National Science Board to meet May 2 - 3, 2018, in Alexandria VA

April 25, 2018

2018 recipients of the Vannevar Bush Award (Jane Lubchenco), Alan T. Waterman Award (Kristina Olson), and the NSB Public Service Awards (Dean Kamen) and the Council on Competitiveness (Deborah Wince-Smith) will give presentations on the first day of the meeting.   

The National Science Board (NSB, Board) will meet May 2-3, 2018, to address science and engineering policy issues relevant to the National Science Foundation (NSF). Members of the media and the public are invited to open portions of the meeting, which will also be webcast: http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/nsf/180502. The meeting agenda is available here.

Meeting sessions open to the public on Wednesday, May 2, 2018:

NSB Plenary (8:00 – 8:30 a.m.)

NSB chair Maria Zuber will give an overview of major issues and NSF director France Córdova will give a brief presentation.

Committee on Oversight (8:30 – 9:15 a.m.)

NSF’s Inspector General will give an update of the fiscal year 2018 Financial Statement Audit and the agency’s Chief Financial Officer will provide an update on issues related to finance and budget. Lastly, committee chair, John Anderson will reflect on committee accomplishments and priorities.  

Committee on External Engagement (9:15 – 10:15 a.m.)

The Committee on External Engagement will discuss highlights from the Board’s recent skilled technical workforce listening session with students, faculty, automotive and manufacturing industry employers and policymakers at Macomb Community College in Warren, MI. Members will also discuss plans for upcoming listening sessions. Committee chair James Jackson will reflect on the committee’s accomplishments and future directions.  

Skilled Technical Workforce Taskforce (10:15 – 10:45 a.m.)

The Skilled Technical Workforce Taskforce will discuss future strategy and deliverables.

Committee on Awards and Facilities (10:55 – 11:30 a.m.)

The committee will consider forwarding the NSB Risk Philosophy and Principles to the full Board for adoption. Drs. David and Lepage, respectively, will reflect on accomplishments and future directions related to NSB’s work on risk and on Awards and Facilities.

In closed session, the committee will consider action items for four awards. The committee will also receive information items that may become action items for the July 2018 Board meeting.

National Science Board Plenary (11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 – 2:00 p.m.)

The Board will hear presentations from 2018 recipients of the Vannevar Bush, Alan T. Waterman, and NSB Public Service awards.

·         Jane Lubchenco, Vannevar Bush Award 

·         Kristina Olson, Alan T. Waterman Award

·         Dean Kamen, NSB Public Service Award

·         Council on Competitiveness, Deborah Wince-Smith, NSB Public Service Award

Meeting sessions open to the public on Thursday, May 3, 2018:

Committee on National Science and Engineering Policy (8:30 – 9:10 a.m.)

The Committee will discuss the next policy companion statement to Science and Engineering Indicators 2018 on the state of U.S. science and engineering in a global context. Committee chair Geraldine Richmond will also reflect on the work and accomplishments of the committee and future opportunities.

Committee on Strategy (9:10 – 10:10 a.m.)

Committee chair Sethuraman Panchanathan will offer highlights on the accomplishments of the committee and strategies going forward.   

In closed session, the committee will discuss the fiscal years 2018 - 2020 budget.

National Science Board Plenary (1:00 – 1:45 p.m.)

In addition to brief remarks from the NSB chair and NSF director, the Board will hear open committee reports and vote on a proposed Board Risk Philosophy and Principles document and the annual Executive Committee report. Lastly, there will be a brief farewell to the eight Board members whose terms end on May 10, 2018.

In closed plenary session, the Board will hear closed committee reports and vote on four action items referred by the Committee on Awards and Facilities.

The Board will elect the next Board chair and vice chair in a closed plenary executive session.

About the National Science Board

The National Science Board and the National Science Foundation's Director jointly head NSF. NSB identifies issues critical to NSF's future and establishes the Foundation's policies. The NSB also provides the President and Congress with Science and Engineering Indicators, a biennial report on U.S. progress in science and technology. Members are appointed by the President for six-year terms and selected for their eminence in research, education and records of distinguished service.

Note: Reporters are invited to attend all open sessions, subject to provisions of the Government in the Sunshine Act. All sessions will be held at the NSF headquarters—please note our new address—at 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia.  Journalists interested in attending and covering the meeting should contact Kim Silverman at (703) 292-4515 or ksilverm@nsf.gov.

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