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“My fellow Americans, the skills mismatch in our country is large, and it continues to grow. Countries that invest in their children -- countries like India and China -- are innovating and growing. Each day that we fail to adequately prepare our students to face tomorrow’s challenges is a wasted day. We must shrink the skills gap.” That’s exactly how I would kickoff Tuesday’s State of the Union [...]
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Later this morning, Texas Instruments Chairman, President, & CEO Richard Templeton will testify before a House committee on the critical importance of federal support for science and R&D, and how the U.S. stacks up against global competitors. (The hearing starts at 9:30 a.m. ET, and you can watch it live here.) Before the hearing, Mr. Templeton and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley [...]
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With the greatest “collection of brainpower we’ve had under this roof in a long time,” President Obama at the White House today bestowed the nation’s highest honors for invention and discovery – the National Medals of Science and the National Medals of Technology and Innovation – on an incredibly talented group of men and women. The President noted that the accomplishments of these women and men are [...]
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There are critical choices facing Congress as members work to find solutions to the urgent fiscal challenges facing the nation. But, as they work toward answers, they should not sacrifice the foundation of America’s innovation economy – science, R&D, and education. And when it comes to “raising revenues” – Washington-ese for higher taxes – Congress needs to adopt a competitive, market-based approach [...]
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Time and again, news reports remind us that the U.S. has lost its competitive edge and faces an uphill climb in the 21st century to regain and maintain its innovative leadership. We're constantly told that America is a country that doesn’t produce anything anymore, is on the decline, or lacks ingenuity. While these arguments make for convenient headlines, ITI member Microsoft did a lot to dispel [...]
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In his Inaugural Address today, President Obama combined poetry and prose as he spoke about the priorities that he will bring to his second term in office. For many of these issues, the technology sector has put forward ideas with backing from both Democratic and Republican Members of Congress. The challenge consistently has been building broader support to move policies from good proposals to new [...]
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Sparky Anderson, who managed World Series-winning teams in Cincinnati and Detroit, once remarked, “We’re getting close to opening day. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.” January 3rd, 2013 marked American policymaking’s opening day: the start of the 113th Congress. We in the tech industry see the start of a new season of policymaking as a good thing because ours is an industry rooted [...]
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When the much ballyhooed Super Committee failed to reach an agreement to address the national debt last year, committee members put in place an automatic spending cut mechanism so draconian and unpalatable it was thought that Congress was certain to act before it went into effect. The mechanism, in short, slashes nearly all of the federal government’s annual discretionary budgets by 8.4 percent. [...]
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UPDATE (5:08 p.m.): The House voted 257-158 on the Smith bill -- a majority but not enough to reach the 2/3rds threshold required for the suspension rules under which the bill was being considered. There is a skills gap in today’s workforce. To remain competitive, the U.S. must increase the number of potential workers who hold higher degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [...]
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U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan kicked off his Education Drives America bus tour this week, hosting a panel discussion at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, Calif. Moderated by Sec. Duncan, the discussion featured a diverse and dynamic line-up of educators who take innovative approaches in the classroom, hoping to better prepare students for the 21st century workforce. And that’s where the [...]
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