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proposed policies and to test innovative alternatives Improved policies developed by 

 incorporating the results of such experiments can lead to substantial savings For example, 

 the FCC sold broadband communication licenses using a "simultaneous multiple round 

 auction" system developed by NSF-funded researchers, and captured at least $1 billion in 

 additional net revenue for the government Based on NSF-funded research, EPA is using 

 pollution permits to promote more cost effective reductions in pollution levels This approach 

 will save about $100 million in the Los Angeles Basin alone 



• Composite Materials. NSF invests about $10 million annually on basic research on 

 composite materials This research into new materials bridges the fields of engineering, 

 physics, chemistry, and mathematical simulation With NSF support of $12 6 million over the 

 past seven years, the Science and Technology Center for High-Performance Polymeric 

 Adhesives and Composites has developed tough new materials like the advanced composite 

 used in the tail-section of the Boeing 777. Light as aluminum but far more durable and 

 fatigue-resistant at high altitudes, this resin-and-fiber composite is ideal for aircraft 

 Composites are familiar to us in recreational applications such as tennis rackets, golf clubs, 

 and sailboat masts. At the higher performance levels, the success of our satellites, earth- 

 orbiting systems, and stealth aircraft depend on fundamental composite materials research 



• Tornado Research Coordinated NSF sponsored research at universities, the National 

 Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the Center for Analysis and Prediction of 

 Storms (CAPS) is advancing fundamental knowledge of tornadoes and tornadic storms The 

 NSF and NOAA project VORTEX (Verification of Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes 

 Experiment) revealed unprecedented details of tornado genesis and served as a test of short- 

 term forecasts (up to 6 hours) of tornadic thunderstorms Two types of advanced tools were 

 used during VORTEX. The first was several advanced Doppler Radars developed 

 collaboratively between university scientists, NOAA and NCAR The second was the 

 numerical prediction system developed at the CAPS - the Advanced Regional Prediction 

 System, the best weather numerical model in existence for the prediction of localized severe 

 weather events. 



• Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). EPSCoR, initiated 

 in 1979, enhances the research competitiveness of 18 states and the Commonwealth of 

 Puerto Rico (all called "states"). EPSCoR builds partnerships among major research 

 universities, industry, and state governments to strengthen science and technology (S&T) 

 research, higher education, and technology transfer Over the period 1979-1995, EPSCoR 

 awarded $145 million in grants matched by $300 million from participants In FY 1995, 

 EPSCoR supported over 240 S&T projects conducted at 62 institutions These projects 

 involved more than 1,000 faculty and more than 2,000 postdoctoral, graduate, undergraduate 

 and high school students and covered all disciplines supported by NSF EPSCoR participants 

 have made the establishment of university/private sector partnerships a high priority 

 EPSCoR-sponsored R&D projects have also spawned some productive spin-off activities 

 For example, EPSCoR-funded research in South Dakota on the recovery of platinum from 

 catalytic converters has provided the basis for two patents and a pilot company 



Facilities: In addition to providing capabilities which produce world class research, the facilities 

 supported by NSF have promoted the potential uses of research results and technological 

 breakthroughs in the instrumentation provided by facilities. 



• The four NSF Supercomputer Centers have fostered fundamental advances in our 

 understanding of science and engineering in areas including the application of computing, 

 communications and information technologies to important national problems One major 

 accomplishment has been the dramatic expansion of the use of high end computing to 

 explore important questions in many scientific fields For example, research carried out at 



