Tom Udall
Can't We Be Bipartisan This Time?
June / July 2010
Volume 8 Number 3
One of the privileges of serving in Congress is meeting Americans from across the country who have accomplished so much in their respective fields. In the sciences, outstanding researchers and Nobel prize winners come to the Capitol to share their expertise with lawmakers or to be recognized for their work. Probably the most inspiring people I meet, however, are the young students who visit the Capitol.
This May, teams of students from across the country came to Washington for the National Science Bowl championship to test their knowledge in all areas of science. I was pleased to see that the middle school team from Albuquerque Academy in my own state won first place. First Lady Michelle Obama presented the awards and even asked some science questions in a bonus round. These students inspire me. I hope that their trip here and competition success will encourage them to pursue careers in science.
Pessimists have warned about America’s decline for decades, maybe even since the founding of our Republic. In today’s difficult economy, it is easier than ever to listen to gloomy predictions. Yet I continue to be bullish on our nation’s future. America has a vast reserve of economic strength stored in our inventiveness, openness to new ideas, and especially our younger generations. You can see that in the groups of school children who visit me here in Washington.
That is not to say we should be complacent.
The 2005 National Academies study, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, was one warning shot that Congress heard loud and clear. Written by a group of leaders in academia and business, the report detailed challenges to American leadership in the global economy, science and technology. In 2007, Congress incorporated many of the report’s recommendations—related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, research policies, and incentives for innovation—into policies laid out in the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence In Technology, Education, And Science) Act.
This legislation authorized multiple grant programs to help educate current and future teachers in the areas of science and math. It directed investments in basic research and support for young researchers by expanding early career grant programs. Moreover, America COMPETES established the Advanced Research Projects Agency -Energy (ARPA-E) to develop transformational technologies to increase America’s energy independence.
The law also increased authorized funding levels for the Department of Energy Office of Science, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Science Foundation.
America COMPETES legislation also reauthorizes the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program to assist small manufacturers. The MEP Program was created twenty years ago at a time when our nation worried about how small manufacturers would compete globally in the face of stiff competition from Asia. The MEP program has since helped thousands of small and medium-sized manufacturers across the nation increase profits and streamline their business processes through lean manufacturing techniques. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is the federal steward for the nationwide MEP network, which has MEP centers in all 50 states.
Today, as the United States continues to emerge from the worst recession since the Great Depression, the resources and expertise MEP provides manufacturers is more valuable than ever. Our MEP centers do great work—and I believe they can do even more as companies look for ways to take advantage of new opportunities in a clean energy economy. I introduced legislation, the NIST Green Jobs Act, which would help MEP Centers pursue pilot projects to create new services and tools to help small manufacturers, especially in areas such as clean energy job creation.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, I strongly support investments in scientific research and STEM education as well as policies that promote commercialization of research and technology transfer. Being from New Mexico, I see firsthand how such policies help deliver cutting-edge technologies developed in our national labs into the hands of entrepreneurs. For example, a successful company located in the Sandia Science and Technology Park in Albuquerque is creating clean energy jobs by building advanced solar panels that help increase our nation’s energy independence. Scientists at Los Alamos National Lab are using supercomputing tools to help develop new smart grid technologies to transform our energy network in ways similar to how the internet transformed our communications network.
As a senator from New Mexico, however, I also notice that the diversity of people I see in my home state is not always as evident in research labs and STEM career fields across the country. Attracting and retaining more women and minorities in these occupations continues to be a challenge. Department of Labor data show that women are underpaid and underrepresented in STEM occupations compared to men. The National Science Foundation reported that women earn only 21 percent of doctoral degrees in computer science. Moreover, many women who earn science, engineering and math degrees are not hired in STEM fields. Clearly, we have not yet done enough to ensure that our economy will benefit from the future contributions of American children from all backgrounds. Encouraging more people from all backgrounds, experience, and perspectives to work on the toughest challenges facing the nation today should lead to more breakthrough innovations in science and engineering.
This challenge should motivate all members of Congress to action. In 2007, America COMPETES legislation was unanimously approved by the House of Representatives and passed overwhelmingly in the Senate. After the bipartisan work of congress, President Bush signed the measure into law. Now Congress must reauthorize this legislation to continue funding federal science agencies and some of their STEM education initiatives. This time, however, it may not be quite as easy.
One of the biggest changes I have noticed since first becoming a member of Congress is how partisanship now affects our ability to do even the most ordinary legislative activities. Legislation to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act has not yet moved in the Senate. The House version of this bill has run into a few legislative obstacles over unrelated provisions as well as the reluctance of some lawmakers to support increased R&D funding. Nevertheless, Congress should still be able to reauthorize a noncontroversial America COMPETES Act this year.
I remain optimistic that such policies included in this legislation will help researchers, scientists and teachers nationwide. Unfortunately, such progress is not easy to measure. Yet this should not deter us from taking action to promote basic research and STEM education. Often it is difficult to trace a breakthrough technology or innovation to a particular grant or research program. It is hard to identify the specific contribution of a teacher who first sparked a young person’s interest in science that ultimately led to a new discovery.
Policymakers must continue to seek ways to foster American innovation and ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Making those kinds of investments today will keep our economy growing for years to come.
Tom Udall is the junior senator from New Mexico. He wrote this article for Innovation.
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