As the steward of nearly $1 billion in public funds dedicated to the nation’s science education and education research enterprise, sociologist Cora Marrett, Assistant Director for the Directorate for Education and Human Resources at the NSF, will speak at the American Sociological Association’s Annual Meeting on Sunday, August 12, 2007, at 10:30am at the Hilton New York. Her special session (#188), “Preparing a Scientifically Literate Public and the Nation’s Science Workforce,” will address the need for heightened research, specifically research that falls within the purview of the social, behavioral, and educational sciences, as well as the need for American competitiveness in the global scientific market. Sociologist panelists Lisa Frehill, Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology, and Yu Xie, University of Michigan, will discuss Marrett’s presentation.