We’ve got a new president in the White House, and with him, a promise of drastic new policy. Whatever your political inclination, it’s hard to deny that the past administration has had a rather stifling effect on science and technology development.
So which of Barack Obama’s policies directly impact us engineers? Chief among his initiatives are advancing climate-friendly energy development, modernizing Internet infrastructure and increasing funding for students and researchers in science and technology.
Obama plans to create a “Clean Technologies Deployment Venture Capital Fund,” funded with $50 billion over five years to bring sustainable new technologies from the laboratory to the market. In total, he plans to invest $150 billion over the next decade to promote various types of renewable and sustainable technologies. These include biofuels, plug-in hybrids, large-scale renewable energy sources and a new digital electricity grid. Some of this money will also go toward doubling funding for clean energy research at universities and national labs. Coincidentally, both UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory fall under this category … Sounds good to me.
Other important goals are to strengthen the broadband backbone in the United States and protect network neutrality. Obama recognizes that the knowledge-based economy needs more support in order to grow. First, he wants to bring broadband to the whole country by fostering public–private partnerships and optimizing the use of the wireless spectrum by directly funding it through the Universal Service Fund. Second, he understands that the open nature of the Internet is responsible for much of its success, and he pledges to ensure network neutrality going forward. For many of us, it is clear that Internet service providers should not be allowed to decide what content gets prioritized, and it’s great that Obama also recognizes this.
Obama’s policies are especially good for current students. He plans to create new research grants aimed toward young scientists and engineers, which will probably go into effect right as current students move into research roles. Obama also plans to launch an online database to match science and technology financial aid opportunities with students interested in these fields. He hopes this will be especially helpful for first generation college students. Science and technology education has been chronically underfunded, and these new initiatives aim to fix that.
Of course, with the sorry state of the economy shackling him, it’s possible that Obama may not be able to fully implement these ambitious plans. But stepping onto this bold path is an admirable start and sets powerful precedents. It sends a message to our youth, that we will support them in science and technology careers, and to the world, that the United States of America is still dedicated to being a potent force for innovation.
—Written by EECS junior Max Zheng. This essay first appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of California Engineer.
