June 2006 |
NSF Director Emphasizes International Scientific Cooperation at NSF Beijing Office Opening |
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At the official ceremony opening NSF's new office in Beijing, NSF Director Arden L. Bement, Jr., noted that the most enduring benefit of international collaboration is its power to bring people together to pursue common goals and build a world of peace and prosperity. |
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NSF to Dedicate New South Pole Station | ||||
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In January 2007, a century after Norwegian Roald Amundsen erected the first small tent at the South Pole, NSF will dedicate the third and newest U.S. scientific station at the Earth's southern extremity. The station will house more than 20 times as many people as stood at the Pole with Amundsen at a level of comfort, safety and connectedness to the outside world that would have been almost inconceivable to the explorers for whom the station is named. |
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DNA "Strikes It Rich" in Rush to Fight Cancer | |||
By attaching strands of "antisense" DNA to nanometer-scale gold particles, scientists at Northwestern University have significantly enhanced the strands' ability to suppress the production of proteins that cause cancer. |
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Flippers for Locomotion: Better Two? Better Four? | |||
An underwater robot is helping scientists understand why four-flippered animals such as penguins, sea turtles and seals use only two of their limbs for propulsion, whereas their long-extinct ancestors seemed to have used all four. |
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Madeleine was developed through support provided by NSF's Collaborative Research at Undergraduate Institutions and the Major Research Instrumentation programs. For more information, see "Swimming Robot Tests Theories About Locomotion in Existing and Extinct Animals." |
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NSF: Has NSF influenced your career? Collins: Definitely, yes. I've worn many NSF hats. I had my first NSF support in the summer of 1968; it was from the program that NSF now calls Research Experiences for Undergraduates. The opportunity afforded to me by that program launched my research career in biology. Over the years, my research has also been supported by NSF grants. I've also previously served as an NSF program officer and on external advisory committees. NSF: How would you characterize your first months as BIO's Assistant Director? Collins: In a word, "busy." I've enjoyed engaging in NSF activities at this new level. It's fun, exciting and challenging -- all the things I hoped it would be. NSF: Do you see any common themes throughout NSF's biological research portfolio? Collins: We support basic research in four principal areas: molecular and cellular biology; evolutionary biology; genetics; and ecology -- as well as the connections at their interfaces, which is integrative biology. This research is broadening the theoretical and conceptual boundaries in biology. |
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NSF: Do you see challenges in the near future for biological research? Collins: An ongoing challenge in managing NSF's research portfolio is the ability to fund all the great ideas we receive in the form of proposals. Ensuring that support for basic biological research continues to grow is vital for continued success. |
"Historians will look back on this time as the ‘Century of Biology.' We're poised for an unprecedented wave of innovation that will improve human health, environmental sustainability and agricultural production. Knowledge gained from basic research will fuel our progress."
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NSF: You are maintaining your research lab at Arizona State; how is that going? Collins: It's great. I have wonderful students and post-docs that keep me directly engaged in the science. The needs of the students and the day-to-day operation of the laboratory, combined with the day-to-day interactions with terrific scientists and science administrators here at NSF, are constant reminders of a researcher's true perspective. The direct interaction with scientists and students in the field and lab keeps me connected to the basic research questions and needs of an educator-scientist, like those in the communities we serve at NSF. |
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Supercomputers Are About to Get a Lot More Super |
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The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science with an annual budget of nearly $5.58 billion. NSF funding reaches all 50 states through grants to roughly 1,700 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding and makes about 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly. Contact NSF's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs for more information, to unsubscribe, or for permission to reuse newsletter images. |
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