On April 13, the National Science Foundation announced it has made offers and will award 2,500 fellowships for the 2026-2027 academic year to outstanding graduate students across the United States who are pursuing research-based degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program is one of the nation's most prestigious fellowship programs, providing three years of financial support, over five years, to graduate students who have demonstrated potential for significant achievement in research.
This week, the American Society of Civil Engineers, which represents more than 160,000 civil engineers and is America's oldest engineering society, released a statement on the reported decision to dismiss the National Science Board, the governing body of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
According to ASCE President Marsha Anderson Bomar, the reported decision undermines the mission of advancing American innovation, resilience, and safety that is shared by the scientific and engineering communities.
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) members elected Dr. Bomar as president of the society for the 2025–2026 term. With nearly 40 years of experience, Dr. Bomar is currently the commissioner emeritus for the City of Atlanta Department of Transportation and worked previously as assistant general manager of the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transportation Authority.
A longtime advocate for safer transportation networks and practices, she founded and served as president of both Street Smarts (1990–2010) and Data Smarts (1993–2010).
Dr. Bomar served on the ASCE Board of Direction 2018–2020, where she was the director of the Technical Region Board of Governors and led task forces generating member involvement and new revenue sources. She was also the board liaison for the Committee on Professional Advancement 2021–2022. Dr. Bomar was president (2009–2010) of ASCE’s Transportation & Development Institute (T&DI).
Dr. Bomar's statement on the state of the National Science Board said that since the National Science Foundation was launched in 1950, the American Society of Civil Engineers has supported NSF’s research and contributions to science, national health, defense, prosperity, and welfare.
NSF’s peer-reviewed research is essential to ensuring America employs best practices and fosters the brightest minds in the engineering field.
The American Society of Civil Engineers works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improving engineering knowledge and competency.
The full statement appears below:
The resilience of our built environment – its ability to withstand and recover from extreme weather events or environmental catastrophes such as floods, earthquakes, wildfires, or tornadoes – has advanced tremendously due to funding and programs from NSF. Our understanding of how to safeguard buildings, roads, bridges, and more against seismic events or how these structures will fare over many years of use is largely the result of NSF support.
Our workforce, public safety, and global competitiveness depend on continued support of NSF and its contributions to U.S. excellence. Dismissing the entire leadership branch of an organization whose work spans many complex disciplines threatens the viability of their operations, which benefit all of us. The world witnessed the United States’ transformation into a global superpower through investments in research and innovation. As we near the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, we must make decisions that continue that legacy.