U.S. Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers (R-MI) and Michele Gelfand, Ph.D.	U.S. Congressman Howard Coble (R-NC) and Michele Gelfand, Ph.D

On the evening of June 7th, the Coalition for National Science Funding held its 12th annual Capitol Hill Exhibition and Reception, featuring the work of a selection of scientists currently funded by the National Science Foundation.  The Federation hosted Dr. Michele Gelfand (University of Maryland, College Park), a highly-respected organizational psychologist and member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.  The title of her exhibit was “Historical, Ecological, and Socio-Political Factors Affecting National Culture: Insights from Cross-Cultural Psychology.”  There is a link provided at the top which provides a summary of the research she presented at the Exhibit.

This CNSF Exhibit is an important and popular event on Capitol Hill each year that attracts Members of Congress, congressional staff, leading figures from the National Science Foundation, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, to name a few.  This year there were over 330 attendees which included six Members of Congress. 

Some notables who visited Gelfand’s exhibit included: Congressman Howard Coble (R-NC), Congressman Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) who also serves on the House Science Committee, Jeff Bingham (Staff Director on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s Science and Space Subcommittee), Jason Mulvill (Staff Director on Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s Technology, Innovation, and Competitiveness Subcommittee), staffers from Congressman Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) and Steve Pearce (R-NM).  We were also pleased to have two NSF notables: Kathie Olsen (Deputy Director of NSF) and Wanda Ward (Deputy Assistant Director – Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences at NSF). 

Given the recent controversy over statements made by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) in which she questioned the appropriateness of the NSF funding behavioral and social science research, it was especially timely that two key staff members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation stopped by the Exhibit.  This topic did arise, independently, with both staffers serving as a great opportunity to further educate and clear the air on the importance of these sciences as well as to hear their interpretations of Hutchison’s intentions. 

Of the 34 posters, the majority represented the physical and life sciences, math and engineering.  However in addition to the Federation, other behavioral and social science exhibits were hosted by the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the American Sociological Association.  In this time of budget cuts and concern over the impression some congresspersons have about the value of the behavioral and social sciences, it was especially important for us to stand up and be counted. 

To learn more about CNSF, visit: www.cnsfweb.org.

Wanda E. Ward, Ph.D., Deputy Assistant Director, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences with the National Science Foundation and Michele Gelfand, Ph.D.	Kathie L. Olsen, Ph.D. Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation and Michele Gelfand, Ph.D.

 One Page Summary:
-- Michele Gelfand, PhD,  Historical, Ecological, and Socio-Political Factors Affecting National Culture: Insights from Cross-Cultural Psychology