<Li> The ecology of infectious diseases </Li> <P> NSF's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) gathers data from surveys and partnerships with other agencies to offer official data on the American science and engineering workforce, graduates of advanced U.S. science and engineering programs, and R&D expenditures by U.S. industry . NCSES is one of the principal U.S. statistical agencies . </P> <P> The NSF was established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 . Its stated mission is "To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense ." </P> <P> Some historians of science have argued that the result was an unsatisfactory compromise between too many clashing visions of the purpose and scope of the federal government . The NSF was certainly not the primary government agency for the funding of basic science, as its supporters had originally envisioned in the aftermath of World War II . By 1950, support for major areas of research had already become dominated by specialized agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (medical research) and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (nuclear and particle physics). That pattern would continue after 1957 when U.S. anxiety over the launch of Sputnik led to the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (space science) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (defense - related research). </P>

Who created the national science foundation and when
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