On being a “rotator” in the Directorate for Geosciences at the National Science Foundation
What is it like to work at the U.S. National Science Foundation as a program director? Is this something you are contemplating? Many consider temporary service as a “rotator” at NSF the best way to learn about how NSF works and to experience directly how scientists contribute to the process of funding and charting new research programs and directions. If you have questions, or other perspectives to add to the ones expressed in this Forum article, please contribute these to the on-line forum on being a rotator at NSF.
June 6th, 2007 at 7:24 am
I have never been a rotator at NSF, but have wondered what it would be like to be one. The survey that Gisele Muller-Parker made points out ways in which the experience can be beneficial, but I would ask what a rotator can actually do for the careers of applicants when the proposal success rates are as low as they appear to be: in Chemical Oceanography I sort of remember seeing that this was about 20% last year. If this is true it would seem to me that a lot of good ideas just cannot be supported, and other things such as just maintaining existing programs and scientists must take higher priority. As a manager, I would think that this would be kind of depressing.