Fact Sheet
National Science Board

December 15, 2008

Background. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Act of 1950, which created NSF, states: "The Foundation shall consist of a National Science Board (NSB) ... and a director." Jointly, the board and the director pursue the goals and functions of NSF, including the duty to "recommend and encourage the pursuit of national policies for the promotion of research and education in science and engineering."

The board has several statutory responsibilities. One is to provide oversight for and establish the policies of the foundation, within the framework of applicable national policies, as set forth by the president and the Congress. Another is to serve as an independent body of advisors to both the president and Congress on broad, national policy issues related to science and engineering research and education. The board is to render to the president, for submission to Congress no later than January 15 of each even numbered year, a report on indicators of the state of science and engineering in the United States. Additionally, the board is to render to the president for submission to Congress, reports on specific, individual policy matters related to science and engineering and education in science and engineering, as the board, the president or the Congress determines the need for such reports.

Composition. The NSB is made up of 24 members appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Also, the NSF director is an ex-officio member. Members serve six-year terms; one-third of the board is appointed every two years. NSB members are selected to represent the leadership of science and engineering in all areas of the nation. They are selected for their eminence in research, education or public service.

Actions. The NSB meets five times a year (four meetings at NSF headquarters in Arlington, Va., and one in another part of the country). It reviews and approves major NSF awards and new programs. It also initiates and conducts studies and reports on a broad range of policy topics--on its own initiative or as the president or Congress requests--including the biennial Science and Engineering Indicators. The NSB also publishes occasional policy papers or statements on issues of importance to U.S. science and engineering.

Honors. The NSB sponsors national honorary awards:

• Vannevar Bush Award - established by the board in 1980, awarded to senior scientists for public service in science and technology;
• NSB Public Service Award - established by the board in 1996, presented to one or more individuals, or to a company, corporation or organization, in recognition of their contributions to increasing public understanding of science or engineering.

Members of the National Science Board

Terms expire May 10, 2010

• Dan E. Arvizu - Director and Chief Executive, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Goldon, Colorado
• Steven C. Beering - Chairman, National Science Board and President Emeritus, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
• G. Wayne Clough - Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
• Kelvin K. Droegemeier – Associate Vice President for Research, Regents' Professor of Meteorology and Weathernews Chair University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
• Louis J. Lanzerotti - Distinguished Research Professor of Physics, Center for Solar Terrestrial Research,  New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey
• Alan I. Leshner - Chief Executive Officer, Executive Publisher, Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC
• Jon C. Strauss - President, Bainbridge Graduate Institute, Bainbridge Island, Washington
• Kathryn D. Sullivan - Director, Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy, John Glenn School of Public Affairs, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Terms expire May 10, 2012

• Mark R. Abbott - Dean and Professor, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University
• Camilla P. Benbow – Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• John T. Bruer - President, The James S. McDonnell Foundation, St. Louis, Missouri
• Patricia D. Galloway - Vice Chairman, National Science Board and Chief Executive Officer, Pegasus Global Holdings, Inc., Cle Elum, Washington
• José-Marie Griffiths - Dean and Professor, School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Arthur K. Reilly - Senior Director, Strategic Technology Policy, Cisco Systems, Inc., Ocean, New Jersey
• Thomas N. Taylor – Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Curator of Paleobotany, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
• Richard F. Thompson - Keck Professor of Psychology and Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

• Ray M. Bowen - President Emeritus, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
• France A. Córdova – President, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
• Esin Gulari – Dean of Engineering and Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
• G.P. "Bud" Peterson - Chancellor, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado
• Douglas D. Randall - Professor and Thomas Jefferson Fellow, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
• Diane L. Souvaine - Professor and Chair, Department of Computer Science, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts

Ex-Officio Member: Arden L. Bement, Jr. - Director, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia

Board Consultants

• Barry C. Barish - Ronald and Maxine Linde Professor of Physics Emeritus, Director, Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, (LIGO), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
• Elizabeth Hoffman - Executive Vice President and Provost, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Executive Officer and NSB Office Director (Acting): Craig R. Robinson, National Science Board Office, Arlington, Virginia -NSF-

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Lisa-Joy Zgorski, NSF (703) 292-8311 lisajoy@nsf.gov

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of $6.06 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to over 1,900 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 45,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

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