A Congressional bill passed Thursday could reduce Harvard's research funding by $1.5 million, a cut which would particularly hurt the division of applied sciences.

The $243.6 billion fiscal 1995 Defense appropriations bill calls for $200 million in cuts for defense-related university research. Assuming the cuts will be distributed evenly, Harvard will lose about 10 percent of the $11.8 million it currently receives from the Department of Defense.

Van Vleck Professor of Pure and Applied Physics Paul C. Martin, the dean of the applied sciences division, expressed disappointment with the decision.

"We think this is terrible," he said. "The decision seems to be driven by political interests, rather than the im- portance of science, defense, or economy."

The applied sciences division currently has a research budget of $21 million, 30 percent of which comes from the Department of Defense, Martin said.

Half of the money Harvard loses because of the bill could come from that division, the dean said.

Martin said the cuts could affect Applied Sciences' ability to admit graduate students next year. The division could also be forced to cut the number of salaried research fellows.

"There are many research fellows whose salaries are paid by government contracts and grants," Martin said.

But for undergraduates who want to volunteer in the division, the cuts could mean more research opportunities, he said.

"For undergraduates, the opportunities to work with graduate students may be increased," Martin said. "There will be more opportunities if they work for free."

Blow to Rudenstine

The cuts are also a blow to one of President Neil L. Rudenstine's major goals for the next several years--continued support for science research.

Last month, the president said that funding must come from the federal government, foundations, student fees and the yield on Harvard's endowment.

"The sources are limited," Rudenstine said. "There's not a lot of play for any of those."

The $200 million in reductions Congress approved this week is actually less severe than the cuts could have been. The House had proposed $900 million in cuts earlier this year, and University lobbyists had worked to reduce that figure.

Still, Kevin Casey, director of federal and state relations for the University, said he had been hoping the cuts made by Congress would be less than even the final $200 million.

Harvard officials must now examine the language of the bill and hope the cuts will be distributed over a wide base of fund recipients, Casey said.

"It's pretty much in the cards," he said. "We are hoping we can hold the line on the next year's budget round. This is a symbol of troubling times when money is tight."

Casey said the other thing Harvard can do about the reductions is try to convince Congress of research's importance.

"Research has applications in economic competitiveness and military preparedness," he said. "The rationale is also one of training the next generation of researchers."

Harvard receives a total $235 million from the federal government for research each year. But the University has limited power over legislation.

"Our ability to influence on a grand scale is not all that large," Martin said. "We can urge them to act wisely, and acting wisely will mean cutting not so much.