FY 2000 NSF Request: Physics, Materials Research, and Astronomy

PHYSICS:

The NSF budget document states:

“The FY 2000 Budget Request for the Physics Subactivity is $167.40 million, an increase of $4.90 million or 3 percent over the FY 1999 Current Plan of $162.50 million.”This includes:

"$103.49 million for Physics Research Project Support, an increase of $6.13 million [or 6.3%]. Funding will support research in forefront areas of physics, with an emphasis on astrophysics, coherent control of atomic processes and quantum information science, and on advanced R&D towards next generation particle accelerators. Increases will be provided for education and outreach activities aimed at K-12 teachers and students, and for continued emphasis on an initiative to broaden the role physics plays in new and emerging areas of research and in the training of young physicists to address multidisciplinary problems that are outside the usual scope of the field.”

"$63.91 million for Facilities, a decrease of $1.23 million [or 1.9%]. A $400,000 increase will be provided for LIGO to a total of $23.70 million for operation and commissioning activities and for advanced detector R&D. Funding for CESR, following completion of the intensity upgrade, will be maintained at $19.50 million, to support effective operations of the accelerator and exploit the new research opportunities provided by the upgraded facility, in elementary particle physics and accelerator physics. Funding for Michigan State University’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) will total $14.21 million, including a $1.63 million decrease that corresponds to the scheduled phase- down of construction funding for the radioactive ion beam upgrade project as it moves towards completion in FY 2001. Also included in the FY 2000 NSCL funding is second year support of $1.5 million for ongoing replacement of the helium refrigeration system.”First LIGO observations are planned for FY 2001.

MATERIALS RESEARCH:

“The FY 2000 Budget Request for the Materials Research Subactivity is $190.52 million, an increase of $3.91 million, or 2.1 percent, over the FY 1999 Current Plan of $186.61 million.” This request includes:

"$97.33 million, an increase of $6.23 million [or 6.8%], for Materials Research Project Support. Emphasis will be on research addressing the interface between biological systems and materials, including biomimetic and biomolecular materials; materials design science and engineering; complex materials and phenomena; and activities related to information technology.”

"$53.73 million, a decrease of $3.12 million [or 5.5%], for Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers. In FY 2000 up to four new MRSECs will be established through open competition. Funding for Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers is being offset by the planned phase-out of the first class of STCs in FY 1999, as well as planned reductions in the second class of STCs.”

"$39.46 million, an increase of $800,000 [or 2.1%], for National Facilities and Instrumentation, including $26.75 million to support user facilities and $12.71 million for instrument development and the acquisition of new instruments for materials research. Emphasis will be placed on instrumentation for shared use in academic institutions and at facilities supported by other federal agencies. The increase will support planning and development of neutron scattering facilities for structural and dynamical studies of materials at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). Supported by the Department of Energy, the SNS is under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.”

ASTRONOMICAL SCIENCES:

“The FY 2000 Budget Request for the Astronomical Sciences Subactivity is $122.21 million, an increase of $3.42 million, or 2.9 percent, over the FY 1999 Current Plan of $118.79 million.”This request includes:

“A total of $43.79 million, an increase of $1.92 million [or 4.6%] for Astronomy Research and Instrumentation to support the scientific priorities for studies in cosmology, the formation of stars and planets and planetary atmospheres. A number of these activities include interagency partnerships. Priorities in instrumentation support will continue through the development of adaptive optics systems for moderate-aperture telescopes, particularly focusing on the search for extra-solar planets. Increased funding in FY 2000 will support initiatives involving the origin and evolution of the universe and for research activities in the area of particle astrophysics.”

“Total funding of $78.42 million, a $1.50 million increase [or 2.0%], for Facilities that include:

-- "$7.25 million, an increase of $120,000, for the Gemini Observatories to provide additional operational support for the two 8-meter telescopes currently being constructed in Hawaii and Chile by the United States and its international partners. The Gemini North Telescope, located in Hawaii, achieved first light in December 1998.”

-- "$8.95 million for NAIC [National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center], level with the FY 1999 Current Plan. The renovated Arecibo Telescope is now in routine use. Support is provided for the operation and maintenance of the renovated telescope and for development of instrumentation to take advantage of its greater sensitivity, and for development of high-speed multi-channel digital analyzers for pulsar observations.”

-- "$26.69 million, an increase of $690,000 for NOAO [National Optical Astronomy Observatories], provides observational facilities to the U.S. astronomical community in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Support is also provided for the operation and maintenance of the unique telescopes, such as the Global Oscillation Network group (GONG) solar telescopes of these observatories. In FY 1998, construction of instrumentation for the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigation of the Sun (SOLIS) was initiated; support for this project will continue in FY 2000. SOLIS will enable refined studies of the sun’s atmosphere and surface, including determining conditions which give rise to solar flares.”

-- "$32.53 million, an increase of $690,000 for NRAO [National Radio Astronomy Observatory] will provide for the operations and maintenance of the Very Long Array (VLA) and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), and for development of instrumentation for the Greenbank Telescope under construction in West Virginia. The VLA and the VLBA are unique instruments that provide for very high resolution images of astronomical objects at radio wavelengths. The increase in funding for FY 2000 will be used for development of new instrumentation making use of advanced technology in detectors and digital design, and in experiments that apply high-bandwidth, real-time linkages between antennas of the VLA and the VLBA.”