TI vice president testifies before House Committee on Science & Technology
 Dr. Martin Izzard, center, testifies before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science & Technology.
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Recently, Martin Izzard, TI vice president and director Digital Signal Processing Solutions (DSP) R&D, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science & Technology. He urged Congress to provide sustained investments in basic research and outlined the importance of immigration reform for highly-educated professionals to ensure technology employers have access to the skilled labor they need to remain competitive.
The hearing entitled "Strengthening Regional Innovation: A Perspective from Northeast Texas" was conducted to examine the importance of regional innovation centers to the U.S. economy and global competitiveness. Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Ranking Member Ralph Hall (R-Texas), who represents TI's Sherman, TX facility, presided over the hearing, which took place in North Texas last month.
"Regional innovation capacity boils down to talent," Izzard said. "A workforce educated in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is essential to the success of companies like TI and to overall U.S. innovation in a globally competitive environment. University research is a lynchpin for training graduate students and for enabling the breakthrough vital to private-sector innovation."
Izzard directs TI's DSP R&D Center, which is the core technology the enables continuous real-world signals, such as voice or images to be converted to digital form and interpreted. He also oversees TI's Kilby Labs, a new initiative launched in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the invention of the integrated circuit. The labs are designed to foster creative ideas for breakthrough semiconductor technology.
Izzard summarized the pioneering research taking place at TI's internal labs, the company's special relationships with Texas universities, its participation with the Semiconductor Research Corporation and its involvement in STEM education programs.
"As illustrated by TI's experience, model research collaborations involve not only industry and universities, but are greatly enhanced by the engagement of federal agencies and state/local government," Izzard said.
The hearing also included witness testimonies from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund Advisory Committee, Hie Electronics, regional universities, community colleges, and more. One of the key findings of the hearing was that local collaboration is an ideal venue to leverage state and federal funding opportunities. Witnesses gave examples of how North Texas educational institutions and technology companies have collaborated on grant projects that have succeeded in promoting technology development, spurring innovation, and creating new jobs.
For further details on the hearing, visit the Committee's website at http://science.house.gov/Publications/hearings_markups.aspx.
The Dallas Regional Chamber's Technology Business Council also contributed to this story.
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