National Science Foundation

This week with NSF Director Panchanathan This week, NSF Director Panchanathan traveled to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, joining Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) to spotlight the launch of two NSF awards: the Technology Enabled… Published June 30, 2023 at 08:41AM Read more at nsf.gov

NSF announces $6 million investment in semiconductor fabrication Through a new partnership, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Science and Technology Council of Taiwan (NSTC) have invested $6 million in six joint projects for fundamental research on advanced semiconductor chip design and… Published June 29, 2023 at 07:59AM Read more at nsf.gov

Scientists find double quasar in early universe Scientists have made an unexpected discovery — a pair of gravitationally bound quasars inside two merging galaxies that existed when the universe was just 3 billion years old. An international group of researchers, including cosmologists at Carnegie… Published June 28, 2023 at 06:26AM Read more at nsf.gov

Perfect 'pathogen' storm: Vibrio bacteria, Sargassum and plastic marine debris A new U.S. National Science Foundation-supported study has uncovered how the interplay between Sargassum spp., plastic marine debris andVibrio bacteria creates the perfect "pathogen" storm, with implications for marine life and public health. Vibrio… Published June 27, 2023 at 07:40AM Read more at nsf.gov

NSF Director Panchanathan meets three Members of Congress at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for project kick-off, announces funding for UT's advanced materials and manufacturing center U.S. National Science Foundation Director Panchanathan traveled to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for the Tennessee Mobility Showcase on Monday, June 26. He joined Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Rep. Tim Burchett… Published June 26, 2023 at 10:23AM Read more at nsf.gov

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan It is indeed an historic day for NSF as we advance science, technology and innovation at speed and scale. It is truly an honor to welcome the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, who is committed to unleashing talent at scale in… Published June 26, 2023 at 09:24AM Read more at nsf.gov

Butterfly tree of life reveals an origin in North America About 100 million years ago, a group of trendsetting moths started flying during the day rather than at night, taking advantage of nectar-rich flowers that had co-evolved with bees. That single event led to the evolution of all butterflies… Published June 26, 2023 at 07:34AM Read more at nsf.gov

First study to quantify the total carbon sequestration for a region of the ocean Researchers at Florida State University have analyzed the carbon exported from surface waters of the California Current ecosystem — the first-ever study to quantify the total carbon sequestration for a region of the ocean. The study, published in… Published June 26, 2023 at 07:37AM Read more at nsf.gov

NSF invests $162 million in research centers to accelerate materials science from lab to factory A $162 million investment from the U.S. National Science Foundation will drive the creation of advanced materials capable of remarkable things — from being tough enough to withstand the heat of a fusion reactor to processing information at the… Published June 26, 2023 at 06:55AM Read more at nsf.gov

This week with NSF Director Panchanathan This week, NSF Director Panchanathan had the honor of hosting First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at NSF headquarters. The visit began with the director, prime minister and first lady — renowned for her commitment to… Published June 23, 2023 at 01:54PM Read more at nsf.gov

NSF launches new $30 million program to assess outcomes of R&D spending The U.S. National Science Foundation today launched Assessing and Predicting Technology Outcomes, or APTO, a new $30 million program that will fund research to evaluate the effectiveness of research and development investments and create models and… Published June 22, 2023 at 12:31PM Read more at nsf.gov

Massive iceberg discharges during the last ice age had no impact on nearby Greenland During the last ice age, massive icebergs periodically broke off from an ice sheet covering a large swath of North America and discharged rapidly melting ice into the North Atlantic Ocean around Greenland, triggering abrupt climate change impacts… Published June 21, 2023 at 08:30AM Read more at nsf.gov

Breakthrough in computer chip energy efficiency could cut data center electricity use Researchers at Oregon State University and Baylor University have made a breakthrough in reducing the energy consumption of the photonic chips used in data centers and supercomputers. The findings are important because a data center can consume up to… Published June 21, 2023 at 08:31AM Read more at nsf.gov

NSF announces guidelines for agency research security analytics practice The U.S. National Science Foundation recently released guidelines for research security analytics on the agency's research security website. Research security, defined as safeguarding of the U.S. enterprise against the misappropriation of research… Published June 20, 2023 at 02:05PM Read more at nsf.gov

Australian bushfires likely contributed to multiyear La Niña The catastrophic Australian bushfires in 2019 to 2020 contributed to ocean cooling thousands of miles away, ultimately nudging the tropical Pacific into a rare multiyear La Niña event that dissipated only recently. The research was led by scientists… Published June 20, 2023 at 08:12AM Read more at nsf.gov

NSF, AACC announce 2023 Community College Innovation Challenge winners Today, the U.S. National Science Foundation, in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges announced the three winning teams of this year's Community College Innovation Challenge. A team of expert judges selected the Houston… Published June 15, 2023 at 01:48PM Read more at nsf.gov

Study presents new clues about the rise of Earth's continents Continents are part of what makes Earth uniquely habitable for life among the planets of the solar system, yet surprisingly little is understood about what gave rise to these huge pieces of the planet's crust and their special properties. U.S… Published June 15, 2023 at 11:40AM Read more at nsf.gov

Study forecasts future nitrogen loads under various drainage and crop rotation scenarios Midwestern agriculture causes an oxygen-starved hypoxic zone, and challenges coastal economies by contributing most of the nitrogen in the Gulf of Mexico. State and federal policymakers have tried for decades to provide solutions and incentives, but… Published June 15, 2023 at 12:00PM Read more at nsf.gov

NSF selects 34 semifinalists for the inaugural NSF Regional Innovation Engines competition The U.S. National Science Foundation announced 34 semifinalists for the first-ever NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) competition, spanning nearly all key technology areas and societal and economic challenges highlighted in the "CHIPS and… Published June 14, 2023 at 06:59AM Read more at nsf.gov

Highly dexterous robot hand can operate in the dark — just like humans Think about what you do with your hands when you're home at night pushing buttons on your TV's remote control, or at a restaurant using all kinds of cutlery and glassware. These skills are all based on touch, while you're watching a TV program or… Published June 09, 2023 at 07:46AM Read more at nsf.gov

Elephant seals drift off to sleep while diving far below the ocean surface For the first time, scientists have recorded brain activity in a free-ranging, wild marine mammal, revealing the sleep habits of elephant seals during the months they spend at sea. The new findings, partially funded by the U.S. National Science… Published June 08, 2023 at 06:28AM Read more at nsf.gov

Genomes from 240 mammalian species reveal what makes the human genome unique Over the past 100 million years, mammals have adapted to nearly every environment on Earth. Scientists with the Zoonomia Project are cataloging the diversity in mammalian genomes by comparing DNA sequences from 240 species that exist today, from the… Published June 07, 2023 at 11:59AM Read more at nsf.gov

This week with NSF Director Panchanathan This week, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan traveled to The Hague to join international partners for the Global Research Council's (GRC) annual meeting. The GRC provides a forum for publicly funded research councils worldwide to engage with one… Published June 02, 2023 at 01:14PM Read more at nsf.gov

NSF Director Panchanathan joins heads of funding agencies from around the world at The Hague for the Global Research Council's annual meeting U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan traveled to The Hague, Netherlands, for the Global Research Council's (GRC) 11th Annual Meeting, from Monday, May 29 to Friday, June 2. He met with delegates and heads of publicly… Published June 02, 2023 at 09:00AM Read more at nsf.gov

NSF announces investment in research infrastructure to improve life-saving weather predictions and climate projections The U.S. National Science Foundation announced $91.8 million in funding for a Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-2 award to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) to create the Airborne Phased Array Radar. APAR will be a state-of… Published June 01, 2023 at 06:00AM Read more at nsf.gov