AAES Fast Facts December 3, 1999

[dae...@cs.tamu.edu]

>Date: 3 Dec 1999 20:36:10 -0000
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>From: "AAES Fast Facts" <pl...@aaes.org>
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>Subject: AAES Fast Facts December 3, 1999
>
>AAES Fast Facts
>
>December 3, 1999
>Pete Leon (pl...@aaes.org) Staff
>Janell Bell (jb...@aaes.org ) Editor
>
>WASHINGTON UPDATE
>
>Republican presidential front-runner George W. Bush unveiled Wednesday a
>tax plan that he said was "designed to sustain our nation's prosperity and
>to reflect our nation's decency." The plan includes making the research
>and development tax credit permanent, which Congress just extended for
>five years. Read the full story at:
>http://www.cnn.com/1999/ALLPOLITICS/stories/12/01/bush.tax.cut/index.html
>
>On Monday, President Bill Clinton signed the final $390 billion federal
>budget package, saying the sprawling document represents "real progress,"
>but also urging Congress to be "mindful of what we still have to
>accomplish" when members return to Capitol Hill in January. Clinton
>hailed provisions included in the omnibus spending bill that he supported,
>including funding for local and state governments to hire 100,000 new
>teachers to ease the classroom crunch, and 50,000 more community police
>officers. Read the story at:
>http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/11/29/spending.sign/index.html
>
>NASAís latest contact with Mars is about to occur. The lander now faces
>the greatest challenge of its 11-month journey ñ to make a series of
>maneuvers to prepare for touchdown on the frigid, layered terrain at the
>edge of Mars' polar cap, a region that may hold traces of water. Read the
>story at: http://www.cnn.com/1999/TECH/space/12/03/mars.polar.lander.02/
>
>The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that Cheryl L. Shavers,
>Ph.D. has been sworn-in as Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology. In
>this role, Dr. Shavers will oversee the Commerce Departmentís Technology
>Administration, which includes the Office of Technology Policy, the
>National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Technical
>Information Service and the Office of Space Commercialization. Dr.
>Shavers holds a B.S. degree in Chemistry, a Ph.D. in Solid State
>Chemistry, both from Arizona State University, and an Honorary Master's
>degree in Engineering Management from California Polytechnic State
>University. Previously, Dr. Shavers worked as a product engineer with
>Motorola and as a process development engineer with Hewlett-Packard. See
>the press statement at: http://www.ta.doc.gov/PREL/pr19991201.htm
>
>AAES UPDATE
>
>Domestic
>
>The AAES Board of Governors is meeting today in Washington DC. The BOG is
>discussing the AAES budget for next year, proposed bylaws changes, and
>reports from the various Councils of AAES.
>
>Staff from AAES, ASCE, ASME, FMS, and OSA attended a conference on
>Innovation, jointly sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and
>Technology and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Issues
>addressed at the conference range from intellectual property rights, to
>standards and federal funding of research.
>AAES staff joined other members of the R&D Tax Credit Coalition in
>visiting Congressional offices of the champions of the R&E tax credit.
>Congress has passed legislation that among other things extends the credit
>for 5 years. The bill is expected to be signed by the President soon.
>
>International
>
>The World Federation of Engineering Organizationsí General Assembly was
>held last month in Madrid. Every two years WFEO meets for a week to
>conduct various business meetings, such as the Engineering Affairs
>Council, Standing Technical Committee meetings, workshops and focus
>sessions. During the General Assembly, a decision was made to move ahead
>with the development of a virtual engineering library, an item that falls
>within the UNESCO Framework Agreement signed last Spring.
>
>The WFEO Model Code of Ethics was approved to include Sustainable
>Development. The WFEO Response to the Earth Charter was expressed in four
>resolutions, the US abstaining. The resolutions are as follows: 1. WFEO
>will submit comments/revisions by December 31,1999. 2. WFEO will support
>further development and interim use of the principles having engineering
>implications in the Abbreviated Earth Charter. 3. WFEO will address the
>full Earth Charter at its 2003 General Assembly, after UN actions in
>2002. and 4. WFEO will support the use of the Earth Charter, as modified
>in the previous action, to be the "principles" in the term "principles of
>Sustainable Development" in engineering codes of ethics.
>
>WFEO ComTech, the Standing Committee on Technology, will continue its
>Secretariat at AAES under a four-year NSF grant. At its meeting, ComTech
>amended its rules of procedure and established its regional vice
>presidents for two-year terms. It also heard presentations on revisions
>to the WFEO Model Environmental Code of Ethics to include sustainability
>and on WFEO's response to the Earth Charter. The Committee also approved
>its objectives for 2000-2001.
>
>IntAC's next meeting is set for February 17, 2000. The Engineers Forum
>for Sustainable Development (EFSD) will meet on February 18th. The
>Forum's website can be accessed at: http://www.asee.org/neic/html/efsd.html
>
>Some of the U.S. guests attending the General Assembly were Dr. John
>Boright, Executive Director of International Affairs for the NRC, and
>Dr.Mohamed El-Ashry, CEO and Chairman of the Global Environment Facility
>(GEF) which falls under the auspices of The World Bank.
>
>SOCIETY UPDATES
>
>ASME
>
>ASME is planning a workshop on K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and
>Math (STEAM) education on December 6-7 in Washington, DC. The workshop
>will include discussions with K-12 education experts to identify key
>issues and concerns. Participants include: Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ); Scott
>Ledge of Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) office; Jenny Smulson of the Senate
>Education Committee; Duncan Moore, White House Office on Science &
>Technology Policy; Jane Kahle, National Science Foundation; Gary Wheeler
>of the National Science Teacher's Association; Kendall Starkweather of the
>International Technology Education Association; Patricia Sullivan of the
>National Governors Association; and John Ahlen, of Arkansas Science &
>Technology Authority. For more information about the workshop, contact
>Patti Burgio at 202/785-7386, or bur...@asme.org
>
>ASME's Engineers in Public Policy Committee (EPPC) recently met during the
>International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMEC&E) in
>Nashville, Tennessee to discuss "State Technology Policies: How they
>Support or Hinder Innovation." Speakers included: Dennis Achgill, from
>Rolls-Royce Allison; Olen Thompson, of the Department of Energy; Roberta
>Nichols of the Michigan Legislative Bureau; and Lee Martin, of the
>Tennessee Technology Development Corporation. The EPPC's mission is to
>inform other engineers, particularly engineering graduate students, about
>opportunities that exist for becoming involved in the public policy
>process. For more information, contact Kathryn Holmes at hol...@asme.org.
>
>ASME recently released a report entitled "Mechanical Engineering in the
>21st Century," assessing the mechanical engineering profession. According
>to the report, by the year 2006, an estimated 16% more mechanical
>engineers will be employed in the United States than in 1996. This percent
>increase translates to a gain of 35,000 jobs, largely in the services
>sector of the U.S. economy, over the 10-year period. In addition to
>employment trends, other issues addressed in the report include
>intellectual property, changing educational requirements for tomorrow's
>engineer and ethnic diversity in the field. The report was prepared for
>ASME by the Hudson Institute, Inc. and is available to order online at:
>http://www.asme.org/coii/
>
>The Technology-Based Economic Development in the Mississippi River Delta
>(TEAM-DELTA) has been awarded a 1999 grant under the Experimental Program
>to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCOT). TEAM Delta is a
>community-oriented effort focused on the Mississippi River Delta region
>within Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, to raise community awareness
>about the role of technology in the economy. It is a $290,000 cooperative
>agreement that will be matched by $139,800 in additional funding from
>EPSCOT. The project will be spearheaded by the Institute for Technology
>Development of Mississippi, the Arkansas Science & Technology Authority,
>and the Louisiana Partnership for Technology & Innovation. ASME will
>support the project by conducting Accessing Technology Conferences. Other
>activities include Community Technology Assessments and Web-Based Training
>Modules. For more information on the TEAM-DELTA project, contact Reese
>Meisingerr at meisi...@asme.org, or 202/785-3756.
>
>IEEE-USA
>
>At its November meeting, IEEE-USA's Board of Directors approved new
>Position statements on:
>ìEnhancing Corporate Competitiveness and Environmental Sustainabilityî,
>this statement can be accessed at:
>http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POSITIONS/corpcompete.html
>
>ìEnvironmental Product Labeling Standards for Retail Marketing of
>Electricityî, this statement can be accessed at:
>http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POSITIONS/envirolabel.html
>
>ìMeasures of Engineering Supply and Demandî, this statement can be
>accessed at: http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POSITIONS/supply.html
>
>ìQuality of Health Information on the Internetî, this statement can be
>accessed be at: http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POSITIONS/healthnet.html
>
>IEEE-USA has announced four staff promotions. Chris Brantley will serve
>as Director of Government Relations and Operations, Scott Grayson will
>serve as Director of Career, Member and Professional Activities. Pender
>McCarter will serve as Director of Communications and Public Relations.
>And Ann Hartfiel has been named Senior Manager of Professional Activities.
>
>NACME
>
>NACME President and CEO Dr. George Campbell Jr., NSF Director Dr. Rita
>Colwell, and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Richard Riley were on
>hand in Washington, DC on December 1, to launch the Figure This! Family
>Math Challenges campaign. This nationwide initiative -- with seed funding
>from NSF and the Dept. of Education -- uses a series of 80 math challenges
>to engage middle school students and their families in doing high quality
>math challenges together. Mathematician Danica McKellar (formerly
>"Winnie Cooper" of the sitcom, The Wonder Years) is the campaign's
>celebrity spokesperson. Developed by The National Council of Teachers of
>Mathematics and designed by TheWidmeyerBaker Group, the challenges will be
>disseminated via a toll-free phone number and on the worldwide web. For
>an introduction to the Figure This! campaign, visit www.mathispower.com or
>http://www.figurethis.org/. Both sites are hosted by NACME and supported
>by the GTE Foundation. For information on the campaign, or on partnership
>opportunities, contact B. Dundee Holt at NACME, 212/279-2626, ext. 214.
>
>ASEE
>
>ASEE President, John Weese has been appointed by Texas A&M President Ray
>Bowen, to head the on-campus group that will work with the Bonfire
>Commission, which is charged with undertaking "an engineering
>investigation" into the cause of the tragic collapse of the bonfire
>structure last month. Weese has requested release from teaching for the
>spring semester, but remains committed to fulfilling his ASEE
>responsibilities.
>
>Calendar of Events
>Thursday, Dec. 2 AAES Executive Committee
>Friday, Dec. 3 AAES Board of Governors Meeting
>
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>
>
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__________________________________
C. Roland Haden | email: r-h...@tamu.edu
Vice Chancellor | telephone: (409) 845-7203
Texas A&M Engineering Program | fax: (409) 845-8986
Dean, Dwight Look College of Engineering
Director, Texas Engineering Experiment Station

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