And more than a name change may be afoot for the original PYI program. There are indications that the more plebeian title is a harbinger of significant revisions in a program that over the past seven years has given five-year, no-strings-attached research grants to more than 1,400 scientists and engineers starting out on their academic careers.
The new faculty fellows program will cost $15 million annually once it is fully implemented over five years. It is expected to be carved out of the existing PYI program, which White House officials decided was too large. The National Science Board approved the new fellows program, set to begin as early as this fall, at its meeting held last month.
"When President Bush found out about the PYI program, he want-ed to be involved much more personally in it than his predecessor," says Mary Clutter, assistant NSF director for the biological and behavioral ...
