The Four Corners region of the United States -- where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet -- will be at greater risk for hantavirus outbreak this year than in 2005, say scientists at Johns Hopkins University, the University of New Mexico, and other institutions.

The study is among the first to forecast the location and extent of an infectious disease outbreak. The forecast, based on research funded by the joint NSF-NIH Ecology of Infectious Disease Program, is based on an analysis of satellite imagery.

To forecast the disease risk, the scientists examined 2005 satellite images of areas of the Four Corners region where vegetative growth, soil moisture and other ecological conditions favored mice and hantavirus spread. They then calculated the level of risk for the region in 2006.

The researchers verified the accuracy of their forecast model by comparing their forecasts with actual hantavirus outbreaks going back to 1993. Their forecasts accurately predicted the actual disease outbreaks for 1994, 1998 and 1999.

Researchers funded by NSF have found evidence that particles of lead solder used in plumbing may have sickened two children in Greenville, N.C. The researchers collaborated with local health department officials who were initially perplexed because a thorough search could not identify the usual poisoning sources, such as leaded paint chips or leaded dust in the buildings the children frequented.

The Virginia Tech team demonstrated actual water-lead contents that were five times higher than amounts determined by standard water tests.

The team found that larger leaded particles can get trapped in faucet aerator screens or cling to sampling containers, precluding them from making it to the actual water analysis. Yet these lead fragments still pose a hazard, particularly if they become dislodged.

Read NSF's press release, "The Ones That Get Away" for more details.

Researchers have created organic gel nanomaterials that could be used to encapsulate pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic products and to build 3-D biological scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Scientists combined olive oil, six liquid solvents, and an enzyme to chemically activate a sugar that changed the liquids to organic gels. The novel compound self-assembles into 3-D fibers measuring approximately 50 nanometers in diameter. As the fibers entangle, they entrap some 10,000 molecules.

Funding for the research was provided by NSF through the Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures, a Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. For more, see NSF's "Researchers Create New Organic Gel Nanomaterials."

The nation's most advanced research aircraft, called HIAPER –- short for High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research -- recently completed its first scientific mission.

The experiment, known as terrain-induced rotor experiment, or T-REX, consisted of a series of nine-hour flights over a one–month period. An international team of 60 researchers gathered data about treacherous whirlwind turbulence called atmospheric rotors and the waves of air associated with them. Very little is known about how rotors develop and the dangers they pose to commercial aircraft.

Even though project flights lasted only a month, researchers are already making discoveries that may help protect commercial aircraft flying over mountainous terrain. For more, see NSF's "Nation's Most Advanced Research Aircraft Completes First Science Mission."

Each year, NSF supports about 13 percent of all federally financed R&D occurring in our nation's universities.

With this investment, NSF supports the majority of basic academic research in six fields: computer sciences; earth, atmosphere, and ocean sciences; engineering; mathematics; physical sciences and social sciences.

These disciplines are considered pivotal to maintaining our nation's preeminence in science and engineering. See Chapter Five of Science & Engineering Indicators 2006 for more on NSF's role in academic research and development.

NSF: What is your most successful tool to inspire students to study science? Wheeler: I craft my science courses in such a way that the students themselves become the investigator and principal learner, and I become a guide or facilitator. If they are allowed to explore the material from their own interests with the proper springboard, then it is easier to inspire them.

NSF: What do you consider the biggest challenge in getting students excited about science? Wheeler: It's getting students to overcome their fear of math and science. This fear usually stems from the fact that science requires a committed thought process rather than the usual "immediate-gratification" experience that many students expect. Teaching science involves teaching students how to approach and solve problems and with that, how to overcome the roadblocks and hurdles associated with all problems. Once students learn how to slow down and think through a problem, science becomes more exciting and rewarding to them.

NSF: Describe a student's "aha" moment, when something you were teaching in class "clicked." Wheeler: I'm reminded of one instance, in particular. We were working on a projectile-motion lab, and one student had already run through the experiment several times unsuccessfully. The student was struggling with the concept of 2-D motion. I went over to help de-bug his setup. The student soon remarked, "You know, from watching the other groups, if your table is higher, the marble goes further." That was one of the key points I wanted them to get from the lab, but I purposefully left it out of their lab handout. I thought to myself -- and probably said aloud -- "he finally understands!" It was a great moment for me as a teacher!

NSF: What feedback do you get from your students concerning science, and how important do they consider it to everyday life? Wheeler: I incorporate current events on science in general, and physics in particular, into my curriculum. Each week I have students present their current event to the class, and I give the class a chance to ask the presenter questions. Usually I add my own commentary to the discussion as well. I have found that many students want to give feedback on how science and math affect their lives. Soon after, they realize more and more that their everyday life is impacted by the subject they study.