PCAST News Archive

President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Group Photo from November, 2013.

3.22.2013 Report Release: Letter to the President on Climate Change

On March 22, 2013, PCAST released a letter report to the President on climate change.

• Blog post 
• Full report (pdf)

12.7.2012 Agricultural Preparedness

On December 7, 2012, PCAST released its latest report entitled "Agricultural Preparedness & the United States Agricultural Research Enterprise" in Washington, DC.

• Press release (pdf)
• Full report (pdf)
• Webcast

11.30.2012 Report Release: US Research Enterprise

On November 30, 2012, PCAST released its report entitledTransformation and Opportunity: The Future of the U.S. Research Enterprise.

• Press release (pdf)
• Full Report (pdf)
• Webcast

9.25.2012 Report Release: Drug Innovation 

On September 25, 2012, PCAST released its latest report: Report to the President on Propelling Innovation in Drug Discovery, Development, and Evaluation.

• Press release (pdf)
• Full report (pdf)

7.20.2012 Report Release: Spectrum

On July 20, 2012,  PCAST released its report Realizing the Full Potential of Government-Held Spectrum to Spur Economic Growth at an event at the White House:

• Agenda (pdf)
• Webcast
• Full Report (pdf)
• Report Fact Sheet (pdf)
• Presentation (pdf)
• Blog: Making the Most of the Wireless Spectrum
• CSPAN Interview of PCAST members Mark Gorenberg and Craig Mundie 

2.7.2012 Report Release: Undergraduate STEM Education

On Tuesday, February 7, 2012, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released its report entitled “Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.”  This report provides a strategy for improving STEM education during the first two years of college that we believe is responsive to both the challenges and the opportunities that this crucial stage in the STEM education pathway presents.

• Agenda (pdf)
• Webcast
• Full Report (pdf)
• Executive Report (pdf)
• Report Fact Sheet (pdf)
• Presidential Commitments (pdf)
• Presentation (pdf)

7.22.2011 Report Release: Intersection of the Nation’s Ecosystems and the Economy

July 22, 2011 -- Today, PCAST released its latest report to the public, “Sustaining Environmental Capital: Protecting Society and the Economy.”

• Press Release (pdf)
• Report: “Sustaining Environmental Capital: Protecting Society and the Economy" (pdf)

6.24.2011 Report Release: Advanced Manufacturing

• Press Release (pdf)
• Report to the President on Ensuring American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing (pdf)

• For the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership website, visit http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/amp.

6.7.2011 President Obama Fills Vacancy on PCAST

• Press Release (pdf)

12.16.2010 Report Release: Networking & IT  R&D 

On December 16, 2010, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released and discussed its report entitled “Designing a Digital Future: Federally Funded Research and Development in Networking and Information Technology.” This congressionally-mandated report assesses the status and direction of the Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program.

• Agenda (pdf)
• Press Release (pdf)
• “Designing a Digital Future: Federally Funded Research and Development in Networking and Information Technology" (pdf)
• Webcast

12.8.2010 Report Release: Health Information Technology

On December 8, PCAST released a report entitled “Realizing the Full Potential of Health Information Technology to Improve Healthcare for Americans: The Path Forward.”

• Press Release (pdf)
• "Realizing the Full Potential of Health Information Technology to Improve Healthcare for Americans: The Path Forward" (pdf)
• Webcast

11.29.2010 Report Release: Energy Technologies 

On November 29, PCAST released a “Report to the President on Accelerating the Pace of Change in Energy Technologies Through an Integrated Federal Energy Policy.”

• Press Release (pdf)
• Executive Summary (pdf)
• "Report to the President on Accelerating the Pace of Change in Energy Technologies Through an Integrated Federal Energy Policy" (pdf)
• Webcast of press conference

9.15.2010 Report Release: STEM Ed 

On September 15, PCAST released a plan for improvements in K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education.

• Press Release (pdf)
• Executive Report (pdf)
• "Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for America’s Future" (pdf)
• Related Blog Post and Video: "Who Inspired You?"

8.19.2010 Report Release: Flu Vaccine

On August 19, PCAST released a "Report to the President on Reengineering the Influenza Vaccine Production Enterprise to Meet the Challenges of Pandemic Influenza."

• Press Release (pdf)
• Backgrounder (pdf)
• PCAST Influenza Vaccinology Report (pdf)
• HHS Medical Countermeasures Report and Joint Release Event

President Signs PCAST Executive Order

Close watchers of all things PCAST may have noticed—and wondered about—the Executive Order signed by the President and released by the White House on April 21 entitled “President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.”

The new Executive Order (EO) is an administrative action necessitated by the fact that PCASTs are entities created by EOs (most recently in 2001) and not by Congress. That means that any Administration seeking to modify a PCAST to meet its needs must do so by issuing a new EO. The new EO signed by President Obama codifies some small changes compared to the last Administration’s PCAST, most of them already implemented. Specifically, the current PCAST has three co-chairs instead of two and 21 members instead of 45. The new EO also renamed the President’s Innovation and Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) instead of the President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee. The President also reasserts PCAST’s responsibility for performing an assessment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and charges PCAST’s newly renamed PITAC with performing the review of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program. PCAST has already performed its assessment of the NNI program (released in March) and is beginning an assessment of the NITRD program.