Focus ues. " I n 1983, a b o u t 1700 c h e m i s t r y P h . D . degrees were conferred, so t h e a n n u a l i n v e s t m e n t p e r P h . D . joining t h e work force was $205,000. T h i s figu r e is one-fifth t h e c o m p a r a b l e figure for physics a n d p e r h a p s o n e - t w e n t i e t h t h a t for a s t r o n o m y . T h u s , t h e federal i n v e s t m e n t in c h e m i s t r y is meager c o m p a r e d t o t h a t received b y its comp a n i o n physical sciences. Clearly, t h i s i n v e s t m e n t is n o t c o m m e n s u r a t e w i t h t h e practical i m p o r t a n c e of c h e m i s t r y — b o t h economic a n d societal—nor w i t h t h e o u t s t a n d i n g intellectual o p p o r t u n i t i e s it now offers." T h e r e p o r t ' s major r e c o m m e n d a tions involve increased federal s u p p o r t of c h e m i s t r y b o t h in an a b s o l u t e sense a n d relative t o o t h e r scientific disciplines. T h e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s b r e a k d o w n as follows for t h e different federal funding agencies: • National Science Foundation (NSF). T h e N S F C h e m i s t r y Division b u d g e t should be d o u b l e d . T h e new m o n e y should be u s e d t o increase t h e average g r a n t size, t o encourage young investigators, a n d t o increase t h e p u r chase a n d m a i n t e n a n c e fund for shared and dedicated instrumentation. (In t h e r e p o r t , " s h a r e d " refers to d e p a r t m e n t a l l y or regionally s h a r e d
i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n facilities a n d " d e d i c a t e d " refers t o i n s t r u m e n t s u s e d only b y a single a c a d e m i c d e p a r t m e n t . ) T h e fraction of university cost sharing on i n s t r u m e n t p u r c h a s e s should be reduced, a n d funds should be p r o v i d e d in each g r a n t t o cover m a i n t e n a n c e a n d o p e r a t i n g costs for t h e first five years after p u r c h a s e . T w e n t y of t h e 198 c h e m i s t r y - P h . D . g r a n t i n g a c a d e m i c i n s t i t u t i o n s in t h e U.S. should house N S F - s p o n s o r e d inventories of six major i n s t r u m e n t s , selected from t h e following: high-field N M R spectrometers, mass spectrometers, X - r a y s p e c t r o m e t e r s , F T I R spectrometers, R a m a n spectrometers, E S R spectrometers, departmental c o m p u t e r s , a n d a r r a y processors. Average t u r n o v e r t i m e for replacem e n t of obsolete i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n a t t h e s e 20 i n s t i t u t i o n s should be six years. A n o t h e r 40 of t h e s e universities should have t h r e e s t a t e - o f - t h e - a r t ins t r u m e n t s , a n d a n o t h e r 60 should b e able t o m a i n t a i n two m o d e r n i n s t r u m e n t s . T h e s e proposals, according t o t h e r e p o r t ' s calculations, would a p p r o x i m a t e l y triple t h e N S F ' s s h a r e d departmental instrumentation budget, from $13.5 million (1985) to a b o u t $38 million. B y a similar calculation, t h e
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38 A · ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 58, NO. 1, JANUARY 1986
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report recommends that N S F support of d e d i c a t e d i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n s h o u l d be m o r e t h a n doubled, from a b o u t $6 million (1985) t o a b o u t $16 million. • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) e x t r a m u r a l s h a r e d ins t r u m e n t a t i o n p r o g r a m should be increased t o a funding level t h a t is a p p r o x i m a t e l y equal t o t h a t of N S F . T h i s funding should cover 80% of t h e initial cost a n d five years of m a i n t e n a n c e a n d o p e r a t i n g cost for each ins t r u m e n t . N I H average g r a n t size should be increased b y 30%. • Department of Defense (DOD) s u p p o r t for university research in t h e chemical sciences should be increased. D O D ' s oversolicited $30-million-peryear i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n p r o g r a m , a success since its e s t a b l i s h m e n t in 1983, should be c o n t i n u e d , b u t regular funding for s u p p o r t of m a i n t e n a n c e a n d o p e r a t i n g expenses should be a d d e d . • The Department of Agriculture should initiate a s u b s t a n t i a l c o m p e t i tive e x t r a m u r a l g r a n t s p r o g r a m in c h e m i s t r y research. M o s t of t h e d e p a r t m e n t ' s research is c u r r e n t l y d o n e in-house u n d e r t h e auspices of t h e Agricultural R e s e a r c h Service. • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration should provide increased s u p p o r t for t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of analytical m e t h o d s for compositional m o n i t o r i n g in t h e t r o p o s p h e r e and stratosphere. • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) " s h o u l d h a v e as a conscious a n d publicized goal t h e d e t e c tion of p o t e n t i a l l y u n d e s i r a b l e environmental constituents at concentration levels far below k n o w n or expected toxicity limits. T o reach this goal, E P A should s t i m u l a t e t h e develo p m e n t of new analytical t e c h n i q u e s of all k i n d s . Its p r o g r a m m u s t , of course, include analytical d e t e c t i o n of specific s u b s t a n c e s already k n o w n t o p r e s e n t e n v i r o n m e n t a l issues. In a d d i tion, E P A should t a k e a p r o m i n e n t role in t h e s u p p o r t of long-range research in analytical chemistry. P r o g r a m e m p h a s e s should include e x t e n sion o f . . . [detection] limits, [an] increase in d e t e c t i o n selectivity, a n d exploration of new c o n c e p t s . " • Department of Energy (DOE). A growth r a t e of 20% p e r year for t h e n e x t five years is n e e d e d in c h e m i s t r y research programs relevant to the D O E mission. A n u m b e r of symposia are c u r r e n t l y being held a r o u n d t h e U.S. t o discuss t h e P i m e n t e l r e p o r t proposals. As scientists a n d science policy officials react t o t h e r e p o r t a t t h e s e symposia, a clearer p i c t u r e of its p r o s p e c t s for success should begin t o emerge. S.A.B.
