[DIALOGnews] Fwd: please subscribe to NSF Current

[Susan Weiler]

Dear all,

This is a great way to keep up with news from the U.S. National  
Science Foundation. Anyone may subscribe -- just submit your e-mail  
address after clicking on the "click here to register" words below.
cheers,sue

   
>   December 2005
>
> Welcome to NSF Current
>
> The National Science Foundation (NSF) is proud to launch NSF  
> Current, an e-newsletter highlighting research and education  
> efforts supported by NSF. Based on your established relationship  
> with NSF, you have been selected to receive this pilot edition.
>
> If you would like to receive future editions of NSF Current, please  
> click here to subscribe. At any point, you can unsubscribe using  
> MyNSF. We look forward to seeing you on our subscription list!


> Brain Images Show Effects of Stress

>
> The yellow area depicts the detected activation in the right  
> prefrontal cortex of the brain, an area long associated with  
> anxiety and depression. The background image shows the mean  
> cerebral blood flow of volunteers participating in stressful tasks.  
> Credit: Univ. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
>
> The holiday season is notorious for the emotional stress it evokes.  
> Now, researchers have come up with a non-invasive way to see the  
> effects of psychological stress in an area of the brain linked to  
> anxiety and depression. This research has important implications  
> for how practitioners treat the numerous long-term health  
> consequences of chronic stress.
>
> Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to  
> detect increased blood flow in the prefrontal cortex of individuals  
> subjected to stress. Further, the increased flow continued when the  
> stressor was removed, suggesting the effects of stress are more  
> persistent than once thought.
>
> Supported by NSF, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S.  
> Air Force, this research will pave the way to develop improved  
> strategies to prevent or correct the long-term health consequences  
> of chronic stress. For more on this underlying non-invasive fMRI  
> procedure, see " Researchers Use Imaging Technique to Visualize  
> Effects of Stress on Human Brain."
>

> For the Love of Light: Phytochrome's 3-D Shape Revealed
>
> Plants use light for energy during photosynthesis, as well as to  
> govern basic processes such as seed germination, flowering, and, in  
> autumn, dropping of leaves. NSF-supported scientists recently  
> revealed the 3-D structure of the light-detecting protein,  
> phytochrome. The researchers determined that phytochrome is twisted  
> into a molecular knot, an uncommon shape for any protein. The  
> scientists theorize the knot helps give phytochrome an overall  
> stability as it snaps back and forth between two different forms in  
> response to changes in light color.
>
> Knowing the 3-D structure of phytochrome will allow researchers to  
> determine the specific switching mechanism plants use to respond to  
> light and how the light-derived signals are propagated within the  
> plant. Nanotechnologists may also find a light-activated switch  
> useful as they develop novel microscopic devices. Read NSF's press  
> release, " Scientists Shed Light on Plant Responses" for more  
> details about phytochrome's form and function.
>
> Scientists revealed the 3-D shape of phytochrome when it interacts  
> with a light-sensitive pigment. Phytochrome, discovered some 40  
> years ago by USDA scientists, helps guide development in bacteria,  
> fungi and plants. Credit: N. Rager-Fuller, NSF; J.R. Wagner, Univ.  
> of Wisconsin-Madison; J.S. Brunzelle, Northwestern Univ., and K.T.  
> Forest and R.D. Viestra, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison.

> DNA Studies Show Microevolution in Penguins
>
> By comparing the genetic code from 6,000-year-old remains of Adelie  
> penguins in Antarctica with that of modern Adelies living at the  
> same site, researchers have shown that microevolution, the process  
> of evolutionary change at or below the species level, has taken  
> place in the population.
>
> The new study, conducted by an international team of researchers  
> from Italy, New Zealand and the United States, also reveals slight  
> variations in the coding of the modern penguin’s genes. The  
> researchers found that the DNA sequences for some genes had become  
> longer over time, and that the frequency of some of the different  
> genes had changed as well.
>
> The researchers also theorize that cyclical break-offs of enormous  
> Antarctic icebergs could be the source of a remarkable genetic  
> similarity among contemporary penguin colonies. For more on Adelie  
> penguins and how icebergs affect them, see NSF's press release  
> entitled, " DNA Studies Show Microevolution in Penguins."
>
> Penguins at Cape Royds on Ross Island, Antarctica. Credit: P. West,  
> NSF.
>

> Fluids Race Through Nearly Frictionless Carbon Nanotubes
>
>
>
> In this illustration, water travels through carbon nanotubes at a  
> rate 10,000 to 100,000 times faster than models predict. Credit: M.  
> Denomme, Univ. of KY.
>
> Inside living cells, fluids flow rapidly through microscopic,  
> nearly frictionless protein channels. Until now, man-made nanoscale  
> structures have not been able to mimic the speeds of natural  
> systems because the fluids flow slowly along the walls. A team of  
> engineers, including one NSF CAREER awardee, recently found that  
> carbon nanotubes only seven-billionths of a meter in diameter  
> channel many fluids in a nearly friction-free manner. With some  
> fluids, the interiors of the tubes were so slippery that the  
> liquids sailed through 10,000 to 100,000 times faster than models  
> had predicted.
>
> The fabrication techniques for these nanotubes easily adapt to  
> large-scale production--important for industries that need to  
> separate commodity chemicals. The technology could one day be used  
> to deliver drugs through the skin or in specialized chemical  
> sensors. For more on the tiny tubes, see NSF's " Slippery When Wet."

> Arkansas University Introduces Minority Students to Environmental  
> Research
>
>
> Arkansas State University professor Robyn Hannigan believes science  
> holds natural appeal for curious minds. Credit: C. Fitzwater.
>
> Mentorship is alive and well at Arkansas State University, where  
> geochemist Robyn Hannigan has established a program to immerse  
> minority and female students in the study of environmental science.  
> The result has been a double success for science and education. The  
> program, Research Internships in Science of the Environment (RISE),  
> gives some students their first experience doing research. A Native  
> American from a disadvantaged community, Hannigan knows from  
> experience that science only appeals to many students after they  
> have personally conducted hands-on research.
>
> With funding from NSF's Research Experiences for Undergraduates  
> program, Hannigan designed RISE to increase diversity in the  
> scientific workforce. Since 2001, RISE has supported the summer  
> research projects of more than 30 undergraduate students. For more,  
> see " RISE Program Proves that Undergraduate Research Experiences  
> Help Recruit Minority Scientists."
>
> (back to top)

>
> NSF Award Takes Root with Marianne Krasny's Nurturing
>
> Meet Marianne Krasny.
>
> In 2001, Cornell University professor Marianne Krasny received a  
> grant from NSF's Informal Science Education program to create  
> Garden Mosaics, a project that merges community gardening with  
> scientific investigation and education in urban areas. Since then,  
> the project has expanded into dozens of cities across the U.S. and  
> abroad, receiving recognition from national educational groups and  
> gardening associations.
>
> NSF: What sparked your interest in science education?
> Krasny: Like many girls, I wanted a career that helped people. I  
> worked as a leader for National Outdoor Leadership School and in  
> youth services. Then I took a bike trip through South Texas,  
> Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala; the erosion caused by terracing on  
> steep slopes made an impression. My position at Cornell allows me  
> to combine science and helping people.
>
> NSF: What's the most rewarding part of your work?
> Krasny: Observing professional and personal growth in my graduate  
> students. Opportunities to venture into and talk with people in  
> urban and international communities I normally would not have  
> access to. Relationships with colleagues in which we have a  
> constant and challenging exchange of ideas.
>
> NSF: Has working with Garden Mosaics changed your approach to  
> education?
> Krasny: Definitely. It has led to new ideas about embedding science  
> education within multicultural understanding, intergenerational  
> mentoring, and community action.
>
> NSF: Are you yourself a gardener?
> Krasny: My daughter is the gardener. Mostly I help her.
>
> Read more about Marianna Krasny's project in NSF's Discovery, "  
> Science, Education and Community: Organically Grown."
>
> (back to top)
>

>
>
> Way-Out Weather: Cold Fronts in Space -- USA Today (12/06/05)
> Researchers funded by NSF and NASA have developed a way to combine  
> ground and space observations to create a never-before-seen view of  
> electrified storms in the upper atmosphere.
>
> Dredging Led to Deep Trouble, Experts Say -- New Orleans Times- 
> Picayune (12/09/05)
> Dredging of the 17th Street Canal in New Orleans to increase the  
> capacity of a local pump station likely led to the collapse of the  
> floodwall at the site during Hurricane Katrina, according to an NSF- 
> sponsored investigative team.
>
> Researchers Engineering Better Technologies for the Blind -- San  
> Francisco Chronicle (11/27/05)
> University of California at Santa Cruz professor Roberto Manduchi  
> has received backing from NSF to develop a laser-based range- 
> sensing device that can relay spatial information back to users.  
> The electronic instrument emits various sounds, alerting users  
> about a curb, steps, or other obstacles nearby. The technology is  
> geared towards the sight impaired.
>
> Manufacturing Gets Personal: Fab Labs Unshackle Imaginations --  
> Associated Press (11/07/05)
> The MIT Center for Bits and Atoms started installing Fabrication  
> Labs three years ago as free community resources in places as  
> distant as India and Ghana. The labs each come with commercially  
> available tools, including a laser cutter and milling machine; a  
> sign cutter to create graphics or plot flexible electronic  
> circuits, and electronic assembly tools. The labs were designed  
> with the help of a five-year, $12.5 NSF grant.
>
> (back to top)
>
> Of the 504 individuals who have received the Nobel Prize since 1952  
> (the first year NSF awarded research grants), 166 or 33% received  
> NSF funding at some point in their careers.
>
>
> See NSF's "NSF-Funded Nobel Prize Winners in Science Through 2005"  
> Fact Sheet for a breakdown of medal recipients by discipline.
>

>
> A Conversation with the NSF Director
>   Bement denotes cyberinfrastructure as the tie that binds.
>
> "NSF has several goals this fiscal year, and our emergent  
> cyberinfrastructure initiative is literally the tie that binds  
> these goals together and will help make them achievable and I hope  
> to illustrate this."
>
> "Our long-term goal at NSF is to build a cyber-infrastructure that  
> joins the ranks of the electrical power grid and the interstate  
> highway system; that is, a true utility that is ubiquitous,  
> reliable, adaptable and powerful."
>
> "NSF's priorities for fiscal year 2006 are reinforced by the  
> cyberinfrastructure initiative. One of our goals is to strengthen  
> core disciplinary research, or as I like to call it, to continually  
> dog the frontier. It is fundamental discovery that opens up new  
> regions of the frontier."
>
> "The best cyberinfrastructure, the best scientific research and  
> education, must be built around and upon people. We need  
> researchers and educators who are proficient in the science  
> disciplines, and who will know how to use new cybertools."
>
> Excerpts from Dr. Bement's luncheon keynote at the NASULGC annual  
> meeting on 11/13/05.
>
> (back to top)
>
> NSF FY 2006 Budget Signed
>
>
> On November 22, 2005, the President signed the Science, State,  
> Justice, Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2006  
> (H.R. 2862) into law (P.L.109-108), yielding a three percent  
> increase for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The agency's  
> budget rebounds to $5,653.37 million--3.3 percent higher than the  
> FY 2005 funding level and nearly one percent above the President's  
> FY 2006 request level.
>
> The law provides $4,387.52 million for the Research and Related  
> Activities Account, an amount four percent above the FY 2005  
> appropriation and 1.2 percent above the President's request for FY  
> 2006. The Education and Human Resources Account is provided $807  
> million, an increase of 9.5 percent over the FY 2006 request. The  
> law provides $193 million for the Major Research Equipment and  
> Facilities Construction Account, an amount 11 percent above the FY  
> 2005 level and 22 percent below the President's request. The law  
> also contains an across-the-board cut of 0.28 percent, which will  
> reduce the NSF total by roughly $17 million. The aforementioned  
> numbers do not reflect this rescission.
>
> This budget cycle was the first in which NSF's appropriation was  
> considered in the newly configured Science, State, Justice,  
> Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. This bill is the  
> principal source of financial resources to support the Departments  
> of Justice and Commerce, including the National Oceanic and  
> Atmospheric Administration; the National Aeronautics and Space  
> Administration; NSF; and a number of independent agencies and  
> commissions, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the  
> Small Business Administration, and the Federal Trade Commission.
>

>
>
> The National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent federal  
> agency, supports fundamental research and education with an annual  
> budget of nearly $5.47 billion. NSF funding reaches all 50 states  
> through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each  
> year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding  
> and makes about 11,000 new funding awards. Contact NSF's Office of  
> Legislative and Public Affairs for more information or for  
> permission to reuse newsletter images. Please click here to  
> subscribe. To unsubscribe, visit MyNSF.

>
>
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