Pittsburgh Ren Faire

Obama Unveils 'Innovation Policy' for Manufacturing 'Renaissance'

Promising a “renaissance of American manufacturing ,” President Obama yesterday announced in Pittsburgh an "Advanced Manufacturing Partnership" (AMP) of universities, businesses and the federal government to support development of innovative ideas for both products and processes to strengthen domestic manufacturing.

Working largely through existing channels, like the National Science Foundation, AMP would start with a budget of $500 million—redirected from existing appropriations and drawing on new funds, pending congressional approval—to invest in early stage research and development.

Obama used the occasion of his trip to Carnegie-Mellon University and a local firm building tiny robots that inspect water and sewer pipes to emphasize the importance of manufacturing to the American economy and the creation of good jobs. And he stressed the importance of innovation to making manufacturing in this country globally competitive.

The president and his advisors—as laid out in a new report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—took pains to distinguish their “innovation policy” from an “industrial policy.” AMP will try to create an “ecosystem” of innovation in the United States and foster “critical enabling tools” for manufacturing businesses, according to a briefing by Obama’s assistant for manufacturing policy, Ron Bloom, and PCAST co-chair Eric Lander. “We are not endorsing industrial policy,” Lander says.

Indeed, AMP will fund the kind of federally supported research that in the past led to development of the Internet (and search engines like Google), cell phones, GPS devices, a large proportion of new pharmaceuticals and much more. As in the past, much of the focus will be on military needs, like the challenge to a small company, Local Motors, to design a new combat support vehicle in a month and build it in three months. (It succeeded in part with “cloud” designing, putting the Pentagon request on the Internet and drawing in 162 design proposals.)  Non-military business may benefit from some spin-offs.

But AMP will focus on manufacturing whether or not it is for the military and on processes as much as products.

For example, one early initiative will be the Materials Genome Project, which will attempt to provide a template for designing new materials with specific characteristics—like a strength to weight ratio—from the molecular level on up to industrial scale.

Comic Davon Magwood, on the eve of a - Pittsburgh City Paper

Youth Governor of Pennsylvania" under the YMCA's Youth & Government program: "It's like the Model U.N. on crack."

Oddest job : "I toured with a Renaissance fair for an entire year. I played the baby dragon. … Just being a black dude at a Renaissance fair is awkward."

Verbal exchange with Ren fair patron : Patron: "Black guys aren't at a Renaissance fair." Magwood: "Yeah, neither are dragons, so we're just going to have to deal with it."

How someone's Comedy Central special encouraged his stand-up career : "I can't suck as bad as this guy."

Some venues where he performs : Shadow Lounge (where he hosts the third-Mondays comedy night), Brillobox, Howlers Coyote Cafe

Why he loves Pittsburgh : "In New York, I'll perform for 200 people and I'll never see or hear from them. … As a marketer, Pittsburgh is a gold mine, because people will just do what you tell them to do."

What he dislikes about Pittsburgh's comedy scene : "There's no togetherness. There's cliques, but Pittsburgh's too small for cliques."

On why comics needn't compete : "Not everybody finds the same stuff funny."

Hip-hop marketing role models : "If Wiz [Khalifa] and Mac Miller have showed us anything, it's how to get a grassroots movement going with your own fanbase."

Key to marketing : "If you want to do a good show, put in the work. … You have to go out there and hit the pavement."

Long-term project : Starting "a real comedy festival in Pittsburgh."

Inspiration for upcoming tour with Cleveland-based comic Howard Lester : "I really like what the Comedians of Comedy [Patton Oswalt and friends] did: just [play] dive bars, taking it out of the comedy clubs' hands."

Three stops on the two-week tour : Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Denver

Prospects for the tour : "Who cares if I end up eating a bunch of money? I'm broke anyway. … The worst that could happen is I get stranded in Chicago.

Race and renaissance, African Americans in Pittsburgh since World War II

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Chase's Calendar of Events 2009

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Insiders' Guide to Pittsburgh, 3rd