NEWS OF THE WEEK
SCIENCE POLICY: Big science faces funding conflicts With talk in the air of peace dividends, revolution in Europe, fear of Japan, and the U.S/s failing industrial health, science and technology watchers in Washington, D.C., got a preview last week of debates that are certain to take place on Capitol Hill this year. The occasion was testimony by White House science adviser D. Allan Bromley before the House Science, Space & Technology Committee at its annual "science posture" hearings. Dominating the exchanges were funding and policy conflicts over such megaprojects as the Superconducting Super Collider—whose cost overrun now stands at $2.8 billion and is still rising—and over the U.S/s ever-weakening posture in technological competitiveness. The committee pretty much accused the Administration of being asleep
at the wheel for the past eight years, while Bromley essentially argued that it was finally waking up. Much fur is expected to fly this year over increased cost estimates for building the collider. The increases stem from two basic changes in the design—the size of the SSC's magnet coils and a necessary increase in the speed by which protons are injected into the device's 53-mile circular beampipe. Originally estimated to cost $4.4 billion, the SSC will now run at least $2.8 billion higher. The "overrun," one member wryly commented, was higher than the National Science Foundation's entire budget. Bromley agreed with angry committee members that the SSC probably should not have been proposed without the assured availability of magnets—and that, if runovers rise
Science advisory group reports directly to President For the first time in 17 years, the White House will have a body of scientific and technological advisers reporting directly to the President. The President's Council of Advisers on Science & Technology (PCAST) was named by President Bush several days ago and met with him at Camp David for three hours on Feb. 3. Details of the meeting were kept secret, however. The members are: D. Allan Bromley (chairman), Presidential science adviser. Norman E. Borlaug, distinguished professor of international agriculture, Texas A&M University (plant biology). Solomon J. Buchsbaum, senior vice president, technology systems, AT&T Bell Laboratories (physicist). Charles L Drake, professor of Earth sciences, Dartmouth College (geologist).
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February 12, 1990 C&EN
Ralph E. Gomory, president, Sloan Foundation (mathematician). Bernadlne Healy (vice chairman), chairman of research institute, Cleveland Clinic (physician). Peter W. Llklns, president, Lehigh University (mechanical engineer). Thomas E. Lovejoy, assistant secretary for external affairs, Smithsonian Institution (biologist). Walter E. Massey, vice president for research, University of Chicago (physicist). John P. McTague, vice president for research, Ford Motor Co. (chemist). Daniel Nathans, professor of molecular biology, Johns Hopkins University (physician/biochemist). David Packard, chairman, HewlettPackard Co. (electrical engineer). Harold T. Shapiro, president, Princeton University (economist).
too high, the project should be canceled. But he said outside funding in the end would make the whole project possible. He said Japan, Canada, India, and the U.S.S.R. are almost certain sources. But he let pass with little comment reference to a recent Industrial Research Institute survey of corporate vice presidents that ranked the SSC at the bottom of U.S. big science projects. On the competitiveness issue, Bromley acknowledged that the Administration has a lot of ground to make up in establishing the right policies, and he indicated that he is trying to lead the way. For example, the Reagan Administration virtually ignored the recommendations of its own Competitiveness Commission's exhaustive report in 1985. Bromley said he would be meeting that day with the chairman of that commission, John A. Young, president of Hewlett-Packard Corp. and chairman of the Council on Competitiveness that was formed after the commission disbanded. Bromley even embraced a concept offered by the Carter Administration in the late 1970s—generic technology. That term refers to the types of technology—machinery to improve service industry productivity, advances in robotics to improve manufacturing, materials that endure physical extremes—that are needed by entire industries to improve operations. Bromley indicated that the government should again begin funding research in those fields; the committee agreed. Where the committee members were most agitated involved competitiveness policies. Rep. Donald Ritter (R.-Pa.) said he failed to detect any appreciable efforts by the Administration to build bridges between government and the private sector. And Rep. Norman Y. Mineta
New type of gaseous fuel cell developed
Bromley: a lot of ground to make up
A new type of gaseous fuel cell may open new avenues in the development of emergency power supplies. The fuel cell, developed by Christopher K. Dyer, senior scientist at Bell Communications Research Inc., operates at room temperature (unlike conventional gaseous fuel cells, which require high-temperature operating conditions), and is simple in design, suggesting that it could be made available at low cost [Nature, 343,547(1990)]. A prototype of the device consists of a thin, gas-permeable, ionically conducting membrane of hydrated alumina deposited on a platinized quartz substrate (the inner electrode). A second electrode of platinum deposited on the outer surface of the membrane is sufficiently porous to pass fuel gases into the membrane. Nafion and other types of porous polymers can also be used as membranes. Moreover, the substrate need not be quartz; other dense, inert polymers can be used.
Exposure of the porous electrode to hydrogen/air or other gas mixtures yields electrical energy. For example, the device produces 950 mV when a hydrogen/air mixture is used as a fuel. It also operates with other fuel gases, such as methanol vapor and methane, but at reduced power output. There is no need to separate the gases, whereas conventional gas fuel cells cannot operate if the gases are mixed. In addition, the Bellcore device operates at room temperature, whereas conventional gas fuel cells require operating temperatures as high as 1000 °C. Dyer notes that about $7 billion has been invested in batteries as backup power supplies for the U.S. telecommunications network. If the Bellcore fuel cell proves out, he believes it could provide the basis for a refuelable backup system that is cheaper and more reliable than the battery-based system. Joseph Haggin
(D.-Calif.), who represents the Silicon Valley area, said the whole valley was worried about its technological future and saw no "leadership from the White House on either specific technologies or sectors of industry/' Another item of contention involved unreliable American performance in fulfilling international research agreements. The up and down history of the space station Representatives of the U.S. chemiJohn Rutledge, Latin America was cited as was cancellation in the cal industry went before Congress manager for Exxon Chemical (one proposed fiscal 1991 budget of the again last week to defend their ef- of two major chemical firms that fast flux nuclear reactor program forts to stop diversion of chemicals export methyl ethyl ketone to Cothat DOE was pursuing jointly with from U.S. firms for production of lombia; the other is Shell), reJapan. Bromley said he received illegal drugs, especially cocaine. sponded that his firm is confident news of the cancellation "with a They got some help this time from its products are not being diverted degree of sorrow." His office is ex- the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), to illegal end uses. "If there was ploring ways of encasing in a more which is voicing growing concern any indication or suspicion of illesolid policy package projects entered over chemical diversion from firms gal use we would stop sales to that into with foreign governments. One in other countries. However, appar- customer immediately," he said. possible approach, he said, is to ently rising antipathy toward U.S. Russ Simons, of Shell, concurred. shape them as treaties. chemical firms on this issue dis- Both firms say they carefully monitor where their chemical exports go. Several members took the Admin- turbs industry officials. istration to task for underfunding Gene R. Haislip, deputy assistant At a hearing before the Senate science and mathematics education Subcommittee on Foreign Com- administrator in DEA's Office of Diat all levels. NSF came under criti- merce & Tourism, witnesses testi- version Control, testified that DEA cism for ignoring the crucial role fied on implementation of the 1989 has information that cocaine trafthe community and junior colleges Chemical Diversion & Trafficking ficking groups are turning to chemplay in training people for techni- Act. Senators are concerned about ical firms in Europe, where there cal jobs. Bromley didn't disagree recent news reports linking U.S. are few, if any, controls on chemiwith any of the criticisms. He sim- chemicals with cocaine production cals. A number of countries are ply said that he shared the worries in Colombia. Sen. Richard H. Bryan known to export methyl ethyl keand that his office has initiatives (D.-Nev.) said he is worried that tone to Latin America, for example, under way to coordinate the many chemical industry is adopting a but the end uses are not well educational projects and programs "head-in-the-sand" attitude, and that monitored. Moreover, Brazil and Arspread across several agencies, in- it should not have taken a law to gentina produce it. cluding the Defense Department. get the industry to stop illegal At the hearing, a videotape taken Wil Lepkowski diversions. at a cocaine production site in
Industry rebuts chemical diversion charges
February 12, 1990 C&EN
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