NSF News
NSF director joins heads of multiple government agencies in signing consortium agreement at ceremony hosted by the White House
Today, the U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan gathered with leaders from the White House; the departments of Commerce, Defense and Energy; and the chief executive officer of the National Center for the Advancement of…
NSF invests nearly $10M to develop transformative bio-inspired solutions
The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing $9.75 million to advance novel solutions for complex societal and economic challenges inspired by biological systems. NSF's investment awards 15 multidisciplinary teams to Phase 1 of the NSF…
NSF leads a $35M federal investment in future agricultural technologies and solutions
The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing in new technologies that address the complex challenges in tackling food and nutrition insecurity from population growth, rising diet-related diseases and disparities and climate resilience. This…
This week with NSF Director Panchanathan
NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan has just concluded several days filled with impactful activities. Highlights included joining first lady Dr. Jill Biden in North Carolina to announce two of the first-ever NSF Regional Innovation Engines, leading…
Discovery of planet too big for its sun throws off solar system formation models
The discovery of a planet that is far too massive for its sun is calling into question what was previously understood about the formation of planets and their solar systems, according to Penn State researchers.Published in the journal Science and…
Wildfires transform aquatic ecosystems, with implications for wildlife and water quality
In devasting events dotting the globe, climate warming has led to an increase in the number and severity of destructive wildfires. Climate change projections indicate that environmental and economic damage from wildfires will increase in the years…
NSF research security training modules now available
The U.S. National Science Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of four interactive online research security training modules, now available to researchers and institutions across the U.S. These modules are designed to facilitate principled…
NSF establishes 10 inaugural Regional Innovation Engines across the country
The U.S. National Science Foundation today established the first-ever NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines), awarding 10 teams spanning 18 states. With a potential NSF investment of nearly $1.6 billion over the next decade, NSF Engines…
NSF names two new Innovation Engines in North Carolina, announces $30 Million in new investments to region
Today, the U.S. National Science Foundation announced two of the first-ever NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) as a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine and the North…
Saving an endangered species: New AI method counts manatee clusters in real time
Manatees are an endangered species with voracious appetites and often spend up to eight hours a day grazing for food in shallow waters, making them vulnerable to environmental changes and other risks.Accurately counting manatee clusters in a region…
Giant sea salt aerosols play major role in Hawaii's coastal clouds, rain
Despite their tiny sizes, aerosols — such as sea salt, dust and ash — play a significant role in shaping weather and climate. These particles scatter light, act as the starting point for cloud formation and can even initiate or limit rainfall.Now, a…
Democratizing the future of AI R&D: NSF to launch National AI Research Resource pilot
Alexandria, Virginia: Today, the U.S. National Science Foundation and collaborating agencies launched the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot, a first step towards realizing the vision for a shared research infrastructure…
Drones capture new clues about how water shapes mountain ranges
Drones flying along miles of rivers in the steep, mountainous terrain of central Taiwan and mapping the rock properties have revealed new clues about how water helps shape mountains over geological time, according to a team led by Penn State…
Researchers invent new way to stretch diamond for better quantum bits
A future quantum network may become less of a stretch, thanks to researchers at the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and Cambridge University.A U.S. National Science Foundation-supported team has announced a breakthrough in quantum…
This week with NSF Director Panchanathan
U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan battled winter weather this week to deliver a keynote address at the IIT2024 Global Conference, pay a visit to India House and join a panel discussion at the U.S. Conference of Mayors…
Microplastics' shape determines how far they travel in the atmosphere
Just like the land and the ocean, the atmosphere is marred by a variety of pollutants. In recent years, a new form has been identified: micron-size microplastic debris that can be carried by the jet stream across oceans and continents.The debris'…
Combining cell types may lead to improved cardiac cell therapy following heart attack
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and other institutions have harnessed a combination of lab-grown cells to regenerate damaged heart muscle.The study, published in Circulation, addresses major challenges of using heart muscle cells…
'Plug-and-play' nanoparticles could make it easier to tackle various biological targets
Researchers at UC San Diego have developed modular nanoparticles that can be customized to target biological entities such as tumors, viruses or toxins. The surfaces of the nanoparticles are engineered to host biological molecules, making it possible…
Forming ice: There's a fungal protein for that
The way ice forms is much more interesting than expected. This basic physical process, among the most common in nature, remains somewhat mysterious despite decades of scientific scrutiny.Now, U.S. National Science Foundation-supported research by…
This week with NSF Director Panchanathan
This week, U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan welcomed Gintaras Valinčius, chairman of the Research Council of Lithuania and Audra Plepytė, Lithuanian ambassador to the U.S., to NSF headquarters. Discussions centered…