Government Briefs

The Politics Of Filling The Pipeline If you think that an idea as all-American as national science scholars could be able to escape the taint of politics, you’ll have to think again. In last month’s address to Congress, President Bush proposed 570 such scholarships to entice the intellectual cream of U.S. youth to pursue careers in science and engineering, But his $5 million a year program to refill the U.S. science pipeline would be overseen by the Department of Education, and that is rubbing some members of Congress the wrong way. Two bills, from Bep. Doug Walgren (D-Pa.) and Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio), can for a similar program to be operated by the National Science Foundation, and It’s no coincidence that Walgren is also head of the subcommittee of the House panel that authorizes NSF programs. “NSF ls the focal point for most science activities within the federal government and it does a better job of administering these types of awards," says one subcommittee staffer. “If there’s going to be a program, it should be run by NSF.” The topic was expected to come up during NSF oversight hearings this month there’s no word on whether the Bush administration may be willing to compromise on the subject. Mikuiski Calls For Funding Alliance When funding’s the issue, scientists are all ears. But lobbyists are still trying to figure Out how to comply with a request from Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), the new chair of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the National Science Foundation,. NASA, and EPA, to join with nonscientific interest groups to increase her panel's share of the federal budget. In a recent speech to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Mikulski proposed an “Alliance for the Planet Earth,” in which scientists wQuld join with groups representing her committee’s other constituent agencies (notably Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs). “See where your mutual interests lie,” she told the audience. But even her own staff drew a blank when asked what specific common ground NSF and NASA scientists might share with advocates for the homeless and veterans. There’s already an organization that brings together scientists from outside the life sciences. The group—whose name, the Function 250 Coalition, is derived from the budget category that covers most of the natural and space sciences—sprang up last year in response to a similar call for unity from Rep. Robert Roe (D-N.J.), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Scientists Scarred By Pay Raise Defeat Drowned out in the noise about last month’s flap over whether Congress should get a raise was the fact that hundreds of scientists were in line for similar pay boosts. A handful of recent reports have urged such raises as a way to ensure that the government can attract and retain top scientific talent. NSF Director Erich Bloch for example, would have seen his annual paycheck rise from $89,500 to $135,000, and his deputy’s, John Moore, would have jumped from $82,500 to $125,000, And it wasn’t just the elite: 100 NSF administrators in the senior executive service and 173 NIH scientists and/or administrators were hoping for raises that would have ranged from 16% to 48%. The salary of a typical senior staffer at NSF, for example, would have gone from $76,400 to $98,000. “It leaves us with a chronic problem that is growing worse,” says William Raub, deputy NIH director. "It's not time to panic, but it eliminates what might have been a partial solution to our increasing inability to attract top talent from universities.” Adds Bloch, “I hope that Congress tries to rectify it, but I’m not optimistic in the short run.”

Government Briefs

The Scientist Staff

The Politics Of Filling The Pipeline

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