system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Quantum Leap] In his own 'present' timeline (1999 and beyond), what is the public's level of knowledge regarding Dr. Sam Beckett's leaps? Are Sam's adventures studied?

Al mentions several times that the Quantum Leap project is affiliated with the government, but I can't recall if any specific mention is made about how much the public is aware of what Sam is doing vis a vis the leaps. 

Are Sam's adventures classified? Does the general public know that some guy is bouncing through time, setting right what once went wrong? If so, what kind of research is being done (I'll bet the paper written on Sam's leap into a chimpanzee was a scorcher!)?
gpt
In one episode a US Senator shows up as part of a plotline about a Senate hearing to defund the project, so presumably the existence of the project is public.  Al actually testifies that Sam is "putting things right" and that God is in charge of the leaps now.

The Senator is sceptical that Sam has actually developed Time Travel, but Sam changes something in the past, which ends up changing the identity of the senator mid-sentence from someone who was going to defund the project to someone (that Sam helped) who supports the project.  Al is the only person in the room who sees that the timeline has been changed.  

Beyond that, the "evil leaper" project presumably uses the same technology developed by Dr. Beckett, so research papers and technical details would need to exist and be available outside the project.