The Union of Concerned Scientists celebrates the NSF

 The Union of Concerned Scientists reminds us of some of many things government support of science has contributed to:

What Do Duolingo, The Magic School Bus, and James Bond Have in Common? The US National Science Foundation 

"Its story begins with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who during World War II recognized the decisive role that scientific research played in national success. As the war ended, Roosevelt envisioned a way to carry that same scientific energy into peacetime; to support knowledge not just for defense, but for discovery. This vision became law under President Harry S. Truman in 1950 with the National Science Foundation Act , establishing a federal agency devoted to “promoting the progress of science” and “advancing the national health, prosperity, and welfare.” 

"Today, NSF accounts for only 0.1% of federal spending but supports roughly a quarter of all federally funded basic research at US colleges and universities. And that research underpins many of the everyday technologies we rely on. 

"75 Years of benefits for the American public 
Ever watch The Magic School Bus or Bill Nye the Science Guy? Those Millennial science classics were funded by NSF. When your local meteorologist points to a Doppler radar image tracking storms or hurricanes, that technology too has NSF roots. If you’ve ever undergone an MRI scan, used American Sign Language (ASL) resources, or benefited from a kidney exchange program, NSF funding helped make those possible."

...

and much more at the link...  

Evicting Science from D.C.: the NSF building and it's History Wall

 Evidently the NSF is taking up too much government real estate, here's the story from (appropriately enough) Scientific American:

Trump Administration Ousts National Science Foundation from Headquarters Building.  Employees at the National Science Foundation say they’ve been blindsided by a plan for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to take over their offices.  By Robin Bravender & E&E News 

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I certainly hope that the new occupants will treasure the building's U.S. National Science Foundation HISTORY WALL

 

 I'm particularly fond of tile 45 of the mosaic that makes up this mural: "45. Breakthroughs in economics inspired new software that streamlines organ matches like kidney exchanges."

Kidney exchange on the NSF History Wall

 

 Here's the description of the full history wall, and all the images.

U.S. National Science Foundation HISTORY WALL
A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
"This beautiful mural provides an amazing visual history of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), spanning nearly 7 decades of scientific discovery and innovation and depicting NSF’s impact on the nation. This is a legacy that belongs to all of us, and to the nation.

"It is a sampling of NSF’s impact through curiosity-driven, discovery-based exploratory research and use-inspired, solutions-focused translational research. This mural epitomizes the mission of NSF — “To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense.”
 
.
1. From biochemistry to weather prediction, supercomputing and
supercomputing centers maintain U.S. leadership in S&T.
2. NSF’s next generation Arctic Research Vessel, RV Sikuliaq.
3. Carbon nanotubes have novel properties yielding new applications.
4. PCR, essential to genomics, was developed from Yellowstone microbes.
5. NSF research helps predict and prevent disasters such as wildfires.
6. Brain-machine interfaces, like retinal prostheses, promise new
applications in health and communications.
7. Shake tables, like this one from the Network for Earthquake
Engineering Simulation, protect lives and property.
8. Geckos inspire the development of polymers and directional
adhesion materials.
9. NSF provides funding to start-ups like Google.
10. The first permanent telescope at Kitt Peak opened in 1960.
11. Understanding the biology and epidemiology of vector-borne illnesses
is the subject of ongoing multidisciplinary research.
12. Ice cores provide an environmental look back in time.
13. Shows like Peep and the Big Wide World improve pre-school education.
14. With the submersible Alvin, researchers first discovered life in the extreme
environment of deep-sea vents.
15. S&E Indicators provide a broad base of quantitative information
on U.S. and international science and engineering enterprise.
16. NSF and NSB recognize excellence with the Alan T. Waterman Award,
the Vannevar Bush Award, and the National Medal of Science.
17. NSF is a leader in Arctic research.
18. NSF-funded search & rescue robots improve disaster response.
19. NSF computing history is illustrated here by PLATO (Programmed
Logic for Automated Teaching Operations) in 1969.
20. An atomic-resolution structure of the HIV capsid.
21. NSF promotes informal scientific education and literacy through
its support of programming like NOVA.
22. NSF’s SBIR program strengthens the role of small business in federally
funded R&D, as it did in cellular technology in the 1990s.
23. From CSNET in 1981, to NSFNET and beyond, NSF has supported
innovations that helped create the Internet of today.
24. NSF is a leader in Antarctic research.
25. The LIGO observatories confirmed Einstein’s predicted gravity waves.
26. The bioluminescent green fluorescent protein (GFP) from jellyfish is
a powerful cellular biology research tool.
27. Sequencing the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana paved the way for a
deeper understanding food crops and other plants.
28. The Graduate Research Fellowship Program is NSF’s longest
continuously operating program.
29. NSF support of scanning and RFID technologies, like bar codes, has
helped revolutionize commerce and connectedness.
30. Mathematics is fundamental to S&T.
31. NSF’s First Grant Book recorded awards from FY1952-FY1959.
32. NSF support of archaeology enhances our understanding of where
we come from and who we are.
33. NSF researchers are studying the global decline in amphibian populations.
34. In electronics and material science, graphene’s unique electrical
and physical properties promise new breakthroughs.
35. Vannevar Bush’s vision made NSF’s founding possible.
36. Doppler-On-Wheels studies extreme weather like tornados.
37. NSF supports GPS technology, such as the National Center for
Geographic Information and Analysis.
38. Neuroscience is a major area for NSF.
39. The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) collects
environmental data via distributed sensor networks.
40. This Design Squad App illustrates NSF’s support of informal education
and advanced touch-screen technology.
41. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, located beneath the
US South Pole Station, studies the nature and properties of these particles.
42. NSF supports potentially transformative technologies like Virtual Reality.
43. Robobees are innovative autonomously-flying microrobots that
have potential impacts in many applications.
44. Quantum phenomena can yield novel technologies in computing
and communications.
45. Breakthroughs in economics inspired new software that streamlines
organ matches like kidney exchanges.
46. The Very Large Array is a component of the National Radio
Astronomy Observatory.
47. NSF was key to the development of the MRI, now an essential health tool.
48. This block-sorting robot tests how autonomous systems discern
their environment.
49. NSF support led to the study and systematization of ASL.
50. 3D printing has impacted manufacturing, design and the arts.
51. NSF supports research into bee colony decline and efforts to
save the bees.
52. The High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for
Environmental Research is a modified jet that studies
the atmosphere.
53. Large-scale computing simulates complex systems like hurricanes.
54. Large-scale changes to seawater chemistry can damage coral reefs
and more.
55. Biometric identification—whether fingerprints, iris scans, or DNA—
is essential to security and forensics.
56. The social sciences, like linguistics, improve our understandings
of ourselves and our society.
57. In 2019, a global network of telescopes (Event Horizon Telescope)
with major NSF support captured the first ever image of a black hole.
58. With support for programs like The Magic School Bus, NSF supports
elementary and informal STEM education.
59. Robotics and automation, such that in this self-driving car,
promise to transform transport and more.
60. In 1991, NSF-funded researchers discovered the first of three
extra solar planets by using radio telescopes.
61. The bacterial enzyme, CRISPR, is revolutionizing biotech and health.
62. The 2008 Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is NSF’s latest
Antarctic research station.
Mural credit: Nicole R. Fuller

Presidential memo shuts down all government grants (now including NSF)

 A Presidential memo issued yesterday is shutting down all government grants, including e.g. those from the NSF.  

Here's the memo:

MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
FROM: Matthew J. Vaeth, Acting Director, Office of Management and Budget
SUBJECT: Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs 

" The use of Federal resources to advance  Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of  taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve. "

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Here's the story from NPR:

National Science Foundation freezes grant review in response to Trump executive orders, By Jonathan Lambert January 27, 2025 

"The National Science Foundation canceled all of its grant review panels this week, as the organization works to align its grantmaking process with new executive orders from the Trump administration. 

...

"More than 60 of those meetings were scheduled for this week, all of which were abruptly canceled Monday morning."

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And here's a broader view from the Washington Post:

White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion. Trillions of dollars could be on hold, according to an Office of Management and Budget memo. By Jeff Stein, Jacob Bogage and Emily Davies, January 27, 2025

 "The White House budget office is ordering a pause to all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government, according to an internal memo sent to agencies Monday, creating significant confusion across Washington.

"In a two-page document, Matthew J. Vaeth, the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, instructs federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligations or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance.” The memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, also calls for each agency to perform a “comprehensive analysis” to ensure its grant and loan programs are consistent with President Donald Trump’s executive orders, which aimed to ban federal diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and limit clean energy spending, among other measures.

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And here's the view from Science:

Trump’s shutdown of federal diversity office at NSF breaks law that created it. CHIPS and Science Act established position to broaden participation in science  ByJeffrey Mervis

"President Donald Trump’s order yesterday shutting down diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices was part of a slew of presidential directives from the new administration that apply to every federal agency. But for the National Science Foundation (NSF), following the White House’s order required it to ignore a mandate from Congress, and the lawmakers behind it are ticked off.

“Trump’s dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the federal government is just plain wrong,” said the top Democrat on the House of Representatives’s science committee, Representative Zoe Lofgren (CA). “For years, the committee has been working in a bipartisan effort to create a STEM workforce that more accurately represents the rich diversity and intellectual capacity of our nation. Trump has made hypocrites of the Republicans who joined us in spearheading diversity and equity efforts.”

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   "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
    "Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
    "Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
    "Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

    —Martin Niemöller
 

NSF report on Doctorate Recipients in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE): 2017

Here's the Doctorate Recipients in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE): 2017
NSF 20-310   |   March 16, 2020

There were almost 1,000 more doctorates awarded in Psychology in 2017 than the total in Economics plus Political Science plus Sociology.

I was surprised to note that the gender ratio of Economics doctorates is less extreme than that of Psychology doctorates, although in the opposite direction, and that Poli Sci doctorates are more evenly distributed between women and men (and the gender imbalance in Sociology is very close to Economics, also in the opposite direction.)


Here's a figure and a table from the pdf file.

NSF 70th Anniversary Symposium--the video

I recently attended the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the National Science Foundation, a two-day symposium on Feb. 6-7, 2020. Below is a video of the first day, in which I took part in a session called Science Breakthroughs, which begins at hour 3:45 and goes for an hour. Hear a moderated discussion ranging back and forth over gravity waves, black holes, thermal vents, nanotechnology, and market design (school choice, kidney exchange, repugnant transactions and the fact that both markets and bans on markets require social support to work well).




Science Breakthroughs
Panel featuring NSF-funded science breakthroughs from the last decade. The topics covered in this panel will feature a mix of major breakthroughs, as well as research that has led to significant impacts on society. In addition, the panelists will be a diverse set of researchers, including those earlier in their careers.

Moderator: Amy Harmon, Correspondent, New York Times
Panelists: Jennifer Dionne, 2019 Waterman Award recipient & Associate Professor, Stanford University
Shep Doeleman, 2019 Breakthrough Prize & NSF Diamond Award recipient & Director, EHT at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Margaret Leinen, Director, Scripps Institute & Vice Chancellor & Dean, Marine Sciences
Nergis Mavalvala, Professor & Associate Head, Department of Physics, MIT
Alvin Roth, Nobel Prize in Economics 2012 & Professor of Economics, Stanford University

70th Anniversary of the National Science Foundation (NSF)

The (U.S.) National Science Foundation is celebrating its 70th anniversary today in Washington DC.
 Here's the program: 70th Anniversary Symposium

I'll be participating in the afternoon:

Science Breakthroughs
Panel featuring NSF-funded science breakthroughs from the last decade. The topics covered in this panel will feature a mix of major breakthroughs, as well as research that has led to significant impacts on society. In addition, the panelists will be a diverse set of researchers, including those earlier in their careers.

Moderator: Amy Harmon, Correspondent, New York Times
Panelists: Jennifer Dionne, 2019 Waterman Award recipient & Associate Professor, Stanford University
Shep Doeleman, 2019 Breakthrough Prize & NSF Diamond Award recipient & Director, EHT at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Margaret Leinen, Director, Scripps Institute & Vice Chancellor & Dean, Marine Sciences
Nergis Mavalvala, Professor & Associate Head, Department of Physics, MIT
Alvin Roth, Nobel Prize in Economics 2012 & Professor of Economics, Stanford University 

Disrupting black markets

If markets can be facilitated, they can also be obstructed. The NSF announces some grants aimed at this:

NSF invests in research to help disrupt operations of illicit supply networks
9 early concept awards to detect, disrupt, disable networks that traffic people, weapons, drugs and more

"Networks that illegally traffic in everything from people and opioids to human organs and nuclear material pose threats to U.S. health, prosperity and security. Nine new awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will advance the scientific understanding of how such illicit supply networks function -- and how to dismantle them.

"The new awards support research that combines engineering with computer, physical and social sciences to address a danger that poses significant consequences for national and international security. Nimble and technologically sophisticated networks traffic in contraband that includes people, illegal weapons, drugs, looted antiquities, and exotic animal products. Unencumbered by national boundaries, they funnel illicit profits to criminal organizations, and fuel transnational and terrorist organizations.

"Other federal agencies and organizations have worked on this issue for many years, with involvement of specialized fields in the academic community. The new NSF awards leverage fundamental research, taking an engineering systems-based approach made far more powerful by the integration of other scientific disciplines.

"We've been studying commercial supply chains for years and figuring out how to make them resilient -- now we want to use these same principles to make illicit networks less resilient. We want to break them," said Georgia-Ann Klutke, NSF program director for Operations Engineering in the Directorate for Engineering. "These are systems that operate by the same dynamics and use the same infrastructure components as legal commercial distribution systems. Our goal is to provide fundamental insights into the operations and economics of these networks that other federal agencies and organizations can use to attack this very complex problem."
...

Below are the nine new projects being funded, along with the principal investigators and awardee organizations.

• Disrupting exploitation and trafficking labor supply networks in post-Harvey rebuild: an evidence-based multi-agent stochastic decision-making framework, Matt Kammer-Kerwick, University of Texas, Austin
• Network analysis and optimal interventions for disruption of organ trafficking, Naoru Koizumi, George Mason University
• A data analytic approach to understanding human trafficking networks, Renata Konrad, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Unraveling illicit supply chains for falsified pharmaceuticals with a citizen science approach, Marya Lieberman, University of Notre Dame
• Anticipatory interdiction in narco-trafficking networks, Nicholas Magliocca, University of Alabama
• Modeling operations of human trafficking networks for effective interdiction, Lauren Martin, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• Detecting and disrupting illicit supply networks via traffic distribution systems, Nick Nikiforakis, Stony Brook University
• A new multi-layered network approach for improving the detection of human trafficking, Louise Shelley, George Mason University
• Advanced analytics, intelligence and processes for disrupting operations of illicit supply networks, Steven Simske, Colorado State University

NSF is looking for a new Division Director, Social and Economic Sciences, SBE

This is an important job in government science:

Division Director, Social and Economic Sciences, SBE

Responsibilities
Serves as a member of the SBE Directorate leadership team and as a principal spokesperson in social and economic sciences for the Foundation.  Provides leadership and direction to the NSF Division responsible for funding research and education activities, both nationally and internationally, to develop and advance scientific knowledge and methods focusing on our understanding of individuals, social and organizational behavior by creating and sustaining social science infrastructure, and by supporting disciplinary and interdisciplinary research that advances knowledge in the social and economic sciences.  The incumbent has managerial and oversight responsibilities for the effective use of division staff and resources in meeting organizational goals and objectives (e.g., broadening participation).  Assesses needs and trends involving the social and economic sciences, implements overall strategic planning and policy setting for the Division, provides leadership and guidance to Division staff members, determines funding requirements, prepares and justifies budget estimates, balances program needs, allocates resources, oversees the evaluation of proposals and recommendations for awards and declinations, and represents NSF to relevant external groups.  Supervises and provides leadership and guidance to senior staff (Deputy Division Director), program officers, administrative and support personnel.  Fosters partnerships with other Divisions, Directorates, Federal agencies, scientific organizations, and the academic community.
***********

I'm a big fan of the NSF and the work it does, and very recently traveled to Washington D.C. to say thank you:

"And thank you to the NSF, and particularly to the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate, which must be one of the most cost-effective investments the government makes.  Social science isn’t very expensive, but it can be incredibly valuable. It can save lives.

"On a personal note, all of my work that was cited by the Nobel Prize committee was begun with funding from the NSF. Dan Newlon was the legendary director of the SBE Directorate, and he nurtured a generation of economists who made big changes in how economics is done. In the early 1990’s, when I was discouraged by the progress I was making on understanding matching, he encouraged me to stay the course. So for me, the NSF support was about much more than funding."
*********
Here's the set of my blog posts that mention the NSF

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce honors ideas

Country songwriters Lee Thomas Miller and Wendell Mobley share some of their ideas and IP at the Ideas in Bloom party sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce

Last Wednesday I flew to Washington DC to join a Chamber of Commerce celebration of  ideas and intellectual property, in various categories.

The innovation awards are both for lines of work that the National Science Foundation funded, and they were introduced by the NSF director, Dr. France Córdova. (I am happy to go to DC to help showcase the great work that the NSF does...see my remarks at the end of this post.)

Here's a link to the announcement:

The 2018 IP Champions Gala, September 12, 2018

IP Champion for Excellence in Enforcement
Peter O’Doherty, Head, Economic Crime Directorate, City of London Police
Nick Court, Chief Detective, Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, City of London Police

IP Champion for Excellence in Innovation
Alvin Roth, Founder, Kidney Exchange
Inderjit Jutla, Founder, Aluna

IP Champion for Excellence in Advocacy
Bart Herbison, President, Nashville Songwriters Association
Steve Bogart, Chairman, Nashville Songwriters Association

IP Champion for Excellence in Creativity
Kristie Macosko Krieger, Academy Award-nominated producer
Kira Goldberg, Executive Vice President, Production, 21st Century Fox

IP Champion for Excellence in IP Policy
Professor Liu Chuntian, Renmin University of China

IP Champion for Excellence in Innovation
Uzi Hanuni, CEO, Maxtech Networks

Musical Performance
Lee Thomas Miller, Nashville Mega-hit Songwriter
Wendell Mobley, Nashville Mega-hit Songwriter

**************
And here's a link to a subsequent press release:
U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GLOBAL INNOVATION POLICY CENTER CELEBRATES IP LEADERS AT 2018 IP CHAMPIONS GALA

"IP Champion for Excellence in Innovation – Alvin Roth
...
"Since the first paired kidney exchange in 2000, thousands of people have received kidney transplants identified through paired exchanges."
**************
I scored a personal max for (travel time)/(speaking time).  Here are my prepared remarks:

"I flew here today to say thank you: to the Chamber of Commerce for recognizing not just my work but also the role that the NSF plays in fostering scientific innovation. 

And thank you to the NSF, and particularly to the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate, which must be one of the most cost-effective investments the government makes.  Social science isn’t very expensive, but it can be incredibly valuable. It can save lives.

On a personal note, all of my work that was cited by the Nobel Prize committee was begun with funding from the NSF. Dan Newlon was the legendary director of the SBE Directorate, and he nurtured a generation of economists who made big changes in how economics is done. In the early 1990’s, when I was discouraged by the progress I was making on understanding matching, he encouraged me to stay the course. So for me, the NSF support was about much more than funding.

So:Thank you all for coming here tonight, thank you Dr. Córdova, thank you to the NSF for all your support, starting when I was very young, and thank you to the Chamber of Commerce."
*******************

Here's a video link (that seems to start only after the first minute or so, and the NSF section begins with Dr. Córdova at minute 1:33 and goes to 1:45...) 

The National Science Foundation's History Wall and Murals

The NSF's history wall consists of three murals, to provide "a visual history of the National Science Foundation (NSF), spanning nearly 7 decades of scientific discovery and innovation and depicting artist Nicolle R. Fuller's interpretation of NSF’s impact on the nation. "  Here they are, although they are in fact arranged horizontally, rather than vertically as below.  The murals have numbered sections (you can get a better look by clicking on each mural at the link above).  On the third mural, number 45 is
45. Breakthroughs in economics inspired new software that streamlines organ matches like kidney exchanges.

Here's a blowup of segment 45 representing kidney exchange: