Home > Legislative Work > Earmark Requests > Appropriations 2010
Appropriation Requests for 2010
Listed below in alphabetical order you will find all of my fiscal year 2010 appropriations requests. Please note that these projects are just requests. They have simply been submitted by me for funding consideration, all projects will not be funded and those that are funded may receive less than requested. Every year during the annual appropriations process, Members of Congress have the opportunity to submit requests for initiatives that they believe are worthy of federal support. All Members of the House are required to certify they have no financial interest in the requests they submit for consideration. You can also download the list in PDF format. Project requests are listed in alphabetical order.
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AdMeTech Foundation ($4 million)
4 Longfellow Place, Suite 3802
Boston, MA 02114
Project Description:
The AdMeTech Foundation and its university/hospital partners discover and
test non-invasive imaging methods critical for early detection and treatment of
prostate cancer. These technologies will make it possible to shift prostate
cancer care from surgical theaters and hospital wards to ambulatory clinics,
with minimal discomfort, complications and costs.This will directly benefit thousands of military personnel,
millions of veterans and others confronting prostate cancer. Currently, when active duty military
have PSA blood tests for prostate cancer screening, if there is an elevated PSA
reading, there is no intermediate step before biopsies and often unnecessary
surgeries. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will help
extend work to improve early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer using
prostate imaging and image-guided, minimally-invasive approaches.Prior year funding of this
imaging-related project has assisted, among others, researchers at Johns
Hopkins University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston University, the Dana
Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School,
and the University of Pennsylvania.
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ALS Therapy Development Institute ($4.8 million)
215 First
Street
Cambridge,
MA 02142
Project Description:
Most people know ALS as "Lou Gehrig's disease." Several
studies conducted by the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration
have concluded that veterans of the first Gulf War can develop the fatal
neurodegenerative disease known as ALS twice as frequently as the general
population. Another study has concluded that military service is an identified
risk factor for developing ALS. The ALS Therapy Development Institute seeks
funds for the continued support of its Gulf War Research Project, a cutting
edge fast track recovery and translational research program for ALS, and to
support clinical trials of effective drugs. This is an appropriate use of
taxpayer funds because it will add to efforts underway to treat and hopefully
cure ALS, a fatal disease that devastates many families.
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BBN Technologies ($2 million)
10 Moulton
Street
Cambridge,
MA 02138
Project Description:
Funding is
requested for an Acoustic Gun Detection System for Tracked Combat Vehicles.
Today when Soldiers, Airmen or Marines are in their HMMWVs, Strykers, or MRAP
vehicles, the Boomerang Gunfire Detection and Location System (GDS) can provide
them immediate information on the shooter's location. Soldiers serving in OEF
and OIF have requested this same protection on their Bradley Fighting
Vehicles. Initial prototype
integration proved promising however, funding has not been allocated to allow
for formal, fieldable integration. BBN, in collaboration with the Army's ARDEC
Acoustic Center of Excellence, proposes to incorporate novel acoustic
techniques to detect and locate the sources of hostile small arms fire and in
conjunction with an integrated UV sensor would allow for an extended
localization performance of the System on High Noise Platforms such as the
Bradley. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the technology
being explored can help save the lives of our men and women in uniform by
identifying the location of hostile fire.
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Best Buddies Massachusetts ($63,513)
45
Bromfield Street, Third Floor
Boston, MA
02108
Project Description:
Best
Buddies is a nonprofit organization that provides friends and jobs to people
with intellectual disabilities. Best Buddies Massachusetts achieves its mission
of inclusion for children and adults with intellectual disabilities by
organizing and overseeing volunteer-run chapters at middle school, high school,
and college campuses, which pair students with and without intellectual
disabilities in a one-to-one mentoring friendship. This is an appropriate use
of taxpayer funds because it will help support the nine Best Buddies chapters
located in the 8th district of Massachusetts.
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Boston Architectural College ($2 million)
320 Newbury
Street
Boston, MA
02115
Project Description:
The Boston
Architectural College's Urban Sustainability Project will evaluate the
effectiveness of sustainable design in existing structures and densely built
urban neighborhoods, while serving as a model for other college campuses and
communities across the country. The project has three components: building a
green roof on the college's main building in Boston's Back Bay Historic
District, constructing a green alley in Public Alley 444 between 320 Newbury
and 951 Boylston Street, and exploring the possibility of drilling geothermal
wells to tap the earth's constant underground temperatures to provide
air-conditioning and heat. This project can reduce the use of energy, and is an
appropriate allocation of taxpayer funds.
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Boston Conservatory ($500,000)
8 The
Fenway
Boston, MA 02215
Project Description:
These funds
will be used as part of the Conservatory's Hemenway Project, a renovation of
its 300-seat theater as well as new construction for instructional and rehearsal
space. This new space will be used by the dance, theater, and music programs
that represent the core mission of the college.It is the first major facilities initiative for the
Conservatory in over 50 years. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds
because the work done will create jobs and the renovated facility will offer
additional programming for students.
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Boston University Photonics Center ($6,700,000)
8 St. Mary's Street
Boston, MA 02215
Project Description:
The Boston University Photonics Center is seeking funding to further develop a photonics-based device that identifies biological threats and radiation exposure. The Center, in concert with the U.S. Army Research Lab will perform high level research and development on these compact biological threat analyzers with the hope of identifying threats faster and more accurately than any technology available today. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the rapid detection and identification of chemical, biological, radiation, and nuclear threats on the battlefield will provide a positive diagnostic option which could save lives and prevent the spread of dangerous infections to both military and civilian populations.
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Boston Urban Youth Foundation ($440,000)
P.O. Box
1545
Boston, MA
02130
Physical
Address:
130 Warren
Street
Roxbury, MA
02119
Project Description:
The Boston
Urban Youth Foundation (BUYF) is a non-profit faith-based organization that
helps high-risk, low-income, minority youth develop spiritually, emotionally,
academically, and economically. BUYF assists high school dropouts through early
prevention strategies for chronically truant middle school students. Requested
funding will be used for the BUYF's Building Futures Educational Initiative.
35% of Boston Middle School students are chronically truant.As a result, BUYF developed its
methodology to partner with schools providing an in-school, after-school, and
year round program to improve school engagement, attendance, and performance.
The Building Futures Educational Initiative is the only school partnership
program that begins in middle school to address truancy and potential school
failure by providing a comprehensive continuum of services year round to
high-risk minority youth. BUYF
works with partnered BPS schools to improve attendance and performance.Staffers are placed in middle schools
to assist truant students, helping improve school performance.Once out of middle school, students
continue to be mentored throughout their high school and college careers.This current school year, BUYF has
achieved a 68% reduction in truancy among those served versus a 7% truancy
reduction rate for truant students who didn't participate in the BUYF program. This
is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because of the program's success in
helping young people stay in school.
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Bunker Hill Community College ($500,000)
250 New
Rutherford Avenue
Boston, MA
02129
Project Description:
The Welcome
Back Center for Internationally Educated Nurses utilizes a unique approach to
expand the number of qualified nurses employed in Greater Boston by targeting
the existing, under-utilized resource represented by internationally educated nurses.The Center provides a comprehensive range of educational and
support services that assist internationally educated nurses in obtaining the
necessary educational credentials and/or licenses to obtain employment and
progress in their careers in the nursing field.This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the
Center creates new pipelines into the nursing field, which will help relieve
regional shortages in this area. The project also addresses several needs in
health care delivery in Greater Boston including enhancing the racial, ethnic
and linguistic diversity of the area's nursing workforce and; building and
expanding cultural competencies in the nursing workforce.
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Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) ($1 million)
1 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
Project Description:
Funds will be used by the Cambridge
Redevelopment Authority (CRA) for the Gateway Project for the Longfellow Bridge
Approach Corridor at Kendall Square.A variety of improvements are planned to create a city gateway that is
fitting to this distinguished location that houses the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, the Whitehead Institute, and the Broad Institute. This is an
appropriate use of taxpayer funds because of enhancements planned such as
improved signage, pedestrian enhancements and area-wide lighting, which will
help enhance transportation.
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Center for Integration of Medicine
and Innovative Technology ($25 million)
165 Cambridge Street. Suite 702
Boston, MA 02114
Project Description:
The Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative
Technology (CIMIT), a consortium of 11 institutions, was foundedover ten years ago by a medical
innovator and Vietnam veteran (former battalion surgeon) to improve combat
casualty and soldier care by bringing together clinicians and engineers to
catalyze rapid and effective development of innovative technology and
procedures. The challenges of driving these powerful, life-saving
technologies to the point of care in the battlefield, acute care center, and
rehabilitation setting are daunting.CIMIT successfully established fifteen science programs, including new
programs in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD). CIMIT investigators have demonstrated extraordinary success in
developing innovative technologies and new treatments in a timely fashion in
major areas of need including traumatic brain injury, infection control and
sepsis, and spinal cord injury.CIMIT investigators have developed innovative technologies and
procedures that address many other major health issues, including a focus on
diagnostics and therapeutics to treat cancer. This is an appropriate use of
taxpayer funds because it will continue CIMIT's efforts in this area.
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Central Square Theater ($300,000)
450
Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge,
MA 02139
Project Description:
The Central Square Theater is a new
theatrical arts center in Cambridge, home to the Underground Railway Theater
and The Nora Theatre Company, two award-winning, nonprofit, professional
theater companies. The Central Square Theater is a model artistic and
managerial partnership that
fosters civic engagement, creates jobs, stimulates the local economy, and
promotes community development through the arts. It benefits the local economy
and contributes to tourism in Cambridge by offering theater programming for
children and adults, including regional visitors, cultural tourists, and local
residents. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because they will be
used to increase programming, thereby increasing local economic development.
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Children's Hospital Boston ($1.5 million)
300
Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA
02115
Project Description:
Children's Hospital will continue
research of Angiogenesis and Tissue Engineering focused on the development of
new medical therapies and regenerative medicine approaches for treating injured
soldiers. Research will focus on the development of new angiogenesis-based
therapies caused by major trauma, toxins, infection or shock; stem cell-based
revascularization for tissue and organ regeneration; and advanced engineering
technologies for combat casualty care. The proposed continued research
represents a contribution to regenerative medicine, combat casualty care and global
health by developing unique approaches to repair injured organs, and prevent
infectious diseases, by applying new insights into angiogenesis and developing
entirely new tissue engineering technologies. This is an appropriate use
of taxpayer funds because the technologies will save lives, reduce costs and
enable new life saving therapies both in the battlefield and in hospitals.
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Choice Thru Education ($200,000)
140 Pearl
Street
Chelsea, Ma. 02150
Project Description:
For the past 40 years, Choice Thru Education, Inc. (CTE) has
provided educational and career development programs for at-risk youth and
their families. Its mission is to assist youth and families with breaking the
cycle of poverty through educational achievement and gainful employment. CTE
offers a number of unique programs including an alternative school for pregnant
and parenting teens, which allows young mothers to earn a Chelsea High School
diploma. There are also programs that offer assistance to youth and their
families in decision making for vocational training and post-secondary
education, including participating in college and employment fairs, and
providing job search assistance and training.This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will
allow for the expansion of these programs.
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City of Boston ($400,000)
Environment
and Energy Services
1 City Hall
Square, Room 603
Boston, MA
02201
Project Description:
This
funding will be used to build on the work already underway in the City of
Boston to address areas with low groundwater levels by installing additional
monitoring wells where appropriate, continuing well monitoring and providing
information about groundwater to property owners.The City of Boston will also review options for standard
design of recharge systems, assessment of underpinning systems, to investigate
a method to determine the elevation of the tops of wood piles, and to evaluate
fill stratum. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will help
to address the issues surrounding groundwater, which will aid in the
preservation of many structures currently at risk.
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City of Boston ($450,000)
Commission
on Affairs of the Elderly
Boston City
Hall,
Boston,
MA02201
Project Description:
In June of 2005, the City of Boston released a comprehensive
analysis of racial disparities in Boston. Officials have worked to analyze and
address the problem of health inequities in minority populations. Through these
outreach efforts, the City became aware of the increasing number of homebound
elders needing services. As a result, the City is launching the Boston Elderly
Health Disparities Project. The elderly population is the fastest growing
population in Boston. The quality of life for thousands of seniors would be
significantly enhanced if they were connected to better health care, social
outlets and support services. The Boston Elderly Health Disparities pilot will
help connect individuals with services. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds because it will identify underserved, at risk, homebound low-income
elders of color in Roxbury and Mattapan and connect them with services.
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Community Boating Inc. (CBI) ($4,080,000)
21 David G.
Mugar Way
Boston, MA
02114
Project Description:
The docks
at Community Boating Inc. (CBI) are owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
Department of Conservation and Recreation.CBI is the nation's oldest and largest community sailing
program. Its mission is to minimize physical, social, and economic barriers to
sailing.Serving over 2100
children in 2008, CBI charges only $1 per child for an entire summer of
sailing, windsurfing, and kayaking.Additionally, CBI serves over 300 sailors with disabilities, both
physical and cognitive, also for the nominal fee of $1.The DCR has completed plans with
permitting to replace the docks which are in danger of structural failure.
Funding will help insure that future generations of children will have access
to water sports on the Charles River. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds because it will help to preserve the deteriorating docks and it will give
people access to water activities that wouldn't otherwise have that
opportunity.
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Converging Industries Research
Foundation (CIRF)
($1.2 million)
64 Oxford
Street, Suite 14
Cambridge,
MA02138
Project Description:
The
Massachusetts Initiative for Real-Time Wireless Emergency Communications
provides real-time alerts to the entire population, lets ordinary citizens
communicate with one another when networks become overloaded and calls can't
get through, and provides first responders with an all-in-one handset.Funds will be used to implement this
network in Cambridge. First responders have responsibility for a concentration
of valuable national resources, including biotechnology industries (where
critical medicines are manufactured), medical service industries,
world-renowned research universities, and high-technology and defense
industries. Cambridge has one of the highest densities of private and
institutional biotechnology, infectious disease, and hazardous materials
laboratories in the nation.In
addition, MIT has a nuclear reactor. The Massachusetts Initiative speeds up the
deployment of Cambridge's advanced communications infrastructure. The same
network that can provide traffic alerts and snow days for school can also be
used for weather alerts, chemical spills, hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorist
attacks, and other large scale events.Because it is built into the commercial network, Real-Time Emergency
Wireless service is tested daily and upgraded regularly. This is an appropriate
use of taxpayer funds because it will help improve communication during
emergencies.
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Dana Farber Cancer Institute ($3 million)
44 Binney
Street
Boston, MA
02115
Project Description:
Funding will be used for biological and immunological infectious agent
and cancer vaccine research. The techniques developed by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Cancer
Vaccine Center will provide important new tools for protecting military
personnel from biological weapons, while simultaneously addressing acute needs
of cancer patients. The safety of military personnel in 21st century
theaters must include plans for protection against bioweapons. Part of that
preparation is efficient and effective vaccination against agents likely to be
encountered on the battlefield.The Center will use cutting edge technology and groundbreaking new
knowledge about immunology to develop multivalent vaccines against those agents,
which could be administered to military personnel prior to deployment.Another necessary part of military
preparedness is an ability to respond quickly and effectively to unanticipated
battlefield threats.The
techniques developed by the Cancer Vaccine Center can be applied to the
analysis of new bioweapons in order to develop novel and effective vaccines in
the shortest time possible.This
is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the Center's work will have a
high likelihood of leading to the development of acute, "therapeutic"
vaccination approaches that can be delivered on the battlefield after exposure
has already occurred.Together,
these outcomes will enhance the protection, capability, and readiness of our
armed forces.
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Dana Farber Cancer Institute ($5 million)
44 Binney
Street
Boston, MA
02115
Project Description:
This funding will be used by the Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute (DFCI) to support the implementation of a cyclotron facility as part
of its new Center for Biomedical Imaging in Oncology (CBIO).CBIO is dedicated to using imaging
science to discover new methods to diagnose and treat patients with
cancer.This mission is being
realized through a unique program that fully integrates
clinical and preclinical imaging, thus ensuring that translational
opportunities are rapidly identified and fully realized.The implementation of a cyclotron facility will allow CBIO
to become an international leader in the development and implementation of
imaging methods to allow clinicians to better diagnose cancer, choose targeted
therapies, monitor treatment efficacy, and improve the outcomes of adult and
pediatric patients with cancer.Just as conventional imaging modalities (ultrasound, CT, MRI, and X-ray)
play a key role in guiding the current methods of diagnosing and treating
cancer, the next-generation of imaging approaches made possible with access to
a cyclotron facility will be indispensable in achieving the goal of truly
personalized cancer medicine. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds
because it improves efforts to diagnose and treat cancer.
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Draper Laboratory ($2 million)
555
Technology Square
Cambridge,
MA 02139
Project Description: Funding is requested for Precision
Airdrop Resupply Technologies. U.S. and Allied forces in Afghanistan receive
75% of their supplies from Pakistan via truck supply line. In December 2008
Pakistan suspended these shipments after a series of raids on truck depots left
several casualties and destroyed hundreds of vehicles. Helicopter resupply
missions have resulted in unacceptably high casualty rates for Operation
Enduring Freedom and International Security Assistance Force. The U.S. is
preparing to almost double the number of soldiers in Afghanistan next year, and
airdrop is now one of the only viable alternatives for daily resupply of this
force. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because guided and unguided
aerial delivery systems are the fastest way to get supplies to ground forces.
In the last two years, over 20 million pounds of supplies have been delivered
this way. Further technology development is required to improve delivery
accuracy. The requested funding will be used to develop mission planning
capability as well as guidance, navigation and control development for small,
high value payloads. Specifically, software and sensor upgrades are required to
improve landing accuracy in difficult urban and mountainous terrain.
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E Ink Corporation ($1.4 million)
733 Concord
Avenue
Cambridge,
MA02138
Project Description:
This
project further develops a Soldier Situational Awareness Wrist Band for field
testing. Today, little tactical information flows below the Brigade and
Battalion level other than by voice radio.Current command and control (C2) devices are limited to
commanders and depend on rigid, heavy, power hungry displays to convey information.The Raytheon Corporation further
integrated its wearable display with an Army standard radio to display friendly
troop locations to develop the first Soldier Situational Awareness Wrist Band
that is a light-weight, hands-free solution to display troop locations to the
dismounted soldier.It addresses a
key Army priority to improve human factor interfaces, and solves a critical
mission issue of providing situational awareness without compromising soldier
survivability through additional tasking.
E Ink Corporation
in Cambridge is a world leader in electronic paper-like displays. E Ink's
electronic displays are a key enabling technology for the SAW Band device.To date, all wearable displays have
been rigid devices that add unnecessary weight to a soldier's load.Funding will allow E Ink to refine the
black and white display capability for the initial SAW Band prototypes and
develop a pathway to a color display device.This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will
help improve soldier communication, which can help save lives.
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Emerson College ($500,000)
120 Boylston
Street
Boston, MA
02116
Project Description:
The Federal
Communication Commission requires that in 2009 all large television stations
complete their conversion from analog to digital broadcasting. At the same
time, the television industry has invested heavily in High Definition
production and transmission equipment to offer a high-resolution service in
addition to the mandated standard digital format. In order to provide its
students with educational facilities that will prepare them for this new
technology, and that will allow them to continue producing high quality video
for community non-profit organizations and public service announcements,
Emerson College has requested assistance making a substantial investment to
upgrade its TV production studios with equipment meeting industry standards.
This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it seeks to enhance the
educational capabilities of the only comprehensive college or
university in America dedicated exclusively to the communication arts.
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Emmanuel College ($1,750,000)
400 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02115
Project Description:
Emmanuel
College is committed to doing its part to increasing excellence in math and
science with the establishment of the Center for Science Education. This
commitment to educational advancement in the sciences is exemplified through
its partnership with Merck Research Laboratories-Boston, as well as through the
construction of its Academic Science Center, which represents the College's
continued goal of building distinctive academic programs in the liberal arts
and sciences by leveraging its location in Boston, in the heart of the Longwood
Medical Area. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the
establishment of the Center for Science Education will enable Emmanuel to
further its long-standing commitment to urban youth outreach in addition to
providing opportunities for professional teacher development.
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Executive Office of Transportation ($2,250,00)
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3170
Boston, MA 0211
Project Description:
Funding is
requested to continue the Commonwealth Avenue Road Improvement Project. This
phase involves the reconstruction of Commonwealth Avenue between Amory Street
and Packard's Corner.An estimated
38,000 to 44,000 vehicles travel on this portion of Commonwealth Avenue on an
average weekday making it one of the busiest arterials in Boston.
Reconstruction of this heavily traveled area is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds due to the number of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians who utilize this
area.
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Executive Office of Transportation ($725,000)
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3170
Boston, MA 02116
Project Description:
The
intersection and nearby surface roadways of Commonwealth Avenue and the Boston
University Bridge represent some of the busiest regional interchanges within
the metropolitan Boston area. The supporting infrastructure has historically
been a congested area for vehicles and a confusing and dangerous environment
for pedestrians. Because of this, work done on the area is an appropriate
use of taxpayer funds. The Mountfort Street area is deteriorating in the face
of significant regional development and use. Funds will be used for the
Mountfort Street Corridor Improvement Study to examine a number of measures
along the corridor to improve the sustainability of transportation operations
for transit, bicyclists, pedestrians and vehicles.
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Forsyth Health Foundation ($1 million)
140 The
Fenway
Boston, MA
02115
Project Description:
The Forsyth
Institute is requesting funding to expand its ForsythKids program. The money will also be used to purchase
additional laboratory and diagnostic equipment. ForsythKids is a school-based cavity prevention program that
operates in needy communities to increase access to oral health care and
eliminate dental decay. The program began in 2003 in six elementary school
located in the Lynn, Hyannis, and Boston communities. Today, ForsythKids operates in 50 elementary
schools. Prior to treatment, more than 50 percent of participating children
have untreated cavities and approximately 13 percent have acute infections or
abscesses.After one round of
treatment, children enrolled in the program have a 50% reduced occurrence of
new decay. After three years of preventative care, children are virtually free
of new tooth decay. ForsythKids expects to serve an additional 3,000
children through this expansion program. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds because gives children access to dental care that may not otherwise have
it.
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From the Top ($500,000)
295
Huntington Ave
Boston, MA
02115
Project Description:
From the
Top is a Boston based non-profit organization that celebrates the nation's
outstanding young classical musicians. Through radio and television broadcasts,
online media, and a national tour of live events and outreach programs, these
performers inspire the pursuit of excellence, and encourage participation in
the arts as an integral part of a vibrant and civil society. This is an appropriate
use of taxpayer funds because From the Top's education and community outreach
programs currently bring performers and education resources into classrooms,
youth organizations, and arts programs across the country. Funding is requested
for Massachusetts Makes Music. Aware of the barriers that impede many children's
access to programs like these, From the Top also engages in efforts to target
underserved populations and deliver customized "packages" of programs to meet
their particular needs. Utilizing the power of peer role modeling, these
programs inspire students to not only get engaged in music and the arts, but to
pursue excellence in other areas of their life.
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Home for Little Wanderers ($1 million)
271
Huntington Avenue
Boston,
MA02115
Project Description:
This
funding will be used to help renovate the Knight Children's Center (KCC) in
Jamaica Plain.The KCC residence
and special education school that currently operate at this site will relocate
to Longview Farm in Walpole, a property already owned by the Home. A new
Community-Based Services Center will operate in the KCC. The KCC has served
children and families in the Boston area for almost 100 years. Programming
includes intensive psychological, behavioral, educational, and other social services
to children ages 5-13. KCC consists of a residential program for children and a
Special Education Day School. Many of the children served in the KCC
residential program have been physically abused, are from families with
domestic violence and/or substance abuse histories, and/or are dealing with
other issues such as poverty and mental illness. Often, they are also 2-4 years
behind their age-appropriate grade levels.
This project involves moving the
KCC residence and school off the Jamaica Plain site into Walpole, and
establishing the new Community-Based Services Center in the remodeled KCC
facilities. The Home offers many early intervention and prevention services
that extend into the community through work in schools, hospitals and families'
homes. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the new Center will
integrate four distinct programs under one roof including; (1) Safe-at-Home, an
intensive home-based family preservation service, (2) Intensive Foster Care,
(3) Adoption and (4) The Child and Family Counseling Center, a licensed
outpatient mental health clinic which offers an array of assessment, treatment,
and consultation services to children, adolescents, and their families.
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Horizons for Homeless Children ($1,500,000)
1705
Columbus Avenue
Roxbury, MA 02119
Project Description: This funding will help Horizons for
Homeless Children (HHC) make improvements to its Community Children's Centers
and Playspace Program sites. In Massachusetts, an estimated 100,000 children
are homeless on any given day.As
the shortage of affordable housing grows more acute, families are remaining
homeless for longer periods – often staying in shelters for 12 months or
more. The early years are crucial to a child's development and homelessness
puts children at significant risk. HHC provides developmentally enriching care
for children. Since 1994, HHC has served more than 1,600 homeless children
through its three Community Children's Centers.This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because at
these centers, homeless children from two months to five years of age have
access to high quality early care and education every day of the week. HHC has
served another 10,000 homeless children since 1990 through its Playspace
Programs, an initiative to install a Playspace in family shelters and train
volunteers to provide nurturing, stimulating play opportunities for the
children living in those shelters.
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Lesley University ($1.4 million)
29 Everett
Street
Cambridge,
MA 02138
Project Description:
Over the last
ten years, Lesley University has grown from a resident student body of 500 to a
national student body of over 8,000. The library must be upgraded to keep pace
with the demands of its increasing student and faculty bodies, as well as its
60,000 strong alumni educator base.Funding will help Lesley expand and renovate its Main Library to provide
a state-of-the-art, integrated learning environment that combines technology
and expertise to support the scholarly use of information resources. The
concept incorporates library services, computer technology and assistance, and
media production services, allowing students to pursue the entire research
process from beginning to end in one supportive environment. This is an
appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will help to improve resources for
students as well as for teachers, who can utilize the materials available to
improve the educational experience for their pupils.
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Lesley University ($1.4 million)
29 Everett
Street
Cambridge,
MA 02138
Project Description:
Lesley is
nationally recognized as one of the largest providers of graduate professional
education for K-12 educators with a presence in 23 states. This funding will be
used to assist Lesley in creating a National Center for Teachers and School
Leaders. The desire to do so falls in line with one of the primary tenets of
the No Child Left Behind Act which maintains that high-quality teachers must be
provided to all students regardless of race, ethnicity or income. The Center
itself will focus on current issues in educational practice and public policy;
curriculum theory and development; dissemination of best practices and several
other areas. Moreover, the goal of the Center will be to facilitate access to
the University's resources, district level involvement, and meaningful teacher
interactions, with staff assisting to enhance district relations; regional
operations and recruitment planning; and research and development. This is an
appropriate use of taxpayer funds because of the resources that will be made
available to improve the educational experience for teachers and their
students.
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Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority ($2
million)
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3720
Boston, MA 02116
Project Description:
The City of
Somerville is working to re-develop the Assembly Square section of the city,
focusing on the principles of transit oriented development.To that end, the multi-use development
that has been planned for this area – a combination of commercial and
residential – would take full advantage of a new station on the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Orange Line subway. The
project was authorized for $25.0M in the SAFETEALU legislation under the FTA's
New Starts program. The MBTA will plan, design, construct and operate the Assembly
Square station. The Assembly Square developer, Federal Realty Investment Trust,
has agreed to fund the local match portion of the project.This request would go toward funding
the amount authorized under SAFETEALU. It is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds because the new T station will improve transit options for commuters and
increase economic development opportunities in the area.
-
Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority ($3
million)
10 Park
Plaza, Suite 3720
Boston, MA
02116
Project Description:
The
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is completing its program of
providing a transit system compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). These funds will be used as part of a project to relocate the existing
station platform and shelter from Newton to Boston, and construct a center
platform in the middle of Commonwealth Avenue near the Lake Street
intersection. Lighting, tactile edging, pedestrian crossings and a shelter will
be added. The initial designs for accessibility improvements at the Boston
College Station involved upgrading the existing facility to be compliant with
ADA requirements. During the final design, structural deterioration was
discovered and repairs became necessary. Construction on the existing site was
also deemed difficult because the MBTA's property line is adjacent to an MWRA
easement and two large pipes running along the rear of the platform. Moving the
station allows the MBTA to make the necessary ADA accessibility improvements
and make needed repairs, an appropriate use of taxpayer funds. Work done will
also provide room to addnew three
cartrains which cannot be
accommodated safely at the current station.
-
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
and Health Sciences
($750,000)
179
Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA.
02115
Project Description:
Funds are
requested to establish the Center for Drug Information and Natural Products
(CDINP) and to support instructional technology at the Boston Campus of
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.The Center will provide up to date,
comprehensive and non-biased drug and natural product information to healthcare
professionals and consumers. The CDINP will also respond to a variety of
requests concerning drugs and natural products, including but not limited to
foreign product identification, adverse reactions, drug-drug and drug-natural
product interactions, safety of use during pregnancy and breast feeding, and
the therapeutic use of conventional and natural products. This is an
appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the Center will collect important
facts about a range of drugs and natural products in one system, making it
easier for medical professionals and consumers to access the information.
-
Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation ($2 million)
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3170
Boston, MA 02116
Project Description:
Massachusetts is required to extend the MBTA's Green Line subway west from the current terminal point at Lechmere Station in Cambridge.This is part of the Commonwealth's Central Artery/Tunnel mitigation plan that has been mandated by the state legislature.While the subway line will be maintained and operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, it will be planned, designed and constructed by the Executive Office of
Transportation (EOT).
There are several segments to the Green Line Extension, including extending rail to Union Square in Somerville, to Medford Hillside/Tufts University on the Medford/Somerville line and to a natural terminal point at Route 16/Alewife Brook Parkway.This request is specifically for funding to be used to plan/design/construct the segment running from Medford Hillside to Route 16. The state has publicly committed to meet the local match for this project. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will increase transit options for commuters and create economic development opportunities in the area.
-
Massachusetts League of Community
Health Centers
($600,000)
40
Court Street, 10th Floor
Boston,
MA 02108
in partnership with the
East Boston
Neighborhood Health Center
10 Gove
Street
East
Boston, MA 02128
Project Description:
The Massachusetts League
of Community Health Centers (MLCHC) and the East Boston Neighborhood Health
Center (EBNHC) are expanding their healthcare workforce development initiatives
focusing on clinical career tracks to nursing, medical assistant and other
allied health roles. They will continue to work collaboratively to advance
their goal of increasing the number of highly-trained state residents who work
in the healthcare field, providing clinical services as a member of primary
care teams, particularly in the community health setting.This is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds because we face a growing shortage of primary care physicians.
-
Museum of Fine Arts ($1,250,000)
465
Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA
02115
Project Description:
The Museum's
Department of Museum Learning and Public Programs is gaining 12,000 additional
square feet.By building and
equipping a 150-200 seat film theater, seminar rooms, studio arts classrooms,
and workshops, students will benefit from new educational technologies and
greater opportunities to understand American history and culture. New
educational capabilities will improve the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) curriculum,
Visual Understanding in Education (VUE), and Thinking Through Art – a
program empowering teachers to use works of art in their classrooms in more direct
ways. Funds requested will assist the Museum in further expanding its education
programs. This is an important use of taxpayer funds because it will enhance
the offerings of the Museum, an important cultural and tourist destination.
-
Museum of Science ($500,000)
National
Center for Technological Literacy
Science
Park
Boston, MA
02114-109
Project Description:
These funds
will be used to promote adoption of best practices in engineering education
across Massachusetts through the Museum's established leadership training and
teacher training programs, and to insure access to this program by economically
distressed districts.The museum's
goals are to insure that all school districts in Massachusetts are informed and
prepared to address state standards in Technology and Engineering, to insure
that all teachers are prepared to deliver relevant and effective content in
Technology and Engineering, and to insure that all students are able to
successfully perform on Technology and Engineering related MCAS assessment
items. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will to improve
student success when it comes to technology and engineering.
-
Museum of Science ($450,000)
Science
Park
Boston, MA
02114-1099
Project Description:
This
request will support increased access to the Museum of Science programs and
services by students and teachers from economically distressed communities.
This is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars because it will provide:
scholarship funds to promote broad access to a wide range of Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) professional development for teachers
from urban and economically challenged districts; support for the development
and enhancement of these STEM teacher programs; scholarship funding to ensure
broad student access to the Museum of Science via field trips, traveling
programs, courses, and camp-ins; and, development of a new lab-based, Science
Fair Saturdays program for urban low-income students.
-
Museum of Science ($750,000)
Science
Park
Boston, MA
02114-1099
Project Description:
The Charles
Hayden Planetarium is a fifty-year old facility that has served 75 million New
England visitors and is now extremely out-dated.This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because they
will support technical upgrades, create contemporary programming, related
exhibits and education materials, and enhance access by under-served youth
groups.This support will enable
the delivery of superior planetarium programs, previously unavailable in the
New England region.Federal
funding will leverage additional gifts from foundations, corporations, and
individuals.
-
Museum of Science ($1,200,000)
Science
Park
Boston, MA
02114-1099
Project Description:
The Museum
of Science seeks funding for Engineering of Sustainability, a multi-faceted
initiative that includes exhibits, related multi-age educational programming,
and multi-media broadcasts that will focus on ecosystems and both beneficial
and detrimental human impacts on those systems.Creating a sustainable future is a critical challenge facing
us, and perhaps the defining science and technology issue of our times. Our actions
have consequences, for us and for other forms of life on the planet.Technological literacy and science
literacy are important because together they allow us to understand our world
and to design technologies and ways of acting with consequences consistent with
our values – they allow us to make intelligent choices about our
future.The fate of our planet and
its ability to support life are dependent upon those choices. This is an
appropriate use of taxpayer funds because of the impact it will have on
understanding our effect on the environment.
-
Nano-Terra, Inc. ($2.3 million)
790
Memorial Drive, Suite 202
Cambridge,
MA 02139
Project Description:
Anti-reflective
(AR) coatings are desirable for many applications in civilian and military
settings.Reflected light from
lenses, watch faces, windshields or the lenses of sniper rifles can disclose a
warfighter's or a vehicle's position making antireflective coatings preferable
to current low-tech solutions such as covering the reflective surface when not
in use.This is an appropriate use
of taxpayer funds because in night vision systems, the elimination of
reflection losses significantly improves performance that is otherwise
constrained by diminished lighting and the limitations of optical components.
Nano-Terra
Inc. has developed an innovative approach to the fabrication of anti-reflective
coatings that can be applied to both curved and flat substrates. These coatings
are comprised of several layers of nanowires, and are extremely effective at
reducing reflection. Most importantly, this approach enables the fabrication of
ultra-low refractive index layers that represent significant improvements in
performance and cost over conventional methods. In collaboration with Night
Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate of the U.S. Army Research,
Development and Engineering Command, Nano-Terra seeks funding to develop,
demonstrate and qualify highly efficient cost-effective anti-reflective
coatings applicable to diverse surfaces to meet military requirement with a
focus on further development of antireflective coatings for infrared windows
and lenses.
-
Nano-Terra, Inc. ($2.1 million)
790
Memorial Drive, Suite 202
Cambridge,
MA 02139
Project Description:
Nano-Terra
Inc. has developed an innovative approach to the fabrication of novel
anti-reflective coatings that can be applied to both curved and flat
substrates. It is well-suited for the application of coatings for missile
seeker optics where it is often necessary to reduce reflections across a wide
range of wavelengths, often from the visible all the way up in to the infrared,
due to the different types of cameras and sensors that are employed. The
purpose of this project is to develop, demonstrate and qualify highly efficient
cost-effective anti-reflective coatings that can be applied to diverse surfaces
to meet military requirements with a focus on further development of
antireflective coatings for missile seeker optics. This project will assure
that the Army has capability for production of efficient cost-effective
anti-reflective coatings for missile seeker optics. This is an appropriate use
of taxpayer funds because it will help the Army to detect missiles, thus saving
lives.
-
National Braille Press ($1,118,750)
88
Saint Stephen Street
Boston,
MA 02115
Project Description:
The literacy rate for blind
school-age children has dropped significantly in America. Forty years ago
approximately 50 percent of the population was literate, whereas today it is
only 10 percent. A significant factor in this decline is the misconception that
technology and "talking" computers can replace Braille reading. The National
Braille Press is seeking funding to research, develop and deploy a low-cost,
scalable, refreshable Braille personal device. This is an appropriate use of
taxpayer funds because such a device will enhance the learning capability of
blind school-age children, as well as support the learning integration of
adults that become blind.
-
National Safety Council ($400,000)
1121 Spring
Lake Drive
Itasca, IL
60143
For a project at the Volpe Center in
Cambridge
Project Description:
This
funding would support an evaluation of the Young Driver Safety Training Program
at the U.S. Department of Transportation's Volpe National Transportation Systems
Center in Cambridge. This training program is reported to reduce young driver
death and injury rates. Although teens and young adults represent only 14% of
the U.S. population, they account for 28% of all vehicle driver and passenger
deaths. Between 2003 and 2007, Massachusetts lost 566 lives due to young driver
crashes. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because a driver safety
program designed specifically for young drivers by the National Safety Council
has the potential to significantly reduce motor vehicle crashes among this age
group. It would benefit Massachusetts and the nation to better understand the
effectiveness of this young driver training program as states develop
interventions to reduce the rate of death and injury due to young drivers' lack
of skill and experience.
-
New England College of Optometry ($100,000)
424 Beacon
Street
Boston,
MA02115
Project Description:
The New
England College of Optometry' sElectronic Medical Record Curriculum Demonstration Project is an innovative
teaching system integrating an electronic medical record (EMR) with a
tablet-computer network into educating primary eye care optometry students to
practice in the upcoming health care environment.In addition, this system will incorporate real-time
instructor oversight of academic and clinical information to improve health
care education.This is an
appropriate use of taxpayer funds because this initiative could revolutionize
health care education while reducing medical errors and the administrative
costs of training programs. Funding will be used to assist the college in this
effort.
-
Northeastern University ($3 million)
360
Huntington Ave.
Boston,
Massachusetts 02115
Project Description:
Funding for this project will support the
development of infrared antenna to harvest solar energy and for thermal energy
conversion that utilizes the directed assembly of nanoparticles into wires and
networks and device fabrication. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because this
will ultimately lead to improvements of nanotechnology enhanced solar and
thermal harvesting in aerospace and missile systems.
-
Parametric Technology Corporation ($3 million)
140
Kendrick Street
Needham, MA
02494
Project Description:
This
project provides software and technical services to give the Army the ability
to securely share weapon system technical data with its partners using digital
rights management.This secure
process will allow a variety of options from partial data viewing to data
time-out (where organizations would only be able to view data for a fixed
period of time).This solution,
specific to a models-based engineering enterprise, will be marketable to other
military services as well as industry, the nuclear weapons complex, NASA and
other organizations. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the
technology will help protect sensitive military data.
-
Presentation School
Foundation, Inc. ($1 million)
P.O.
Box 35834
Brighton,
MA 02135
Project Description:
The
Presentation School Foundation, Inc., ("PSF") is a community-based nonprofit
formed to help strengthen Allston-Brighton. PSF seeks to transform a former parochial school building into a Multi-Use
Community Center. It would serve as the centerpiece of an Oak Square Community
Campus that will coordinate health, education and social programs to support
urban youth and families.This is
an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the PSF project will create
economic benefits for Allston-Brighton including immediate construction
activity, job creation, workforce development programming, and crucial health,
education, and social programs for diverse families.The community center will offer a range of services to support
local families and boost the local economy.Working with WGBH, Wheelock College, and Little Sprouts
pre-school, PSF has developed an early education program that will serve 140
middle- and low-income Boston children. PSF also has agreements with St. Elizabeth's Medical
Center's "REACH" program, the Brighton WIC program, and an established provider
of job training and workforce development to offer programs at the PSF center
following renovation.
-
QM
Power, Inc. (2,070,000)
441
Marlborough Street, Unit 2
Boston, MA 02115
Project Description:
This
program will develop a line of high efficiency, high power density alternators
for use in current and next generation military generator sets.While initially targeted at DoD's
underperforming 3kW generator requirement, long-term development will focus on next generation Advanced Medium-sized Mobile
Power Sources (AMMPS).
This program will utilize QM Power's patented Parallel Path Magnetic
Technology to develop a series of alternators for military generator sets with
increased efficiency, decreased weight and volume, and increased survivability.This is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds because updated generators will lessen the logistical burden on deployed
units, requiring substantially less fuel and less maintenance, while providing
the additional power necessary to meeting the expanding requirements of the
modern battlefield.With over $370
million gallons of fuel consumed each year by generators, a 5% efficiency gain
would save DoD over $350 million annually.
-
Schepens Eye Research Institute ($7 million)
20
Staniford Street
Boston, MA
02114
Brief Project Description:
Schepens
Eye Research Institute is seeking funding for its Military Low Vision Research
Program, which supports the development of new technologies to protect military
personnel from blinding eye trauma, new treatments for eye injuries, and
innovative methods to enhance visual performance in combat situations.This is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds because currently, over 15% of battlefield injuries include the eye, and
the result is often vision loss or blindness.Schepens Eye Research Institute is working with military
ophthalmologists and optometrists, and researchers within the Department of
Defense, to meet this important battlefield need. Battlefield eye injuries
result largely from blast trauma and from intentional and accidental exposure
to laser light. The Military Vision Research Program's research is focused on
improving the treatment of these injuries to save vision following battlefield
injury, as well as developing vision enhancement devices to meet the needs of
our military partners.The Institute
also brings significant expertise in the vision complications of neurovascular
cerebral injury that may help military optometrists interpret some of the
symptoms they see in troops returning home.
-
Schepens Eye Research Institute ($3 million)
20
Staniford Street
Boston, MA
02114
Project Description:
Schepens
Eye Research Institute of Boston is seeking funding for its Vision and
Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center. The Vision and Traumatic Brain Injury
Research Center would address Traumatic Brain Injury Post Traumatic Visual
Syndrome in coordination with the cooperative program established through
Section 1623 of the FY2008 Defense Authorization Bill targeting the prevention,
diagnosis, mitigation, treatment and rehabilitation of military eye
injuries. The Center would
fund collaborative research matching Schepens scientists with
clinician-scientists from the Harvard system, clinicians at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center, and clinicians from the medical centers of the Department of
Veterans' Affairs.An Advisory
Panel appointed through the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel
Command (USAMRMC) would choose among proposed research topics, and would review
and evaluate progress of research at dedicated review meetings at six months
and one-year intervals after projects begin. This is an appropriate use of
taxpayer funds because of the work the Center will undertake to take military
eye injuries.
-
Science Research Laboratory ($2 million)
15 Ward
Street
Somerville,
MA 02143
Project Description:
Science
Research is working to create thin, lightweight micro-coolers for a variety of
photonic and electronic components including high-power laser diodes and
visible LED lamps, UV LEDs and next-generation, high-performance
electronics.These micro-coolers
will have thermal conductivities more than ten-times the thermal conductivity
of copper and will be able to remove multi-kilowatts per square centimeter of
waste heat. A key aspect of these coolers will be matching thermal-expansion
coefficients to the expansion coefficients of microelectronic photonic material
such as silicon and gallium arsenide. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds because the rapid advances in photonic and electronic technologies have
placed an ever-increasing demand on waste-heat removal from high-performing components.
As a result, present and next generation systems will be limited by thermal
engineering. The military's need for performance leads inevitability to
operating systems at the limits of thermal technology.
-
Semprus BioSciences ($5 million)
One Kendall
Square, Building 1400, 1st Floor
Cambridge,
MA 02139
Project Description:
Over half
of servicemen and women who are wounded overseas sustain orthopedic trauma,
often requiring the use of "fracture fixation devices" to stabilize bone
fractions and promote healing. Despite marked advances in medical facilities,
personnel, and evacuation efficiency, the military healthcare system is
suffering from an epidemic of virulent, drug resistant bacteria complicating
the recovery of these injuries.In
Iraq and Afghanistan, high-energy explosive devices as well as small arms fire
routinely wound service members, causing massive orthopedic trauma in
contaminated environments, which leads to infection of the injured tissue and
fixation devices.Initial
treatment is on the battlefield and at combat zone trauma facilities, which
present challenging environments to maintain completely sterile conditions.
As a result, half of injured service members transferred to stateside
facilities, such as Walter Reed, have dangerous bacterial contamination of
their wounds, and an additional 30% are already seriously infected. These
infections lead to amputation in 30% of cases.
Unfortunately,
the use of systemic antibiotics has proven less effective due to the evolution
of drug-resistant bacteria and their ability to attach to medical device
surfaces to safeguard themselves from the immune system. Semprus is developing
an antimicrobial surface modification which is permanently bonded to orthopedic
device surfaces to prevent bacterial attachment and growth on the surface.
Unlike alternative approaches, Semprus' technology does not cause microbial
resistance or lose activity over time, which is critical for maximal infection
prevention. This funding will be used to bring the technology from the lab
to the battlefield in conjunction with the US Army Institute of Surgical
Research. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because of the impact it
could have on reducing bacterial attachment and growth on orthopedic device
surfaces.
-
South End Community Health Center ($650,000)
1601
Washington St
Boston, MA 02118
Project Description:
These funds are requested
for staffing to meet the increasing need for medical and mental health services
for the center's growing homeless and Latino patient populations. The South End
Community Health Center is preparing for the build-out and expansion of
existing clinical space to accommodate six additional medical examination rooms
and more efficient nursing support areas. This is an appropriate use of
taxpayer funds because they will be used to support two full-time physicians
and related support staff during the first year of the Center's expanded
services. The main emphasis of these expanded services will be prevention of
chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, mental health, and hypertension.
-
St. Elizabeth's Hospital ($500,000)
736
Cambridge Street
Brighton,
MA, 02135
Project Description:
Funds are requested to
assist in renovating an existing 10-room operating suite to create customized
surgical rooms that support contemporary surgical practices in cardiac surgery,
minimally invasive surgery, robotics, endovascular procedures, neurosurgery,
and other growing surgical subspecialties.The project will ensure there is sufficient operating room
capacity to meet volume growth over the next ten years. This is an appropriate
use of taxpayer funds because the project will enhance the hospital's ability
to provide high-end surgical care in a tertiary care setting in a community
where the demand for such services is overwhelming.
-
T2 Biosystems ($2.5 million)
286
Cardinal Medeiros
Cambridge,
MA 02141
Contact:
John McDonough, CEO
Project Description:
The funding will support the development of a rapid
diagnostic test for the detection of a broad range of health and environmental
threats, including bioterrorism, in contaminated water using a portable device
incorporating magnetic resonance and nanoparticles. The company's founders
include scientists from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital. T2 Biosystems'
MR detection is based on miniaturized instruments and magnetic nanoparticles
specially treated to bind with specific analytes for detection of infectious
agents. Potential targets for detection include: MRSA, anthrax, plague,
tularemia, smallpox, and botulism toxin, and water-borne contaminants such as
cryptosporidium and cholera. Funding will help support a 3-year development
project to produce a rugged portable instrument and develop a broad range of
diagnostic tests for the detection of water contamination. This is an
appropriate used of taxpayer funds because of the improvements possible in
water contamination detection.
-
Textron Systems Corporation ($5 million)
201 Lowell
Street
Wilmington,
MA01887
Project Description:
On June 19,
2008, the Department of Defense issued a policy requiring the Air Force to
remove more than 110,000 weapons that result in more than 1% unexploded
ordnance from its active inventory by 2018. This weapons removal will create an
operational gap for the Air Force, specifically in the ability to engage massed
targets and targets spread over an area.The Clean Lightweight Area Weapon (CLAW) is an affordable, highly
effective, unexploded ordnance-safe replacement for legacy cluster weapons.
This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will help the Air Force
to maintain its required inventory while implementing the DoD's new policy.
-
Thompson Island
Outward Bound Education Center (475,000)
P.O. Box 127
Boston, MA 02127
Project Description:
The Thompson Island Outward Bound
program is seeking funds to support its ongoing development of grade-specific
programming, curricula and instructional materials for all middle school grades
and the spring, fall and summer operating seasons. That includes professional
development programs for client school teachers and customization of activities
to school-system specific science and math curricula as well as the general
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds because it supports educational programs for thousands of middle school
children from Massachusetts; the vast majority from underserved urban
communities.
-
TIAX LLC ($4,500,000)
15 Acorn
Park
Cambridge,
MA 02140
Project Description:
In the U.S. Special Forces' joint
Capability Gap Analysis of 2005, Power & Energy and Signature Reduction
(e.g. noise, heat, and smell) were identified as two of the three overarching
capability gaps.Additionally, the US Army has a requirement for
small, fueled electric power sources in the next decade. However, there is currently no acceptable fueled solution today
that offers the desired combination of runtime, durability, low lifecycle cost,
fuel flexibility (including biofuels), and stealth (low thermal and aural signature). In the second year of this
two-year project, TIAX will conclude the development of a fieldable advanced
electrical generator that satisfies the
capability gap and these DoD requirements. The design of the current demonstration unit will be further
refined to reduce weight and volume, improve user interface, and package and
ruggedize the generator for military applications. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because
the project will help provide the Army with durable and efficient power
sources, an identified need.
-
Trophos
Energy, Inc. ($2,500,000)
363 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144
Project Description:
Trophos
Energy and the Department of Energy will develop long-term energy sources based
on microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology. Microbial fuel cells are an emerging
renewable energy technology that uses naturally occurring microorganisms to
transform virtually any form of organic carbon directly into electricity or
hydrogen.It has broad
applications and the potential to transform industries ranging from security,
to water and agriculture. Moreover, MFCs have demonstrated using municipal
effluent; and converting the waste-stream into clean renewable energy, while
simultaneously reducing the cost of managing the waste and the production of
CO2, methane and other greenhouse gasses. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because MFC technology offers a broad range of compelling energy
solutions that can address our Nation's energy production and conservation
needs.
-
Tufts University ($600,000)
Medford,
Massachusetts 02155
Project Description:
The Human Nutrition
Research Center on Aging was established by the Department of Agriculture in
1977, and is one of six USDA-funded nutrition centers across the country.The research performed by the
scientists and faculty at HNRCA, has resulted in the development of dynamic
preventative nutrition solutions for chronic health problems, and many of the
Center's research findings have been incorporated into the US Dietary Reference
Intakes and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Last year, the federal government initiated a research
project that will focus on obesity, as well as study the relevance of the US
Dietary Guidelines for weight control of the nation's population.Given that a significant number of
HNRCA investigators have been involved in designing the proposed study, and the
fact that the Center has a specific focus on nutrition and the physiological
needs of the body, HNRCA found itself in a potentially leading role in this
effort.To this end, HNRCA has requested
federal funding to hire scientists and researchers for this work. Over the last
six years, the HNRCA budget has endured severe cuts or level funding which has forced
a reduction in staffing levels. This funding is critically needed support for
the obesity project and is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars because of
the rise in obesity and the damages caused to one's health as a result.
-
University of Massachusetts Boston ($1,870,000)
100
Morrissey Boulevard
Boston,
MA02115
Project Description:
This
funding will help the University of Massachusetts Boston launch a new
interdisciplinary research center to facilitate a comprehensive approach to
healthcare reform and health disparities: The Center for Urban Health and
Disparities.The work conducted at
the new Center will address, among other issues, those that are central to any
effort to enact healthcare reform, including delivery, access and quality of
care, and the very critical matter of health disparities based on race, ethnicity,
gender, class and age. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because of
the need to understand health disparities so we can work toward eliminating
them.
The creation
of the Center for Urban Health and Disparities is timely and the University is
the ideal sponsor of the initiative because of its focus and strengths in urban
health and public policy.Moreover, Boston is a key location for a center of this nature in light
of recent healthcare reform in Massachusetts that is viewed as a model from
which lessons can be learned in reforming healthcare nationally.
-
WGBH ($350,000)
1 Guest
Street
Brighton,
MA02135
Project Description:
WGBH is seeking funds for production
costs associated with Season 4 of Design Squad, a PBS television series, with
an accompanying outreach campaign and Web site. Targeted to 9- to 12-year-olds,
this TV series is the fuel behind a national, multimedia initiative designed to
attract kids to engineering. Design Squad was created
in response to a national imperative to attract more young people to
engineering studies and careers. Engineers have led a technological revolution
that has improved the quality of our lives, yet children and adults do not
understand how the technology they use in their daily lives works. They are
also unclear about the engineer's role in society or even what an engineer
does. Coupled with the lack of public understanding is the dearth of students,
especially women and minorities, studying engineering in school. This "pipeline"
issue is directly related to the fact that most of our country's K–12
schools do not teach engineering. Design Squad exposes kids to real-world
applications of science and math concepts. This is an appropriate use of
taxpayer funds because it helps young people become more aware of how
engineering touches our everyday lives, and consequently how it connects to a range
of careers (technology, business, art, fashion, and other fields).
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Wheelock College
($860,000)
200 The
Riverway
Boston,
MA 02215
Project Description:
Wheelock
College is seeking to expand on its Math and Science Education Initiative
(MSEI) to more deeply engage schools, community based preschools, out-of-school
program providers and families in math and science instruction.This is an appropriate use of taxpayer
funds because Wheelock's Math and Science Learning Community will help to
enhance math and science teaching, as well as foster interest in science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM) related careers.
-
Wheelock College ($305,000)
200 The
Riverway
Boston,
MA 02215
Project Description:
The goal of
the Early Childhood Higher Education Access Project is to improve access to
professional development, bachelor's degrees and compensation for early
childhood practitioners in the community.The proposed project will work to design, implement and evaluate a Pilot
Program for improving access to higher learning and degree attainment for early
childhood practitioners in the Boston Area over a two year period.In addition, the project will import
the TEACH model to begin to respond to the need for improved compensation.
Wheelock
will develop a program to create a well defined road map that values where
people in the field find themselves academically and helps move them seamlessly
through a higher learning pathway that will ultimately raise the level of
quality in classrooms, family childcare homes and other environments that care
for and educate young children. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds
because the program will help educators enhance their training, increasing
their value in the classroom and expanding their earning potential.
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Wheelock College ($500,000)
200 The
Riverway
Boston, MA
02215
Project Description:
Wheelock is
requesting federal funding to purchase and equip new facilities and update
aging facilities with the most cutting-edge, energy efficient, LEED-certified
technology.Federal funding will
allow Wheelock to meet LEED requirements on upcoming "Master Plan" construction
and renovation projects.Some
examples of technologies that could be purchased with federal aid are HVAC
control systems, chiller plant, towers, and piping, and the design and
engineering for the previously mentioned technologies. This is an appropriate
use of taxpayer funds because of its impact on energy and the environment.
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