1981 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AUTHORIZATION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1980 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:08 a.m., in room 2318, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. George E. Brown, Jr. (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. BROWN. The subcommittee will come to order. This is the third in a series of short hearings to review the program and budget of the National Science Foundation. We have heard overviews from Dr. Murray and Dr. Atkinson, and we have examined in some detail the programs in four of the research directorates. Today, we will be talking about the programs in engineering and applied science. This new directorate provides what appears to be a logical "home" for engineering and brings together under one head many complementary programs concerned with applying research results to practical problem areas. One program, concerned with stimulating science-based business opportunities in the small business community, has been selected by the administration for a fourfold increase in funding. We will want to talk about that, in all probability. The administration has also requested increased funding to foster university/industry cooperation. I realize that is a cross-directorate program, not confined to Dr. Sanderson's directorate, but today would be a good opportunity to talk about that, also. I know that Congressman Ritter, if he were here, would be interested in both these topics and has indicated that he would want to be involved with them. Unfortunately, he is ill this morning. When we finish with engineering and applied science, we will move on to some subjects that affect the Foundation as a whole. I understand there are some proposed minor amendments to remove obsolete provisions in the Organic Act. We are also concerned about how to manage a 2-year budget authorization. As time permits, we will take up these and other subjects listed in the hearing schedule. Tomorrow's hearing will give us another opportunity to complete that list. Before I call on Dr. Sanderson, I would like to ask our distinguished ranking minority member, Mr. Wydler, if he'd like to make any comments at this point. Mr. WYDLER. No, Mr. Chairman. I want to personally welcome Dr. Atkinson and the other witnesses. I think the type of hearings you are holding are going to be productive in trying to give us a good handle on the budget. I look forward to hearing at least part of the testimony that's given here today. Welcome to you. Mr. BROWN. Mr. Watkins, who will be here shortly, had a statement that he wanted to make. If he doesn't get here in time to make it, without objection, it will be included in the record at this point. [The material referred to follows:] OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. WES WATKINS Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for this opportunity to make some opening remarks on NSF's proposed budget for the Engineering and Applied Science Directorate. Most of the Subcommittee's attention today will probably be directed to the increases in Dr. Sanderson's budget to implement two of the President's Industrial Innovation Initiatives and that's probably as it should be. - These initiatives were overdue, they are justified and I've already indicated my support of these activities to the President. To be sure, Dr. Sanderson and his colleagues are to be commended, because their existing programs formed the "jumping-off point" for the President's initiatives, and NSF has been designated the lead agency in putting together a Small Business Innovation program for other Federal agencies. But despite our enthusiasm for these new thrusts, we can't afford to ignore the other, equally important programs to support innovation that are included in Dr. Sanderson's Directorate, particularly those in the Intergovernmental Programs Subactivity. The initiation of the State Science, Engineering and Technology program mandated by Congress in the FY 1980 budget forced reductions of $1 million among other program activities of the Intergovernmental Subactivity last year. Yet none of this money is restored in the proposed FY 1981 budget. All of the proposed $1.5 million increase is budgeted for the SSET program, while the other three subactivities are expected to make do with less funds than they Page 2 received in FY 1979. The proposed Local Government budget for FY 1981 is 9 percent less than that of two years ago; the State Government budget is 36 percent less than that of two years ago, and the Science and Technology Resources budget is 33 percent less than that of two years ago. According to the budget justification supplied by the agency, the proposed funding levels for these subactivities will provide for "reduced support within the Local Government Program" for innovation activities, "reduced number of State government projects" and "minimal support for the Federal Laboratories Consortium." Yet all these programs play important roles in promoting innovation in the public sector. Two other Subactivities of Dr. Sanderson's Directorate which support innovation - the Applied Research and Problem Focused Research programs --are slated for only 6 percent increases, less than the prevailing inflation rate. This can only mean that, in "real" dollar terms, these Subactivities will actually suffer cutbacks, rather than enjoy increases. The FY 1981 budget will launch NSF toward new, important horizons in industrial innovation. But now that we know where we're going, we can't afford to forget, or ignore, where we've been. Mr. BROWN. We welcome Dr. Sanderson, Assistant Director for Engineering and Applied Science. You may proceed with your state ment. Dr. SANDERSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the interest of time, I would like to submit my formal statement for the record and simply give you a few introductory remarks. Mr. BROWN. Without objection, so ordered. [The biographical sketch of Dr. Sanderson follows:] DR. JACK T. SANDERSON Dr. Jack T. Sanderson became Assistant Director for Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) when this Directorate was established on July 1, 1979. Dr. Sanderson had been Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Applied Science and Research Applications, which merged with the Engineering Division to form the Directorate for Engineering and Applied Science. Dr. Sanderson had previously served as Assistant Director for Research Applications, Director of the Office of Planning and Resources Management, and Acting Deputy Assistant Director for Science Education. Before joining the Foundation in 1971, Dr. Sanderson had been lecturer, Director of the Cyclotron Laboratory, and Assistant Director of the Physics Laboratories at Harvard University. Dr. Sanderson's primary research areas have been in solid state physics, especially nuclear magnetic and electron paramagnetic resonance, low temperature and nuclear orientation. He has also done experiments in high-energy proton and electron scattering. Dr. Sanderson was born in Russellville, Alabama. He received an A.B. in physics and chemistry at Harvard University in 1958 and was awarded a Master's and a Ph. D. at Harvard in 1967. He is a member of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Cryogenic Society, and Sigma Xi. Dr. and Mrs. Sanderson and their two daughters, Caroline and Nicole, reside in Alexandria, Virginia. STATEMENT OF DR. JACK T. SANDERSON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, ACCOMPANIED BY DR. RICHARD C. ATKINSON, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION; DR. GEORGE C. PIMENTEL, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION; AND DR. DAVID RAGONE, MEMBER, NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD Dr. SANDERSON. Since last year, the National Science Foundation has moved to significantly strengthen both engineering and applied research in the National Science Foundation by the creation of the Directorate for Engineering and Applied Science. For several years, the National Science Foundation's applied research programs rightly have been at the forefront of new technology and applications. It has, as my formal testimony points out, worked at building the linkage between basic knowledge and the user community and focusing scientific capabilities on a few key problems of U.S. society. Likewise, over the history of the Foundation, the engineering disciplines have always had a foot in both camps, an orientation toward developing new fundamental knowledge important for application across a wide range of areas, and also a concern with both the end use and the application of the knowledge they generated. |