Colleagues,
Are you familiar with FYI, THE AIP BULLETIN OF SCIENCE POLICY NEWS? http://www.aip.org/enews/fyi/
I find it interesting, and thoughtfully done. Here's the most recent edition.
Cheers,
Jane Jackson
FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy
News
Number 78: June 28, 2002
Hearing by Senate Authorizers on National Science Foundation
At last week's hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions Committee, those senators present displayed
considerable support for the National Science Foundation.
Chairman Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and other senators, including
two key appropriators, declared their strong support for NSF.
At the same time, there was no mention of a schedule for the
committee to work on a bill similar to House-passed H.R. 4664
that would put the foundation on a budget doubling track. Of
interest was an exchange about the proposed RSVP particle
physics project.
This hearing drew a very large audience, with some people
sitting on the floor. Kennedy started by declaring that
advances in one area of science often depend upon advances in
other fields, citing the importance of physical sciences.
Kennedy described his concerns about the future S&T workforce,
the decline of student interest in science, and falling
student science test scores.
NSF Director Rita Colwell's testimony centered on workforce
issues. She described the mismatch between the skills of the
general workforce and the requirements of new jobs, explaining
that the U.S. was falling behind other nations. Colwell
updated the committee on the status of the Math-Science
Partnership program, with awards to be announced late this
summer about the grants that will be made from the 290
proposals submitted.
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), a member of this committee,
is also the chair of the Senate VA, HUD, and Independent
Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. "We're looking forward
to working with our fellow authorizers on the right policy
framework," she told the committee. Added appropriations
subcommittee Ranking Minority Member Christopher Bond (R-MO),
"we would like to see the authorization bill support this
doubling," referring to the effort the two senators have made
to increase the budget for the NSF. Bond declared that the
nation's scientific capabilities are "at risk," citing the
shortfall in funding for the physical sciences. He went on
say that it was not enough to simply double the NIH budget;
the NSF budget must be doubled as well.
Witness and former Senator John Glenn (D-MD) discussed
workforce and science education issues, telling the committee
that the "emergency is already here." Mikulski replied that
"we would like to double the budget of the NSF," saying it had
served the nation well to do that for the NIH. She then asked
Colwell about what NSF would do with a larger budget, Colwell
mentioning increased funding for education programs,
nanotechnology, grant size, and increasing the number of
grants awarded. Senator James Jeffords (I-VT) was also at the
hearing, declaring it the most important hearing that will be
held affecting the future of the nation. His questions
centered on education.
...
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For scientists interested in action on federal science funding
and policy, FYI is a free electronic bulletin that offers
coverage and in-depth analysis of budget and policy developments
significant to the physics community. FYI focuses on
congressional and Administration activity related to federal R&D,
primarily within the National Science Foundation, Department of
Energy, NASA, Department of Defense, and National Institute of
Standards and Technology, as well as science and math education
within the Department of Education. FYI is distributed
electronically several times weekly.
Directions for subscribing and unsubscribing to FYI are available
on AIP's Home Page at http://www.aip.org/enews/fyi. Current and
back issues of FYI are also available at this site. Searchable
archives are provided for issues after 1994.
--------------------
Jane Jackson, Co-Director, Modeling Instruction Program
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics & Astronomy,ASU,Tempe,AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7331 <http://modeling.asu.edu>
We must manage our forests -- and our planet.