The FY 1999 Budget Request for the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Activity is $792.03 million, an increase of $76.32 million, or 10.7 percent, over the FY 1998 Current Plan of $715.71 million.
 

The Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) Activity supports a strong and diverse portfolio of research and education in mathematics, astronomical science, physics, chemistry, and materials research. The purpose of this work is both to deepen our understanding of the physical universe, and to use this understanding in service to society.

In addition, the mathematical and physical sciences underpin many other scientific endeavors and serve as the training ground for at least half of all doctoral scientists now employed in U.S. industry. Supporting areas of inquiry that are critical for long-term U.S. economic strength and security, MPS provides a substantial portion of federal funding for fundamental research at academic institutions in these areas, and in some of the subfields accounts for most of the federal investment.

The new opportunities are many. Research at the atomic level will result in a period of discovery which could be termed a "molecular revolution." The study of complex chemical and physical systems offers critical insights into climate change and other natural phenomena. Biological systems can be understood and controlled via powerful mathematical and physical techniques, such as the creation of algorithms critical for drug design and for the development of biopolymers, gels, and other biomolecular materials. New tools critical to scientific progress – from advanced magnets, to novel sensors, to more powerful telescopes – are being developed and refined, and will make possible the understanding of physical phenomena at a much more profound level. Essential to achieving these goals is the development of new mathematical tools and algorithms for modeling and simulation of physical and biological phenomena.

MPS places a high priority on multidisciplinary work and on partnerships. The Multidisciplinary Activities Subactivity is designed to catalyze efforts in emerging areas of research and education at disciplinary boundaries. By fostering closer connections with other federal agencies, state governments, and industry, MPS investigators can enhance the impact of their efforts and increase the return on NSF investments.

International partnerships are critical to progress, both intellectually and financially, especially in the areas of astronomy, physics, and materials research, all of which require the use of large facilities. An example is the strong international cooperation that the Astronomy Subactivity has generated in support of the Gemini Observatories. Another is the collaboration with the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Research and with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) that the Physics Subactivity has pursued toward the development of detectors for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

World leadership in science is a critical objective for MPS. Receipt of Nobel Prizes by MPS-supported investigators is a strong indicator of the long-term importance of MPS research. The 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Steven Chu of Stanford University, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji of the College de France and the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, and William Phillips of the National Institute of Standards and Technology for their work in applying laser techniques to the cooling and trapping of atoms. Chu's work on laser cooling at Stanford University has been supported by the Physics Subactivity. It has had a seminal effect on atom manipulation and control, and has enabled many other major discoveries, including the development of atom tweezers, the experimental discovery of the Bose-Einstein condensate, and demonstration of the basics of an atom laser.

In FY 1999, MPS will provide support for the Foundation-wide priority multidisciplinary areas of Knowledge and Distributed Intelligence (KDI), Life and Earth’s Environment (LEE), and Educating for the Future (EFF).

Knowledge and Distributed Intelligence. MPS will provide an increment of $14.97 million for KDI. Plans will include:

• Knowledge Networking: MPS will provide an increment of $2.0 million to support increased activity in data mining and analysis of large, distributed, heterogeneous data bases of observational data.
• Learning and Intelligent Systems: MPS will provide an increment of $2.0 million to support research in the development of smart instrumentation, control theory, statistical learning theory, machine learning algorithms, and learning in many cognitive domains such as language and vision.
• New Computational Challenges: MPS will provide an increment of $10.97 million to support the modeling and simulation of both very complex physical systems and sophisticated instrumentation. This will allow physical scientists to predict accurately the properties and functions of new light-weight materials, drugs to immoblize viruses, and the detailed performance of very costly and complex instruments.

• Life in Extreme Environments (LExEn): MPS will provide an increment of $4.70 million for two focus areas in LExEn. One involves investigations requiring expertise in surface chemistry; for example, understanding microbial interactions at mineral surfaces, development of chemical sensors, or development of new analytical methods for micro-quantities of biological materials. The second area involves development of a model for the origin of the universe that will provide information on planetary development useful in models of atmospheric behavior and for prediction of solar influences. These studies could provide clues to the requirements for a life-sustaining environment .
• Urban Communities: MPS will provide an increment of $2.21 million for the development of new materials for urban infrastructure. Durable, corrosion-resistant, and light-weight structural materials are needed particularly for environments that are subject to effects of pollution and constant use. If they are available at lower cost, this can affect important economic-ecological tradeoffs made by decision-makers. This also contributes to mitigation of the impacts of natural disasters.
• Environmental Technologies/Engineered Systems: MPS will provide an increment of $1.5 million to increase support for research, in collaboration with EPA, on technologies for a sustainable environment, primarily alternative synthetic methods for chemicals and materials that are more environmentally benign. In addition, development of sensors, surface studies, novel materials, and industrial ecology (recycling, biomimetic processing, etc.) will receive increased support.
• Global Change: MPS will provide an increment of $570,000 to enhance support for studies of greenhouse gas dynamics, global troposphere, and some mathematical modeling of atmospheric and ecosystems.
• Integrated Research Challenges: MPS will provide an increment of $1.66 million for Integrated Research Challenges. The interdisciplinary issues to be addressed will benefit significantly from the expertise of mathematical scientists, chemists, and materials researchers. In addition, support will increase for the Environmental Molecular Science Institutes, which involve extensive cross-disciplinary work and industrial partnerships.

• CAREER: MPS will provide an increment of $3.90 million for the Faculty Early Career Development program, to target young investigators and to increase participation of underrepresented minority groups. MPS fields of research accounted for one-fourth of the Foundation’s CAREER awards in FY 1997.
• IGERT: MPS will provide an increment of $2.24 million for the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training program to broaden graduate education, providing students with training beyond the boundaries of a single discipline, thus preparing them for a wider spectrum of career opportunities.
• REU: MPS will provide an increment of $1.76 million for the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, to enhance opportunities for undergraduate students to experience hands-on participation in research or related scholarly activities. MPS supports over half of NSF’s REU sites, involving over 1,500 undergraduates. Between one-third and one-half of these undergraduates are women, and one-eighth are from underrepresented minority groups.
• VIGRE: MPS will provide an increment of $4.50 million for the Vertically Integrated Grants for Research and Education in the Mathematical Sciences program, an undergraduate, graduate student and postdoctoral activity designed to improve and reform the research and educational opportunities in the mathematical sciences.
• Learning Technologies: MPS will provide an increment $2.0 million as part of the Foundation-wide initiative on Research on K-12 Education and Training Technologies, a partnership with the Department of Education. Funding will support efforts such as basic research on educationally relevant technologies; research aimed at developing educational software and technology-enabled pedagogy; and studies to determine the most effective educational approaches and practices.
• K-8 Mathematics Initiative: MPS will participate in an initiative in partnership with the Department of Education, providing $3.0 million to support efforts such as teacher training and enhancement, curriculum development, and the creation of instructional materials and technology-based systems.
• Other program activities: MPS will provide $1.0 million to support new education and outreach activities for K-12 teachers and students, new opportunities that will help to bring the excitement of science to the classroom and to engage K-12 science teachers and students. MPS will enhance efforts aimed at broadening the training of young physicists to address multidisciplinary problems which are outside the usual scope of the field, by increasing FY 1999 funding by $750,000. In addition, MPS will increase funding of a joint effort conducted with the EHR Activity to support collaborative research projects between university faculty and industry scientists coupled to curriculum improvements, as well as provide increased support for digital libraries.

MPS supports its ongoing and new activities through the following key program functions:
 

Research Project Support

Research Project Support provides funding for research projects and centers that span all the mathematical and physical science disciplines. Research projects account for two-thirds of the MPS Activity, while centers account for an additional ten percent. These awards range from support of single investigators to group or center awards designed to meet the research needs of a collaboration. These award mechanisms promote the competition of ideas, rapid innovation arising from new scientific opportunities, and flexible approaches to complex scientific problems.

In FY 1999, MPS will implement efforts to address the Foundation-wide concern about grant sizes by increasing the average size and duration of awards and providing more support for researchers with particular attention to new investigators. These efforts will also contribute to increasing the efficiency of the Foundation’s merit review process and achieve greater cost-effectiveness for both NSF and the university community.

Within Research Project Support, funding for research projects will increase in FY 1999 by $40.98 million, to total $519.26 million. MPS will participate in a new Foundation-wide initiative on Research on K-12 Education and Training Technologies, a partnership with the Department of Education. MPS will provide $2.0 million to support efforts such as basic research on educationally relevant technologies; research aimed at developing educational software and technology-enabled pedagogy; and studies to determine the most effective educational approaches and practices.

In terms of ongoing efforts, MPS will increase its investments in the Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI), to a total of $12.60 million, and in the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program, to a total of $21.26 million. MPS will also increase support for undergraduate education for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI), to levels of $12.37 million and $9.36 million, respectively. MPS will continue to support Collaboratives to Integrate Research and Education (CIRE), a jointly funded program initiated during FY 1998 with the EHR Activity to establish long-term research and education relationships between minority-serving institutions and NSF-supported centers and facilities. Multidisciplinary areas of interest include astrophysics, computational science and engineering, nanoscience and engineering, optical science and engineering, plasma science and engineering, environmental research, and research related to biological systems.

The MPS disciplines require a wide variety of state-of-the-art equipment and instrumentation to make scientific and educational progress. In addition, instrument development to open new frontiers of scientific endeavor is an important aspect of MPS-supported research. For example, the development of adaptive optics enables new types of astronomical observations; chemical and materials research depend critically on synchrotron radiation beam lines and advanced lasers to study structures at the atomic scale; and the molecular synthesis and processing of novel complex molecules and advanced participation in materials requires techniques of ever-increasing sophistication. All of the MPS disciplines increasingly rely on computers to carry out simulations and visualizations, and to aid in the analysis of large data sets. In FY 1999, MPS support for equipment and instrumentation acquisition and instrument development will increase by $9.78 million, to $95.70 million. Instrumentation accounts for approximately 12 percent of the MPS budget, and includes MPS's participation in the NSF-wide Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program.

In FY 1999, increased funding will focus on areas that include the following:

• Fundamental and Applied Mathematics: The mathematical sciences continue to play essential roles in both independent discovery and in support of other fields of research; indeed, mathematics enables tomorrow's science, engineering, and technology. From modeling heart valves and other biological processes; to predicting environmental change; to signal processing and high-speed magnetic-resonance imaging; to understanding massive data sets and transportation webs; to enabling communications quality, speed and security; to understanding the stability of matter in the universe, the mathematical sciences -- linked with science and engineering -- provide the computation, visualization, algorithms, models, and theoretical foundations of discovery. MPS support of this effort will increase substantially in FY 1999, by an estimated $6.0 million.
• Origins of the Universe: Research in this area seeks to answer some of the most intriguing questions of all: How did the universe begin? How did matter, planets, stars, and galaxies form? Did life exist elsewhere in the universe? Does it now? We still do not know exactly how the chemical elements form, and how galaxies, stars, and planetary systems are born and evolve. We do not completely understand the Sun's impact on processes here on Earth. These important questions require many complementary contributions from astrophysics, particle physics, nuclear physics, exobiology, and chemistry. Ground-based telescopes, such as the Gemini Observatories currently under construction and accelerators such as the LHC and the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), all contribute to the solution of these questions, as do companion efforts in theoretical physics and chemistry. Increased support for research projects – an estimated $4.0 million – as well as for facilities will be provided for this work in FY 1999.
• The Quantum Realm: To capitalize on recent discoveries and technological advances, support for study of the quantum realm -- where the laws of quantum mechanics play a decisive role -- will increase in FY 1999. This area of research is as broad as it is bold, covering such diverse topics as the fundamental makeup of the world around us, the basic nature of the chemical reactions that control our environment, and the development of new materials. On the cosmic scale, there is increasing evidence that much of the matter in the universe is not the ordinary matter of which the earth and the living things upon it are made. On the atomic scale, the use of very precise lasers now allows us to slow, trap, and manipulate single atoms. On the scale of elementary particles, the LHC will enable research at the smallest length scales ever probed. In the realm of mathematics, researchers are finding important links between quantum theory and fundamental mathematics that have been beneficial to both areas. Increased support in FY 1999 for study of the quantum realm is estimated at $9.0 million.
• Molecular Connections: The understanding of phenomena at the molecular level continues to grow in importance. The enhanced capabilities to synthesize, characterize, and model complex systems provide an intellectual bridge by which MPS works with other disciplines to solve important problems in biology, geology, and engineering. Recent research ventures have resulted in new models for abiotic production of organic molecules under adverse conditions that may mimic those of the young Earth or other planets; in models that describe the role of microbes in the composition and dissolution of mineral surfaces; and in the discovery of supramolecular films that may find utility as de-icing layers or coatings for artificial blood vessels. MPS will emphasize molecular research in FY 1999 by continuing its support of work that explores the synthesis and properties of nanostructures (associations of molecules smaller than 50 nanometers) and by participating in the Foundation’s cross-disciplinary nanotechnology programs. Research in this area is expected to lead to advances in protective coatings, electronic components, and biomedicine. It is estimated that increased support for molecular research in FY 1999 will total $16.0 million.
• Integration of Research and Education: MPS activities have played a key role in integrating science and education, and in helping people of all ages experience the thrill of "discovering science." MPS activities currently support more than 5,000 graduate students and 2,000 post-doctoral appointees each year; this training involves them in the most timely and important research. Over the last decade the number of undergraduates who spend part of each year on MPS-sponsored research has risen sharply under the REU Program. This has significantly broadened undergraduate education in the mathematical and physical sciences, and has blurred the distinction between undergraduate and graduate education. MPS-sponsored activities, particularly the larger ones based on centers and facilities, have an increasing number of outreach programs that help bring the excitement of the most current scientific discoveries into K-12 teaching, to help all students become scientifically literate. Moreover, the collaboration of researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and student assistants working together on a research project is a natural integration of research and education.

In FY 1998, MPS supports ten Science and Technology Centers (STC) and 24 Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC). The research activities of STCs cover a broad range, from advanced materials, to particle astrophysics, to ultrafast optical science. In the MRSECs, researchers from many disciplines, including engineering, the mathematical and physical sciences, and biology focus on a wide range of materials types, structures, and fundamental processes.

Interdisciplinary groups at a number of MRSECs and STCs are working in close partnership with teachers and educators to bring materials science alive for pre-college students in a variety of programs. For example, the MRSEC at Northwestern University has worked with pre-college teachers to develop its educational Materials World Modules program for schools. The program is now in use in several states in the U.S., and will be distributed internationally. The program features hands-on student learning of scientific principles using materials related modules.

Centers play a significant role in attracting women and other groups that are underrepresented in the scientific workforce to careers in science. The MRSECs support more than 1,700 faculty members and students. Of these, about 350 are women and 160 are from other underrepresented groups. Efforts by the MRSECs to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities will be further enhanced.

• An increase in FY 1999 of $3.78 million, to a total of $51.71 million, will support the establishment of up to four new MRSECs.
• A decrease in FY 1999 of $2.61 million, to a total of $19.05, is planned for STCs in accordance with the scheduled phasing out of funding for the centers that were established in 1989.
• Additional support will be also be provided in FY 1999 for instrumentation at the National High Field FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry Center and to support statistical modeling at the Center on Human Dimensions of Global Change.

Advances in astronomy, physics, and many areas of materials research depend heavily on user facilities that provide state-of-the-art capabilities, including instrumentation, that enable research at the cutting edge of science. The investment in facilities not only supports ongoing operations and maintenance, but also periodic upgrades that may be needed to provide continued research opportunities at the forefront of science.
 

• An increase of $12.48 million, to a total of $19.78 million, for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). These funds provide for operating staff and infrastructure as commissioning activities move towards initial observations. Construction funding provided through the Major Research Equipment account will be completed in FY 1998. For additional information, see the Major Research Equipment account.
• An increase of $720,000, to a total of $6.98 million, for the Gemini Observatories to support operation of the observatory sites. The northern observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, expects first light in December 1998. First light at the southern site observatory at Cerro Pachon, Chile is scheduled for FY 2000. For additional information, see the Major Research Equipment account.
• A decrease of $400,000, to a total of $17.90 million, for the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR). This reflects completion of FY 1998 funding for the CESR upgrade and includes increased support for operations. CESR serves a broad user community and continues to be a world-leading center for study of the B-meson and its relation to the electro-weak force and to understanding the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe.
• An increase of $2.0 million, to a total of $13.74 million, for Michigan State University’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The increment supports the radioactive ion beam upgrade project, which will continue until FY 2001. This upgrade will provide important research opportunities for hundreds of users of the NSCL, with particular emphasis on nuclear astrophysics, a high priority within nuclear science overall.
• Funding for the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) will remain at $17.50 million. The NHMFL continues to provide world leadership in high magnetic field capability, supporting research needs of hundreds of materials scientists and other researchers in a broad spectrum of science and technology. The NHMFL is operated by the Florida State University, the University of Florida, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and is funded through a partnership between NSF, DOE, and the State of Florida.
• Funding for the three major national astronomy facilities – the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC), and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) – will increase by $4.0 million to $70.13 million. An increase of $2.0 million for NOAO will provide for upgrading of instrumentation, continued operation of the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG), and continued construction of instruments for the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigation of the Sun (SOLIS). An increase of $2.0 million for NRAO will provide for enhanced operations and maintenance and development of new instrumentation at the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA).

In FY 1999, MPS will significantly increase investments in education and training that ensure preparation of a diverse, broadly trained and globally competitive scientific workforce, and that help to develop a scientifically literate populace. These investments will support innovative activities in education and training at all levels from K-12 through the postdoctoral experience. Funding identified in the table below includes only dedicated education and training activities and excludes education and training activities supported through research awards and those taking place at centers and facilities.
 

The FY 1999 increase for education and training activities in MPS will be $13.89 million.

• At the K-12 level, a $4.05 million increase will support Web-based and other informal science education and teacher enhancement through cooperative interactions with other MPS-supported research sites. MPS will also participate in the K-8 Mathematics Initiative, a NSF partnership with the Department of Education. As part of this increase, MPS will provide $3.0 million to support efforts such as teacher training and enhancement, curriculum development, and the creation of instructional materials and technology-based systems.
• Investment in undergraduate education activities will increase by $1.85 million that will provide students with broadened curriculum content and laboratory experiences and will stimulate the vertical integration of undergraduate students into the teaching and learning environment that extends upward to the graduate and postdoctoral levels and reforming materials research and education. In addition, increased funding will support new efforts to reform material research and education.
• At the graduate level, MPS will provide increased funding of $7.99 million. Increased funding will provide enhanced support for the Foundation-wide, multidisciplinary Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program and the Grants for Vertical Integration of Research and Education in the Mathematical Sciences (VIGRE) program. These traineeship activities are broadening significantly graduate education, increasing diversity, and are expected to lead to a shortening of the time to the Ph.D. degree and to produce graduates well versed in both research and teaching and who are prepared for a wide spectrum of career opportunities. An initiative within the Physics Subactivity aimed at ensuring that young physicists are equipped with the appropriate skills and vision essential to addressing problems that reach into disciplines beyond the usual boundaries of the field will receive increased support of $750,000 in FY 1999. Additional funding of $1.20 million will also be provided to support new efforts to reform material research and education that build upon existing activities.
• MPS will provide an increment of $600,000 for increased support of postdoctorals both through focused postdoctoral programs and through the VIGRE activity that is cooperatively supported by the Mathematical Sciences Subactivity and the Education and Human Resources Activity.

The Administration and Management key program function includes the cost of Intergovernmental Personnel Act appointments and contractors performing administrative functions.