Latest news with #AmericanInnovation
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Opinion: STEM's Grand Challenges — And Opportunities
Never in our history have science and technology figured so prominently in our economic well-being and national security. STEM jobs and products dominate the economy, accounting for 69% of the U.S. gross domestic product. Emerging technologies across energy, information, transportation, healthcare, agriculture, and every other aspect of life are now battlegrounds of capable, competitive nations. In his recent letter to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, President Donald Trump charged his Office of Science and Technology Policy to 'cement America's global technological leadership and usher in the Golden Age of American Innovation.' Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Tha means the administration will do all it can to bolster the STEM K-12 talent pipeline, right? And Americans will surely support policies aimed at equipping youth for high-demand and mission-critical career paths, eh? U.S. STEM education faces eight ornery, grand challenges, each conceivably conquerable if we rally. 1. America's STEM Education imperative is being eclipsed by an AI exigency. The stakes associated with leading in artificial intelligence blow the 1958 Sputnik crisis out of the sky. The Trump administration recently released an AI-in-education executive order. The STEM education community should seize leadership of a chaotic AI-in-education landscape, leveraging vast networks and partnerships as testbeds. STEM gives AI context and purpose. Many leading AI developers and funders are investing strongly in K-12 technology education. 2. Federal education research and development funding has been sharply diminished lately. STEM education leaders are going to miss the data and research that flowed from the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education through its now-diminished National Center for Education Statistics, including the hobbled National Assessment of Educational Progress and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. But as plans for carving up federal education grant programs into state block grants emerge, state STEM networks will be well-positioned to advance this sort of analysis. Related 3. Teachers of STEM subjects from pre-K to college level may not be career-ready for the modern teaching job. Systems of teacher preparation and professional development remain largely discipline focused, while the messiness of real-world issues meshes the disciplines. The President's termination of ED grants for Teacher Quality and Teacher Leadership, as well as Effective Educator Development, exacerbate the challenge of changing how we prepare educators. But state block grants could represent an opportunity for supporting STEM-focused educator development. 4. Well-documented STEM education innovations dot the U.S. education landscape, but progress toward scaling is inequitable and frustratingly incremental. A recent National Academies report examined hurdles, including decentralization and lack of incentives to scaling proven practices in STEM were familiar: increased federal investments in professional development, more data collection, and broadened connections for partnerships and collaborations. In reality, evidence-based practices identified by research have often been ignored by public school districts and the education schools that prepare teachers. If the estimated $1.5 billion annual federal education R & D investment were carved into 50 chunks for states, STEM leaders could make the case for devoting tens of millions of dollars to bringing innovations to scale. 5. Standards for K-12 science, mathematics, technology, are great for leveling the playing field, but may inhibit STEM innovation. The entire K-12 galaxy spins on a standards axis: curricula, professional development, assessment and grading, publishers, performance reviews. But when organizations and states define what students should know and be able to do at each grade level, rarely do they feature the more integrated aspects of STEM (see challenge #3). Standards-driven systems favor efficiency and conformity (i.e., teach to the standards) over creativity and inventiveness. It's time to flip the script from emphasizing content (What do you know?) to practices (What can you do?), which are hallmarks of STEM education. 6. Now that the acronym is target practice for many folks in power at the national and state level, that puts at risk the STEM community's consensus objective to broaden the talent pipeline. The shift is starkly evident at the National Science Foundation, where updated priorities state that 'Awards that are not aligned with NSF's priorities have been terminated, including but not limited to those on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)….' Is there room to continue prioritizing outreach to the underserved and underrepresented? Yes, says NSF 'so long as these programs do not preference or limit participation based on these protected characteristics.' STEM for all. 7. The skills and attributes that STEM education aspires to imbue – teamwork, curiosity, ideation, negotiation, accountability and 95 more – are tough to measure. Simulations, portfolios, interviews, and AI chatbot diagnostics are so far questionably valid, reliable, and equitable at distinguishing learners' acquisition of soft skills, a.k.a. employability skills, 21st century skills, or durable skills. Competency born of practice is the ideal route for STEM education, and now that all 50 states permit competency-based assessment, STEM can lead a culture shift. 8. American STEM education faces a public awareness problem. The 1958 Sputnik scare was Tinker Toys compared to today's global competition to own quantum, AI, and other emerging technologies. A functionless, beeping satellite spurred a multi-billion-dollar investment in STEM, while today's government shrinks science budgets and dismisses experts. What's lacking is a jolt 'to snap the U.S. out of its complacency.' But unlike 1958, we have today a vast array of university STEM centers, local and regional STEM ecosystems, STEM specialty schools, and STEM learning centers across the continent. If public awareness of the nation's STEM imperative were prioritized as a mission action by all, the jolt could spark a STEM rally. This ornery octet of challenges faced by the STEM education community is surmountable if we work at it. A 'golden age of American innovation' sounds great but calls for a strong system of STEM education to fuel the talent pipeline and to wisely manage profound human inventiveness.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
US Mint releases Space Shuttle $1 gold coin
You can now own a $1 gold coin celebrating one of America's most revolutionary achievements: the NASA Space Shuttle program. The latest variant in the ongoing American Innovation $1 Coin series is available to order through the United States Mint. Selected to represent the state of Florida, the noncirculating legal tender is the third coin released this year and the 28th coin in the 15-year project first announced in 2018. While the coin's front displays the series' Statue of Liberty image, the back shows the shuttle launching above plumes of exhaust. United States Mint Medallic Artist Eric David Custer sculpted the image while Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Designer Ron Sanders designed it. 'The Space Shuttle, officially known as the Space Transportation System, remains one of the most iconic and influential spacecrafts in history,' explained US Mint acting director Kristie McNally in an accompanying announcement. 'As the world's first reusable spacecraft, it played a pivotal role in advancing space exploration. We are honored to celebrate this major achievement.' The Space Shuttle's iconic design (including the image displayed on the new $1 coins) frequently featured not just the shuttle itself, but its large external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters. Those attachments detached after the shuttle reached a predetermined altitude. While the boosters included parachutes allowing them to be recovered and reused, the fuel tank was designed to disintegrate during its atmospheric reentry along a ballistic trajectory ensuring any remnants landed in the Indian or Pacific Oceans. NASA relied on the Space Shuttle to transport astronauts on missions from April 1981 until its retirement in July 2011. The spacecraft blasted off a total of 135 times from one of two launchpads in Florida, returning to Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral at the end of 78 of those trips. During its tenure, the shuttle flew the first women and minority crew members into space, as well as delivered components for both the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station (ISS). The program was not without tragedy, however. The Challenger and Columbia disasters of 1986 and 2003, respectively, collectively claimed the lives of 14 astronauts. In 2004, President George W. Bush announced plans to retire the Space Shuttle program following the completion of the ISS. Today, NASA primarily relies on private contracts with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin for astronaut and mission transport. The ongoing Artemis lunar program will use an Orion spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin. The Space Shuttle's influence today is far more than just symbolic. The Artemis program's rocket booster engines, casings, and main engines are all repurposed and refurbished from Space Shuttle craft. The Artemis I mission alone utilized components previously employed on 83 shuttle missions. The United States Mint announced its American Innovation $1 Coin series celebrating American achievements across science and technology in 2018, and has already featured three space-related selections prior to the Florida coin. Delaware's coin from 2018 showcases Annie Jump Cannon, the pioneering astronomer responsible for the star classification system still used today. Meanwhile, Maryland's 2020 entry pays tribute to the Hubble Space Telescope, and Alabama's 2024 release includes the Saturn V rocket. Later this year, Texas will become the fifth space-centric $1 gold coin with its Mission Control design.
Express Tribune
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Michael Kratsios, White House adviser, claims US has tech to 'manipulate time and space'
A speech by White House science adviser Michael Kratsios has gone viral after he said that U.S. technologies allow the country to "manipulate time and space"—a phrase many interpreted literally despite its likely metaphorical intent. Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, made the statement during a keynote address at the Endless Frontiers Retreat in Austin, Texas, on April 14. Speaking on the U.S. role in global innovation, Kratsios said, 'Our technologies permit us to manipulate time and space. They leave distance annihilated, cause things to grow, and improve productivity.' The comment, part of prepared remarks published on the White House website, quickly went viral across social media, where users questioned whether the statement referred to actual advances in space-time manipulation. One commenter wrote, 'Please elaborate on manipulating time and space,' while another post that simply read 'WTF?!' received millions of views. Although the White House has not issued a clarification, the broader context of the speech suggests Kratsios was speaking metaphorically—describing the transformative power of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, aerospace systems and productivity tools. He also highlighted a vision of technological advancement unencumbered by regulation. 'We have weighed down our builders and innovators,' Kratsios said. 'But we are capable of so much more.' The address comes amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to frame the coming years as a 'Golden Age of American Innovation' in the lead-up to the country's 250th anniversary in 2026. Kratsios, who was confirmed recently as chief science official, emphasised the importance of reducing bureaucratic barriers to innovation. His remarks underscored a push to increase U.S. leadership in technological development.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate confirms Michael Kratsios to lead White House science, tech office
The Senate confirmed Michael Kratsios to head the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) with bipartisan support. Kratsios, who was Trump's chief technology officer during his first White House term, was approved Tuesday by the upper chamber in a 74-25 vote. Kratsios will play a crucial role in molding the administration's artificial intelligence (AI) agenda and will assist Trump in science and technology. 'It's an honor to serve as Director of the @whitehouse Office of Science & Technology Policy,' Kratsios said in a Tuesday post on the social platform X. 'Advancing American dominance in AI, emerging tech, and breakthrough science has never been so critical. Under @POTUS' leadership, we will unleash the Golden Age of American Innovation!' Trump announced in December last year that he would tap Kratsios to be the director of OSTP. Kratsios graduated from Princeton University and has most recently been a managing director at Scale AI, a data annotation company based in San Francisco, according to his LinkedIn. During his February confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Kratsios said it was paramount for the U.S. to continue being the world leader in emerging technologies and showed backing for federal funding for research and development. He defended cuts at the National Science Foundation and other agencies. Kratsios was advanced out of the committee with a 24-4 vote. Kratsios's Tuesday confirmation was also praised by Sriram Krishnan, an Indian American entrepreneur, who Trump named as his senior advisor for AI. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
25-03-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Senate confirms Michael Kratsios to lead White House science, tech office
The Senate confirmed Michael Kratsios to head the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) with bipartisan support. Kratsios, who was Trump's chief technology officer during his first White House term, was approved Tuesday by the upper chamber in a 74-25 vote. Kratsios will play a crucial role in molding the administration's artificial intelligence (AI) agenda and will assist Trump in science and technology. 'It's an honor to serve as Director of the @whitehouse Office of Science & Technology Policy,' Kratsios said in a Tuesday post on social media platform X. 'Advancing American dominance in AI, emerging tech, and breakthrough science has never been so critical. Under @POTUS' leadership, we will unleash the Golden Age of American Innovation!' Trump announced in December last year that he would tap Kratsios to be the director of OSTP. Kratsios graduated from Princeton University and has most recently been a managing director at Scale AI, a data annotation company based in San Francisco, according to his LinkedIn. During his February confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Kratsios said it was paramount for the U.S. to continue being the world leader in emerging technologies and showed backing for federal funding for research and development. He defended cuts at the National Science Foundation and other agencies. Kratsios was advanced out of the committee with a 24-4 vote. Kratsios' Tuesday confirmation was also praised by Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American entrepreneur, who Trump named as his senior advisor for AI.
