Friday, 31 July 1987 Washington, DC
1.
THE FEDERAL CONFERENCE ON COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
OF SUPERCONDUCTORS
was held in Washington in the midst of a flap
over the decision to exclude foreign representatives, even though
the meeting was fully covered by the foreign press
(WN 10 Jul 87). President
Reagan personally addressed the 2,000
businessmen, engineers and scientists. In announcing an 11-point
"Superconductivity Initiative," he began with a line he has used
many times in the past. "I have to confess that I am one of
those people who, when the Government offers to help, gets very
nervous." Many of the scientists in the audience had exactly the
same reaction when he began to describe the "help" the
Administration had in mind. The Department of Defense will
undertake a three-year $150M R&D effort in superconductivity,
coupled with plans to conceal the results of the research by
seeking new exceptions to the Freedom of Information Act. It
will come as no surprise that one of the 11 points calls for the
creation of a number of superconductivity research centers. This
does not involve new money, however, but a shift from other
research programs. Some of the points involve long-overdue
reform of intellectual property protection and anti-trust laws to
reflect the profound changes in technology and the world economy.
2
. THE REVOLVING DOOR--WILLIAM A. WALLENMEYER
is expected to
replace Harry Holmgren as director of the Southeastern
Universities Research Association (SURA), the organization that
manages the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility
(CEBAF). Holmgren is returning full time to the University of
Maryland in September. There is just one hitch. Wallenmeyer,
who is the director of the High Energy Physics Division at DoE,
doubled for a time as acting Associate Director of the Office of
High Energy and Nuclear Physics prior to the appointment of
Wilmot Hess (WN 19 Sep 87). It was during this period that the
decision to fund CEBAF was made by that office. A ruling will
have to be made on whether the SURA appointment violates federal
ethics laws. In the meantime, a search is on to find a
replacement for Wallenmeyer.
3. AN UNDERGRADUATE INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITES PROGRAM,
to be added
to H.R. 1905, the "Roe bill,"
(WN 12 Jun 87)
and (WN 17 Apr 87) is being
championed by all major higher education research associations.
The program would establish a separate, $50M competitive,
matching-grant program in NSF to modernize undergraduate
instructional and engineering laboratories. NSF has expressed
reservations, possibly prefering it be located elsewhere. NSF
did not support H.R. 1905 on budget grounds at the 25 June
hearing. The hearings brought forth the usual chorus supporting
geographic distribution and help for small institutions. Roe has
not yet announced his plans for future action on his bill, and
nothing is expected to happen before the August recess.
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