In their February 2006 report, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm," the National Academy of Sciences put a spotlight on American science and technology and our nation's role in the new global economy. This detailed report examines the challenges and economic changes facing the country in the 21st century, and the most important steps US policymakers must take to ensure our nation can successfully compete, prosper, and be secure in the global community.

Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-Tenn.) is one leader who clearly understands this challenge. On March 8, 2006, Rep. Ford introduced H.R. 4906, aimed at improving America's competitiveness throughout the world, starting with schools, educational systems, and our workforce, while addressing in particular the need to reinvigorate the leadership in the fields of science, technology, math, and engineering. The bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and implement the National Academy of Science's recommendations with the following programs:

• Undergraduate and graduate scholar programs to graduate 1 million new scientists and engineers;


• Grant programs to attract 10,000 of America's brightest students to the teaching profession;


• Summer institutes and part-time master's degree programs to train and strengthen the skills of existing K-12 teachers;


• Awards to fund research by our nation's most promising young scientists, engineers, and mathematicians;


• A new Presidential Innovation Award to U.S. citizens who develop cutting-edge ideas in the areas most pressing to our national interest;


• Creation of a National Coordination Office for Research Infrastructure to identify and prioritize deficiencies in scientific research in America and to make grants to correct those shortcomings;


• Creation of an advanced research projects agency within the Department of Energy to fund cutting-edge research to reduce the amount of energy the United States imports from foreign sources by 75 percent over the next 10 years.

These proposals are the first component of Rep. Ford's "Make America Competitive Again" Initiative. Though the United States is still a global leader, this strength relies in part on institutions, such as those of research and advanced education. More and more, other countries are adopting similar priorities, and the gap between the United States and these nations has been narrowing steadily. At the same time, a shortage of qualified teachers creates a need for new approaches to recruiting, training, and retaining educators who are literate in mathematics, science, and engineering. For the United States to maintain its global edge, government policy must be on the side of innovation and work to invest in the fundamental building blocks of the new global economy: research, education, and skills.

"Innovation fueled the engine of American leadership in the 20th century and it will continue to drive us well into the 21st," Rep. Ford said in a statement. "The kind of discovery and invention taking place at research centers across our state ... has driven business and helped create entirely new industries, from farm-based fuels to neutron science to genetic engineering. In turn, these new industries have created the kind of high paying jobs that improve all of our communities.

"But our economic dominance is not guaranteed. In the face of increasing competition from countries such as China and India, it is more important than ever that we continue to push innovation."