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Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
National
Science Foundation Fiscal 2003 Budget Request
June 19, 2002
The Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a
hearing on June 19th, 2002 to hear testimony on NSF's budget request
for fiscal year 2003 focusing on math and science education programs
in relation to future workforce needs. Witnesses included Dr. Rita
Colwell, Director, National Science Foundation, former Senator
John Glenn, and Keith
Verner, Ph.D., Chief, Division of Developmental Pediatrics and
Learning, Director, Center for Science and Health Education, Penn
State College of Medicine.
Chairman
Kennedy (D-MA) stated that similar efforts to doubling the NIH
budget are needed for the physical sciences as well, noting that
life sciences work will stagnate if the physical sciences are not
supported. "We have an urgent need to begin today to interest young
minds in math and science, and to recruit tomorrow's mathematicians
and engineers," Kennedy said. Senator
Kit Bond (R-MO) and Senator
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), members of the committee, are leading a
bipartisan effort to double NSF's budget. Senator Bond said, "Not
enough people understand the key role NSF plays in science education
in this country."
Dr. Colwell discussed NSF's budget in brief, focusing her remarks
on NSF programs to improve math and science education, such as the
Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program, and how these programs
are geared towards better preparing students for the workforce of
the future.
Former Senator John Glenn outlined in detail how the U.S. has
fallen behind in producing a workforce that can meet the demands
associated with the challenges of innovation. He noted that since
the Federal Government cannot adequately support K-12 education, NSF
is one way to address this problem. As for doubling the NSF budget,
he said "I'd say five times that." He also testified that, "Other
nations are beginning to recognize what the goose was that laid the
golden eggs for the United States, and they're emphasizing their
math and science." He stressed that we will lose our technological
edge if we do not rise up to meet this challenge and could
compromise our national security. With 30% of math and science
teachers leaving the profession in the first three years, and 50% in
five years, Senator Glenn suggested three areas to address
immediately: improving the present teacher workforce; increasing the
number of teachers; and making the work environment more attractive
and financially rewarding. Senator
Jim Jeffords (I-VT), also a member of the committee, was also
expressed support for improving teacher compensation.
Dr. Verner noted that science is best taught with a hands-on
approach, accomplished through collaboration with practicing
scientists and educators. He stressed that NSF is an ideal champion
for math and science education and must play a major role in
implementing changes. He said NSF research helps maintain American
leadership, and he emphatically recommended doubling or tripling the
budget for MSP.
Senator Mikulski questioned Dr. Colwell on what the Foundation's
priorities would be with a doubling of NSF's budget. Dr. Colwell
noted that the Administration's priorities are fighting terrorism,
protecting our homeland, and strengthening our economy. When
questioned about funding opportunities lost under the current budget
scenario with average grant sizes of $125,000, Dr. Colwell stated
that this year NSF would only be able to fund roughly 9,000
proposals out of 32,000 submitted. She also noted a recently
completed grant size and duration study recommending an average
grant size of $200K to $300K per year and increasing the duration of
awards up to five years.
Senator Kennedy expressed interest in the effective use of
information technology. Dr. Colwell noted NSF's close working
relationship with the Defense
Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency before
and especially since Sept. 11, is focused on better protection of
personal information stating "we're committed to investing in IT
software."
Senators and panelists all agreed that the Federal Government
does not provide adequate support for math and science education and
that as a nation, we are far too dependent on foreign talent to fill
critical high technology jobs.
See also Dr.
Colwell's complete testimony.
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