and educational needs so we can continue to be leaders in developing and using robotic technology.”

A group of more than 160 experts from universities, industry and government came together for five workshops over the last year to fully evaluate the use of robotics across various applications and create a roadmap to the future. Christensen is presenting that report to lawmakers as a guide on how to allocate resources to maximize progress.

Most notably, the group found using robots in manufacturing could help generate production systems that are economically competitive to outsourcing to countries with lower wages.

Companies such as Apple, Lenovo, Samsung and Foxconn already have begun to “reshore” manufacturing by using robotics in production systems. The sale of robotics in manufacturing grew by 44 percent in 2011 as robots have become cheaper and safer. The use of robots is shifting from big companies such as General Motors, Ford, Boeing and Lockheed Martin to small and medium-sized enterprises to enable burst manufacturing for one-off products, the report found.

Christensen notes that automation in manufacturing will not lead to job losses for U.S. workers, but will create new high-value jobs.  

“Some jobs will be eliminated, but they are the ‘dirty, dull and dangerous’ jobs,” Christensen said. “Those jobs will be replaced with skilled labor positions. That’s why one of the goals in the roadmap is to educate the workforce.”

In addition to manufacturing, robots are helping businesses such as Amazon improve logistics and reduce delivery costs, a savings that could be passed on to the consumer. In agriculture, robots are being used to precisely deliver pesticide onto crops, reducing unnecessary exposure of chemicals on produce. The report recommends continued progress in both areas.

With advances in human-like manipulation, robots are increasingly assisting individuals with disabilities with tasks such as getting out and preparing meals. They are also being used in 40 percent more medical procedures than a few years ago and in a greater number of surgical areas such as cardiothoracic, gynecology, urology, orthopedics and neurology. The use of robots for surgery can reduce complications by 80 percent, the report found.

Robots have proven their value in removing first-responders and soldiers from immediate danger. More than 25,000 robotic systems were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan for ground and aerial missions. More than 50 percent of pilots in the U.S. Air Force operate remotely piloted systems and never leave the ground.

Also robots are becoming an integral part of space exploration, such as the Opportunity and Curiosity on Mars rovers. A “robonaut” is on the International Space Station helping with menial but important research tasks.

As impressive as the progress in robotics has been, the report outlines five-, 10- and 15-year goals to take robotics to the next level. Critical capabilities that should be developed for robotics include 3-D perception, intuitive human-robot interaction and safe robot behavior.

The report is an update of the initial robotics roadmap, which was published and presented to Congress in May 2009. That roadmap led to the creation of the National Robotics Initiative, an effort jointly sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Institutes of Health. It also established Robotics VO, a community networking platform that brings all robotics players together to focus on joint initiatives including research, STEM outreach and technology transfer.

“Robotics is one of a few technologies capable of building new companies, creating new jobs and addressing a number of issues of national importance,” said Christensen. “We hope this report will help foster the discussion on how we can build partnerships and allocate resources to move the robotics industry forward.” 

"From our service together on the Defense Policy Board, I know that Chuck has a very clear worldview, and that it aligns with the mainstream of U.S. foreign and defense policy and with President Obama," Nunn said in his statement. "Chuck Hagel believes that we must build and preserve American strength as a force for good in the world. He realizes that protecting our interests requires strong allies and friends and strong American leadership."

The hearing was broadcast on C-SPAN. The transcript and archived webcast may be accessed here.

Boston spoke about the need for continued support of the 8(a) Business Development Program, an initiative for businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Boston said that businesses participating in the program annually produce 124,000 jobs and $5.5 billion in revenue.

Click here to see the roundtable session.

Brown, a professor in the School of Public Policy, completed a two-year term on the board in May. Her nomination, along with four other nominations announced September 21st in a White House news release, are subject to Senate confirmation which is expected to occur after the November presidential election.  

In his speech, Peterson spoke of the power of partnership.

“Georgia Tech, the City of Atlanta, the State of Georgia and the Department of Commerce all share the same goals of expanding the entrepreneurial eco-system,” said Peterson. “We are continuing to initiate and foster programs designed to strengthen these efforts.”

Other attendees included Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Invest Atlanta President and CEO Brian McGowan and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director David Kappos, as well as local entrepreneurs.

Click here to see a recording of the event.

Written by Vett Vandiver, Student Communications Assistant

The roundtable discussions, held Aug. 9 at the White House in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., brought together more than 35 representatives from some of the country's most promising companies that are utilizing and developing advanced technologies for clean energy manufacturing. Representatives from key research centers, public policy experts and other stakeholders also joined the discussion.

Participants discussed opportunities and challenges to continue improving U.S. competitiveness in advanced clean energy manufacturing in a wide array of topics – ranging from solar and wind to energy storage, vehicles, lighting, smart grid, fuel cells and more – through public-private partnerships in R&D, industry cluster development and technology commercialization activities.

“The roundtable discussions were critical in understanding the capabilities, ideas, and expectations that these top experts in the field of clean energy have and hold; and how we in MaRC can strategically position ourselves to collaborate with them and lead the effort in advanced clean energy manufacturing,” Wang said.

Subjects discussed and debated at the roundtable will inform the U.S. Administration’s evolving manufacturing strategy, at the energy department's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, where David Danielson, roundtable host and assistant director for energy efficiency and renewable energy, is leading an effort to identify areas of competitive advantage for U.S. manufacturers in global clean energy.

The roundtable builds upon the recent report released in July 2012 by the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee of the President's Council of Advisors on Science & Technology, “Capturing Domestic Competitive Advantage in Advanced Manufacturing.”

The report offered a set of 16 recommendations around three pillars, including enabling innovation, securing the talent pipeline, and improving the business climate.  The Aug. 9 roundtable focused on the first pillar, enabling innovation, as it relates to advanced clean energy manufacturing.

The event showcased a presentation on new online resources, a panel discussion and question and answer session, and a tour of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)—Georgia Tech’s startup accelerator.

The EIR Initiative, launched earlier this year at an information summit in Silicon Valley, was created to draw on industry expertise to strengthen USCIS policies and practices critical to American economic growth. Business experts and USCIS immigration experts worked collaboratively over a period of 90 days to optimize the range of existing nonimmigrant visa categories often used by entrepreneurs to provide pathways that are clear, consistent and aligned.

“A pervasive misconception among policy makers and academics has made excelling in innovation – defined solely as the creation of new technologies, services, and products – the holy grail of economic growth,” said Breznitz during prepared testimony.  “Accordingly, too often conversations about innovation focus on novel breakthrough developments that give rise to "game-changing" technology.”

An associate professor in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the College of Management, Breznitz is an expert in globalization and rapid innovation-based industries.  Breznitz’ remarks reframed the focus of the hearing which was entitled “China's efforts to become an innovation society."

“We somehow assume we’re still in a world where, if you innovate, all the rest will happen within your borders and this is just not true anymore,” said Breznitz. “The globalization of design, production, sophisticated manufacturing, and distribution requires a new approach to a second form of innovation – in second generation, processes and production, as well as incremental product innovation – in order to avoid the risk of losing jobs and industrial capabilities essential to the competitiveness of the United States economy.”

Breznitz outlined four central points that the commission should consider about China’s innovation capabilities and the real challenge they present for the United States:

1) Globalization has changed the manner in which innovation is carried out around the world, 2) The rise of global fragmented production of both goods and services has led, for the first time in history, to true economic international interdependency with economic and political implications, 3) China’s true innovational competitive edge, and the real competitive challenge to the U.S., is mastering the art of second generation innovation...and the science of organizational, incremental, and process innovation, 4) The United States should focus less on China’s attempt to outdo Silicon Valley and more on China’s capabilities in the commercialization, improvement and application of technologies first developed in the United States. This is our real long-term challenge and the key one if we wish capture more of the value, including job creation effects, of our own novel innovation.

Read Full Remarks
Watch the Full Commission Hearing Video (Breznitz begins at approx. 42 minutes )

The committee is charged with reviewing areas of ITS research being pursued by the U.S. Department of Transportation and providing advice on policy matters related to the ITS program. 

Klein’s research focuses on the interplay of institutions and information technology, especially in the areas of Internet governance and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) development.  In his ITS research, Dr. Klein has studied how the pre-existing institutions of the transportation sector (such as the ecology of Federal agencies and the division of responsibilities between Federal and State agencies) both helped to launch the ITS program and created barriers to rapid deployment.  Currently, Dr. Klein is especially interested in how Federal agencies can facilitate private sector entrepreneurship that unlocks information-based value in the transportation sector. 

Announced in April, the Women in Clean Energy Program is part of the U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment initiative (C3E) and is aimed at attracting more women to clean energy careers and supporting their advancement into leadership positions.  As an ambassador, Brown is one of a cohort of distinguished senior professionals who share an interest in broadening the recruitment, retention and advancement of highly qualified women in the field of clean energy and are committed to acting as champions for the goals of C3E. She and her fellow ambassadors will also serve as the selection panel for the Women in Clean Energy awards program.

Also among the inaugural group of ambassadors are: Maxine Savitz, vice president of the National Academy of Engineering and member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology; Kim Saylors-Laster, vice president for energy, Walmart; Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy; Dorothy Robyn, deputy undersecretary of Defense for Installations & Environment; and Nancy Pfund, founder and managing partner of DBL Investors.

Georgia Tech is a proud sponsor of the event that aims to get the nation’s youth interested and excited about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The free event will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 28 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 29 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, located at 801 Mount Vernon Place NW.

Faculty and staff from Georgia Tech will be showcasing the Institute’s cutting-edge research to thousands  of children through interactive and entertaining activities. At Georgia Tech’s expo booth, the activities include:

• “Augmented Reality: Moving the Internet into the Real World” – Young people will have the opportunity to try the Argon Augmented Reality Web Brower and see images, text, video and 3D characters in the real world.
• “Come Match the Art of Nanotechnology” – Students can see images transformed from an electron microscope into inspired art.
• “Lasers: Superhero Technology Everyone Can Use” – Visitors can play with lasers, bend light and defy gravity.

Representatives from the Georgia Tech’s Office of Undergraduate Admission will be at a booth in the Career Pavilion spreading the good word about Tech’s academics and campus life – to recruit the next generation of engineers and innovators. Tech alumni from the D.C. chapter will be at the booth volunteering and sharing their experiences. And, Georgia Tech’s beloved mascot, Buzz, is making the trip to D.C. for the expo.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Comedian Pete Ludovice, who is also a chemical and biomedical engineering professor at Georgia Tech, will be providing the lighter side of science in the festival expo’s “Night of Comedy” along with several other humorous scientists.

Ludovice will be doing three shows:

• “The Attack of the Monster Molecules” – April 28 at 3 p.m. on the Carver Stage
• “Statistics: Feel the Power of the Dork Side” – April 28 at 5 p.m. on the Franklin Stage.
• “Chemical Engineering – More Thank Just Gas” – April 29 at noon on the Franklin Stage

Tech’s booths will be among more than 3,000 fun and interactive exhibits, 100 stage shows and 33 author presentations at the expo. 

During her visit, Thomas met with Representative John Lewis, as well as with the staff of Representative Hank Johnson and Senator Saxby Chambliss.  She highlighted the importance of federal funding for research, including funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy, as a way to help solve some of our current challenges in energy and to create a more sustainable way of life.   She also spoke about her research on energy options in the southeast.

“Federal support of research is important both for fundamental research, that can provide the basis for future advances, and for progress on national priorities, including defense and energy,” said Thomas.

Congressional visits are imperative if we are to provide long-term understanding and communication between researchers and policy-makers she added.  “We must emphasize the importance of research with members of congress and their staff, to thank them for their ongoing support, and to build long-term relationships.”

On March 29-30, Georgia Tech students met with senior policymakers in the Obama Administration and in Congress, and discussed aspects of aerospace science and technology policy that they have been studying.

The trip was part of Braun’s undergraduate honors course – Aerospace Science and Technology Policy: The Role of NASA in the 21st Century – that addresses the importance of technology innovation and the integration of technical, budgetary and policy issues in the framing of the U.S. civilian aerospace economy.

The course covers the challenges and fundamental physics of aerospace engineering, the historical development of aerospace capabilities, and budgetary and policy aspects of this sector. The course has utilized the rollout and subsequent debate of the Obama administration 2011 NASA space policy as a case study.

The group met with Congressman Chaka Fattah; Doug Babcock, legislative staff for Senator Sherrod Brown; Charlie Harman, chief of staff for Senator Saxy Chambliss; Ed Feddeman, professional staff of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology; Alex Saltman, executive director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation; Lori Garver, NASA deputy administrator and Beth Robinson, NASA chief financial office.

“The challenges are deep-seated and multifaceted. Therefore, incremental policy changes such as job training programs are important, but are not likely to make any significant difference,” said Boston during the Council meeting. “As such, I propose that the Administration create a National Commission on Black Employment in the same manner in which national commissions were created to address the 'great recession' and the bankruptcy of the auto industry.”

Boston was one of a key group of economists and academics invited to the White House Council of Economic Advisers meeting, “African Americans, Jobs, and the Economy,” to provide input on the uniqueness of the recent financial crisis, how African Americans are faring in the recovery, and immediate- and long-run policy recommendations, especially with respect to the labor and housing market.

Boston cited research indicating that blacks have been heavily burdened by the economic crisis.  For example: unemployment rates reached their highest post-recession levels in October 2010 at 16.7% for blacks compared to 9.3% for whites. During the current economic recovery, the general unemployment rate is 8.2%, but the rate among blacks is 14.0% compared to 7 .3% among whites. Worse still, he said, black teenage unemployment is 40.5%. Blacks are about twice as likely to be unemployed as are whites, but the most onerous burden, said Boston, is that blacks make up 11.9% of the workforce but constitute 20.4% of all unemployed workers.

Boston pushed the discussion beyond the nation’s current economic struggles showing that, even when the economy is doing well, black unemployment is still very high. As an example, Boston cited the December 2007 peak in the business cycle when the unemployment rate for whites was 4.4%, but the rate for blacks was more than double that at 9.0%. In fact, the best quarter of economic performance in the last decade occurred in the fourth quarter of 2003 during which GDP grew at 6.7%. However, the unemployment rate for blacks averaged 10.6% during that quarter.

“Clearly, economic growth alone is not sufficient to reduce the disproportionately high rate of black unemployment to levels that are experienced by whites,” said Boston. “In fact, there is no scenario wherein the economy can grow robustly enough to reduce black unemployment to reasonable levels. Therefore, growth is important but it is not enough.”

A Multifaceted, Concerted Effort is needed to Address Black Unemployment

In calling for the White House to establish a National Commission on Black Employment, Boston said that such a commission could identify the most appropriate policy solutions “for dealing with the multifaceted problems that have contributed to the large racial disparity in employment.”

“The challenges of unemployment experienced by blacks are deep-seated,” he said. “Some causes are rooted in the country’s history of racial discrimination, while others have to do with the contemporary effects of globalization and de-industrialization.”

His quick summary of factors contributing to high black unemployment included:

• Disadvantages in the occupational distribution of jobs among blacks (maximal concentrated in low-paying occupations that are sensitive to changes in business cycle activity)
• A greater concentration of blacks in urban areas where unemployment is higher
• Lower rates of educational attainment
• Extreme wealth inequality (inequality exists between blacks and whites and it is growing within the black community)
• High rates of black incarceration (the criminal records of males and, increasingly, females lowers the probability of becoming employed)
• A poorly functioning and unresponsive public educational system especially in large urban areas
• A spatial mismatch between the location of jobs in metropolitan areas in the communities where blacks are concentrated
  
  

A professor of Economics in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts School of Economics, Thomas “Danny” Boston publishes the Gazelle Index, the first-ever national quarterly survey of the current conditions, level of optimism, and hiring plans of small businesses that also focuses on minority and women-owned businesses. He is also founder and CEO of EuQuant.

“By being part of the SDAV team, the Georgia Tech researchers and the software artifacts we have been producing can more widely affect research around the nation,” said Schwan, director of CERCS. “More importantly, our work can enable scientists to carry out their science mission more effectively."

The Georgia Tech team is also part of one of the CoDesign projects being undertaken by DOE researchers that will work to improve the combustion processes used in internal combustion engines.

President Obama announced the $200 million Big Data Research and Development Initiative on Thursday, March 29. Visit here to learn more about the announcement.

During her visit in February, Boyan met with several congressmen, urging them to reauthorize “The Pediatric Medical Device Safety and Improvement Act." The law provides grants to fund non-profit pediatric device consortia, such as the Atlanta Pediatric Device Consortium. The grants connect scientists and innovators with device manufacturers, providing them financial resources and regulatory guidance needed to advance the development of devices for children.

“The funding from the FDA has opened many doors and some of our small companies have been able to secure venture capital funding to pursue these devices,” Boyan said.

One of three FDA-sponsored consortia awarded last year, the Atlanta Pediatric Device Consortium is a partnership between Georgia Tech, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University.

The Atlanta Pediatric Consortium provides assistance with engineering design, prototype development, pre-clinical and clinical studies and commercialization for novel pediatric medical devices. It is currently composed of nine projects, three main projects and six pilot projects, which were incorporated from the first Pediatric Device Competition.

“This consortium has brought excitement to the Atlanta Community and strengthened our research partnerships to develop the future of pediatric medical devices,” Boyan said.

Passed in 2007, “The Pediatric Medical Device Safety and Improvement Act" includes important incentives that promote the development of medical devices for children, which currently lags five to 10 years behind those for adults. Significant barriers to pediatric device development exist, including physiological differences in pediatric patients and challenges with recruiting pediatric participants for clinical trial. The law helps to support the creation of more pediatric devices, with 107 device projects developed during the program’s first two years, according to a report by the General Accounting Office.

Boyan was accompanied to D.C. by consortium co-directors Kevin Maher, MD, a cardiologist and researcher specializing in pediatrics with appointments at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center and Emory University and Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD, a pediatric hematologist/oncologist and bioengineer with appointments at Emory, the Aflac Cancer Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Georgia Tech.

Mynatt, who also serves as the executive director of theInstitute for People and Technology (IPaT), was a member of a forward-lookingpanel that addressed the roles of government, academia, industry and theresearch community in finding and funding the next "Big Ideas."Thomas Kalil, the deputy director for Policy for the White House Office ofScience and Technology Policy, moderated the panel that also included CorporateVice President Peter Lee of Microsoft Research, President Charles Vest of the NationalAcademy of Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering Professor StefanSavage from the University of California, San Diego.

The symposium was organized by the Computing CommunityConsortium, in collaboration with the National Coordination Office (NCO) forNITRD.

“Engineeringis a profession of great wonder and rich reward,” May said at the event hostedby the White House Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to celebrate engineeringdeans for their excellence and commitment to educating and graduating moreengineers.

“Incommunicating the appeal of our profession, we must tap into what young peoplevalue most in their life’s work—flexibility, connectivity, visibility and aboveall else, the chance to use technology to make a real impact on our nation andworld and to change our society for the better,” May added.

May toutedthe strategies used by Georgia Tech to retain 94 percent of freshmen aftertheir first year and graduate eight out of every 10 students within six years.

“Even moreso, we are attracting women and minorities to engineering in large numbers and,I am proud to say, graduating them, making Georgia Tech the nation’s largestand most diverse college of engineering,” said May, who chairs the Dean’sAdvisory Committee for the High Technology Education Working Group, which is partof the White House Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

Georgia Techwas one of 50 engineering colleges recognized at the event for its excellenceand commitment to engineering education. During the ceremony, the council alsoannounced a partnership with the American Society for Engineering Education todevelop metrics to formally recognize engineering schools that meet particulargraduation and retention levels.

U.S. PresidentBarack Obama has a goal of graduating 10,000 additional new engineers each yearthrough private sector incentives and efforts in engineering schools to attractand retain top talent. The council is comprised of leaders from companies thatrely on a quality STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workforceand who have a particular interest in the production of more engineers.

Along withMay, other featured speakers at the ceremony included: Valerie Jarrett, senioradvisor to the President; Paul Otellini, president and CEO of Intel; StevenChu, U.S. Secretary of Energy; Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education; and DonGiddens, president of the American Society for Engineering Education and formerdean of engineering at Georgia Tech.

Cross was invitedto present testimony at the hearing entitled, “Doing Business with the DOD:Getting Innovative Solutions from Concept to the Hands of the Warfighter.” Thepanel asked for insight on the role that universities, research institutionsand laboratories play in developing innovative technologies for the Departmentof Defense, particularly in the effort to transition research from academicconcept into production.

As part ofhis testimony, Cross highlighted Georgia Tech’s FY 2011 $643 million in researchexpenditures and how the institute supports and translates defense researchthrough technology transition and innovation programs.

“Defenseresearch and associated technology transition and innovation programs are vitalfor ensuring the United States retains a competitive advantage in its nationalsecurity posture,” Cross said. “As shown time and time again, the fruits ofdefense research seed economic development helping accelerate new technologies tomarket.”

According toCross, such technologies are available for use in defense systems at a fractionof what they would otherwise cost and in a much reduced time frame.

 Representatives from the Stanford Research Institute and theMITRE Corporation joined Cross in presenting testimony. A copy of his testimonycan be found at the link below.

That’s a huge loss of innovation and entrepreneurship at atime when the United States desperately needs both.  Stephen Fleming, a Georgia Tech vicepresident and executive director of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise InnovationInstitute, recently told a U.S. Chamber of Commerce forum that this loss costsU.S. competitiveness and jobs, both present and future.

As a former venture capitalist now responsible for GeorgiaTech’s programs for high-tech startup companies, Fleming meets many students withtechnical backgrounds who have the entrepreneurial bent.  One statistic he cited: of 28 students in arecent innovation competition, 26 were from overseas.  Under our current status, those 26 represententrepreneurial talent for our competitors.

Immigration has been a hot-button issue for several yearsnow, but Fleming points out that immigrants have been powering U.S.entrepreneurship – and some of our most innovative companies – fordecades.  Our higher education systemattracts the best students from around the world, so why shouldn’t we be takingadvantage of that, seeing that as an opportunity rather than a problem?

Read Fleming’s comments hereand see a video of his presentation on C-SPAN.

The report was the last in a series requested by Congress in 2008 for the purpose of providing "action-oriented advice" on how the U.S. should be treating the issue of climate change. The panel of scientists, politicians, and business leaders was created by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, the country's foremost institution tasked with providing scientific advice to lawmakers.

The report, entitled "America's Climate Choices," argues that the consequences of inaction in the face of climate change could be severe. No specific legislative recommendations were made, but the report warns about the dangers of global warming and agrees with the scientific evidence that points to the burning of fossil fuels as the problem. It concludes that "the significant risks that climate change poses to human society and the environment provide a strong motivation to move ahead with substantial response efforts."

The report committee was chaired by Al Carnesale, University of California Los Angeles and included Vice Chair, Bill Chameides, Duke University; Marilyn Brown; Donald Boesch, University of Maryland; Thomas Dietz, Michigan State University; Jim Geringer, Environmental Systems Research Institute; Philip R. Sharp, Resources for the Future; Robert Socolow, Princeton University.

Brown participated in a dialog held in Washington, D.C. May 12th that introduced the report to the public. A recording of the event may be seen here.

Press release for America's Climate Choices

The hearing, “China’s Foreign Policy: Challenges and Players,” examined emerging issues and new interest groups in China’s foreign policy, as well as China’s relationship with Iran, North Korea, and Russia.   

In his statement, Garver disaggregated China’s relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) since early 2003 (when the Iran nuclear issue intensified) into six policies. Garver argued that this array of policies, not all of which are logically consistent, 1) represents an attempt to balance China’s interest in maintaining good relations with the United States on the one hand, and important energy and political interests with Tehran on the other, and, 2) reflects the distinct interests and perspectives of key actors in China's decision making process.

“China’s Iran Policies,” Prepared Statement, Hearings on China’s Foreign Policy:  Challenges and Players, U.S.-China Economic and Security Review commission, U.S. C Congress.  13 April 2011. Figures

Review the hearing and transcripts at www.uscc.gov

Two presenters,one from Georgia Tech and the other from US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)in Washington DC, joined the Wellington event by videoconference to discuss anew approach to tackling the global e-waste problem.

Dr Valerie Thomasis the Anderson Interface Associate Professor of Natural Systems in the StewartSchool of Industrial and Systems Engineering with a jointappointment in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech.  She has been researching the concept of SmartTrash for a number of years and believes that the time is right for electronicproducts to take ‘self responsibility’. “Product stewardship encourages suppliers to take responsibility fortheir own products at end of life, but I believe we can go even further and getthe products to take more responsibility for themselves,” she said.   “The secret is to attach the UniversalProduct Code (UPC) barcode or RFID (radio frequency identification) tag to the productitself, as opposed to the packaging which is typically discarded as soon as theproduct is installed.”  She cited asuccessful application with mobile phones in Europe where the data in thebarcode recorded full details of the materials used in manufacture, reducingcosts when the phones are sent for recycling.

Dr Thomas pointedout the costs of applying RFID tags at the point of manufacture have dropped toas low as US 5 cents, so there is no cost barrier to widespread implementation,even on low value items. “Once implemented, lots of new options becomeavailable for efficiently managing the re-use, refurbishment or recycling ofthe products,” she said. “But most importantly, it will make the disposal ofelectronic trash easy for the end consumer and even open up the possibility ofa cash return.  With cash incentives anduser-friendliness, consumers are much more likely to start disposing of theirelectronic waste in a responsible and environment-friendly manner.”

Angie Leith fromEPA provided the background to the development of RFID as a possible technologyfor tracking electronic products at end of life as well as for the distributionof new products to retailers.  “Westarted studying RFID technologies in 2002 to help us understand any possiblenegative effects on the environment, but now see them as a possible tool formanaging waste streams and increasing the levels of recycling.  In the USA in 2009, only 15% of theelectronic equipment entering the waste stream was recycled and our goal is to achieve recycling rates much closer tothe national average for other materials (33%), or even higher,” she said.

“Twenty-fivepercent of the states in America now have legislation covering e-waste, withmany banning electronic waste in landfills. We are relying on technology innovations such as RFID to help usimplement better e-waste solutions on a nationwide basis,” Ms Leith said.   But she did point out that this will rely oncomputer companies attaching RFID tags to their products at the point ofmanufacture. “While we will do everything we can to encourage this, we do notenvisage a legislative solution at this stage,” she concluded.

“Efficient andconvenient collection and disposal systems are critical for successful e-wasterecycling, but it is important that the mechanisms are also in place totransport the recovered materials into new manufacturing processes,” saidLaurence Zwimpfer, Chair of the eDay New Zealand Trust, and MC for the SmartTrash discussion. “This presents a special challenge for New Zealand, becauseof our geographic isolation from the main manufacturing nations in Asia andEurope.  We still have to pay to getextracted materials to these markets.  Wefind the Smart Trash approach very interesting and will certainly encouragemanufacturers to start tagging their products, but we believe there will stillbe a net cost to achieve sustainable e-waste recycling in New Zealand.  We will continue to press for productstewardship schemes to be put in place in New Zealand with supportinggovernment regulations to ensure all suppliers participate equitably incovering these costs,” he said.

The eDay NewZealand Trust was formed in 2010 to focus on the development of sustainablesolutions for the recycling of electronic waste in New Zealand and the Pacific.  It took over running the annual eDay, freee-waste recycling event in New Zealand, which in 2010 saw nearly 20,000 carsdropping off over 80,000 items of electronic waste, filling over 160 20’shipping containers. 

The Public AffairsSection of the Embassy of the United States of America arranges videoconferencepresentations from time to time on matters of public interest.

Anthony Belvin (B.S. mechanical engineering‘97) is an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the Department ofEnergy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. He is the first fellow ever selected to workin this office.

Priorto this fellowship, Belvin served as a senior technical staff member in theApplied Technologies Division at the Y-12 National Security Complex in OakRidge, Tenn.  Before that, Anthony developedengineering solutions for Sandia National Laboratories—Livermore, Ford MotorCompany, Pratt & Whitney and the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration’s Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.

Inaddition to his undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech, Belvin earned hismaster’s degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University and a PhD in mechanicalengineering from Florida A&M University.

TripleGeorgia Tech alumnus Anthony Dickherber(B.S. electrical engineering ‘99; M.S. electrical and computer engineering ‘02,and Ph.D. bioengineering ‘08) is an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowat the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute.

Previously,Dickherber served as a postdoctoral fellow in 2009 at Georgia Tech’s NanotechnologyResearch Center and was a Tech graduate research assistant from 2003 to 2008,as well as a research engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute from 1999to 2003.  Dickherber also completed aprofessional co-op assignment at Scientific Atlanta (now Cisco Broadband) in1997.

Richard A. Simmons (B.S. mechanicalengineering ‘93) is serving as an energy officer at the U.S. Department ofState, where he supports the Office of International Energy and Commodities byapplying technical expertise and support to international policy issues relatedto energy.

Alicensed professional engineer for 15 years, Simmons has concentrated his work inthe automotive industry, studying advanced materials, recycling and alternativefuels. Simmons is also a board member and technical advisor of companies basedin Atlanta and Brussels, Belgium respectively.

Jacqueline Tront (B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. incivil and environmental engineering) is an AAAS Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S.State Department, Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, Office ofEnvironmental Policy, Division of Environment and Trade. Prior to her selectionas an AAAS Diplomacy Fellow, Tront was a postdoctoral fellow in the Institutefor Geotechnical Engineering at the ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute ofTechnology) in Zurich, Switzerland. Her research focused on applications anddevelopment of environmental biotechnology, with an emphasis on microbial fuelcell biosensor development for use in environmental monitoring and soilimprovement for natural disaster abatement/avoidance.

Annica Wayman (M.S. in mechanicalengineering ‘03 and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering ‘06) is an AAAS Science andTechnology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development inthe Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning.

Anative of West Chester, Pa., Wayman worked as a senior engineer in medicalsurgical systems at Becton Dickinson from 2006 to 2010, prior to thefellowship. Wayman was also a National Science Foundation Fellow, PresidentialFellow, FACES Fellow and ARCS Fellow – all at Georgia Tech.

Theimpact of the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships is well known onCapitol Hill and in departments and agencies that have a science-related focus.Since they were founded in 1973, the fellowships have sent more than 2,300scientists and engineers to work for a year or two in Congress and nearly 20executive branch agencies and departments. Scores have stayed on to buildhigh-impact careers in government, while others have gone on to leadershippositions in education, private enterprise and non-governmental organizations.

This year, for the second consecutive year, the energy, environment andagriculture program area has the largest contingent of Fellows. 

In September, U.S. House of Representatives Research and Science Education Subcommittee Chairman, Daniel Lipinski said, "Given the magnitude of the federal investment in science and technology, there is a need for objective analysis and evaluation of federally funded R&D programs. And given the size of the budget deficit, Congressional decision makers need the best information possible to make sure we are spending taxpayer dollars optimally."

Lipinski's remarks highlighted the science of science policy (SoSP), an emerging field of interdisciplinary research that is promoted by the White House Office of Science and Technology's SoSP initiative and receives funding from the National Science Foundation.   Associate Dean of Research and Public Policy Professor Susan Cozzens, and Professor and Chair of the School of Public Policy Diana Hicks are leading researchers in the field, which is providing a scientifically rigorous basis from which policy makers and researchers can assess the impacts of the nation's scientific and engineering enterprise, improve their understanding of its dynamics, and assess likely outcomes.

Cozzens and Hicks were invited presenters at the White House Office of Science and Technology’s (OSTP) Workshop on the Science of Science Measurement December 2-3, which included researchers from Harvard, MIT Sloan School of Management, and the University of Michigan. The workshop was sponsored by the OSTP’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), a Cabinet-level Council chaired by President Obama that is charged with establishing “clear national goals for Federal science and technology investments in a broad array of areas that span virtually all the mission areas of the executive branch.”  Its scientific committee included members of key federal policy and research funding groups including National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Institute of Health, Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, BEA, and the Department of Education.

Cozzens and Michele Snoeck (Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay) presented "Knowledge to Policy: Contributing to the Measurement of Social, Health, and Environmental Benefits ". Hicks presented "Systemic data infrastructure for innovation policy " during the segment focused on Technology Development and Deployment.

The workshop was intended to “create a dialogue between the Federal science and technology (S&T) agencies and the research community about relevant models, tools, and data that advance scientific measurement in key areas of national S&T interest:  economic benefits; social, health and environmental benefits; S&T workforce development; and technology development and deployment. Secondly, the workshop was to identify a joint Science of Science Policy research agenda for the Federal S&T agencies and the research community.

Read more about the workshop and watch videos at  http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/sosp/

For Curry's full written testimony, see the link below.

Lieberman, one of four panelistsparticipating in the briefing, will focus her remarks on the research interestsof her lab, the value of that research and why Congress should care.

“I also plan to discuss those who doresearch, like students and postdocs, and how all of this activity helps informmy in-class teaching, along with working towards our nation's goals of havingan educated, skilled workforce,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman, one of two early-stageinvestigators on the panel, was selected to participate in the October 7briefing after being named a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences. She will bejoined by panelists from Boston University, John Hopkins University and theGeoffrey Beene Gives Back Alzheimer’s Initiative.

Boston is the national authority on economic issues related to minorities, minority businesses, low income housing, and community development.  He has provided consul and/or testimony to U.S. congressional subcommittees and consults extensively with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Small Business Adminstration, and with international and national organizations including ING Financial Services; the Inter-American Development Bank, and the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization.  He has served on the Council of Economic Advisors for Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, and on committees under other Atlanta mayors and also has served under multiple Georgia governors on state committees examining such important issues as the state tax structure and the state welfare system.

DesRoches was invited to share his expertise on earthquakeresilience in theUnited States focusing on the risks associated with and the effects ofapotential catastrophic earthquake event. His testimony highlighted hisbackgroundon the performance of built infrastructure in the Central andSoutheasternUnited States and his firsthand experience with the earthquake in Haiti.

An internationally recognized expert in reducing damage and loss fromearthquakes, DesRoches’ research focuses on earthquake-resistant designandretrofitting of bridges, protective systems for buildings and bridgesand theperformance of transportation networks. A native of Haiti, DesRochesled a team of earthquake experts to the island nation last winter tostudy thedamage from the major quake that struck there in January.

Brown has been on the faculty at Georgia Tech since 2006.  Previous to that she had a distinguished career at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. At ORNL, she led several national scenario studies of climate change technology and policy options and held various leadership positions. Her current research addresses the development and deployment of sustainable energy technologies, the design of policy options to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the evaluation of energy programs and policies . At Georgia Tech, her research projects have included an assessment of the $3 billion/year multi-agency R&D portfolio comprising the U.S. Climate Change Technology Program, analysis of the geography of metropolitan carbon footprints, development of a national climate change technology deployment strategy, and an assessment of the cost and availability of supply- and demand-side electricity resources in the Southeast. 

The senate also confirmed to the TVA board, Barbara S. Haskew, a professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State University, Neil G. McBride, a long-time public-interest lawyer, Bill Sansom, a former chairman of the TVA Board and president and chief executive officer of Knoxville-based H.T. Hackney Company.  The four join current members of the board: Current members of the TVA Board of Directors are Chairman Dennis Bottorff of Nashville, Tenn.; Mike Duncan of Inez, Ky.; Tom Gilliland, of Blairsville, Ga.; William Graves of Memphis, Tenn., and Howard Thrailkill of Huntsville, Ala.

On September 11, 2008, Boston spoke to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship chaired by Sen. John Kerry. The hearing focused on Business Start-up Hurdles in Underserved Communities: Access to Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship Training.

Boston s remarks focused on the important contribution to the U.S. economy made by businesses that participate in the government s Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) program and put forth recommendations for adjusting the program to allow minority firms to move to the next level of growth. His testimony concluded, This committee could facilitate a tremendous leap forward for minority firms in gaining access to capital, bonding and venture capital funding if it would simply make adjustments to one of the federal government's own regulations. By this I mean altering the [sic: $750,000] personal net worth ceiling that is used as criteria for eligibility in the SDB program.

On September 24, Dr. Boston, delivered similar testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives. That discussion centered on how information policy affects competitive viability in minority contracting. Boston made recommendations for replacing the personal net worth ceiling with more industry specific and business development criteria.

Mechanical engineering graduate Adam Christensen  is working in the office of Washington State Congressman Jay Inslee who represents the North Seattle and the Puget Sound area. Tony Dickherber, a bioengineering graduate, is working with the National Cancer Institute while Richard Simmons and Jaqueline Tront are both assigned to the State Department.

Over the past few decades, ASME Federal Fellows have distinguished themselves as key advisors on standards, nanotechnology, risk analysis, critical infrastructure, energy, education, aerospace, manufacturing, technology development and other national issues of the day.  More information on the ASME Federal Fellows program can be found at the link below.

In invited testimony March 24th before the U.S. House Science and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, Dan Breznitz offered a globally informed perspective on the federal government's role in supporting innovation.

Breznitz, Associate Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the School of Public Policy, testified at the request of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation hearing entitled Supporting Innovation in the 21st Century Economy. A theme of the hearing was the need for a comprehensive federal strategy to create an environment that is conducive to innovation in the United States. According to the witnesses, a comprehensive innovation strategy would include components such as a tax policy amenable to attracting capital, a more efficient process to transition research to commercialization and immigration policies that attract the best and the brightest and keep them in the United States.

Breznitz outlined the challenges associated with government efforts to enable innovation and the lessons the U.S. might take from other countries. He discussed three roles that the government has to play in innovation policy: public financing of private innovation; public production of innovation (i.e. financing of industrial research at nonprofit institutions); and facilitation of professional, interinstitutional networks. He also suggested that federal-state partnerships could stimulate states to compete in the development of different, experimental and creative policies for innovation and encourage regional collaboration.

Other testimony during the hearing was presented by Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Mark Kamlet, Provost at Carnegie Mellon University; Rob Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation; and Paul Holland, General Partner at Foundation Capital.

A PDF of Breznitz remarks and a webcast of the hearing with complete witness testimony is available at the link below.

President Obama announced his intent to nomiate Brown for a position on the TVA board. (Read more in the December Ivan Allen College Newsletter - link below).

Brown's statement begins about two thirds of the way through the video which also includes statements and discussion of climate change and air quality issues by U.S. Senators Boxer, Alexander, Barrasso, and Whitehouse and by Brown's co-nominees Bill Sansom--a businessman, Neil McBride--public rights lawyer, and Barbara Haskew--an economist and past-Provost of Middle Tennessee State University.

Economics professor Thomas "Danny" Boston has been tapped by U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu's chief of staff to help the Small Business Administration (SBA) re-fashion federal guidelines for purchasing from minority businesses. Boston was asked to join a roundtable discussion convened September 24th by Landrieu who chairs the Senate Small Business Committee.

The roundtable hearing enabled senators and their staff to explore small business policy and seek recommendations for changes from Dr. Boston and other participants. Discussion centered on "Minority Entrepreneurship: Evaluating Small Business Resources and Programs."

Boston's work with the committee centers on the SBA's Small Disadvantaged Businesses(SDB). Program modifications in 1998 established a Personal Net Worth (PNW) ceiling or cap. The $750,000 ceiling was designed to restrict access to federal preferential procurement contracts to disadvantaged business owners. Boston's research shows that, in practice, the ceiling has severely constrained the capacity of participating firms. "Increasing the PNW ceiling is a necessary condition," says Boston, "but it is a very short" run solution to a major regulatory impediment."

This was Boston's third briefing during the past year at the behest of a congressional body relevant to his research on minority entrepreneurship.

For more information on the colloquia, please visit the website.

To view the video or to read the entire transcript of Dr. LaPlaca's testimony, please click link below:

Dr. LaPlaca's Senate Testimony

President-elect Obama

To view full article: Georgia GOP Stem Cell

Michelle LaPlaca, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on Wednesday examining Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in veterans and progress being made in treating this wound.

LaPlaca shared her research experience in diagnosing and treating TBI along with her collaborations with the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Video and a textual transcript of her testimony can be found at the proceeding link.

“It may, however, surprise you to learn that during the worst quarter of the last recession small businesses added 82 percent of all new jobs and those jobs were concentrated in firms with 50 or fewer workers,” Boston told the representatives. “As of the last business census in 2002, minority-owned firms comprised 18 percent of all U.S. small businesses and their number is increasing at a rate that greatly exceeds that of non-minority-owned firms.”

Boston went on to say that he supported the creation of an "Office of Minority and Women Inclusion" as it was defined in The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H. R. 4173), because he thought it could be an effective and creative way to help level the playing field among American businesses. The office would go beyond an attempt to achieve social equity, he said.

“Much like the unemployment compensation act initiated during the Great Depression, this bill can be viewed solely on its merits as an effective approach to economic stimulus, poverty reduction, community revitalization and job creation among minority workers in distressed central cities,” said Boston.

The meeting was chaired by representatives Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Dennis Moore (D-KS). To view a full list of the witnesses and their testimony, click on the link below.

One theme of the hearing was the need for a comprehensive federal strategy to create an environment that is conducive to innovation in the U.S.  According to the witnesses, a comprehensive innovation strategy would include components such as a tax policy amenable to attracting capital, a more efficient process to transition research to commercialization and immigration policies that attract the best and the brightest and keep them in the U.S.    

Breznitz discussed three roles that the government has to play in innovation policy: public financing of private innovation, public production of innovation (i.e. financing of industrial research at non-profit institutions), and facilitation of professional, inter-institutional networks. He also suggested that federal-state partnerships could encourage states to compete in the development of different, experimental and creative policies for innovation and encourage regional collaboration.

On this trip, President Petersonmet with three Members of the Georgia delegation to Congress:Congressman Sanford Bishop (representing GA’s 2^nd district which includes Albany,Columbus and Thomasville), Congressman Hank Johnson (representing GA’s 4^th district which includes Lithoniaand Tucker), and Congressman David Scott (representing GA’s 13^th district which includesJonesboro and Smyrna). 

At federal agencies, he met with Department ofEnergy Under Secretary Steven Koonin, with whom he discussed GeorgiaTech's research activities and industry partnerships in a variety ofenergy areas.  He also met with Esther Lee, the Director of the newOffice of Innovation and Entrepreneurship within the Office ofSecretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce, to discuss Georgia Tech'srole as an economic driver for the state of Georgia and theSoutheastern U.S. and the Institute's experience and expertise ininnovation and technology transfer.

DesRoches spent several days in Port-au-Prince following at the end of January and beginning of February assessing the infrastructure damage sustained in the country. 

Beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, DesRoches will discuss his initial findings with several Congressional committees, beginning with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, followed by meetings with the House Foreign Relations Committee and the House Science and Technology Committee. The staff of Georgia Rep. John Lewis will join DesRoches during his meeting with the House Foreign Relations Committee.

These briefings will be followed by a brown bag lunch at the World Bank, where he will present his findings alongside other national and international researchers.

DesRoches will be traveling back to Haiti at the beginning of March for further evaluation of the country's condition.

The bill, according to supporters will improve security in all sectors by building a skilled cybersecurity workforce, speed the transfer of technologies to market, and promote awareness of cybersecurity to the public.

“A large fraction of the American people, its businesses and government institutions have become increasingly dependent on networked information technologies. We are at risk because these infrastructures are riddled with vulnerabilities and cannot fully be trusted,” Goodman wrote in a letter to Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Lipinski (D-IL).

In his letter, Goodman wrote the he applauds the subcommittees recognition that social and behavioral factors play a critical role in securing computing resources.

“From my perspective, and the perspective of educational institutions, the bill is extraordinary in the extent to which it tries to address education and workforce building issues,” said Goodman.

Now that the bill has passed the House, it has been referred to the Senate Committee Commerce, Science and Transportation for consideration.

In an effort to craft legislation to reduce the environmental impact of electronics, and to support the incorporation of environmental considerations in engineering curricula, the Science and Technology Committee sought testimony from five witnesses regarding the draft legislation entitled "The Electronic Waste Research and Development Act of 2009.*

According to Thomas, "Today, recycling programs for electronics and other consumer products have low recycling rates both because collection programs are difficult for consumers to use and because the products are difficult to recycle. To achieve high recycling rates, products need to be designed for recycling, and collection programs need to be designed to be very easy, almost automatic, regardless of the complexity of the product. Currently, consumers are mainly responsible for managing the recycling or disposal of their products. In some locations there have been efforts to make producers responsible for managing the recycling or disposal of their products. A third approach might work better: improve both product design and collection systems so that products can increasing manage their own entry into the collection and recycling system. Rather than having to continue to work so hard to educate consumers about how to recycle each and every one of their purchases, consumer products could, almost, manage themselves (Saar and Thomas 2002; Thomas 2003).*

Thomas and the other witnesses discussed innovative ways to deal with electronic waste and how research and development can help address the challenge of managing the disposal of electronic products in the United States.

Five witnesses, representing perspectives from academia, a non-profit electronics producer, and electronics recyclers, offered testimony. They included:

Dr. Valerie Thomas, Anderson Interface Associate Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and School of Public Policy. Dr. Thomas discussed her research on innovative methods to manage electronic waste and the challenges facing the recycling and re-use of electronic products.

Read Dr. Thomas' testimony: http://www.isye.gatech.edu/thomastestimony

Video of hearing (click on webcast):
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2348

Dr. Paul Anastas, Teresa and H. John Heinz III Professor in the Practice of Chemistry for the Environment and Director, Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Dr. Anastas discussed the applicability of research in green chemistry and engineering to the electronics sector.

Mr. Philip J. Bond, President, Information Technology Association of America.
Mr. Bond discussed ways in which innovation through R&D could help electronics manufacturers address the challenge of electronic waste. He will also give his views on promoting collaboration between industry and non-industry researchers to encourage the transfer of successful research into products.

Mr. Jeff Omelchuck, Executive Director, Green Electronics Council, Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). Mr. Omelchuck discussed the development and utility of EPEAT, challenges to making existing electronic products more environmentally friendly, and ways in which R&D could address these challenges.

Mr. Willie Cade, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, PC Rebuilders and Recyclers, Home of the Computers for Schools Program. Mr. Cade discussed the challenges faced by electronic refurbishes and recyclers, as well as ways to promote collaboration between academic researchers and the recycling and refurbishing business.

On June 10, Professor Sy Goodman, joint with the School of Computer Science and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, briefed the U.S. House of Representatives' Science and Technology Committee and Research and Science Education Subcommittee during its hearing on "Cyber Security R&D".

Stepp,a Computer Science major in the College of Computing, is a former national andregional winner of the Aspirations in ComputingAward. Champion is an assistantprofessor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

TheOffice of Public Engagement is hosting the event, and White House PolicyOffices will use the discussions to create best practices for future education initiatives.

Goodman is a professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the College of Computing, and serves as co-Director of both the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) and the Center for International Security, Technology, and Policy (CISTP).

In his remarks, Goodman stated that "cybersecurity should be viewed as a broad societal issue, like auto safety or public health" and that "cyber protection will be an ongoing need, requiring continually improved responses to dynamically changing circumstances." He focused on two dimensions of cybersecurity: "what I fear is a coming tsunami of insecurity due to the spread of cellular telephones and other mobile devices" and their increased use for accessing the internet and conducting business, and the challenge of educating a professional workforce capable of achieving "safer and more secure cyberspace."
Read Goodman's full testimony

Goodman is a professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the College of Computing, and serves as co-Director of both the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) and the Center for International Security, Technology, and Policy (CISTP).

In his remarks, Goodman stated that "cybersecurity should be viewed as a broad societal issue, like auto safety or public health" and that "cyber protection will be an ongoing need, requiring continually improved responses to dynamically changing circumstances." He focused on two dimensions of cybersecurity: "what I fear is a coming tsunami of insecurity due to the spread of cellular telephones and other mobile devices" and their increased use for accessing the internet and conducting business, and the challenge of educating a professional workforce capable of achieving "safer and more secure cyberspace" .
Read Goodman's full testimony

 Boston has conducted landmark research on the effects of revitalization on public housing. His full briefing follows:

The Honorable Maxine Waters, Chairwoman
House Committee on Financial Services
Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity

RE: Testimony of Thomas D Boston, Prof. of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA. 30332

To Honorable Chairwoman Maxine Waters and the Members of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, I am deeply honored to have been asked to share my research findings with this distinguished Subcommittee. One of the most important challenges our nation faces is the pressing need to provide quality affordable housing to low-income families.

Honorable Chairwoman, your invitation letter asks me to answer eight questions that primarily pertain to my research on the Atlanta Housing Authority. Therefore, I will confine my testimony to those questions, and do so within the time allotted me.

Let me start by stating that my research concludes that environment matters! When low-income housing assisted families are given access to quality affordable housing in neighborhoods of greater opportunity, their self-sufficiency increases significantly.

Describe my public housing research.

I have mainly focused on how mixed-income revitalization, Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing have affected family self-sufficiency. I have examined longitudinally the administrative records of 20,000 AHA assisted families between 1995 and 2007. Under a grant from the MacArthur Foundation, I have also examined longitudinally 26,000 families who received public housing assistance from the Chicago Housing Authority between 1999 and 2007.

I have attempted to answer the following questions: Did families relocate to better neighborhoods when the housing projects they lived in were demolished? Did they lose housing assistance? Did mixed-income developments or vouchers improve self-sufficiency in comparison to public housing projects? From a benefit-cost standpoint, did mixed-income-revitalization improve social welfare? Finally, did the school performance of 3rd and 5th grade students improve if their families used vouchers or lived in mixed-income developments?

Describe Atlanta's transformation efforts.

Between 1995 and 2007, AHA fully constructed 13 new mixed-income developments""more than any other Public Housing Authority in the country. In 1995, AHA provided housing assistance to 16,345 families; 47% of whom lived in housing projects and 33% used vouchers. By 2007, AHA provided housing assistance to 17,111 families; 15% of whom lived in housing projects and 59% used vouchers. (Note that these percentages exclude elderly housing).

What are the rescreening policies of AHA and what percentage of original public housing residents moved back into redevelop communities?

Rescreening is handled by Private Development Companies that manage the mixed-income housing. I must defer the details of that process to the managers of AHA. I cannot speak authoritatively on it.

My research has found that in Atlanta, 21.4% of the still active original families moved back into mixed-income developments and 60.7% used vouchers. I have also found through numerous focus group interviews that the large percentage of families who remain on vouchers do so primarily by choice. Also, my statistical research in Atlanta found that mixed-income revitalization did not cause families to lose housing assistance.

In what way have I updated my 2005 article in the Journal of the American Planning Association?

The 2005 analysis investigated three housing projects that were demolished and revitalized. More recently, I have examined six housing projects and extended the analysis through 2007. I have also examined the school performance of elementary kids whose families receive housing assistance, conducted a benefit-cost analysis of mixed-income revitalization of six public housing developments and looked at whether voucher recipients have increased violent crime in receiving communities.

The outcomes are as follows:

-Families who relocated from public housing projects moved to much better neighborhoods.
The employment rates of work eligible adults increased from 21% in 1995 (when most families lived in housing projects) to 53% in 2007 (when most families had moved away from housing projects).
-On nationally standardized tests, kids whose families lived in projects scored in the 29th percentile, those whose families used vouchers scored in the 35th percentile and those whose families lived in mixed-income housing scored in the 43rd percentile.
-Violent crime was not significantly correlated with the percent of families in census tracts who used vouchers. It was highly correlated with the poverty rate.
-Finally, the net social benefit of revitalizing six housing projects was $123 million per development; the benefit to cost ratio was 1.6 to 1.

Distinguished Committee Members let me end by stating that to a great extent, the rebirth of intown neighborhoods in Atlanta has accompanied the mixed-income revitalization of public housing projects. In my opinion, this rebirth would not have occurred in its absence. Secondly, my research in Atlanta has demonstrated conclusively the self-sufficiency of low-income families can improve significantly if we provide them access to quality affordable housing in neighborhoods where the opportunities for upward mobility are greater. Thank you kindly.

Bennett's remarks focused on concerns relating to unauthorized opening of cargo containers. She highlighted a container door sensor recently developed at GTRI that is designed to monitor the opening of shipping container doors and covers the time from loading/arming through transportation and disarming at a United States port of arrival. Her complete testimony may be found at the link provided below.

Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, former Defense Secretary William J. Perry, former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and former Senator Sam Nunn met with President Barack Obama in the White House on May 19th, 2009, to discuss their common vision of a world free of nuclear weapons and the steps needed to get there. Pledging to continue to work together, President Obama called the statesmen "four of the most preeminent national security thinkers" in our nation today and said that their vision has "helped inspire policies of this Administration" on nuclear weapons issues.

Additional Information

For more information, please visit this website.

The goal of the workshop, part of an FCC initiative to develop a national broadband plan, was to evaluate the potential impact of increased broadband penetration and speed on U.S. productivity growth, economic growth and employment.

Forman's research interests include the study of the adoption and returns to IT investment among businesses, with a particular interest on the role of geography and standards on the value of IT infrastructure investments. Serving as the Robert and Stevie Schmidt professor, as well as a Sloan Industry Studies Fellow, he also studies innovation in the IT and software industries and electronic commerce.

Experts from the University of Maryland, Northwestern University and Pepperdine University, along with the president and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and managing director of Core Capital Partners were also included on the panel.

An overview of the workshop presentation can be found at the link below.

July 28, 2009

The Honorable Maxine Waters, Chairwoman
House Committee on Financial Services
Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity

RE: Testimony of Thomas D Boston, Prof. of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA. 30332

To Honorable Chairwoman Maxine Waters and the Members of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, I am deeply honored to have been asked to share my research findings with this distinguished Subcommittee. One of the most important challenges our nation faces is the pressing need to provide quality affordable housing to low-income families.

Honorable Chairwoman, your invitation letter asks me to answer eight questions that primarily pertain to my research on the Atlanta Housing Authority. Therefore, I will confine my testimony to those questions, and do so within the time allotted me.

Let me start by stating that my research concludes that environment matters! When low-income housing assisted families are given access to quality affordable housing in neighborhoods of greater opportunity, their self-sufficiency increases significantly.

Describe my public housing research?

I have mainly focused on how mixed-income revitalization, Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing have affected family self-sufficiency. I have examined longitudinally the administrative records of 20,000 AHA assisted families between 1995 and 2007. Under a grant from the MacArthur Foundation, I have also examined longitudinally 26,000 families who received public housing assistance from the Chicago Housing Authority between 1999 and 2007.

I have attempted to answer the following questions: Did families relocate to better neighborhoods when the housing projects they lived in were demolished? Did they lose housing assistance? Did mixed-income developments or vouchers improve self-sufficiency in comparison to public housing projects? From a benefit-cost standpoint, did mixed-income-revitalization improve social welfare? Finally, did the school performance of 3rd and 5th grade students improve if their families used vouchers or lived in mixed-income developments?

Describe Atlanta's transformation efforts

Between 1995 and 2007, AHA fully constructed 13 new mixed-income developments—more than any other Public Housing Authority in the country. In 1995, AHA provided housing assistance to 16,345 families; 47% of whom lived in housing projects and 33% used vouchers. By 2007, AHA provided housing assistance to 17,111 families; 15% of whom lived in housing projects and 59% used vouchers. (Note that these percentages exclude elderly housing).

What are the rescreening policies of AHA and what percentage of original public housing residents moved back into redevelop communities?

Rescreening is handled by Private Development Companies that manage the mixed-income housing. I must defer the details of that process to the managers of AHA. I cannot speak authoritatively on it.

My research has found that in Atlanta, 21.4% of the still active original families moved back into mixed-income developments and 60.7% used vouchers. I have also found through numerous focus group interviews that the large percentage of families who remain on vouchers do so primarily by choice. Also, my statistical research in Atlanta found that mixed-income revitalization did not cause families to lose housing assistance.

In what way have I updated my 2005 article in the Journal of the American Planning Association?

The 2005 analysis investigated three housing projects that were demolished and revitalized. More recently, I have examined six housing projects and extended the analysis through 2007. I have also examined the school performance of elementary kids whose families receive housing assistance, conducted a benefit-cost analysis of mixed-income revitalization of six public housing developments and looked at whether voucher recipients have increased violent crime in receiving communities.

The outcomes are as follows:

• Families who relocated from public housing projects moved to much better neighborhoods.
• The employment rates of work eligible adults increased from 21% in 1995 (when most families lived in housing projects) to 53% in 2007 (when most families had moved away from housing projects).
• On nationally standardized tests, kids whose families lived in projects scored in the 29th percentile, those whose families used vouchers scored in the 35th percentile and those whose families lived in mixed-income housing scored in the 43rd percentile.
• Violent crime was not significantly correlated with the percent of families in census tracts who used vouchers. It was highly correlated with the poverty rate.
• Finally, the net social benefit of revitalizing six housing projects was $123 million per development; the benefit to cost ratio was 1.6 to 1.

Distinguished Committee Members let me end by stating that to a great extent, the rebirth of intown neighborhoods in Atlanta has accompanied the mixed-income revitalization of public housing projects. In my opinion, this rebirth would not have occurred in its absence. Secondly, my research in Atlanta has demonstrated conclusively the self-sufficiency of low-income families can improve significantly if we provide them access to quality affordable housing in neighborhoods where the opportunities for upward mobility are greater. Thank you kindly.

Sincerely,
Thomas D. Boston, PhD

Goodman is a professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the College of Computing, and serves as co-Director of both the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) and the Center for International Security, Technology, and Policy (CISTP).

In his remarks, Goodman stated that "cybersecurity should be viewed as a broad societal issue, like auto safety or public health" and that "cyber protection will be an ongoing need, requiring continually improved responses to dynamically changing circumstances." He focused on two dimensions of cybersecurity: "what I fear is a coming tsunami of insecurity due to the spread of cellular telephones and other mobile devices" and their increased use for accessing the internet and conducting business, and the challenge of educating a professional workforce capable of achieving "safer and more secure cyberspace".

The luncheon was hosted by the American Chemical Society's Science and the Congress Project and was co-hosted by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX). Julia Hamm of the Solar Electric Power Association and Nate Lewis of the California Institute of Technology also spoke to the gathering.

Brown is one of Georgia Tech's most sought after experts on energy policy. In addition to informing national leaders about energy policy, she is also the author of Georgia Tech's quarterly energy sustainability index, the EnergyBuzz (www.gatech.edu/energybuzz).

She joined Georgia Tech in 2006 after a distinguished career at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. There she held various leadership positions and led several major energy technology and policy scenario studies. Recognizing her stature as a national leader in the analysis and interpretation of energy futures in the United States, Brown remains affiliated with ORNL as a Visiting Distinguished Scientist.

The briefing, "Tomorrow's Infrastructure: Researching Sustainable Solutions," will be moderated by Reginald DesRoches, associate chair and professor in Georgia Tech's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and feature a panel of experts including Michael D. Meyer, also a Georgia Tech Civil and Environmental Engineering professor. They will be joined by Douglas R. Rose, deputy administrator and chief engineer for operations with the Maryland State Highway Administration, and S. Massoud Amin, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota.

"Improving our nation's civil infrastructure is the key to economic growth, national security, and quality of life," said DesRoches. "We have an opportunity, through research and innovation, to define what the next generation of infrastructure can look like."

Georgia Tech is uniquely positioned to address the nation's infrastructure crisis based on its breadth of interdisciplinary and strategic research initiatives, according to DesRoches. Recent advances in materials science, nanotechnology, information technology, robotics and systems engineering provide unique opportunities for faculty to work on critical issues ranging from disaster resilient infrastructure to intelligent and adaptable infrastructure systems.

Boston's testimony and other information about the hearing can be found at the link below.

Axdahl joined undergraduate and graduate students from colleges and universities across the nation to inform U.S. Congressional members of the importance they place onthe space program. The students wanted to ensure that their representatives were aware of their support of NASA.

Axdahl noted, "It's important to be on the Hill to put a face on the space program." Axdahl is from Duluth, Minnesota, where he graduated from Duluth East High School in 2003. He received a bachelor of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics degree from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 2007.

Goodman's presentation focused on international and domestic defenses against cyber attacks, particularly in relationship to dependence on the internet and other internet-like networks. He highlighted trends and deficiencies and provided examples of interventions.

Her remarks focused on the unintended consequences of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), and how brownfields affect prospects for urban revitalization.

The winners of the carbon reduction challenge traveled with Cobb to Washington, D.C., earlier this month to meet with staffers from the offices of U.S. senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, Georgia congressmen David Scott, John Lewis and Hank Johnson, and Sen. Richard Shelby, a ranking member with the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. Members of winning team traveling to Washington included Christine Amuzie, Jonathan Effgen and Vivian Fan. During the D.C. visit, Cobb also presented her paleoclimate research.