FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BY THE THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 2014

1. FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 2014
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FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BY THE
THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
2014
Prepared by Peter Saundry, Ph.D. for the COUNCIL OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEANS AND DIRECTORS,
AND THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AFFILIATE PROGRAM OCTOBER 2014
NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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3. FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 2014
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Contents
Foreword ............................................................................................. 4
Summary ............................................................................................. 5
1. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute ($12 million) ................ 6
2. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center ($4 million) ......... 6
3. Smithsonian National Zoological Park ($2 million) ..................... 6
4. National Museum of Natural History ($18 million) ...................... 7

4. FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 2014
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T
Foreword
he National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) is pleased to acknowledge and express its deep appreciation to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS R&D Budget and Policy Program has provided the budget analysis behind this report for the past fifteen years, first under Kei Koizumi and, in recent years, under Patrick Clemins and now Matthew Hourihan.
AAAS drew the data for this report from White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) R&D data, Budget of the United States Government, and from agency and historical data. Yearly values are adjusted for inflation using OMB's GDP deflators. Nominal values are unadjusted. FY 2013 are estimates adjusted for the full-year continuing resolution and sequestration. The text of this report is largely drawn directly from the Smithsonian Institution (SI) budget justification to Congress,1 from Smithsonian websites, and from other Smithsonian resources.
The definition of environmental R&D used in this report includes environmental physical, life, and social sciences; environmental engineering; energy-related fields; environmental data and information; and studies that utilize any or all of the above to address pollution problems or activities that impair the sustained functioning and productivity of the earth’s environment.
We have made no effort to analyze activities by specific “fields of science” or “scientific disciplines.”
Because terms such as “environmental science” and even “research” and “development” have imprecise definitions, estimates of federal funding for environmental R&D must be considered approximations. That is not to say the data and descriptions of particular programs are not accurate, rather that definitions are important in deciding which programs and projects to include in the analysis. We have attempted to maintain consistency over the past fourteen years in order to identify trends.
The budget of the federal government and the activities of its agencies are subject to change — sometimes significant change at short notice. We again encourage readers to explore the websites and documents of the respective agencies and programs for the latest information.
1. Smithsonian Institution Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Justification to Congress - http://www.si.edu/content/pdf/about/FY2015-BudgetRequest.pdf

5. FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 2014
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Summary
he Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and 9 research facilities. The Smithsonian funds its environmental R&D activities with both federal and non-federal funds. All of the Smithsonian’s R&D activities are characterized as basic research and are performed intramurally.
Figure 1. Environmental R&D at the Smithsonian Institution (budget authority in millions of dollars)
Table 1. Environmental R&D at the Smithsonian Institution (budget authority in millions of dollars)
FY 2012 Actual
FY 2013 Actual
FY 2014 Estimate
Change FY 13-14
Tropical Research Institute
13
13
14
9.5% Environmental Research Center 4 4 4 3.6%
National Zoological Park
3
2
3
8.3% National Museum of Natural History 18 16 16 2.1%
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____
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TOTAL 37 35 37 5.4%
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1. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute ($12 million)
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)2 is the principal U.S. organization dedicated to advancing fundamental scientific discovery and understanding of biological diversity in the tropics and its contribution to human welfare.
STRI hosts more than 1,400 resident and visiting international scientists annually. STRI serves as the official custodian for the Barro Colorado Nature Monument in Panama, the only mainland tropical reserve under U.S. stewardship.
The long-term research conducted by STRI contributes to the one of the Smithsonian Institution’s four Grand Challenges, “Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet,” with studies in fields that include animal behavior, plant ecology, canopy biology, paleoecology, archaeology, evolution, genetics, marine ecology, anthropology, and conservation science. STRI funds several other core research directions. These include:
 Environmental and Human Health;
 Monitoring Forest Health and the Global Carbon Cycle;
 Paleontology and Earth Science; and
 Marine Invasions of Invasive Species.
2. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center ($4 million)
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC),3 operating on a 2,650-acre site on the Chesapeake Bay, supports research on the ecological interconnections of aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric components of complex landscapes, with comparative studies on regional, continental, and global scales. Key areas of research are water quality, fisheries, invasive species, conservation, land use, toxic chemicals, and global change.
3. Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C. ($2 million)
Home to approximately 2,000 animals representing nearly 400 species, of which about a quarter are endangered, the National Zoo provides leadership in animal care, conservation science, education, sustainability, and visitor experience. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), headquartered in Front Royal, Virginia, facilitates and promotes research programs at its six centers:
2. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute - http://www.stri.si.edu/
3. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center website - http://www.serc.si.edu/

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• The Center for Animal Care Science conducts research on the elephant herpes virus, zoo animal cognition, enrichment, nutrition, bird science, and zoological medicine.
• The Conservation Ecology Center investigates ways to restore and protect at-risk species wildlife species and their supporting ecosystems.
• The Center for Conservation Education and Sustainability studies the complex relationships among biodiversity, people, and the environment and educates the public about the Earth's biodiversity and how it can be conserved and used wisely.
• The Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics researches the genetic management of wild and captive populations, non-invasive DNA techniques, ancient DNA, systematics and definition of conservation units, disease diagnosis and dynamics, and genetic applications to animal behavior and ecology.
• The Migratory Bird Center studies Neotropical songbirds and wetland birds, the role of disease in population declines, and environmental challenges that face urban and suburban birds. The Center also trains professionals in environmental coffee certification throughout Latin America.
• The Center for Species Survival conducts basic and applied research, especially in the fields of reproductive science and animal management, to understand biological mysteries and to implement practical solutions to help rare species avoid extinction while creating methods to sustain viable wildlife populations for zoos and in the wild.
4. National Museum of Natural History ($18 million)
The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) includes a state-of-the-art collections storage facility in Suitland, Maryland; a marine science research facility in Ft. Pierce, Florida; and field stations as far away as Belize, Alaska, and Kenya.
Research activities are organized into seven departments: Anthropology, Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, Mineral Sciences, Paleobiology, and Vertebrate Zoology.
A number of affiliated U.S. government agencies on-site contribute to the Museum’s strength, including the Department of the Interior (U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Division), the Department of Agriculture (Systematic Entomology Laboratory), the Department of Commerce (National Marine Fisheries Service Systematics Laboratory), and the Department of Defense (Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit).
The Smithsonian Marine Station (SMS) at Fort Pierce,4 Florida is a research center specializing in the marine biodiversity and ecosystems of Florida. Research focuses on the Indian River Lagoon and the offshore waters of Florida's east central coast, with comparative studies throughout coastal Florida. The Station is a facility of the National Museum of Natural History.
4. Smithsonian Marine Station (SMS) at Fort Pierce website - http://www.sms.si.edu/

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NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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