May 13, 2005

Defense Dept. Hopes to Revive Sputnik-Era Science-Education Program

By JEFFREY BRAINARD

The year was 1958, and the U.S. government was frantic to produce more scientists and engineers to help America catch up in the space race with the Soviet Union.

So Congress passed the National Defense Education Act, which provided student loans and fellowships to educate thousands of specialists, including many who later entered academe. By the 1970s, the act had been superseded by other federal legislation, but programs begun under it endure today.

Now Defense Department

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