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Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

  • Fueling American Entrepreneurship With Open Data

    Posted by Aman Bhandari and Raphael Majma on October 3, 2012 at 1:13 PM EDT

    For decades, entrepreneurs have used government data from Global Positioning Systems, weather monitoring stations, and other sources to power their products and services. This synergy between freely available Federal data and entrepreneurial innovation has benefited both the American economy and American citizens.

    This summer, the Obama Administration took a big step to strengthen this synergy by kicking off the Presidential Innovation Fellows program, which pairs top innovators from inside and outside government for intensive, six-month stints to help solve major challenges. Among other activities, the Program is advancing a number of Open Data Initiatives to liberate unprecedented volumes of government data related to energy, education, international development, public safety, and other key areas. The goal of these efforts is to connect the next generation of entrepreneurs and service providers to freely available government data, while rigorously protecting privacy.

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    Learn more about Startup America, Education, Energy and Environment, Technology

  • Energy Datapalooza: Unleashing the Power of Open Data to Advance our Energy Future

    Posted by Secretary Steven Chu, Todd Park, and Nancy Sutley on October 1, 2012 at 8:03 AM EDT

    Imagine it is a scorching hot summer day, and your smart phone beeps, asking if you’d like it to raise your home thermostat a degree or two to save money.  Or, envision an easy-to-use software package that lets a building owner perform virtual energy audits at a fraction of the cost of in-person audits, so real savings are calculated instantly, building upgrades launched sooner, and construction jobs created faster.

    These are the kinds of advances that are on display today at the White House as more than 150 of America’s entrepreneurs, software developers, energy experts, and policy makers come together for an Energy Datapalooza. The gathering is a chance to celebrate new products, services, and apps that are advancing a secure, clean energy future—all built with freely available data from the government and other sources. 

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  • Scientist Behind the Scenes: Equal Futures Partnership Launch

    Posted by Brittany Wenger on September 28, 2012 at 5:54 PM EDT

    Attending the Equal Futures Partnership Launch was so exciting! I still cannot believe I was invited to an event that had leaders of such an international importance.

    Representatives encompassed all regions of the globe.  Featuring the United States, Bangladesh, the European Union, Peru, Jordan, Benin, and seven other founding members, the Equal Futures Partnership Launch put passionate advocates of women’s rights together to pledge action. In their speeches, leaders recognized that countries need active women in order to prosper, and addressed the removal of key barriers that hinder females.

    I left the conference with enthusiasm. As a female in the STEM fields, specifically computer science, I have always been told at some point in my life, I will have to confront gender discrimination. However, after attending the Equal Futures Partnership Launch, I do not believe this statement to be true. I remain excited to watch us, as an international community, define what equal futures really means.

    Brittany Wenger, 17, is the Google Science Fair 2012 Grand Prize Winner. She created a Global Neural Network Cloud Service for Breast Cancer detection.

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  • Women in Clean Energy Symposium

    Posted by Erin R. Pierce on September 27, 2012 at 10:33 AM EDT

    Ed. note: This is cross-posted from U.S. Energy Department.

    Join Us Live This Friday: Women in Clean Energy Symposium

    If we are to succeed in the global clean energy race, we need the talents and contributions of all members of society. This is the driving force behind the Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) initiative. Launched in partnership with eight other governments at the inaugural Clean Energy Ministerial -- C3E leverages the skills and talents of women worldwide to help advance the global clean energy economy.

    This Friday, September 28, organizers of C3E will celebrate an important milestone -- the launch of the Women in Clean Energy Symposium. Hosted by the U.S. Energy Department and the MIT Energy Initiative – the Women in Clean Energy Symposium will bring together distinguished and emerging leaders to help lay the foundation for a broader, continuing effort to advance women's leadership in clean energy.

    The centerpiece of the symposium will be the first-ever C3E Awards ceremony -- recognizing six mid-career individuals with outstanding accomplishments in the clean energy field. Awards will be given out in a range of categories including: innovation and technology development, entrepreneurship, policy and advocacy, and advancements for the developing world.

    Best of all, the symposium will not be limited to those attending in person. We’re making the event interactive so that you can share your own thoughts and perspectives throughout.

    National Renewable Energy Laboratory researcher

    National Renewable Energy Laboratory researcher Kirsten Alberi works in the lab's luminescence mapping laboratory at the Solar Energy Research Facility. Here she aligns a laser and sample to map the photoluminescence coming off the sample. (Photo Credit: Dennis Schroeder, National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

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    Learn more about Energy and Environment, Technology, Women

  • Recognizing Those Affected with Alzheimer’s Disease and Celebrating a Call To Action

    Posted by Bess Evans on September 21, 2012 at 5:05 PM EDT

    Today, on International Alzheimer's Action Day, we are recognizing the 5 million people who are living with Alzheimer’s disease and the 15 million families and friends who care for those individuals.

    Alzheimer’s disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and one of the few causes without a way to prevent, cure, or even slow its progress.  Every minute and a half someone develops the illness, and currently about 13 percent of Americans age 65 and older are suffering from this devastating disease. As the baby boomer generation continues to age, the number of people living with Alzheimer’s will only increase.  By 2050, as many as 16 million people will have this currently incurable disease.

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  • Golden Goose Award: Scientific Research Investments Paying Off

    Posted by Bess Evans on September 14, 2012 at 6:51 PM EDT

    Yesterday, Members of Congress, representatives of the academic, scientific, and business communities, and other luminaries gathered to honor seven federally-funded researchers whose work has transformed technology, medicine, and countless lives. The researchers are the first-ever recipients of the Golden Goose Award, which highlights the unpredictable nature of basic scientific research and the fact that some of the most important scientific discoveries come from federally funded research that may once have been viewed as unusual, odd, or obscure.

    This project is coordinated by some  leading advocates for science and research in the country: the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Association of American Universities (AAU), Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), the Science Coalition, The Task Force on American Innovation, and United for Medical Research, with support from the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Chemical Society, and the American Mathematical Society. 

    One of the winning projects – the study of glowing jellyfish – led to innovative advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment as well as new breakthroughs in AIDS research. Another – the study of tropical coral – sped the development of game-changing ceramics for bone grafts and prosthetic eyes.  When I think of jellyfish, I don’t think of cancer research. But that is precisely the wonder of research: it changes the way we think, and the way we live.

    Government funded research is all around us. Even when we don’t see it, or don’t think of it in that way, researchers across the country are looking for ways to find it.

    The final winner of the Golden Goose Award was Charles Townes, the inventor of laser technology. Laser is the foundation of countless technologies we use each day: the Internet, digital media, computer hard drives, satellite broadcasting, laser eye surgery, and laser cancer treatment. Dr. Townes was funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Navy, but many of his peers and supervisors were skeptical of his work.

    “Many people didn’t think it would work,” Dr. Townes explained. “In fact the head of the Department and the previous head of the Department, both of whom got Nobel Prizes so they weren’t stupid, came to my lab and said, ‘Look, that’s not going to work, we know it’s not going to work, and you know it’s not going to work, so stop, you are wasting the Department’s money.’ And about 4 months later, we had it working.”

    “With the support of general science you can learn a lot of things, and every once in a while something has terrific applications and it helps our industry a great deal and it helps the economy a great deal,” Dr. Townes later went on to say. 

    Dr. Townes is 97 years old, and is hoping to continue doing research until he turns 100. “Life is such fun I’d like to keep going! I want to learn new things and discover new things.”

    It is this quest for discovery that our researchers embark on each day. The journey may not always fall into our idea of what science should look like or sound like on paper, but their paths lead to some of the most vital foundations of our economy, our livelihood, and our hope for the future.

    We congratulate the Golden Goose Award recipients, and look forward to their future life changing discoveries.

    Bess Evans is a Policy Analyst at OSTP

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