National Science Foundation (NSF)

#ICYMI✨🔭 Last week, the 3,200-megapixel Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Camera arrived at the U.S. National Science Foundation-U.S. Department of Energy Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. This groundbreaking camera will revolutionize our understanding of the universe, providing insights into dark matter, dark energy and much more. This state-of-the-art camera will fuel advances in our understanding of the cosmos, mapping the Milky Way, surveying our solar system, and more. The Rubin Observatory is funded by NSF and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. The LSST Camera, the largest digital camera in the world, was built at DOE's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. "Transporting such a delicate piece of equipment across the world involves a lot of risk. With ten long years of assembly work on the camera, culminating in a ten-hour flight and a winding dirt road up a mountain, it was important to get it right," said Margaux Lopez, a mechanical engineer at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, who led the planning for the camera shipment. "But because we had the experience and the data from the test shipment, we were extremely confident that we could keep the camera safe." To learn more, please visit https://bit.ly/3X01xdy #CaptureTheCosmos #NSFfunded

🚀 Join the NSF Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering team as a supervisory data and analytics officer. Key responsibilities include: ✨ Managing data assets and enabling data-driven decision-making. 👥 Supervising the data and analytics team. 🔍 Developing and implementing data governance and architecture. 📈 Creating a comprehensive data analytic strategic plan. 📊 Apply at: https://bit.ly/3yMleLI Applications are open until June 4, 2024.

"Jack-of-all-trades and master of none" is a saying often used by biologists to describe a dominant theory attributed to the "generalists" of the animal kingdom: species evolved to live across a wide range of ecological niches. Generalists are believed to be outperformed by their more dominant counterparts, "specialists," which are species adapted to a particular niche. In yeasts — an ancient group of unicellular fungi that include the well-known species used in baking, brewing, and winemaking, as well as those that can cause yeast infections, diaper rash and thrush — generalists typically consume a variety of carbon sources, demonstrating higher metabolic versatility, while specialists demonstrate lower metabolic versatility and more restrictive diets. In a landmark study, an international team led by #NSFfunded researchers from Vanderbilt University and University of Wisconsin–Madison mapped the genomes, diets, and environments of over 1,000 species of yeasts and classified them as specialists or generalists using a machine learning algorithm. They then looked at which group utilized their carbon sources more efficiently, helping us better understand how these single-celled organisms evolved into separate groups over the past 400 million years. Their investigations revealed that the major differences in yeasts' diets were primarily driven by differences in the presence or absence of genes encoding specific metabolic pathways. To their surprise, the researchers found no indication that metabolic versatility, or the ability to eat different foods, comes with any significant trade-offs, meaning that some yeasts are jacks-of-all-trades and masters of each. These findings underscore the notion that intrinsic factors are the primary drivers in the variation of diet and environmental niches found among yeasts. These insights are key to understanding how to develop treatments for yeast strains that are pathogens to humans and will be critical to guiding the biotechnological use of yeasts in fields like agriculture and biomanufacturing. To learn more, visit: https://bit.ly/3wVZX1J 📷: University of Wisconsin–Madison

From testifying in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing to celebrating new graduates entering the STEM enterprise, this week NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan reinforced the significance of the agency's ongoing commitment to promote the progress of science, advance national prosperity and secure national defense. The House Artificial Intelligence Caucus and Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus welcomed NSF to Capitol Hill, co-hosting the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot demo day. Panchanathan, alongside House AI Caucus co-chair Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), gave remarks underscoring the existing possibilities and the potential for even greater advancements through the fully realized NAIRR. NSF is proud to lead this effort in collaboration with its federal agency and industry partners. Other Members of Congress in attendance were Reps. Haley Stevens (D-MI), Jim Baird (R-IN) and Sean Casten (D-IL). The director, accompanied by NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Administrator Bill Nelson, testified at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget requests for NSF and NASA. The president's budget request of $10.18 billion is an essential investment in critical areas of research, education, discovery and innovation. NSF continues to build on the "CHIPS and Science Act of 2022" and more through supporting our economic and national security, and foster opportunities everywhere so that innovation can happen everywhere. Panchanathan also delivered the commencement address at the University of Maryland Baltimore County graduation ceremony, celebrating the 2024 graduating undergraduate classes of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, College of Engineering and Information Technology and the Individualized Study Program. The director framed his remarks around his "10 C's to success," urging the graduating class to commit themselves to find ways to make an impact on their lives, their communities and society. Watch the commencement: https://bit.ly/3yAnuWz. 📸: Charlotte Geary/NSF; University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Could the solution to Earth's plastic problem come from the ocean? 🌊 California startup Sway is developing a bio-based, home-compostable replacement for single-use plastics with seaweed. Thermoplastic Seaweed resin, or TPSea, is made from a regenerative ocean crop that can decompose into soil after use and replenish ecosystems. 🌿 Sway’s products serve a wide range of applications for flexible packaging, including poly bags, retail boxes, food wrappers and films for consumer brands. The company recently raised $5 million and won first place in the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize in 2023. 🥇 To learn more, visit https://bit.ly/3WSo38j #NSFSBIR #sustainability #greentech #greensolutions 📷: Sway

NSF is investing $1.2 million in a pilot effort to catalyze diverse partnerships among U.S. institutions of higher education and industry innovators. The 18-month effort will be led by Halo, an artificial intelligence-powered technology platform that helps corporate research and development teams more efficiently connect with scientific partners and bring new innovations to market faster. Halo will initially focus on matching industry researchers with academic scientists in materials science and engineering at emerging research institutions, institutions of higher learning that receives less than $50 million in federal research expenditures. “Academic-industry partnerships fuel innovation in key technology areas, leading to more opportunities for the U.S. to be globally competitive in science, technology and engineering on the global stage,” said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. “To foster these partnerships that lead to innovation, it is imperative that researchers across a wide range of universities and companies connect with industry through a centralized platform that makes it easy to identify areas of mutual interest.” Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4au0dTj 📷: Nathaniel Su, The University of Akron #higherlearning #NSFfunded

The U.S. National Science Foundation is announcing a new partnership with Micron Technology Inc. and GlobalFoundries to develop a diverse, semiconductor-ready STEM workforce. This initiative focuses on increasing access to equitable education and building robust talent pathways at minority-serving institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions nationwide. "Partnering with leaders in industry, government and education to meet the needs of a growing semiconductor workforce in the U.S. is essential for nurturing the talent necessary to fill key openings in the industry," said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. Learn more at https://bit.ly/44UB3Mk.

Highlights from the NSF Director 📢 On May 16, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, alongside Former Chair of the National Science Board Chair Dan Reed, testified to the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology to discuss NSF's Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request to Congress. The president's FY 2025 budget request of $10.183 billion is an essential investment in critical areas of research, education, discovery and innovation. There are four strategic themes in the budget request, including: 1. Advancing emerging industries for national and economic security. 2. Building a resilient planet. 3. Creating opportunities everywhere. 4. Strengthening research infrastructure. These themes align with expanding basic research to tackle grand national challenges and empowering new approaches to applied research that spur technology transfer. Watch the testimony: https://bit.ly/3VbK0gb. On May 17, the White House released a "National Security Memorandum on U.S. Policy on the Antarctic Region." This memorandum identifies key objectives to ensure the nation will participate and lead in activities in the Antarctic region. This includes ensuring that NSF maintains scientific programs that advance knowledge, inform decision-making and promote conservation. Learn more: https://bit.ly/44OK4GZ. The director was also thrilled to announce that NSF has again been recognized among the 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government®. NSF ranked No. 8 among mid-sized agencies. "Diversity and inclusion are core values at NSF, and we continue to prioritize leveraging the diverse experiences and perspectives of our workforce. We have listened to feedback from our employees and taken action to address their needs with ongoing efforts," Panchanathan stated, "These efforts are crucial in empowering our staff to continue driving forward our mission of advancing science and engineering for the benefit of society. Together, we will create an even brighter future for our staff and the work they do every day on behalf of the nation."

Can you hear it? The cicada invasion is in full force. Periodical cicadas emerge from the ground at the same time every 13 or 17 years, climb up tree branches, and play their best tunes to attract a mate. The female lays eggs in the trees and the larvae drop to the ground, where they burrow into the dirt to continue the cycle again. 🌳 But for the first time since 221 years ago, when Thomas Jefferson was president, trillions of the 13 and 17-year-old cicadas are coming out at the same time. It's going to be a noisy six weeks! Watch NSF's "Cicada Explained" to find out more: https://bit.ly/3WSxiVQ #cicadas2024 #cicadas #cicadapocalypse

📢 Exciting opportunity for researchers and educators. 🚀 Join us TOMORROW for the NAIRR Pilot Partner Showcase, a public webinar to learn about the cutting-edge resources now available through the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot. 📅 Date: 5/21/2024 ⏰ Time: 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. NAIRR is a visionary initiative designed to democratize access to AI research infrastructure, bringing together a robust suite of resources from computational power to educational tools. This pilot program, backed by NSF and over a dozen federal agencies, along with contributions from 25+ private-sector partners, is your gateway to leveraging top-tier AI tools and resources. 🔗 Register now: https://bit.ly/3yt0Lvq #AI