National Science Board: Meetings

MEMORANDUM TO NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD MEMBERS

SUBJECT: Major Actions and Approvals at the March 24-25, 2004 Meeting

This memorandum will be made publicly available for any interested parties to review. A more detailed summary of the meeting will be posted on the Board’s public Web site within ten business days. A comprehensive set of NSB-approved Open Session meeting minutes will be posted on the Board’s public Web site following its May 2004 meeting.

Major actions and approvals at the 379th meeting of the Board included the following (not in priority order):

1. The Board approved the minutes for the Open Plenary Session (http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/meetings/past.jsp) and Closed Plenary Session of the February 2004 meeting of the NSB.

2. The Board approved a resolution to close portions of the upcoming May 3 - 4, 2004, NSB meeting dealing with staff appointments, future budgets, pending proposals/awards for specific grants, contracts, or other arrangements, and those portions dealing with specific Office of the Inspector General (OIG) investigations and enforcement actions, or agency audit guidelines (NSB-04-30) (Attachment 1).

3. The Board approved recipients for the 2004 Vannevar Bush Award, the Alan T. Waterman Award, and the Public Service Awards. Awardees will be announced after the Chairman has notified the awardees of their selection.

4. The Board elected the members of the NSB Nominating Committee for the May 2004 Board elections. The members are Drs. Bowen, Ford, Hastings and Hoffman. Dr. Michael Crosby is Executive Secretary. The Committee members will select their own chairman.

5. The Board approved a resolution revising National Science Foundation policy on considering proposals from, and making awards to, Smithsonian Institution scientists (NSB-04-48, Attachment 2).

Attachment 1: NSB-04-30
Attachment 2: NSB-04-48

Attachment 1 to NSB-04-46

NSB-04-30
March 2, 2004

MEMORANDUM TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD

Subject: Closed Session Agenda Items for May 3 - 4, 2004 Meeting

The Government in the Sunshine Act requires formal action on closing portions of each Board meeting. The following are the closed session agenda items anticipated for the
May 3 - 4, 2004 meeting.

A Proposed resolution and the General Counsel's certification for closing these portions of the meetings are attached for your consideration.

Attachments (2)

PROPOSED
RESOLUTION
TO CLOSE PORTIONS OF
380th MEETING
NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD

RESOLVED: That the following portions of the meeting of the National Science Board (NSB) scheduled for May 3, 4, 2004 shall be closed to the public.

1. Those portions having to do with discussions regarding nominees for appointments as National Science Board members and National Science Foundation (NSF) staff appointments, or with specific staffing or personnel issues involving identifiable individuals. An open meeting on these subjects would be likely to constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

2. Those portions having to do with future budgets not yet submitted by the President to the Congress.

3. Those portions having to do with proposals and awards for specific grants, contracts, or other arrangements. An open meeting on those portions would be likely to disclose personal information and constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. It would also be likely to disclose research plans and other related information that are trade secrets, and commercial or financial information obtained from a person that are privileged or confidential. An open meeting would also prematurely disclose the position of the NSF on the proposals in question before final negotiations and any determination by the Director to make the awards and so would be likely to frustrate significantly the implementation of the proposed Foundation action.

4. Those portions having to do with specific Office of the Inspector General investigations and enforcement actions, or agency audit guidelines.

The Board finds that any public interest in an open discussion of these items is outweighed by protection of the interests asserted for closing the items.

CERTIFICATE

It is my opinion that portions of the meeting of the National Science Board (NSB) or its subdivisions scheduled for May 3 - 4, 2004 having to do with nominees for appointments as NSB members and National Science Foundation (NSF) staff, or with specific staffing or personnel issues or actions, may properly be closed to the public under 5 U.S.C. § 552b(c) (2) and (6); those portions having to do with future budgets may properly be closed to the public under 5 U.S.C. § 552b(c) (3) and 42 U.S.C. 1863(k); those portions having to do with proposals and awards for specific grants, contracts, or other arrangements may properly be closed to the public under 5 U.S.C. § 552b(c) (4), (6), and (9) (B); those portions disclosure of which would risk the circumvention of a statute or agency regulation under 5 U.S.C. § 552b(c) (2); and those portions having to do with specific Office of the Inspector General investigations and enforcement actions may properly be closed to the public under 5 U.S.C. § 552b(c) (5), (7) and (10).

Attachment 2 to NSB-04-46

NSB-04-48
March 26, 2004

RESOLUTION

NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD

REVISION TO NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION POLICY
ON CONSIDERING PROPOSALS FROM, AND MAKING AWARDS TO, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION SCIENTISTS

RESOLVED, that the National Science Board (NSB) directs that the National Science Foundation (NSF) will modify its current policy on funding other Federal agencies to acknowledge the unique status of Smithsonian Institution (SI) and its special contributions to science research and education by making all full time and post-doctoral scientists of the SI eligible to apply for NSF grants through the normal merit review process.

The NSF Director is authorized and requested to make such modifications, and to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the SI Under Secretary for Science that will provide the specific details and protocol by which NSF will accept SI proposals and make awards to the SI. The MOU shall be submitted to the NSB for approval prior to implementation.

Chairman