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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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