The Alliance for Science & Technology Research in America (ASTRA) has created state-specific R&D sheets to help illustrate the importance of scientific research to state and local economies, job growth, innovation, the U.S. standard of living, and national security. The downloadable documents represent comprehensive data from a variety of science and technology indicators. See Alaska indicators at: http://www.usinnovation.org/files/CVD08AlaskaRD.pdf

Access all the documents at: www.aboutastra.org/toolkit/state.asp

The ACCRA Cost of Living Index for the first quarter 2008 revealed that Anchorage's cost of living ranks near those of other West Coast cities. Anchorage ranked 126.6 overall (the national average ranking is 100), a .4 percent increase from the same time last year. Other cities scoring similarly include Seattle, WA with 121.5 and Portland, OR with 119.9. The most expensive city in the U.S. is New York, NY at 218.8 and the least expensive city in the U.S. is Mason City, IA at 86.2.

The ACCRA Cost of Living Index - published quarterly by The Council for Community and Economic Research - measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households in the top income quintile. It is based on more than 50,000 prices covering almost 60 different items for which prices are collected quarterly by chambers of commerce, economic development organizations or university applied economic centers in each participating urban area. More information about the report is available at www.coli.org.

The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation released its 2007 annual report earlier this month and summarizes highlights from the year as well as key economic indicators for the city and AEDC financial data. See the full report at www.aedcweb.com.

Popular Science magazine has rated Anchorage one of the 50 greenest cities in America. In its February edition, Anchorage was highlighted for its innovative plan to replace all its street lights with energy-efficient Light Emitting Dioide (LED) and induction lights. The project is not only green but will save taxpayers millions of dollars a year when fully implemented. Over the last three years, Mayor Begich has launched a number of high-profile sustainability efforts including hosting the first U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Change Summit, retrofitting City Hall building for energy savings, and establishing cardboard recycling collection centers to assist local businesses. For the full story, see: http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2008-02/americas-50-greenest-cities?page=1

When Murat Balaban took over as director of the Fishery Industrial Technology Center in Kodiak last month, he immediately went to work publicizing the important work being done at the research center.

"Fish Tech has excellent faculty and staff, and world-class facilities and capabilities," said Balaban. "I’m enjoying spreading the word about the amazing work we do here."

The Fishery Industrial Technology Center is a unit of the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Located in Kodiak, at the center of Alaska's fishing industry, FITC scientists look for new ways to increase the value of Alaska’s seafood products.

Scientists at the center work on developing technologies to help improve the quality and safety of Alaska seafood, such as a machine that automatically removes pinbones from fish, an electronic 'nose' to detect quality issues in seafood and net pens to deliver live salmon to processors.

Business Xpansion Journal poses the question "Can the United States maintain its position as one of the world's leading logistics destinations?" in its January 2008 issue.  The magazine thinks Anchorage is poised to help maintain our position as one of the world’s leading logistics locations and why FedEx is expanding it’s Anchorage hub. See http://www.bxjonline.com/bxj/article.asp?magarticle_id=1198 for the full story.

There are seven Alaska companies that currently have Phase I, II, or III funding from the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program.  Through these two competitive programs, small businesses across the nation become a significant part of the federal government's research and development efforts. Participants in SBIR translate scientific discoveries and innovative research into products and services that enhance people's lives and contribute to the agency's mission.

The cooler temperatures have arrived and costs of heating homes and business are rising. The Anchorage Chamber Southcentral Energy Task Force spent the better part of a year seeking solutions to increasing energy prices and decreasing fuel supplies.  Those findings are included in a final report Hope is not a Strategy, Findings and Solutions to Alaska's Energy. 

See http://www.anchoragechamber.org/cms/FileLib/Hopeisnotastrategyreport.pdf

Crisis

Up to five current or future students of the University of Alaska have the chance to win a free year's worth of tuition through a video contest sponsored by UA.

Cook Inlet Tribal Council is Offering free training seminars through their Hospitality and Tourism Career Institute.  The Institute was established to serve Alaska Natives and American Indians 18 years and older.  Opportunities are available to individuals who are new to the hospitality and tourism industry and to those already working within the tourism industry who are seeking to upgrade their skills. Participants will