|
Research and Related Activities
The Research and Related Activities (R&RA) account
supports activities that enable the U.S. to provide leadership and promote
progress across the expanding frontiers of scientific and engineering
research and education. These activities support areas of inquiry critical
to long-term U.S. economic strength, security, and quality of life. Research
activities spur new knowledge, ideas, tools and approaches that open doors
to understanding and solving problems and offer increased opportunities
for economic growth. Moreover, as students work alongside senior staff
performing research activities, there is a natural integration of research
and education as students acquire the skills necessary to perform world
class research and become members of the next generations workforce
of scientists and engineers. NSF investments in R&RA reflect the Foundations
three strategic goals: People, Ideas and Tools.
The FY 2002 Request for R&RA totals $3.33 billion,
a 0.5 percent decrease from FY 2001. In FY 2002, support is provided research
and education efforts related to broad, Foundation-wide priority areas
in Biocomplexity in the Environment, Information Technology Research,
Nanoscale Science and Engineering, and Learning for the 21st Century.
NSF will also emphasize increasing the average annualized award size.
Within R&RA:
-
The Biological Sciences
(BIO) Activity provides support for research to advance understanding
of the underlying principles and mechanisms governing life. Research
ranges from the study of the structure and dynamics of biological
molecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids, through cells, organs
and organisms, to studies of populations and ecosystems. It encompasses
processes that are internal to the organism as well as those that
are external, and includes temporal frameworks ranging from measurements
in real time through individual life spans, to the full scope of evolutionary
time. The FY 2002 Request for BIO totals $483.11 million, a 0.5 percent
decrease from FY 2001. BIO will continue to support fundamental academic
research on biodiversity, environmental biology, and plant biology,
including providing leadership for the Multinational Coordinated Arabidopsis
Genome Project.
-
The Computer and Information
Science and Engineering (CISE) Activity
supports research on the theory and foundations of computing, system
software and computer system design, human-computer interaction, as
well as prototyping, testing and development of cutting-edge computing
and communications systems to address complex research problems. CISE
also provides the advanced computing and networking capabilities needed
by academic researchers for cutting-edge research in all science and
engineering fields. The FY 2002 request for CISE totals $470.36 million,
a 1.6 percent decrease from FY 2001. This includes $155.48 million
as part of NSFs Information Technology Research priority area.
-
The Engineering (ENG) Activity seeks to enhance the quality of life and national
prosperity by investing in research and education activities that
spur new technological innovations and create new products and services
and more productive enterprises. ENG also makes critical investments
in facilities, networks, and people to assure diversity and quality
in the nations infrastructure for engineering education and
research. The FY 2002 Request for ENG totals $431.05 million, $210,000
over FY 2001. ENG will support research in areas including information
technology, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and microelectronics. Funds
are included to meet the mandated level for the Foundation-wide Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
-
The Geosciences (GEO)
Activity supports research in the atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences.
Basic research in the geosciences advances our scientific knowledge
of the Earth and advances our ability to predict natural phenomena
of economic and human significance, such as climate change, earthquakes,
weather, fish-stock fluctuations, and disruptive events in the solar-terrestrial
environment. The FY 2002 Request of $558.54 million, a 0.6 percent
decrease from FY 2001, will support the operation and enhancement
of national user facilities as well as fundamental research across
the geosciences, including emphases on the U.S. Weather Research Program
and National Space Weather Program; the U.S. Global Change Research
Program; the Biocomplexity in the Environment priority area, and research
on the key physical, chemical and geologic cycles within the Earth
System.
-
The Mathematical and Physical
Sciences (MPS) Activity supports research and education in
astronomical sciences, chemistry, materials research, mathematical
sciences and physics. Major equipment and instrumentation such as
telescopes, particle accelerators, synchrontron light sources and
neutron facilities are provided to support the needs of individual
investigators. The FY 2002 Request of $863.58 million, a 1.5 percent
increase over FY 2001, will support fundamental research, state-of-the-art
instrumentation, facilities, groups and centers, and the education
and training of the future workforce, including bringing scientific
discovery to the public.
-
The Social, Behavioral and Economic
Sciences (SBE) Activity supports research to build fundamental
scientific knowledge about human behavior, interaction, and social
and economic systems, organizations and institutions. SBE also facilitates
NSFs international activities by promoting partnerships between
U.S. and foreign researchers, enhancing access to critical research
conducted outside the U.S. and increasing knowledge of mutually beneficial
research opportunities abroad. To improve understanding of the science
and engineering enterprise, SBE supports science resources studies
which are the nations primary source of data on the science
and engineering enterprise. In FY 2002, SBEs Request of $163.16
million, an 0.8 percent decrease from FY 2001, will provide support
for the Childrens Research Initiative as well as a broad array
of research projects, including the human causes and consequences
of extreme events, research on the sources of scientific discovery
and technological innovations, cognitive neuroscience and research
tracing human biological and behavioral changes over time.
-
Polar Programs, which
includes the U.S. Polar Research Programs and U.S. Antarctic Logistical
Support Activities, supports multidisciplinary research in Arctic
and Antarctic regions. These geographic frontiers - premier natural
laboratories - are the areas predicted to be first affected by global
change. They are vital to understanding past, present, and future
responses of Earth systems to natural and man-made changes. Polar
Programs support provides unique research opportunities ranging from
studies of the earth, ice and oceans to research in atmospheric sciences
and astronomy. In FY 2002, Polar Programs increases to $276.57 million,
1.2 percent over FY 2001. FY 2002 priorities include support for interdisciplinary
studies of Arctic environmental changes; preliminary investigation
of Antarctic subglacial lakes; and polar genomics. Support is also
provided to sustain the science facilities and operations that make
Arctic and Antarctic research possible, with FY 2002 emphases including
expanded access to Arctic oceans using the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter
Healy and improvements in Antarctic communications capabilities and
bandwidth.
-
Integrative Activities
(IA) supports emerging cross-disciplinary research and education efforts
and major research instrumentation, and provides support for the Science
and Technology Policy Institute (STPI). The FY 2002 Request of $80.61
million for IA, a decrease of $17.14 million, or 17.5 percent, from
FY 2001, includes $50.0 million for Major Research Instrumentation,
$26.61 million in support of Science and Technology Centers and $4.0
million for STPI. The goal of the Major Research Instrumentation program
is to improve the capabilities of science and engineering equipment
for research and research training in our Nations academic institutions.
In FY 2002, six to eight new Science and Technology Centers are expected
to be established, in topics across the range of disciplines supported
by NSF.
Education and Human Resources
The FY 2002 Request for Education
and Human Resources (EHR) is $872.41 million, an increase of 11.0
percent over FY 2001. In addition, $144.0 million is projected in FY 2002
from H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Receipts for scholarships and K-12 education
activities. EHR supports a cohesive and comprehensive set of activities
which encompass every level of education and every region of the country.
EHR also plays a leadership role in the Foundations Learning for
the 21st Century priority area by virtue of its extensive programming
in education and human resource development. Highlights within EHR include:
-
The Presidents Math and Science Partnerships
Initiative will provide funds for states and local school districts
to join with institutions of higher education, particularly with their
departments of mathematics, science, and engineering, in strengthening
K-12 math and science education. The initiative emphasizes ensuring
that all students have the opportunity to perform to high standards,
using effective, research-based approaches, improving teacher quality,
and insisting on accountability for student performance.
-
Increasing stipends for graduate students is a priority
for the Foundation in FY 2002. NSF Fellows and Trainees in the Graduate
Research Fellowship program, the Integrative Graduate Education and
Research Training (IGERT) program, and the Graduate Teaching Fellows
in K-12 Education (GK-12) program currently receive a stipend of $18,000
per year. For FY 2002, NSF is proposing an increase in stipends to
an annual amount of $20,500, starting in academic year 2002-2003.
-
Centers for Learning and Teaching which address comprehensive,
long-term approaches to learning and teaching by strengthening the
content knowledge of the diverse science and mathematics teaching
corps and developing the next generation of experts to guide the development
of instructional materials, classroom and large-scale assessments,
education research, and informal education
-
The Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education program
allows K-12 teachers to utilize graduate and advanced undergraduate
students as science and mathematics resources for their classrooms.
These Fellows will assist teachers in the science and mathematics
content of their teaching, demonstrate key science and mathematics
concepts, and gain necessary pedagogical skills.
Major Research Equipment
The FY 2002 Request for Major Research
Equipment (MRE) is $96.30 million, a decrease of $25.03 million,
or 20.6 percent from FY 2001. The Major Research Equipment account provides
funding for the construction and acquisition of major research facilities
that provide unique capabilities at thecutting edge of science and engineering.
Operations and maintenance costs of the facilities are provided through
R&RA.
In FY 2002, funding for three ongoing projects is requested
through the Major Research Equipment account: the Large Hadron Collider
(LHC), the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) and Terascale
Computing Systems.
Salaries and Expenses
The FY 2002 Request for Salaries and
Expenses (S&E) is $170.04 million, an increase of 5.9 percent
over FY 2001. The Salaries and Expenses appropriation provides funds for
staff salaries and benefits, and general operating expenses necessary
to manage and administer the NSF. The requested level supports 1,150 full-time
equivalents (FTEs), provides for current administrative services, and
enhances the agencys investment in information technology to increase
productivity.
Office of Inspector General
The Office of Inspector General
(OIG) was established to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness
in administering the Foundations programs; to detect and prevent
fraud, waste, or abuse within NSF or by individuals that request or receive
NSF funding; and to identify and resolve cases of misconduct in science.
The FY 2002 Request for OIG is $6.76 million, an increase of 7.8 percent
over FY 2001. The requested level supports 50 FTEs.
|