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Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

  • Merit Review: Ensuring Gold-Standard Science Around the Globe

    Posted by John P. Holdren and Subra Suresh on May 14, 2012 at 9:00 AM EDT

    Three years ago, President Obama spoke at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., and called upon American scientists and engineers to work more closely with the international science community, even as he committed to boosting investment in domestic science and technology to new heights. That call for international collaboration resonated with U.S. researchers and research institutions for a number of reasons.

    First, as the President noted, science, technology, and innovation often proceed more rapidly when creative minds from varied backgrounds share their insights. Second, especially in these economically trying times, more can be done when costs and risks are broadly shared. And third, a growing number of the challenges being addressed by science and technology—energy independence, better healthcare at lower cost, and improved food security, among others—are global in character.

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  • New Commitments Support Administration’s Materials Genome Initiative

    Posted by Cyrus Wadia on May 14, 2012 at 8:15 AM EDT

    Today, at a White House event, leaders from industry, academia, national labs, and government announced more than a dozen new commitments to advance the Administration’s Materials Genome Initiative—an ambitious challenge to double the speed and cut the cost of discovering, developing, and deploying new high-tech materials in the United States.

    The President announced the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) in June 2011 as part of a broader effort to create new jobs, solve societal challenges, and enhance America’s global competitiveness by bolstering the U.S. advanced manufacturing enterprise. New, high-tech materials can revolutionize manufacturing, helping to make vehicles that are safer and lighter; packaging that keeps food fresher and more nutritious; and lightweight bullet-proof vests for police officers and soldiers, among countless other applications. But the pathway from discovery to commercialization can take decades.

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  • Submit Your Public Safety Challenge!

    Posted by Brian Forde on May 10, 2012 at 11:09 AM EDT

    Safety.Data.gov was launched recently with the goal of making datasets available that provide information about public safety issues like crime rates, roadway safety and safety in the workplace. These datasets provide the public safety community with a wealth of information that can help solve real world public safety problems and challenges.

    Now we’re asking for your help.  In an effort to use public safety data to empower people to make better informed decisions about their safety and the safety of others, we’d like to know what public safety challenges you’re facing.  We’ll then share your input with technologists and innovative first responders who may come up with a great way to help solve that problem. Click here to learn more and submit your challenge!

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  • OSTP Seeks Comments on Proposed FOIA Regulations

    Posted by Jennifer Lee on May 9, 2012 at 3:07 PM EDT

    The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is proud of its record of responsiveness with regard to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Indeed, when the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released its March 2012 “Report Card on Federal Government’s Efforts to Track and Manage FOIA Requests,” OSTP scored an A+.

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  • Fermi Award Winners Saluted

    Posted by Nafeesa Hunt Owens on May 9, 2012 at 11:12 AM EDT

    President Obama Greets 2010 Fermi Award Recipients

    President Barack Obama greets 2010 Fermi Award recipients Dr. Burton Richter, right, and his wife Laurose, and Dr. Mildred S. Dresselhaus, third from right, and her husband Gene, in the Oval Office, May 7, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

    The best science is as much about service as it is about discovery.  And that’s especially true for two of our Nation’s most accomplished researchers, who were honored Monday for devoting their lives not only to doing great science but also to teaching and mentoring, public service, and inspiring others.

    The two awardees, Drs. Mildred Dresselhaus and Burton Richter--after visiting with President Obama in the Oval Office--were joined by distinguished guests at the Ronald Reagan International Center as Secretary of Energy Steven Chu  honored them as winners of the Enrico Fermi Award.

    A Presidential award, the Fermi Award is one of the oldest and most prestigious science and technology honors bestowed by the U.S. Government. It is administered by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science to honor individuals who have given unstintingly over their careers to advance energy science, and to inspire future scientists to follow their example.

    Dr. Dresselhaus made many discoveries that deepened our fundamental understanding in condensed matter systems. She has also served in a variety of scientific leadership roles, including as the Director of the DOE Office of Science and President of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition, Dr. Dresselhaus has devoted great energy to mentoring students, raising community awareness about science, and promoting progress on gender equity. She is widely respected as a mentor and spokesperson for women in science.

    Dr. Richter has done pioneering work in the development and use of accelerator technologies that have contributed to several Nobel Prizes—including the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physics that he shared with Dr. Samuel C.C. Ting for the discovery of a new kind of heavy elementary particle. Dr. Richter also provided visionary leadership at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (today’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) from 1984 to 1999, where he helped lead advances that not only yielded new discoveries in particle physics but also laid the foundation for major new strides in photon science. Since then, Dr. Richter has served as a leader in many other positions involving public policy and science and technology.

    Drs. Richter and Dresselhaus both opened new scientific and technical horizons. But, equally important, they have been generous with their scientific knowledge and their wisdom. We are proud to salute them, winners of the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award.

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  • White House Science and Tech Staff Thank Their Teachers

    Posted by Phil Larson on May 8, 2012 at 6:26 PM EDT

    In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week—and specifically National Teacher Appreciation Day today—OSTP staff wanted to thank and highlight some of the teachers who have had the most impact on our lives.

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