The idea horrified everyone in all the agencies affected and has sent them scurrying to satisfy Brown with alternative plans. (Brown says an NTF could be unnecessary if they manage to raise the visibility of technology.) Nevertheless, the engineering community and all its major societies have endorsed Brown's idea of establishing an agency fully the equal in size and dollars of NSF. Says M. Kent Wilson, NSF's director of planning and resource management: "The big concern is how best to serve the community. It is certainly true that we have no intention of coming up with an organization that would jeopardize applied research. Nor should anything we do be perceived that we would jeopardize basic research. Putting them together might just be better for both of them." Maybe not worse, but certainly different. The era of fancy-Dan systems approaches to science application appears over at the foundation in
the management of applied research. It is retrenching in the face of Brown's demand for a large technological bureaucracy and will try to focus on giving good money for good work without laying heavy claim to social relevance. Enough literature in science policy now exists to make a convincing case that the social climate really drives science—whether basic or applied. NSF has never really taken the measure of that climate in establishing a successful, stable applied science program. But even the staunchest of NSF's governing body will have to admit that but for RANN, NSF would not be the billion-dollar agency it is today. And indeed, one NSF observer sees history moving full cycle in five years when someone at the foundation will discover the "need" to systematically apply science to social problems and will beat the bushes looking for a new, improved Eggers. Wil Lepkowski, Washington
NSF chemistry funding draws praise A review of the way the National Science Foundation's Chemistry Division dispenses its grant money has drawn unanimous praise from a group of previously skeptical but now admiring chemists. Seven committees, one for each of the division's seven program areas, all conclude that the chemistry division operates extremely well and that the individual program directors are doing their duties conscientiously and with good judgment. Paul G. Gassman, chemistry professor at the University of Minnesota and chairman of the NSF Chemistry Division Advisory Committee, says that some of the committee members were so impressed by the quality of the operation that they commented it is unfortunate that more individuals cannot see firsthand how well the system works.
The study is part of a continuous program at NSF to review all divisions to weed out problems. The first review of the chemistry division was three years ago, and, even then, the division received good marks from its examiners. The seven panels each were comprised of two members from the division's permanent advisory committee and two to four scientists from the chemical community at large. The outside members were chosen by NSF staff members, based on recommendations made by the advisory committee. Chemistry division director Richard S. Nicholson says that a beneficial part of the process is that scientists get a chance to see how value judgments are made. Each panel spent one day discussing its own program and a second day cross-examining two other pro-
NSF chemistry program budgets made big jumps this year $ Thousands
1980
Structural chemistry and 10,717 thermodynamics Quantum chemistry 8,500 Chemical dynamics 10,030 5,862 Chemical analysis Synthetic inorganic and 5,725 organometallic chemistry Synthetic organic and 6,152 natural products chemistry Chemical instrumentation 4,226 Note: Fiscal years. Source: National Science Foundation
1979
1978
1977
1976
1975
9424
8847
8767
7705
7225
7388 8506 5174 5158
6950 7747 5008 4861
6728 7133 4597 4392
5859 6103 4283 3807
5705 5611 4231 3530
5559
5168
4604
3735
3574
3505
3243
2712
2596
2591
Nlcholson: already making changes
grams. The grants and proposals seen by the panels were selected by the NSF staff. Some were picked because they were good, others because they were bad, Nicholson says. However, the majority were in borderline areas for which program directors often have to make value judgments on whether to fund. Reviewers had access to all the files, however, Nicholson says, except those of their own institutions. Although the program is being run well, all the review teams were consistently dismayed at the large number of good research proposals that had to be declined for lack of money. The committee believes that this problem is most prominent in synthetic organic chemistry, structural chemistry, quantum chemistry, and chemical dynamics programs, but agrees that the cutoff point for ap>rovals in all the programs is at a high evel of quality. Money, of course, is at the base of the issue. If NSF were to get larger appropriations from Congress, the situation would improve by itself. In 1980, the chemistry division spent more than $51 million on almost 900 grants. For fiscal 1981, it is slated for about $58 million, an increase of about 15%, but the budget has yet to be approved. The number of grants is expected to stay about the same. Some of the panel members, including Jean'ne M. Shreeve, head of the instrumentation panel and chemistry professor at the University of Idaho, say that grants need to be larger to enable researchers to do the quality science they are proposing. Shreeve says that the situation has reached the point where, unless NSF is given a lot more money, "I would be in favor of giving fewer grants in larger amounts even if it meant cutting off some research."
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The idea of cutting off more of the borderline proposals might arouse some angry grumblings among sci entists, and particularly worry the younger ones. Gassman maintains that younger scientists, however, will continue to do well at NSF. "In the competitive reviews, the young people fare very well," he points out. "More complaints are heard from the es tablished researchers who are getting pushed aside by the younger scien tists." The idea that even more highquality proposals might have to be declined was disappointing to some panel members. Dennis H. Evans of the University of Wisconsin laments, "When you look at the really good proposals that are being turned down, you wonder what effect this will have on the future of science." The question of whether chemists can get funding from other sources did not receive an optimistic answer. NSF's Nicholson says that although other federal agencies do give grants for chemical research, NSF keeps careful track of where they go so there is little overlapping. And members of the review committee say that agen cies such as the Department of En ergy, the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and the Environmental Protection Agency often have such specific needs that many research proposals do not fit their requirements. The National Institutes of Health was mentioned most often as a source of funds, but that money seems to go mostly for synthetic organic chemis try and natural products research. And there is disagreement on how significant that support is. Nicholson says it could run as high as 50% of the grants to chemists in those areas; others feel it may be much less than that. NSF already is making some changes to improve matters, Nichol son says. There is a move to make grants last at least three years, and the tendency toward larger grants is growing. In addition, an experimental program began this year to reduce costs and paperwork on proposals. This program will permit reviewers to rely more heavily on a researcher's track record in approving grant re newals. The review panels' universal praise for the operation of the chemistry division means it will continue with out any significant changes other than those already planned. The general satisfaction with the program was expressed by Shreeve: "I think the chemical community's fears [about NSF] can be laid to rest," she says. "We were terribly pleased and came away from Washington with good feelings." D
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