6 



A word is now in order about the change in our support of re- 

 search facilities. NSF supports large, world-class, multi-user re- 

 search facilities that are complicated, that are expensive, and that 

 require a long-term commitment of support for operations and up- 

 grades. 



Included in this list are optical and radial telescopes, particle ac- 

 celerators, high-field magnet lab, laser inferometer gravitational 

 wave observatory, and the Antarctic facilities, Research Fleet, and 

 other facilities. 



The budget request also includes $95 million for Major Research 

 Equipment Account which will be used to support the continued 

 construction of LIGO, and important safety, health, and environ- 

 mental improvements necessary to maintain the U.S. research ac- 

 tivities in the Antarctic. 



In order to accommodate our highest priorities, we have found it 

 necessary to eliminate support for the renovation of research facili- 

 ties under the Academic Research and Infrastructure Program. 



I recognize that there are some who will be disappointed with 

 this decision, but in these times of constrained budgets, difficult 

 choices have to be made. Let me assure you that the decision was 

 not an easy one, and it was made only after much discussion and 

 debate. 



Consistent with recommendations provided in the National Per- 

 formance Review which stressed re-examination of our role and our 

 specific objectives, we have concluded that this renovation of aca- 

 demic buildings might reasonably be supported through nonfederal 

 sources such as states, the private sector, or the academic institu- 

 tions themselves. 



This decision provides us with the resources that will accommo- 

 date research and education activities which are of a higher prior- 

 ity. We will continue our competitive program to support instru- 

 mentation at all levels at colleges and universities. 



The second principle used in developing the budget is building 

 bridges across many types of boundaries. This principle is exempli- 

 fied in the integration of research and education at all levels. 



We make the integration of research and education a major 

 theme in our planning. There is a wealth of information pointing 

 to the value of inquiry-based learning as a superior way for stu- 

 dents to learn, and also as a way of teaching problem-solving skills 

 to transfer from one subject to another. 



In the future, employers will increasingly need workers who are 

 not only well-versed in science and technology concepts, but who 

 are adept at learning through experimentation, through inquiry, 

 critical evaluation and discovery all characteristics of the research 

 culture. 



We are currently planning awards that recognize achievement 

 and that encourage future efforts to integrate research and edu- 

 cation. 



Some research universities have shown leadership in developing 

 innovative programs to broadly involve students in research and 

 inquiry-based learning and to involve their best researchers in 

 science and engineering education at all levels. 



We want to recognize those efforts, and to encourage them to 

 share their ideas and experience with other institutions. 



