I'm an electrical engineer and I design buildings for a living. I prefer the NEMA 5-20. Chances are, the plug in your office is a NEMA 5-20. The difference is in the ampacity rating, 15 amps and 20 amps. You can tell which is which by the plug configuration. Does your plug have a small horizontal slit on the right vertical slit? If so, it's a NEMA 5-20. Several commercial cleaning and kitchen appliances require 12 amps are more so the NEMA 5-20 is preferred in those applications. Don't worry if your house only has NEMA 5-15 plugs with a 20 amp circuit breaker protecting it. Residential appliances are rated to be used with a NEMA 5-15 plug.

The government does fund research, but not always for direct projects. NIH Grants http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm provide funding for lots of research related things, such as laboratory improvements, new equipment, etc. One of the stimulus packages included added more funding for NIH Grants. You can see all the active ones at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/search_results.htm?year=active&scope=pa

I've actually been in an Architect's office where there was glass everywhere. Even the private offices had glass partitions. It was difficult to tell which of the glass panes were actually the door. In that environment, I'm not sure which way to go since you have no privacy either way, which is the whole point of an office right? Either way, probably makes for some funny moments watching new comers search for the door.