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Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

  • From Silicon Valley to Main Street Virginia

    Posted by Aneesh Chopra on August 11, 2011 at 7:55 AM EDT

    Last week, I joined the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness for a discussion in Silicon Valley on the importance of high growth companies to job creation in the US. On Friday, my travels to Blacksburg, VA, on behalf of the White House Rural Council, validated three key messages discussed earlier in the week with the Jobs Council:

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    Learn more about Economy, Startup America, Rural

  • US Math Students Win Honors

    Posted by Philip E. Coyle and Jeffrey D. Singleton on August 10, 2011 at 11:25 AM EDT

    For the past 35 years, the US Army, in conjunction with the Mathematical Association of America, has sponsored the USA team’s participation at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).  The IMO, which at 52 years is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads, is an annual, six-problem, 42-point math competition for high school students held over two days.  Each day, participants take a 4.5-hour, three-problem exam, which covers a wide range of mathematics.  (Looking for a challenge? Past questions can be found on the IMO website at http://www.imo-official.org/problems.aspx.) This year, 101 nations competed in the event, held on July 13 – 24, in Amsterdam. 

    The American team placed second in the event—the best finish for Team USA since 2005, when it also placed second.  China took first place with 189 total points and 6 gold medals.  Team USA earned 184 points, with all six members receiving gold medals—a feat last accomplished in 1994.  And Singapore came in third place with 179 points.  In terms of individual performances, US contestant David Yang, a sophomore at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, tied for the fourth-best score among all individuals competing in the contest.

    While the IMO provides an important and challenging global venue for students to test their skills, it also provides an opportunity to build international bridges via the extramural activities the teams participate in.  This year the Dutch Government and organizing committee arranged for a sailing expedition, an opportunity for energy release at the training facility for the Dutch Olympics, a soccer tournament, a bike/canal tour of Amsterdam, an excursion tour at The Hague, and lectures presented by the Dutch Center for Mathematics & Science.

    President Obama has made a priority of improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to support the next generation of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to help our Nation compete in the global economy.  [To see how well the US Chemistry Olympiad team also did in the recent International Chemistry Olympiad, held in Ankara, Turkey, check out this site.] OSTP has been working on a number of initiatives in this area – including improving the quality of our STEM education system; establishing ARPA-Ed to apply the successful strategies used by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency  to the task of deploying new learning technologies to our Nation’s schools; and supporting the Joining Forces initiative to improve math and science programs at schools attended by children of our military families. 

    Congratulations to all the students on the USA Math Olympiad Team:

    • Wenyu Cao, a senior at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts;
    • Benjamin Gunby, a junior at Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.;
    • Xiaoyu He, a junior at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Acton, Massachusetts;
    • Mitchell Lee, a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science/Tech in Alexandria, Virginia;
    • Evan O'Dorney, a senior at Venture Home School in Danville, California;
    • David Yang, a sophomore at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire;
    • Sam Zbarsky, a sophomore at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, who served as alternate.

    We thank the Army for its support of the team, and we look forward to even greater achievements next year!

    Philip E. Coyle is the Associate Director for National Security and International Affairs at OSTP

    Jeffrey D. Singleton is the Director for Basic Research and Director for Laboratory Management and Educational Outreach in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics & Technology

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  • Supporting the President’s National Robotics Initiative

    Posted by Tom Kalil and Chuck Thorpe on August 3, 2011 at 10:46 AM EDT

    At a speech at Carnegie Mellon University on June 24th, President Obama launched the National Robotics Initiative as part of a broader effort to promote a renaissance of American manufacturing through the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership.  Four agencies (the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, and the Department of Agriculture) have issued a joint solicitation that will provide research funding for next-generation robotics.

    This initiative focuses on developing robots that work with or beside people to extend or augment human capabilities, taking advantage of the different strengths of humans and robots.  In addition to investing in the core technology needed for next-generation robotics, the initiative will support applications such as robots that can:

    • Increase the productivity of workers in the manufacturing sector;
    • Assist astronauts in dangerous and expensive missions;
    • Help scientists accelerate the discovery of new, life-saving drugs; and
    • Improve food safety by rapidly sensing microbial contamination.

    Today we are pleased to announce that the Department of Defense is also supporting the National Robotics Initiative through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program.  This $40 million program, supported by the Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, strengthens the capability of universities to conduct research and educate scientists and engineers in areas that are important to national defense.  The FY12 solicitation specifically encourages proposals for purchases of equipment that can support research in robotics, “given the continuing priority of that research area to a wide range of defense technologies and applications, including unmanned ground, air, sea and undersea vehicles and autonomous systems.”

    This announcement is critical to the success of the National Robotics Initiative, given the role that equipment can play in enabling researchers to develop next-generation applications.  We hope that the Defense Department’s investments will serve as a catalyst for additional partnerships between the robotic industry and the academic research community.

    Tom Kalil is Deputy Director for Policy at OSTP

    Chuck Thorpe is Assistant Director for Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics at OSTP

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  • Roundtable on Securing Networks through Open Innovation

    Posted by Aneesh Chopra, Keith Alexander, and Howard Schmidt on July 29, 2011 at 1:19 PM EDT

    This week, as part of President Obama’s cybersecurity strategy, we hosted a roundtable discussion at the White House Conference Center with a broad range of cybersecurity innovators from the public, private, academic, and non-profit communities. The intent was to explore ways to harness the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of the American people to ensure the United States, which led the world in developing the Internet economy, will be the first to secure the networks that support it.

    The roundtable participants focused on applying our model of open innovation, emphasizing the government’s role as “impatient convener,” on possible designs for a cyber challenge that would advance our goals for changing the game in cybersecurity. Ideas included applying gaming dynamics, tapping into a growing pool of STEM students, and encouraging entrepreneurs with promising ideas.

    Recognizing cyberspace as a strategic national asset, one of the President’s first actions on taking office was to order a top-to-bottom review of cybersecurity policy. Two central tenets of that review were Encouraging Innovation and Sharing Responsibility for Cybersecurity.  We continue to stay focused on these tenets by exploring new ways in which we can improve the security of the nation’s networks.

    We would like to personally thank all of the very talented leaders who participated in this active discussion.  The ideas that emerged from this brainstorming session will help us refine our thinking on cyber challenge concepts. Stay tuned as we will be reaching out to the broader community soon for more input!

    Cyber Challenge Roundtable Participants:

    Steven Amato, Omelet
    James Christy, DC3
    Karen Evans, Cyber Challenge
    Marc Goodman, FutureCrimes
    Rob Hughes, TopCoder
    Jon Frederickson, InnoCentive
    Geoffrey MacDougall, Mozilla Foundation
    Bruce Potter, Ponte Technologies
    Larry Schuette, Office of Naval Research
    Ryan Sears, Michigan Technological University (student participant)
    Alexander R Shagla-McKotch, Rochester Institute of Technology (student participant)
    Stephen Sigwart, University of Delaware (student participant)
    Terence Spies, Voltage
    Michal Zalewski, Google

     

    Aneesh Chopra is U.S. Chief Technology Officer

    Gen. Keith Alexander is the Director of the National Security Agency and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command

    Howard Schmidt is Cybersecurity Coordinator and Special Assistant to the President

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  • State and Federal Grid Gurus Working Together to Beat the Heat

    Posted by Nick Sinai on July 22, 2011 at 5:54 PM EDT

    It is critical that America modernize its electric grid if it is to lead the world and create jobs in the clean-energy economy of the future. There are a number of challenges that need to be addressed in order to build the 21st century grid, but right now, at the peak of this week’s intense heat spell, no challenge is more evident than that of the stress that sustained high temperatures can put on the electric grid. 

    As of this afternoon, the heat index in Washington, DC, was 119 degrees Fahrenheit.  When temperatures are this extreme several days in a row, power companies scramble to manage peak demand, often urging consumers to turn off non-essential use of electricity.  In fact, some utilities in the Northeast are already reporting limited outages today.

    New smart grid technologies can help consumers and utilities better manage extreme heat waves, through better information and through “demand response” technologies that automatically lower air conditioner settings or non-essential lights (while compensating consumers for those reduced services).

    Just this week the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) passed a resolution endorsing the continuing modernization of the electric system with smart grid technologies.  In the resolution, NARUC put forth 15 “foundational principles” relating to advanced metering and smart grid deployments for state commissions, including:

    • Recognizing the potential of smart grid investments to improve reliability, provide a more resilient power system, and reduce electricity costs;
    • Using in-home devices, Web-based portals, and other tools and innovations to help consumers understand energy use and make more informed choices;  
    • Providing consumers with affordable and timely access to their own energy use data, with rules of access that balance privacy with innovation; and
    • Having regulators, as a condition of approving smart grid investments, require utilities to deploy smart grid technologies in a manner consistent with reasonable and effective cyber and physical security best practices. 

    The NARUC continues that organization’s ongoing support for grid modernization with thoughtful policies that reflect the diverse needs of the states while recognizing the common interest in building an electric system to support the American economy of the future. For more than ten years, NARUC has addressed critical issues arising from advanced metering and smart grid deployments, including ratemaking, reliability, cyber security, consumer education, consumer protection, and privacy.  

    This action by State Commissioners is also consistent with federal Smart Grid policy and builds upon the recent Administration release of President Obama’s “Policy Framework for the 21st Century Grid: Enabling Our Secure Energy Future,” issued on June 13, 2011.

    In fact, the Administration worked closely with NARUC leadership and individual state regulators during the development of the Policy Framework, and showcased this collaboration last month.  The event featured utility commissioners from across the country and included remarks from NARUC President Tony Clark of North Dakota, who said: “New smart grid technologies could dramatically change how we use and consume electricity. But they also leave numerous unanswered questions that state commissions must consider. This is why a strong Federal-state relationship is essential as we move forward and make the electricity system work best for the consumers we all serve.”

    Achieving sustained progress on grid modernization requires a partnership between states and the Federal government, as well as collaboration with the private sector, consumer groups, and other stakeholders, and we welcome this partnership.

    Nick Sinai is Senior Advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer

    Learn more about Energy and Environment, Technology

  • From Big Data to New Insights

    Posted by Tom Kalil on July 18, 2011 at 1:51 PM EDT

    Today, Microsoft is announcing the availability of a new tool called Daytona that will make it easier for researchers to harness the power of “cloud computing” to discover insights in huge quantities of data. 

    Daytona, which will be freely available to the research community, builds on an existing cloud computing collaboration between the National Science Foundation and Microsoft.  In April, NSF announced that it was funding 13 teams to take advantage of Microsoft’s offer to provide free access to its Windows Azure cloud.  Among other things, these projects will improve our understanding of large watersheds such as the Savannah River Basin, enable more and better use of renewable energy through improved weather forecasting, predict the interactions between proteins, and make cloud computing more secure, reliable, and accessible over mobile devices.

    The new partnership, along with NSF collaborations with other leading IT companies, will help researchers access the computing power and storage capacity they need to tackle the big questions in their field.  That’s important because researchers in a growing number of fields are generating extremely large data sets, commonly referred to as “Big Data.” For example, the size of DNA sequencing databases is increasing by a factor of 10 every 18 months!  Researchers need better tools to help them store, index, search, visualize, and analyze these data, allowing them to discover new patterns and connections.

    Increases in the ability to make predictions and more informed decisions on the basis of Big Data will have implications far beyond science and engineering.  They have the potential to improve healthcare, increase economic productivity, personalize education, strengthen our national security, and improve the management of America’s infrastructure, including transportation and the electric grid.  Given the scope and magnitude of Big Data’s potential economic, societal and scientific impact, the Office of Science and Technology Policy has asked Federal agencies to form a Senior Steering Group on this subject.  Agencies are working to identify the investments that the government should be making in areas such as research, education and workforce development, Big Data-related prizes and challenges, infrastructure, and pilot projects that explore a broad range of potential applications.

    Harnessing the power of Big Data will require new partnerships between government, industry, and academia—partnerships like the Microsoft-NSF collaboration.  It will also require efforts to shape the national research agenda, such as the Computing Community Consortium’s papers on data analytics.  I hope that more companies and research communities will join with the Administration to make the most of this opportunity.

    Tom Kalil is Deputy Director for Policy at OSTP

    Learn more about Innovations, Technology