America Competes Act--Continued

Floor Speech

AMERICA COMPETES ACT--Continued -- (Senate - April 25, 2007)

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NANOTECHNOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS

Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, I would like to thank the distinguished Senator from New Mexico, Mr. Bingaman, and the distinguished Senator from Tennessee, Mr. Alexander, for their leadership in crafting the America COMPETES Act and managing it on the Senate floor. I would also like to thank Senator Inouye and Senator Kennedy for their roles in developing and moving this bill. It is a critical piece of legislation that will help ensure our great Nation remains competitive in the global economy.

I would also like to thank my distinguished colleague from Oregon, Mr. Smith, the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts, Mr. Kerry, and the distinguished Senator from Arkansas, Mr. Pryor, for working with me to draft language to enable high schools and colleges to purchase nanotechnology equipment through grants from the National Science Foundation. And I thank the distinguished Senator from New Jersey, Mr. Menendez, for working with us to add some of that language to his important amendment to this fine bill.

Nanotechnology involves the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers--as small as a single molecule. At that scale, unique phenomena enable novel applications. The rapidly growing field of nanotechnology is generating scientific and technological breakthroughs that will benefit society by improving the way many things are designed and made. It will continue to be at the heart of innovation in a wide range of sectors for decades to come.

With the inclusion of the language that we proposed, partnerships between low income school districts, colleges and universities, and businesses will be able to secure funds to purchase classroom versions of scanning electron microscopes and other tools that are fundamental to the study of nanotechnology.

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Mr. WYDEN. I agree with my colleague. It is well documented that America needs to address the science, technology, engineering and math deficit--this entire bill is a reflection of that understanding. This deficit is possibly greatest in the Nation's poorest school districts. Yet these school districts also offer a reservoir of potential--potential, if properly tapped, that could generate hundreds of thousands of scientists and engineers who can help ensure that America can compete in the global marketplace, and harness the economic promise--and good paying jobs--of emerging fields like nanotechnology.

I have seen some of the nanotechnology equipment that folks will be able to use these funds to purchase. And honestly, it is exciting stuff. I expect that it will help generate the enthusiasm, as well as the knowledge and understanding, necessary to attract and retain America's future nanotechnologists.

So I would urge the Director of the National Science Foundation, as he is implementing this program, to give special attention to grant proposals that include a nanotechnology element.

Mr. SMITH. I agree with my colleague from Oregon and I also hope that the Director will give special attention to grant proposals that include a nanotechnology element. Nanotechnology is not a specific technology, but a descriptive term encompassing a range of fields from biology to computer science, and from medicine to engineering. This legislation will enable high schools and colleges, in partnership with local businesses, to purchase basic tabletop nanotechnology tools for classroom use--not laboratory use for research, but classroom use for education--to help create the next generation of scientists of all kinds, and to ensure that they will have the skills to apply nanotechnology to whatever specific scientific field they enter.

Mr. WYDEN. I would like to make one last point--the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act will come up for reauthorization next year. As one of the authors of the act, and as one of the cochairmen of the Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus, I am looking forward to hearing my colleagues' thoughts about how the act might be amended to further promote American competitiveness in the vitally important field of nanotechnology.

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