SCIENCE MATTERS
Mon, 20 Jul 2020
75 years on the endless frontier: a vision for the future rooted in the past
75 years ago, the White House made public Vannevar Bush’s vision for American prosperity that was based in government support for fundamental research. Today Sethuraman Panchanathan, 15th Director of the National Science Foundation, shares his vision for keeping Bush's legacy alive at NSF.
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Mon, 20 Jul 2020
INCLUDES: Making a collective impact to broaden participation in STEM
Sylvia James, Deputy Assistant Director for the National Science Foundation's Education and Human Resources Directorate, highlights efforts to improve equity in STEM through the NSF INCLUDES initiative: In 1983, fresh out of college with a bachelor’s degree in biology, my first job focused on science education, which enabled me to address the issue of limited access for groups historically underrepresented in science. STEM participation rates for women, African Americans, Native Americans and Latinos were much lower than I expected. Unfortunately, 40 years later, work still needs to be done to make science inclusive.
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Announcement: Largest cohort of NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Biology includes new 'Rules of Life' track
07/20/2020.
ANNOUNCEMENT
NSF Public Affairs
703-292-8070
Largest cohort of NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Biology includes new 'Rules of Life' trackJuly 20, 2020
To conduct research that will foster discoveries in fields from agriculture to genomics, technology, and manufacturing, the U.S. National Science Foundation's Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology program is funding a diverse group of 126 next generation biological scientists — the program's largest cohort to date.
NSF is investing over $19 million to support these fellows and help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the STEM workforce.
The program supports fellows in four tracks: investigations that broaden the participation of groups underrepresented in biology; interdisciplinary research using biological collections; national plant genome initiative; and the new rules of life track, which aims to integrate diverse subdisciplines of biology by discovering the principles that operate across all levels of life from microbes to ecosystems. The program also supports early stage researchers by including mentorship by sponsoring scientists.
"This year's cohort have varied backgrounds and approaches to biology," said Patricia Soranno, director of the Division of Biological Infrastructure. "Supporting a broad array of research in the biological sciences, especially at these scientists' important early career stage, will advance our understanding of life and its adaptations, and will increase the biological sciences workforce, leading to future advances."
In the program's new track on rules of life, research topics address the fundamental properties of biological systems. One investigation involves determining how genome stabilization occurs to determine if evolution of hybrid species is predictable. Another project seeks to improve predictions of the effect of drought and temperature change on tree mortality.
A project in the broadening participation track uses genomic analysis to investigate interactions between jimson weed (Datura wrightii) and tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta). It involves outreach to Native American farmers on topics that include farm management and entomology. Another project will examine how Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungus that causes the disease chytridiomycosis in amphibians, has affected amphibian populations worldwide. As part of that work, undergraduate students from underrepresented groups produce materials to be used in teaching how light and vision have evolved and become integrated with behavior in different animals.
More information about the Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Biology program may be found on NSF's website as well as a full list of awards made in FY 2020.
ANNOUNCEMENT
NSF Public Affairs
703-292-8070
NSF establishes three new Institutes to address critical challenges in quantum information scienceJuly 21, 2020
Quantum phenomena have puzzled and delighted scientists for over a century, revealing unique, counter-intuitive characteristics of matter like superposition and entanglement. For four decades, the U.S. National Science Foundation has worked to enable breakthroughs in quantum information science and engineering that harness what researchers have learned about quantum phenomena to develop technologies like quantum computers, sensors, and communications. These quantum technologies will have enormous consequences for the national and global economy. To unleash that potential, researchers must overcome several major, fundamental challenges in quantum information science and engineering.
With these unresolved questions in mind, NSF launched the Quantum Leap Challenges Institutes program. And today, NSF, in partnership with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, is announcing $75 million for three new institutes designed to have a tangible impact in solving these problems over the next five years.
These institutes are a central piece of NSF's response to key federal initiatives to advance quantum information science, including the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018 and the White House's ongoing focus on American leadership in emerging technologies. Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes also form the centerpiece of NSF's Quantum Leap, an ongoing, agency-wide effort to enable quantum systems research and development.
"Quantum information science has the potential to change the world. But to realize that potential, we must first answer some fundamental research questions," said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. "Through the Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes, NSF is making targeted investments. Within five years, we are confident these institutes can make tangible advances to help carry us into a true quantum revolution."
"America's future depends on our continued leadership in the most cutting-edge industries of tomorrow. With the announcement of three new quantum institutes, the Trump Administration is making a bold statement that the United States will remain the global home for QIS research. Our new Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes will advance America's long history of breakthrough discoveries and generate critical advancements for years to come," said Michael Kratsios, U.S. Chief Technology Officer.
NSF is establishing three institutes:
NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Enhanced Sensing and Distribution Using Correlated Quantum States. Quantum sensors that can measure everything from radiation levels to the effects of gravity will be more sensitive and accurate than classical sensors. This institute, led by the University of Colorado, will design, build, and employ quantum sensing technology for a wide variety of applications in precision measurement.
NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks. Developing more robust quantum processors is a significant challenge in quantum information science and engineering. This institute, led by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, will build interconnected networks of small-scale quantum processors and test their functionality for practical applications.
NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Present and Future Quantum Computing. Today's quantum computing prototypes are rudimentary, error-prone, and small-scale. This institute, led by the University of California, Berkeley, plans to learn from these to design advanced, large-scale quantum computers, develop efficient algorithms for current and future quantum computing platforms, and ultimately demonstrate that quantum computers outperform even the best conceivable classical computers.
The institutes comprise an interconnected community of 16 core academic institutions, 8 national laboratories, and 22 industry partners. Through integrating the perspectives and resources of multiple disciplines and sectors, they promote a sustainable ecosystem for innovation. In addition to their research, these centers will also make strides in training and educating a diverse, quantum-ready U.S. workforce. They will develop new in-person and online curricula for students and teachers at all educational levels, from primary school to professionals.
More information on NSF-supported quantum information science and engineering research can be found at nsf.gov/quantum.
