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National Science Foundation History

left to right: Inbound traffic on NSFNET T1 backbone in September 1991; Spelling NSF in American Sign Language; Very Large Array, Socorro, New Mexico
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WHERE DISCOVERIES BEGIN

The American people recognized that scientists and engineers had helped win World War II. Penicillin and the atomic bomb were but the two best known of the many contributions made by the research community. With the coming of peace, the challenge facing politicians and researchers alike was how to ensure that science and engineering would continue both to expand the frontiers of knowledge and serve the American people. The answer was the National Science Foundation (NSF), established in 1950, which continues to be the only federal agency dedicated to the support of fundamental research and education in all scientific and engineering disciplines. Charged with making certain that the United States maintains leadership in scientific discovery and the development of new technologies, the NSF has provided funding for thousands of distinguished scientists and engineers to conduct groundbreaking research, including more than 170 Nobel Prize Winners.

INFORMATION RELATED TO NSF'S HISTORY

  A Timeline of NSF History
  Selective Bibliography of the National Science Foundation
  Publications

CONTACT

Please contact nsf-history@nsf.gov for more information on NSF's history.

 

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Last Updated:
Sep 18, 2008
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Last Updated: Sep 18, 2008