(Academic Programs) Senate Rpt.107-222 VA-HUD Appropriations Bill 2003
Academic Programs
The objective of NASA’s academic programs is to
promote excellence in America’s education system through enhancing and
expanding scientific and technological competence. Activities conducted
within academic programs capture the interest of students in science and
technology, develop talented students at the undergraduate and graduate
levels, provide research opportunities for students and faculty members
at NASA centers, and strengthen and enhance the research capabilities of
the Nation’s colleges and universities. NASA’s education programs span
from the elementary through graduate levels, and are directed at
students and faculty. Academic programs includes the Minority University
Research Program, which expands opportunities for talented students from
underrepresented groups who are pursuing degrees in science and
engineering, and to strengthen the research capabilities of minority
universities and colleges.
The Committee recommendation has included $10,000,000 for the NASA
EPSCoR Program, $5,400,000 above the budget request and the same as the
fiscal year 2002 level. The Committee expects NASA EPSCoR to support a
broad range of research areas in each EPSCoR State, drawn from Earth
science, space science, aeronautics and space transportation technology,
and human exploration and development of space, and to distribute the
awards, competitively, to the largest number of eligible States
possible.
The Committee has provided $82,100,000 for NASA’s minority university
research and education activities. This is the same as the budget
request. Furthermore, the Committee supports the continuation of a
stand-alone Minority University Research and Education Division.
The Committee includes the following adjustments to the budget request:
An increase of $1,000,000 to the Delaware Aerospace Education
Foundation, Kent County, Delaware.
An increase of $750,000 to the Chabot Space and Science Center,
Oakland, California.
An increase of $2,500,000 to Marshall University, Bridgeport, West
Virginia, for the Hubble Telescope Project.
An increase of $1,500,000 to the University of Missouri-Columbia for
the Life Sciences Center.
An increase of $1,000,000 to Wesleyan College, Macon, Georgia for the
Monroe Science Center.
An increase of $1,000,000 to Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia, for
the Center of Excellence in Telecommunication and Space.
An increase of $1,000,000 to the Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx,
New York for the Discovery Center.
An increase of $1,000,000 to Rutgers University, Piscataway, New
Jersey for the Biomedical Engineering Facility.
An increase of $3,000,000 to the University of North Dakota Upper
Midwest Aerospace Consortium, Grand Forks, North Dakota, for earth
science education and remote sensing activities.
An increase of $1,000,000 to the Museum of Science and Industry,
Chicago, Illinois, for the Henry Crown Space Center.
An increase of $2,500,000 to Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa for
non-destructive evaluation studies.
An increase of $750,000 to the City of Des Moines, Iowa, for the Des
Moines Science Center.
An increase of $750,000 for the California Science Center.
An increase of $2,000,000 to the South Carolina Association of School
Administrators, Columbia, South Carolina for the Blue Ribbon School
Reform Project and Interactive Library.
An increase of $2,000,000 to the College of Charleston, Charleston,
South Carolina, for the School of Science and Mathematics.
An increase of $4,000,000 to the University of Hawaii, Hilo, for the
Mauna Kea Astronomy Education Center.
An increase of $2,000,000 to the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay,
for the Wisconsin Initiative for Math, Science and Technology Education.
An increase of $4,000,000 to the University of New Orleans,
Louisiana, for the Composites Research Center of Excellence at the
Michoud Space Center to develop advanced metallic joining technologies
for aerospace applications.
An increase of $250,000 for the University of Vermont for muscle,
bone blood studies related to human space flight.
An increase of $3,000,000 to the Mitchell Foundation, Portland, Maine
for science and engineering education.
An increase of $1,500,000 to the Maryland Science Center, Baltimore,
Maryland for expansion of the earth science hall.
An increase of $750,000 to the University of Arkansas, Little Rock,
for minority recruitment in science and engineering.
An increase of $2,500,000 to Brown University, Providence, Rhode
Island for the Life Sciences Building.
An increase of $1,000,000 to the State University of New York,
Buffalo, for the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics.
An increase of $1,000,000 to Lane County, Oregon for the Planetarium
Learning Center.
An increase of $500,000 for Virginia Commonwealth University for
advance research in batteries and fuel cells.
An increase of $2,000,000 for the Gulf of Maine Aquarium Foundation
for the construction of a Gulf of Maine Laboratory.
An increase of $1,000,000 for the University of North Carolina-Chapel
Hill for the Destiny Mobile Science Laboratory.
An increase of $500,000 for Widener University in Pennsylvania for
the development of a rooftop observatory.
An increase of $1,500,000 for the University of Missouri’s Center for
Gender Physiology for infrastructure and research needs.
An increase of $3,500,000 for the University of Missouri-Rolla for a
Center of Excellence for Aerospace Propulsion Particulate Emissions
Reduction.
An increase of $1,500,000 for Montana State University in Bozeman,
Montana for space science and engineering laboratory.
An increase of $1,000,000 for the University of Montana in Missoula,
Montana for the Northern Rockies Center for space privatization of
microgravity research.
