Recently in Technology Category

Nationwide, more than 100 majors, minors or certificates were created in 2009 in energy and sustainability-focused programs at colleges big and small, says the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

That's up from just three programs added in 2005.

Two factors are driving the surge:

Students want the courses,
Employers want the trained students

The Obama administration has estimated that jobs in energy and environmental-related occupations will grow 52% from 2000 through 2016, vs. 14% for other occupations.

Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University.

Illinois State University in Normal, Ill. has 65 majors in renewable energy, a program started in 2008 with help from a $1 million Department of Energy grant.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In September it launched a minor in energy studies. A student survey said 43% of freshmen and sophomores were very or extremely interested.

University of California-Berkeley.  The Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laborator has seen student interest in its introductory energy class explode from 40 or so students ten years ago to 270 today.

SOURCE: USA Today

"This first-in-the-nation initiative will reduce education costs ... and help ensure every California student has access to a world-class education." (Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, 5/6/09)

Continuing his commitment to find savings in these challenging budget times while improving California's education system, Governor Schwarzenegger today will highlight his first-in-the-nation digital textbooks initiative at Calabasas High School. The Governor introduced this initiative as way to provide schools and students a new way to access textbooks that is less expensive, easier and lighter.  The first phase will bring high school math and science classes access to free digital textbooks by fall 2009 - with additional content to follow.

Governor Schwarzenegger's first-in-the-nation digital textbook initiative puts California on the road to a technologically advanced, higher quality and lower cost education system.

• High School Students will have access to science and math digital textbooks by the beginning of the school year. A list of standards-aligned digital textbooks for subjects such as geometry, algebra II, trigonometry, calculus, physics, chemistry, biology/life science and earth science courses will be released this August.
  • Digital books and content has already been submitted and will soon be reviewed. All content developers can submit materials to the California Learning Resources Network by June 15 in order to be reviewed in time for this upcoming school year

• Phase two of the initiative is currently being developed. This includes making digital textbooks available for all grades, incorporating interactive content and eventually creating a statewide web site highlighting available books.

This initiative has the potential to save California's schools millions of dollars. The average textbook costs about $75 to $100 per student.  For a school district with about 10,000 high school students, the use of free digital textbooks in just science and math classes could save up to $2 million dollars.

• Switching to digital textbooks will free up funds for other spending priorities. Last year, the state's share alone for school books and other instructional materials was $350 million, this is funding that can be used elsewhere after free, digital textbooks are made available.
• Schools can take advantage of this program and save money even without computers or laptops. Teachers can print out material and it would still cost a fraction of the price of a traditional textbook.

Digital textbooks will allow students to learn on new and multiple levels. Traditional hardbound textbooks are adopted in six-year cycles, meaning six years of missing information. Digital textbooks can be updated much more easily, allowing students to learn about current discoveries and technological advances as they happen.

• Frequently updated digital textbooks will better prepare California's students to compete in the global economy. Knowledge is power - the more students have, the greater opportunity they have to succeed.
• Digital textbooks open the door to more interactive learning. Students will be able read about a science experiment then watch a video demonstration - giving them more than one way to digest the information.

With a deep recession and a deep deficit, California is doing everything possible to help schools do more with less.

Doubling Research Budgets

With enactment of the America COMPETES Act, the US set the basic research agencies -- National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) -- on a path to doubling their research budgets.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Nearly two-thirds of papers cited in the U.S. patent applications were supported through federal funding, according to the AAAS report. However, applying the results of the research and getting the new technologies to the market is often the sticking point. This gap is often referred to as the "Valley of Death."

Commercialization in Small Business with Public-Private Partnerships

In addition to programs, like the Technology Innovation Program at NIST, which helps small high-tech entrepreneurs bring new technologies to the market, one of the policy strategies is to create public-private partnerships. Government funding can mitigate some financial risk -- which can lead to a faster pace of innovation -- and the private sector can ensure that the new technologies can get over the Valley of Death and to the market.

Advanced Vehicle Technology Act

Provides the most comprehensive authorization to date for long-term sustained funding of public-private vehicle R&D and commercial application activities in the DOE Vehicle Technologies Program.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership at NIST

This is the only program of its kind to help keep small American manufacturers on the cutting edge by enhancing growth, improving productivity and expanding capacity.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, (ARPA-E)

Modeled after the highly successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, received an overwhelming response -- 3,700 white papers -- far exceeding anyone's expectations. There is pent-up need for this type of transformational technology development that will result in green jobs here in the U.S.

America COMPETES Act

Reauthorization is due in 2010 to improve science, technology, engineering, and math education, to develop a skilled workforce to develop and manage new technologies.