Arden Bement, a metallurgical engineer who has been doing double duty as head of NIST and acting director of NSF, has been nominated by President Bush to become NSF’s director. Bement, 72, is widely respected in Washington and is expected to easily win confirmation by the Senate early next year.
“The foundation has a rich history of strong and independent directors, and I look forward to continuing with that tradition,” Bement said in a memo to the NSF staff following his 15 September nomination. “Although NSF faces significant challenges in the near future due to federal budget issues, I am committed to the policies and operations that have stood the test of time and have helped make NSF an extraordinary agency.”
Bement stepped in as acting director after NSF director Rita Colwell left in February, several months before her term was to expire (see Physics Today, Physics Today 0031-9228...
