Arden L. Bement Jr., the acting director of the National Science Foundation since February, was confirmed for the post by a voice vote in the Senate on Nov. 21. He will serve a six-year term that expires in 2010. The NSF, an independent federal agency, aids research and education in a range of science and engineering fields.
![](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c1d07e4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2411x2411+0+120/resize/100x100!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F6f%2Fee%2Ffd5e104a4d09b94f70d3511c0c38%2Fsean-cavanagh.jpg)
Sean Cavanagh is the managing editor of EdWeek Market Brief.