National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 - Title I: National Science Foundation Authorization - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993 to the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Sets forth the following categories for which FY 1989 through 1991 funds for research and related activities are to be available: (1) mathematical and physical sciences; (2) engineering; (3) biological, behavioral, and social sciences; (4) geosciences; (5) computer and information science and engineering; (6) Science and Technology Research Centers; (7) scientific, technological, and international affairs; and (8) program development and management.
Authorizes FY 1992 and 1993 appropriations for research and related programs, but without specifying categories of expenditure.
Authorizes FY 1989 through 1993 funds for the following additional programs: (1) academic research facilities modernization; (2) the U.S. Antarctic Program; and (3) science and engineering education, including specified amounts for College Science Instrumentation in FY 1989.
Earmarks specified FY 1989 amounts for teacher training and enhancement, and for the development of model curricula tailored for science and mathematics instruction and instruction in technician training programs, in two-year and community colleges.
Prescribes guidelines for the obligation and allocation of funds in connection with planning grants for Science and Technology Centers.
Limits the amounts that may be used for consultation, representation, or other extraordinary expenses. Permits transfers of funds among categories as long as transfers do not exceed ten percent of authorized amounts. Permits transfers in excess of ten percent if specified congressional committees are given 30 days' notice in writing.
Amends the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to allow portions of National Science Board meetings to be closed to the public when the Board considers possible NSF budgets for a particular fiscal year, if the President's budget for that fiscal year has not yet been submitted to the Congress.
Repeals provisions that: (1) condition NSF scholarships and fellowships upon the recipient's oath of allegiance to the United States; and (2) prohibit members of Communist organizations from applying for NSF scholarships or fellowships.
Amends the Science and Technology Equal Opportunities Act to require the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering to report biennially rather than annually.
Amends the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to authorize the NSF Director to hire, on a temporary basis, personnel on leave of absence from academic, industrial, or research institutions.
Directs the NSF, beginning in FY 1990, to submit to the Congress each fiscal year, at the time of the release of the President's budget, a three-year budget estimate for each major activity.
Requires National Science Board members to file financial disclosure reports under the the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
Instructs the NSF Director to: (1) follow specified guidelines when evaluating research center performance; (2) encourage the formation of consortia of private sector and academic entities when making grants to research centers; and (3) award purchase and services contracts, to the maximum extent practicable, to domestic firms. Requires the Director to report to specified congressional committees on the number of contracts entered into with both domestic and foreign firms in FY 1988 and steps that will be taken to increase awards to domestic firms.
Directs the NSF to support undergraduate science and engineering activities in instrumentation and laboratory improvement, undergraduate faculty enhancement, and research opportunities and curriculum development at the undergraduate level, as well as efforts to encourage the participation of women, minorities, and the disabled in these fields.
Requires the NSF Director to: (1) operate an experimental program to stimulate competitive research in the interest of assisting States that historically have received relatively little Federal research and development funding and have demonstrated a commitment to improve their research and education programs; and (2) report to specified congressional committees, not later than March 1, 1989, on ways to help academic researchers at the postsecondary level to pursue high-quality research having economic potential.
Directs the National Academy of Sciences to study and report to the Congress concerning current U.S. earthquake engineering research efforts.
Directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy to report to the Congress, not later than December 1, 1988, on desalination research and technology.
Authorizes the President to make Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Makes funds available for these awards from amounts appropriated for the Foundation for Science and Engineering Education. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to institute corresponding awards for Excellence in Teaching Foreign Languages. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the granting of 108 of each category of award to elementary and secondary school teachers who have demonstrated outstanding teaching ability in the relevant field.
Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of any authorized FY 1989 through 1993 NSF appropriations unless the NSF administers in good faith a written policy designed to ensure that its workplaces are free from illegal drug use by NSF officers and employees. Applies the same prohibitions in connection with secondary recipients of NSF funding (grantees, contractors).
Title II: Academic Research Facilities Modernization - Academic Research Facilities Modernization Act of 1988 - Instructs the NSF Director to establish and carry out a new Academic Research Facilities Modernization Program, making awards to institutions of higher education, independent nonprofit research institutions, research museums, and consortia of these entities for the repair, renovation, or replacement of obsolete laboratories and research facilities.
Lists considerations the Director must respect in making awards under the program. Prescribes criteria for the awards, which may not exceed $7,000,000 to any recipient over any five-year period, and instructs the Director to promulgate procedures and to conduct comprehensive planning activities in connection with implementation of the program. Requires that the resultant comprehensive program plan include provisions defining the appropriate roles and responsibilities of Federal, State, and local government, institutions of higher education, and appropriate nongovernmental organizations with respect to research facilities. Instructs the Director to publish program criteria and proposed program guidelines in the Federal Register for public review and comment. Requires the Director to submit a report containing the comprehensive plan to specified congressional committees by June 15, 1989.
Mandates that at least 12 percent of the funds appropriated for the program be set aside for institutions of higher education whose enrollment includes a substantial percentage of Black, Hispanic, or Native American students.