Graduate, cooperative graduate, graduate teaching assistant, secondary school teacher, and most postdoctoral awards are made in March; science faculty and senior postdoctoral awards are made in December; and some postdoctoral awards are made in October. During 1959-60 a total of 4,010 National Science Foundation fellowships were offered as follows: 1,200 graduate, 1,190 cooperative graduate, 580 graduate teaching assistant, 180 postdoctoral, 75 senior postdoctoral, 285 science faculty, and 500 secondary school teacher awards.

SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS INSTITUTES

The primary aim of the National Science Foundation institutes program is to improve the effectiveness of classroom teaching in science and mathematics by increasing the subject matter competence of the in-service teacher. A secondary aim is to encourage a careful review by colleges and universities of the content of course offerings to better meet subject matter needs of teachers. Three major types of institutes for science and mathematics teachers have been developed to achieve these goals.

Summer institutes.-The Foundation has supported summer institutes since 1953 when the first two were organized on an experimental basis. Within this program, support is available for summer conferences for college teachers. Stipends are awarded and paid by the host institution from funds granted by the National Science Foundation.

A total of 411 summer institutes were scheduled for the summer of 1960. This is 29 more than operated during the summer of 1959. The 1960 institutes included 316 for high school teachers only, 38 for college teachers only, 24 for both academic levels, 15 for elementary school teachers, 2 for technical institute personnel, and 16 conferences for college teachers. The conferences are distinguished by greater subject matter specialization and their duration of 4 weeks or less. Summer institutes extend for a period of 4 to 12 weeks. The summer institute program has provided over 53,000 stipends for teachers for study in the fields of science and mathematics during the eight summers the program has operated.

Academic year institutes.-This program provides study opportunities for teachers of science and mathematics who can devote a full school year to academic work. The institutes provide financial support to the teacher-participants and special subject-matter courses prepared to meet their needs. Starting with two exploratory programs during the 1956-57 school year, the number has increased to 33 for the school year 1960–61.

Participant support and the principal operating costs of the insti

tutes are financed through Foundation grants paid to the host institutions. In the 5 years since its inception, over 5,000 secondary school teachers and 75 college teachers have had the opportunity for a year of full-time study of the subject matter of science and mathematics in these specially designed advanced courses.

In-service institutes.-These institutes meet on Saturdays or afterschool hours during the regular school year. Participating teachers receive no stipend but are given a nominal allowance for travel and books. The sponsoring institutions receive support for the expenses of operating the institute.

This program, which began in the spring of 1957 with 2 institutes, has increased steadily to 191 institutes supported for high school teachers in 1960-61. In addition there were 13 experimental inservice programs in science and mathematics for elementary school personnel during the school year 1960-61. Since its beginning, approximately 21,000 high school teachers of science and mathematics and approximately 750 elementary school principals, supervisors, and teachers will have had opportunities to study in the in-service institutes sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

SPECIAL PROJECTS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION

The National Science Foundation recognizes the continuing need for improvements in the quality of the Nation's educational efforts in science and mathematics. New proposals, new teaching techniques, and fuller implementation and expansion of existing activities of scientific institutions have been encouraged by the Division of Scientific Personnel and Education. These activities, organized under the Special Projects in Science Education Section, are principally concerned with the development of new ideas and approaches to the problems of science instruction as well as with better methods of interesting our young people in science.

Programs for secondary school students.-Universities, colleges, scientific societies, research organizations, and other groups are encouraged to stimulate an interest in and an understanding of science, mathematics, and engineering by students in the secondary schools. Related activities include visiting scientists, traveling science libraries, traveling science demonstration lectures, supplementary student science projects, summer training for high-ability secondary school students, and State academies of science.

Undergraduate science education. This activity is designed to assist colleges and universities in offering sound and vigorous undergraduate science educational programs. The Undergraduate Research Participation Program helps provide opportunities for talented undergraduates to take an active part in research in biological, physical,

and engineering sciences; experimental psychology; and certain social sciences. The Undergraduate Independent Study Programs assist high-ability college students in the study, independently and beyond the scope of their regular courses, of theoretical subjects such as mathematics, theoretical physics, theoretical chemistry, and astronomy. Advanced science education.-Programs in this area are planned to cover a variety of activities directed toward science teachers and scientists at the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels. The varied objectives of these programs are achieved through visits of scientists to colleges, research participation for high school and college teachers, special field institutes and symposia, special supplementary training for teachers, and cooperative university-college associations.

Public understanding of science. This program is designed to support efforts by colleges and universities, professional scientific societies, and others to increase the quality and quantity of information about science that reaches the lay public.

International science education.-The objective of this area is to strengthen scientific efforts, particularly in science education, by providing American scientists and educators with opportunities to engage in cooperative activities with their colleagues abroad to get information of potential application to science education in the United States.

COURSE CONTENT IMPROVEMENT

This program is designed to utilize scholarship of the highest order in the development of school and college courses that reflect contemporary knowledge in mathematics, science, and engineering. In a period of tremendous growth of scientific and technical knowledge, it is essential that vigorous and sustained efforts be made to keep the content of instructional programs at all levels in step with the advances of research. In each of the years 1958-59 and 1959-60 the Foundation invested approximately $6 million in these undertakings.

Projects considered for support are generally of national scope and significance and are sponsored by colleges, universities, or occasionally by scientific or educational organizations. Studies range from smallscale experiments to efforts involving large teams; they may focus on a single course or span several courses, several disciplines, or more than one educational level. Support is limited to the design and development of new courses and instructional materials. Grant funds may not be used to promote the general acceptance of any course or materials.

Course content studies and development. Support is given for improving subject-matter content and instructional materials for teaching mathematics and science in elementary and secondary schools and for courses in mathematics, science, and engineering in colleges and universities. Special emphasis has been placed on better courses for secondary schools. Also, exploratory studies are now being conducted to meet the urgent need for improvement of mathematics and science programs in elementary and junior high schools. Increasing attention is being given to college and university instruction through committee studies, conferences, and specific course development efforts.

Supplementary teaching aids.-Assistance is given for the development of new and imaginative aids to learning and teaching. Films, television, and new types of laboratory equipment and other devices have tremendous potentialities for expanding the scope and improving the effectiveness of the teaching of mathematics, science, and engineering. A separate program is especially designed to encourage development of new equipment for teaching laboratories since it is essential that experiments not be excluded merely because equipment has not been properly designed for instructional purposes.

TRAINING THROUGH RESEARCH GRANTS

Research grants of the National Science Foundation are primarily for the support of basic research and the discovery of new scientific knowledge; however, an element of training is also involved. Research grants are awarded to highly experienced investigators in all fields of the natural sciences and some of the social sciences whose programs of research show promise of extending the frontiers of knowledge. The conduct of this research requires the employment of a considerable number of research assistants, most of whom are graduate students. It is possible to estimate only the part of the total funds for research grants which is used for the support of students but it is believed that the number supported was more than 2,000 in 1958-59, and that funds expended for the support of graduate students may amount to more than $9.3 million in 1958-59.

Table 127 gives a summary of Federal funds obligated for research grants, fellowships, institutes, and education in the sciences for the past 9 years. Detailed information for 1958-59 is presented by States in summary table 6 of chapter 2. Amounts for each State are determined according to the permanent residence of the participant or State of incorporation for institutional recipient.

Table 127.-FEDERAL FUNDS OBLIGATED FOR BASIC RESEARCH, FACILITIES, AND EDUCATION AND TRAINING BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: 1951-52 TO 1959-60

1 No separate funds were appropriated for research facilities prior to fiscal year 1955-56. ? Estimated.

1,434, 275

10, 947, 711 13,666, 237 48, 219, 229 50,400,000

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN SCIENCE EDUCATION

The primary objective of these activities, which are administered in several parts of the Foundation, is to strengthen the Nation's total scientific effort as well as that of the free world by: (1) Offering financial assistance to projects that will enable American students and leaders in science education to keep abreast of developments and practices throughout the world; and (2) providing support to cooperatively sponsored, experimental, science educational programs that will enable teachers and scholars in developing regions to strengthen the quality of science and mathematics education.

Activities of the National Science Foundation in other countries are described here but Federal funds expended are not easily separated from other parts of the Foundation budget. The expenditure of $97,000 for NSF research in other countries was noted in table 2. Detailed portions have not been reported for this publication.

The Foundation's activities in this area fall roughly under three general areas of concern: (1) Direct primary benefit to United States scientists and educators; (2) mutually beneficial activities for strengthening science in this Nation and others; and (3) science educational programs of primary value in filling needs of other nations, particularly those in developing regions. Among the specific programs in these three areas are: Visiting Scientists Programs through which distinguished scholars have visited institutions of higher learning in the United States; short-term advanced training in Special Field Institutes by United States scientists in foreign countries; support for United States scientists for curricula survey and study projects of