From kbuyukat@mail.coin.missouri.edu Tue Sep 3 10:37:20 1996 Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 09:31:16 -0500 (CDT) From: Kaya Buyukataman To: ** ITUMD ** ISTANBUL TEKNIK UNIVERSITESI MEZUNLARI DERNEGI ULUSLARARASI KURULUSU Subject: NSF's Science and Engineering Indicators -1996 (fwd The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News Number 125: August 19, 1996 Highlights of NSF's Science and Engineering Indicators -1996 "Many countries, including the United States, are facing economic pressures and budgetary constraints. Although widespread consensus exists regarding theimportance of investment in research and development (R&D), it is difficult toknow what the optimal level of investment should be and which areas shouldreceive the investment. This report provides a basis from which to analyzethese issues, presenting a wide range of S&T [science and technology] indicators that show trends over time and across countries." --Science & Engineering Indicators - 1996 In addition to funding much of the nation's basic research, the NationalScience Foundation also tracks resources, trends and demographics of theU.S.'s R&D effort. This information, by law, ] is provided to thPresidentbiennially in a report entitled "Science and Engineering Indicators." Thetwelfth version of the "Indicators, " for 1996, was released earlier this yearOutgoing National Science Board Chairman Frank Rhodes, in his letter of transmittal to President Clinton, states that the report "contributes to abetter understandingof this Nation's science and technology capabilities.... Science and Engineering Indicators' provides decisionmakers and analysts in both the public and private sectors with a broad base of quantitative information and analysis regarding science, engineering, research, and education in the United States...[and] valuable comparative information on science and technology in other countries." The Indicators report totals 652 pages, more than half of which are Appendix tables of data spanning the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s. Below, some of the findings of each chapter are highlighted: Chapter 1 - Elementary and Secondary Science and Mathematics Education. Generally, the decline in math and science achievement scores for upper-elementary and secondary students during the 1970s was followed by a steady increase through the 1980s. Students graduating from high school have completed more math and science courses than in the early 1980s. While males still score higher on science achievement tests at all age levels, gender differences have diminished, as have the differences between white students and black or Hispanic students. Chapter 2 - Higher Education in Science and Engineering. While the total number of science and engineering (S&E) baccalaureate degrees awarded in the U.S. increased by 3 percent annually in recent years, the number of degrees in engineering, math and computer sciences declined and then stabilized. The U.S. is still one of the leading countries in providing a higher education system that reaches a broad range of citizens. The numbers of women and minorities planning to major in science or engineering has increased, as has the graduate enrollment of women and minorities. While doctoral degree production in S&E fields has increased in the past decade, so has the proportion of foreign students receiving those doctorates. Chapter 3 - Science and Engineering Workforce. In 1993, the job market was more favorable for college graduates than for the rest of the workforce, and salaries are usually higher for S&E graduates at all levels than for graduates in other fields. The overall number of S&E jobs in industry grew in the early 1990s, but the growth was mainly in computer- and math-related jobs, while employment in most other science and engineering fields declined. Growth in academic employment of S&E doctorates slowed significantly after 1989. The number of full-time traditional faculty positions has remained static, with increases primarily in non-traditional types of positions. Chapter 4 - Research & Development: Financial Resources and Institutional Linkages. The U.S. supports approximately 44 percent of the industrialized world's R&D, spending more than Japan, Germany, France and the UK combined if defense R&D is included. Growth in U.S. R&D funding by both the public and private sectors during the 1990s has been less than inflation. The number of new joint research ventures has grown annually for nearly the past decade, and cooperative research is becoming an important tool for states in leveraging S&T resources. The number of international R&D partnerships, and investments in and by foreign firms, are substantial. Chapter 5 - Academic Research and Development: Infrastructure and Performance. For nearly the past decade, academic R&D has experienced stronger annual growth than other R&D sectors, increasing its share of total U.S. R&D. While the federal government remains the major source of funds for academic R&D, academic institutions themselves provide the second largest share of support. Industrial support of academic R&D, although less than federal and academic support, is the fastest-growing. The U.S. contributes about one-third of the articles in the world's peer-reviewed natural science and engineering journals, and in publications of almost all countries, U.S. research receives more citations than the domestic literature. Chapter 6 - Technology Development and Diffusion. The U.S. maintains a significant lead in worldwide performance of industrial R&D. In the 1990s, the U.S. has had a large trade surplus in advanced technologies and a smaller surplus from sale of intellectual property based on technological know-how. Survey results link industrial use of advanced production technologies with competitiveness in foreign markets. Chapter 7 - Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Public Understanding. More than 70 percent of the American public believes that the benefits of scientific research outweigh the drawbacks, and about 40 percent express a high level of interest in new scientific discoveries and new technologies. Americans are evenly divided, however, about the impacts of technologies such as nuclear power, genetic engineering and space exploration. Chapter 8 - Economic and Social Significance of Scientific and Engineering Research. Experts in the field of assessing economic returns agree that R&D has a significant positive effect on economic growth and standards of living, but recognize that there can be a delay of 10-20 years for the impacts of basic research to be known. "Science and Engineering Indicators - 1996" is for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The stock number is 038-000-00592-8. ############### Audrey T. Leath Public Information Division American Institute of Physics fyi@aip.org (301) 209-3094 ##END########## ----- End Included Message -----