View from the Hill
Written by Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott
Enhancing M&S at our institutions of higher education is critical to ensuring that the United States maintains its competitive advantage in this rapidly growing field. For over 16 years, I have had the honor and the privilege to represent the Third Congressional District of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives, and I have had the opportunity to witness first hand the growth of M&S. Colleges and universities in and around the Third Congressional District are leading the way in M&S at the academic level by offering advanced degrees and establishing state-of-the-art modeling and simulation research facilities. However, there are still only a handful of colleges and universities that actually have an M&S curriculum.
Last year, I, along with Congressman Randy Forbes of Virginia and other members of the Congressional Modeling and Simulation Caucus, introduced legislation that would create a modeling and simulation higher education grant. The provisions of this legislation were ultimately included in the Higher Education Act reauthorization that was signed into law by President George W. Bush in August 2008. Specifically, the legislation authorized funding for a new grant program for colleges and universities to either enhance already established M&S programs or to create new M&S programs. Colleges and universities that receive a grant through this program will be able to use these funds for M&S program activities such as hiring additional faculty, purchasing and upgrading computer equipment, and building and enhancing facilities.
The legislation would also establish a task force at the U.S. Department of Education to study M&S and to support the development of the field. The purposes of the task force would include helping to define the study of M&S at institutions of higher education, identifying best practices for the study of modeling and simulation, and identifying the core knowledge and skills that students in modeling and simulation programs should attain. Members of the task force would be representatives from institutions of higher education with established M&S degree programs, the National Science Foundation, federal agencies who use M&S extensively, private industries which utilize M&S, national M&S organizations, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy under the Executive Office of the President.
Our colleges and universities must lead the way in educating young people in the field of M&S. This new M&S grant program can significantly help existing modeling and simulation education programs around the country, such as the programs at Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University in Virginia, and at the University of Central Florida in Florida. The program will also help those college and universities that want to create new programs.
The use of M&S technology can improve the lives of all Americans and make our great nation safer and a better place to live. This technology is already widely used in the fields of science, national defense, health care, homeland security, transportation and disaster planning. Ensuring that American institutions of higher education are leading the way in training the next generation of experts in this field is necessary to our national security. This new grant program is a modest federal investment in an industry with tremendous potential. ♦
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Editor’s Note: Rep. Bobby Scott is a Democrat in his ninth term representing Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives. He is a member of the Congressional Modeling and Simulation Caucus. Scott also serves on the Committee on Education and Labor, the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on the Budget.