WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Investments in research and education are essential for the nation's well-being and budget priorities should reflect that, a Cornell University engineer told a congressional panel on March 6.

"There is no investment that is more essential for our nation's future well-being than investments in research and education," John E. Hopcroft, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering at Cornell University, told lawmakers. "If we do not build on the achievements that science and engineering research have made possible, we may well jeopardize the momentum we have built since World War II." Hopcroft testified on behalf of the National Science Board (NSB), the governing body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), at the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies, which funds the NSF. The subcommittee is chaired by U.S. Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), and includes Rep. James Walsh (R-N.Y.), who represents Onondaga, Cortland and Broome counties. Hopcroft is a member of the NSB and chairs its Committee on Programs and Plans. His remarks preceded testimony by Dr. Neal Lane, director of the NSF.

Hopcroft, addressing the panel as they consider the federal budget and appropriations for research in science, technology and engineering, said three key policy goals should guide national research investments.

"The first recognizes that the exponential growth in scientific opportunities we are experiencing will not be matched by similar growth in federal resources," he said. "Prudence demands that we set priorities in accordance with budget realities."

He suggested, though, that not all federal spending is equivalent and that the "benefits that investments in research will provide over the mid- to long-term require special consideration."

The second goal, Hopcroft said, "is to assure the preparation of a work-force that is scientifically and technologically literate." The NSB, he said, recognizes that "investments in science, mathematics, engineering and technology education are critical to keeping the nation competitive" and that these investments must impact all levels of society.

Another goal, said Hopcroft, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, is to "strengthen the integration of education and research at colleges and universities. The unique combination of education and research in our higher education system has been a cornerstone of our success in providing students access to new knowledge and rapidly diffusing it throughout the nation. The spirit, energy, and productivity of a discovery-based system of learning must be extended to all levels of education."

These goals are derived from an NSB statement issued in January on the importance of considering the interconnections among all federally funded research activities and "the unintended impact that budgeting decisions for one agency may have on each of the others," Hopcroft said.

Lane, a physicist by training, former provost at Rice University and now director of the NSF, told Congress about his efforts to get the scientific community to communicate the results of their labors to the public at large.

"The voters and taxpayers must appreciate the real connection between the research that we support and the creation of new knowledge and advanced technologies that help create new jobs, fuel the engines of economic growth, contribute to a cleaner environment, develop the foundations for better and more affordable health care delivery and in general improve the overall quality of our lives," Lane said.

He also said that it would be wrong to look to the private sector to make the kinds of discoveries that federally funded science has made over the last 50 years.

"Every industrialized nation recognizes that it is unrealistic to expect the private sector to make the long- term and risky investments required to pursue these lines of research," Lane told the panel. "This is particularly true when the outcomes of the research may be in totally unexpected areas -- areas that any given industry may not be capable of applying profitably."

Saying that the country is in a "golden age of scientific discovery where frequent breakthroughs are occurring in virtually every field," Lane told the panel that "cutting edge" technologies are being developed in U.S. laboratories by design, not by accident.

"Our capability to extend the frontiers of science remains the envy of the world. It forms the heart of a science and technology enterprise that keeps the U.S. competitive in the global economy," he said.

Lane also described the NSF's efforts to integrate research and teaching, echoing Hopcroft's earlier submission. The agency, the director said, is examining the current state of education in the sciences, mathematics and engineering at the undergraduate level. Too, it is developing an award for excellence in the integration of research and education, he told the lawmakers. Its purpose: ". . . to involve all students in research and inquiry-based learning and get our best researchers more actively involved at all levels of science and engineering education."