Coburn puts NSF ‘under the microscope’

US Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) recently released a report that takes issue with some NSF practices — including funding the social sciences. David Bruggeman has an interesting discussion of the report here.

This entry was posted in Accountability, Metrics, NSF, STEM Policy. Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Coburn puts NSF ‘under the microscope’

  1. Keith Brown says:

    How are they supposed to be concentrating on transformative research if they cannot transform basic research projects by concentrating on how the scientists are doing science?

    It is interesting that a lot of this seems to be evolving out of the fact that scientists still are reticent (refusing?) to put forward what the broader impacts of their work might be.

    Although, looking over Coburn’s report, I am not quite sure why this is considered surprising behavior… “Inappropriate staff behavior including porn surfing and Jello wrestling and skinny-dipping at NSF-operated facilities in Antarctica….” I mean, they are down in freaking Antarctica. You are not going to let them do some things to occupy their attention? They are in Antarctica!

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