The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) FY 2014 budget request is $7.626 billion, an increase of $592.69 million (8.4 percent) over the 2012 enacted level. NSF's annual budget represents 21 percent of the total federal budget for basic research conducted at U.S. colleges and universities, and this share increases to 58 percent when medical research supported by the National Institutes of Health is excluded. In many fields, NSF is the primary source of federal academic support.

The NSF Engineering Directorate (ENG) would receive $911 million, which is a 10.3 percent increase over FY12 enacted. In the request, the following programs would be funded at the following levels:

• Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI): $224.02 million, an increase of $20.44 million or 10 percent over FY12 enacted;
• Engineering and Education Centers (EEC): $126.25 million, an increase of $6.25 million or 5.2 percent over FY12 enacted; and,
• Small Business Innovation Research/ Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR): $177.15 million, an increase of $24.39 million or 16 percent over FY 12 enacted;

NSF’s FY 2014 priorities include the following NSF-wide investments:

• Enabled Materials, Manufacturing, and Smart Systems (CEMMSS): $300 million, an increase of $158.77 million or 112.1 percent over FY12 enacted;
• Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science, Engineering, and Education (CIF21): $155 million, an increase of $77.47 million or 99.3 percent over FY12 enacted;
• NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps): $25 million, an increase of 17.35 million or 231.3 percent over FY12 enacted;
• Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE): $63 million, an increase of $42.65 million or 209.6 percent over FY12 enacted; and,
• Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES): $223 million, an increase of $65.79 million or 41.9 percent over FY12 enacted.

In the area of STEM education and related to the Administration’s effort to reconfigure many federal STEM education programs, the FY 2014 NSF budget request seeks monies for the following initiatives:

• Catalyzing Advances in Undergraduate STEM Education (CAUSE): $123 million, a brand new program to encourage undergraduate STEM education;
• National Graduate Research Fellowship program (NGRF): $325 million, which would allow 2,700 new fellows over FY13; and,
• NSF Research Traineeships (NRT): $55 million, a decrease of $4.75 million or 8.6 percent under FY12 enacted.

Detailed information on NSF’s FY 2014 budget request is available here.

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The House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education recently held a hearing to review the state of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in America. Among the topics of the hearing was a 2010 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that found that “of the 209 STEM programs administered across 13 different federal agencies, 83 percent overlapped to some degree with at least one other program.”

In his remarks, Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN) said, “Before we jump to simply create new federal initiatives, we must first evaluate our existing STEM education programs.” Rep. Rokita continued by saying, “In order for the United States to continue to be a global leader, we must find better ways to help our children pursue the jobs of the future.”

GAO Director of Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues George Scott said, “We found that most agencies did not use STEM performance measures in a way that is clearly reflected in their agency performance plans. Also, the majority of programs had not conducted comprehensive evaluations since 2005 to determine their effectiveness.”

In the future, Mr. Scott stated, “It is imperative that the administration develop a strategic plan that aligns agencies' efforts to achieve government-wide goals, enhances the ability to determine program effectiveness and concentrates resources on those programs that advance the strategy in a cost-effective manner. Without these actions, federal agencies may spend funds in an inefficient and ineffective manner that ultimately may hinder efforts to improve STEM education.”

Since the release of the GAO report, the Obama Administration has been reviewing the federal government’s STEM education footprint.  In fact, in the Administration’s FY 2014 budget, the Administration has proposed a very ambitious reorganization of federal STEM education programs, proposing to consolidate or eliminate 114 federal STEM programs.  The resources for these programs would then be redirected to other federal STEM programs.

To review witness testimony from the hearing, or watch an archived webcast, go here.

More information about the Administration’s FY 2014 plan for federal STEM education programs can be found here.

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The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Budget invests $3.1 billion in programs across the federal government on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, an increase of 6.7 percent over 2012 funding levels.

This budget proposes to reorganize and cut back lower-priority STEM education programs to make room for targeted increases. This includes the proposed elimination or reorganization of 114 programs, with approximately $180 million in savings strategically reinvested in new or existing STEM programs. By decreasing the number of STEM programs from 226 to 112 (a 50 percent reduction), this reorganization effort is intended to substantially decrease the fragmentation of STEM programs across the Federal government, hopefully allowing for easier coordination and improving opportunities for rigorous evaluation of the remaining programs. The reorganization also includes increasing capacity at critical agencies.

In his testimony in front of the full House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, White House Science Advisor Dr. John Holdren said, “The Administration is proposing to reorganize STEM-education programs into four key areas: K-12 instruction; undergraduate education; graduate fellowships; and informal education activities that typically take place outside the classroom. Each key area would have a lead agency.”

Dr. Holdren continued by saying, “The Department of Education's role in K-12 education would be to develop STEM innovation networks, support STEM Teacher Pathways to help reach the President’s goal of preparing 100,000 effective STEM teachers over the next decade, and create a STEM Master Teacher Corps to build the STEM instructional skills of others. NSF would promote reform of STEM undergraduate education and enhance graduate fellowships to reach more students and address national needs. The Smithsonian Institution would improve the reach of classroom and informal education materials and activities by ensuring they are aligned with State standards and are relevant to what is being taught in school. Efforts within the Department of Education, NSF, and the Smithsonian Institution will be closely coordinated with the activities and assets of other Federal science agencies.”

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan also recently discussed the proposed reorganization during his testimony in front of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, saying “Reforming Federal support to support an effective, cohesive national STEM education strategy is a top Administration priority. Scientists and engineers are key innovators in our society. They play an essential role in developing new industries and opportunities that create jobs and spur economic growth. Our Nation depends on an innovation economy, and America's capacity to build and create should never be limited by a shortage of talent in the STEM fields.”

If appropriated by Congress, the 2014 Budget would provide investments in a number of areas:

• Recruiting, preparing and supporting excellent STEM teachers, with $80 million to support the President’s goal of preparing 100,000 STEM teachers and $35 million to launch a pilot STEM Master Teacher Corps;
• Supporting more STEM-focused high schools and districts, with an investment of $150 million to create new STEM Innovation Networks to better connect school districts with local, regional, and national resources. In addition, the Department of Education (ED) would invest $300 million to support the re-design of high schools to encourage partnerships with colleges, employers, or community partners, focusing on high-demand employment sectors such as STEM fields;
• Improving undergraduate STEM education, with the National Science Foundation (NSF) launching a $123 million new program to improve retention of undergraduates in STEM fields and improve undergraduate teaching and learning in STEM subjects to help meet the President’s goal of preparing one million more STEM graduates over the next decade; and,
• Investing in breakthrough research on STEM teaching and learning, with approximately $65 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education (ARPA-ED), which would allow the Department of Education to support high-risk, high-return research on next-generation learning technologies, including for STEM education.

Detailed information on the programs described above is available here.

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The National Science Foundation recently released a report detailing the large role played by U.S. research universities in the baccalaureate education of U.S.-trained science and engineering (S&E) doctorate recipients.

In 2011, the year the latest information is available, 35 percent of individuals earning S&E doctorates from U.S. universities held bachelor's degrees from foreign institutions, and 29 percent earned bachelor's degrees from U.S. doctorate-granting institutions with very high research activity.

Of the top 50 U.S. baccalaureate-origin institutions that awarded S&E doctorate degrees from 2002-2011, all but one are research universities with very high research activity.

Public universities also play a prominent role in the baccalaureate training of U.S. S&E doctorate recipients: approximately two-thirds of the institutions on the top 50 list are public institutions.

The report is available here.

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In April, a new set of voluntary, rigorous, and internationally benchmarked standards for K-12 science education called the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) was released.  For two years, a forty-one member writing team lead by twenty-six states and their broad-based teams worked together with partners to develop the standards, which “identify science and engineering practices and content that all K-12 students should master in order to be fully prepared for college, careers and citizenship.” The standards are based on the Framework for K-12 Science Education, which was published by the National Academies' National Research Council in 2011.

The lead state partners include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.

The NGSS effort was entirely driven by the aforementioned states, and no federal funds or incentives were used. The Carnegie Corporation of New York was the primary funder.

"The Next Generation Science Standards are going to pull together inquiry and practice, and recognize the role of engineering. Pulling together the cross-cutting concepts is going to be a challenge, but it's really effective pedagogy," said Ellen Ebert, Washington State's Director of Science for Teaching and Learning at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. "In Washington State we're looking at the NGSS to propel students into 21st century; we're looking at college and career readiness. This is a real opportunity to help students see the potential of science in their lives."

SWE has been supportive of NGSS since its inception, especially since it is the first time engineering content has been included in science standards in such a meaningful way. SWE was actively engaged in the NGSS process, providing comments on the two public drafts of the standards.

To review the final NGSS, please visit here.

SWE’s comments on the second public draft of NGSS can be found here.

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After a successful initial celebration last year, the next Manufacturing Day has been scheduled for Friday, Oct. 4, 2013. Manufacturers, educational institutions and others are encouraged to host events that will highlight the importance of manufacturing to the nation’s economy and draw attention to the many rewarding high-skill jobs in manufacturing fields.

The effort is co-produced by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), The Manufacturing Institute and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).

In first year, more than 240 events were held in manufacturing facilities in 37 states and more than 7,000 people participated. This year’s celebration will feature open houses, public tours, career workshops and other activities to increase public awareness of modern manufacturing. Events also will introduce manufacturers to business improvement resources and services delivered through the MEP’s network of hundreds of affiliated centers across the country.

To learn more about Manufacturing Day, log on to www.mfgday.com. On the site, those wishing to host events will find resources to help them prepare, while visitors to the site will find an interactive map showing where Manufacturing Day events are planned.

Associations and organizations that support the manufacturing industry are invited to join the program as sponsors or endorsers by calling 888-394-4362 or emailing.

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Some of science's most powerful statements are not made in words. From DaVinci's Vitruvian Man to Rosalind Franklin's X-rays, science visualization has a long and literally illustrious history. Illustrations provide the most immediate and influential connection between scientists and other citizens, and the best hope for nurturing popular interest. They are a necessity for public understanding of research developments.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the journal Science created the International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge to celebrate the grand tradition of science visualization and to encourage its continued growth. The spirit of the competition is to communicate science, engineering and technology for education and journalistic purposes.

Judges appointed by NSF and Science will select winners in five categories: Photography; Illustration; Posters & Graphics; Games & Apps; and, Video. The winning entries will appear in a special section of Science (with one entry chosen for the front cover) and be hosted at: http://www.sciencemag.org/ and at: http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/scivis/winners.jsp In addition, each winner will receive a one-year online subscription to Science and a certificate of appreciation.

Applicants are encouraged to enter the competition now.  The competition closes on Sept. 30, 2013. Please direct any questions to scivi@nsf.gov.

View the video highlighting past winners of the International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge.

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The U.S. Department of Education recently released state-specific progress reports for the 12 grantees from the first two phases of Race to the Top: Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Tennessee.

“Race to the Top has sparked dramatic changes, and in only the second year of the program we’re seeing those results reach the classroom,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Most states have made tremendous strides and met aggressive timelines on work that has the potential to transform public education for years to come. Comprehensive education reform isn’t easy, and a few states have faced major challenges in implementing their plans. As we reach the halfway point, we need to see every state show results.”

The reports provide summaries of each state’s challenges and successes in year two, which was the 2011-12 school year, as well as what the state has proposed for year three. Each state’s effort is “measured against its own plan and progress in year two of its Race to the Top grant.”

The unique plans were built around the Race to the Top program’s four assurance areas: implementing college- and career-ready standards and assessments, building robust data systems to improve instruction, supporting great teachers and school leaders, and turning around persistently low-performing schools.

To review the progress reports or learn more about the Race to the Top program, please visit here.

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The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee recently held a hearing on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waivers, which have been granted to 34 states and the District of Columbia to date.

In his opening statement, Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) said, ““This Committee—and the public—needs to better understand how the waivers are being implemented and what impact they are having on students. We also need to better understand the consequences for States that have not received a waiver. The implementation of waivers has relieved States from requirements such as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and also from restrictions on how Title I funds are used. As the Department of Education continues to work with the States to implement waivers, we need to:

• Understand the status and scope of state waiver plans being implemented across the country;
• Consider the conditions and activities of states that do not have approved waivers; and,
• Ensure that the policies and programs we support are effective in meeting the needs of our most vulnerable students.”

Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) argued that the Department of Education had overstepped its authority with the waivers, saying “the problem is that more and more decisions are being made in Washington about whether schools are succeeding or failing, when in fact the Secretary and I and Senator Harkin pretty well agreed on nine principles last year that would have basically moved most of those decisions out of Washington. So we’ve gone, in my view, in the wrong direction.”

Calling the waivers the Department’s “Plan B,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the Department only pursued the ESEA waivers when it was clear that Congress was not going to act to reauthorize the bill last year.  He said he stands ready to work with Congress on the reauthorization legislation.

The two state chiefs who testified—Kentucky's Terry Holliday and New York's John King—said while a “honest-to-goodness reauthorization” offers predictability for states and “waivers were not their first choice,” the waivers have had some good consequences, i.e., allowing Kentucky to more easily transition to the Common Core Standards.

The other two witnesses were Kati Haycock, President of Education Trust, a group that advocates for disadvantaged and minority children, and Andrew Smarick of Bellwether Education Partners who recently served as the number two at the New Jersey Department of Education. Haycock warned the waivers have focused on the absolute worst performers, allowing states to worry about the other 85 percent with little oversight.  On the other hand, Smarick encouraged the Committee to allow the waivers more time to work before pursuing the reauthorization.

For more information about the hearing, including witness testimony, please visit here.

Additional analysis about the hearing can be found here.

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According to a new National Science Foundation report, women, persons with disabilities and three racial and ethnic groups-- African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians-- remain underrepresented in science and engineering (S&E).  The report, Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2013, features the most recent data on S&E education and employment patterns for these groups.

Although women’s participation has risen during the last 20 years in most S&E fields, the report’s data shows that women still earn a smaller proportion of degrees in many S&E fields of study. Psychology is the field where women's participation is greatest; more than 70 percent of degrees in that field were awarded to women. Computer science and engineering are the fields where women's participation is lowest--18 to 28 percent of degrees in these fields were awarded to women since 1991.

The portion of S&E bachelor's and master's degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities has been rising over the last 20 years. Since 1991, psychology, the social sciences and computer sciences have seen the greatest rise in the share of S&E bachelor's degrees earned by underrepresented minorities.

Since 2000, however, the share of engineering and physical sciences degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities has been flat, while the participation of underrepresented minorities in mathematics has dropped.

According to NSF’s press release, the report also finds “Unemployment rates are higher for minority scientists and engineers than for Caucasian scientists and engineers, and the rate is higher for Asian females than for Asian male scientists and engineers. Among employed scientists and engineers in all racial and ethnic groups, women are more likely than men to be employed part-time. Caucasian women are the most likely to be employed part-time.”

This report includes an “interactive digest that highlights key issues and trends through graphics and text, along with detailed statistical tables that provide data on higher education enrollments, degrees, institutions and financial support and on employment status, occupations, sectors and salaries.” The report also provides links to other NSF and non-NSF sources of data.

To review this report, please visit here.

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