A decennial look at NSF’s research grants program in physics

NOV 01, 1960

The National Science Foundation was established by an Act of Congress in May 1950, making 1960 an anniversary year. This article gives a brief review of one of its programs with emphasis on the direction in which it is moving. The author is program director for physics at the National Science Foundation and has been with the program since 1952.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3056708

J. Howard McMillen

That a theme or motif can be heard, when a list of Foundation grant titles are read, is due in part to the anniversary character of the year. This is the tenth anniversary of the National Science Foundation’s establishment. Over the last ten years the physics grants program in the NSF derived much of its strength from its panels of advisers and proposal reviewers. If one looks carefully at the ensemble of grants made under their guidance one observes a program purpose and program direction that was not always apparent when the grants were handled individually.

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More about the authors

J. Howard McMillen, National Science Foundation.