Media Advisory

National Science Board to meet July 17-18, 2019 in Alexandria, VA

Board Member Victor McCrary and NSF Director France Córdova during a National Science Board meeting in November 2018.

National Science Board meeting in progress (Credit and Larger Version)

July 10, 2019

The National Science Board (NSB, Board) will meet July 17-18, 2019, 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 is also available to watch live via webcast.

The public meeting agenda is available is here.

Meeting highlights include an overview presentation of NSF’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences during the Committee on Strategy’s session on Wednesday at 1:15 p.m. Then, on Thursday morning a series of presentations on “Science and Security” will begin at 9:45 a.m. 

Meeting sessions open to the public on Wednesday, July 17, 2019:

NSB Plenary (9:00 – 9:30 a.m.)

NSB chair Diane Souvaine will give opening remarks with a summary of her activities since the last meeting, followed by remarks from NSF director France Córdova.

Committee on National Science and Engineering Policy (9:30 – 10:00 a.m.)

The Committee on National Science and Engineering Policy will hear a series of updates and hold discussions on the progress of Science and Engineering Indicators 2020 thematic and summary reports.

Task Force on the Skilled Technical Workforce (10:00 – 10:30 a.m.)

The Task Force on the Skilled Technical Workforce (STW)will discuss and vote on the STW Final Report and share rollout plans.  The task force will also discuss their work and how it can inform NSB’s future activities. 

Committee on Oversight (10:45 – 11:30 a.m.)

The Committee on Oversight will hear an update, since the last meeting, from NSF on the modernization of the Merit Review Report. The committee will also hear updates from NSF’s Chief Financial Officer and the Inspector General.

Committee on Awards and Facilities (11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.)

The Committee on Awards and Facilities will hear a presentation and discuss plans to update NSF’s existing No Cost Overrun Policy.

In closed session, the committee will discuss Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure (MSRI) I and II programs and the National Center for Optical-Infrared Astronomy. It will also discuss recent developments related to the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and plans for a fair and open recompetition of the facility’s management.

Committee on Strategy (1:15 – 3:05 p.m.)

The Committee on Strategy will receive an update on the FY 2019 current plan and FY 2020 Budget Request, and a series of briefing from NSF. Topics will include an overview of the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), an update on NSF partnerships and the MULTIPLIER program.

In closed session, the committee will receive an update on the development of the FY 2021 Budget submission.

 

Meeting sessions open to the public on Thursday, July 18, 2019:

NSB Plenary (9:45 – 10:45 a.m.)

The Board will hear the following presentations on the topic of Science and Security:

·         NSF Activities

·         Science and Security at MIT

·         University Perspective

Vision 2030 Task Force (10:45 – 11:15 a.m.)

The Task Force on Vision 2030 will review its data-gathering activities to date and plans for next steps.

NSB Plenary (1:10 – 1:50 p.m.)

The Board will hear brief updates from committee chairs, conduct a vote on the final report from the Skilled Technical Workforce Task Force and hear a presentation from NSF on the key findings of a National Academies Report on Research Reproducibility and Replicability. 

In closed plenary session, the Board will hear closed committee reports.

In closed plenary executive session, the Board will hear a report from the Committee on Nominations with the recommended slate of candidates for the National Science Board’s Class of 2020-2026 for submission to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. 

 

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 the state of science and engineering in the United States. 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 address is 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.


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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