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Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

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Big Data is a Big Deal

By improving our ability to extract knowledge and insights from large and complex collections of digital data, the initiative promises to help accelerate the pace of discovery in science and engineering, strengthen our national security, and transform teaching and learning.
March 29, 2012 at 9:23 AM ET by Tom Kalil

Ensuring a Reliable Supply of Medical Radioisotopes

The United States Government is deeply committed to both a reliable supply of the critical medical radioisotope Mo-99 and eliminating the use of HEU in its production.
March 27, 2012 at 5:02 PM ET by John J. Szymanski and Parrish Staples

In Search of a Four-Wheel Dreamliner

Using lighter materials can dramatically reduce a vehicle’s fuel consumption. For example, a 30 percent reduction in weight can improve fuel economy by 18 - 24 percent.
March 27, 2012 at 11:18 AM ET by Cyrus Wadia

U.S. Winter 2011-2012 is Fourth Warmest in Recorded History

New data released last week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed that the 2011-2012 winter season was the fourth warmest ever recorded in the United States.
March 26, 2012 at 4:12 PM ET by Phil Duffy and Becky Fried

Building a League of Innovative Schools

Leaders in innovative education are coming together today in Houston, TX, for the second meeting of the League of Innovative Schools.
March 19, 2012 at 12:42 PM ET by Kumar Garg

Navy Opens Cutting-Edge Lab for Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Today, at a ceremony with OSTP Director John P. Holdren, the Naval Research Laboratory opened the Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research (LASR), a new facility located at the NRL’s main site in Washington, D.C.
March 16, 2012 at 9:33 AM ET by Alan C. Schultz

Study Finds Ocean Acidification Rate is Highest in 300 Million Years, CO2 is Culprit

A new study concludes that the current rate of ocean acidification is higher than at any time in at least the last 300 million years and attributes this ecosystem-threatening change to the huge quantities of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere from fossil-fuel burning and deforestation.
March 13, 2012 at 1:27 PM ET by Jerry Miller and Tom Armstrong

Less Paperwork, More Research: Improving Federal Grant Policies

As home to some of the Nation’s best research teams and laboratories, colleges and universities are critical players in the Obama Administration’s strategy for boosting domestic innovation and global competitiveness through cutting-edge research as well as through their role in training the American workforce of tomorrow.
March 13, 2012 at 10:42 AM ET by Kelsey Cook

Electric Vehicle Grand Challenge Targets Technology and Cost Breakthroughs

Today, President Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the launch of EV Everywhere, an electric vehicle Grand Challenge that seeks to make electric vehicles as affordable and convenient to own and drive as today’s gasoline-powered vehicles within a decade.
March 7, 2012 at 7:14 PM ET by Cristin Dorgelo and Tom Kalil

Training New High-Tech Workers for Summer Jobs+

Today, Jon Bon Jovi and technology companies Gilt Groupe, GroupMe and Onswipe are announcing their commitment to support Summer Jobs+ through the SummerQAmp initiative.
March 7, 2012 at 3:47 PM ET by Chris Vein and Brian Forde

Poll Shows More Americans Accept Global Warming, Say Seeing is Believing

Polling results released last week by the University of Michigan and Muhlenberg College (Pennsylvania) show that, compared to previous surveys, the largest majority of Americans in years now believe global warming is occurring.
March 6, 2012 at 10:14 AM ET by Phil Duffy and Becky Fried

Women Advance Science and Technology in the Middle East and North Africa

With the arrival of March, declared internationally as Women’s History Month, we’d like to introduce you to some recent winners of the “Women in Science Hall of Fame.”
March 5, 2012 at 2:44 PM ET by Joan Rolf and Caron De Mars

Nominations Open for National Medal of Science or National Medal of Technology

Help us identify great scientists, engineers, and inventors of today who serve as inspiration for our brilliant minds of tomorrow.
March 5, 2012 at 10:50 AM ET by Nafeesa Owens

Private Sector Partners Convene to Address Global Hunger and Food Security

Last week, representatives from the private sector joined U.S. Government colleagues—from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and State, the Agency for International Development, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation—to discuss potential areas of partnership in support of Feed the Future, the Administration’s global hunger and food security initiative.
March 2, 2012 at 9:23 AM ET by Hillary Chen

Making Makers at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech’s Invention Studio is a great example of what universities, companies and students can do to make engineering more approachable, exciting and personally rewarding – and I hope that more campuses and companies can join forces to invest in programs like Invention Studio. As President Obama said at this year’s White House Science Fair, and reiterated yesterday: “Don’t be bored, make something.”
February 28, 2012 at 11:37 AM ET by Tom Kalil

Internet Privacy: Protecting Consumers, Building Trust, Creating Jobs

Yesterday, the White House announced two important steps to promote consumer privacy rights online and to give users more control over how their personal information is handled.
February 24, 2012 at 12:37 PM ET by Quentin Palfrey

Advanced Manufacturing: Cornerstone of an Economy Built to Last

In his State of the Union address last month, President Obama laid out his blueprint for an economy built to last. And that blueprint, he said, “begins with American manufacturing.”
February 22, 2012 at 3:32 PM ET by David Hart

Multi-National Partnership to Benefit Climate, Health, and Agriculture

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week announced the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, a voluntary partnership thast includes the United States, Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to reduce short-lived atmospheric pollutants such as methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and black carbon, or soot.
February 21, 2012 at 10:57 AM ET by Philip Duffy and Becky Fried

Scientific Integrity Policies Approach Public Release

The Office of Science and Technology Policy recently completed its review of the final draft versions of the scientific integrity policies submitted by more than a dozen Federal departments and agencies last December, and OSTP has now provided detailed feedback to each Federal entity.
February 15, 2012 at 5:24 PM ET by John P. Holdren

A Progress Report on Modeling & Simulation for the Economy

In May 2010, an interagency working group made five priority recommendations to deliver on the promise of modeling and simulation (M&S) tools that spur productivity in advanced manufacturing, health care and education. Here's an update on the progress.
February 15, 2012 at 1:06 PM ET by Sridhar Kota

Nominate Inspirational Science and Math Teachers for Presidential Award

Do you know teachers who have inspired students to believe in the impossible and to constantly strive towards excellence? Then consider nominating them for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
February 15, 2012 at 9:25 AM ET by Nafeesa Owens

DOE Announces $12 Million in Support of the Materials Genome Initiative

In his State of the Union address last month, President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to advancing high-tech research and manufacturing within our borders, saying “I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here.”
February 10, 2012 at 1:10 PM ET by Cyrus Wadia

Young Entrepreneurs at the White House Science Fair

Hayley Hoverter is an award-winning technology innovator, an entrepreneur, a CEO – and she’s also a 16-year-old high school student. This week she met President Obama at the White House Science Fair, where she presented her product, “Sweet (dis)SOLVE.”
February 10, 2012 at 9:02 AM ET by Doug Rand

OSTP Briefing on R&D and STEM Education in the 2013 Budget

OSTP will hold a briefing on the research, development, and STEM education portions of the President's FY2013 Budget on Monday, February 13, 2012.
February 9, 2012 at 5:43 PM ET by

A (Draft) Mortgage Form Simplified by You, for You

Last week, President Obama laid out a plan to help responsible homeowners who were struck by the housing crisis. Atop the proposed “Homeowner Bill of Rights” is a pledge to simplify mortgage disclosure forms. Thankfully, inspired by the principles of running a “lean startup”, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau tapped into the expertise of the American people through the “Know Before You Owe” initiative.
February 8, 2012 at 11:30 AM ET by Aneesh Chopra

Don’t Mess With Texas … Science Students

At the White House Science Fair, two Texas teams epitomize the President’s call for “hands-on” learning to help up America’s game in STEM education.
February 8, 2012 at 10:32 AM ET by Chelsea Martinez

Rewarding Inventors Who Work to Solve Global Challenges

Today at the White House, United States Patent & Trademark Office Director Dave Kappos launched the Patents for Humanity pilot program, which creates business incentives for patent holders to engage in humanitarian issues.
February 8, 2012 at 10:22 AM ET by Quentin Palfrey and Hillary Chen

Partnering to Modernize our Nation’s Air Transportation System

On January 31st, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched a new, online dashboard providing increased transparency into a vital component of NextGen's modernization of our Nation’s air transportation system infrastructure.
February 8, 2012 at 9:13 AM ET by Aneesh Chopra, John Porcari, and Michael Huerta

Startups for Healthier Veterans, Smarter Kids, and Lower Utility Bills

What do healthier veterans, smarter kids, and lower utility bills have in common? In each of these areas of national interest – health care, education, and energy – startups are already making a difference.
February 3, 2012 at 7:20 PM ET by Aneesh Chopra and Nick Sinai

Alaskan Permafrost Mapped from the Skies

Last week, the Interior Department’s US Geological Survey (USGS) released details about a landmark airborne surveyof permafrost in the Yukon Flats of Alaska that yielded some of the most detailed, data-rich maps of permafrost ever generated.
February 3, 2012 at 4:06 PM ET by Becky Fried