[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3117 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3117

    To strengthen the capacity of eligible institutions to provide 
                     instruction in nanotechnology.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 15, 2010

 Mr. Wyden (for himself and Ms. Snowe) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To strengthen the capacity of eligible institutions to provide 
                     instruction in nanotechnology.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Promote Nanotechnology in Schools 
Act''.

SEC. 2. NANOTECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The rapidly growing field of nanotechnology is 
        generating scientific and technological breakthroughs that will 
        benefit society by improving the way many things are designed 
        and made.
            (2) Nanotechnology is likely to have a significant, 
        positive impact on the security, economic well-being, and 
        health of Americans as fields related to nanotechnology expand.
            (3) In order to maximize the benefits of nanotechnology to 
        individuals in the United States, the United States must 
        maintain world leadership in the field, including nanoscience 
        and microtechnology, in the face of determined competition from 
        other nations.
            (4) According to the National Science Foundation, foreign 
        students on temporary visas earned 33 percent of all science 
        and engineering doctorates awarded in the United States in 
        2007, the last year for which data are available. Foreign 
        students earned 63 percent of the engineering doctorates.
            (5) To maintain world leadership in nanotechnology, the 
        United States must make a long-term investment in educating 
        United States students in secondary schools and institutions of 
        higher education, so that the students are able to conduct 
        nanoscience research and develop and commercialize 
        nanotechnology applications.
            (6) Preparing United States students for careers in 
        nanotechnology, including nanoscience, requires that the 
        students have access to the necessary scientific tools, 
        including instruments designed for teaching, and requires 
        training to enable teachers and professors to use those tools 
        in the classroom and the laboratory.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to strengthen the 
capacity of United States secondary schools and institutions of higher 
education to prepare students for careers in nanotechnology by 
providing grants to those schools and institutions to provide the tools 
necessary for such preparation.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Science Foundation.
            (2) Eligible institution.--The term ``eligible 
        institution'' means an institution that is--
                    (A) a public, private, parochial, or charter 
                secondary school that offers 1 or more advanced 
                placement science courses or international 
                baccalaureate science courses;
                    (B) a community college, as defined in section 3301 
                of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
                (20 U.S.C. 7011);
                    (C) a 2-year institution of higher education, a 4-
                year institution of higher education, or a branch 
                (within the meaning of section 498(j) of the Higher 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1099c(j))) of such an 
                institution; or
                    (D) a informal learning science and technology 
                center.
            (3) Qualified nanotechnology equipment.--The term 
        ``qualified nanotechnology equipment'' means equipment, 
        instrumentation, or hardware that is--
                    (A) used for teaching nanotechnology in the 
                classroom; and
                    (B) manufactured in the United States at least 50 
                percent from articles, materials, or supplies that are 
                mined, produced, or manufactured, as the case may be, 
                in the United States.
    (d) Program Authorized.--
            (1) Program authorized.--The Director shall establish a 
        nanotechnology in the schools program to strengthen the 
        capacity of eligible institutions to provide instruction in 
        nanotechnology. In carrying out the program, the Director shall 
        award grants, of not more than $400,000, to eligible 
        institutions to enable the eligible institutions to provide 
        such instruction.
            (2) Activities supported.--
                    (A) In general.--An eligible institution shall use 
                a grant awarded under this section--
                            (i) to acquire qualified nanotechnology 
                        equipment and software designed for teaching 
                        students about nanotechnology in the classroom;
                            (ii) to develop and provide educational 
                        services, including carrying out faculty 
                        development, to prepare students or faculty 
                        seeking a degree or certificate that is 
                        approved by the State, or a regional 
                        accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of 
                        Education;
                            (iii) to provide teacher education and 
                        certification to individuals who seek to 
                        acquire or enhance technology skills in order 
                        to use nanotechnology in the classroom or 
                        instructional process; and
                            (iv) to service, maintain, repair, or 
                        upgrade qualified nanotechnology equipment.
                    (B) Limitation.--Not more than \1/4\ of the amount 
                of the funds made available through a grant awarded 
                under this section may be used for software, 
                educational services, or teacher education and 
                certification as described in this paragraph.
            (3) Applications and selection.--
                    (A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
                under this section, an eligible institution shall 
                submit an application to the Director at such time, in 
                such manner, and accompanied by such information as the 
                Director may reasonably require.
                    (B) Procedure.--Not later than 180 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall 
                establish a procedure for accepting such applications 
                and publish an announcement of such procedure, 
                including a statement regarding the availability of 
                funds, in the Federal Register.
                    (C) Selection.--In selecting eligible institutions 
                to receive grants under this section, and encouraging 
                eligible institutions to apply for such grants, the 
                Director shall, to the greatest extent practicable--
                            (i) select eligible institutions in 
                        geographically diverse locations;
                            (ii) encourage the application of 
                        historically Black colleges and universities 
                        (meaning part B institutions, as defined in 
                        section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
                        (20 U.S.C. 1061)) and minority institutions (as 
                        defined in section 365 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
                        1067k)); and
                            (iii) select eligible institutions that 
                        include institutions located in States 
                        participating in the Experimental Program to 
                        Stimulate Competitive Research (commonly known 
                        as ``EPSCoR'').
            (4) Matching requirement and limitation.--
                    (A) In general.--
                            (i) Requirement.--The Director may not 
                        award a grant to an eligible institution under 
                        this section unless the eligible institution 
                        agrees that, with respect to the costs to be 
                        incurred by the eligible institution in 
                        carrying out the program for which the grant 
                        was awarded, the eligible institution will make 
                        available (directly or through donations from 
                        public or private entities) non-Federal 
                        contributions in an amount equal to \1/4\ of 
                        the amount of the grant.
                            (ii) Waiver.--The Director shall waive the 
                        matching requirement described in clause (i) 
                        for any eligible institution with no endowment, 
                        or an endowment that has a dollar value lower 
                        than $5,000,000, as of the date of the waiver.
                    (B) Limitation.--
                            (i) Branches.--If a branch described in 
                        subsection (c)(2)(C) receives a grant under 
                        this section that exceeds $100,000, then the 
                        branch shall not be eligible, until 2 years 
                        after the date of receipt of the grant, to 
                        receive another grant under this section.
                            (ii) Other eligible institutions.--If an 
                        eligible institution other than a branch 
                        referred to in clause (i) receives a grant 
                        under this section that exceeds $100,000, then 
                        the eligible institution shall not be eligible, 
                        until 2 years after the date of receipt of the 
                        grant, to receive another grant under this 
                        section.
            (5) Annual report and evaluation.--
                    (A) Report by eligible institutions.--Each eligible 
                institution that receives a grant under this section 
                shall prepare and submit a report to the Director, not 
                later than 1 year after the date of receipt of the 
                grant, on the eligible institution's use of the grant 
                funds.
                    (B) Review and evaluation.--
                            (i) Review.--The Director shall annually 
                        review the reports submitted under subparagraph 
                        (A).
                            (ii) Evaluation.--At the end of every third 
                        year, the Director shall evaluate the program 
                        authorized by this section on the basis of the 
                        reports submitted under subparagraph (A). The 
                        Director, in the evaluation, shall describe the 
                        activities carried out by the eligible 
                        institutions receiving grants under this 
                        section and shall assess the short-range and 
                        long-range impact of the activities carried out 
                        under the grants on the students, faculty, and 
                        staff of the eligible institutions.
                    (C) Report to congress.--Not later than 6 months 
                after conducting an evaluation under subparagraph 
                (B)(ii), the Director shall prepare and submit a report 
                to Congress based on the evaluation. In the report, the 
                Director shall include such recommendations, including 
                recommendations concerning the continuing need for 
                Federal support of the program carried out under this 
                section, as may be appropriate.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Director to carry out this section $15,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2010, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
fiscal years 2011 through 2013.
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