From: ichihara@rikvax.riken.go.jp (Takashi Ichihara)
Subject: WHAT'S NEW, FRIDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 1992
Reply-To: ichihara@rikvax.riken.go.jp
Organization: RIKEN (The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research) 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-01 Japan
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1992 00:24:57 GMT

Date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 13:19:42 PST
To: ichihara@rikvax.riken.go.jp
From: "Janice Smith" <VP.APS@STANFORD.BITNET>
Subject: What's New for 11-13-92

WHAT'S NEW, FRIDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 1992               WASHINGTON, DC

1. THE COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE OF THE NSF MET FOR THE LAST TIME
on Saturday.  The panel discarded a draft by the staff and spent
the meeting outlining what they wanted the report to say.  Any
concern that the Commission might recommend an expanded role for
NSF in technology transfer was put to rest; the panel agreed that
if the term "technology transfer" appeared at all in the report,
it must be in quotes.  Problems with American competitiveness,
the group agreed, have nothing to do with a failure of technology
transfer--and the report should say so.  As one commissioner put
it, "The best technology transfer vehicle is the moving van that
carries new PhDs to jobs in industry."  The report will call for
a two-pronged strategy in awarding research funds: (1) fund
research with a high probability of contributing to the needs of
society, and (2) fund the very best researchers regardless.  The
NSB will receive the Commission's report at its 20 Nov meeting.

2. NSF MUST SUBMIT ITS FY 93 OPERATING PLAN TO THE APPROPRIATIONS
Committees of the House and Senate by 15 Dec 92.  The plan must
detail how NSF proposes to implement the recommendations of the
Commission--and the extent to which those recommendations address
the issues raised by the Senate subcommittee (WN 7 Aug 92).  The
subcommittee called for the NSF "to take a more activist role in
transferring the results of basic research from the academic
community into the market place."  But at its 7 Nov meeting, not
only did the Commission decide to put "technology transfer" in
quotes, it agreed that "market place" should be totally banished
from the report.  Moreover, although the NSB will receive the
report of the Commission on 20 Nov, James Duderstadt, the Board
chair, said there are no plans to discuss it before January.

3. 1993 WILL SEE THE RECESSION CONTINUING FOR U.S.INDUSTRIAL R&D,
according to the Annual R&D Trends Survey conducted by the Indus-
trial Research Institute.  Of the 141 companies responding to the
survey, 76% expect their total research & development spending to
remain unchanged or drop from 1992 levels.  Only 10% expect to
increase hiring of new graduates, while 40% expect a decrease.
The number of companies planning to reduce the proportion of R&D
resources allocated to "directed basic research" is even greater
than the number planning to cut total R&D budgets.  The trend
away from basic research in industry was cited by APS President
Ernest Henley in his letter to the NSF Commission (WN 16 Oct 92).

4. IS COLD FUSION PRACTICAL?  IT IS IF YOU OWNED STOCK IN NTT
prior to the Third International Cold Fusion Conference in Nagoya
on 21 Sept.  Two scientists from Nippon Telephone and Telegraph
held a press conference to announce that they had detected excess
heat and helium in a reproducible cold fusion experiment.  NTT
stock rose 11% on the news. NTT is one of the biggest stock
capitalization companies in the world. The paper profits after
the cold fusion announcement were nearly $8 billion.

Robert L. Park  (202)662-8700       The American Physical Society

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