US LUAMay 2009 News Archive
May 29, 2009
Forum on International Physics: Call for Nominations
The Executive Committee of the Forum on International Physics
consists of 13 voting members. The following positions become
vacant beginning January 2010:
1) Vice-Chair
2) APS Councillor
3) Two Members-at-Large
The purpose of this message is to invite you to nominate candidates
for these positions. If you wish to review the current make up of
the FIP Executive Committee, please go to:
http://units.aps.org/units/fip/
Satoshi Ozaki, Past Chair of the Executive Committee, serves as
Chair of the Nominating Committee. Submit nominations directly to
him (ozaki@bnl.gov). Nominations will close on July 30, 2009.
Nominators please verify that the nominee has agreed to be a
candidate before you send in the nomination. WE URGE YOU TO
USE THE FORM BELOW (also posted on the FIP web site).
The new Executive Committee members will be expected to participate
in the activities of the FIP. Chief among these is the annual
meeting of the Executive Committee - usually held in conjunction
with the APS March or April Meetings. If you or you nominee have
any questions regarding FIP and the election process, please contact
me (734-647-1834; nmirkin@umich.edu).
The Nominating Committee will identify the candidates from the list of
nominees and you will then have an opportunity to vote your preference.
Get involved!!
Noemi Mirkin
Secretary/Treasurer FIP
*********************************************************************
FORM FOR THE NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR VICE-CHAIR, COUNCILLOR,
AND/OR MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Dear Colleague,
To nominate a colleague, we ask you to contact the nominee and gain
her/his assent. If they agree to stand for election, please request a
copy of a current CV to be appended to this form. If you are nominating
yourself, please pay close attention to paragraph 3, below, calling for
the naming of colleagues who support this nomination.
1. I have contacted the candidate and she/he has agreed to stand
for election if selected by the Nominating Committee. The candidate's
full name, position, and contact information is:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
2. Please provide a statement of no more than 500 words explaining
your reasons for nominating this colleague as a candidate for Vice-Chair
(Member-at-Large, Councillor) of the Forum (keep in mind that in the case
of the Vice-Chair, he/she will serve in the Forum's leadership for four
years - first as Vice-Chair, then as Chair-Elect, to succeed to Chair in
the third year and a final year as Past Chair). Emphasize those
qualifications and qualities that you believe will make your nominee an
exceptional leader of the community.
3. It will be useful to have the concurrence and opinion of other
colleagues. Please list names and contact information of two other
colleagues (three colleagues in the case of self-nominations) who will be
prepared to second your nomination. The Nominating Committee may wish to
contact them for additional information:
____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
4. Please append the CV of your nominee.
For further information concerning the Bylaws and duties of Forum
Officers, see the FIP web site accessible from the Membership link on the APS
web site or http://www.aps.org/units/fip/governance/bylaws.cfm
May 29, 2009
EPP Funding Plans FY09 to FY11
We would like to give you
an update regarding EPP “normally appropriated” (NA) funding and the
use of the special ARRA funds. In addition we would like to alert you
to special funding opportunities in the ARRA MRI and ARI solicitations.
. Details of these solicitations can be found at
Major Research Instrumentation Program
(MRI-R²)
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5260
Full Proposal Deadline Date: August 10,
2009
Academic Research Infrastructure
Program: Recovery and Reinvestment (ARI-R²)
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503380&org=NSF&sel_org=XCUT&from=fund
Letter of Intent Deadline Date: July 1,
2009
Full Proposal Deadline Date: August 24,
2009
Under
guidelines set by the National Science Foundation the EPP ARRA funds
are used only for standard grants that had undergone the standard
review process and were to be recommended for an award. In addition,
proposals funded with ARRA funds cannot be awarded supplemental funds
during the duration of the grant.
Consistent with NSF
guidance, we plan to use ARRA funds to support appropriate merit
reviewed proposals that have requested funding in FY 09, 10 and 11. As
a consequence, and depending on sustained NA funding, we should have
more NA funding available than would otherwise be the case in these
years. The bulk of this available NA funding will enhance support
through our normal funding process. With the aid of the ARRA funds,
once the final determination is made for the amount needed to fund the
remaining active research proposals, EPP will be able to consider
limited supplemental funding actions using NA funds. Some supplemental
awards will address prior commitments. Priority consideration will be
given to those grants that were made in FY08 and were reviewed as
meriting funding that could not be realized but had to accept a
significant decrease compared to their FY07 funding.
We at EPP are
grateful for the ability to better advance our science and
infrastructure through ARRA funding
*****************************************************************
David
Lissauer
Tel: 703 292
7061 FAX: 703 292 9078
EPP/PHY/MPS
National Science Foundation
Suite 1015
4201 Wilson Blvd.-Arlington
VA 22230-USA
May 28, 2009
DPF2009 (26-31/7/2009, Detroit, MI) – Call for Abstracts
May 28, 2009
CERN Bulletin – The latest on the LHC
May 27, 2009
Photo of Washington DC visit including USLUO representatives
May 22, 2009
FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 67: May 22, 2009
Web version: http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/067.html
Energy Secretary Chu Testifies Before Senate Appropriators
Energy Secretary Steven Chu was the only witness at a ninety-minute
hearing held by the Senate Energy and Water Development
Appropriations Subcommittee earlier this week. Chu, testifying on
the FY 2010 Department of Energy request, was well-received,
although he encountered some skepticism about aspects of the
department's proposed budget.
Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-ND) opened the hearing by commenting on
how the department's $27.1 billion request was basically flat as
compared to this year's appropriation. Dorgan characterized the
Office of Science request as "robust," and described the proposed
Energy Innovation Hubs in favorable terms. The subcommittee's
Ranking Republican, Robert Bennett (R-UT), suggested that the Office
of Management and Budget had influenced the preparation of the
request, warning that a chronic pension shortfall for some DOE
workers threatened funding for science and weapon facilities'
cleanup programs. Bennett also seemed to question the ability of
the Office of Science to promptly spend its $1.6 billion in economic
stimulus funding, saying that it "can only shovel so much money out
the door."
Chu briefly summarized his written testimony, explaining that the
request emphasized science, discovery and innovation. He told the
committee he wants to better utilize basic research supported by the
Office of Science to maximize energy breakthroughs, emphasizing the
proposed Energy Innovation Hubs and their work in areas such as
artificial photosynthesis or better batteries.
Many of the questions addressed to Chu focused on research areas
that senators felt had been inadequately funded. Chairman Dorgan
argued that flat funding for coal R&D was unwise, and took real
issue with what he called the near zeroing out of funding for
hydrogen research. He criticized how the department's proposal
would end funding for 500 jobs in universities, national
laboratories, and industry. Calling himself a "big fan" of
hydrogen and fuel cells, he acknowledged that while their
utilization would not occur in the near term, it was the mission of
DOE to pursue such long-term research. Chu responded that it was a
difficult decision and spoke of problems in the compact storage of
hydrogen for use in vehicles, the use of reformulated natural gas as
its source, and supply infrastructure obstacles. Dorgan replied he
would not support shutting down hydrogen research and that the
subcommittee would do everything it could to continue it.
Dorgan also asked about the status of the panel to develop
alternatives to the storage of radioactive waste. Chu said a list
of names was now circulating in the White House, and spoke of his
support for interim storage and the eventual reprocessing of spent
fuel, adding during later questioning that he thought "the waste
problem is solvable."
Ranking Member Bennett asked additional questions about how quickly
DOE would spend its economic stimulus funding. Chu said the
department hopes to obligate 70 percent of this funding by Labor
Day, saying there would be a "massive review" of many programs this
summer. He called this process a "herculean task" that would
involve many reviewers coming to Washington for a week this summer.
Other questions addressed to Secretary Chu involved innovative uses
of CO2, proposed solar facilities on desert lands in California,
the clean up of World War II and Cold War facilities, new storage
facilities for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the potential of
geothermal and wind energy, weatherization, and proposed
requirements for renewal energy production.
In a related development, the Senate confirmed Under Secretary for
Science Steven Koonin this week. Koonin was previously the Chief
Scientist for BP, following twenty-nine years at the California
Institute of Technology where he was a Professor of Theoretical
Physics and the Institute's Provost.
May 22, 2009
Senate contact reminder and NUFO membership
Dear Colleagues,
Please act today if you have not already done so (see May 19 re: FY2010 budget support letter).
Also – you will notice that after some changes to the National Facility
Users Organization (NUFO) charter, US LUO has joined NUFO, which
encompasses 28,000 users in a wide range of disciplines.
Best regards
Harvey
May 21, 2009
U.S.
Senate Confirms Koonin
On May 19, Steven Koonin, visiting associate in physics and former
provost of Caltech, was among three nominees unanimously approved by
U.S. Senators for positions in the Department of Energy (DOE) under
Nobel prize-winning Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, who will present
the keynote address at the Institute’s commencement ceremony in June.
Koonin will serve as the under-secretary for science, Chu’s chief
scientific adviser, and will oversee research performed at the 10
national laboratories within the DOE’s Office of Science. At his
confirmation hearing, Koonin discussed his intention to create
energy-related jobs and cut greenhouse-gas emissions.
May 20, 2009
AAAS Policy Alert
Budget
News
NSF Releases Details of FY
2010 Budget Request. The National Science Foundation released
details of its proposed
budget for fiscal year (FY) 2010 on May 15. NSF’s Research and
Related Activities (R&RA) programs would grow 10.6 percent above
the final FY 2009 levels (excluding stimulus) for a total of $5.7
billion. All R&RA Directorates would receive increases between 6.7
percent (U.S. Arctic Research) to 12.6 percent (Geosciences). The
Education and Human Resources (EHR) program would grow 1.5 percent for
a total of $858 million.
Flu Spending Passes House.
The U.S. House of Representatives last week approved the supplemental
defense spending bill containing $2 billion for pandemic flu
preparedness, of which $1.5 billion will go towards development and
purchase of vaccines for the national stockpile. Meanwhile, the Senate
Appropriations Committee passed its version of the bill (which also
includes pandemic preparedness funds) allowing it to go to the floor
for a vote.
Other
Congressional News
On May 18 the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of Margaret Hamburg as commissioner of
the Food and Drug Administration.
National Climate Service Bill
Advances. On May 13, the House Science and Technology
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment passed a draft
bill that would create a National Climate Service within the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Sponsored by
Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN), the proposal would expand NOAA’s
delivery of climate-oriented services and is envisioned as a single
point of federal contact for data collection, information exchange,
climate forecasting, and adaptation assistance. The bill establishes a
network of regional and local facilities to enhance collaboration,
including the six preexisting Regional
Climate Centers, facilities run by the National
Weather Service, and other NOAA programs. The full committee is
scheduled to take up the bill later this week.
Boxer/Inhofe Climate Bill
Approved by Committee. The Senate Environment and Public Works
passed a bill cosponsored by Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking
Member James Inhofe (R-OK) on May 14. The Black Carbon Emissions Bill
(S. 849) requires the EPA to study the climate and health-related
impacts of black carbon and to identify the most effective control
strategies for the pollutant, a contributor to global warming that is
mainly emitted from diesel engines and burning wood.
Committee Begins Markup of
Climate Bill. The House Energy and Commerce Committee began
markup of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R.
2454) on Monday. Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Energy and
Environment Subcommittee Chair Ed Markey (D-MA) released the bill’s
text late last week. The bill contains several changes from an
earlier draft, notably reducing the greenhouse gas emissions goal in
2020 from 20 to 17 percent below 2005 levels and lowering a renewable
electricity standard from 25 percent in 2025 to 20 percent, with a
quarter of that total allowable from increased efficiency measures. The
bill outlines how emission
allowances and revenues will be distributed, with utilities
receiving 35 percent of the free permits and trade-vulnerable
industries such as steel, cement and glass receiving 15 percent.
Nominations
Last week President Obama announced a number of key S&T
appointments including:
– Zachary
Lemnios to be director of defense research and engineering
(DDR&E), a key S&T post in the Pentagon. Lemnios is currently
chief technology officer at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, a
federally-funded R&D center.
– Thomas
Frieden to serve as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). Frieden is currently New York City’s health
commissioner and previously worked at CDC. Frieden immediately issued a
memo to employees affirming the agency’s commitment to science.
– Gregory
Jaczko, currently a commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC), was designated as the NRC chairman. Jaczko previously
served as science policy advisor for Senator (now Majority Leader)
Harry Reid (D-NV), and was a AAAS Congressional Fellow sponsored by the
American Institute of Physics in the office of Rep. Edward Markey
(D-MA).
Executive
Branch
NIH Deals with Grant
Overload, Conflict of Interest. The National Institutes of
Health is reportedly overwhelmed by the submission of approximately
20,000 Challenge Grant applications-more than double the amount for a
normal review period. NIH must award the grants by the end of
September, and so it has recruited more than 15,000 extra reviewers and
will take an editorial board-style approach. In other news, NIH is
examining its financial conflict of interest policies following a
number of high-profile incidents involving extramural researchers. Comments
are due by July 7.
USDA and Animal Welfare. On
March 17, 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspected the
University of Louisiana’s New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) following
complaints by the Humane Society of the United States that the center
was caring for its nonhuman primates in a manner that violated the
Animal Welfare Act requirements. Inspectors cited NIRC for issues with
its handling of animals, and with its Institutional Animal Care and Use
Committee (IACUC). A USDA follow-up inspection on April 30, however,
concluded that the March 17 citations were being addressed
appropriately.
“Midnight Regulation” Affirmed.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has announced
that the administration will retain a special rule issued in December
for protecting the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The rule prohibits the government from invoking the Act to restrict
emissions of greenhouse gases that threaten polar bears and their
habitats. Salazar told the New
York Times that ESA is not the appropriate means for curbing
emissions linked to global warming.
NSF Data on Doctorates to
Underrepresented Minorities. NSFs Science Resources Statistics
Division established a new Web
site that provides information on its progress toward improving the
release of doctorate recipient data of underrepresented minorities as
part of the annual Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). Concerns arose in
the past over the suppression of data disaggregated by
race/ethnicity/sex that, although critical for programs and policies to
promote underrepresented minorities, could reveal personal information
of the surveyed individuals due to the small sample size. Current
plans, however, now will release the data while protecting
confidentiality.
Elsewhere
AAAS Submits Comments on
Scientific Integrity. On May 13, AAAS responded
to the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) request for
public comment on the Presidential Memo on Scientific Integrity
published in the Federal Register
on April 23, 2009.
NRC Issues Report on
Neuroscience and the Military. A new report from the National
Research Council (NRC) states that the Army should use insights from
neuroscience to improve its capacity to identify and make use of the
individual variability of its soldiers. The report, Opportunities
in Neuroscience for Future Army Applications, says the Army should
expand its research on the neural bases of training, learning and
performance, and should monitor nonmilitary research in neuroscience to
keep abreast of advances that may have military application.
Neuroscience also may have practical battlefield applications, the
report said, such as neuroergonomics — the use of brain-machine
interfaces to allow hands-off control of external systems such as
computers or vehicles.
People
in the News
Former AAAS President (1998), Mildred
Dresselhaus, was presented with the 2009 Vannevar Bush Award on May
13. The National Science Foundation award is given to an individual
“who, through public service activities in science and technology, has
made an outstanding contribution toward the welfare of mankind and the
nation.” She was honored for her “perseverance and advocacy in
increasing opportunities for women in science, and for her
extraordinary contributions in the field of condensed-matter physics
and nanoscience.” Dresselhaus is Institute Professor at MIT.
Publisher:
Alan I. Leshner
Editor: Joanne Carney
Contributors: Kavita Berger, Mark Frankel, Erin
Heath, Earl Lane, Shirley Malcom, Al Teich, Richard Weibl, Kasey White
May 20, 2009
International Travel Grant Award Program
Message to the members of the American Physical Society
Forum on International Physics. Authorized by Noemi Mirkin,
Secretary/Treasurer.
***********************************************************
Dear FIP members:
I want to bring to your attention the call for applications
for the tenth competitive cycle of the INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
GRANT AWARD PROGRAM. Below are the details of the program and
instructions for applying online. You will also find this
information on the FIP website: http://www.aps.org/units/fip/
Sincerely,
Noemi Mirkin
*************************************************************************
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL GRANT AWARD PROGRAM (ITGAP)
I. Background
Following the initiative of the APS Forum on International Physics (FIP),
the sponsors* of the APS International Travel Grant Award Program (ITGAP)
recognize that funding for collaborations between developed and developing
country scientists is often insufficient to meet existing needs and
opportunities. While the needs are great, and though we have only limited
resources to stimulate growth of longer-term collaborations, we believe
that an International Travel Grant Award Program, even a modest one, may
make a significant difference.
* ITGAP sponsors: APS Divisions of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
(DAMOP), Astrophysics (DAP), Computational Physics (DCOMP), Materials
Physics (DMP), Nuclear Physics (DNP), Physics of Beams (DPB), Particles
and Fields (DPF), and Plasma Physics (DPP), the APS Forum on International
Physics (FIP), the APS Topical Group on Magnetism and its Applications
(GMAG), the APS Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. Liaison
Committee for the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.
II. Purpose
Promote international scientific collaborations between APS
members and physicists in developing countries.
III. Amount of the Award
Up to US$2,000 for travel and lodging expenses for international travel
while visiting a collaborator.
IV. Features
A. Time limit: Once awarded, the time limit on the use of the award is a
maximum of 5 years.
B. Report: A report, with a 300 word public abstract, is required upon
completion of the award. This report will be posted on APS websites.
C. Bi-directionality: The trip can be in either direction, with preference
given for travel from developing countries to developed countries.
D. Preference: Support for the growth of existing collaborations will be
given preference over new ones, a measure of the former, for example,
being joint publications.
V. Conditions and Criteria
A collaborative visit must be for a period of at least one month. One or
both partners (co-applicants) in the collaboration must be APS members of
at least one of the sponsoring APS units. When rank-ordering applications,
consideration will be given to:
A. Merit
1. Past record of research accomplishments and promise of future
accomplishments; and
2. Invited talks to be delivered during the trip, especially talks at
APS-sponsored meetings.
B. Need
1. Under-represented countries and ethnic groups will be given priority;
and
2. Resources available from other sources with matching funds (leverage)
will be considered as a positive factor while potential support
available, but not sought, from other sources as a negative factor.
VI. Program
Awards will be made on 6-month competitive cycles. Twenty
awards have been made during the first nine cycles. The application
deadline for the current (10th) cycle is 30 June 2009. Decisions will be
announced 31 July 2009. Applications are to be submitted online at
http://ultron.aps.org/forms/aps.cgi?ID=1028
They should include the following items:
Narrative proposal of 5000 characters (maximum);
Lists of up to 5 most relevant publications of the two co-applicants;
Statement of financial support provided from an appropriate representative
of other sources (leverage);
Statement of who is (are) the member(s) of the APS sponsoring units
(specifying all that apply, i.e., DAMOP, DAP, DCOMP, DMP, DNP, DPB, DPF,
DPP, FIP, or GMAG);
Outline of the benefits of the proposal to junior scientists, students, or
post-docs from a developing country; and
Description of the travel plan and budget.
Applications will be considered active for the current cycle alone without
restricting re-application in subsequent cycles. The Executive Committee
of FIP, with assistance from the APS Committee on International Scientific
Affairs (CISA), the APS Office of International Affairs, and other
sponsoring APS units, will be responsible for managing the review process.
Confidentiality of the reviews is assured.
VII. Longer-term Program
FIP and CISA invite funding partners to either continue this program or
co-develop new programs that meet our combined objectives. We especially
seek support of additional APS Units. Larger awards with broader aims and
relaxing the restriction on APS membership are anticipated.
VIII. Acknowledgment of Financial Support
APS Division of Astrophysics
APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
APS Division of Computational Physics
APS Division of Materials Physics APS Division of Nuclear Physics
APS Division of Particles and Fields APS Division of Physics of Beams APS
Division of Plasma Physics
APS Forum on International Physics
APS Topical Group on Magnetism and its Applications APS Office of
International Affairs U.S. Liaison Committee of the International Union of
Pure and Applied Physics
May 19, 2009
Austria to remain a CERN Member State
Corrigendum
– last paragraph, please read :
Please
note that the Delegates to the CERN Council were informed
this morning of this decision by the Council secretariat.
Official
confirmation of Austria’s decision should be
received this afternoon.
Apologies
for the misunderstanding.
- – –
– – – – – – – – – – –
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Yesterday
afternoon, Austrian Federal Chancellor Werner Faymann announced that
Austria
will not be leaving CERN. I
am very pleased that Austria has taken this decision, and convinced
that it is
the right one not only for Austrian science, but also for European
science. In
taking this step, Chancellor Faymann is reaffirming Austria’s
commitment to
European research, and ensuring that the Austrian particle physics
community
can celebrate the 50th anniversary of Austrian accession to CERN, safe
in the
knowledge that Austria will play a full part in reaping the rewards of
LHC
physics.
Official
confirmation of Austria’s decision was received this morning by letter
from the Austrian Mission in Geneva to the President of the CERN
Council.
Rolf
Heuer
May 19, 2009
AAAS Advances – May Newsletter
May 19, 2009
APS Request for Letters in Support of FY2010 Request for the DOE Office of Science
Dear Colleagues,
Apologies for those who receive this from multiple sources.
Please contact your Senators by Friday, using the easy procedure
outlined below. It does make a difference.
While the FY2010 budget is somewhat flatter than the 7+ % increase per year
required for doubling over ten years, the outlook is for the
upward trend to pick up in the future. This year it is important to
stay on track, with the President’s request, and to keep the pressure up
for continued strong support in the future.
Best regards
Harvey
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Cherry Murray, President, American Physical Society
To: Members of the American Physical Society
Re: Support for President Obama.s Fiscal Year 2010 Request for the
Department of Energy Office of Science
I am writing to request that you contact your Senators no later than
Friday, May 22, 2009 and ask that they sign a letter being
circulated by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman
Jeff Bingaman and Senator Lamar Alexander to the Appropriations
Committee supporting President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2010 request of
“at least $4.9 billion” for the Department of Energy Office of
Science (DOE/SC). Securing this amount would largely keep DOE/SC
on the seven year doubling plan set out by the America COMPETES Act
of 2007 (P.L. 110-69). Despite recent increases in funding for
DOE/SC through the FY2009 budget and the President’s American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), it is critical to keep
the pressure on Congress to continue strong and steady increases in
basic science funding and to avoid the “boom and bust” cycle in such
funding in future years. You can make this contact quickly and
easily at:
http://www.aps.org/policy/tools/alerts
There, you will find pre-written messages to your Senators. You may
send these letters as they are, modify them, or write your own.
While individualizing your letter is not essential, please at least
make minor edits to the subject line and the first line of the text
of each email so that these emails are more individualized. (See
webpage pointers below for further instruction.)
The attached letter would request that your Senators sign on to a
letter to Energy and Water Development Subcommittee on Appropriations
Chairman Senator Dorgan and ranking Member Robert Bennett supporting
President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2010 request of at least $4.9 billion
for DOE/SC. You can read the letter at the following website:
http://www.aps.org/policy/issues/research-funding/upload/Research-2009-FY10-SenateDOEDearColleagueNS.pdf
WEBPAGE POINTERS:
(1) While individualizing your letter is not essential, we ask that
you make minor edits to the subject line and the first line of the
text of each email.
(2) If you are a government employee, please do not use government
resources to send a communication.
(3) Your browser will take you to a page where you will enter your
name and address.
(4) After entering your address, click the “Edit/Send Email button”
A window with an individual email message to the four offices
will appear. Click “Send Emails” to transmit the communication.
(5) Electronic submission is preferred.
(6) For further help, write to opa@aps.org.
May 18, 2009
AIP FYI #66
FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 66: May 18, 2009
Web version: http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/066.html
Building Support for the DOE Office of Science Budget Request
Your senators have been asked to demonstrate their support for the
$4.9 billion FY 2010 budget request for the Department of Science.
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) have
sent a "Dear Colleague" to all senators asking them to sign a letter
to the senior leadership of the Energy and Water Development
Appropriations Subcommittee.
"We are writing to express our support for President Obama's Fiscal
Year 2010 request of at least $4.9 billion for the Department of
Energy's Office of Science," states this letter to Chairman Byron
Dorgan (D-ND) and Ranking Republican Member Robert Bennett (R-UT).
It later continues, "we commend you and the subcommittee for making
the Office of Science a funding priority in recent years. We urge
your continued support for the Office of Science so that we can
maintain this critical investment in our nation's future."
Members of Congress receive many Dear Colleague letters every day.
These letters are more likely to be acted upon if constituents
contact their senators or representatives about it.
Information on the FY 2010 Office of Science request is available at
http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/056.html Guidance on contacting a
Member of Congress can be reviewed at
http://www.aip.org/gov/commcong.html
The full text of the letter follows:
"Dear Chairman Dorgan and Ranking Member Bennett
"We are writing to express our support for President Obama's Fiscal
Year 2010 request of at least $4.9 billion for the Department of
Energy's Office of Science.
"The America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69) authorized the
Office of Science to receive $5.8 billion in Fiscal Year 2010, with
the goal of doubling the Office of Science's budget over a
seven-year period.
"The Office of Science is the main federal sponsor of basic research
aimed at achieving the scientific breakthroughs necessary to meet
our nation's growing needs for clean, abundant energy. In addition,
the Office of Science is our nation's largest supporter of basic
physical sciences research.
"The Office of Science supports research in new fields -
biotechnology, nanotechnology, and supercomputing - that will
revolutionize the 21st Century economy. Investment in basic
scientific research is critical to preserving America's brainpower
advantage so that we can compete in the global economy and prevent
our good jobs from going overseas. Especially now in the midst of
this severe economic downturn, a strong investment in science is
prudent and necessary to regain and sustain economic growth through
the development of new industries.
"Through its many world-class user facilities and programs, the
Office of Science plays an indispensable role in attracting,
educating, training, and sustaining the nation's scientific
workforce. Thousands of university researchers - professors, young
post-doctoral scientists, and undergraduate students - rely on
support from the Office of Science. Roughly half of the researchers
at facilities run by the Office of Science come from universities,
and about a third of Office of Science research funds go to
institutions of higher learning.
"Historically, there is strong bipartisan support for increasing
funding for the Office of Science. We are acutely aware of the tight
constraint on available budgetary resources, and we commend you and
the subcommittee for making the Office of Science a funding priority
in recent years. We urge your continued support for the Office of
Science so that we can maintain this critical investment in our
nation's future."
May 15, 2009
AIP FYI #65
FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 65: May 18, 2009
Web version: http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/065.html
FY 2010 Request for the National Science Foundation
"With this budget, the President makes it absolutely clear that
science and engineering research and education are vital to the
nation's future. . . . In FY 2010, NSF is requesting $7.045 billion,
an increase of 8.5 percent over FY 2009. That puts NSF on track to
double our budget over the next decade and to realize the
President's Plan for Science and Technology." So said National
Science Foundation Director Arden Bement last week when outlining
the Foundation's FY 2010 request, the details of which were made
available on Friday evening.
The FY 2009 NSF appropriation was $6,490.4 million. The foundation
received an additional $3,002.0 million from the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act passed earlier this year; this funding is not
included in the following calculations. The FY 2010 request is
$7,045.0 million, an increase of $554.6 million or 8.5 percent.
The full NSF request can be viewed at
http://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2010/toc.jsp This document
provides narrative and detailed figures on the request, a summary of
which is below:
RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES:
The current budget is $5,183.1 million. The FY 2010 request is
$5,733.2 million, an increase of $550.0 million or 10.6 percent.
There are eleven components in this account.
The budget for the Directorate for Engineering would increase by
$71.2 million or 10.3 percent from $693.3 million to $764.5 million.
The budget for the Directorate for Geosciences would increase by
$101.9 million or 12.6 percent from $807.1 million to $909.0
million.
The budget for the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical
Sciences would increase by $124.0 million or 9.9 percent from
$1,256.0 million to $1,380.0 million.
Within this Directorate:
Astronomical Sciences funding would increase 9.7 percent.
Materials Research funding would increase by 9.5 percent.
Physics funding would increase by 7.9 percent.
The budget for the Office of Polar Programs would increase by $45.3
million or 9.6 percent from $470.7 million to $516.0 million.
EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES:
The current budget is $845.3 million. The FY 2010 request is $857.8
million, an increase of $12.5 million or 1.5 percent.
There are four components in this account.
The budget for the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and
Informal Settings would increase by $3.0 million or 1.3 percent from
$226.5 million to $229.5 million.
The budget for the Division of Undergraduate Education would
increase by $6.7 million or 2.4 percent from $283.2 million to
$289.9 million.
The budget for the Division on Graduate Education would stay
approximately equal, from $181.5 million to $181.4 million.
The budget for the Division on Human Resource Development would
increase by $2.9 million or 1.9 percent from $154.0 million to
$156.9 million.
MAJOR RESEARCH EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES:
The current budget is $1,093.9 million. The FY 2010 request is
$1,085.6 million, a decline of $8.3 million or -0.8 percent.
The NSF budget document states: "In FY 2010, NSF requests continued
funding for five ongoing projects: Advanced LIGO (AdvLIGO), the
Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), the Advanced Technology Solar
Telescope (ATST), the final year of funding for the IceCube Neutrino
Observatory (IceCube), and the Ocean Observatories Initiative
(OOI)."
May 15, 2009
Foreign Driving Licenses in France
An article published in a January 2009 issue of the CERN Bulletin
titled “Foreign Driving Licenses in France” may resolve questions some
holders of U.S. licenses have about whether or not they need to obtain
a French driving license if living at CERN for more than one year.
Section 1.2.a. of the article, for holders of a driving license issued
by a non-EU, non-EEA country, states that “Any driving licence held by
a person who is in possession of a special
residence permit issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is
recognised for driving on French territory during the period in which
the special residence permit is valid.” Most, if not all, U.S. CERN
users living in France hold a “Titre de sejour special”, or special
residence permit.
Read the article here.
This information is of special importance to holders of U.S. licenses
issued by states that do not have a reciprocal agreement with France. A list of states with reciprocal agreements from 2007 can be found
here.
May 15, 2009
FYI #64: Science Committee Hearing on FY2010 Request
FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 64: May 15, 2009
Web version: http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/064.html
Science Committee Responds Favorably to FY 2010 S&T Request
Yesterday’s hearing of the House Science and Technology Committee
provided a first indication of congressional reaction to the Obama
Administration’s FY 2010 request for science and technology
budgets. Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John
Holdren was the sole witness, and was praised by committee members
on both sides of the dais.
This one hour, twenty minute hearing was the first of several
hearings on the request. It afforded Holdren an opportunity to
outline the Administration’s positions on S&T funding and policy,
and for Members to highlight their areas of interest.
Funding is always a concern, which Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN)
addressed in his opening remarks when he said “we are facing tough
budget times and we won’t always have new money at hand.” Holdren
addressed funding early in his own statement, telling committee
members that an analysis of the FY 2009 and FY 2010 R&D budget
numbers must include the funding in the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that was passed earlier this year and which
will be spent in both years. He also noted a requested increase in
non-defense R&D FY 2010 funding and a proposed reduction in defense
R&D spending. Said Holdren: “With the estimated $13.3 billion in
FY2009 dollars added by ARRA to the research funding for FY2009 and
FY2010, and with Congressional approval of the President’s proposal
for the latter, these two years will provide the largest Federal
investments in research in U.S. history. This follows four years of
real decline in this category from FY2004 to FY2008.”
Holdren told the committee that the FY 2010 request “sustains the
President’s commitment to double the budgets for three key basic
research agencies over a decade” as authorized in the America
COMPETES Act for the National Science Foundation, DOE Office of
Science, and the NIST laboratories. Earlier, Ranking Republican
Member Ralph Hall (R-TX) praised the Obama Administration for
requesting this level of funding, citing “deep bipartisan support”
for the COMPETES legislation. Hall wondered, however, about the
ability of the Administration to ensure that 3 percent of US GDP
will be devoted to R&D.
There was less agreement about NASA. While the FY 2010 request
would add almost a billion dollars to the agency’s budget, in
addition to a billion dollars in the ARRA, some Republican and
Democratic members expressed reservations about the Administration’s
intentions. Concerns were voiced about the time it has taken to
select a new NASA administrator with Holdren telling the committee
an announcement would soon be made. Members asked about the
Administration’s plans for manned space flight missions, and the
blue-ribbon panel to examine this program. Holdren’s written
testimony addressed this: “As President Obama has emphasized on a
number of occasions, he remains committed to U.S. participation in
human as well as robotic space exploration, including sending
astronauts beyond low-earth orbit.” His testimony then continued,
“Reconciling these aspirations with NASA’s other missions in an era
of budget constraint remains a great challenge, however, and to help
with it as we contemplate the budgets looking forward from FY2010 to
the `out years,’ the Administration is establishing a blue-ribbon
team of experts who will work closely with NASA to re-examine human
space flight activities beyond the scheduled retirement of the Space
Shuttle at the end of calendar 2010. The goal for the review, which
will report to me and the NASA Administrator, is to be sure that all
of the options for achieving as many of our human spaceflight goals
as possible in this crucial period, consistent with also fulfilling
NASA’s other missions, have been identified and carefully analyzed.”
Other NASA questions concerned the feasibility of returning
Americans to the moon by 2020, the Administration’s “vision” for the
agency, the five-year gap after the shuttle is retired for its
replacement, the recent Russian announcement that it will charge $51
million per seat for Soyuz return transportation to the space
station, the problem of space debris, the entrance of China into
space transportation, and future layoffs of NASA personnel. The
Administration’s selection of Augustine to chair the NASA committee
was praised by Ranking Member Hall; Holdren said that the other
committee members that will be announced in the near future are also
very praiseworthy.
Holdren’s answers to a wide range of other questions were
well-received. Members asked about the protection of the world’s
oceans, funding for social sciences, international scientific
cooperation, patent law reform, scientific integrity, the use of
science in policy making, energy (fossil, biofuels, solar), DOE’s
proposed Energy Innovation Hubs, the NSF request for its Education
and Human Resources Directorate, green buildings, energy storage
technologies, the clean up of nuclear legacy waste, the funding
formula for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and avoiding
the “boom and bust” cycle that has characterized science funding.
This is the first of a number of hearings that will be held in
coming months on the Administration’s FY 2010 S&T request. Next
week, Science Committee members will have a chance to ask additional
questions about one of their major topics of concern when the
committee is scheduled to have a hearing on the FY 2010 NASA budget
request.
Richard M. Jones
Media and Government Relations Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org http://www.aip.org/gov
May 15, 2009
Message from CERN Director General about Austrian participation in CERN
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to inform you
of the actions taken by the President of Council and myself since we heard of
the Austrian Science Minister’s wish to bring his country’s membership of CERN
to an end. Both of us have written to the Austrian government setting out our
belief that it is in Austria’s best interest to remain a Member State. I wrote
to the Austrian Science Minister and the Austrian President as soon as I heard
the news, while Professor Åkesson wrote to the Austrian Chancellor on 13th
May, after having consulted with a number of Council delegations.
The delegations that
Professor Åkesson has spoken to all expressed their surprise at the decision,
and the way in which it was announced. They were also surprised that Austria
should consider such a step at a time when we are poised to reap the rewards of
a long period of investment in the LHC.
Such a step would not be in
line with the general trend at a time when several countries are applying for
membership of CERN. Just this year, Council had the pleasure of welcoming
Romania to the CERN family for the first time. Four more countries have
submitted their candidacy for membership.
At a time when the nature
of particle physics is shifting from regional to global, with the LHC as its
centrepiece, it is timely to take a close look at CERN’s role on the global
stage. That is why Council has established a working group to look at the
question of geographic and scientific enlargement of CERN, in other words, to
examine the place that CERN should occupy in the global scientific landscape,
as well as the conditions and categories of membership.
Furthermore, CERN was a
pioneer of European research, and is an established flagship today. From the
very earliest days, Austria has played an important role at CERN, with two
Director-Generals coming from Austria, as well as one President and three
Vice-Presidents of Council. Today, CERN is growing ever closer to the European
Commission, each recognizing the other’s role in constructing a European
Research Area. To this end, dedicated sessions of Council are being held to
harmonize and strengthen national activities in the field and an agreement is
about to be concluded between CERN and the European Commission.
Through its
intergovernmental collaboration strategy, Europe is setting the standard for
leadership and success in science. CERN is a prime example of this: a
world-leader in its field, to which Austria has contributed fully. CERN’s
successes are Austria’s successes, and in the 50th anniversary of Austrian
accession to CERN, that is something to celebrate. Both the President of
Council and I sincerely hope that Austria will reconsider its decision, and
retain its place at the heart of science at CERN in line with the
aforementioned European strategy.
This is what the Austrian
government has been told. In parallel, there was a meeting in Vienna on Monday
this week at which Felicitas Pauss and I met with Austria’s Science Minister.
It was a constructive meeting at which we agreed to continue to work together
in search of a common solution. Further follow-up meetings will be organised,
the first of which takes place on Wednesday next week. At the same time,
Professor Åkesson will continue his discussions with the Council delegations,
and the two of us will keep each other fully briefed in preparation for the
June session of Council, at which the question will be discussed. If there are
any significant developments in the meantime, we will of course keep you informed.
Rolf Heuer
May 14, 2009
Petition to help stop Austria’s departure from CERN
The Austrian Physical Society are asking for your help to support our case. Please, sign
the "Petition SOS", calling on the Austrian Parliament not to endorse
Minister Hahn's proposal:
http://sos.teilchen.at/petition/
(English version is at the bottom of that page.
You may find more background information on our Institute's web page at
http://www.hephy.at/en/
where we invite you also to write a comment.
May 13, 2009
AAAS Policy Alert
AAAS Policy Alert — May 13, 2009
Budget News
FY
2010 Budget Proposals. On May 7, Office of Science and Technology
Policy (OSTP) Director John Holdren released the Obama Administration’s
FY 2010 R&D budget
priorities through August 6. Appearing with
Holdren in the AAAS Auditorium were NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco,
NSF Acting Deputy Director Cora Marrett,
and NASA Acting
Administrator Chris Scolese, presenting the R&D budget outlooks for
their respective agencies. According to OSTP’s analysis, the
Administration’s budget requests for
R&D in FY 2010 will total
$147.6 billion, an increase of 0.4 percent compared to the FY 2009
estimate, excluding stimulus funding in the American Recovery and
Reinvestment
Act (ARRA).
Agencies
slated for significant R&D increases over FY 2009 (not including
ARRA funds) include NASA (with $11.4 billion of R&D requested, a 10
percent increase);
National Science Foundation ($5.3 billion of
R&D requested, a 9.4 percent increase); National Institute of
Standards and Technology ($637 million of R&D requested, a 15.8
percent increase); and
Department of Education ($384 million of
R&D requested, a 18.9 percent increase). The Department of Energy
would see an increase of 1.1 percent for a
total R&D portfolio
of $10.74 billion, and the National Institutes of Health would grow 1.5
percent to $30.2 billion in R&D for FY 2010. Agencies that
would receive cuts in R&D include the Department of Defense ($79.7 billion
,
a 2.4 percent decrease), USDA ($2.3 billion, a 6.32 percent decrease),
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ($644 million,
an 8 p
ercent decrease). Overall, non-defense R&D would increase 3.6 percent for a
total
of $63.9 billion, whereas defense R&D would decline 2 percent to
$83.8 billion. ARRA funds, which are meant to be spent over FY 2009 and
FY 2010 are not included in these calculations.
On
May 11 the Obama Administration released the full budget and analytical
perspectives for the FY 2010 budget requests. The latter
includes a chapter on research and development (see Section 5 under “
Crosscutting
Programs”). AAAS will prepare a preliminary analysis of the FY 2010
budget requests for R&D and post it to the AAAS R&D Budget
website soon.
Flu Spending Passes House Committee.
The
House Appropriations Committee last week approved a supplemental
defense spending bill containing $2 billion for pandemic flu
preparedness in response to the H1
N1 (“swine flu”) virus scare. The
$1.5 billion requested by President Obama will go toward federal
response efforts such as the development
and purchase of vaccines,
but the committee also added funds for state/local ($350 million) and
international ($200 million) preparation and response
efforts. This week the full House will consider the bill, while the Senate
Appropriations Committee will mark up its version.
Other Congressional News
Science Envoy Measure Advances.
On
May 5 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved
legislation (S. 838) that would establish science envoys “to promote
the advancement of science and technology throughout the world.”
Although th
e bill does not explicitly define “science envoys,” its
sponsor, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), said in a statement accompanying
the bill’s introduction, that “these envoys will be recogniz
ed
world leaders in their fields of expertise and will demonstrate that
the United States is serious about engaging other nations in issues of
mutual
benefit and concern in science and research.” The bill also
allows the Secretary of State to establish or expand existing programs
to increase the number of educational and cultural exchange activities
involving the scie
nce, medicine, research, and academic sectors.
Nominations
Margaret Hamburg, the nominee for commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration,
won
endorsements from some key Senators during her nomination hearing
before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee,
which bodes
well for her confirmation. At press time, votes on her confirmation by the
committee and by the full Senate were not yet scheduled. Joshua Scharfstein
has
been serving as acting FDA commissioner pending Hamburg’s confirmation,
but as Principal Deputy Commissioner and Chief Scientist, he is not
subject to confirmation.
The Senate voted to confirm William Corr, former aide to then-Senator Tom Daschle (D-S
D) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) to be Deputy Secretary of Health and Human
Services.
Tara O’Toole, M.D., CEO of the Center for Biosecurity, University of Pittsburg Medical
Center, has been nominated to be Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security.
Executive Branch
OSTP Calls for Review of NASA Human Space Flight Program.
At
the May 7 budget rollout, OSTP Director John Holdren also announced the
launch of an independent review to assess current and future plans for
NASA’s Human Space Flight initiatives and to present alternatives and
options for ini
tiatives that NASA could undertake after the Shuttle
is retired in 2010. The review will be conducted by a blue-ribbon panel
to be led by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine.
EPA Examines Biofuels.
As part of a proposed rule implementing a renewable fuels production mandate from the 2007 Energy Bill, EPA released a
lifecycle
greenhouse gas emissions analysis that includes direct greenhouse gas
emissions from biofuels as well as indirect impacts of land use chang
e
from biofuel production. EPA’s assessment, open for 60 days for public
comment, presents greenhouse gas reductions of various biofuels under
differe
nt time horizons. On the day of the announcement, Secretary
of Energy Steven Chu announced that$786 million in stimulus funding
will be allocated to advanced biofuels and expansion of com
mercial biorefineries.
Follow-Up: Public Consultation on Lab Biosecurity.
Last
week’s Policy Alert (May 6, 2009) referred to a public consultation
being held May 13-14 on an interagency review of laws and regulations
related
to laboratory biosecurity, and provided a link for advance registration
and the program agenda. AAAS is submitting comments. For those
interested, written comments must be received prior to May 18.
Elsewhere
Anti-Evolution Bill Dead in Florida. Florida’s legislative session came to a close on
May
1, and with it the prospects of a bill that would have required
teachers to present a “critical analysis” of evolution. This year’s
anti-evolution bill seemed to have significantly less momentum than the
so-cal
led “academic freedom” bill from last year (which ultimately failed as well).
AAAS Report on Biosafety Training.
On May 6 the AAAS Center for Science, Technology and
Security Policy and the Program on Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law released a workshop report,
Biological
Safety Training as a Component of Personnel Reliability. The report
addresses biosafety training for researchers working in
high-containment laboratories, the process by which
scientists are approved for access to high-containment laboratories, and the
need for reporting of potential exposures.
European Parliament Votes on Animal Research.
The
European Parliament has voted to back the use of non-human primates in
research, a move that pleased many science advocacy groups worried
about a more
stringent proposal last year that would have
essentially banned the research. The revised policy would, however,
still ban most testing on great apes
including chimpanzees. Last
week’s vote was not the final one—that will likely come this year after
next month’s European parliamentary elections.
Publisher: Alan I. Leshner
Editor: Steve Nelson
Contributors: Kavita Berger, Joanne Carney, Erin Heath, Kathryn Luke, Al Teich, Kasey White
NOTE: The AAAS Policy Alert is a newsletter provided to
AAAS Members to inform them of developments in science and technology poli
cy that may be of interest. Information in the Policy Alert is gather
ed from published news reports, unpublished documents, and personal communi
cations. Although the information contained in this newsletter is reg
arded as reliable, it is provided only for the convenience and privat
e use of our members. Comments and suggestions regarding the Policy A
lert are welcome. Please write to alert@aaas.org.
May 8, 2009
DOE Office of Science in the FY2010 Proposal
Dear Colleagues,
Additional information on the President's proposed FY2010 budget for
the DOE Office of Science can be found at:
http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/10budget/Content/Volumes/Volume4.pdf
HEP starts at:
http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/10budget/Content/Volumes/Volume4.pdf#page=231
The ILC budget request in FY2010 remains the same as in FY2009, namely $35M.
Details can be found at:
http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/10budget/Content/Volumes/Volume4.pdf#page=268
It is not clear to me whether detector R&D is to be included in this
amount, since there is a separate section on Detector Development on the
next page with the following comments:
"
Current areas of investigation include R&D on detector technologies that could
be used to pursue new opportunities in future lepton colliders,... A diverse program
will be continued, including efforts on particle flow calorimeters, very low-mass
trackers, ...
"
Detailed information regarding the National Labs can be found at:
http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/10budget/Content/Labandstate/FY2010lab.pdf
Some examples:
Page Laboratory/ Facility FY2008 FY2009 FY2010
App. App. Req.
4 Argonne National Laboratory $410,651 $452,108 $452,109
11 Brookhaven National Laboratory $461,326 $524,648 $590,661
20 Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory $354,685 $377,075 $402,935
27 Hanford Site $982,523 $1,037,991 $971,678
28 Idaho National Laboratory $995,570 $1,086,406 $1,070,058
37 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory $497,264 $506,675 $531,176
39 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory $1,185,096 $1,167,506 $1,159,696
44 Los Alamos National Laboratory $1,891,911 $1,884,853 $1,741,401
67 Oak Ridge National Laboratory $998,608 $1,094,260 $1,065,482
76 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory $512,765 $498,633 $508,696
92 Sandia National Laboratories $1,356,156 $1,322,247 $1,343,234
98 Savannah River Site $1,421,265 $1,490,384 $1,596,169
102 SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory $302,943 $312,906 $289,089
112 Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility $98,517 $125,862 $149,188
It should be noted that this represents the President's proposed budget,
which is only the beginning of a very long, complicated budget process.
Sincerely,
Norman Graf
May 8, 2009
AIP FYI #55: FY2010 S&T Request to Congress
FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 55: May 8, 2009
Web version: http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/055.html
Administration Sends FY 2010 Request to Congress
The Obama Administration sent its FY 2010 budget request to Capitol
Hill yesterday. At a noon time briefing, OSTP Director John Holdren
reviewed the science and technology components of the request, and
told the audience, "we have done better that almost any other
constituency." He went on to say "we have a President who gets it,"
and who is "walking the walk," despite the US being in a "very bad
spell economically . . . [in an] "era of stringency."
Getting a firm handle on the FY 2010 request for science and
technology programs is somewhat a work in progress. Holdren
explained that the Administration is still calculating how the
billions of dollars for S&T programs in the economic stimulus or
recovery act will be spent in this and coming fiscal years. The
impact of the stimulus funding is, in effect, to provide funding for
FY 2010 spending in advance of the enactment of the traditional FY 2010
appropriations bills (see http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/016.html.)
As was true in previous budget requests, the Obama Administration is
also noting the impact that congressionally-directed or earmarked
funding has in analyzing its budget request. For instance, an OSTP
document shows that the NIST laboratories would receive a 1.2
percent budget increase in FY 2010. A footnote then explains,
"2010 request is a 14.2 percent increase excluding congressional
grants and projects in 2009."
OSTP has a ten-page document "A Renewed Commitment to Science and
Technology - Federal R&D, Technology, and STEM Education in the 2010
Budget" available at http://ostp.gov/cs/rd_budgets as well as four
supplemental exhibits. This FYI includes excerpts from the longer
document. Future FYIs will provide information from department and
agency budget materials of interest to the physics, astronomy, and
STEM communities.
"The President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Budget proposes $147.6
billion for the Federal investment in research and development
(R&D). That is $555 million or 0.4 percent more than the 2009
enacted level. . . . In 2009, 2009 enacted appropriations and
preliminary allocations of Recovery Act funding increase the Federal
R&D investment to a record $165.4 billion; Recovery Act funds will
be spent in 2009 and 2010. . . . In real terms, the 2009 enacted
level and 2010 Budget are among the two largest R&D investments in
history. . . . These investments, spread across two dozen Federal
departments and independent agencies, reflect the Administration's
recognition that science, technology, and innovation are critical
tools for making progress toward the national goals of a prosperous
economy, a clean energy future, a healthy American people, and a
strong and secure America. The Federal R&D investment also
recognizes that the urge to probe more deeply into the unknown and
expand the frontiers of human knowledge is at the core of the
American experience."
BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH FUNDING:
"The 2010 Budget includes a special emphasis on basic and applied
research to fundamentally improve our understanding of nature,
revolutionize key fields of science, and foster radically new
technologies. The Federal research portfolio (comprising basic and
applied research) totals $59.0 billion in the 2010 Budget . . . , up
$376 million or 0.6 percent compared to the 2009 enacted level
(excluding Recovery Act funding). After four years of decline in
real terms . . . from 2004 to 2008, the 2009 enacted level and 2010
Budget represent a real dollar turnaround in Federal research
investments across the spectrum of the sciences and engineering."
DEVELOPMENT FUNDING:
"The 2010 Budget provides $84.1 billion in development funding. The
Recovery Act and 2009 enacted appropriations provide unprecedented
Federal support for R&D facilities and capital equipment totaling
$8.2 billion . . . , including support for the construction and
renovation of laboratory facilities at government laboratories,
contractor-operated national laboratories, and academic institutions
as well as competitively awarded funding for the purchase of major
research instrumentation. In the 2010 Budget, R&D facilities and
capital equipment funding totals $4.5 billion, including substantial
support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA; $2.4 billion) for scientific facilities including the
International Space Station and the Department of Energy (DOE; $1.2
billion) for a suite of scientific user facilities at DOE
laboratories."
THE PRESIDENT'S PLAN FOR SCIENCE AND INNOVATION:
The Bush Administration called its S&T funding doubling plan the
American Competitiveness Initiative. The House leadership had a
similar plan called the Innovation Agenda. The Obama Administration
will continue the effort to double funding for the Department of
Energy's Office of Science (DOE SC), the National Science
Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and
Technologies Laboratories, calling it "The President's Plan for
Science and Innovation."
Page 4 of the OSTP document has an exhibit on the Administration's
plan for "Doubling Funding for Key Basic Research Agencies in the
2010 Budget," that is accompanied by a figure charting the doubling
of basic research funding from FY 2006 to FY 2016. A selection from
this page follows:
"The President's Plan for Science and Innovation and the America
COMPETES Act have identified NSF, DOE SC, and NIST as key to our
nation's prosperity and to preserving America's place as the world
leader in science and technology. Although the previous
Administration voiced support for efforts to double these agencies'
budgets between 2006 and 2016, these efforts fell short in 2007 and
2008. In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the
2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act signed by President Obama finally
put these agencies back on a doubling trajectory. The 2010 Budget
builds on these early Administration accomplishments with a
requested $12.6 billion total for NSF, DOE SC, and the NIST labs, an
increase of $731 million or 6.1 percent above the 2009 enacted total
(excluding Recovery Act funds of $5.2 billion for the three
agencies). These substantial increases keep the agencies on track
for the fourth year of a ten-year doubling trajectory. In addition,
the 2010 Budget establishes projections laying out a clear path to
completing the doubling effort in 2016 with $19.5 billion for the
three agencies, double the $9.7 billion they received in 2006.
Between 2009 and 2016, the Obama Administration's enacted and
proposed budgets would add $42.6 billion to the 2008 budgets for
these basic research agencies, with a special emphasis on
encouraging high-risk, high-return research and supporting
researchers at the beginning of their careers."
The OSTP document identifies four "key R&D priorities": Investing in
the Sciences for a Prosperous America," "A Clean Energy Future,"
"Healthy Lives for All Americans," and "A Safe and Secure America."
The document also provides summary information on three multi-agency
research initiatives:
Networking and Information Technology R&D: The Administration
requested an increase of 1.l percent or $44 million to $3.9 billion.
Nanotechnology R&D: The Administration requested a reduction of 1.0
percent or $17million to $1.6 million, citing "the proposed
elimination of 2009 Department of Defense congressional projects in
2010."
Climate Change R&D: The Administration requested an increase of 2.3
percent or $46 million to $2.0 billion.
May 7, 2009
AAAS News Release – “White House 2010 R&D Budget, Presented at AAAS, Offers Significant New Investment”
May 7, 2009
DOE Budget to Put More Scientists to Work to Find Energy “Solutions”: ScienceInsider
May 7, 2009
The 2010 Science Budget — Kintisch et al. 2009(507):1 — ScienceNOW
May 7, 2009
The President’s FY2010 Budget
May 7, 2009
The White House OSTP wants your opinion
From ScienceDebate.org:
Barack Obama pledged to Science Debate that he would “restore
the science integrity of government and restore transparency of
decision-making…”
He has referred to this pledge several times since, most
recently in his speech to the National Academies of Science. On March
9, the president formally asked the White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy (OSTP) to make recommendations on how the executive
branch can meet this pledge.
The OSTP has opened a public comment period regarding
this directive, giving you the opportunity to share your thoughts on
what the next steps should be. Comments are due by Wednesday,
May 13.
The OSTP is looking for recommendations on the six issues President
Obama identified in his memo:
- hiring and keeping qualified scientists
- defining new policies to ensure integrity
- using “well-established scientific processes” like peer
review - disclosing scientific findings
- ensuring that principles of scientific integrity are being
adhered to - adopting additional policies like whistleblower protections
The OSTP is accepting comments via email and through their
blog, here.
Their original request for input can be found here
(pdf).
Many organizations in Washington will be giving their opinions of what
the OSTP plan should entail. We believe it is important for scientists
and other science supporters to be included in that process, and for
you to indicate to the White House how science and scientific integrity
affect your work, your families, and your communities.
If you’re interested in more background information, visit the
scientific integrity site of our friends at the Union of Concerned
Scientists here.
May 6, 2009
Chu Pegs ILC Cost at $25 Billion: ScienceInsider
May 6, 2009
AAAS News Release – AAAS S&T Forum Keynote Address: Obama’s Science Advisor Urges U.S. Climate Policy Leadership
May 6, 2009
Senate Budget Committee – Democratic Staff website – on the FY10 Budget
May 6, 2009
Committee on the Budget, U.S. House of Representatives
May 6, 2009
OMB – Blog Post – This Week in Budget News
May 6, 2009
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu Calls on Scientists to Help Review Energy Applications
May 6, 2009
At AAAS Forum, Experts Detail R&D Bounty – and Warn of Tough Budget Pressures Ahead
May 6, 2009
AAAS S&T Policy Forum, Budget News and Other Congressional News
AAAS
S&T Policy Forum
Record Crowd Hears Holdren, Chu,
Congressional Leaders Address Forum.
Despite the lack of a proposed budget for the coming fiscal year –
analysis of which has been a focus of previous Forums – Presidential
Science Adviser and OSTP Director John Holdren’s opening
keynote address
to the 34th Annual AAAS Forum on S&T Policy, April 30, was warmly
received by the more than 600 attendees. Holdren outlined
Administration S&T priorities, discussed the tasks and challenges
facing OSTP, and asserted that the U.S. must become a world leader in
addressing global climate change. Several
speakers noted that despite the current influx of federal funds for
R&D, serious budget pressures lie ahead.
Other notable speakers at the Forum included Secretary of Energy Steven
Chu (who outlined
how the federal government was responding to energy challenges),
Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) of the House Science & Technology
Committee, MIT President Susan Hockfield, Canadian Minister of State
(Science & Technology) Gary Goodyear, Richard Garwin (who gave the
Carey Lecture), and Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), chairman of the House
Subcommittee on Energy & Environment. Accounts and video clips of
several key sessions are available on the AAAS
web site. Speakers’ PowerPoint presentations and podcasts will be
available soon.
Budget
News
According to Office
of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag’s blog
(released late May 4), the President’s proposed budget for FY 2010 will
soon be released in two phases: on May 7, the budgets for most agencies
– the “micro view” – will be released (as well as a volume of proposed
“terminations, reductions, and savings”); and next week, the
cross-agency summaries and historical trends, including OSTP’s R&D
budget overview – the “macro view” – will be presented. Last week the House
and Senate
approved
the congressional budget resolution for the coming year based on the
outline released by the Administration in February. The next task will
be for appropriators to determine how the total $1.086 trillion budget
outlined in the resolution will be divided among the 12 appropriation
subcommittees. This week, the House Appropriations Committee is
scheduled to mark up the $83.4 billion supplemental request for the
Department of Defense FY 2009 budget plus an additional $1.5 billion
requested by the Administration last week for the flu pandemic. The
Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to follow suit next week.
Other
Congressional News
The House Science and Technology Committee approved
two bills that would require the Office of Science and Technology
Policy (OSTP) to create two interagency coordinating committees under
the National Science and Technology Council, one on international
science cooperation and the other on science education (see April 6 Policy Alert). The International
Science and Technology Cooperation Act of 2009 (H.R. 1736) and the STEM
Education Coordination Act of 2009 (H.R. 1709) will now go to the
House floor for votes. No Senate versions have been introduced.
May 5, 2009
Science representatives seek to ease tension in Middle East – Physics Today
May 5, 2009
FYI THIS MONTH: APRIL – 2009
HIGHLIGHTS OF DEVELOPMENTS IN WASHINGTON IMPACTING THE PHYSICS
COMMUNITY FROM FYI, THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS BULLETIN OF
SCIENCE POLICY NEWS
To read the cited FYIs, see the FYI archive
at: http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/
HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE ACTS ON LEGISLATION: Bills advanced to
coordinate STEM education and international S&T cooperation that
would alter the structure of the Cabinet-level National Science and
Technology Council. (#39)
FY2010 APPROPRIATORS CYCLE UNDERWAY: A key subcommittee started the
FY 2010 budget cycle with a series of hearings featuring private
witnesses discussing appropriate levels of science funding. Said
the chairman, “We don’t want to create a baseline and a commitment
to a percentage increase that we can’t sustain.”(#40)
The Executive
Officer of the America Physical Society cautioned against “the `boom
and bust’ cycle for science funding that has been seen in the past,”
warning of disproportionate impacts on students and young faculty
members. (#41)
The House Science and Technology Committee chairman
voiced support for the “robust funding levels” for various science
agencies in the FY 2010 overview request. (#42)
Seventy-three
representatives signed a letter supporting the $7 billion NSF
request. (#43)
Seventy representatives urged an 8 percent budget
increase for the DOE Office of Science. (#44)
A “sense of the House”
statement in the House Budget Resolution promoted American
innovation and economic competitiveness. (#45)
More than 200
organizations signed a letter to the President commending his
support for physical sciences and engineering research and the
preliminary S&T budget request. (#45)
Appropriators received
testimony from the Commerce Secretary on his department’s science
and technology programs. (#51)
LOOKING BACK ON THREE MILE ISLAND: A common theme during a hearing
on the most serious nuclear accident in the history of the U.S.
commercial nuclear power industry was the need to guard against the
danger of complacency. (#46)
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE: The National Science Board asked for
public comment on a report outlining the actions the federal
government must take to move to a sustainable energy economy. (#47)
U.S. AND CHINA S&T COOPERATION: A senior Chinese official discussed
collaboration on issues such as energy conservation, environment,
joint R&D, and intellectual property rights. (#48)
OBAMA SETS GOAL OF 3% OF GDP FOR R&D: President Obama set a goal of
devoting more than 3 percent of U.S. GDP to research and
development, a level that would exceed that of the Space Race era.
(#49)
CHU ON CLIMATE CHANGE: Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a House
subcommittee that the United States “must get off the sidelines of
the clean energy race and play to win.” (#50)
May 4, 2009
Serious accident at
a work site on the CERN Prévessin site
This afternoon a fatal accident
occurred during work being carried out by a company mandated by the Communauté
des communes du Pays de Gex on installations that pass through CERN’s
Prévessin site. One of the workmen was found unconscious in an access shaft to
the underground drains. He was immediately transported to the Geneva Cantonal
Hospital, where he later died. The causes of the accident are not yet known.
The work forms part of the
substantial project to renovate the used water treatment system of the Pays de
Gex.
Independently of any measures
taken by the competent authorities, I have set up a fact-finding group to
establish the circumstances of the accident. CERN has suspended the work on its
site until this enquiry reaches its conclusions.
Our thoughts are with the family
and friends of the deceased.
Rolf Heuer
May 2, 2009
OSTP Director John Holdren Addresses AAAS Forum
FYI – The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 53: May 1, 2009
Web version: http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/053.html
Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren
delivered the keynote address yesterday at the 34th annual AAAS
Forum on Science and Technology Policy. Holdren’s address, and that
of House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon
(D-TN) which followed, were optimistic about the outlook for science
in the Obama Administration.
“Our biggest asset: the President’s engagement with S&T,” concluded
Holdren’s final slide. “This is a president who just lights up,”
Holdren said, “when the subject is science and technology,” later
adding, “this is why we are going to get this done.”
Holdren started his presentation with a review of the two major
responsibilities of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and
his position as the Assistant to the President for Science and
Technology. The first, to provide “science and technology for
policy” which Holdren described as “independent, objective advice
for the President and Vice President about S&T germane to all policy
issues.” The second, “policy for science and technology,”
consisting of “analysis, recommendations, and coordination . . . on
R&D budgets and related policies” such as STEM education, workforce
issues, scientific integrity, and related matters.
Assisting Holdren will be four Associate Directors, and a staff of
sixty employees. Many will be detailees from the National Science
Foundation, NASA, NOAA, the Department of Energy, and the Department
of Defense. OSTP has an annual budget of about $6 million.
Holdren will co-chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science
and Technology with Eric Lander and Harold Varmus. On Monday, the
White House announced PCAST members; see www.ostp.gov. Holdren will
also co-chair, with President Obama, the National Science and
Technology Council, described as a “Cabinet-level Council [that] is
the principal means within the executive branch to coordinate
science and technology policy across the diverse entities that make
up the Federal research and development enterprise.” See the NSTC
website at http://www.ostp.gov/cs/nstc
Holdren identified five major applied challenges, including S&T for
the economy, public health, energy, environment, and national and
homeland security. The “foundations of success” to meet these
challenges include the U.S. capability for fundamental research,
STEM education, information and communications technology, space
capabilities, and supporting policies in areas such as intellectual
property, scientific integrity, and visas.
The Obama Administration has moved quickly on several major
scientific and technological initiatives. These include the
President’s announcement on allocating 3 percent of the nation’s GDP
to R&D (see http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/049.html ), significant S&T
funding in the economic stimulus package
(http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/016.html), the preliminary FY 2010
budget request (http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/025.html ), initiatives
in STEM education, clean energy and climate, health, stem-cell
guidelines, and scientific integrity (see
http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/028.html ), and appointments. All of
this is set, Holdren said, in an “exceedingly demanding budget
situation.”
In response to questions from the audience, Holdren said that
“voices are being heard” regarding climate change in the
Administration. The “policy challenge” is the major factor in
deliberations about how green house gases should be controlled, he
said. In response to another question, he agreed that metrics for
science programs should be more than just the funding provided.
When asked if NASA should be included in those agencies for which
the budget is doubled, Holdren replied that fundamental science
funding for the agency should be strengthened. He predicted that
the Administration will succeed in dealing with Congress, and will
work to avoid the boom and bust funding cycle that has characterized
previous science agency budgeting.
Chairman Gordon’s remarks built on those of Holdren. He recounted a
conversation with President Obama in which the President said, “I’m
a science guy.” Gordon told the forum that science funding must be
spent wisely, later saying that the case must be made that “science
is about jobs.” The science community must “put a face on it” he
advised, so that the public sees science as being about more than
just scientists. “A lot of the future has to do with you,” Gordon
exclaimed.
May 2, 2009
DOE Science Positions Move Forward
FYI – The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 52: May 1, 2009
Web version: http://www.aip.org/fyi/2009/052.html
On April 23, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held
an afternoon hearing to consider five nominees for senior positions
at the Department of Energy and the Department of Interior. Among
the nominees was Steven E. Koonin to be the Under Secretary for
Science at the Department of Energy. The hearing went smoothly, with
limited questioning of each nominee. President Obama has also
nominated William Brinkman to be the Director of the DOE Office of
Science. Brinkman, now a Senior Research Physicist at Princeton
University, will appear before the committee in coming weeks.
In the Bush Administration, Ray Orbach was “dual-hatted,” filling
both DOE positions. Orbach started his service as the Director of
the Office of Science. After legislation was passed establishing the
new Under Secretary for Science position, Orbach also held that
position.
Committee chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) opened the hearing by saying
“I believe the president has chosen well,” later exclaiming “I
support each of your nominations.” Bingaman declared that he was
“very impressed with the scientific credentials” of Koonin, who has
served as Chief Scientist at BP for the last five years. Previously,
Koonin was a professor of Theoretical Physics years at the
California Institute of Technology and then its provost for nine
years
Koonin prepared brief written testimony which included his
observations on the department’s major activities. Selections from
this testimony follow:
“The basic research supported by the Office of Science is one of the
jewels of the Federal research portfolio. The long tradition of
peer-reviewed support for university and national laboratory
researchers and forefront user facilities continues to drive
advances on many fronts. We are on the cusp of understanding the
origin of mass, the nature of most of what’s in the universe, and
how quarks and gluons combine to form nuclei. New instrumentation
and new information technologies are enabling better understanding
of the changing climate and new capabilities to predict, manipulate,
and control materials, biological systems, and plasma. The
commitments from Congress and the Administration to double support
for these activities over the next decade are more than justified.
“In nuclear security, the President has set ambitious goals for
reducing the US stockpile of weapons while maintaining confidence in
their safety, security, and reliability in the absence of nuclear
testing. But these will not be achievable without a robust technical
enterprise in the NNSA. The National Nuclear Security
Administration’s ongoing Stockpile Stewardship program of
simulation, non-nuclear experimentation, and warhead surveillance
and refurbishment has been effective for more than a decade, but
faces growing challenges in maintaining technical capabilities.
Strengthening these capabilities will be essential to achieving the
President’s non-proliferation goals.
“In Energy, President Obama has set ambitious goals to enhance
energy security and reduce GHG [green house gas] emissions while
creating new jobs. Improvements in the technologies to produce,
transmit, store, and use energy are essential to meeting these
goals. But the scale, duration, cost, and complexity of energy
matters pose great challenges. Technical understanding and judgement
are important to making the right decisions about which technologies
to pursue and how each should be advanced from research and
development through demonstration and deployment. Novel forms of
public/private and international partnerships will be required to
address these global problems. I have pledged to Secretary Chu to
work closely with the Under Secretary of Energy on these matters, I
am confident that Dr. [Kristina] Johnson [the nominee for Under
Secretary of Energy] and I will work well together, should we both
be confirmed.
“What might I aspire to accomplish in the position to which I’ve
been nominated? As you know, by statue the Under Secretary for
Science has the dual responsibilities of overseeing the basic
research carried out in the Office of Science, and of serving as the
principal scientific advisor to the Secretary. In the former
capacity, I would look forward to working with this Committee,
Secretary Chu, the Director of the Office of Science, and the
broader scientific community to see that the existing and planned
incremental funds for basic research are wisely allocated and the
programs well-executed. In the latter capacity, I would hope to
coordinate and harmonize technical activities across the department,
looking for gaps and identifying synergies, bringing the rigor of
appropriate peer review, program and project management to all parts
of DOE. Indeed, the tone Secretary Chu has already set, and the team
he is assembling, are highly conducive to achieving those goals. I
would also hope to promote thorough and unbiased technical
assessments in all matters facing the Department, as these
necessarily underpin all good policy decisions.”
Senators were allocated time to ask questions to all five nominees.
Among the questions Koonin was asked concerned the collaboration and
coordination of the units within the Department of Energy on the
very complex issues of energy and climate change. Koonin
acknowledged the importance of doing so, describing energy as a
unique issue since it affects so many people, adding that “change
will only happen if, as we do the science and technology, we pay
attention to the economic, political and social dimensions.”
Koonin’s nomination was reported out of the committee yesterday, and
is now pending before the full Senate.