The biennial Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 was released by the National Science Board on Feb. 23, 2006.

Indicators 2006 reports:

• The number of science and engineering degrees awarded at all levels in the U.S. is rising, especially bachelor's and master's degrees.
• Graduate enrollment is trending upward for all major U.S. demographic groups.
• International spending on research and development is growing rapidly.
• China is keeping pace with the U.S. in the growth of its high-technology production relative to its total manufacturing output.
• U.S. patent applications from the Asia-8 nations (South Korea, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand) are growing rapidly.

See Indicators 2006 for additional findings. Its companion policy report, America's Pressing Challenge – Building a Stronger Foundation, contains recommendations to improve U.S. science and engineering education.

Elementary, middle- and high-school students participating in NSF's Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program during the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school years showed significant improvements in mathematics and science proficiency, according to a first analysis of data the foundation has gathered.

High-school math students showed the greatest improvement with 14.2 percent more "at or above proficiency" after one year of MSP participation. Elementary school students performed better in both math and science with 7.3 and 8.6 percent more reaching or exceeding proficiency, respectively.

These data, the first available since MSP's establishment in 2002, were collected from 130 partnership schools that received first-round MSP awards. After a complete analysis of the data, results from the first-year evaluation will be publicly available at NSF's MSP Web site in spring 2006. For more on the data to date, see "NSF's Math and Science Partnerships Make the Grade."

A 40-foot-long dinosaur fossil discovered in China's Junggar Basin appears to be a new genus and species of dinosaur -- as well as the most primitive tyrannosaur yet found. The small dinosaur, Guanlong wucaii, is a type of dinosaur known as a coelurosaur, which is closely related to birds and much smaller than its legendary relative -- the 15-foot-tall, 40-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex.

A team of researchers supported by NSF and the National Geographic Society identified the dinosaur based on the skeleton's cranial features and long, shallow snout. Still, Guanlong is identified as a tyrannosaur based on the shape of its teeth and skull openings as well as its pelvic features, said James Clark of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The findings were reported in the journal Nature.

See the NSF press release "Scientists Discover Oldest-Known and Most-Primitive Tyrannosaur" for more information.

Using a relatively new planet-hunting technique, researchers discovered what is likely the most Earth-like planet detected to date. Planet OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb -- the smallest planet yet found orbiting a star outside our solar system -- is located more than 20,000 light years away in the constellation Scorpio, near the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

This discovery was made possible by gravitational microlensing, a technique based on a concept first discussed by Albert Einstein in the early 20^th century. This technique can spot worlds one-tenth the mass of our own. The recent discovery suggests this may be an exceptional technology for finding distant planets with traits that could support life. For more information on this recent discovery or microlensing, see NSF's "Closer to Home" press release.

NSF has named distinguished computer scientist Daniel E. Atkins to head its newly created Office of Cyberinfrastructure (OCI). Atkins, a professor in the School of Information and in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, has made major contributions to high-performance computer architecture, and led or participated in the design and construction of seven experimental machines including some of the earliest parallel computers.

Atkins will join NSF on June 5, 2006, as Director of the OCI, which has a FY 2006 budget of $127 million. The President's budget request for OCI in FY 2007 calls for $182.42 million -- an increase of $55.3 million, or 43.5%. The OCI will work closely with all NSF offices and directorates to realize the Foundation's emerging Vision for 21st Century Discovery.

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NSF: What are the guiding research questions that drive your work?
Collmer: Plants are surrounded and probed by a myriad of microbes but are parasitized by relatively few. How do plants defend themselves, and what are the molecular secrets of successful pathogens? Over the past 20 years our field has made tremendous progress in understanding a few virulence systems...But these pioneering studies have also revealed bewilderingly complex webs of molecular interactions.

NSF: What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?
Collmer: I get the most satisfaction from teaching and working with young scientists, which I have been fortunate to do with students from the high school level to the postdoctoral level. It is gratifying to see a new generation of students nurturing the clear-eyed curiosity and analytical skills that will enable them to pursue a profession, serve society, and (particularly important these days) join a world-wide community that is linked by shared curiosities rather than dogma.

For more on Collmer's research, see "Of Plants and Pathogens: A Model Relationship" on the NSF website.

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