Category Archives: National Science Foundation

President Biden’s first budget shows big changes for science and math

  On May 28 President Biden released his first full budget proposal, for fiscal year 2022 (FY22). If accepted by Congress, federal funding of mathematics research and education will grow significantly. Law (specifically, the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921) … Continue reading

Posted in Appropriations, National Science Foundation, NSF | Tagged , | Comments Off on President Biden’s first budget shows big changes for science and math

COVID & Racism, their effects on the university scientific enterprise and what Congress is doing (or not doing) about them

  What a summer we have had. The killing of George Floyd and others has sparked renewed outrage over systemic racism in our country. Protests and demonstrations across the nation are calling for real change. The pandemic continues unabated at … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Federal support for science, National Science Foundation | Tagged , , | Comments Off on COVID & Racism, their effects on the university scientific enterprise and what Congress is doing (or not doing) about them

Re-imagining the National Science Foundation

  Senators Schumer and Young, and Representatives Gallagher and Khanna have introduced legislation that would, if enacted into law, bring major changes to the NSF. There would be a new name for the agency, a major re-organization of internal structure, … Continue reading

Posted in Appropriations, National Science Foundation, NSF | Tagged , | Comments Off on Re-imagining the National Science Foundation

President Trump’s proposed NSF budget for 2021: what’s in it for the mathematical sciences?

  President Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2021 includes significant cuts to the NSF. Together we can urge Congress to reject proposed cuts and instead increase the budgets for federal science agencies. Tell Congress to prioritize science funding by … Continue reading

Posted in Appropriations, National Science Foundation, NSF | Tagged , | Comments Off on President Trump’s proposed NSF budget for 2021: what’s in it for the mathematical sciences?

NSF released Science & Engineering Indicators

At the end of the summer, I wrote a piece about the history of the NSF. I wrote “Another cool thing the agency does is to collect reams of data and publish the Science & Engineering Indicators. These reports give interesting statistics … Continue reading

Posted in Federal support for science, National Science Foundation, NSF, Science Policy | Tagged | Comments Off on NSF released Science & Engineering Indicators

Some fun and interesting summer reading: A brief history of the National Science Foundation

I blog regularly about annual appropriations for the National Science Foundation (NSF), and about NSF policies that might affect you. But, what is the NSF? When did it come to be? Why? What makes it different from all other federal … Continue reading

Posted in History, National Science Foundation, NSF, Science Policy | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Some fun and interesting summer reading: A brief history of the National Science Foundation

What is Congress up to, vis-à-vis the NSF? Money and Demography

  During the week of May 6, I attended two hearings in the House of Representatives, both of which had to do with the NSF. Congressional hearings are (usually) open to the public. Some are easy to get in to, … Continue reading

Posted in Broadening particpation in STEM, Federal support for science, National Science Foundation, NSF | Tagged , | Comments Off on What is Congress up to, vis-à-vis the NSF? Money and Demography

President Trump issues his FY 2020 budget, what does it look like for the mathematical sciences, and what happens next?

  On March 11 President Trump released his proposal, titled “A Budget for a Better America,” outlining how the government should make investments for the FY2020. As in his first two, his third annual budget includes massive cuts for science. … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Appropriations, Federal support for science, National Science Foundation, NSF | Tagged , , | Comments Off on President Trump issues his FY 2020 budget, what does it look like for the mathematical sciences, and what happens next?

Mathematical Sciences and the NSF Big Ideas

Editor’s note: Guest columnist Juan Meza is the Division Director of the NSF’s Division of Mathematical Sciences. Immediately before joining the NSF, he served as Dean of the School of Natural Sciences at the University of California, Merced. In 2016, the National … Continue reading

Posted in Federal support for science, National Science Foundation, NSF | Tagged , | Comments Off on Mathematical Sciences and the NSF Big Ideas

Which Members of Congress have a say over the NSF?

Another shutdown has been avoided. Science did well in the final deal, and this includes \$8.1 billion for the NSF for the fiscal year 2019 (FY2019); this is the first time the NSF has received appropriations over \$8 billion and … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Federal support for science, National Science Foundation | Tagged , | Comments Off on Which Members of Congress have a say over the NSF?