National Science Foundation - News

A remarkably simple experiment devised by scientists yields important information about the mechanical properties of thin films--nanoscopically thin layers of material that are deposited onto a metal, ceramic or semiconductor base. The research results, funded by the National Science Foundation and performed at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, appears in the August 3, 2007, issue of Science. The findings imp More ...

What do a portable imaging device, a material for cardiac stents and a process for creating strong and flexible plastics have in common? All are inventions that have been developed by trainees in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT). IGERT is an NSF-wide program that was developed to meet the challenges of educating U.S. scientists and engineers who will pursue careers in research and education. It aims to brin More ...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research on the theoretical and conceptual basis of the science of ecology, including the role of stability and diversity in ecosystems. Biologists supported by NSF conduct research in many related areas: from development of national observing systems to understand regional- and continental-scale ecological changes; to climate change and its effects on biodiversity; to the ecology of infectious diseases; to the spread of invasive species. More ...

Scientists say focus on stability More ...

Researchers at Northwestern University have fabricated a new type of paper that is remarkably stiff and strong, yet lightweight.  The stiffness and strength of the sheets may prove to be superior to all other materials, with the possible exception of diamond. More ...