DOCSLIB.ORG

2008 Annual Report Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2008 Annual Report Alfred P. Sloan Foundation 2008 ANNUAL REPORT ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION CONTENTS Overview 1 Grants Listing 25 Financial Review 109 Audited Financial Statements and Schedules 110 INTRODUCTION The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit institution, was established in 1934 by Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr., then President and Chief Executive Officer of the General Motors Corporation. On December 31, 2008, total assets of the Foundation had a market value of about $1.4 billion. The following Mission Statement defines criteria for grant proposals and helps guide the Foundation’s program evaluation and development. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation makes grants primarily to support original research and broad-based education related to science, technology, economic performance and the quality of American life. The Foundation is unique in its focus on science, technology, and economic institutions - and the scholars and practitioners who work in these fields - as chief drivers of the nation’s health and prosperity. The Foundation has a deep-rooted belief that carefully reasoned systematic understanding of the forces of nature and society, when applied inventively and wisely, can lead to a better world for all. The Foundation’s endowment provides the financial resources to support its activities. The investment strategy for the endowment is to invest prudently in a diversified portfolio of assets with the goal of achieving superior returns. In each of our grants programs, we seek proposals for original projects led by outstanding individuals or teams. We are interested in projects that have a high expected return to society, and for which funding from the private sector, government and other foundations is not yet widely available. _________ An explanation of the grantmaking process at the Foundation, information needed with a grant application, and suggestions for writing a successful proposal are also available on the Foundation’s website. Under the leadership of Paul Joskow, who assumed the Presidency of the Foundation on January 1st, the year 2008 was a period of transition marked by discussion of existing programs, formulation of exit strategies for those coming to an end, and consideration of potential new programs. New grantmaking initiatives are noted here, as are programs that are continuing, perhaps modified in some respects from past practice, and programs that have been ended or are soon coming to a planned end. Additional information about areas of interest, grants, and projects can readily be obtained from Program Directors responsible for particular programs, as identified on the Foundation’s website. 1 2008 OVERVIEW CONTENTS Programs and Interests 3 • Sloan Research Fellowships 5 • Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Research 6 • Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education 9 • Public Understanding of Science, Technology, Business and Economics 11 • Economic Performance and Quality of Life 14 • Digital Information Technology and the Dissemination of Knowledge 18 • Select National Issues 19 • Civic Initiatives 20 Board of Trustees 21 Officers and Professional Staff 23 2 PROGRAMS AND INTERESTS The programs and interests of the Foundation are organized as follows. • Sloan Research Fellowships • STEM* Research Sloan Digital Sky Survey Census of Marine Life Encyclopedia of Life Barcode of Life Indoor Environment Deep Carbon Observatory Forest Measurement and Monitoring • STEM* Education Anytime, Anyplace Learning Education for Underrepresented Groups Professional Science Master’s Degree Information about Careers in Science and Technology Student Retention • Public Understanding of Science, Technology, Business and Economics Books Radio Television Film Theater Other Efforts • Economic Performance and Quality of Life Economic Institutions, Behavior and Performance Industry Studies Making Municipal Governments More Responsive to their Citizens Federal Statistics Science and Engineering Work Force Workplace, Work Force and Working Families Working Longer/Living Better • Digital Information Technology and the Dissemination of Knowledge • Select National Issues Biosecurity Energy and Environment 3 • Civic Initiatives Unique Opportunities Sloan Public Service Awards Sloan Awards for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics *Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 4 SLOAN RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS These awards (now $50,000 over a two-year period) aim to assist the very best early- career scientists and scholars with outstanding promise to contribute significantly to the advancement of their fields. As in 2008, 118 Sloan Research Fellowships were awarded in 2009 in seven fields: chemistry (23), computer science (16), economics (8), mathematics (20), computational and evolutionary molecular biology (12), neuroscience (16), and physics (23). Since the establishment of the program in 1955, fellowships totaling some $130 million have been awarded to more than 5,000 early-career researchers. Nobel prizes have gone to 38 Sloan Research Fellows; Fields Medals in mathematics to 16; 8 recent Fellows have won the John Bates Clark Medal in economics; and hundreds have received other notable prizes, awards, and honors in recognition of their major research accomplishments. The program is described in detail on the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation website. 5 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS RESEARCH Sloan Digital Sky Survey During eight years of operations starting in 2000, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) obtained deep, multi-color images covering more than a quarter of the sky and created three-dimensional maps containing more than 930,000 galaxies and more than 120,000 quasars. Periodic releases of SDSS data to the scientific community and the general public, the latest in the fall of 2008, have been an important feature of the project. In 2007, the Foundation made a major grant to the Astrophysical Research Consortium to continue the SDSS work, now mainly focused on understanding dark energy. Details of the project, including its large data records and research reports, can be found at the website www.sdss.org. Census of Marine Life The goal of this program is to advance a major international observational program to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life. Beginning in 2000, Foundation grants now total about $68 million. Together with more than $500 million from non-Sloan sources around the world, including national governments, international organizations, and maritime industries, they have helped fund 14 field projects, build the History of Marine Animal Populations to benchmark current populations, create a network to predict the future of marine animal populations, develop the Ocean Biogeographical Information System (now containing over 17 million records of more than 104,000 marine species), and support the International Scientific Steering Committee and Secretariat, the U.S. National Committee, and an Education and Outreach Network to lift the project’s visibility and engage other nations and organizations and to develop the capacity for further discovery and application of accumulated knowledge once the Census is completed. Thousands of scientists from more than 80 nations are participating. Foundation support to complete the project will continue through 2009 in anticipation of the release of the first ever Census of Marine Life in 2010. Detailed information on the Census can be found at www.coml.org. Encyclopedia of Life The goal is to help build a reliable online encyclopedia with a webpage for each of the named 1.8 million species of plants, animals, and fungi. A $2.5 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation along with a $10 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation initiated the project in 2007. Over 30,000 pages of the Encyclopedia were released early in 2008. Content is being generated via the Biodiversity Heritage Library (a consortium of ten major natural history museum libraries, botanical libraries, and research institutions), other web-based resources, and by professional and citizen scientists. In Wikipedia style, people worldwide are invited to contribute text, video, images and other information about a species and have it incorporated, upon review, into the authenticated pages. The plan for 2009 is to help expand the worldwide institutional base of participants and continue to move toward 6 completing the funding for the project, which aims for self-sufficiency by the end of its fifth year. For more information about the project, see www.eol.org. Barcode of Life This program, started in 2002, aims to speed the building and use of a library of short DNA sequences (barcodes) to identify animal and plant species reliably and inexpensively. The Consortium for the Barcode of Life, based at the Smithsonian Institution, includes over 170 member organizations from 50 countries. Barcodes of over 500,000 specimens from over 50,000 species have been accumulated. A 2008 $2.25 million Foundation two-year grant to the Smithsonian will accelerate the building of a global library of barcodes for all animals, plants, and fungi. The Consortium helped a group of leading laboratories prepare a 5-year, $175 million global proposal to extend the barcode library to 500,000 species. The Foundation plans for the next two years to continue to support the Consortium to maintain strong growth of the library. Only projects central to this aim will be considered. Additional information about
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Regulation, Competition and Liberalization
    REGULATION, COMPETITION AND LIBERALIZATION by Mark Armstrong* and David E. M. Sappington** ABSTRACT In many countries throughout the world, regulators are struggling to determine whether and how to introduce competition into regulated industries. This essay examines the complexities involved in the liberalization process. While stressing the importance of case-specific analyses, this essay distinguishes liberalization policies that generally are pro-competitive from corresponding anti- competitive liberalization policies September 2005 * University College London. ** University of Florida. We are grateful to Sanford Berg, Severin Borenstein, Cory Davidson, Roger Gordon, Antonio Estache, Jerry Hausman, Mark Jamison, Paul Joskow, Mircea Marcu, John McMillan, Paul Sotkiewicz, John Vickers, Catherine Waddams, Helen Weeds, and anonymous referees for helpful comments and observations. 1. Introduction. Economists have developed an extensive set of principles for regulating a monopoly supplier. The benefits of unfettered, pervasive competition are also well documented and well understood. However, our understanding of the precise conditions under which regulated monopoly supply is preferable to unregulated competition is limited. Furthermore, we know relatively little about optimal liberalization policies – the policies that govern the transition to competitive market conditions – in cases where competition is deemed superior to monopoly. The purpose of this essay is to explore these two issues, both of which are of substantial practical importance
    [Show full text]
  • Purc Distinguished Service Award Recipients
    PURC DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS 2021 Lila A. Jaber Regional Managing Shareholder, Architect of Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum, Serves on the Board of Directors at Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, Served as Commissioner and Chairman of the Florida Public Service Commission, Founder of LilaJaber Consulting 2020 David Smith Director Emeritus – New Mexico State University Center for Public Utilities 2019 Joshua Gans Professor of Strategic Management Jeffrey S. Skoll Chair of Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship Rotman School of Management University of Toronto PURC Director Dr. Mark Jamison and Joshua Gans. 2018 Sanford Berg PURC Director 1980 – 2004 University of Florida Eugene Brigham Founding PURC Director 1972 – 1980 University of Florida Robert Lanzillotti Former Dean of the Warrington College and Business Administration University of Florida Sanford Berg, Robert Lanzillotti, Eugene Brigham and PURC Director Dr. Mark Jamison 2017 Howard Shelanski Lawyer and Economist Georgetown University PURC Director Dr. Mark Jamison and Howard Shelanski. 2016 David Mandy Professor of Economics University of Missouri – Columbia PURC Director Dr. Mark Jamison and David Mandy. 2015 Karen Palmer Research Director Resources for the Future Karen Palmer and PURC Director Dr. Mark Jamison. 2014 Karl McDermott Ameren Endowed Professor in Business and Government University of Illinois at Springfield Karl McDermott and PURC Director Dr. Mark Jamison. 2013 Tim Brennan Professor of Public Policy and Economics University of Maryland Baltimore County PURC Director Dr. Mark Jamison and Tim Brennan. 2012 Shane Greenstein Kellogg Chair in Information Technology Northwestern University Shane Greenstein and PURC Director Dr. Mark Jamison. 2011 Andrew C. Barrett Managing Director The Barrett Group Andrew Barrett and PURC Director Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Alfred P. Sloan Foundation 2017 Annual Report Alfred P
    Alfred P. Sloan Foundation 2017 Annual Report Alfred P. Sloan Foundation $ 2017 Annual Report Contents Preface II Mission Statement III From the President IV 2017: The Year in Discovery VI 2017 Grants by Program 1 2017 Financial Review 100 Audited Financial Statements and Schedules 102 Board of Trustees 129 Officers and Staff 130 Index of 2017 Grant Recipients 131 Cover: Based on the bestselling, Sloan-supported book by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures—the untold story of the black women mathematicians who helped NASA win the space race—thrilled audiences and critics alike in 2017, bringing in over $235 million worldwide and garnering three Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, and a SAG award for best ensemble. I Alfred P. Sloan Foundation $ 2017 Annual Report Preface The ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION administers a private fund for the benefit of the public. It accordingly recognizes the responsibility of making periodic reports to the public on the management of this fund. The Foundation therefore submits this public report for the year 2017. II Alfred P. Sloan Foundation $ 2017 Annual Report Mission Statement The ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION makes grants primarily to support original research and education related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and economics. The Foundation believes that these fields—and the scholars and practitioners who work in them—are chief drivers of the nation's health and prosperity. The Foundation also believes that a reasoned, systematic understanding of the forces of nature and society, when applied inventively and wisely, can lead to a better world for all. III Alfred P.
    [Show full text]
  • NEWSLETTER Vanderbilt University Nashville
    Amevican Econorrnic Association 1994 Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession REBECCA M. BLANK (Chatr) Department of Economics Northwestern Uniwrsily 2040 Sheridan Road Evartrton. IL 60208 . 708 1 491-4145: FAX 708 1467-2459 KATHRYN H. ANDERSON Dep;mment of Economics Box 11. Station B NEWSLETTER Vanderbilt University Nashville. TN 37235 615 1322-3425 Winter Issue February 1994 ROBIN L. BARTLETT Department of Economics Denison University Granville. OH 43023 Rebecca Blank, Co-Editor Ivy Broder, Co-Edi tor 614 / 587-6574 (708149 1-4 145) (2021885-2125) IVY BRODER . Dcpartment of Economics The Amcrican University Washington. D.C. 2M)16. 202 1885-215 Helen Goldblatt, Asst. Editor LINDA EDWARDS Depanmcnt uf Economics (708149 1-4 145) Queens College of CUNY Flushing. NY 11367 718 1997.5464 ROSALD G. EHRENBERG New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations IN THIS ISSUE: Ctanell University Ithaca. NY 14853 607 / 255-3026 1993 Annual Report ... 2 10 ANNA GRAY Depsrtnent of Econoniics . Walls Are Falling for Women in Economics, but Slowly ... 8 Univenity of Oregon Eugene. OR 97403 Guidelines for Being a Discussant . .10 503 1346-1266 Professional Life Beyond Academe -- Yes, There Is One ... 11 JON1 HERSCH Department of Economics :and Finance CSWEP at the 1994 Eastern Economic Association Meeting . .12 University of Wyoming Lamrnie. WY 82071 307 1766-2358 Biographical Sketches of CSWEP Board Members ... 13 IRENE LURlE Demment of Public Administralion & Policy. Milne.103 SUNY-Albany Summary of the 1993 CSWEP-Organized Sessions Albany. NY 12222 at the SEA Meeting . .14 51s 1442-527.0 NANCY MARION Dcpanment of ~conomics Summaries of CSWEP-Organized Sessions Dartmouth College Hanover.
    [Show full text]
  • Francine Lafontaine
    C U R R I C U L U M V I T A E Francine Lafontaine Current Interim Dean, May 2021 - Positions William Davidson Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, 2010- Stephen M. Ross School of Business 701 Tappan St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 [email protected] Professor of Economics, University of Michigan Dept. of Economics, 2001- Research Fellow, Centre for Economic Policy Research, London, UK, 2017- Previous Associate Dean for Business + Impact, July 2020 – May 2021. Positions Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research, Jan. 2016 - June 2020. Director, Bureau of Economics, U.S. Federal Trade Commission, November 2014 - December 2015. Visiting Scholar, MIT Sloan School of Management, Jan. 2013 – July 2013. Visiting Scholar, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Aug. 2012 – Dec. 2012. Professor of Business Economics, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, 2000 – 2010. Visiting Professor, School of Management, Politecnico di Milano, Milano Italy, May 2008. Visiting Professor, Institut de Gestion de Rennes, Université de Rennes I, Rennes, France, June 2004. Faculty Research Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), 1993-2002. Associate Professor of Business Economics, University of Michigan Business School, 1995-2000. Visiting Associate Professor of Economics, Université de Paris I - Panthéon Sorbonne, Spring 1999 and Spring 2000. Visiting Associate Professor of Economics, University of Florida, 1997-1998. Assistant Professor of Business Economics, University of Michigan Business School, 1991-95. Assistant Professor of Economics and Marketing, Graduate School of Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon University, 1989-93 (on leave 1991-93). Research Fellow in Economics and Marketing, Graduate School of Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon University, 1988-89.
    [Show full text]
  • Research Careers Life-Long Interest in Public Policy
    Newsletter of the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession Spring/Summer 2006 Published three times annually by the American Economic Association’s Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession Board Member Biography In Memoriam Nancy L. Rose CONTENTS Carolyn Shaw Bell Nancy L. Rose Biography: 1, 12 (1920-2006) The path that led me to Donna Ginther Biography: 1, 13 become a professor of eco- CSWEP is saddened to report the death of Top Ten Tips: 1, 15 nomics at MIT is paved by Carolyn Shaw Bell, CSWEP’s fi rst chair, luck, labor, and love. High on May 13, 2006. This newsletter is dedi- Q&A with Claudia Goldin: 1, 14–15 school debate awakened a cated to Carolyn’s memory. Her impact on Feature Articles: Research Careers life-long interest in public policy. Through the advancement of women in the economics Outside of Academics: 3–11 much of my undergraduate experience at profession is far-reaching and ongoing. For CSWEP Sessions at the Eastern Economic Harvard, I assumed that being interested insight into her many contributions see the Association Meetings: 16 in policy issues meant a government ma- Winter 2005 and Fall 1993 CSWEP newslet- jor, law school, and ultimately Washington, CSWEP Sessions at the Midwest Economic ters at www.cswep.org/newsletters.htm Association Meetings: 16 D.C. Sampling an industrial organization course with Richard Caves, who was a fab- Southern Economic Association Annual ulous professor, led to a “minor” diversion. TOP TEN TIPS Meeting CSWEP Sessions: 17 By the time I added courses on regulatory FOR JR.
    [Show full text]
  • Peltzman Final Text.Qxd
    PAUL L. AEI CENTER FOR REGULATORY AND MARKET STUDIES JOSKOW DEREGULATION Where Do We Go from Here? PAUL L. JOSKOW As the ongoing financial crisis fuels anti-market sentiment in Washington, the deregula- tion, industry restructuring, and regulatory reform initiatives of the last thirty years are increasingly coming under attack. In this timely monograph, Paul L. Joskow argues that the crisis in the financial market should not become an excuse for reversing beneficial DEREGULATION regulatory reforms in other sectors. Indeed, the financial crisis presents a valuable opportunity to evaluate a broad range of regulatory reform options and make reasoned decisions about their rightful application to financial products and markets. DEREGULATION Competitive markets, while not perfect, are typically the most effective institutions for allocating scarce resources efficiently. Deregulation, privatization, and regulatory Where Do We Go from Here? reform initiatives have generally (though not always) benefited the U.S. economy by Where lowering costs, enhancing rates of innovation, matching consumer preferences and product quality, and creating more efficient price structures. In some cases, market Do imperfections necessitate the introduction of regulatory mechanisms to improve We $ $ $ performance. But before imposing new regulations on a particular market, policy- Go $ $ makers must apply a disciplined framework for identifying whether, where, and $$ $ from how regulatory policies can improve market performance, taking into account the benefits of regulatory constraints and the costs of regulatory and market imperfections. Here? Reforms to financial products and markets in particular must be based on a complete understanding of the causes of the current crisis, a comprehensive review of the associated market imperfections, a clear articulation of regulatory goals, and a careful assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of alternative regulatory mechanisms.
    [Show full text]
  • Fall 2005 Published Three Times Annually by the American Economic Association’S Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession
    Newsletter of the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession Fall 2005 Published three times annually by the American Economic Association’s Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession Pushing for a More CONTENTS Top Ten Tips for Developing and TOP Humane Society Maintaining Networks: 1, 9 by Barbara R. Bergmann Pushing for a More Humane Society: 1, 9–10 TEN From the Chair: 2 Feature Articles: Lecturers, Adjuncts, Barbara Bergmann is the 2004 recipient Instructors: 3–8 TIPS of the CSWEP Carolyn Shaw Bell Award CSWEP Events at the 2006 ASSA Meeting, FOR DEVELOPING Published with permission by Elgar January 6-8, Boston, MA: 11 Publishing. Adapted from the book AND MAINTAINING Reflections of Eminent Economists Summary of Western Economic NETWORKS edited by Michael Szenberg and Lall Association Meetings in San Ramrattan. Francisco, CA: 12 Like most economists, I came to the CSWEP Sessions, Southern Economic 1. Volunteer to organize profession not through any great inter- Association, 2005 Conference: 13 a session at a regional (or na- est in the actual economy itself. Rather, Call for Papers: 14 tional) meeting. The regional I enjoyed studying and creating mod- associations in particular welcome els of simple processes that might or Announcements: 15 full sessions as well as individu- might not resemble what goes on in Upcoming Regional Meetings: al submissions. Ask top people in the actual economy—a form, really, of back cover your field if they have an interest recreational mathematics. However, as time went on, I in presenting a paper or have any- became interested as well in working on issues of race, one who might have such a paper.
    [Show full text]
  • Front Matter, Table of Contents, Foreword, Preface
    This PDF is a selection from an out-of-print volume from the National Bureau of Economic Research Volume Title: Studies in Public Regulation Volume Author/Editor: Gary Fromm, ed. Volume Publisher: The MIT Press Volume ISBN: 0-262-06074-4 Volume URL: http://www.nber.org/books/from81-1 Publication Date: 1981 Chapter Title: Front matter, table of contents, foreword, preface Chapter Author: Gary Fromm, Richard Schmalensee Chapter URL: http://www.nber.org/chapters/c11428 Chapter pages in book: (p. -15 - 0) "Regulation" has long been a venom- ous term in the conservative vocabu- lary, and "deregulation" (of the airlines and the trucking industry) has recently acquired a benign definition in the lib- eral lexicon. Across the political spec- trum there has been growing distrust of regulators, their motives, and their methods. The naive assumption that regulation necessarily operates in the public interest has been replaced by a healthy skepticism in some quarters and by a facile (and often self-serving) cynicism in others. And yet the public goals of regulation are still widely re- garded as desirable. The proper alter- native to poor regulatory performance may not always be deregulation; finer- tuned legislation and better implemen- tation might promote the common good more effectively. The regulatory agen- cies need to be regulated and made self-regulating, rather than simply abolished. Such general issues and case reports on specific industries, agencies, and policies are examined in Studies in Public Regulation. The book is based on papers presented at a conference jointly sponsored by the National Bu- reau of Economic Research and the National Science Foundation, and its contributors are economists and public policy specialists of national reputation.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Perspectives
    The Journal of The Journal of Economic Perspectives Economic Perspectives The Journal of Winter 2012, Volume 26, Number 1 Economic Perspectives Symposia Energy Challenges Hunt Allcott and Michael Greenstone, “Is There an Energy Efciency Gap?” Paul L. Joskow, “Creating a Smarter U.S. Electricity Grid” Lucas W. Davis, “Prospects for Nuclear Power” Severin Borenstein, “The Private and Public Economics of Renewable Electricity Generation” Christopher R. Knittel, “Reducing Petroleum Consumption from Transportation” Catherine Wolfram, Orie Shelef, and Paul Gertler, “How Will Energy Demand Develop in the Developing World?” A journal of the Higher Education American Economic Association David J. Deming, Claudia Goldin, and Lawrence F. Katz, “The For-Prot Postsecondary School Sector: Nimble Critters or Agile Predators?” 26, Number 1 Winter 2012 Volume Christopher Avery and Sarah Turner, “Student Loans: Do College Students Borrow Too Much—Or Not Enough?” Ronald G. Ehrenberg, “American Higher Education in Transition” Articles Maury Gittleman and Brooks Pierce, “Compensation for State and Local Government Workers” Recommendations for Further Reading • Notes Winter 2012 The Journal of Economic Perspectives A journal of the American Economic Association Editor David H. Autor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Co-editors Chang-Tai Hsieh, University of Chicago John A. List, University of Chicago Associate Editors Katherine Baicker, Harvard University Benjamin G. Edelman, Harvard University Robert C. Feenstra, University of California at Davis Raymond
    [Show full text]