We report on low-temperature mag magnetotransport measurements on the amorp
hous semiconductor a-GdxSil-x with x similar to 0.13, on the insulating sid
e of the T=0 metal-insulator transition for this material. The samples exhi
bit a negative magnetoresistance of more than five orders of magnitude at 1
K, which grows exponentially larger at lower temperatures. The temperature
dependence of the conductivity displays an activated form indicative of va
riable range hopping in the presence of a Coulomb gap in all magnetic field
s from 0 to 9 T, while the characteristic temperature T-0 of the hopping co
nductivity decreases from over 300 K in 0 T to 6 K in 8.5 T. This enormous
magnetoresistance must arise from an exchange interaction between the condu
ction electrons and the local Gd moments which are randomly oriented in zer
o field and become (partially) aligned in 9 T, and its consequent influence
on the electron-electron interaction. However, it remains to be determined
whether the effect of this magnetic interaction is a relative shift of the
Fermi energy relative to the mobility edge and a modification to the Coulo
mb gap or a change in the bandwidth and its consequent effect on the electr
onic density of states.