NEWS RELEASE, 09/29/98 Media Advisory re: federal funding and university research and the technology produced

By Janet Gilmore, Public Affairs

BERKELEY -- WHAT: A conference at the University of California, Berkeley, about the need for more federal funding for basic, university-based research - purely scientific study that has led to such technological marvels as CAT scans and lasers. This event, "Federal Support for University Research," marks the 40th anniversary of NASA, established Oct. 1, 1958, and the National Defense Education Act, passed Sept. 2, 1958. Both acts poured federal dollars into the nation's schools and colleges to build libraries, provide graduate scholarships and purchase equipment. WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 1, 1998, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. WHERE: Alumni House, the UC Berkeley campus. WHO: UC Berkeley's Center for Studies in Higher Education is organizing the event. Leading scientific experts participating include: Jack Gibbons, Science Advisor to President Clinton, Former director, White House Office of Science and Technology M.R.C. Greenwood, Chancellor, UC Santa Cruz, President, American Association for the Advancement of Science Edward Penhoet, former President, Chiron, Dean, UC Berkeley School of Public Health Charles Townes, Nobel Laureate, Physics Professor, UC Berkeley Daniel Koshland, Former editor, Science, Molecular and Cell Biology Professor, UC Berkeley BACKGROUND: While the founding of NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and the National Defense Education Act initiated a windfall of billions of dollars in federal funds into the nation's research institutions, that financial commitment has lessened in recent years. Some experts question whether a drop in such funding will prevent the United States from staying competitive in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.