You’re fired: How the National Science Board sank itself
- May 12, 2026
Michael Chamberlain, Washington Examiner
Are you interested in creating “sister circles” for “black women in undergraduate computing programs at predominantly white institutions, framing the research through black feminist epistemologies and structural oppression rather than technical computing advancement?” Then the National Science Foundation has a $1.5 million grant for you! Or it did, until April, when President Donald Trump sacked all 22 members of its board.
The National Science Foundation, guided by the presidentially appointed National Science Board, exists to “promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense.” The independent federal agency does this “chiefly by making grants” of taxpayer money to universities and research institutions.
You might think that a 22-member board supposedly composed of a diverse array of scientists and researchers would be immune to the influence of politics, fads, and groupthink. If only.
When most people think of scientific research, they picture particle accelerators, DNA ladders, and chemical reactions. But, like many federal agencies, the NSB and the NSF have, in recent years, allowed activism to creep into their mission. In 2020, the NSF began a program called NSF ADVANCE to contribute to its “goal of a more diverse and capable science and engineering workforce.”