METRIC SYSTEM - slowly getting there, inch by inch
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President has set the goal of devoting 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) to US science research.
President Obama made the announcement during a speech on Monday to the US National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC. President Obama added that it was time for America to lead again in the area of research and development (R&D). He said the goal represented the largest commitment to scientific research and innovation in US history. "I am here today to set this goal: we will devote more than 3% of our GDP to research and development," said President Obama. "We will not just meet, but we will exceed the level achieved at the height of the space race."
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Replacing metric signs - Way to the hell
The state Transportation Department is getting ready to spend $1.5 million replacing metric signs along Interstate 10 with mileage signs, to the chagrin of some businesses along the highway. The state plans to use federal stimulus money to replace the signs, which it previously planned to replace as the signs wore out. The signs marking kilometers instead of miles were first installed in the early 1980s when I-19 and a handful of other roads were signed in metric as the country considered a full conversion. That conversion hasn’t happened.
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NIST Metrology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will celebrate World Metrology Day on May 20 by holding a symposium in Gaithersburg, Md. The symposium on “Measurements in Commerce: Metrology Underpinning Economic Development” will emphasize how measurement science and standards play an everyday role in our global economy.
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