As Senators and Representatives work through September to try to wrap up the first session of the 108^th Congress, they will be heavily influenced by new projections of record federal budget deficits and by the Midwest-Northeast-Canada blackout. The deficit numbers, expected to be made even more bleak by an almost-inevitable Administration request for supplemental funding for the ongoing war in Iraq, make decisions on appropriations bills more thorny. Few observers expect all thirteen of the appropriations measures to be passed by the start of the fiscal year on October 1, meaning the government probably will continue to operate on continuing resolutions. And predictions for the fate of the omnibus energy bill currently in conference between the House and Senate are all over the map. The conference committee deliberation were already going to be contentious because of issues such as drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve, and could get really bogged down if the effort to prevent future blackouts turns in to a broader debate on the future of energy deregulation. On the other hand, the pressure to "do something" could result in final passage of slimmed-down legislation. Congressional leaders are optimistically promising action by the end of September.

The report of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board has prompted a wide-ranging discussion in Congress of the future not only of the space shuttle program but also of the structure and mission of NASA itself. The House Science Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee are holding hearings during September focusing on the report and how to respond to its recommendations. Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) said that both Congress and the Administration must "chart the future for NASA…without any preconceived notions about what the space program should look like." The committee hearings are focusing on risk assessment, management structure, and budgets. Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee has instructed NASA to develop a preliminary cost estimate for improving shuttle safety. The fiscal year 2004 VA-HUD appropriations bill passed by the House in July includes $15.5 billion for NASA, but the spending priorities now may have to be changed. The Senate has not yet passed its VA-HUD bill.

The Office of Management and Budget has proposed a standardized process by which all significant regulatory science documents will be subjected to peer review by qualified specialists in appropriate technical disciplines. Although some federal agencies already practice peer review, there are no minimum government-wide standards. The proposal establishes uniform government-wide standards for the peer review; focuses on the role of public participation in peer review activities, the content of peer reviewers, and the agency’s responsibilities to respond to the comments of peer reviewers; and requires disclosure of a peer review panel. Agencies are authorized to tailor the intensity of the peer review to the importance of the document. If the information has already been subject to adequate peer review (e.g., by a respected scientific journal), OMB would permit agencies to use that peer review to satisfy the new requirements. OMB has printed the proposal on its website at http://www.omb.gov and requests comments by October 28.

The National Science Foundation will support the establishment of two to four new International Materials Institutes in Fiscal Year 2004 to advance materials research by coordinating international projects involving condensed matter and materials physics; solid state and materials chemistry; and the design, synthesis, characterization, and processing of materials to meet global and regional needs. The Institutes’ long term goal is the creation of a worldwide network in materials research and the development of a new generation of scientists and engineers with enhanced international leadership capabilities. The Institutes must be university-based (single or multi-campus) and must address two long-term goals: (1) creating elements of a global materials research network designed to coordinate and support the rapidly growing interdependence of materials research priorities and related activities carried out in all regions of the world; and (2) developing a new generation of students, postdoctoral scholars, and materials researchers and educators with enhanced international leadership capabilities. Proposals are due by December 1, 2003. The program solicitation is at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03593/nsf03593.htm

The National Science Foundation has initiated a pilot program of Undergraduate Research Centers (URCs) in the chemical sciences or in interdisciplinary areas such as materials sciences and engineering supported by the chemical sciences. The program seeks new models and partnerships wit the potential (1) to expand the reach of undergraduate research to include first- and second-year college students; and (2) to enhance the research capacity, infrastructure, and culture of participating institutions, thereby strengthening the nation’s research enterprise. The new NSF solicitation supports both planning grants that can be used to develop models, partnerships, and pilot projects, and awards in support of the full scope of URC activity. The deadline for proposals is January 16, 2004, and details can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03595/nsf03595.htm

The Discovery Corps Fellowship Program is a pilot program of the National Science Foundation seeking new postdoctoral and professional development models that combine research expertise with professional service. For this solicitation, successful applicants will have research expertise in the chemical sciences or in interdisciplinary areas supported by the chemical sciences, such as materials science and engineering. The proposal deadline is December 15, 2003, for the solicitation printed at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03596/nsf03596.htm