A federal committee has found that there is almost no evidence to judge whether the more than $3-billion the federal government spends annually to improve science and mathematics education is effective. The committee's report calls for greater assessment and coordination of such programs. The committee, known as the Academic Competitiveness…

Reports that the Research Applied to National Needs (RANN) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) will be discontinued. (SL)

Discusses a government report that claims that government decision making has improved since federal agencies have been required to submit any proposed action in the form of an environmental impact statement for comments by the public and other agencies. (MLH)

This report presents information on the environmental education objectives, activities, accomplishments, and plans of forty-four agencies of the Federal Government. The agencies were sent a short outline of what might constitute a useful report and asked to submit a report, in narrative form, of about 1500-3000 words. The agency reports contain an…

Describes adverse congressional reaction to a recent National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recommendation that the Veteran's Administration's (VA) health care system be phased into a general health care system. (SL)

Reviews 1978 and 1979 estimates for federal funding for Research and Development obligations and outlays. Funding for the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are discussed in detail. (SL)

Pursuant to a congressional request, the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) has provided information on math and science education that focuses on: (1) key efforts undertaken by the Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the nine federal agencies under the purview of the House Committee on Science that…

Describes the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Applied Science and Research Applications (ASRA) program, the replacement for the Research Applied to National Needs (RANN) program, for providing applied science with an intellectual integrity and concrete usefulness. (SL)

Discusses the role and accomplishments of the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The relationship between the OSTP and the Congress is also discussed. (HM)

This directory of the Assembly of Life Sciences (ALS), National Research Council, reflects the status of all committees, their membership, Corresponding Societies, and ALS staff as of October, 1978. Organization charts illustrate the relationship between the Assembly of Life Sciences and the general structure of the National Academy of Sciences,…

This document reports results of a review of estimated 1977 federal research and development (R&D) funding and requested 1978 federal R&D funding. Highlights include: 1978 estimated R&D total is $26.3 billion, an increase of 7.6% over 1977; average annual R&D growth rate for the period 1974-78 has risen to 10.9% compared to 1.5%…

Reviews the proposed 1979 federal budget for basic research for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Defense, and Department of Energy. (SL)

Describes the controversy in the House of Representatives concerning National Science Foundation's (NSF) educational programs in general, and specifically, the NSF-supported behavioral science course for fifth graders called Man: A Course of Study. Describes the political pressure being placed on NSF to assume greater responsibility for…

This report reveals that federal research and development obligations are scheduled to rise from $17.4 billion in fiscal year 1974 to an estimated $18.9 billion in fiscal year 1975 and to $21.7 billion in fiscal year 1976. The gains in funding are 8.4 percent for 1975 and 14.5 percent for 1976, both of these the largest relative rises in the…

Discusses the impact of fellowship programs that send scientists and engineers to work in United States congressional offices. (SL)