Diverse Group of Researchers Receives the 2000 National Medals of Science
President Clinton has named twelve renowned American scientists and engineers to receive the National Medal of Science. In announcing the year 2000 Medal of Science honorees, the president paid tribute to a diverse group of researchers who set new directions in social policy, neuroscience, biology, chemistry, bioengineering, mathematics, physics, and earth and environmental sciences. "These exceptional scientists and engineers have transformed our world and enhanced our daily lives," Clinton said. "Their imagination and ingenuity will continue to inspire future generations of American scientists to remain at the cutting edge of scientific discovery and technological innovation." The medals will be presented at an awards dinner scheduled for December 1 in Washington, D.C.. More...

Genetic Triggers Keep Plants "On Schedule"
Life scientists funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Eukaryotic Genetics Program are using genetics as a powerful tool to reveal how light tells flowers when to bud and bloom. According to research at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., the direct interaction between two photoreceptor genes modulates the internal clock of plants, providing information about their environment and keeping them in sync with the earth's 24-hour cycle. More...

New Grid Portal to Improve U.S. Researchers' Access to Advanced Computing Resource
Computational scientists will soon have a powerful new tool for using resources on the national "grid" of high-performance research networks. The web-based grid portal will help computer scientists, scientists and engineers by simplifying and consolidating access to advanced computing systems supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (PACI). The National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (NPACI), the National Computational Science Alliance (NCSA), and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) have announced formation of the integrated grid portal. More...

NSF Honors 409 Junior Faculty Members with 2000 Career Awards
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is honoring 409 outstanding junior faculty members in science and engineering nationwide with the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards. The CAREER award is NSF’s most prestigious honor for junior faculty members. Awards for 2000 range in amount from $200,000 to $500,000, and in duration from four to five years. "CAREER awards support exceptionally promising college and university junior faculty who are committed to the integration of research and education," says NSF Director Rita Colwell. More...