IIB
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3130
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JULY 11 (legislative day, JULY 10), 2002
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions
AN ACT
To provide for increasing the technically trained workforce
in the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Undergraduate
Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Edu-
cation Improvement Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Studies show that about half of all United
States post-World War II economic growth is a di-
rect result of technological innovation, and science,
engineering, and technology play a central role in
the creation of new goods and services, new jobs,
and new capital.
(2) The growth in the number of jobs requiring
technical skills is projected to be more than 50 per-
cent over the next decade.
(3) A workforce that is highly trained in
science, mathematics, engineering, and technology is
crucial to generating the innovation that drives eco-
nomic growth, yet females, who represent 50 percent
of the United States population, make up only 19
percent of the science, engineering, and technology
workforce.
(4) Outside of the biomedical sciences, the num-
ber of undergraduate degrees awarded in the
science, mathematics, engineering, and technology
disciplines has been flat or declining since 1987, de-
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spite rapid population growth and a significant in-
crease in undergraduate enrollment over the same
period.
(5) The demand for H-1B visas has increased
over the past several years, suggesting that the
United States is not training a sufficient number of
scientists and engineers.
(6) International comparisons of 24-year olds
have shown that the proportion of natural science
and engineering degrees to the total of under-
graduate degrees is lower in the United States than
in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the United King-
dom, and Canada.
(7) Technological and scientific advancements
hold significant potential for elevating the quality of
life and the standard of living in the United States.
The quality and quantity of such advancements are
dependent on a technically trained workforce.
(8) Reversing the downward enrollment and
graduation trends in a number of science and engi-
neering disciplines is not only imperative to main-
taining our Nation’s prosperity, it is also important
for our national security.
(9) The decline of student majors in science,
mathematics, engineering, and technology is report-
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edly linked to poor teaching quality in these dis-
ciplines and lack of institutional commitment to un-
dergraduate education as compared to research.
(10) Undergraduate science, mathematics, engi-
neering, and technology faculty generally lack any
formal preparation for their role as undergraduate
educators. In addition, faculty members are gen-
erally not rewarded, and in some cases are penal-
ized, for the time they devote to undergraduate edu-
cation.
(11) Faculty experienced in working with un-
dergraduate students report that undergraduate re-
search experiences contribute significantly to a stu-
dent’s decision to stay in an undergraduate science,
mathematics, engineering, or technology major and
to continue their education through graduate stud-
ies.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘academic unit’’ means a depart-
ment, division, institute, school, college, or other
subcomponent of an institution of higher education;
(2) the term ‘‘community college’’ has the
meaning given such term in section 7501(4) of the
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 7601(4));
(3) the term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of
the National Science Foundation;
(4) the term ‘‘eligible nonprofit organization’’
means a nonprofit organization with demonstrated
experience delivering science, mathematics, engineer-
ing, or technology education, as determined by the
Director;
(5) the term ‘‘institution of higher education’’
has the meaning given such term in section 101(a)
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001(a)); and
(6) the term ‘‘research-grade instrumentation’’
means a single instrument or a networked system of
instruments that enable publication-quality research
to be performed by students or faculty.
SEC. 4. TECHNOLOGY TALENT.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the
‘‘Technology Talent Act of 2002’’.
(b) GRANT PROGRAM.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Director shall award
grants, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to in-
stitutions of higher education with physical or infor-
mation science, mathematics, engineering, or tech-
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nology programs, to consortia thereof, or to non-
profit entities that have established consortia among
such institutions of higher education for the purpose
of increasing the number and quality of students
studying and receiving associate or baccalaureate de-
grees in the physical and information sciences,
mathematics, engineering, and technology. Consortia
established by such nonprofit entities may include
participation by eligible nonprofit organizations,
State or local governments, or private sector compa-
nies. An institution of higher education, including
those participating in consortia, that is awarded a
grant under this section shall be known as a ‘‘Na-
tional Science Foundation Science and Engineering
Talent Expansion Center’’.
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—
(A) NUMBER.—The Director shall award
not fewer than 10 grants under this section
each year, contingent upon available funds.
(B) DURATION.—Grants under this section
shall be awarded for a period of 5 years, with
the final 2 years of funding contingent on the
Director’s 
determination 
that 
satisfactory
progress has been made by the grantee during
the first 3 years of the grant period toward
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achieving the increases in the number of stu-
dents proposed pursuant to subparagraph (E).
(C) PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR.—For each
grant awarded under this section to an institu-
tion of higher education, at least 1 principal in-
vestigator must be in a position of administra-
tive leadership at the institution of higher edu-
cation, and at least 1 principal investigator
must be a faculty member from an academic
department included in the work of the project.
For each grant awarded to a consortium or
nonprofit entity, at each institution of higher
education participating in the consortium, at
least 1 of the individuals responsible for car-
rying out activities authorized under subsection
(c) at that institution must be in a position of
administrative leadership at the institution, and
at least 1 must be a faculty member from an
academic department included in the work of
the project at that institution.
(D) SUBSEQUENT GRANTS.—An institution
of higher education, a consortium thereof, or a
nonprofit entity that has completed a grant
awarded under this section may apply for a
subsequent grant under this section.
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(E) INCREASES.—
(i) INSTITUTIONS
OF
HIGHER
EDU-
CATION
WITH
BACCALAUREATE
DEGREE
PROGRAMS.—An applicant for a grant
under this section that is or includes an in-
stitution of higher education that awards
baccalaureate degrees shall propose in its
application specific increases in the num-
ber of students who are United States citi-
zens or permanent resident aliens obtain-
ing baccalaureate degrees at each such in-
stitution within the physical or information
sciences, 
mathematics, 
engineering, 
or
technology, and shall state the mechanisms
by which the success of the grant project
at each such institution shall be assessed.
(ii) COMMUNITY COLLEGES.—An ap-
plicant for a grant under this section that
is or includes a community college shall
propose in its application specific increases
in the number of students at the commu-
nity college who are United States citizens
or permanent resident aliens pursuing de-
grees, concentrations, or certifications in
the physical or information sciences, math-
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ematics, engineering, or technology pro-
grams or pursuing credits toward transfer
to a baccalaureate degree program in the
physical or information sciences, mathe-
matics, engineering, or technology, and
shall state the mechanisms by which the
success of the grant project at each com-
munity college shall be assessed.
(F) RECORDKEEPING.—Each recipient of
a grant under this section shall maintain, and
transmit annually to the National Science
Foundation, in a format indicated by the Direc-
tor, baseline and subsequent data on under-
graduate students in physical and information
science, mathematics, engineering, and tech-
nology programs. For grants to consortia or
nonprofit entities, the data transmitted shall be
provided separately for each institution of high-
er education participating in the consortia.
Such data shall include information on—
(i) the number of students enrolled;
(ii) student academic achievement, in-
cluding quantifiable measurements of stu-
dents’ mastery of content and skills;
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(iii) persistence to degree completion,
including students who transfer from
science, mathematics, engineering, and
technology programs to programs in other
academic disciplines; and
(iv) placement during the first year
after degree completion in post-graduate
education or career pathways.
(G) PRIORITY.—The Director may give
priority in awarding grants under this section
to applicants whose application—
(i) indicates a plan to build on pre-
vious and existing efforts with dem-
onstrated success, including efforts involv-
ing industry, in improving undergraduate
learning and teaching, including efforts
funded by Federal grants from the Na-
tional Science Foundation or other agen-
cies; and
(ii) provides evidence of a commitment
by the administration at each institution of
higher education to support and reward
faculty involvement in carrying out the
proposed implementation plan for the
project.
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participating students in smaller class settings,
particularly in the laboratory environment, by,
for example, providing summer salary or other
additional salary for faculty members or sti-
pends for students;
(B) opportunities to develop new peda-
gogical approaches including the development of
web-based course strategies, distributed and col-
laborative digital teaching tools, or interactive
course modules; and
(C) screening and training of teaching as-
sistants;
(6) projects that—
(A) facilitate student exposure to potential
careers, including cooperative projects with in-
dustry or government that place students in in-
ternships as early as the summer following their
first year of study;
(B) provide part-time employment in in-
dustry during the school year; or
(C) provide opportunities for undergradu-
ates to participate in industry or government
sponsored research;
(7) projects that assist institutions of higher
education in States that participate in the Experi-
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mental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
(EPSCoR) to broaden the science, engineering,
mathematics, and technology student base or in-
crease retention in these fields;
(8) projects to encourage undergraduate re-
search on-campus or off-campus;
(9) projects that provide scholarships or sti-
pends to students entering and persisting in the
study of science, mathematics, engineering, or tech-
nology;
(10) projects that leverage the Federal invest-
ment by providing matching funds from industry,
from State or local government sources, or from pri-
vate sources; and
(11) other innovative approaches to achieving
the purpose described in subsection (b)(1).
(d) ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION, AND DISSEMINATION
OF INFORMATION.—
(1) PROJECT ASSESSMENT.—The Director shall
require each institution of higher education receiving
assistance under this section to implement project-
based assessment that facilitates program evaluation
under paragraph (2) and that assesses the impact of
the project on achieving the purpose stated in sub-
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section (b)(1), as well as on institutional policies and
practices.
(2) PROGRAM
EVALUATION.—Not later than
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Director shall award at least 1 grant or contract
to an independent evaluative organization to—
(A) develop metrics for measuring the im-
pact of the program authorized under this sec-
tion on—
(i) the number of students enrolled;
(ii) student academic achievement, in-
cluding quantifiable measurements of stu-
dents’ mastery of content and skills;
(iii) persistence to degree completion,
including students who transfer from
science, mathematics, engineering, and
technology programs to programs in other
academic disciplines; and
(iv) placement during the first year
after degree completion in post-graduate
education or career pathways; and
(B) conduct an evaluation of the impacts
of the program described in subparagraph (A),
including a comparison of the funded projects
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to identify best practices with respect to achiev-
ing the purpose stated in subsection (b)(1).
(3) DISSEMINATION
OF
INFORMATION.—The
Director, at least once each year, shall disseminate
information on the activities and the results of the
projects assisted under this section, including best
practices identified pursuant to paragraph (2)(B), to
participating institutions of higher education and
other interested institutions of higher education.
(e) UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS.—In carrying out
the program authorized by this section the Director shall
strive to increase the number of students receiving bacca-
laureate degrees, concentrations, or certifications in the
physical or information sciences, mathematics, engineer-
ing, or technology who come from groups underrep-
resented in these fields.
(f) REPORTS.—
(1) LIST.—Not later than 90 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall
develop, and disseminate to institutions of higher
education, a list of examples of existing institutional
and government efforts relevant to the purpose stat-
ed in subsection (b)(1).
(2) INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT.—At the end
of the third year of the program authorized under
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this section, the Director shall transmit to the Con-
gress an interim progress report of the evaluation
conducted under subsection (d)(2).
(3) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 6 years
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Di-
rector shall transmit to the Congress a final report
of the evaluation conducted under subsection (d)(2).
(g) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall es-
tablish an advisory committee, that includes signifi-
cant representation from industry and academic
leaders, for the grant program authorized under this
section. The advisory committee shall—
(A) assist the Director in securing active
industry, and State and local government, par-
ticipation in the program;
(B) recommend to the Director innovative
approaches to achieving the purpose stated in
subsection (b)(1); and
(C) advise the Director regarding program
metrics, implementation and performance of the
program, and program progress reports.
(2) DURATION.—Section 14 of the Federal Ad-
visory Committee Act shall not apply to the advisory
committee established under this subsection.
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(h) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science
Foundation to carry out this section—
(1) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2003; and
(2) such sums as may be necessary thereafter.
(i) RELATED PROGRAMS.—The Director shall give
consideration to achieving the purpose stated in subsection
(b)(1) by awarding grants to institutions participating in
the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation.
SEC. 5. INSTITUTIONAL REFORM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall award grants,
on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis, to institutions of
higher education to expand previously implemented re-
forms of undergraduate science, mathematics, engineer-
ing, or technology education that have been demonstrated
to have been successful in increasing the number and qual-
ity of students studying and receiving associate or bacca-
laureate degrees in science, mathematics, engineering, or
technology.
(b) USES OF FUNDS.—Activities supported by grants
under this section may include—
(1) expansion of successful reform efforts be-
yond a single course or group of courses to achieve
reform within an entire academic unit;
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(2) expansion of successful reform efforts be-
yond a single academic unit to other science, mathe-
matics, engineering, or technology academic units
within an institution;
(3) creation of multidisciplinary courses or pro-
grams that formalize collaborations for the purpose
of improved student instruction and research in
science, mathematics, engineering, and technology;
(4) expansion of undergraduate research oppor-
tunities beyond a particular laboratory, course, or
academic unit to engage multiple academic units in
providing multidisciplinary research opportunities
for undergraduate students;
(5) expansion of innovative tutoring or men-
toring programs proven to enhance student recruit-
ment or persistence to degree completion in science,
mathematics, engineering, or technology;
(6) improvement of undergraduate science,
mathematics, engineering, and technology education
for nonmajors, including teacher education majors;
and
(7) implementation of technology-driven reform
efforts, including the installation of technology to fa-
cilitate such reform, that directly impact under-
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graduate science, mathematics, engineering, or tech-
nology instruction or research experiences.
(c) SELECTION PROCESS.—
(1) APPLICATIONS.—An institution of higher
education seeking a grant under this section shall
submit an application to the Director at such time,
in such manner, and containing such information as
the Director may require. The application shall in-
clude, at a minimum—
(A) a description of the proposed reform
effort;
(B) a description of the previously imple-
mented reform effort that will serve as the basis
for the proposed reform effort and evidence of
success of that previous effort, including data
on student recruitment, persistence to degree
completion, and academic achievement;
(C) evidence of active participation in the
proposed project by individuals who were cen-
tral to the success of the previously imple-
mented reform effort; and
(D) evidence of institutional support for,
and commitment to, the proposed reform effort,
including a description of existing or planned
institutional policies and practices regarding
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faculty hiring, promotion, tenure, and teaching
assignment that reward faculty contributions to
undergraduate education equal to, or greater
than, scholarly scientific research.
(2) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—In evaluating
applications submitted under paragraph (1), the Di-
rector shall consider at a minimum—
(A) the evidence of past success in imple-
menting undergraduate education reform and
the likelihood of success in undertaking the pro-
posed expanded effort;
(B) the extent to which the faculty, staff,
and administrators are committed to making
the proposed institutional reform a priority of
the participating academic unit;
(C) the degree to which the proposed re-
form will contribute to change in institutional
culture and policy such that a greater value is
placed on faculty engagement in undergraduate
education and that a commensurate reward
structure is implemented to recognize faculty
for their scholarly work in this area; and
(D) the likelihood that the institution will
sustain or expand the reform beyond the period
of the grant.
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(3) GRANT DISTRIBUTION.—The Director shall
ensure, to the extent practicable, that grants award-
ed under this section are made to a variety of types
of institutions of higher education.
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science
Foundation to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 2003 through 2007.
SEC. 6. FACULTY DEVELOPMENT.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall award grants,
on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis, to—
(1) institutions of higher education;
(2) eligible nonprofit organizations; or
(3) consortia of institutions and organizations
described in paragraphs (1) and (2),
for professional development of undergraduate faculty in
support of improved undergraduate science, mathematics,
engineering, and technology education.
(b) USES OF FUNDS.—Activities supported by grants
under this section may include—
(1) support for individuals to participate in
scholarly activities aimed at improving under-
graduate science, mathematics, engineering, and
technology education including—
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(A) sabbatical funding, including partial or
full support for salary, benefits, and supplies,
for faculty participating in scholarly research
in—
(i) science, mathematics, engineering,
or technology;
(ii) the science of learning; or
(iii) assessment and evaluation related
to undergraduate instruction and student
academic achievement;
(B) stipend support for graduate students
and post-doctoral fellows to participate in in-
structional or evaluative activities at primarily
undergraduate institutions; and
(C) release time from teaching for faculty
engaged in the development, implementation,
and assessment of undergraduate science,
mathematics, engineering, and technology edu-
cation reform activities following participation
in a sabbatical opportunity or faculty develop-
ment program described in this subsection; and
(2) support for institutions to develop, imple-
ment, and assess faculty development programs fo-
cused on improved instruction, mentoring, evalua-
tion, and support of undergraduate science, mathe-
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matics, engineering, and technology students, includ-
ing costs associated with—
(A) stipend support or release time for fac-
ulty and staff engaged in the development, de-
livery, and assessment of the faculty develop-
ment program;
(B) stipend support or release time for fac-
ulty, graduate students, or post-doctoral fellows
from the host institution or external institutions
who are engaged as participants in such faculty
development programs; and
(C) support for materials, supplies, travel
expenses, and consulting fees associated with
the development, delivery, and assessment of
such faculty development programs.
(c) APPLICATIONS.—An entity seeking a grant under
this section shall submit an application to the Director at
such time, in such manner, and containing such informa-
tion as the Director may require. The application shall in-
clude, at a minimum—
(1) a description of the activities to be carried
out under the proposed project and the projected im-
pact of the project on undergraduate majors and
nonmajors enrolled in science, mathematics, engi-
neering, or technology courses or programs;
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(2) a plan for assessment of the outcomes of
the proposed project;
(3) a plan for dissemination of information re-
garding the activities and outcomes of the proposed
project; and
(4) evidence of institutional support for imple-
mentation of the proposed project, including commit-
ment to appropriate faculty sabbaticals and release
time from teaching.
(d) ANNUAL MEETING.—The Director shall convene
an annual meeting of awardees under this section to foster
greater national information dissemination and collabora-
tion in the area of undergraduate science, mathematics,
engineering, and technology education.
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are to be authorized to be appropriated to the National
Science Foundation to carry out this section $8,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2003 through 2007.
SEC. 7. ACCESS TO RESEARCH-GRADE INSTRUMENTATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall award grants,
on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis, to institutions of
higher education to support the acquisition of research-
grade instrumentation and to support training related to
the use of that instrumentation. Instruments provided
through awards under this section shall be used primarily