The unique history and development of FastLane, the central nervous
system of the National Science Foundation.
Since 2000, the National Science Foundation has depended upon its
pioneering FastLane e-government system to manage grant applications,
peer reviews, and reporting. In this behind-the-scenes account Thomas J.
Misa and Jeffrey R. Yost examine how powerful forces of science and
computing came together to create this influential grant-management
system, assessing its impact on cutting-edge scientific research.
Why did the NSF create FastLane, and how did it anticipate the
development of web-based e-commerce? What technical challenges did the
glitch-prone early system present? Did the switch to electronic grant
proposals disadvantage universities with fewer resources? And how did
the scientific community help shape FastLane?
Foregrounding the experience of computer users, the book draws on
hundreds of interviews with scientific researchers, sponsored project
administrators, NSF staff, and software designers, developers, and
managers.