I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1492 

To provide for the establishment at the National Science Foundation of 

a program to promote and assist the teaching of inventiveness and innovation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 13, 2007 

Mr. HONDA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Science and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide for the establishment at the National Science 

Foundation of a program to promote and assist the 

teaching of inventiveness and innovation. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Innovations for our 

5 Nation’s Vital Educational Needs for Technology Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Invention, the wellspring of innovation, is 

2 the basic source of the economic wellbeing and qual3 ity of life enjoyed in the developed world today. 

4 (2) There have been enormous differences in 

5 the capabilities of different societies to invent, to 

6 carry the inventions into practice, and to adopt the 

7 inventions of other societies, and maintaining those 

8 capabilities will be key for the future wellbeing of 

9 the United States. 

10 (3) Federal support of individual investigators 

11 doing basic research has been effective in leading to 

12 scientific discovery, but less effective in enabling 

13 those investigators to turn those discoveries into in14 vention. 

15 (4) The process of invention and the traits of 

16 the inventive mind can be enhanced by education 

17 and fostered by appropriate societal support. 

18 (5) In formal education, every student deserves 

19 the opportunity to learn more about the nature of 

20 invention and to acquire some simple basic skills and 

21 generative attitudes. 

22 SEC. 3. INVENTIVENESS CURRICULUM MATERIALS. 

23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The National 

24 Science Foundation shall establish a competitive grant 

25 program, with the goal of developing, and making availVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:40 Mar 14, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1492.IH H1492

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1 able for use at the elementary, secondary, and under2 graduate levels within 2 years after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, curriculum tools that will help foster inventive4 ness. 

5 (b) MATERIALS.—The curriculum materials devel6 oped under the program established under this section 

7 shall— 

8 (1) leverage existing knowledge on how the in9 ventive mind works on behalf of a more inventive so10 ciety to address key challenges of today’s world, 

11 through— 

12 (A) emphasizing adventure, excitement, 

13 and mystery as much as the analytical and 

14 technical side of invention; 

15 (B) encouraging inventive thinking that 

16 crosses boundaries of convention, expectation, 

17 and disciplines; and 

18 (C) anticipating that there will be unantici19 pated consequences of invention, an enduring 

20 lesson from history; 

21 (2) strengthen those aspects of the education 

22 process that enhance creativity in general, and tech23 nological inventiveness in particular, including— 

24 (A) open-ended, problem solving assign25 ments; 


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1 (B) historical study of the social and polit2 ical implications of inventions and new tech3 nologies; 

4 (C) universities seeking research projects 

5 and external collaborations, and policies that 

6 promote inventive creativity of students and 

7 faculty; 

8 (D) appropriate supporting infrastructure, 

9 which should be fostered to enable teachers to 

10 utilize new teaching methods and materials; and 

11 (E) hands-on activities, visual thinking ex12 periences, historical case studies, and ‘‘how 

13 things work’’ exercises for all students, not just 

14 engineering or science majors; and 

15 (3) initiate, strengthen, and expand initiatives 

16 to involve young people directly in the invention 

17 process, including— 

18 (A) efforts to support teams in high 

19 schools and colleges that work collaboratively 

20 with the private or local government sectors to 

21 invent useful products or processes; 

22 (B) realistic, open-ended, design-oriented 

23 activities, which can be included in university 

24 engineering courses, with the primary goal of 

25 teaching the important principles of a field in 


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1 ways that will promote inventive creativity in 

2 the application of these principles; 

3 (C) a network of community centers, ‘‘in4 vention homes’’, or ‘‘free workshops’’ that 

5 would provide access to the tools, materials, and 

6 flexible space so important to invention, to be 

7 based in schools, museums, or other locations; 

8 (D) workshops that would allow teachers 

9 to learn by experience how to effectively lead a 

10 project-based classroom; and 

11 (E) networks of innovators and social en12 trepreneurs both domestically and internation13 ally. 

14 (c) DISSEMINATION.—The National Science Founda15 tion shall develop and implement measures, including 

16 workshops, for the dissemination of curriculum tools devel17 oped under this section. 

18 SEC. 4. INVENTIVENESS PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. 

19 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

20 of this Act, the National Science Foundation shall imple21 ment a public awareness and outreach campaign relating 

22 to invention and inventiveness. The public awareness and 

23 outreach campaign shall— 

24 (1) foster public events, including competitions, 

25 public displays, traveling exhibitions, and other ways 


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1 to increase the public profile of inventors and inven2 tiveness; and 

3 (2) establish additional awards and prizes hon4 oring inventors, with the objective of stimulating in5 vention in areas of greatest need, as well as of rais6 ing the stature of inventors and invention in the eyes 

7 of young people. 

8 SEC. 5. ENGINEERING AND SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 

9 PROGRAM ON INVENTION. 

10 The National Science Foundation shall establish en11 gineering and social science research programs on the 

12 process of invention and the teaching of inventiveness. The 

13 research programs shall— 

14 (1) be aimed at a deeper understanding of the 

15 creative mind and creative environment, the meas16 urement of inventiveness, diffusion of teaching of in17 ventive creativity, and rapid learning as part of the 

18 crossing of boundaries of convention, expectation, 

19 and disciplines that is at the heart of invention; 

20 (2) include study of the influence of flexible 

21 learning environments and role of parents, teachers, 

22 mentors, and broader social institutions; 

23 (3) study the impact on inventive creativity of 

24 past major programs of Federal and State support 

25 for elementary, secondary, and higher education; 


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1 (4) identify the major societal sectors that have 

2 had significant effects on major inventions and inno3 vations of the recent past, and study the role of each 

4 such sector, the importance of intersector inter5 actions, and the impact of patent and other relevant 

6 law; and 

7 (5) assess how invention could make a dif8 ference to the sustainable development needs of the 

9 poorest regions and nations, including research to 

10 understand and promote social enterprise, cultiva11 tion of creativity on a local level, surveys of key 

12 technology gaps, and surveys of available financial 

13 resources. 

Æ 


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