Further Developments
NIST LABORATORY HEARING: A June 25 hearing of the House Technology Subcommittee on some of NIST’s in-house laboratory programs produced nothing but praise for the institute. Representatives from industry groups that use NIST’s standards-setting, calibration, testing, and measurement services testified to the quality and importance of the NIST labs’ work, as did members of the National Research Council (NRC) Board which assesses the laboratory programs. Witnesses explained that NIST played a critical role as an independent, neutral entity to help develop industry consensus on standards and to evaluate conformance to those standards. Subcommittee members of both parties praised NIST’s activities. Rep. John Tanner (D-TN) inquired whether its extramural partnership programs with industry (ATP and MEP) have “diminished the ability of NIST to deliver” its traditional services. Thomas Rhyne, chair of the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Panel of the NRC’s NIST Assessment Board, responded that he hadn’t seen “any diminution of the quality of work” on standards and metrology.
COMMERCE DEPARTMENT ELIMINATION: Although much talked about a year ago, Republican plans to eliminate the Department of Commerce failed. A recent indication that this effort has not gathered new strength is a decision by the Senate leadership to skip confirmation hearings for Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor. These hearings would have given the department’s opponents an opportunity to renew their case. Cited as the reason for forgoing the hearings is a lack of committee time.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY APPROPRIATION: There appears to be little movement to increase the amount of money the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee will have for outlays for FY 1997. “Outlays” refers to the actual amount of money the government will spend during the year. As it now stands, outlays would drop 0.75% from the current year, or $149 million. Subcommittee chairman John Myers (R-IN) is stalling the mark up of his bill, hoping to increase this amount. Among his concerns is the ramping up next year of funding for the National Ignition Facility. Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston (R-LA) is threatening to put this appropriations bill in a Continuing Resolution to be enacted later this fall, reducing Myers’ control over the content of the bill. This matter may get resolved when Congress returns from its Independence Day recess on July 9.
NATIONAL MEDAL OF SCIENCE RECIPIENT: James L. Flanagan, president of the Acoustical Society of America from 1978-1979, has been selected as a recipient of the National Medal of Science. A White House release states: “James L. Flanagan, Director of the Center for Computer Aids for Industrial Productivity and Vice President for Research at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J. for his foremost leadership and innovation in bringing engineering techniques and speech science together to solve basic problems in speech communication. Flanagan headed a research group at Bell Laboratories whose work led to the automation of many functions of the U.S. telecommunications network.” See FYI #98 for a similar announcement about APS Past-President C. Kumar N. Patel.
GRADUATE EDUCATION AND POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING: A recent letter from William C. Harris, Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the National Science Foundation, describes the results of a workshop held in June 1995. Among the findings, “The skills and knowledge acquired by new Ph.D.'s are too narrowly focused, and are not adequately applicable to the diverse business and industry environments in which most Ph.D. scientists actually work.” The MPS web site at http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ describes the division’s interest in supporting “fresh approaches and innovative ways to integrate research with education,” and provides a copy of the report.
