The NSF prediction, based on studies conducted since 1985 by agency policy analyst Peter House and others, bolstered fears prevalent in the public and private sectors that a dearth of scientifically and technically adept workers will weaken the nation's future ability to compete in the global marketplace. The NSF numbers have been used to buttress arguments that the federal government needs to spend more on science education and research.
Last fall, then-National Science Foundation assistant director Karl Willenbrock created an advisory panel to examine how the agency carried out its survey-collection and policy-analysis functions. At its first meeting, in January, the panel heard from Janet Norwood, outgoing director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on the importance of keeping data collection separate from policy analysis. Then it heard a presentation from Peter House, head of the Division of Policy Research Analysis, on the supply of scientists. A transcript of that ...
