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FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 54: April 22, 2003

Chairman Boehlert's 20% Recommendation for FY 2004 NSF Appropriation

Congress returns to Washington next week.  House and Senate
appropriators will then begin drafting the FY 2004 appropriations
bills.  In many cases the House version of these thirteen bills will
likely have the lower budget figure in this fall's House and Senate
conference committees.  Getting the highest possible number in the
House bills for S&T budgets will be important.  That is why the April
2 letter sent by House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert
(R-NY) to House VA, HUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman James
Walsh (R-NY) is of great interest. 

Walsh and Boehlert, both Republicans from adjoining districts in
upstate New York, are strong supporters of the National Science
Foundation.  Where sometimes the relationship between authorizers and
appropriators is not as smooth as civics textbooks describe, these
two key chairmen work well together.  In his letter, Chairman
Boehlert expresses disappointment in the calculated 3% requested
budget increase for NSF and recommends an increase of 20.4%, or
$1,081 million in the foundation's budget.  Boehlert's letter
highlights the importance of the Mathematics and Science Education
Partnership Program, Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, the STEP
Program, cyber security, and nanotechnology.  The full text of the
letter follows: 

- - - - - - - - - - -

Dear Chairman Walsh,

Over the course of the last month, I have been reviewing the
President's fiscal year 2004 budget request for the National Science
Foundation (NSF). I know that you share my disappointment that the
Administration requested only a 3 percent increase for NSF.

I recommend that Congress increase NSF's total budget to
$6,390,832,000, the amount authorized by the National Science
Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-368). This
appropriation would increase funding for NSF's core science programs,
such as information technology and nanotechnology, and it would
enable the Foundation to begin fully funding K-12 and undergraduate
education programs, and the large facility projects that have already
been approved by the National Science Board. 

Funding the authorization of appropriations included in P.L. 107-368
would enable the third year of funding for the Mathematics and
Science Education Partnership Program, helping to assure that math
and science education reforms undertaken in the context of the
President's No Child Left Behind initiative will be grounded in sound
science. I strongly support this initiative and I request that you
fund it at the level requested by the President, $200 million.

Likewise, I ask that you fund the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program at
the authorized level of $20 million. This university-based program
will provide one- or two-year scholarships to undergraduate
mathematics and science majors who commit to teach elementary or
secondary mathematics math or science for two years for each year
that they receive a scholarship. 

I also ask that you fund the Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and
Technology Talent Expansion Program (STEP) at the authorized level
of $30 million. STEP will fund innovative programs at institutions of
higher education to increase the number of students enrolled in
undergraduate science, mathematics, engineering, and technology
degree programs, particularly in fields that have faced declining
enrollment in recent years. Together with the Math and Science
Education Partnership Program and the Robert Noyce Scholarship
Program, STEP will help the reverse the decline in the number of
American students pursuing careers that require a high level of
scientific and technical skill. 

There are two areas of research at NSF that I believe deserve special
attention: cyber security and nanotechnology. Cyber security research
has assumed greater importance as the threats posed by cyber
terrorism and cyber crime have grown more rapidly than our capability
to counter them. Last year's Cyber Security Research and Development
Act (P.L. 107-305) authorized $105 million for cyber security
research at NSF in fiscal year 2004, including a cyber security
research grants program, a program to establish multidisciplinary
Centers for Computer and Network Security Research, and a program of
capacity building grants to establish or improve undergraduate and
master's degree programs in computer and network security. I believe
cyber security research should be among the Foundation's highest
priorities and I urge you to fund this research at the authorized
level. 

Nanotechnology is one of the most exciting and promising scientific
research endeavors underway today with widespread potential benefits
in information technology, medical improvements, military systems,
and energy production and distribution. NSF is the lead agency in the
President's multi-agency National Nanotechnology Initiative and, as
such, helps assure U.S. scientific leadership in an area that is
expected to underpin our future industrial competitiveness. Congress
authorized $350 million for nanoscale science and engineering
(nanotechnology) research at NSF. I request that you fund this
activity at the authorized level. 

Thank you for your consideration of my recommendations. I look
forward to working closely with you and with the Administration to
ensure that our nation makes the investments in education, research,
and development required to maintain America's scientific and
engineering leadership.

Sincerely,


Sherwood L. Boehlert
Chairman

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Richard M. Jones
Media and Government Relations Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi{at}aip.org
(301) 209-3094
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