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Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

  • Ensuring an Open Internet

    Posted by Lawrence Strickling, Philip Verveer, and Daniel Weitzner on May 2, 2012 at 6:25 PM EDT

    Central to the Internet’s value as a platform for innovation, democracy, access to information and scientific progress are the technical standards on which it is built and the open manner in which it is governed.  Yet, there are governments that seek to alter the fundamental way the Internet functions. Several governments recently called for new treaty provisions to assert centralized control over the Internet’s operations instead of relying on the voluntary, consensus-based processes that gave us the Internet we enjoy today. 

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  • Innovative Summer Jobs+ Apps Announced

    Posted by Brian Forde on May 2, 2012 at 11:39 AM EDT

    Four weeks ago we launched the first-ever White House Code Sprint, challenging app developers to build job search apps using the opportunities found in the Summer Jobs+ bank. The Summer Jobs+ initiative is a new call-to-action for businesses, non-profits, and government to provide pathways to employment for low-income and disconnected youth in the summer of 2012. Today we are excited to highlight six apps that were created on platforms including Facebook, Android, the iPhone, Windows Phone, and Web browsers. These apps support the goal of connecting America’s youth with summer job opportunities via digital platforms they are already familiar with and use in their daily lives.    Thanks to everyone for participating in the code sprint, and we encourage you to share your favorite app below with youth who are looking for opportunities this summer.

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  • Made In America: Helping Revitalize U.S. Manufacturing

    Posted by Sridhar Kota and Chris Vein on April 30, 2012 at 9:51 AM EDT

    We would like to share a few manufacturing initiatives that reached important milestones during the past week.

    Launch of Manufacturing.Data.Gov

    President Obama has said that an economy built to last is one that is based not only on consuming goods but on making things.  That’s why we’re proud to announce the launch of Manufacturing.Data.Gov.  This new community on Data.gov is a one-stop Web portal for anyone interested in sharing and ideas and transforming emerging technologies into commercial success stories.  It will serve as a public resource of high-value datasets, tools, and applications that can help entrepreneurs streer the entire product development chain for a project, from invention, engineering design and prototyping, to validation and testing, manufacturing, and sales.

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  • PCAST Releases Assessment of National Nanotechnology Initiative

    Posted by Maxine Savitz, Ed Penhoet, and Chad Mirkin on April 27, 2012 at 3:37 PM EDT

    Today, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released its latest assessment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI): Report to the President and Congress on the Fourth Assessment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The assessment is a Congressionally mandated biennial review of the NNI, a crosscutting Federal program designed to coordinate U.S. investments in research and development (R&D) activities in nanoscale science, engineering, tech­nology, and related efforts across 26 agencies and programs. It was written by PCAST, acting in its capacity as the National Nanotechnology Advisory Panel.

    This year’s assessment focused on the progress made by the NNI and the National Nanotechnology Coordinating Office (NNCO) in fulfilling the recommendations that PCAST made in its 2010 assessment. 

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  • National Bioeconomy Blueprint Released

    Posted by Mary Maxon and Elizabeth Robinson on April 26, 2012 at 8:22 AM EDT

    Today, the Obama Administration announced its commitment to strengthening bioscience research as a major driver of American innovation and economic growth.  The National Bioeconomy Blueprint outlines steps that agencies will take to drive the bioeconomy—economic activity powered by research and innovation in the biosciences—and details ongoing efforts across the Federal government to realize this goal.

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  • Science and Engineering Festival, Astronomy Night Come to Washington this Weekend

    Posted by Kumar Garg and Phil Larson on April 25, 2012 at 12:34 PM EDT

    This weekend, one of the largest Science Festivals ever to grace the Nation’s capital will pack into the Washington Convention Center, engaging hundreds of thousands of visitors with hands-on activities, demonstrations, and an evening star party.

    The USA Science and Engineering Festival, which in its last year welcomed over 500,000 visitors, builds on the President’s call to action to excite and educate students in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.  Kicked off in 2010 with a few words from the President himself, the festival this year has grown considerably, with more exhibits, sponsors, and special guests than ever before.

    Here’s what you can expect from this year’s USA S&E Festival:

    The event is free and open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29. For more information, please visit www.usasciencefestival.org.

    In addition, on Saturday night, the 3rd annual Astronomy Night on the National Mall will take place just south of the White House.  This public Star Party is an outgrowth of President Obama’s White House stargazing event in 2009 and is organized by Hofstra University with help from a number of regional astronomy clubs.

    Representatives from some of the Nation’s foremost astronomical institutions will be on hand to present exciting demonstrations and activities and to answer questions about careers in science, celestial objects and events, and the latest astronomical discoveries.  Groups participating in the event include the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Astronomy Magazine, Astronomy Outreach Foundation, International Dark-Sky Association, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/Chandra X-ray Center, Hubble Space Telescope (Space Telescope Science Institute), NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, National Science Foundation, Division of Astronomical Sciences,  and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

    So if you’re near the Nation’s capital, we hope to see you out at a science, engineering, and star-filled weekend!

    Kumar Garg is a Senior Advisor and Phil Larson is a Communications and Policy Analyst at OSTP
     

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