National Science Board will meet virtually May 18 - 19, 2021

May 12, 2021

The National Science Board (NSB) will meet virtually May 18 - 19, 2021 to address science and engineering policy issues relevant to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Sunshine Act notice and the meeting agenda provide further details. Below are open session highlights and items the NSB will discuss in closed session. Open meeting sessions will be livestreamed via YouTube and recorded for later viewing on NSB’s YouTube channel. Links for each meeting day are below.  

TUESDAY, May 18, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tvEDxgN9uU

Women, Minorities, and People with Disabilities in S&E – NSB Plenary (11:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Following several other agenda items in the Plenary, NSF will give a presentation on the newly released, congressionally mandated Women, Minorities, and People with Disabilities in Science and Engineering report. The report provides data essential to recognizing and enhancing the participation of millions of individuals who remain underrepresented in STEM education pathways and in the science and engineering workforce. Addressing these Missing Millions is a top NSB priority.   

Alan T. Waterman, Vannevar Bush, Public Service Awards – NSB Plenary (4:45 PM – 6:15 PM)
This session will celebrate the scientific and public service accomplishments and contributions of the 2021 Waterman, Vannevar Bush, and Public Service awardees. Led by NSB Chair Ellen Ochoa and NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, the session will feature short video highlights about the awardees and an interview hosted by Jennifer Dionne, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University and 2019 Waterman awardee.

This year’s Alan T. Waterman awardees are Melanie Matchett Wood, a Harvard mathematician, and Nicholas Carnes, a Duke University social scientist and scholar of public policy. The Vannevar Bush recipient is Ralph Gomory, former IBM executive and leader of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. William Hammack, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign engineer and author, and William Jackson, chemist and a founder of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers are the Public Service awardees.

WEDNESDAY, May 19, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d9vYPNPNLE

Lessons from Minority Serving Institutions – NSB Plenary (11:00 AM – 12:15 PM)
As part of an ongoing series to raise awareness about and inform strategies to develop domestic STEM talent – especially underrepresented groups – NSB Vice Chair Victor McCrary will host a panel to discuss the strategies of Minority Serving Institutions. From Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Tribal Colleges to Hispanic Serving Institutions and beyond, MSIs hold the key to educating people from underrepresented groups in STEM.  How do they do it?  What can other institutions learn from them?

Panelists:
Thai-Huy Nguyen, Policy Researcher, RAND Corporations, and Senior Research Associate at the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions

Arthur Tinoco, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras

Twyla Baker, President, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, North Dakota

Ronald Mason, President, University of the District of Columbia

Evan Nuñez, Astrophysics graduate student, California Institute of Technology, graduate of El Camino College and Cal State Polytechnic University – Pomona, and NSF Graduate Research Fellow 

EPSCoR – NSB Plenary (5:15 – 6:05 PM)
Following updates from the NSB Chair and NSF Director, NSF will give a presentation on the evolution of the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). NSB is interested in taking a fresh look at EPSCoR as the Board looks at ways to develop the nation’s STEM talent and expand the geography of innovation.

Closed Sessions
In closed session, NSB will discuss NSF’s FY 2021 Current Plan and the FY 2022 Budget Request, along with the agency’s draft Strategic Plan. NSF will give an update on its strategy to address COVID-related impacts on NSF facilities. NSB will consider an action to extend the initial operations award for the National Ecological Observatory Network because of COVID-induced delays to a planned award competition.  Other topics covered in closed session include upcoming actions related to the management reserve needs for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and clean-up costs for the Arecibo Observatory.

About the National Science Board
The NSB identifies issues critical to NSF’s future, establishes its policies, and serves as co-head of agency with the NSF Director. The Board also advises the President and Congress on policy matters related to science, engineering and education. Selected for their distinguished service and accomplishments in academia, government, and the private sector, the Board’s 24 presidentially-appointed members are leaders in science, engineering, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

Media Contact: Nadine Lymn, National Science Board, (703) 292-2490, nlymn@nsf.gov

Useful NSB Web Sites:

Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb
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Meetings: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/meetings
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkrHRzuGSrPp2haQs0T_Pww