ASME council endorses Rockefeller education bill

ASME's Council on Education has endorsed S.1262, the National Mathematics and Science Partnerships Act, legislation introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W. Va.

Robert J. Simoneau, senior vice president of the Council on Education, noted that "the bill will create a number of valuable programs at the National Science Foundation which are consistent with ASME's pre-college science, math, engineering and technology (SMET) education policy."

In particular, the council supported the inclusion of engineering departments as eligible partners and technology teachers within the definition of math and science teachers, as well as efforts to attract greater participation of women and minorities in SMET pre-college, undergraduate and graduate coursework.

S.1262 is currently pending before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. To review a copy of the bill, go to http://thomas. loc.gov and then search by bill number.

For a copy of the letter, go to www.asme.org/gric/ps/2001/01-35.html. For additional information on K-12 math and science education issues, contact Patti Burgio at (202) 785-3756 or e-mail burgiop@asme.org.

Councils call for increasing FY 2002 VA-HUD appropriations

ASME's Councils on Engineering and Education, respectively, have called on members of the House Appropriations Committee to increase fiscal year 2002 budget levels for key Indepen-dent Agencies.

Funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is included in the Veterans Affairs-Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies' Appropriations bill. Independent Agencies refers to NSF, EPA and NASA.

The ASME councils support an increase of 9.35 percent for the fiscal 2002 NSF budget, a budget of $7.5 billion for EPA, and increased support of NASA's aeronautics research and technology.

The letter to House appropriators may be viewed at www.asme.org/ gric/ps/2001/01-34.html.

For more information, contact Kathryn Holmes at (202) 785-3756 or at holmesk@asme.org.

NASA official briefs ASME and Aviation Coalition on aeronautics blueprint

Benjamin J. Neumann, executive officer in NASA's Office of Aerospace Technology, briefed ASME and other members of the Aviation Coalition at the ASME Washington Center on a detailed blueprint under development that will outline NASA's vision for aeronautics for the 21st century.

The report, Visionary Blueprint for National Aviation for the 21st Century, was released last month.

The blueprint will be prepared in concert with the development of NASA's fiscal year 2003 budget and will reflect the realignment of its research and technology program.

In a related action, the aviation coalition recently sent a letter to all members of the House and Senate VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittees urging increased funding for NASA's fiscal 2002 budget to support an aggressive research and technology program.

The letter may be viewed at www.asme.org/gric/ps/2001/01-32.html.

For more information, contact Kathryn Holmes at (202) 785-3756 or at holmesk@asme.org.

WISE interns present research findings at NSF briefing

ASME's two WISE (Washington Internship for Students of Engineering) interns presented the results of their 10-week research projects at a briefing hosted in July by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Founded in 1980, the WISE program brings to Washington 15 outstanding engineering students in the final year of undergraduate study for a 10-week internship to study public policy making and how engineers can contribute to that process. Each intern is required to research and present a paper on a topical engineering-related issue.

Brian Pandya of Penn State University presented a paper titled Nanotechnology Workforce Pipeline Challenges: A Current Assessment and the Future Outlook. He concluded that generating interest in math and science among children will be necessary to fill the nanotechnology workforce pipeline with adequately trained workers to meet the demands of industry, government and academia.

Chris Vehar of the University of Dayton examined life cycle analysis as an engineering tool promoting sustainable development. Her paper, LCA in the U.S.: Should Governmental Funding Be Increased for the North American Database, examined the history of life cycle analysis, its shortcomings, and the creation of a new North American database as an enhanced engineering tool for use by industry, government and the public.

For additional information on the WISE program, contact Allian Pratt at (202) 785-3756 or e-mail pratta@ asme.org.

Council on Education urges support for key provisions in education bills

Robert J. Simoneau, ASME's vice president, Council on Education, recently wrote all members of Congress to urge adoption of key provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (S.1 and H.R.1), as the differing bills move toward a House-Senate Conference.

To view the letters, go to www.asme. org/gric/ps/2001/01-31.html.

In a related development, the K-12 Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (SMET) Education Coalition, of which ASME's Council on Education is a member, sent a letter to conferees on S.1/H.R.1, urging them to support provisions relating to engineering, funding mechanisms and science assessments. That letter may be viewed at www.asme.org/gric/ps/2001/01-33.html.

For more information, contact Patti Burgio at (202) 785-3756 or at burgiop@asme.org.

— Mary Legatski
ASME Government Relations

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