5.9 KiB
| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Science Foundation | 6/6 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Science_Foundation | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T10:30:40.692603+00:00 | kb-cron |
Brussels for Europe, formerly based in Paris (established 1984; relocated to Brussels in 2015) Tokyo for East Asia, except China (established 1960) Beijing for China (established 2006) All three overseas offices were shut down in October 2018, to reflect the agency's move to a more nimble international posture. Rather than maintain dedicated offices, NSF will dispatch small teams to specific international institutions. Teams may work for up to a week on-site to evaluate research and explore collaborations with the institution.
=== Crosscutting programs === In addition to the research it funds in specific disciplines, the NSF has launched a number of projects that coordinate the efforts of experts in many disciplines, which often involve collaborations with other U.S. federal agencies. Examples include initiatives in:
Nanotechnology The science of learning Digital libraries The ecology of infectious diseases Insect farming
=== National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics === NSF's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) gathers data from surveys and partnerships with other agencies to offer official data on the American science and engineering workforce, graduates of advanced U.S. science and engineering programs, and R&D expenditures by U.S. industry. NCSES is one of the principal U.S. statistical agencies. It is a part of the NSF's Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE).
=== Center for Insect Biomanufacturing and Innovation === The Center for Insect Biomanufacturing and Innovation (CIBI), formerly known as the Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming (CEIF), is an NSF partnership program that provides funds for research and experimentation on insect as food and feed. CIBI is a partnership between three Universities, Texas A&M, IU Indianapolis, and Mississippi State University, who all do separate areas of insect research to discover its sustainability. It is a part of NSF's Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) program.
== List of NSF directors == The following persons had led the National Science Foundation as director since 1950:
== Criticism == In May 2011, Republican senator Tom Coburn released a 73-page report, "National Science Foundation: Under the Microscope", receiving immediate attention from such media outlets as The New York Times, Fox News, and MSNBC. The report found fault with various research projects and was critical of the social sciences. It started a controversy about political bias and a Congressional Inquiry into federally sponsored research. In 2014, Republicans proposed a bill to limit the NSF Board's authority in grant-writing. In 2013, the NSF had funded the work of Mark Carey at University of Oregon with a $412,930 grant, which included a study concerning gender in glaciological research. After its January 2016 release, the NSF drew criticism for alleged misuse of funding. Some historians of science have argued that the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 was an unsatisfactory compromise between too many clashing visions of the purpose and scope of the federal government. The NSF was certainly not the primary government agency for the funding of basic science, as its supporters had originally envisioned in the aftermath of World War II. By 1950, support for major areas of research had already become dominated by specialized agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (medical research) and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (nuclear and particle physics). That pattern would continue after 1957 when U.S. anxiety over the launch of Sputnik led to the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (space science) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (defense-related research).
== See also == American Association for the Advancement of Science C-MORE, the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, an NSF Science and Technology Center Capital Jury Project International Council on Nanotechnology National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program National Digital Library Program (NDLP) National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Research council Science and Technology Policy Institute Scientific literacy SedDB, online database for sediment geochemistry U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation United States National Academy of Sciences USA.gov Zodletone Mountain
== References ==
== Further reading == Oral history interview with Bruce H. Barnes, 26-Sep-1990 – Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. Barnes describes his duties as a program director at NSF. He provides brief overviews and examples of NSF's support of research in theoretical computer science, computer architecture, numerical methods, software engineering, and the development of networking. He describes NSF's support for the development of computing facilities through the 'Coordinated Experimental Research Program'. Science and Engineering Indicators published biannually since 1972 by the National Science Board, provides quantitative information on the U.S. and international science and engineering enterprise. Mark Solovey. 2020. Social Science for What?: Battles over Public Funding for the "Other Sciences" at the National Science Foundation. MIT Press.
== External links ==
Official Website Brand Identity Portal NSF Multimedia Gallery National Science Foundation in the Federal Register IGERT TerraFly Autopilot Walk from Metro to NSF offices Historic technical reports from the National Science Foundation (and other federal agencies) are available in the Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL) "U.S. lawmakers unveil bold $100 billion plan to remake NSF", Science (May, 26, 2020)