On May 7, the National Science Board (NSB) elected Ellen Ochoa, former director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center as Chair. Part of the NSB 2016 cohort, Ochoa has been the vice-chair for the last two years and served on the Executive Committee and the Vision 2030 Task Force which led the NSB’s just-released Vision 2030 report.
The National Science Board and the National Science Foundation (NSF) director jointly pursue the goals and function of the NSF. NSB identifies issues critical to NSF’s future and establishes the agency’s policies within the framework of applicable national policies set forth by the President and the Congress.
The Board also serves as an independent body of advisors to both the President and the Congress on policy matters related to science and engineering and education in science and engineering. The President appoints NSB’s 24 members—selected for their eminence in research, education, and records of distinguished service—for staggered six-year terms.
“This is an important time for science and I am honored to serve as chair of a board that is incredibly dedicated in its stewardship of NSF and our country’s S&E enterprise,” said Ochoa. “I look forward to working in partnership with NSF’s senior leadership, Congress, the Administration, the science and higher education communities, industry leaders, and many others to take the actions needed for the U.S. to remain preeminent in innovation and to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to benefit from S&E.
Ochoa retired from thirty years of federal service in 2018 as director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, which leads the U.S. human space flight enterprise. An experienced astronaut, Ochoa was a crew member on four space shuttle missions, leading onboard scientific activities, operating the robotic arm, and serving as a flight engineer.
As the first Hispanic female astronaut, Ochoa has given more than 300 presentations on the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math education. She has six schools named after her, several books written about her for the K-8 grades, and has been profiled in textbooks and on websites geared toward encouraging females and minorities to pursue technical fields.
After receiving her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Ochoa began her career as a research engineer at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Ames Research Center. She has three patents in the area of optical information processing and numerous publications in technical journals. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Optical Society of America, and the National Academy of Inventors.
The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments, and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With the fiscal year 2020 budget of $8.3 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities, and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.
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