Morris Aizenman Senior Scientist Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences National Science Foundation Physics and Engineering Sciences Committee April 2010
FY 2011 and FY 2012 Budget Environment President and Congress recognize basic research and NSF’s central role in supporting the sciences, but … The Budgetary Environment Federal Budget Deficit National Priorities – the Economy, War on Terrorism, Homeland Security, Energy, Climate President’s Goal: Maintain level funding for discretionary funding for FY 2011, FY 2012, FY 2013
FY 2011 NSF Request NSF Funding by Account (Dollars in Millions) FY 2009 Omnibus Actual FY 2009 ARRA Actual FY 2010 Estimate FY 2011 Request Change over FY 2010 Estimate AmountPercent Research & Related Activities 1 $5,152.39$2,062.64$5,563.92$6,018.83$ % Education & Human Resources % Major Research Equipment & Facilities Construction % Agency Operations & Award Management % National Science Board % Office of Inspector General % Total, NSF$6,468.76$2,401.66$6,872.51$7,424.40$ %
FY 2011 NSF R&RA Request FY 2009 Omnibus FY 2009 ARRAFY 2010FY 2011 Change over FY 2010 Estimate Actual EstimateRequestAmountPercent Biological Sciences $656.62$260.00$714.54$767.81$ % Computer & Information Science & Engineering % Engineering % Geosciences % Mathematical & Physical Sciences 1, , , % Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences % Office of Cyberinfrastructure % Office of International Science & Engineering % Office of Polar Programs % Integrative Activities % U.S. Arctic Research Commission % Total, R&RA $5,152.39$2,062.64$5,563.92$6,018.83$ %
MPS FY 2011 Budget Request Discovery +6.7% Average annualized increase 5%
MPS FY 2009 ARRA $490M total investment in MPS R&RA + $146M MREFC Research and Education grants - $402M Close to 400 new PIs 85 CAREER awards Major investments in GRF, REU, post-doc programs Over 70 energy and over 25 climate awards Facilities and Instrumentation support - $88M 10 MPS-supported user facilities received funding, for operations, maintenance, safety upgrades, saving jobs Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) $146M in MREFC construction Tremendous boost for solar astronomy
Budget Summary $1.41B budget requested for FY 2011 for MPS Sustaining research in fundamental science AST, CHE, DMR, DMS, PHY Supporting young researchers REU to CAREER Investing in national priorities SEBML, SEES
MPS Core Programs Support researchers to investigate –Structure/evolution of the universe, fundamental particles, processes of matter –Behavior and control of molecules at nanoscale, complexity of their chemical interactions in materials and life processes –New mathematical structures and theories, connections to computation, experiment, observation Fundamental for advances in all science, medicine, industry, technology
Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) MPS is partnering with other NSF Directorates to invest in climate and energy research Energy –Energy Storage New battery materials could “charge in seconds” –SOLAR program Novel earth-abundant materials for solar energy harvesting, creating efficient solar cells Efficient materials for direct conversion of photons into hydrogen via water electrolysis Climate –New algorithms improve atmospheric and ocean simulations with parameterized uncertainties in physical processes, which typically hamper climate change predictions SEES request: $ M
MPS/MPSAC Working Groups Climate Energy Broadening Participation Computation Life Sciences SEBML/QIS Matter by Design Facilities Fundamental Science
Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Will be the world’s most advanced radio telescope: unprecedented sensitivity, angular resolution Premier tool to study the first galaxies (~500 Myr after the Big Bang) in the universe, whose light has been stretched to sub-millimeter wavelength Three telescopes already operating; 16 by 2011; over 5 dozen when complete by late 2012
NOvA (off-axis) HomestakeDUSEL MINOS (on-axis) 1300 km 735 km High Intensity Neutrino Beam Mega-Detector at DUSEL: CP violation, Proton Decay, Supernovae Fermilab The configuration of a Mega-Detector at Homestake, greater than 1,000 km from a high intensity source, offers a discovery opportunity that is unique in the world. Discussions with international parties have begun. The Long Baseline Experiment
Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will produce an wide-field astronomical survey of our universe using an 8.4-meter ground-based telescope. The camera will have 3200 Megapixels making it the world’s largest digital camera. It will produce 30 Terabytes of data nightly with nearly instant alerts issued for objects that change in position or brightness.
Giant Segmented Mirror Telescopes The Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) The 20-Meter Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)