Since its inception the US National Science Foundation (NSF) has supported basic and applied research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The NSF and the US Department of Defense also have long supported graduate students in STEM fields. In the last 20 years or so the NSF along with such professional societies as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) have expanded their policy focus to include improving the quality of undergraduate teaching and student learning in STEM fields. This expanded mission is in part a response to the decline in students choosing to major in STEM fields, declining percentages of STEM undergraduates continuing to graduate school, and the social and economic consequences of these trends.
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Fairweather, J.S., Paulson, K. (2008). The Evolution of American Scientific Fields: Disciplinary Differences Versus Institutional Isomorphism. In: Välimaa, J., Ylijoki, OH. (eds) Cultural Perspectives on Higher Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6604-7_13
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