"The conferees have provided NSF with $250,000 for academic research
infrastructure activities. Of this amount, $118,133,000 should be used for
the standard NSF facilities and instrumentation modernization program
[that's us, folks] equally divided between the two activities [that's $59
million for NMR spectrometers]. The remaining funds...$131,867,000 should be
allocated for a new interagency facilities and instrumentation modernization
program [I think that's EPA and whatnot] managed by the NSF. Twenty percent
of bot pots of funds should be allocated to smaller colleges and
universities, including historically black colleges and universities, and
those institutions of higher learning with an established record of
recruitment, retention, and graduation of predominantly underrepresented
groups in science and technology."
They then proceed to warn Clinton that he better get on their bandwagon in
his next budget:
"The conferees are deeply concerned about the continued staggering need to
address the academic infrastructure backlog in facilities and
instrumentation. However, to induce the Administration to support this new
initiative, language has been included which would automatically rescind
these extra funds unless the President's fiscal year 1996 budget request
includes at least $250,000,000 for academic research infrastructure funds
for the NSF..."
This is good news. The conferees care about us! I can't imagine that the
President will fail to go along with his own commitment to research
infrastructure that will sustain this trend of getting our labs up to snuff.
The House should take up consideration of the bill Monday, September 12 and
the Senate sometime thereafter, I guess. Congress complains that they never
hear from us. How about taking an hour out of your day and communicating
your support of NSF to Washington? The congressional directory is ftp-able
from several sites or I'll look up the phone number on my disk for you.
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William C. Stevens, Ph.D. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility
Director Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL 62901-4405
wstevens@c-mols.siu.edu
voice: 618-453-6498 fax: -6408
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