National Science Foundation (NSF)

Our modern digital world relies on secure networks to ensure that national and personal security is protected at the highest level. 🔐 For decades, NSF has supported pioneering research that laid the groundwork for advances in cybersecurity, privacy and trust that we rely on daily. NSF has been crucial in safeguarding the digital world from hacking and ensuring secure communications, from developing groundbreaking public-key encryption algorithms that have transformed society to open-source cybersecurity software that detects abnormalities and swiftly responds to cyberattacks, as well as automotive and medical device security to guard against hacking and more. Learn more about the history of NSF's impact on cybersecurity: https://bit.ly/4m2bD7F 📷: Johanna Amann, ICSI #cybersecurity

Today, NSF announced the termination of additional awards not aligned with agency priorities. This decision reflects our alignment with current priorities and our commitment to continuing to advance science and engineering R&D in the United States. bit.ly/42LQ2aN

NSF has supercharged science through decades of investments in supercomputers. Supercomputers, or interconnected systems that run various parts of the same program simultaneously at extraordinarily fast speeds, began with the first commercially available supercomputer, the Cray-1, in 1977 at the NSF-supported National Center for Atmospheric Research. The Cray-1, the world's fastest computer at the time, was essential for weather forecasting, fluid dynamics and material science. Since then, #NSFfunded advancements in supercomputers like Frontera and Stampede at Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) have catalyzed breakthroughs across all fields of science – from capturing the first image of a black hole and detecting gravitational waves in space to achieving medical breakthroughs, assessing wildfire risks to human health, and predicting earthquake risks. Learn more about the fascinating history of supercomputers: https://bit.ly/4iBVD9z 📷: Texas Advanced Computing Center

At the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), our mission is to foster scientific progress, improve national health and prosperity, and safeguard our nation’s security. Upholding this mission means making decisions to ensure our efforts align with these priorities. Today, we’ve terminated additional awards that are not aligned with the agency’s focus areas. This decision reflects our commitment to funding research and programs that create opportunities for all Americans everywhere, at every level. NSF remains dedicated to advancing scientific discovery and innovation for the benefit of society. To learn more about our priorities, visit: https://bit.ly/4jMSLHV.

Today, the U.S. National Science Foundation began terminating awards that are not aligned with agency priorities. NSF priorities are grounded in our mission and modulated by statutory directives and administrative priorities. It is our priority to ensure all broadening participation activities aim to create opportunities for all Americans everywhere, without direct or indirect exclusion of any groups. NSF remains committed to reviewing and funding proposals that are aligned with the agency’s priorities. A list of FAQs reflecting NSF priorities is available at https://bit.ly/42Dx6ei.

Physicists experimenting with the quantum properties of materials have found something new and different: the fractional exciton, a type of quasiparticle made of opposite fractional electric charges bound together by mutual attraction. This phenomenon, predicted in theory but now observed, was made possible through NSF funding and the unique capabilities provided by the NSF National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. If the particles can be controlled, the Brown University-led study opens new possibilities for developing faster and more reliable quantum computers by improving how information is stored and processed at the quantum level. "Our findings point toward an entirely new class of quantum particles that carry no overall charge but follow unique quantum statistics," says Jia Li, leader of the research team and associate professor of physics at Brown University. "The most exciting part is that this discovery unlocks a range of novel quantum phases of matter, presenting a new frontier for future research, deepening our understanding of fundamental physics and even opening up new possibilities in quantum computation." Discover more: https://bit.ly/4lDKWpS. 📷: Courtesy of Jia Li/Brown University

The NSF-U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun on-sky engineering tests, which means one of the most ambitious scientific facilities ever conceived is now tantalizingly close to completion. Once it's up and running, the Rubin Observatory will capture more data than all previous telescopes combined, including the discovery of millions of previously unseen asteroids, billions of stars and galaxies and who knows what else.  Stay tuned space fans. Get ready to #CaptureTheCosmos.

Northwestern University researchers, supported by the NSF Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine, have developed a sponge that removes pollutants from water while saving valuable minerals. 🧽 Coated with nanoparticles, the sponge captures metals like zinc, copper and lead, as well as phosphates and microplastics. It can also release these materials when exposed to different pH levels, allowing for the reuse of valuable metals. This innovation is making a splash in the real world through a commercialization partnership between NSF-funded and Northwestern University startup Coral Innovations and stormwater systems manufacturer StormTrap. https://bit.ly/3RSdluz #NSFSBIR #NSFEngines #GreatlakesReNEW

With the goal of making native foods more widely available and affordable for consumers, Manzanita Cooperative, an #NSFfunded startup, is developing new sustainable crops that require little or no irrigation. They utilize an innovative method known as gene-informed rapid breeding — a technology that relies on genetics, rather than gene editing, to swiftly enhance crops for agricultural purposes, aiming to shorten breeding times from decades to just a few years or even less. Manzanita is developing a new native-derived, low-alkaloid lupini bean with the superior drought adaptation characteristics inherent to California's lupine species. To learn more, visit https://bit.ly/42yJD2G. #NSFSBIR 📷: Manzanita Cooperative

Today, NSF launched a 24/7 crisis intervention helpline for members of the NSF research community who have experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment or stalking. The NSF Safer Science Helpline is an anonymous and secure helpline available to NSF awardees, grantees, scientists, contractors and those affiliated with supporting the mission of NSF, including all those supporting NSF's mission throughout Antarctica and the Arctic. To learn more, visit https://lnkd.in/etUruhGk. 🔗 : https://lnkd.in/g4gvypTw.