|
NSF Investments and Strategic Goals
The National Science Foundation's FY 2003 funding request
supports the agency's investment in People, Ideas, and Tools
- the Foundation's three strategic outcome goals. These goals flow
from NSF's statutory mission - "to promote the progress of science..."
and form the basis for the many activities of the Foundation. NSF's investments
in People, Ideas, and Tools work in concert to promote progress
in all aspects of science and engineering research and education, and
are underpinned by investments in administration and management.
-
People Developing "a diverse, internationally
competitive and globally engaged workforce of scientists, engineers
and well-prepared citizens."
-
Ideas Enabling "discovery across
the frontier of science and engineering, connected to learning, innovation,
and service to society."
-
Tools Providing "broadly accessible,
state-of-the-art and shared research and education tools."
NSF Budget by Strategic Goal
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY 2001 Actual
|
FY 2002 Estimate
|
FY 2003 Estimate
|
People
|
894
|
994
|
1,087
|
Ideas
|
2,297
|
2,431
|
2,559
|
Tools
|
1,055
|
1,145
|
1,122
|
Administration and Management1
|
214
|
227
|
268
|
Total, NSF2
|
$4,460
|
$4,796
|
$5,036
|
The strategic plan identifies NSF's management of the investment
process as a critical factor in achieving the agency's goals. NSF strategies
for meeting new challenges and carrying out agency goals and mission,
include:
- Continued funding to sustain an efficient and enabled research and
education community;
- Investments in Priority Areas;
- Adequate funding of the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction
account; and
- Maintaining a capable and well-trained science and engineering workforce.
Detailed discussions of NSF's investment in People,
Ideas, Tools, and Administration and Management follows
this section.
Core Research and Education Activities
NSF investments in core research and education activities
are targeted to disciplinary and multidisciplinary programs to support
the best new ideas generated from the academic community. These funds
support single investigator and small group grants and also provide primary
support for junior faculty and students. They are extremely important
in invigorating the research and education community since they promote
emergence of new ideas and fields, especially where the defining borders
of disciplines are blurring and new technologies are emerging. Investments
in the core activities ensure the vitality of scientific and engineering
fields in interdisciplinary research and discovery. If the nation is to
continue to have access to the best science and engineering talent, it
needs to maintain the health, security, and vitality of its citizens.
Only the National Science Foundation has the vital role of providing this
balance for U.S. science and engineering.
Investments in Selected Priority Areas
In addition to investments in core research and education,
NSF funding for selected priority areas provides key, agency-wide opportunities
for pursuing the strategic outcome goals. Through these priority areas,
NSF identifies and accelerates progress in areas of emerging opportunity
that hold exceptional promise for advancing knowledge and addressing national
interests. Each requires appropriate attention to developing people with
new skills and new perspectives; new approaches to knowledge generation
across the frontiers of science and engineering; and creating the tools
that enable rapid advances.
The FY 2003 Budget Request emphasizes investments in six
interdependent priority areas - Biocomplexity in the Environment; Information
Technology Research; Nanoscale Science and Engineering; Learning for the
21st Century Workforce; Mathematical Sciences; and Social,
Behavioral and Economic Sciences. In addition, NSF continues to give high
priority to the Math and Science Partnership begun in FY 2002 as part
of the President's education plan, No Child Left Behind. Within
the priority areas, there is a rich mix of activity that integrates areas
of fundamental research with elements of practice in related fields. This
synergy characterizes the interdependence of the priority areas as, for
example, concepts and techniques from the mathematical sciences influence
the development of our understanding of biocomplexity or nanoscale science
and engineering and vice versa.
NSF Priority Area Investments
(Millions of Dollars)
Priority Area
|
FY 2001 Actual
|
FY 2002 Current
Plan
|
FY 2003 Request
|
Change
|
Amount
|
Percent
|
Biocomplexity in the Environment
|
54.88
|
58.10
|
79.20
|
21.10
|
36.3%
|
Information Technology Research
|
216.27
|
277.52
|
285.83
|
8.31
|
3.0%
|
Nanoscale Science and Engineering
|
149.68
|
198.71
|
221.25
|
22.54
|
11.3%
|
Learning for the 21st Century Workforce
|
143.33
|
144.82
|
184.69
|
39.87
|
27.5%
|
Mathematical Sciences
|
0.00
|
30.00
|
60.09
|
30.09
|
100.3%
|
Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
10.00
|
10.00
|
N/A
|
Total, Priority Areas
|
$564.16
|
$709.15
|
$841.06
|
$131.91
|
18.6%
|
Biocomplexity in the Environment
The world is facing significant scientific and societal
challenges, including the prospect of rapid environmental and climate
change, the threat of biological and chemical warfare, and the complicated
question of long-term environmental security. The integrity of local,
regional and global ecosystems is inextricably linked to human well-being
as well as environmental and human health. Fundamental study of complex
environmental systems is therefore a key element of local, national, and
global security and critical to the development of new scientific and
technological capabilities that will significantly advance our ability
to anticipate environmental conditions and thus improve environmental
decision-making.
The Biocomplexity in the Environment (BE) priority
area is designed to respond to the demand for new approaches to investigating
the interactivity of biota and the environment. It will result in more
complete understanding of natural processes, of human behaviors and decisions
in the natural world, and ways to use new technology effectively to sustain
life on earth. Investigations must be highly interdisciplinary, consider
non-human biota and/or humans explicitly, and examine challenging systems
that have high potential for exhibiting nonlinear or highly coupled behavior.
Advanced computational strategies and technologies must be developed and
utilized. The term "biocomplexity" is used to stress the requirement
that research questions must explicitly address the dynamic web of interrelationships
that arise when living things at all levels - from molecular structures
to genes to organisms to ecosystems to urban centers - interact with their
environment.
Proposed funding for the Biocomplexity in the Environment
priority area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY 2002
Current Plan
|
FY 2003
Request
|
Change
|
Amount |
Percent |
Biological Sciences
|
16.90
|
35.86
|
18.96
|
112.2%
|
Computer and Information Science and Engineering
|
6.10
|
7.36
|
1.26
|
20.7%
|
Engineering
|
3.69
|
6.00
|
2.31
|
62.6%
|
Geosciences
|
23.00
|
22.22
|
-0.78
|
-3.4%
|
Mathematical and Physical Sciences
|
5.35
|
4.70
|
-0.65
|
-12.1%
|
Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
|
1.65
|
1.65
|
0.00
|
0.0%
|
Office of Polar Programs
|
1.41
|
1.41
|
0.00
|
0.0%
|
Total, Biocomplexity in the Environment
|
$58.10
|
$79.20
|
$21.10
|
36.3%
|
Long-term Goals: For the next three years, NSF will
emphasize research and education on the role of Biocomplexity in the
Environment. This priority area is part of investments and accomplishments
within NSF's FY 2003 environmental investment portfolio of approximately
$930 million. The intellectual goals of the effort are to:
- Synthesize environmental knowledge across disciplines, subsystems,
time and space;
- Discover new methods, theories, and conceptual and computational
strategies for understanding complex environmental systems;
- Develop new tools and innovative applications of new and existing
technologies for cross-disciplinary environmental research;
- Integrate human, societal and ecological factors into investigations
of the physical environment and environmental engineering;
- Improve science-based forecasting capabilities and enhance research
on decision-making and human environmental behaviors; and
- Advance a broad range of infrastructure to support interdisciplinary
environmental activities: collaboratory networks, information systems,
research platforms, international partnerships, and education activities
that enhance and diversify the future environmental workforce.
Long-term funding for the Biocomplexity in the Environment
priority area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
FY 2000
Actual
|
FY 2001
Actual
|
FY 2002
Current Plan
|
FY 2003
Request
|
FY 2004
|
FY 2005
|
50.00
|
54.88
|
58.10
|
79.20
|
87.76
|
92.24
|
FY 2003 Areas of Emphasis: In FY 2003, NSF
plans to invest $79.20 million in the interdisciplinary Biocomplexity
in the Environment activities described below. The first two areas listed
have been added this year to specifically address the long-term need for
increased biosecurity.
- Microbial Genome Sequencing - a systematic effort to determine
the genetic composition and gene function of microbes in order to build
a knowledge base to identify and characterize species and to understand
the dynamics of microbial communities, particularly in response to environmental
changes. Sequencing of microbes with specific relevance to bioterrorism
will be included.
- Ecology of Infectious Disease - development of predictive models
and discovery of principles for relationships between environmental
factors and transmission of infectious agents. Research focuses on ecological
determinants of transmission by vectors or abiotic agents, the population
dynamics of species, and transmission to humans or other hosts. Anthropogenic
environmental factors include habitat destruction or fragmentation,
biological invasion, agricultural practices, environmental pollution,
climate change, and bioterrorism.
- Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems - quantitative,
interdisciplinary analyses of relevant human and natural system processes
and the complex interactions among human and natural systems at diverse
scales, with special emphasis given to studies of natural capital; landscapes
and land use; and uncertainty, resilience, and vulnerability.
- Coupled Biogeochemical Cycles - the interrelation of biological,
geochemical, geological, and physical processes at all temporal and
spatial scales, with particular emphasis on understanding linkages between
chemical and physical cycles (for example, the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorus and sulfur cycles), and the influence of human and other
biotic factors on those cycles.
- Genome-Enabled Environmental Sciences and Engineering - the
integrated use of genomic and information technology approaches to gain
novel insights into environmental questions and problems.
- Instrumentation Development for Environmental Activities -
the development of instrumentation and software that takes advantage
of microelectronics, photonics, telemetry, robotics, sensing systems,
modeling, data mining, and analysis techniques to bring recent laboratory
instrumentation advances to bear on the full spectrum of environmental
biocomplexity questions.
- Materials Use: Science, Engineering and Society - studies
directed toward reducing adverse human impact on the total, interactive
system of resource use, the design and synthesis of new materials with
environmentally benign impacts on biocomplex systems, as well as maximizing
the efficient use of individual materials throughout their life cycles.
In addition to these primary areas, other multidisciplinary
research and education activities will be supported:
- Molecular scale studies of environmental processes and technologies
- interdisciplinary teams to investigate biogeochemical processes and
alternative manufacturing processes at the level of molecular reactions
and interfaces.
- Water cycle - research on complex, planetary-scale hydrologic processes,
including investigation of how those processes interact with weather
and climate to alter landscapes, coastal ecosystems, terrestrial vegetation,
and aquifers.
- Social and behavioral processes - emphasis on predictive capabilities
and response to extreme and unpredictable events, including the study
of adaptation to environmental change in the Arctic.
- "Tree of Life" - exploration of genealogical relationships
of the 1.7 million extant species at a genetic level with emphasis on
providing information on the identity and characteristics of the majority
of species on Earth to a wide range of users in medicine, biotechnology,
agriculture, and industry.
- Educational activities - a range of projects associated with biocomplexity
studies that include informal science activities, development of instructional
material, and efforts in scientific literacy and communication.
- International partnerships - collaborations that include research
partners in other countries in order to broaden the experience of U.S.
students and expand the scope of biocomplexity research activities.
Information Technology Research
Enabled by basic scientific and engineering advances, Information
Technology (IT) has become pervasive in our public and private lives and
is transforming science, commerce, learning, and government. NSF's portfolio
will continue to emphasize fundamental research in IT and in all the areas
that IT impacts. In FY 2000, the NSF Information Technology Research (ITR)
program stressed fundamental research; in the second year, additional
applications in science and engineering were added; and in the third year,
the program expanded to research in multidisciplinary areas, focusing
on fundamental research at the interfaces between fields and disciplines.
In FY 2003, ITR will exploit and deepen the research initiated to this
point; it will support research to create and utilize cutting-edge cyberinfrastructure;
and it will create new opportunities for novel research and technology
development.
Proposed funding for the Information Technology Research
priority area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY 2002
Current
Plan |
FY 2003
Request
|
Change
|
Amount
|
Percent
|
Biological Sciences
|
6.08
|
6.80
|
0.72
|
11.8%
|
Computer and Information Science and Engineering
|
173.51
|
190.67
|
17.16
|
9.9%
|
Engineering
|
10.23
|
11.17
|
0.94
|
9.2%
|
Geosciences
|
12.16
|
13.21
|
1.05
|
8.6%
|
Mathematical and Physical Sciences
|
33.06
|
35.52
|
2.46
|
7.4%
|
Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
|
4.26
|
4.65
|
0.39
|
9.2%
|
Office of Polar Programs
|
1.22
|
1.33
|
0.11
|
9.0%
|
Subtotal, Research and Related Activities
|
240.52
|
263.35
|
22.83
|
9.5%
|
Education and Human Resources
|
2.00
|
2.48
|
0.48
|
24.0%
|
Subtotal, R&RA and Education and Human Resources
|
242.52
|
265.83
|
23.31
|
9.6%
|
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction
|
35.00
|
20.00
|
-15.00
|
-42.9%
|
Total, Information Technology Research
|
$277.52
|
$285.83
|
$8.31
|
3.0%
|
Long-term Goals: By expanding basic research in interdisciplinary
areas and addressing large problems, NSF will amplify the benefits of
IT in all areas of science and engineering, and spur progress across the
national economy and society. The Information Technology Research program
over the next two years will continue to target the following areas: large-scale
networking; high-end computing; high-end computation and infrastructure;
high-confidence software and systems; human computer interaction and information
management; software design and productivity; and social, economic, and
workforce implications of IT plus IT workforce development.
Long-term funding for the Information Technology Research
priority area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
FY 2000
Actual
|
FY 2001
Actual |
FY 2002
Current Plan
|
FY 2003
Request
|
FY 2004
|
126.00
|
216.27
|
277.52
|
285.83
|
291.21
|
FY 2003 Areas of Emphasis: Investments will
emphasize the following research:
- Large-Scale Networking - Research in large-scale networking
will explore strategic Internet technologies such as network-centric
middleware, network monitoring, and problem detection and resolution.
It will establish principles and tools (design, security, scaling, simulation,
and recovery) for active and intelligent networks that can adjust when
wireless devices move from place to place. Optical networking issues
form another area for investigation. It is anticipated that the research
will enable new classes of applications in areas such as distributed,
data-intensive computing; collaboration protocols; computational steering
of scientific simulations; distance visualization; operation of remote
instruments; and large-scale, distributed systems.
- High-End Computing - Research investments in high-end computing
will focus on such advanced computing concepts as new architectures,
software component technologies, and algorithms that are specifically
targeted at scientific and engineering applications. New materials and
methods will be examined that may lead to creation of new designs for
processors in computing devices (e.g., quantum phase data storage and
retrieval; nanoscale device and system architectures; and biological
substrate computing, using organic molecules). Research will also center
on the creation of efficient systems software technologies, including
operating systems, programming languages, compilers, memory hierarchies,
input/output, and performance tools for high-performance systems.
- High-End Computation and Infrastructure - Research investments
in high-end computation and infrastructure will support collaborative
research and information sharing on high-end applications across the
sciences; and support electronic collaboratories in which scientists
in any field and any location can work together in real time through
distributed networked applications. Additionally, investment in this
priority area will advance research in computation-intensive systems
and data-driven applications, including robotics, human augmentation,
image processing, simulation, animation, and telepresence; and create
computation and visualization technologies and tools to enable researchers
to see, feel, interact with, and analyze computed and measured data
from a variety of scientific and engineering disciplines. The program
will also provide continued support for Terascale Computing Systems
in order to strengthen the high performance computational capability
needed for computational science research and applications.
- High-Confidence Software and Systems - Research investments
in high-confidence software and systems will provide a sound theoretical,
scientific, and technological basis for assured construction and certification
of safe, trusted computing systems in interconnected environments. It
will provide the necessary understanding to build system engineering
tools that incorporate risk-based assurance appropriate to specific
application domains; lead to discovery of scientific principles for
the construction of high-confidence systems that are predictable and
robust, including adaptive systems that are "self-healing;"
and enable exploration of the theoretical and engineering foundations
for real-time distributed and embedded systems, including hybrid discrete
and continuous systems.
- Human Computer Interaction and Information Management - Research
investments in the field of human computer interaction and information
management will be pursued through innovative information technology
applications in educational and work environments. These applications
will lead to enhanced human abilities, such as augmenting human memory,
attention span, sensory perception, and comprehension. Research will
focus on development of multimodal technologies, tools, and devices
that may enable all individuals to live full and independent lives,
whatever their ages or physical capacities. Language technologies, such
as machine translation, speech-driven computer interactions, pattern
recognition, and automated transcription will be investigated. Investments
will focus on the development of digital library collections, including
study of how to determine, collect, and preserve what is of value in
the world's enormous new digital output, as well as how and what to
digitize from humanity's pre-digital knowledge stores. Research will
be performed in architectures, tools, and technologies for organizing,
annotating, searching, mining, preserving, and utilizing distributed,
heterogeneous multimedia archives. In addition, advanced technologies
for managing and working with digital information, from visualization,
data fusion, and analysis capabilities to remote collaboration and metadata
notation schemes will be developed.
- Software Design and Productivity - Research investments in
software design and productivity will focus on development of mathematical,
computer science, and engineering models to test fundamental new directions
for cost-efficient development of very high-quality software in the
emerging world of interconnectivity among heterogeneous devices, from
embedded processors to mobile devices to massive systems of systems.
It will address the theoretical foundations of software design while
including substantial experimental evaluations, and attack the challenges
of scalability pressures and the inherent heterogeneity of components.
Improvements will be made through evaluation and testing of the practical
applicability of new methods and techniques on realistic large-scale
application platforms.
- Social, Economic and Workforce Implications of IT and IT Workforce
Development - Research investments in this category will support
issues in IT literacy and workforce development, including a focus on
barriers and impediments to information technology careers among women,
minorities, and other underrepresented groups. Innovative information
technology applications will be developed for work-related learning
and broader access to IT by expanding the high-performance infrastructure
to encompass all educational communities and students. The fundamental
questions about the efficacy of IT in education, including the examination
of theories and models of learning, and development of high-quality
IT applications for learning environments will be addressed.
Nanoscale Science and Engineering
Nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) encompasses the
systematic organization, manipulation and control of matter at atomic,
molecular and supramolecular levels. Novel materials, devices, and systems
- with their building blocks on the scale of nanometers - shift
and expand possibilities in science, engineering, and technology.
A nanometer (one-billionth of a meter) is to an inch what an inch is to
400 miles. With the capacity to manipulate matter at this scale, a revolution
has begun in science, engineering, and technology including individualized
pharmaceuticals, new drug delivery systems, more resilient materials and
fabrics, and order of magnitude faster computer chips.
Nanoscale science and engineering has the promise of enabling
a better understanding of nature, a new world of products beyond what
is now possible, high efficiency in manufacturing, sustainable development,
better healthcare, and improved human performance.
Proposed funding for the Nanoscale Science and Engineering
priority area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY 2002
Current Plan
|
FY 2003
Request
|
Change
|
Amount
|
Percent
|
Biological Sciences
|
2.33
|
2.98
|
0.65
|
27.9%
|
Computer and Information Science and Engineering
|
10.20
|
11.14
|
0.94
|
9.2%
|
Engineering
|
86.30
|
94.35
|
8.05
|
9.3%
|
Geosciences
|
6.80
|
7.53
|
0.73
|
10.7%
|
Mathematical and Physical Sciences
|
93.08
|
103.92
|
10.84
|
11.6%
|
Social, Behavorial and Economic Sciences
|
0.00
|
1.11
|
1.11
|
N/A
|
Subtotal, Research and Related Activities
|
198.71
|
221.03
|
22.32
|
11.2%
|
Education and Human Resources
|
0.00
|
0.22
|
0.22
|
N/A
|
Total, Nanoscale Science and Engineering
|
$198.71
|
$221.25
|
$22.54
|
11.3%
|
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) is a government-wide
effort that began in FY 2001 (http://www.nano.gov).
NSF is emphasizing long-term, fundamental research aimed at discovering
novel phenomena, processes, and tools; addressing NNI Grand Challenges;
supporting new interdisciplinary centers and networks of excellence including
shared user facilities; supporting research infrastructure; and addressing
research and educational activities on the societal implications of advances
in nanoscience and nanotechnology.
NSF has been a pioneer among federal agencies in fostering
the development of nanoscale science, engineering and technology. In FY
2002, NSF is investing $198.71 million in a wide range of research and
education activities, including approximately 15 nanotechnology research
and education centers, which focus on areas such as electronics, biology,
optoelectronics, advanced materials and engineering.
This investment will be expanded in FY 2003 by 11.3 percent
to develop and strengthen critical fields and to establish the science
and engineering infrastructure and workforce needed to exploit the opportunities
presented by these new capabilities. Besides single investigator research,
support will be focused on interdisciplinary research and education teams,
national science and engineering centers, exploratory research and education
projects, and education and training.
Long-term Goals include building a foundation of
fundamental research for understanding and applying novel principles and
phenomena for nanoscale manufacturing and other NNI Grand Challenges;
ensuring that U.S. institutions will have access to a full range of nano-facilities;
enabling access to nanotechnology education for students in U.S. colleges
and universities; and catalyzing the creation of new commercial markets
that depend on three-dimensional nanostructures. These goals will make
possible development of revolutionary technologies that contribute to
improvements in health, advance agriculture, conserve materials and energy,
and sustain the environment.
Long-term funding for the Nanoscale Science and Engineering
priority area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
FY 2001
Actual
|
FY 2002
Current Plan
|
FY 2003
Request
|
FY 2004
|
FY 2005
|
149.68
|
198.71
|
221.25
|
251.25
|
266.25
|
FY 2003 Areas of Emphasis: NSF's planned investment for Nanoscale
Science and Engineering in FY 2003 is $221.25 million. The Foundation's
five programmatic focus areas are:
- Fundamental Research and Education - The FY 2003 request
includes an estimated $141.0 million for fundamental research and education,
with special emphasis on:
-
Biosystems at the Nanoscale- Approximately
$21 million to support study of biologically-based or inspired
systems that exhibit novel properties and potential applications.
Potential applications include improved drug delivery, biocompatible
nanostructured materials for implantation, exploiting of functions
of cellular organelles, devices for research in genomics, proteomics
and cell biology, and nanoscale sensory systems, such as miniature
sensors for early detection of cancer.
- Nanoscale Structures, Novel Phenomena and Quantum Control
- Approximately $53 million to discover and understand phenomena
specific at the nanoscale, create new materials and functional nanoscale
structures and exploit their novel properties. Potential applications
include quantum computing and new devices and processes for advanced
communications and information technologies.
- Device and System Architecture - Approximately $28 million
to develop new concepts to understand interactions among nanoscale
devices in complex systems, including the physical, chemical, and
biological interactions between nanostructures and device components.
Interdisciplinary teams will investigate methods for design of systems
composed of nanodevices.
- Nanoscale Processes in the Environment - Approximately
$10 million to support studies on nanoscale physical and chemical
processes related to the trapping and release of nutrients and contaminants
in the natural environment. Potential benefits include artificial
photosynthesis for clean energy and pollution control, and nanoscale
environmental sensors and other instrumentation.
- Multi-scale, Multi-phenomena Theory, Modeling and Simulation
at the Nanoscale - Approximately $21 million to support theory,
modeling, large-scale computer simulation and new design tools and
infrastructure in order to understand, control, and accelerate development
in new nanoscale regimes and systems.
- Manufacturing processes at the nanoscale - Approximately
$8 million to support new concepts for high rate synthesis and processing
of nanostructures, fabrication methods for devices, and assembling
them into nanosystems and then into larger scale structures of relevance
to industry and medical fields.
- Grand Challenges - Approximately $10.7 million will fund interdisciplinary
activities to focus on major long-term challenges: nanostructured materials
`by design,' nanoscale electronics, optoelectronics and magnetics, nanoscale-based
manufacturing, catalysts, chemical manufacturing, environment and healthcare.
- Centers and Networks of Excellence - Approximately $37.9 million
will support six research and education centers established in FY 2001,
and a multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral network for modeling and simulation
at the nanoscale. Support includes the nanofabrication user facilities
that come online in FY 2002.
- Research Infrastructure - Approximately $21.7 million will
support instrumentation and facilities for improved measurements, processing
and manipulation at nanoscale, and equipment and software for modeling
and simulation. University-industry-national laboratory and international
collaborations will be encouraged, particularly for expensive instrumentation
and facilities.
- Societal and Educational Implications of Science and Technology
Advances - Approximately $9.9 million will support student assistantships,
fellowships and traineeships, curriculum development on nanoscience
and engineering and development of new teaching tools. The implications
of nanotechnology on society will be analyzed from social, behavioral,
legal, ethical, and economic perspectives. Factors that stimulate scientific
discovery at the nanoscale, ensure the responsible development of nanotechnology,
and utilize converging technologies to improve human performance will
be investigated. The development and use of nanoscale technologies is
likely to change the design, production and use of many goods and services,
ranging from vaccines to computers to automobile tires.
Learning for the 21st Century Workforce
Continued U.S. leadership in the global economy is dependent
on the availability of a diverse science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) workforce. U.S. citizens as a whole will also need
greater STEM literacy in order to participate in an informed manner in
important public policy discussions and to utilize scientific and quantitative
skills in their daily lives. The teachers who will develop our scientific
and engineering workforce and prepare our young people for responsible
citizenship form an important part of the larger workforce. Moreover,
as technological advances radically change workplace environments, the
workforce at large will require new skills (i.e., higher degrees of problem
solving ability, quantitative computer and communications literacy, and
increased competencies in STEM). The Learning for the 21st
Century Workforce priority area focuses on generating the base of knowledge
that will support effective research-based pedagogies that will address
these higher order skills and prepare and support the STEM workforce of
the future.
In order to use new learning concepts to meet emerging workforce
needs, NSF has adopted a strategy that includes two overarching goals:
(1) improve our understanding of learning processes through an aggressive
research program; and (2) transfer that understanding into learning environments
and apply it to workforce development. Successful pursuit of these goals
will generate the knowledge, people and tools needed to develop a modern
workforce that is second to none in its ability to use, adapt and create
STEM concepts in the workplace. It will also develop a science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics workforce that leads the world and fully
reflects the strength of the nation's diversity.
Proposed funding for Learning for the 21st Century
Workforce priority area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY 2002
Current Plan
|
FY 2003
Request |
Change
|
Amount
|
Percent
|
Biological Sciences
|
1.70
|
1.93
|
0.23
|
13.5%
|
Computer and Information Science and Engineering
|
1.15
|
1.20
|
0.05
|
4.3%
|
Engineering
|
3.40
|
4.87
|
1.47
|
43.2%
|
Geosciences
|
3.90
|
4.23
|
0.33
|
8.5%
|
Mathematical and Physical Sciences
|
5.00
|
5.97
|
0.97
|
19.4%
|
Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
|
5.40
|
5.46
|
0.06
|
1.1%
|
Office of Polar Programs
|
1.10
|
1.12
|
0.02
|
1.8%
|
Integrative Activities
|
0.00
|
20.00
|
20.00
|
N/A
|
Subtotal, Research and Related Activities
|
21.65
|
44.78
|
23.13
|
106.8%
|
Education and Human Resources
|
123.17
|
139.91
|
16.74
|
13.6%
|
Total, Learning for the 21st Century Workforce
|
$144.82
|
$184.69
|
$39.87
|
27.5%
|
Long-term Goals: Over a five-year period,
NSF will explore several connected aspects of learning in order to:
- Expand our understanding of learning in young people and adults,
and take advantage of opportunities provided by state-of-the-art information
and learning technologies to explore new models of workforce preparation
and development.
- Support the transformation of today's workforce into one that is
prepared to learn throughout life.
- Develop exemplary practices for broadening participation in STEM
career fields to better reflect the diversity of the nation.
- Include opportunities in formal and informal STEM education to experience
the realities of the national and global workplace and to better prepare
those entering the workforce.
- Prepare the next generation of leaders and develop a citizenry that
understands the processes of creating new knowledge and the value of
incorporating new knowledge into their working practice.
Long-term funding for the Learning for the 21st
Century Workforce priority area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
FY 2000
Actual
|
FY 2001
Actual
|
FY 2002
Current Plan
|
FY 2003
Request
|
FY 2004
|
FY 2005
|
50.00
|
54.88
|
58.10
|
79.20
|
87.76
|
92.24
|
FY 2003 Areas of Emphasis: The Learning for the 21st
Century Workforce priority area combines a concentration in certain core
programs in the Education and Human Resources (EHR) Account with research
and education efforts sponsored by the Research and Related Activities
Account. NSF core programs include the Interagency Education Research
Initiative (IERI), the Research on Learning and Education (ROLE) program,
Centers for Learning and Teaching (CLT), and others. These programs will
be expanded by an NSF-wide integrative activity, the new Science of Learning
Centers that forms the centerpiece of the Learning for the 21st
Century Workforce priority area in FY 2003.
- Science of Learning Centers - multidisciplinary, multi-institutional
centers to expand our understanding of learning through research on
the learning process, the context of learning and learning technologies
leading to enhanced understanding of how people think and learn. SLCs
will serve as national "learning" resources, and will play
a critical role in the demonstration of effective workforce preparation
strategies. NSF expects to fund this program at $20.0 million in FY
2003, providing funds for three or four centers and a number of catalyst
projects. Catalyst projects include planning grants to support seed
projects which could become SLCs at a later date. At this level, the
SLC investment will support a diverse portfolio of projects, providing
leadership across a broad range of science and engineering approaches,
including research that will speak to and learn from educational reform,
workforce development, and the linkage of educational strategies to
economic development, and add generally to the knowledge base in cognition.
SLCs will be organized around a unifying research focus and an effective
implementation strategy that will achieve all three of the SLC principal
goals: (1) advancing the understanding of learning, through research
on the learning process, the context of learning, and/or learning technologies;
(2) strengthening the connections between science of learning research
and educational and workforce development, in a manner that mutually
advances both; and (3) building effective collaborative research communities
with sufficient resources and organizational capacity to respond to
new educational and workforce challenges, and capitalize on new research
opportunities and discoveries.
- Learning research - investments in multidisciplinary research
incorporating fields such as design of learning environments, human-computer
interactions, cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, computational
linguistics, child development, sociology and complex educational systems.
Investments include IERI, ROLE, and other research activity related
to child learning and cognitive development. The FY 2003 request for
research is $67.75 million.
- Learning tools - research, development, and testing of information
technology-based tools that facilitate learning across many levels of
formal and informal education and for both individuals and groups. New
communication and information technologies show promise to enhance the
delivery of education and offer the possibility of providing truly learner-centered,
independent learning environments over an entire lifetime and at any
convenient place and time. Continuing investments include the National
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Digital Library
(NSDL), a prototype information technology-based tool designed to increase
the quality, quantity, and comprehensiveness of Internet education resources.
The FY 2003 request is $27.50 million.
- Creating connections - activities that link formal
and informal STEM education and create connections across levels of
formal education and workforce development. Investments in this core
element recognize that learning happens continuously and in many ways.
They provide mechanisms to bridge gaps caused by the organization of
learning environments into discrete systems of formal and informal education,
and into discrete educational layers. Investments include the Graduate
Teaching Fellowships in K-12 Education (GK-12) program, which is budgeted
at $41.44 million in FY 2003.
- Centers for Learning and Teaching (CLT) - activities that
link K-12 and higher education to provide lifelong learning opportunities
for the instructional workforce in contexts supported by information
technology tools and by research on learning, science and mathematics.
CLTs will address the need to increase the quality of research on learning
and teaching, to develop the next generation of science and mathematics
education specialists, and to strengthen the competencies of the preK-16
instructional workforce. The request for Centers for Learning and Teaching
program is $28.0 million in FY 2003.
The Math and Science Partnership discussed below also reflects
many of the goals of Learning for the 21st Century Workforce. The partnerships
developed with various localities will ensure that all students have the
opportunity to perform to high standards by using effective, research-based
approaches, improving teacher quality, and insisting on accountability
for student performance.
Mathematical Sciences
Today's discoveries in science, engineering and technology
are intertwined with advances across the mathematical sciences. New mathematical
tools disentangle the complex processes that drive the climate system;
mathematics illuminates the interaction of magnetic fields and fluid flows
in the hot plasmas within stars; and mathematical modeling plays a key
role in research on micro-, nano-, and optical devices. Innovative optimization
methods form the core of computational algorithms that provide decision-making
tools for Internet-based business information systems.
The fundamental mathematical sciences - embracing
mathematics and statistics - are essential not only for the progress
of research across disciplines, they are also critical to training a mathematically
literate workforce for the future. Technology-based industries, which
help fuel the growth of the U.S. economy, and increasing dependence on
computer control systems, electronic data management, and business forecasting
models, demand a workforce with effective mathematical and statistical
skills that is well-versed in science and engineering.
It is vital for mathematicians and statisticians to collaborate
with engineers and scientists to extend the frontiers of discovery where
science and mathematics meet, both in research and in educating a new
generation for careers in academe, industry, and government. For the United
States to remain competitive among other nations with strong traditions
in mathematical sciences education, more young Americans must be attracted
to careers in the mathematical sciences. These efforts are essential for
the continued health of the nation's science and engineering enterprise.
The role of mathematics has expanded in science and society,
but the resources devoted to three key areas - fundamental mathematical
and statistical research, interdisciplinary collaboration between the
mathematical sciences and other disciplines, and mathematics education
- have not kept pace with the needs, thus limiting the nation's scientific,
technical, and commercial enterprises. To strengthen the mathematical
foundations of science and society, NSF will focus on the mathematical
sciences, encompassing interdisciplinary efforts in all areas of science,
engineering and education supported by the Foundation.
In FY 2002, NSF provided $30.0 million in funding support
as a focused investment in interdisciplinary research in mathematics within
the Mathematics and Physical Sciences Activity; Mathematical Sciences
becomes a Foundation-wide priority area in FY 2003, building on this initial
investment.
Proposed funding for the Mathematical Sciences priority
area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY 2002
Current
Plan
|
FY 2003
Request
|
Change
|
Amount
|
Percent
|
Biological Sciences
|
0.00
|
0.91
|
0.91
|
N/A
|
Computer and Information Science and Engineering
|
0.00
|
2.29
|
2.29
|
N/A
|
Engineering
|
0.00
|
0.91
|
0.91
|
N/A
|
Geosciences
|
0.00
|
4.57
|
4.57
|
N/A
|
Mathematical and Physical Sciences
|
30.00
|
47.39
|
17.39
|
58.0%
|
Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
|
0.00
|
1.10
|
1.10
|
N/A
|
Office of Polar Programs
|
0.00
|
0.18
|
0.18
|
N/A
|
Subtotal, Research and Related Activities
|
$30.00
|
$57.35
|
$27.35
|
91.2%
|
Education and Human Resources
|
$0.00
|
$2.74
|
2.74
|
N/A
|
Total, Mathematical Sciences
|
$30.00
|
$60.09
|
$30.09
|
100.3%
|
Long-term Goals: From FY 2003 through FY 2007, the
mathematical sciences priority area will advance frontiers in three interlinked
areas: (1) fundamental mathematical and statistical sciences; (2) interdisciplinary
research involving the mathematical sciences with science and engineering
through focused, selected themes; and (3) critical investments in mathematical
sciences education. A five-year investment plan will allow efforts in
research and education to take root and begin a transformation in the
way mathematics, science, and education interact. The long-term goals
of the investments in the priority area are to:
- Foster significant advances in fundamental mathematics and statistics
with important benefits for the mathematical and other sciences and
engineering;
- Promote the synergy of fundamental mathematical sciences research
with its use in other fields of fundamental research and applications;
- Enhance the use of state-of-the-art mathematical and statistical tools
across NSF research fields while exploring those fields for seeds of
new mathematical and statistical directions;
- Ensure award size and duration for researchers in the mathematical
sciences that enable them to bring new ideas to fruition and to promote
interdisciplinary collaborations;
- Train a new generation of researchers in interdisciplinary approaches
to future science and engineering challenges with mathematical and statistical
elements;
- Increase the numbers and diversity of U.S. students trained in the
mathematical and statistical sciences to meet the increasing demands
of scientific research, engineering, and technology in academic institutions,
industry and government laboratories; and
- Develop a framework to significantly advance the image and understanding
of mathematics in the general population.
Long-term funding for the Mathematical Sciences priority
area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
FY 2002
Current Plan
|
FY 2003
Request
|
FY 2004
|
FY 2005
|
FY 2006
|
FY 2007
|
30.00
|
60.09
|
72.10
|
86.50
|
99.50
|
109.50
|
FY 2003 Areas of Emphasis: In FY 2003, NSF plans to invest
$60.09 million in the Mathematical Sciences activities described below.
- Fundamental Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. Fundamental
research areas include themes such as dynamical systems and partial
differential equations, geometry and topology, stochasticity, number
theory, algebraic and quantum structures, the mathematics of computation,
Bayesian estimation, and multi-scale and multi-resolution analysis.
To enhance research in these areas, the NSF will provide increased support
for mathematical sciences through focused research groups and individual
investigator grants, as well as through institutional and postdoctoral
training activities.
- Advancing Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering. The concepts
and structures developed by fundamental mathematics often provide just
the right framework for the formulation and study of phenomena in other
disciplines. Mathematics and statistics have yielded new analytical,
statistical, computational and experimental tools to tackle a broad
range of scientific and technological challenges long considered intractable.
This success has fueled both interest in the further development of
new mathematical and statistical ideas and techniques and demand for
research teams capable of recognizing the potential and for using these
sophisticated techniques in addressing science and engineering problems.
A new breed of researchers, broadly trained in both mathematics and
science or engineering disciplines and capable of translating mathematical
concepts and techniques across disciplines, is needed to tackle the
increasingly complex multidisciplinary research topics that confront
society. Three broad research themes have been identified for initial
emphasis in the mathematical sciences priority area:
- Mathematical and statistical challenges posed by large data
sets - Much of modern science and engineering involves working
with enormous data sets. Major challenges include: the identification
and recovery of meaningful relationships between data; the identification
and validation of the structure of large data sets, which require
novel mathematical and statistical methods; and improvement of theories
of control and decision-making based on large data streams, with
new statistical techniques to assess complicated data sets. These
challenges arise in such diverse arenas as: large genetic databases;
the explosion of data gathered from satellite observation systems,
seismic networks, and global oceanic and atmospheric observational
networks; situations in which privacy and missing data are major
concerns; the massive data streams generated by automated physical
science instruments which must be compressed, stored and accessed
for analysis; and data produced by modern engineering systems that
place networked sensors and actuators on scalable networks to support
dynamic interactions.
- Managing and modeling uncertainty - Predictions and forecasts
of phenomena - bracketed by measures of uncertainty - are critical
for making better decisions, whether in public policy or in research.
Improved methods for assessing uncertainty will increase the utility
of models across the sciences and engineering and result in better
predictions of phenomena. Improving the ability to forecast extreme
or singular events will improve safety and reliability in systems
such as power grids, the Internet, and air traffic control. Advancing
techniques to assess uncertainty has applications ranging from helping
to forecast the spread of an invasive species, to predicting genetic
change and evaluating the likelihood of complex climate change scenarios.
For example, in the social sciences, methods for assessing uncertainty
will improve the utility of forecasts of market behavior.
- Modeling complex nonlinear systems - Advances
in mathematics are necessary for a fundamental understanding of
the mechanisms underlying interacting complex systems and will be
essential to the further development of modern physical theories
of the structure of the universe at the smallest and largest scales.
Across the sciences, there is a great need to analyze and predict
emergent complex properties, from social behaviors to brain function,
and from communication networks to multi-scale business information
systems.
To enhance research in these areas of science and engineering
which depend on cross-cutting themes in the mathematical sciences, NSF
support will encompass interdisciplinary focused research groups, interdisciplinary
centers, interdisciplinary cross-training programs, and partnership activities
with other federal agencies. Training activities will cover interdisciplinary
professional development at many levels and those that link highly innovative
training activities with research.
- Advancing Mathematical Sciences Education. This effort will
support innovative educational activities, centered on the research
priorities highlighted above. Activities will include: teacher preparation
and professional development; curriculum development both in the mathematical
sciences and in incorporating sophisticated mathematics into other disciplines,
introducing new technologies and materials across the K-16 spectrum;
and research on how mathematics is learned, particularly in light of
new learning technologies and emerging mathematical fields. Investments
include support for undergraduate and graduate education and postdoctoral
training coupled with curriculum reform.
Social, Behavioral and Economic SciencesThe theme of the Social, Behavioral
and Economic Sciences (SBE) priority area is to research how technology
and society advance through continual interactions. The social system
- society and its political, economic, legal, education, health care,
and other institutions - influences how scientific discovery happens and
what technologies are developed. Concurrently, technological development
causes change in the social system. Every aspect of our lives - the way
our economy operates, the ways we govern ourselves, the ways we learn,
and the ways we communicate and relate to one another - has been changed
by transportation, communications, and information technologies. With
biotechnology, we are changing our sources and amounts of food, our abilities
to diagnose disease, and the nature and range of medical therapies. And
we are on the verge of even greater changes with nanoscale science and
engineering. These changes have given the U.S. advantages over many other
nations, and they have contributed to U.S. economic well-being and quality
of life. But the changes made with technology also bring greater risks
and call into question the extent to which contributions from technological
innovation can be sustained.
The changes being created as a result of technological developments
are happening so rapidly that laws and regulations, political and social
institutions, schools and businesses, and society are being challenged
to keep up. For example, U.S. economic data are inadequate for a global,
information-driven economy and a world of e-commerce. Property rights,
and laws governing markets, are not relevant to many new products and
services. Technologies to limit, if not avoid, social and environmental
harms or to gain a competitive advantage are not fully employed by organizations
and businesses. Schools too often use technology to automate the way teachers
teach, rather than to transform education.
Moreover, technological change may involve risks. Advances
in information technology will increase risks to individual privacy. Greater
reliance on technology for economic/financial transactions, health care,
transportation, electric power generation and distribution, and communications
leads to greater risks of widespread failures in these complex, critical
systems. And a growing disparity of access to technology among diverse
segments of society and among countries increases the risks of social
tensions.
Globalization has also contributed to the rapid changes
industrialized countries have fueled with technology. The world continues
to become increasingly interdependent. Imports, exports, and foreign investment
between nations continue to increase. More jobs require higher levels
of education and the U.S. is becoming increasingly dependent on immigration
to meet the needs for many specialized skills. Multinational corporations
are a major part of the global economy and have reduced the control of
national governments over the flow of financial as well as human capital.
Scientific and technological advances have placed the U.S.
ahead of the competition in the global economy. But these same advances
also provide other countries with broad and immediate access to scientific
and technological information and other means to more readily be the first
to develop a new technology and bring it to the global market. As a result,
the country's current advantage may not be sustained.
If the U.S. is to maintain this standing and further the
contributions of science and technology to economic well-being and quality
of life, knowledge must be developed that will ensure continued, sustained
leadership in technological innovation. This will involve the development
of knowledge with which new technologies can be created to meet changing
human needs; knowledge that will stimulate technological innovation through
new markets, property rights, and other social frameworks; and knowledge
that will enable individuals, organizations, and society to take greater
advantage of technology and anticipate and prepare for the social, economic,
and environmental effects.
The rapidly changing capabilities for society, associated
with technological development, also provide the public with new opportunities
to interact with the natural environment. Major improvements in observation,
analytical, and modeling capabilities have greatly enhanced the potential
to understand and more accurately predict the weather and short-term changes
in ecosystems resulting from both natural processes and human activities.
However, our understanding of these interactions over longer time periods
is still fragmentary, and decisions about many longer-term environmental
issues are made with incomplete information and uncertainty. As part of
the President's Climate Change Research Initiative, the NSF will undertake
a program in coordination with other federal agencies that focuses on
decision- making under uncertainty related to climate change.
Funding for the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
priority area is seeded at $10.0 million in FY 2003, all within the SBE
Activity. Included in the total is $5.0 million for research on risk management
as part of the Climate Change Research Initiative.
Long-term Goals: Developing the necessary knowledge
requires investing in new research in the social, behavioral, and economic
sciences. From FY 2003 through FY 2007 this investment will generate the
knowledge from the following:
- Research on human factors in the design and development of technology,
leading to technologies to enhance human capabilities.
- Research on social frameworks for scientific and technological
innovation, suggesting changes in our social frameworks to further
stimulate scientific discovery and the responsible development of technology.
- Research on adaptation to technological change, enabling our
society to take greater advantage of technology and to anticipate and
prepare for its consequences.
Long-term funding for the SBE priority area is as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
FY 200
Request
|
FY 2004
|
FY 2005
|
FY 2006
|
FY 2007
|
10.00
|
20.00
|
30.00
|
40.00
|
50.00
|
FY 2003 Areas of Emphasis: In the first year,
funding will focus on basic research that is primed for major advances
because of new research tools or new data or because of prior research
with successful applications that can be extended through new methods
or different perspectives. Specifically, this priority area will concentrate
on:
- Research on risk management with special reference to issues related
to climate change. With the added funding, NSF will support a research
program designed to produce new understandings of how to manage risks
associated with climate change as well as new tools, perspectives, and
information that will assist individuals, groups, and organizations
with the development of public policies and private-sector decisions.
NSF will coordinate the development of this program with other federal
agencies participating in the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
- Research on game theory and empirical methods in economics and political
science.
- Research on computational linguistics, speech recognition, and cognitive
neuroscience, all areas where technological advances have created new
tools for social scientists.
It is an opportune time to lay the foundation for an increased
investment in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences to achieve
these purposes. As these sciences have become more quantitative, they
are creatively adapting and using technologies to advance the frontiers
of knowledge with new data, models, methodologies, and modes of conducting
research, including new methods of observation and experimentation.
Math and Science Partnership
The underlying philosophy of the Math and Science Partnership
(MSP) is that collaborations of school systems, higher education, and
other partners will increase the capacity of preK-12 educational systems,
to provide requisites for learning to high standards in science and mathematics
as a national priority, to ensure the future strength of the nation that
derives from scientific advances and a science-literate citizenry. MSP
is a cornerstone of the President's education policy, No Child Left
Behind, which states that "...we have fallen short
in meeting our goals for educational excellence. The academic achievement
gap between rich and poor, Anglo and minority is not only wide, but in
some cases is growing wider still.... Among the underlying causes for
the poor performance of U.S. students in the areas of math and science,
three problems must be addressed - too many teachers teaching out-of-field;
too few students taking advanced coursework; and too few schools offering
a challenging curriculum and textbooks.
"The strategic focus of the Math and Science
Partnership is to engage the nation's higher education institutions, local,
regional and state school districts and other partners in preK-12 reform
by calling for a significant commitment by colleges and universities to
improving the quality of science and mathematics instruction in the schools
and to investing in the recruitment, preparation and professional development
of highly competent science and mathematics teachers. MSP, as a major
national effort, is an investment intended to serve all students
so that learning outcomes can no longer be predicted based on race/ethnicity,
socio-economic status, gender or disability.
A defining feature of MSP is the development and implementation
of productive partnerships among the major stakeholders, with each partnership
requiring commitments from one or more local school systems and one or
more higher education entities, and including other partners that bring
additional assets to preK-12 teaching and learning. These other partners
can include industrial organizations, which bring unique insights on workforce
needs to the partnerships, state education agencies, and not-for-profit
entities with a commitment to science and mathematics education. Institutions
of higher education who partner in MSP are expected to tap their disciplinary
departments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
as well as their education departments. The insistence that higher education
must play a critical role in preK-12 educational reform, especially in
support of professional education throughout the career of preK-12 teachers,
distinguishes MSP from prior NSF-supported systemic efforts.
A second distinguishing feature of MSP is that it will not
be an isolated set of local partnerships, but will become part of the
NSF and national STEM education portfolio of interconnected sites whose
experiences will help generate the capacity of the nation to serve all
students well. Further, by involving the MSP awardees in a nationwide
network of educational researchers and practitioners, the program will
contribute to the development of a greater U.S. capacity to analyze and
learn from the experience of large-scale change and to apply this knowledge
to preK-12 STEM teaching and learning.
MSP seeks to improve student outcomes in high-quality mathematics
and science by all students, at all preK-12 levels. The partnerships expect
to contribute to increases in student achievement across-the-board, as
well as reductions in achievement gaps in mathematics and science education
among diverse student populations differentiated by race/ethnicity, socio-economic
status, gender or disability. To achieve these long-term outcomes, MSP
will support the development, implementation, and sustainability of exemplary
partnerships addressing the following goals:
Goal 1: To significantly enhance the capacity of
schools to provide a challenging curriculum for every student, and to
encourage more students to participate in and succeed in advanced mathematics
and science courses.
Goal 2: To increase and sustain the number, quality,
and diversity of preK-12 teachers of mathematics and science, especially
in underserved areas, through further development of a professional education
continuum that considers traditional preservice education as well as alternative
routes into the profession (e.g., scientists and engineers wishing to
shift careers to preK-12 teaching, professional development during early
phases of a career (i.e., induction), and continued professional growth
(inservice) in mathematics and science for preK-12 teachers.
Goal 3: To contribute to the national capacity to
engage in large-scale reform through participation in a network of researchers
and practitioners that will share, study and evaluate educational reform
and experimental approaches to the improvement of teacher preparation
and professional development.
Goal 4: To engage the learning community in the knowledge
base being developed in current and future NSF Centers for Learning and
Teaching, and Science of Learning Centers.
The FY 2002 Current Plan for MSP is $160.0 million. In FY
2002, MSP will provide support for two types of partnership efforts, those
that are comprehensive in nature and those that are more targeted in their
expected outcomes, focusing on solutions to specific problems in the improvement
of preK-12 science and math education. Some of the targeted awards may
also be used to provide technical assistance to build capacity in those
districts lacking the infrastructure or ability to be competitive initially
for a comprehensive award. It is anticipated that the partnerships will
share a number of key characteristics that will facilitate MSP reaching
the above goals. For example, partnerships will design high learning expectations
into all math and science classes, and will ensure that educators effectively
match local and state standards to curricula, learning technology, instruction
and assessment.
MSP funding in FY 2002 will also be used to support a combination
of technical assistance, evaluation, and research grants and contracts.
It is expected that research on learning and the application of math and
science education models to a wide range of learning environments will
be a key component of MSP and will contribute to the national understanding
of how to introduce and sustain successful education reform in math and
science.
NSF's intent is to develop creative and innovative approaches
on a continuing basis to achieve the purposes of MSP. An assessment of
lessons learned from the FY 2002 efforts will likely lead to changes in
the program in FY 2003.
The U.S. Department of Education will be sponsoring numerous
programs that support the President's initiative, and NSF and the Department
of Education are planning program linkages to manage the federal investment
in math and science education for the greatest effectiveness.
Proposed funding for the Math and Science Partnership is
as follows:
(Millions of Dollars)
FY 2002
Current Plan
|
FY 2003
Request
|
FY 2004
|
FY 2005
|
FY 2006
|
160.0
|
200.0
|
200.0
|
200.0
|
200.0
|
Federal Crosscuts
NSF will continue its active participation in federal crosscut
areas in FY 2003, supporting research and education in the U.S. Global
Change Research Program at $188.30 million, the Networking and Information
Technology Research and Development (formerly HPCCIT) program at $678.74
million, and the National Nanotechnology Initiative at $221.25 million.
In addition, in FY 2003, the Administration proposes to institute a new
Climate Change Research Initiative, which is a multiagency effort with
a strong focus toward short-term outcomes and deliverables. NSF will participate
in four specific areas: understanding the North American Carbon Cycle,
research on climate change risk management, developing sensors to measure
carbon dioxide and methane; and measuring and understanding the impact
of black carbon. The request includes $15.0 million to address these focused
research challenges.
Strategic Goals and NSF Budget Structure
The following table provides
FY 2003 funding for strategic goals and budget accounts.
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