cent above that of 1984, only one-half of inflation over the same period. This has led to staff reductions, for example, at the Green Bank Radio facility. Reversal of this trend is necessary to maintain the vigor of the science, the momentum of technical development, and the viability of major facilities. The Foundation is requested to study the long-range plan of its astronomical centers, including the future of their activities with other agencies, for example NASA and the U.S. Naval Observatory.

The Committee urges the Foundation, within the limited sums available, to establish an Engineering Research Center within the Pacific basin that focuses on ocean systems research.

The Arctic Research Commission recently concluded that a lead agency should be designated for social and behavioral research on Arctic topics. Based on a review of the possible agencies which could serve this role, the Committee concludes that the Foundation is uniquely suited to serve effectively as the lead agency for social and behavioral sciences with respect to Arctic research issues. In that light, the Committee recommends that the Foundation exercise that role and look for opportunities to more adequately support research in these areas.

The Arctic Research and Policy Act was designed to provide a comprehensive national policy dealing with national research needs and objectives in the Arctic. Pursuant to the act, on July 31, 1987, the President transmitted to the Congress the first U.S. Arctic research plan. The plan has not yet been implemented. The Committee recognizes the importance of the plan and the work of the Arctic Research Commission and directs that the Arctic Research Commission be funded at or above fiscal year 1987 levels.

The Committee has concurred with a House reduction of $7,000,000 for program development and management, establishing a limitation of $88,000,000 for NSF administrative expenses in fiscal year 1988. The Committee specifically directs the Agency to defer funding for a proposed $2,300,000 PBX telecommunications system which the Foundation had planned to install in fiscal year 1988.

The Committee believes additional economies could be made by requiring greater cost sharing by host institutions under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act [IPA]. IPA employees normally take a 1- or 2year leave of absence from their university to work for the Foundation and the Foundation, in most instances, pays their full salary. Other Federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, require the host institution to pay as much as 50 percent of an IPA assignee's salary because of the mutual benefit derived by both parties from an IPA assignment. The Committee directs the Foundation to make a concerted effort to increase the amount of cost sharing by host institutions in the negotiation of new IPA agreements and to submit a report on its progress to the Committee by March 1, 1988.

The Committee notes that IPA personnel, in a few instances, are paid more than their Federal counterparts. In some cases IPA staff have received a higher salary than the Foundation's director. The Committee

feels that this is an inappropriate use of Federal dollars and has included language in the bill placing a ceiling of $77,500, the highest amount that can be received by a Senior Executive Service employee, on Federal payments to IPA personnel. This ceiling will also apply to the salaries of consultants. This amendment is included in the general provisions title of the bill.

The Committee concurs with the House in rejecting the administration's proposal to increase the Foundation's official reception and representation allowance from $2,500 to $6,000. In view of the budget pressures faced by the Federal Government, the Committee believes such an increase would be inadvisable.

The U.S. Antarctic Program supports national goals to maintain the Antarctic treaty, to ensure the continent will continue to be used for peaceful purposes only, to foster cooperative research to contribute to the solution of regional and worldwide problems, and to protect the environment and achieve equitable and wise use of living and nonliving resources. This U.S. Antarctic Research Program continues to be the principal expression of national interest and policy in Antarctica.

In fiscal year 1988, the Foundation will continue to support research intended to increase knowledge of the Antarctic continent and surrounding oceans by developing an understanding of the Antarctic ice sheets and the Antarctic physical, biological, geological, meteorological, atmospheric, chemical, and oceanographic processes. Emphasis will be given to research in atmospheric sciences, marine ecosystems and nutrients, and ice sheet dynamics.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee recommends $117,000,000 for the U.S. Antarctic Program. This is $26,000,000 below the budget request and the House allowance and maintains the program at its current level.

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Foundation's Science and Engineering Education [SEE] Program is designed to encourage the entrance of talented students into science and technology careers, to improve the undergraduate science and engineering education environment, and to assist in providing all precollege students with a level of education in mathematics, science, and technology that reflects the needs of the Nation and is the highest quality attained anywhere in the world.

Graduate research fellowships provide support for the Nation's most able students to undertake graduate study in science and engineering. Each fellowship in fiscal year 1988 will provide a student stipend of $12,300 per year and a yearly cost of education allowance of $6,000 to the fellow's chosen institution. In fiscal year 1987, the National Science Foundation awarded 560 new graduate fellowships of which 55 were minority graduate fellowships. It is expected that approximately 200 additional new fellowships will be provided in fiscal year 1988.

At the undergraduate level, NSF provides support for improvement of science laboratories at 4-year colleges through purchase of equipment and encouragement of equipment sharing arrangements. Matching requirements (50 percent) extend the impact of the program and serve in many cases to establish new partnerships between colleges and private sector organizations. In addition, other programs support special undergraduate faculty enhancement efforts and projects to address the underrepresentation of women, minorities, and the disabled in science and engineering.

The precollege programs are designed to enhance the status and professionalism of science and mathematics teaching as a career, encourage the development of cooperative relationships among all segments of society that can assist in the improvement of precollege science and mathematics education, encourage the development of quality instruction programs, incorporate the usage of computers and other new technologies, support research in teaching and learning, identify new ideas and exemplary approaches to the long-term problems of continuing science and mathematics teacher education, and encourage talented secondary school students to consider careers in science and engineering.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee recommends $115,000,000 for science and engineering education activities. This is the same as the budget request and $30,000,000 less than the House allowance. The amount recommended will permit continuation of needed initiatives to improve the quality and impact of not only exemplary federally sponsored programs, but will expand the reach and direct support of these activities to all grade levels through secondary education and into the undergraduate college curriculum.

The Committee is pleased to note that NSF has created the Office of Undergraduate Science, Engineering and Mathematics Education in the SEE Directorate and that throughout their budget planning process, a

focus has been on balance across the education spectrum to attract, educate, and retrain the technical personnel we need for our future.

To insure that the Foundation moves forward on its undergraduate science education initiatives and supports and maintains a robust science and engineering education program at all levels, the Committee is requesting the Foundation to report each year on the expenditure of resources in support of undergraduate education. Specifically, the report shall include such areas as instrumentation/laboratory development, research experience for undergraduates, faculty enhancement, curriculum development, and research in undergraduate institutions.

The Committee's interest in NSF activities at the precollege level is very great. In that regard, the Committee urges NSF to support innovative comprehensive public-private partnership proposals to improve precollege science and mathematics education. Significant involvement of State and local education agencies and groups, other Federal agencies, industry, and other private groups would be appropriate. This new ef fort should incorporate all of the elements necessary to advance the state of the art in precollege science education. The Foundation should consider the use of planning grants, similar to the mechanism used in the experimental program to stimulate competitive research, for the initiation of these comprehensive efforts. Specifically, materials research, development, and dissemination; teacher training and stipends; the use of high-quality advanced technologies (hardware and software); and appropriate evaluation procedures should be included in these comprehensive innovations in precollege science education.

The Committee recognizes that a critical component of the Nation's drive to improve its competitive posture in the world arena is a technologically oriented and educated population. A coordinated effort is needed to make optimal use of the Nation's educational and scientific resources. The Committee, therefore, urges the Agency to coordinate its educational activities with those supported by the Department of Energy, including the national laboratories, and the Department of Education, and to actively seek areas of cooperation to improve our overall education strategy. The Committee is impressed with the Foundation's continued commitment to science and mathematics education for young people, such as its support of nationwide mathematics and science education television programs for home and school viewing. The Committee particularly appreciates the cooperation of the Department of Education with NSF in these projects, and urges that this joint support continue.

The Committee commends NSF for fostering innovative ways to develop science and mathematics teaching materials. A specific example is NSF's efforts to foster partnerships between publishers and curriculum developers. While encouraging NSF to continue these alliances, the Committee believes NSF should also support the development of science and mathematics teaching materials coupled with other related activities that are created through alternative models such as partnerships between developers and other members of the private sector, univer

sities, and State and local educational agencies. New types of alliances could include new elements that do not presently exist such as followup coaching of teachers, localization of materials to address local needs, adaptable materials that reflect unique education environments, preservice training in the use of new materials, ongoing research to address problems arising in the use of new materials, and other innovative uses of advanced technologies.

The Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation was created by the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation Act (title VI of the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978, Public Law 95557, Oct. 31, 1978). The Corporation, through the Neighborhood Housing Services [NHS] Apartment Improvement and Mutual Housing Association programs improves the quality of life in NHS neighborhoods for current residents, exerts a long-term stabilizing influence on the neighborhood business environment, reverses neighborhood decline and reduces the risks of doing business in the neighborhood. NHS programs have been positively impacting urban neighborhoods for several years. More recent experience is also demonstrating the success of this approach in rural communities-when given the availability of adequate

resources.

In 1988, the Corporation plans to continue developing NHS and Mutual Housing Association programs in a limited number of additional cities; providing assistance to NHS programs, expanding to additional neighborhoods; and assisting local programs with designing and implementing the individual plans and strategies needed to accomplish their particular goals leading to the neighborhood becoming self-reliant. Ongoing technical services (training, internal systems analyses, interim staffing, et cetera) will continue to be provided to local programs to the extent that resources allow. The Corporation also plans to continue selecting neighborhood preservation projects for support, monitoring, and evaluation; and replicating promising strategies and mechanisms in other localities.

The Corporation also plans to continue providing, on a limited basis and subject to the availability of low-cost capital, resources to enable NHS's to expand their services to tackle the specific issues standing in the way of realizing neighborhood goals and achieving neighborhood self-reliance. With these supplements, the NHS can address such elements as more distressed neighborhoods, lower-income households, a higher proportion of renters and apartment buildings, more blighted buildings, scattered vacant lots, decaying commercial strips, lack of