Poster #102 - Should the US National Science Board and PCAST be Merged?

• In Event: Saturday Poster Luncheon

Abstract

The US National Science Board (NSB) is usually viewed as an oversight body for the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the original "Organic Act of 1950" that authorized the agency. However, the NSB also has a statutory role in providing science and technology advice to the president. Here, we contrast that role with the similar role of the President Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). While both committees advise the president, only the NSB is authorized by Congress and, as such, has political stability and "staying power" that PCAST lacks. At the same time, PCAST (when it exists under specific administrations) is located within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and has greater media attention. 

NSB's oversight role has recently been questioned because, unlike NSF's director, they haven't been confirmed by the US Senate. In this poster, we suggest a new model for the NSB wherein it expands its presidential advisory role by merging with PCAST while giving up its oversight role. In our proposed model, NSF would continue to receive robust oversight from traditional authorities such as its inspector general, the White House Office of Management and Budget, and Congress. The result would be a more agile Board focused on providing the President with excellent objective advice while at the same time creating more normative agency management for the NSF.

Author

• James L Olds, George Mason University
  Presenting Author