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1661- iyod3a nvnNNV ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION • The National Science institutions, and small busi­ • NSF welcomes proposals on Foundation is an independent nesses. The agency operates no behalf of all qualified scientists federal agency created by the Na­ laboratories itself but does and engineers and strongly en­ tional Science Foundation Act of support National Research courages women, minorities, and 1950 (P.L. 81-507). Its aim is to Centers, certain oceanographic persons with disabilities to com­ promote and advance scienttSc vessels, and antarctic research pete fully in its programs. progress in the United States. stations. The Foundation also The idea of such a foundation was supports cooperative research In accordance with federal an outgrowth of the important con­ between universities and industry statutes and regulations and NSF tributions made by science and and U.S. participation in policies, no person on grounds of technology during World War II. international scientific efforts. race, color, age, sex, national From those first days, NSF has origin, or disability shall be had a unique place in the federal The Foundation is run by a excluded from participation in, government: it is responsible for presidentially appointed Director denied the benefits of, or be the overall health of science and and Board of 24 scientists and subject to discrimination under engineering across all discipfines. engineers, including top any program or activity receiving 111 cuiiLrdoi, uuier leuerdi agencies university and industry officials. fiiisjicisl 3.ssist3.ncG from txiG support research focused on spe­ National Science Foundation. cific missions, such as health or NSF is structured much like a defense. The Foundation is also university, with grant-making Facilitation Awards for Scientists committed to expanding the na­ divisions for the various and Engineers with Disabilities tion's supply of scientists, engi­ disciplines and fields of science (FASED) provide funding for neers, and science educators. and engineering. The Foundation special assistance or equipment to staff is helped by advisors, enable persons with disabilities NSF funds research and primarily from the scientific (investigators and other staff, education in science and en­ community, who serve on for­ including student research gineering. It does this through mal committees or as ad hoc assistants) to work on NSF grants and contracts to more than reviewers of proposals. This projects. See the program 2000 colleges, uiuversities, and advisory system, which focuses announcement or contact the other research institutions in all on both program direction and Program Coordinator at parts of the United States. The specific proposals, involves more (202) 357-7456. Foundation accounts for about 25 tlian 59,000 sciendsts and percent of federal support to engineers a year. NSF staff The National Science Foundation academic institutions for basic members who are experts in a has TDD (Telephonic Device for research. certain field or area make award the Deaf) capability, which decisions; applicants get unsigned enables individuals with hearing In FY 1991, NSF received some copies of peer reviews. impairment to communicate with 38,000 proposals for research, the Foundation about NSF pro­ graduate and postdoctoral fel­ Awardees are wholly responsible grams, employment, or general lowships, and math/science/ for doing their research and information. This number is (202) engineering education projects; preparing the results for pub­ 357-7492. it made almost 16,000 new and lication. Thus the Foundation renewal awards. These typically does not assume responsibility went to universities, colleges, for such findings or their academic consortia, nonprofit interpretation. Cover Design: Rachel Delgado n/t«y"/<waJ^ AcAjt^u^&jL^ I^CHA^UI^CJ^I &-t^ ANNUAL REPORT 1991 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have the honor to transmit herewith the Annual Report for Fiscal Year 1991 of the National Science Foundation, for submission to the Congress as required by the National Science Foundation Act of1950. Respectfully, Walter E. Massey Director, National Science Foundation The Honorable The President of the United States E N T S NSF Annual Report 1991 Chapter 1: Director's Overview Chapter 2: Research Reports Chapter 3: Education and Outreach Chapter 4: International News Chapter 5: Instrumentation and Facilities Chapter 6: Awards and Organizational News Appendixes Appendix A. NSF Senior Staff and National Science Board Members (FY 1991) Appendix B. Patents Report and Financial Tables for FY 1991 Chapterl Director's Overview The Annual Report is hath a retrospective loolz at the past year and an opportunity to reflect upon the future. With this in mind, Chapter 1 introduces the 1991 Annual Report with excerpts from speeches, writings and testimony that NSF Director Walter E. Massey delivered during the year. Collectively, they provide a sense of Dr. Massey's views and priorities, as they address issues affecting not only the research and education enterprise hut the entire nation. modest one by comparison—at least of a modem, competitive and healthy in 1962 there was general agreement society. Many of the hopes and on where the moon was located. promises of the future will be fulfilled through that aspect of knowledge At the most elementary level, created by science and engineering. becoming number one in the world Already there is scarcely any area of implies a zero-sum game that is our lives that has not been touched reminiscent of the Cold War practice by—or benefitted from—science and of keeping score on the number of engineering.... gold medals we won in the Olympic Games. At a time when we were Increasingly, national competitive­ producing some of the best athletes ness is based on important advances in the world, we were content to sug­ in science and engineering and the gest that fhe number of gold medals ability to introduce those advances earned was a surrogate measure for into the market quickly, efficientiy Walter E. Massey the quality of our society—that in and creatively. For example, the late Director, itself our Olympic performance re­ John Bardeen, a Nobel laureate, National Science Foundation flected positively on our system of pioneered the development of the government and economics. first ttansistor. Within his lifetime, this inspiration revolutionized Even before the Cold War officially computing, communications and Science and Math Education concluded, I think we came to realize electronics. We can expect equally The education summit called by that whatever was being measured by dramatic and unexpected benefits President Bush in concert with the the performance of our Olympic from breakthroughs in areas as governors of the states has presented athletes, it was far too simplistic to diverse as biotechnology, new us with an extraordinary challenge: reflect the richness and diversity of materials and others—probably "By the year 2000, U.S. sdidents will our country.' within our lifetime.'^ be first in the world in science and mathematics achievement." Economic Competitiveness These are times of extraordinary Someone remarked that this ' December 6,1991, Keynote Address at the commitment is equivalent to Presi­ change. The resources that are most Secretary's (U.S. Department of Education) critical to progress today are no Conference on Improving Math and Science dent Kennedy's promise in 1962 to Education, Washington, D.C. put a man on the moon by the end of longer mined from the Earth but are the decade. I would submit that created in the mind. Knowledge and ^ February 7,1991, Confirmation Testimony, human talent are now the hallmarks United States Senate, Committee on Labor and President Kennedy's pledge was a Human Resources. 1 Public Trust But this public trust in science is Simply put, the whole edifice of not automatic, nor is it guaranteed. science and engineering research is As a source of funding for much of It must be earned by the scientific buUt upon honesty. More than in any the basic science that underlies pro­ community and by those of us who other endeavor, individuals conduct­ gress in these areas, the National help set policy. And it must be earned ing fundamental research depend Science Foundation depends on anew every year. This demonstration upon the veracity of the accumulated widespread public acceptance of the of faith in science, backed up as it is insights and accomplishments of idea that an investment in science by public funds, is in part an out­ others. Sir Isaac Newton expressed it is useful and valuable. For those growth of the expectation of a return best when he said, "If I have seen gathered here, such a statement is so on that investinent. It is a belief that further, it is by standing on the obvious as to be almost ridiculous. Of eventually all scientifically derived shoulders of giants." course we agree that science is valu­ knowledge will be put to use that able. Of course it is deserving of helps sustain public confidence in Not even giants can see clearly if public support. Of course it is impor­ science.' their feet are on shaky ground. Few tant that every citizen understand things are more damaging to the what science is, what scientists do, research enterprise than false­ and how science affects their lives. hoods—be they the result of error, Scientific Integrity self-deception, sloppiness and haste, We often take this for granted or, in the worst case, dishonesty. without reflecting on the fact that In science and engineering, there can be no permanently unsolved widespread public faith in science is a It is the paradox of research that inysterics nor perfect crimes If 3. the reliance on truth is both the finding is important, sooner or later though we can point to heads of state source of modem science and en­ the experiment will be repeated and throughout history who supported gineering's enduring resilience and the results subject to independent various intellectual pursuits, it is only its intrinsic fi-agility.' in the past 50 years or so that govern­ verification.

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