Massey upbeat on science's outlook

Abstract

Walter L. Massey, the new director of the National Science Foundation, sketched a decidedly upbeat outlook for U.S. science in an April 12 speech. “The U.S. research enterprise has the potential to surpass even its past contributions to the well‐being and prosperity of the nation,” Massey told a gathering of science policy‐makers in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.The NSF director highlighted three current trends to support his optimism. First, he said, President Bush strongly supports research and development, as shown by the 17.5% increase proposed for NSF in this year's budget request, even at a time of scarce funds. Secondly, the revitalized Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET) and presidential science advisor D. Allan Bromley have helped the federal government to develop coordinated research programs. “The three current government‐wide initiatives—global change, education and human resources, and high performance computing and communications—and NSF's new materials program demonstrate the benefits of this approach,” Massey said. A third encouraging trend is energetic congressional leadership on research and technology issues, he added.