Cell biology (cell membranes, flow 

 of substances across cell mem- 

 branes, cell structure, abnormalities 

 in cell constituents, regulatory proc- 

 esses in cells) 



Neurosciences (a broad spectrum of 

 investigations). 



List of Gap Areas 



Neurobiology (how the brain and 

 nervous system develop, how they 

 function in health and disease, how 

 thought occurs, how memory is 

 stored, how we reason, how we are 

 motivated, and how we interact with 

 our physical and social environment. 

 (For more detail, see national priori- 

 ty list at the beginning of this chap- 

 ter.) 



National Institute of Education (NIE) 



The National Institute of Education has out- 

 lined research priorities that emphasize the under- 

 standing and measurement of the learning process 

 and the development of means to identify and in- 

 tegrate the needs of both the individual student 

 and the community to which he belongs. 



List of Priorities 



• Basic skills (learning, teaching, meas- 

 urement of achievement in reading, 

 writing, and basic mathematics, and 

 educational standards) 



• Finance and productivity 



• School productivity 



• School capacity for problem solving 



• Educational equity 



• Education and work 



• Dissemination and resources. 



Department of Housing and Urban 

 Development (HUD) 



List of I^iorities 



of control of 



Causes and means 

 housing costs 



Alternative mechanisms for financing 

 subsidized housing to encourage bet- 

 ter maintenance 



Ways to assist older cities in their 

 economic development and financial 

 problems 



New approaches to providing hous- 

 ing to the elderly and handicapped 

 Neighborhood reinvestment and revi- 

 talization 



• Procedures for selecting sites for 

 subsidized housing and, more gener- 

 ally, for fostering stable racial and 

 economic integration. 



List of Gap Areas'' 



Homeownership (e.g., whether hous- 

 ing is a "merit good," i.e., a product or 

 service that deserves community sup- 

 port or funding above the value indivi- 

 dual users might place upon it) 

 Equal opportunity goals in HUD 

 projects (do they provide role mod- 

 els for upward mobility and other 

 benefits to the less fortunate) 

 Effects of local and Federal tax poli- 

 cies on investment incentives in 

 rental property 



Urban property rehabilitation (e.g., 

 whether current practices have un- 

 wanted side efl"ects, such as family 

 relocation problems and small busi- 

 ness disruption). 



Department of the Interior 



Bureau of Mines 



The Bureau of Mines sponsors programs of ba- 

 sic research that are relevant to issues such as 

 production of minerals, minimization of mineral 

 waste, and environmentally acceptable systems of 

 mineral supply, processing, usage, and disposal. 



List of Priorities (short-term) 



• Fundamental thermodynamic data 

 and processing evaluations essential 

 to the development of minerals pro- 

 cessing technology 



• Improved phosphate rock processing 

 methods to improve recovery, re- 

 duce losses, control contaminants, 

 and minimize slimes disposal prob- 

 lems 



• A sound data base of mineral re- 

 serves, production, and consumption 

 for determining longer range priori- 

 ties 



• Improved techniques for detecting 

 impending rock bursts 



• Improved fire suppression systems 

 for mines 



'These are mentioned as basic topics that provide opportuni- 

 ties for future research. See HUD submission. Part I, for fur- 

 ther details. 



PRIORITIES AND GAP AREAS 



309 



