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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Lujan. B.

DATE TYPED 02-25-05 HB 916

SHORT TITLE Middle & High School Supercomputer Training

SB

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$160.0

Recurring General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to the appropriation for the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in the Gen-

eral Appropriations Act.

Relates to HB316, HB761, SB97, SB487, SB568, and SB615

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico Public Education Department (PED)

No Responses Received From

New Mexico Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 916 – Making an Appropriation to Provide Supercomputing Training to Middle and

High School Students – appropriates $160,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology for expenditure in FY06 for a statewide pro-

gram that trains middle and high school students on the use of supercomputers, improves the

skills and technical knowledge of students and improves teaching techniques in science, mathe-

matics, engineering and technology. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the

end of FY06 shall revert to the general fund.

House Bill 916 -- Page 2

Significant Issues

PED indicates that this legislation supports the Adventures in Supercomputing Challenge (AiSC).

The AiSC is currently in its fifteenth year. It is an academic, year long program in which teams

of students use high-performance computers to complete computational science projects. New

Mexico students in grades seven through twelve may participate. Students access computers at

national laboratories. AiSC builds partnerships with national labs, higher education and the

business community. The mission of the AiSC is to improve students’ understanding and use of

technology by developing their skills in teamwork, scientific inquiry, problem solving, modeling,

computing and communications.

PED notes that in 2003-04, AiSC served 328 students in rural and urban districts around the

state. The students represent diverse ethnicity: 40 percent Anglo, 29 percent Native American,

10 percent Hispanic, 2 percent African American, 1 percent Asian and 18 percent other or not

specified. In 2003, 36 percent of the participants were female, a statistic above the national av-

erage for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives.

The AiSC provides opportunities for students to develop skills required by the New Mexico

workforce and postsecondary education. It enables schools having limited computing capabili-

ties to engage in advanced computing experiences, and it supports the New Mexico content stan-

dards in mathematics and science by challenging students to use problem-solving and inquiry

skills.

1

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $160,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall revert to the gen-

eral fund.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology will retain oversight of this appropriation.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to the appropriation for the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in the Gen-

eral Appropriations Act.

A number of related bills seek support for pre-college enrichment programs in STEM content

areas:

•

HB316 supports a summer science camp at the University of New Mexico;

•

SB97 supports an aerospace academy at New Mexico State University;

•

SB487 supports the New Mexico Math, Engineering, Science Achievement

(MESA) programs;

1

www.challenge.nm.org.

House Bill 916 -- Page 3

•

SB568 supports the MESA program at Highlands University; and

•

SB615 and HB761 support a program at New Mexico State University to improve

math and science skills of pre-college students.

BFW/yr:lg