NSF gets a budget increase
DOI: 10.1063/PT.4.0928
The House and Senate have passed H.R. 3288, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 , and sent it to President Barack Obama for his signature. Under the bill, funding increases for the National Science Foundation by $436.1 million or 6.7% over the FY 2009 appropriation to $6,926.5 million (excluding additional funds provided by the stimulus bill). The increase is consistent with the ongoing effort to double the agency’s budget over a 10-year period.
A Joint Explanatory Statement (JES) provides the appropriators’ recommendations regarding the foundation.
The JES expressed concern over the level of support NSF is receiving, particularly in light of the 2011 budget, and hence lawmakers requested that the Obama administration plan for a 7% increase for 2011.
The committee also stated the following:
“The conferees support House direction to the Foundation to convene a panel of experts to survey pre-K to 12 schools that are highly successful in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and submit a report of the findings and recommendations of this panel to the Committees within 180 days of the enactment of this Act.”
The report stated:
“Within the funds provided, the conferees direct NSF to maintain funding at the levels requested for the following activities:
- Climate change
- Cyber-enabled discovery and innovation
- Science and engineering beyond Moore’s law
- Adaptive systems technology
- Dynamics of water processes in the environment
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory
“In addition, the conferees support House direction on high-risk, high-reward basic research,...support for 2,000 graduate research fellowships across all of NSF; climate change education; and funding of EPSCoR [the Department of Energy’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research].”
The JES also refers to the Gemini telescope, which the UK is pulling out of in 2012 .
“The conferees recognize that the Gemini international telescope agreement is scheduled for renewal in 2012. The US currently has a 50% share in this project, which originated in 1992, and today includes the UK, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile as partners. Given the scientific importance of the Southern Hemisphere Gemini Observatory, NSF is encouraged to continue and, if possible on favorable terms, expand US support in the upcoming renewal negotiations to acquire additional telescope time for NSF investigators.”
The bill includes $46.3 million for Advanced LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), a gravity wave detector; $42.7 million for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array; $13 million for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST); $14.3 million for the Ocean Observatories Initiative and $950,000 for the IceCube neutrino telescope.
Written by Richard M. Jones and originally published as FY 2010 National Science Foundation Appropriation
Edited by Paul Guinnessy for Physics Today
