II 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3117 

To strengthen the capacity of eligible institutions to provide instruction in 

nanotechnology. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 15, 2010 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Ms. SNOWE) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To strengthen the capacity of eligible institutions to provide 

instruction in nanotechnology. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Promote Nanotechnol5 ogy in Schools Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. NANOTECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find8 ings: 

9 (1) The rapidly growing field of nanotechnology 

10 is generating scientific and technological breakVerDate Nov 24 2008 04:39 Mar 16, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3117.IS S3117

tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 3117 IS

1 throughs that will benefit society by improving the 

2 way many things are designed and made. 

3 (2) Nanotechnology is likely to have a signifi4 cant, positive impact on the security, economic well5 being, and health of Americans as fields related to 

6 nanotechnology expand. 

7 (3) In order to maximize the benefits of nano8 technology to individuals in the United States, the 

9 United States must maintain world leadership in the 

10 field, including nanoscience and microtechnology, in 

11 the face of determined competition from other na12 tions. 

13 (4) According to the National Science Founda14 tion, foreign students on temporary visas earned 33 

15 percent of all science and engineering doctorates 

16 awarded in the United States in 2007, the last year 

17 for which data are available. Foreign students 

18 earned 63 percent of the engineering doctorates. 

19 (5) To maintain world leadership in nanotech20 nology, the United States must make a long-term in21 vestment in educating United States students in sec22 ondary schools and institutions of higher education, 

23 so that the students are able to conduct nanoscience 

24 research and develop and commercialize nanotech25 nology applications. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 3117 IS

1 (6) Preparing United States students for ca2 reers in nanotechnology, including nanoscience, re3 quires that the students have access to the necessary 

4 scientific tools, including instruments designed for 

5 teaching, and requires training to enable teachers 

6 and professors to use those tools in the classroom 

7 and the laboratory. 

8 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to 

9 strengthen the capacity of United States secondary 

10 schools and institutions of higher education to prepare 

11 students for careers in nanotechnology by providing grants 

12 to those schools and institutions to provide the tools nec13 essary for such preparation. 

14 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

16 the Director of the National Science Foundation. 

17 (2) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘eligi18 ble institution’’ means an institution that is— 

19 (A) a public, private, parochial, or charter 

20 secondary school that offers 1 or more ad21 vanced placement science courses or inter22 national baccalaureate science courses; 

23 (B) a community college, as defined in sec24 tion 3301 of the Elementary and Secondary 

25 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7011); 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 3117 IS

1 (C) a 2-year institution of higher edu2 cation, a 4-year institution of higher education, 

3 or a branch (within the meaning of section 

4 498(j) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

5 (20 U.S.C. 1099c(j))) of such an institution; or 

6 (D) a informal learning science and tech7 nology center. 

8 (3) QUALIFIED NANOTECHNOLOGY EQUIP9 MENT.—The term ‘‘qualified nanotechnology equip10 ment’’ means equipment, instrumentation, or hard11 ware that is— 

12 (A) used for teaching nanotechnology in 

13 the classroom; and 

14 (B) manufactured in the United States at 

15 least 50 percent from articles, materials, or 

16 supplies that are mined, produced, or manufac17 tured, as the case may be, in the United States. 

18 (d) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

19 (1) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Director 

20 shall establish a nanotechnology in the schools pro21 gram to strengthen the capacity of eligible institu22 tions to provide instruction in nanotechnology. In 

23 carrying out the program, the Director shall award 

24 grants, of not more than $400,000, to eligible instiVerDate Nov 24 2008 04:39 Mar 16, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3117.IS S3117

tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 3117 IS

1 tutions to enable the eligible institutions to provide 

2 such instruction. 

3 (2) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible institution 

5 shall use a grant awarded under this section— 

6 (i) to acquire qualified nanotechnology 

7 equipment and software designed for 

8 teaching students about nanotechnology in 

9 the classroom; 

10 (ii) to develop and provide educational 

11 services, including carrying out faculty de12 velopment, to prepare students or faculty 

13 seeking a degree or certificate that is ap14 proved by the State, or a regional accred15 iting body recognized by the Secretary of 

16 Education; 

17 (iii) to provide teacher education and 

18 certification to individuals who seek to ac19 quire or enhance technology skills in order 

20 to use nanotechnology in the classroom or 

21 instructional process; and 

22 (iv) to service, maintain, repair, or up23 grade qualified nanotechnology equipment. 

(B) LIMITATION.—Not more than 1 24 ⁄4 of 

25 the amount of the funds made available through 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 3117 IS

1 a grant awarded under this section may be used 

2 for software, educational services, or teacher 

3 education and certification as described in this 

4 paragraph. 

5 (3) APPLICATIONS AND SELECTION.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive 

7 a grant under this section, an eligible institu8 tion shall submit an application to the Director 

9 at such time, in such manner, and accompanied 

10 by such information as the Director may rea11 sonably require. 

12 (B) PROCEDURE.—Not later than 180 

13 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 

14 the Director shall establish a procedure for ac15 cepting such applications and publish an an16 nouncement of such procedure, including a 

17 statement regarding the availability of funds, in 

18 the Federal Register. 

19 (C) SELECTION.—In selecting eligible in20 stitutions to receive grants under this section, 

21 and encouraging eligible institutions to apply 

22 for such grants, the Director shall, to the great23 est extent practicable— 

24 (i) select eligible institutions in geo25 graphically diverse locations; 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 3117 IS

1 (ii) encourage the application of his2 torically Black colleges and universities 

3 (meaning part B institutions, as defined in 

4 section 322 of the Higher Education Act 

5 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061)) and minority 

6 institutions (as defined in section 365 of 

7 such Act (20 U.S.C. 1067k)); and 

8 (iii) select eligible institutions that in9 clude institutions located in States partici10 pating in the Experimental Program to 

11 Stimulate Competitive Research (com12 monly known as ‘‘EPSCoR’’). 

13 (4) MATCHING REQUIREMENT AND LIMITA14 TION.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.— 

16 (i) REQUIREMENT.—The Director 

17 may not award a grant to an eligible insti18 tution under this section unless the eligible 

19 institution agrees that, with respect to the 

20 costs to be incurred by the eligible institu21 tion in carrying out the program for which 

22 the grant was awarded, the eligible institu23 tion will make available (directly or 

24 through donations from public or private 

25 entities) non-Federal contributions in an 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 3117 IS

amount equal to 1 1 ⁄4 of the amount of the 

2 grant. 

3 (ii) WAIVER.—The Director shall 

4 waive the matching requirement described 

5 in clause (i) for any eligible institution 

6 with no endowment, or an endowment that 

7 has a dollar value lower than $5,000,000, 

8 as of the date of the waiver. 

9 (B) LIMITATION.— 

10 (i) BRANCHES.—If a branch described 

11 in subsection (c)(2)(C) receives a grant 

12 under this section that exceeds $100,000, 

13 then the branch shall not be eligible, until 

14 2 years after the date of receipt of the 

15 grant, to receive another grant under this 

16 section. 

17 (ii) OTHER ELIGIBLE INSTITU18 TIONS.—If an eligible institution other 

19 than a branch referred to in clause (i) re20 ceives a grant under this section that ex21 ceeds $100,000, then the eligible institu22 tion shall not be eligible, until 2 years after 

23 the date of receipt of the grant, to receive 

24 another grant under this section. 

25 (5) ANNUAL REPORT AND EVALUATION.— 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 3117 IS

1 (A) REPORT BY ELIGIBLE INSTITU2 TIONS.—Each eligible institution that receives a 

3 grant under this section shall prepare and sub4 mit a report to the Director, not later than 1 

5 year after the date of receipt of the grant, on 

6 the eligible institution’s use of the grant funds. 

7 (B) REVIEW AND EVALUATION.— 

8 (i) REVIEW.—The Director shall an9 nually review the reports submitted under 

10 subparagraph (A). 

11 (ii) EVALUATION.—At the end of 

12 every third year, the Director shall evalu13 ate the program authorized by this section 

14 on the basis of the reports submitted under 

15 subparagraph (A). The Director, in the 

16 evaluation, shall describe the activities car17 ried out by the eligible institutions receiv18 ing grants under this section and shall as19 sess the short-range and long-range impact 

20 of the activities carried out under the 

21 grants on the students, faculty, and staff 

22 of the eligible institutions. 

23 (C) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

24 than 6 months after conducting an evaluation 

25 under subparagraph (B)(ii), the Director shall 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 3117 IS

1 prepare and submit a report to Congress based 

2 on the evaluation. In the report, the Director 

3 shall include such recommendations, including 

4 recommendations concerning the continuing 

5 need for Federal support of the program car6 ried out under this section, as may be appro7 priate. 

8 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated to the Director to carry 

10 out this section $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and 

11 such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 

12 2011 through 2013. 

Æ 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS