Editing National Science Foundation (section)

====1970–79====
In 1972 the NSF took over management of twelve interdisciplinary materials research laboratories from the Defense Department's [[Advanced Research Projects Agency]] (DARPA). These university-based laboratories had taken a more integrated approach than did most academic departments at the time, encouraging physicists, chemists, engineers, and metallurgists to cross departmental boundaries and use systems approaches to attack complex problems of materials synthesis or processing. The NSF expanded these laboratories into a nationwide network of [[Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers]]. In 1972 the NSF launched the biennial "Science & Engineering Indicators" report<ref name="SEind">{{cite web|url=http://nsf.gov/statistics/seind14/index.cfm/chapter-7/c7h.htm|title=Chapter 7. Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Understanding|year=2014|work=Science and Engineering Indicators|access-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref> to the US president and Congress, as required by the NSF Act of 1950. In 1977 the first interconnection of unrelated [[public data network]]s was developed, run by [[DARPA]].