Date: 1998-07-29
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. Representative SANFORD has offered an amendment to freeze NSFs appropriations for research awards. giving as the reason NSFs support for questionable grant awards. He has referred to several grants which he claims supports his action. Examination of the grants listed by Mr. SANFORD indicate his assessment of the contents is based on title alone: ATM ResearchThis is not research on automated teller machines. Actually. it is research on Asynchronous Transfer Mode. a promising new network transmission protocol to enable the creation of very high speed computer networks. Social PokerThis refers not to a poker game but to the development of a theory of how individuals determine which of their resources they are willing to put at risk in order to gain the benefits of joining a group. This is basic research that may help explain what it would take to get a country to sign on to a treaty. or when it is a rational decision for companies to merge. Routing TrucksThis is an extension of what is known to mathematicians as the "traveling salesman problem." This problem asks how to find the shortest possible route to a given number of cities without visiting one twice. The study in question develops and tests powerful new mathematical optimization algorithms. This subject has considerable practical value. Transportation costs account for 15% of the U.s. Gross Domestic Product. and a major element of transportation involves the routing and scheduling of fleets of trucks. Cheap TalkCheap talk refers to the cost of information in an economic model. Generally speaking. we must pay for informationin terms of procuring expert advice. the cost of publications or the time to gather data. The research explores the implications for economic and decision models when information is relatively inexpensive. such as that made available on the Internet. Video on DemandThe underlying research issues are related to using network protocols to transmit real time video. which has enormous data transmission requirements. These fundamental questions require highrisk research that HBO or Blockbuster are not likely to support. But if the basic research is successful. service providers and consumers (including those who may use realtime video for distance learning or telemedicine) stand to .reap huge returns from the investment. BilliardsThis research applies. not to pool playing. but to a complex mathematical theory of interest in geometry and physics. The scientific use of the term "billiards" originated over 100 years ago as a way of conceptualizing how atomic particles carom off each other. Mathematicians later on began to develop complex math theory. known as Ergodtic Theory. that attempts to predict the trajectory of idealized particles in confined spaces. This research is important for understanding many different types of nonlinear or chaotic systems. such as airflow around an airplane. leading to an improved understanding of turbulence in fluids. Study of JokesThis research at its core is not about humor. Rather. it is involved with the reasons for the perpetuation of inaccurate stereotypes and the promulgation of racism. sexism. and prejudice against people with disabilities and other distinguishing characteristics. Humor is used in the study as a research tool to investigate the cognitive processes that accompany and determine the interpretation of information conveyed in a social context. The proponent of the amendment has picked a handful of grants from the 10.000 or so that are funded each year by NSF and. on the basis of a title which is obscure or seems frivolous. proposes that the House freeze the research activities of the Foundation at last years level. This proposed amendment represents an effective cut of $270 million to the nations basic research enterprise. which is largely carried out at colleges and universities throughout the country. It will result in 760 fewer research awards. It will mean NSF supports 5.000 fewer scientists and students. The proposals funded by NSF have been subjected to a rigorous evaluation. They are chosen on the basis of merit through a competitive process: In a given year. NSF relies on the judgment of over 60.000 reviewers. each an expert in the field of a particular proposal. Each proposal is reviewed by between 4 and 11 experts. depending on whether a mail or panel review is used. The proposals are ranked on the basis of scientific merit. as well as on the broader impacts of the proposed activity. Only one in three proposals is funded. although more than half are rated as sufficiently meritorious to deserve to be funded. The proposal selection process is rigorous. but not perfect. Efforts are made continually to improve the range of representation of reviewers and to sharpen the review criteria. But the system is widely respected by the scientific community. and constitutes the most effective method yet discovered to identify meritorious research proposals and to prioritize among worthy proposals. The merit selection and prioritization process used by NSF has produced an academic research enterprise that is -the envy of the world. The proposed amendment to freeze funding for NSFs research activities will result in harm to the nations technological strength. Investment in R&D is the single most important determinant of longterm economic growth. According to economists. about one half to two thirds of economic growth can be attributed to technological advances. Although difficult to measure. there is consensus that the economic payoff from basic research investments is substantial. The importance of basic research can be appreciated by considering the technological advancements that have grown out of past NSFsponsored work: IntemetOver the past decade. NSF has transformed the Internet from a tooi used by a handful of researchers at DOD to the backbone of this Nations university research infrastructure. Today the Internet is on the verge of becoming the Nations commercial marketplace. Nanotechnology and "Thin Film"-50 years ago scientists developed the transistor and ushered in the information revolution. Today 3 million transistors can fit on a chip no larger than the fingernailsized individual transistor. NSFs investment in nanotechnology & "thin films" are expected to generate a further 1.000 fold reduction in size for semiconductor devices with eventual costsavings of a similar magnitude. GeneticsWhat is often overlooked is the critical role played by NSF in supporting the basic research that leads to the breakthroughs of mapping the human genome for which NIH justly receives credit. Research supported by NSF was key to the development of the polymerase chain reaction and a great deal of the technology used for sequencing. Magnetic Resonance ImagingThe development of this technology was made possible by combining information gained through the study of the spin characteristics of basic matter. research in mathematics. and high flux magnets. The Next Generation Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imager. currently under construction. will allow for the identification of the 3dimensional structures of the 100.000 proteins whose genes are being sequenced by the Human Genome Project. BuckeyballsThe discovery of buckeyballs. a new form of carbon won for the researchers a Nobel prize. Its discovery was the result of work by astronomers. This in turn led to the discovery of the carbon nanotube. which has been found to be 100 times stronger than steel and a fraction of the weight. Nanotubes may produce cars weighing no more than 100 pounds. Plant GenomeResearch into the genome of a flower plant with no previous commercial value (Arabidopsis thaliana) led to the discovery of ways to increase crop yields. production of plants with seeds having lower polyunsaturated fats and to the development of crops that produce a biodegradable plastic. Artificial RetinaResearchers at NC State have designed a computer chip that may pave the way for creation of an artificial retina. Problems with biocompatibility have been solved by researchers at Stanford who developed a synthetic cell membrane that adheres to both living cells and silicon chips. CD PlayersCD players rely on data compression algorithms that were developed using a NSF grant. These algorithms were first used in the transmission of satellite data and now provide the foundation for new developments in data storage. Jet PrintersThe mathematical equations that describe the behavior of fluid under pressure provided the foundation for developing the ink jet printer. CamcordersVirtually all camcorders and electronic devices using electronic imaging sensors are based on chargecoupled devices. These- devices. sensitive to a single photon of light. were developed and transformed by astronomers interested in maximizing their capacity for light gathering.