Top News
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to Hold Annual Trademark Expo
Alexandria, Va. (Jan. 23)—The United States Patent and Trademark Office will hold its annual Trademark Expo May 8-9 at the agency’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The 2008 Expo attracted 7,000 people and received wide media coverage. This year’s two day event will focus again on educating the public about the value and important role trademarks play in our society and the global marketplace. It will feature themed displays, company booths, costumed characters interactive exhibits and trademark related seminars for attendees. (More)
NOAA Prepares to Launch New Polar-Orbiting Satellite for Climate and Weather
Washington (Jan. 22)—A new NOAA polar-orbiting environmental satellite, set to launch next month, will support NOAA’s weather and ocean forecasts, including long-range climate predictions for El Niño and La Niña and support U.S. search and rescue operations. The new spacecraft – NOAA-N Prime – is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Feb. 4, 2009 at 2:22 a.m. PST. Once in orbit, NOAA-N Prime will be called NOAA-19, the latestin the series of NOAA polar-orbiting environmental satellites that have served the nation. (More)
U.S. Census Bureau Reports Business Spending on Fixed Assets Rises to $1.36 Trillion in 2007
Washington (Jan. 22)—U.S. businesses spent $1.36 trillion on new and used structures and equipment in 2007, of which $1.28 trillion, or 93.7 percent, was spent on new structures and equipment, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. These findings come from the 2007 Annual Capital Expenditures Survey, which measures spending on new and used structures and equipment for businesses with and without paid employees. Expenditures for new and used structures totaled $529.3 billion, an increase of $40.1 billion from 2006. (More)
International Trade Administration Updates Basic Guide to Exporting
Washington (Jan. 21)—The International Trade Administration has issued a revised and updated comprehensive overview of how to export outlining the nuts-and-bolts information you will need to meet the challenges of the world economy including how to identify markets for your company’s products. For more than 70 years, A Basic Guide to Exporting has been the resource that businesses have turned to for answers to their questions about how to establish and grow overseas markets for their products and services. (More)
First Wintertime Observations Find Ozone Soaring Near Natural Gas Field
Washington (Jan. 18)—During the past three winters, ozone—normally linked to hot-weather and urban pollution—has soared to health-threatening levels near a remote natural gas field in northwestern Wyoming. Now, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory have solved the problem of how ozone can form in cold weather at levels threatening to human health. Their results, published Jan. 18 in the journal Nature Geosciences, are forcing researchers to rethink the mechanics of ground-level ozone production. (More)
NIST Issues New Guide to Protecting Personal Information
Washington (Jan. 15)—Thefts of personally identifiable information (PII), such as social security and credit card account numbers, are increasing dramatically. Adding to the difficulty of fighting this problem, organizations often disagree on what PII is, and how to protect it. Now, in a first-of-its-kind publication, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a draft guide on protecting PII from unauthorized use and disclosure. “You can’t protect PII unless you can identify it,” says NIST’s Erika McCallister, a co-author of the new work. (More)
Secretary Gutierrez and Secretary Evans Commend Performance, Commitment, of Commerce Personnel in Final Farewell
Washington (Jan. 16)—Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez was joined by former Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans today in recognizing the accomplishments of the Department over the past eight years, including moving the U.S. trade agenda forward. In closing remarks thanking President Bush for the opportunity to serve and the men and women working at the Commerce Department for their support and dedication, Gutierrez said, “This is the best job I have ever had.”
Gutierrez Urges Congress to Pass Legislation to Enable NTIA to Accelerate Distribution of DTV Coupons
Washington (Jan. 15)—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez sent the following letter to Chairmen John D. Rockefeller and Henry A. Waxman to urge Congress to immediately pass legislation to enable Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to accelerate the distribution of TV converter box coupons to American households. (More) (Letters to Chairman Waxman and Chairman Rockefeller)
New NIST Method Accelerates Stability Testing of Soy-Based Biofuel
Gaithersburg, Md. (Jan. 15)—The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a method to accelerate stability testing of biodiesel fuel made from soybeans and also identified additives that enhance stability at high temperatures. The results, described in a new paper, could help overcome a key barrier to practical use of biofuels. Both oxidation and heating can cause biodiesel to break down, adversely affecting performance. NIST’s “advanced distillation curve” method could accelerate and simplify testing of biodiesels, according to lead author Tom Bruno. (More)
NOAA Reports Decline in Northern Fur Seal Pup Estimates
Washington (Jan. 15)—Researchers at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory of NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center have marked another decline in northern fur seal pup births in the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, where most of the world’s population of northern fur seals gather in the summer to rest and breed. “We started seeing an over-all decline in the abundance of fur seals on the Pribilof Islands around 1998, but we have not been able to identify the factors responsible,” said Dr. Doug DeMaster, center director. (More)