Watch all the musical acts
Yesterday, Members of Congress, representatives of the academic, scientific, and business communities, and other luminaries gathered to honor seven federally-funded researchers whose work has transformed technology, medicine, and countless lives.
Today, four federal agencies announced $40 million in grants to university researchers across the country to advance the National Robotics Initiative, unveiled by President Obama at Carnegie Mellon University on June 24, 2011. The initiative, led by the National Science Foundation, is also supported by NASA, the National Institutes of Health, and the United States Department of Agriculture. These agencies have also issued a new joint solicitation to fund an additional 25-40 awards.
Typically when you think of government, the word “innovation” isn’t the first word that comes to mind. Well it’s time to change that!
Two years after the Obama Administration created Challenge.gov, the first online listing of incentive prizes offered or supported by Federal agencies, the innovative site has hit an impressive milestone: its 200th listing of a challenge in search of a solution by the American public.
Last week, the President called the Mars Science Lab Team and a “special Mohawk guy” and pointed out how their work on Curiosity was inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.
The interactive web site for the PBS series “Design Squad Nation” took home an Emmy in June for “outstanding new approaches” in children’s daytime television. An extension into broadband media by the producers of the WGBH TV show, the website serves as a destination for creative ‘tweens and teens that encourages youth to “dream big,” be creative, solve problems and make things that help people.
Sophie Lebrecht is a joint post-doctoral researcher in the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC) and the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). She is also an entrepreneur, thanks to the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (or I-Corps), a program created to allow researchers the opportunity to apply their research to the commercial world. I talked with Lebrecht about I-Corps and her experience as a scientist-turned-entrepreneur.
Last night, the Senate advanced the cause of protecting Americans’ privacy and civil liberties by unanimously confirming four of the President’s five nominees to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB): Rachel Brand, Elisabeth Cook, Jim Dempsey, and Judge Patricia Wald.
On July 17, 2012, the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee, working within the framework of PCAST and co-chaired by Andrew Liveris of Dow Chemical and Susan Hockfield of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, outlined recommendations for spurring investment and positioning the U.S. for long-term leadership in advanced manufacturing in a new report, Capturing Domestic Competitive Advantage in Advanced Manufacturing.
On June 14, 2012, the President signed an Executive Order to make broadband construction along Federal roadways and properties up to 90 percent cheaper and more efficient. Additionally, the White House announced that nearly 100 partners—including cities, national research institutions, and industry supporters—have formed a new public-private partnership called “US Ignite.” The US Ignite Partnership will create a new wave of services that take advantage of state-of-the-art broadband networks running up to 100 times faster than today’s Internet.
On April 10, 2012, OSTP released a comprehensive report detailing the use of prizes and competitions by agencies to spur innovation and solve grand challenges. Those efforts have expanded in recent months under the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, which granted all Federal agencies authority to conduct prize competitions to spur innovation, solve tough problems, and advance their core missions.
On February 7th, 2012, President Obama hosted the second White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. The President announced key steps the Administration and its partners are taking to help more students excel in math and science, and earn degrees in these subjects.
July 17, 2012 - Report to President Outlines Approaches to Spur Domestic Manufacturing Investment and Innovation (pdf)
June 20, 2012 - Statement of Dr. John P. Holdren to the Committee on Science, Space and Technology United States House of Representatives (pdf)
May 2, 2012 - New Industry Commitments to Give Over 3 Million New Households and Businesses Tools to Shrink Their Energy Bills (pdf)
April 26, 2012 - National Bioeconomy Blueprint (pdf)
April 10, 2012 - Implementation of Federal Prize Authority: Progress Report (pdf)
March 29, 2012 - Big Data Fact Sheet (pdf)
March 29, 2012 - Big Data Press Release (pdf)
March 22, 2012 - Statements of Support for Green Button Initiative
March 22, 2012 - New Industry Commitments to Give 15 Million Households Tools to Shrink Their Energy Bills
February 29, 2012 - Statement of Dr. John P. Holdren to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of Representatives on Research and Development in the President's Fiscal Year 2013 Budget (pdf)
February 17, 2012 - Statement of Dr. John P. Holdren to the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, on Research and Development in the President's Fiscal Year 2013 Budget (pdf)
February 13, 2012 - Innovation for America’s Economy, America’s Energy, and American Skills: The FY 2013 Science and Technology R&D Budget (pdf)
February 7, 2012 - Background on the Exhibits, Students and Competitions at the White House Science Fair
February 7, 2012 - President Obama to Host White House Science Fair