Weird Science - The Inner Workings Of The National Science
Foundation
The National Science Foundation is an independent government
agency in the United States. The National Science Foundation is
responsible for providing support to basic science research,
which is primarily accomplished through research funding.
The National Science Foundation mostly provides research funding
in the form of grants. These grants are most often given in the
form of individual grants to graduate students and professors.
In fact, with an annual budget of approximately $5.5 billion,
the National Science Foundation provides about 20% of federally
supported funding for basic research to America's universities
and colleges.
Under the leadership of its director, Dr. Arden L. Bement, Jr.,
the National Science Board meets six times per year to determine
the policies of the National Science Foundation. The National
Science Board consists of 24 members, all of which are appointed
by the President of the United States to 6 year terms.
History of the National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation was originally established as
the result of the 1950 National Science Foundation Act. The
mission of the National Science Foundation, as stated within
this act, was "To promote the progress of science; to advance
the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the
national defense."
The National Science Foundation has competed with defense
research agencies, such as the Office of Naval Research, the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Air Force
Office of Scientific Research, for funding. This battle for
funding has led many science historians to claim that the
National Science Foundation is an "inept compromise" between
visions within the federal government in regards to the scope
and purpose of the foundation.
Programs of the National Science Foundation
Fields within the National Science Foundation include:
astronomy, physics, behavioral science, biology, chemistry, and
computer science. Economic science, social sciences, science
education, engineering, environmental science and education,
polar research, geoscience, mathematics, and statistics are also
fields covered by the National Science Foundation.
In addition to working within its regular fields, the National
Science Foundation promotes a variety of special programs. These
programs are sometimes put into place in order to increase the
participation of under-represented minorities in the sciences.
The Research Experience for Undergraduates program, for example,
targets minorities and women. This program provides grants to
institutions in order to assist them in providing opportunities
for summer research to undergraduate students.
In addition, the GK-12 Crosscutting Program was established by
the National Science Foundation to provide universities with
money to encourage graduate students to interact with k-12
students. The goal of this program is to increase science
retention in children at an early age.
The National Science Foundation also funds projects on a
national scale. One such project is the National Science Digital
Library. Also, the National Science Foundation helps pay for the
establishment of the Materials Research Science and Engineering
Centers that are located in some research universities.
Space exploration and the National Science Foundation
At times, there is conflict between the National Science
Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA). This is because both agencies strive to increase
knowledge regarding the universe, space, and the human body.
Neither, however, wants to pay more than its fair share for this
research. Furthermore, clear guidelines concerning which agency
is responsible for which aspects of the fields have not been
established.
Currently, the two agencies have developed a truce of sorts.
Under the unofficially structured guidelines, NASA is
responsible for paying form space based operations. These
include projects such as Chandra, the Hubble Space Telescope,
and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The National Science
Foundation, on the other hand, funds ground based operations.
These include the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the
Atacama Large Millimeter Array, and Kitt Peak.