 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Participants at NSF's
"Small Wonders" nanotechnology symposium fill the auditorium
at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC.
Photo: Peter West/NSF
|
NSF Hosted Nanotechnology Symposium; Tools, Research and Vast Potential
of "Small Wonders" Showcased
The National Science Foundation (NSF) hosted leading researchers
on March 19 at "Small Wonders," a day-long symposium and exhibition
of nanoscale science and engineering. In opening remarks, NSF Director
Rita R. Colwell reviewed the increasing role of NSF investments.
Several segments of the event, including the keynote address by
Richard Smalley, Nobel Laureate and Rice University professor, and
a panel of leading researchers discussing "Issues and Implications
of Nanotechnology for Society" were webcast live and accessible
to audiences over the Internet.
More...
(posted March 21, 2002)
|
 |
|
 NSF/EPA
Team Up on Grants to Treat Pollution with Plants
Seven universities are receiving grants totaling nearly $2.22 million
to study the plant-based phytoremediation of soils contaminated
by heavy metals or organic chemicals. The joint initiative of the
National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) seeks to foster innovative scientific solutions to
the worldwide problem of contaminated soil. NSF is funding three
multidisciplinary research projects that will investigate the genetic
components of phytoremediation of heavy metals in soils. Phytoremediation
uses plants to degrade, remove or stabilize toxic compounds from
contaminated soil and water.
More... (posted
March 1, 2002)
|
|
|
 NSF
to Support Study of Environmental Warming in the Arctic
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced it will
back a study of environmental
changes in the Arctic that indicate a marked warming of the atmosphere.
In fiscal 2002, NSF designated $30 million to be allocated over
five years for the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH)
project. In addition, the agency has requested $1 million per year
to start in fiscal 2003. Scientists have found that in recent decades
permafrost zones have melted, the extent and thickness of sea ice
have decreased, glaciers are melting more rapidly and air temperatures
are warmer. Other changes include different varieties of plant communities,
warmer subsurface ocean currents and different precipitation patterns.
All of these affect animal habitats and migration routes.
More... (posted
March 1, 2002)
|
|
|
 Four
Universities Receive NSF Grants for Scientific Drilling of Lake
Malawi in East Africa
Researchers from four universities have been awarded a $2 million
grant through the National Science Foundation's Earth System History
(ESH) program to take to the next level the scientific drilling
of large lakes for paleoclimate research. The Global Lake 800 Drilling
System (GLAD800) will be deployed to Lake Malawi at the southern
end of the East African Rift Valley in a project involving researchers
from Syracuse University, the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the
University of Rhode Island and the University of Arizona. This recently
acquired drilling rig is dedicated to recovering undisturbed scientific
cores samples from the bottom of large lakes.
More... (posted
March 1, 2002)
|
|
|
 Runway
Project Clears the Way for Improved Antarctic Airlift
The U.S. Air Force has certified a newly constructed glacial ice
runway near Antarctica's McMurdo Station as capable of handling
large military cargo jets. The certification marks an important
improvement in the U.S. Antarctic Program’s (USAP) ability
to support science research for the National Science Foundation
on Earth’s southernmost continent. A U.S. Air Force C-141 Starlifter
cargo plane landed safely on the compacted snow pavement of the
existing Pegasus runway near the USAP's logistical hub at McMurdo
on Jan. 29 (local time).
More... (posted
March 1, 2002)
|
|
