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closeSenator's new goal is long-term research funding
State economy will grow by recruiting world’s top minds, Kastama says
Neil Pierson/of The Herald
After traveling across the country and back, Sen. Jim Kastama believes he has found a way for Washington to address its economic woes.
Kastama, the 25th Legislative District representative who chairs the state Senate’s economic development, trade and innovation committee, helped institute Washington’s Stars program four years ago. The program began with a $2 million investment to recruit a biofuels expert to Washington State University and digital data expert to the University of Washington. It has resulted in a $33 million boost to the state’s private sector.
During visits to Utah, Georgia and the city of San Diego, which have programs similar to Stars, Kastama not only gained first-hand knowledge of how Washington could benefit but also grasped ideas for how the state could pay for world-class research.
To that end, Kastama is bringing back a proposal he launched during the 2009 legislative session: Use all of the state’s lottery proceeds to back higher education, a percentage of which would go to permanent funding of Stars. Kastama said last week he believed the bill could receive unanimous support at the committee level. It would still need majority support in the House and Senate to become law.
Kastama says a similar system has worked for Georgia, which generates $104 per person in lottery revenues compared to $19 per person in Washington. Over time, Washington could generate $450 million per year for its colleges and universities, he estimates.
“People will buy a lottery ticket if they know it goes for a good, altruistic purpose,” Kastama said.
After Stars was created in 2006, the state was able to bring in a pair of high-quality researchers: Birgitte Ahring, a Danish scientist who is developing next-generation fuels, and Michael Hochberg, an expert in photonics, a combination of digital data communications and nanotechnology that is drawing interest from companies like Microsoft and Boeing.
Their knowledge figures to get passed on. Ahring is starting a new biofuels study program for WSU students this summer, while Hochberg is teaching electrical engineering courses at UW.
“We produce the energy that is coming after oil,” Ahring said in a press release. “In five years, we’ll see a number of industries that have developed as a result of the things we have done.”
Kastama’s funding proposal for Stars could upset advocates of K-12 education, which currently receives proceeds from the lottery. But the senator says the lottery comprises a relatively small chunk of public education’s total state allocations.
Kastama sees opportunities for Stars to directly benefit Pierce County. One example is the WSU-Puyallup extension center, which is working on emerging stormwater technologies. An expert in that field could be recruited, Kastama says, and make the area a leader in education and development.
The state’s economic development commission, comprised of numerous private business leaders, is in the process of making two new hires in smart grid technology. Smart grids deliver electricity to homes and power appliances in more energy-efficient ways.
Global health issues, solar energy and advanced manufacturing techniques are all possibilities for Stars’ future recruitment efforts, Kastama said. The aerospace industry is another area of interest. Kastama was surprised to learn recently that UW doesn’t have an aerospace expert on its payroll.
“One way to ensure that Boeing will stay here in the future is to make sure we have the cutting-edge technology and research,” Kastama said.