News Release

Notice of Meeting Schedule Flexibility

October 31, 2017

The National Science Board (NSB) will continue a pilot project to provide a measure of flexibility around meeting times during its meetings on November 8 - 9, 2017.

NSB will publish the full meeting agendas for its plenary and committee meetings on our website and in the Federal Register as usual.

However after the first meeting of each day, actual meeting start and end times will be allowed to vary by as much as (but no more than) 15 minutes in either direction. As an example, consider two hour-long meetings scheduled consecutively at 10:00 and 11:00. If the 10:00 meeting finishes at 10:45, the meeting scheduled to begin at 11:00 would begin at 10:45 instead. But if the 10:00 meeting ends at 10:30, the meeting scheduled for 11:00 would not begin more than 15 minutes early -- in this case, at 10:45. Similarly, the 10:00 meeting would be allowed to run over by as much as 15 minutes if the meeting chair decides the extra time is warranted. The 11:00 meeting would start no later than 11:15. At least for the pilot, the 15 minute increments will not be allowed to build -- no meeting will start more than 15 minutes away from its originally scheduled start.

NSB is implementing this pilot project to improve the quality of Board and committee discussions, and to make more effective and efficient use of Board members’ limited in-person meeting time. It is not always possible to forecast how long the discussion of a given topic will take. In prior meetings, the Board has experienced unusable time after short meetings, and has rushed the discussion of important matters to meet the clock.

We intend to make this as seamless as possible for members of the public. After the meeting day has begun, please arrive at NSF headquarters or check the webcast video 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of the meeting you are following. The start and end times of meetings will be clearly announced for the benefit of people who are watching the webcast. The URL for the November 2017 meetings is https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/meetings/2017/0509/index.jsp

 

We invite your feedback to the schedule-flexibility pilot program. Submit comments to nationalsciencebrd@nsf.gov.


The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

Useful NSB Web Sites:

Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb
Media Contact: http://www.nsf.gov/staff/staff_bio.jsp?lan=nlymn&org=NSF
News: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/news
Meetings: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/meetings
Publications: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalScienceBoard
Twitter: Twitter: https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=NSF_NSB
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkrHRzuGSrPp2haQs0T_Pww

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