Now Available: Guide to Programs FY 2003
The new edition of the Guide to Programs (NSF 03-009) is available on the NSF website. Published each fiscal year, the Guide is a compilation of funding opportunities offered by NSF for research and education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. The Guide includes broad, general descriptions of programs and activities for each NSF Directorate, as well as sources for more information. NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering and accounts for about one-fourth of all Federal support to academic institutions for basic research.
See the Guide to Programs FY 2003.
(posted November 14, 2002)

Hydrogen's electron and proton have oppositely charged antimatter counterparts in the antihydrogen: the positron and antiproton.

Researchers Get First Look into Antimatter Atoms
It seems like the stuff of science fiction, but NSF-sponsored researchers working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, have probed the properties of whole atoms of antimatter, the "mirror image" of matter, for the first time. Because of its instability, antimatter is notoriously hard to handle. Fast-moving or "hot" antimatter has been created for years, but previous hot anti-atoms were annihilated by collisions with matter before they could be studied. Last year the ATRAP (for Antihydrogen Trap) team led by Gerald Gabrielse of Harvard University announced they'd pioneered methods of slowing down negatively charged antiprotons and combining them with slow positrons, the positively charged antimatter equivalent of electrons, to yield the simplest possible anti-atom: antihydrogen. Now the team has made the first measurements of a complete antihydrogen atom.
More... (posted November 6, 2002)

A big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) approaches a wax moth (Galleria mellonella ), which serves as the control species for the studies of the tiger moths. The moth is only "semi-tethered," allowing it the mobility to fly evasively. Image Courtesy: William Conner and Nickolay Hristov, Wake Forest University.

Tiger Moths Use Sonic Defense to Trick Bats
As a bat zips through the night sky, it sends out high-pitched squeaks, bouncing sound waves off of objects and unsuspecting prey. While most insect victims would have trouble fighting back, many dive and loop to avoid enemies, and some have the added advantage of being poisonous. Yet, in the dark, the bright warning colors of most toxic insects are lost on predators. Now, some researchers suspect one type of moth may have a way of effectively broadcasting its toxicity -- the insect produces high-pitched sounds of its own. Tiger moths have a special clicker called a tymbal built into their thorax. When they fly, the moths click their tymbal to produce a distinct sound that seems to keep bats at bay.
More... (posted November 6, 2002)

NSF Establishes Five New Centers to Develop Teaching Leadership in Science and Mathematics
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing its investment in five new Centers for Learning and Teaching to answer the need for a new generation of professionals who can inspire and challenge students while engaging in research on how students learn. The new centers -- established at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C., Washington University in St. Louis and at the universities of Wisconsin, Washington and Georgia -- will receive an estimated $10 million each over the next five years. "The Centers for Learning and Teaching are our test sites for innovative approaches to preparing a new generation of science, engineering and mathematics faculty who can work well together, who can introduce a strong research component into their educational approaches, and who can create the capacity for challenging, engaging learning opportunities for students in formal and informal settings," said Judith Ramaley, NSF's assistant director for education and human resources.
More... (posted November 6, 2002)

Photo credit: Peter May

Study of Endangered Tortoises May Reveal Impact of Diseases on Ecosystems
Building on 10 years of research into an upper respiratory tract disease that has devastated endangered gopher tortoises across the United States, scientists are trying to grasp how chronic diseases spread. The researchers are using wild animal disease as a model for understanding not just the impact of chronic disease on animals, but also on entire ecosystems. The researchers are interested in learning how natural factors combine with human-induced ones, such as relocation and fire exclusion, and how those relationships interact with biological and microbial factors to determine the incidence of disease.
More... (posted November 6, 2002)