It was President John F. Kennedy who began the space race through his incredible speech to Congress 45 years ago. The same message of advancement and nationalism still echoes today as President George W. Bush, through his State of the Union Address, has outlined in his initiative for American competitiveness.
It was this call to innovation and development that Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson urged the president, in a letter prior to the State of the Union, to move rapidly and efficiently to enact by funding a national innovation agenda.
As a follow-up to the State of the Union address and to increase support for the president’s initiative, RPI hosted a roundtable discussion. U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Sandy Baruah joined with Jackson and Capital Region business, academic, and community leaders on February 3 to discuss President Bush’s competitiveness agenda.
Jackson has been at the forefront of advocacy for agendas like those President Bush addressed. She has for many years warned of the “quiet crisis,” caused by the lack of interest in science and technology by Americans, specifically students and the workforce. Institutions of higher learning such as Rensselaer will probably be among the first to feel this shortage. As generations retire in record numbers, there is a deficit in the “pipeline” to replace these rare talents.
Leading a campaign to increase national conversation to address the “quiet crisis,” President Jackson has made it a priority to generate the public and government support needed to successfully enact a comprehensive plan. Jackson has taken part in developing the National Academy of Sciences’ report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, as well as other programs with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and similar organizations to move forward the national innovation initiative.
At the talk-show style roundtable, Jackson discussed the gap between an institution such as Rensselaer and the private sector. She also opened the floor to questions from faculty and community leaders whose feelings ranged from generally agreeing to wanting more assurance.
Baruah repeated, “Bush said the role of government is not to create jobs, but to create the environment where jobs are created,” and also emphasized the connection between education and the private sector. “They work to diversify regional economies by generating new opportunities out of the old—new opportunities for entrepreneurship, new industries, and new jobs.” Baruah also conveyed the role of his department in aiding with this gap.
Cited at the meeting were initiatives such as the Incubator Center at Rensselaer, which have proven to be an integral part of bringing innovation from research phases into the public sector. Dr. Holly Shulman, founder and president of Ceralink, Inc. is a successful example of this bridge with her initiative to commercialize technology at the Rensselaer Technology Park with a $1.8 million starter grant through the Economic Development Administration.
Baruah, in response to a “how to join the team” question, reiterated the policy which his department stands behind, which focuses on bringing the regions together to allow them to work well amongst themselves. “Not every region can be the next biotech” said Baruah, but it was his department’s mission to bring together regions whose benefits and advantages would work well together to prosper.
Jackson ended the discussion with a three-point proposal to the Bush Administration. Her goals centered on urging President Bush to include special internship opportunities for students to experience research and development, to give more value to intellectual property rights, and to focus on creating innovative fellowships for graduate students and scholarships for undergraduates.
Baruah and Jackson also toured the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, where exhibits show the development of potential future energy systems and the advancements in lighting by the Solid State Lighting Program. The Molecularium and the Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education also exhibited the initiatives with K-12 programming and the effort to educate children earlier on in the fields of science and technology.
