A Change at the Top

Colwell Takes the Helm at NSF
On August 4, 1998, Rita Rossi Colwell was sworn in as Director of the National Science Foundation, an independent agency of the Federal Government that provides support for research and education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. A member of the National Science Board from 1984 to 1990, Dr. Colwell has held numerous other advisory positions in the U.S. Government, private foundations, as well as in the international community. She is a nationally respected scientist and educator and has authored or co-authored 16 books and more than 500 scientific publications.    More...

Computer Simulation Demonstrates "Breathing" Enzyme Action
Using powerful supercomputers, NSF-supported researchers have unlocked the mystery surrounding one of the fastest, most efficient enzymes in the human body. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) works to instantly stop transmissions from one nerve cell to the next nerve or muscle cell. AChE catalyzes the chemical reaction that breaks up acetylcholine (ACh), a neurotransmitter, thereby serving as the off-switch for the transmission. The speed of this process has puzzled researchers since the structure of AChE was first modeled in 1991.    More...

Chemical Reaction Believed to Support Underground Microbes is Now Unlikely
A critical chemical reaction previously thought to support microbial life deep below Earth's surface, and possibly on Mars, is in fact highly unlikely. The findings are reported in the August 14 issue of the journal Science by researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Life in Extreme Environments (LExEn) program and affiliated with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (U. Mass.). "This is an important step forward in our continuing efforts to understand the processes that sustain life deep beneath the earth's surface," says Mike Purdy, director of NSF's LExEn program.    More...

Farmers Learn To Manage Crops With High-Tech Precision
At several community colleges in the Midwest, future farmers are being taught with a high-tech twist. By learning to master sophisticated gadgetry and apply it to the business of farm management, these students and their instructors plan to transform traditional farming. They expect this transformation to have an impact equal to tractors replacing horses in the early 1900s, and the introduction of hybrid corn and fertilizers in the 1950s. The innovation at work is called precision agriculture technology, and it involves the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to maximize crop management efficiency.    More...