Science Matters

Six women in cold weather gear stand in the snow with a large aircraft behind them

One giant leap for womankind: Women at the South Pole

March 8, 2021

On November 12, 1969, six women linked arms as they walked down the ramp of a large, ski-equipped Navy transport plane in Antarctica. Lois Jones, Terry Lee Tickhill Terrell, Kay Lindsay, and Eileen…

John B. Slaughter - A fearless first

March 3, 2021

The 6th Director of NSF (1980 to 1982)

Graphic showing a desk with a phone and worksheets

NSF 101: Earn a Ph.D. in computer sciences with the CSGrad4US program

March 1, 2021

Have you ever considered what a Ph.D. might do for your career in computer science? Many who complete a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering or information science find jobs in…

NSF 101: 5 tips on how to work with an NSF program officer

February 23, 2021

Are you an undergraduate student thinking about how to get funding for graduate school? An early-career researcher looking to launch your new lab? An established researcher with dozens of years of…

illustration of a woman in a lab coat standing on a mountain looking at a dark sky lit by swirling lightbulbs

Scientists break through the wall of sleep to the untapped world of dreams

February 18, 2021

NSF-supported researchers achieve two-way communication with lucidly dreaming people, creating a new method for studying the human mind that might lead to innovative ways of learning and problem…

A love for marine life

February 16, 2021

Naiyiri-Blu Brooker grew up in a military family stationed in rural Germany, far from the sea. Nevertheless, she has been obsessed by marine life since childhood. “I would annoy my family by making…

Artist's rendering of the first massive, blue stars in the universe

The stars within us

February 7, 2021

Humans have always looked to the stars and studied them. Over the past century, science has revealed the fundamental role stars play for nearly everything in existence, including the elements on the…

Storm-chasing, winter style: Atmospheric scientist follows the snow

January 22, 2021

Jim Steenburgh isn’t your typical storm-chaser. The atmospheric scientist isn’t after Midwest tornadoes nor supercell thunderstorms. Steenburgh chases snowstorms. Peering inside a snowstorm Growing up…

NSF 101: The Mid-Career Advancement program

January 15, 2021

As a mid-career scientist or engineer (at the associate professor rank or equivalent), you are familiar with the pressure to remain productive in the lab, yet also obligated to teaching, institutional…

NSF 101: Funding opportunities for early career researchers

January 7, 2021

Congratulations! After years of work, you’ve earned that coveted professorship and finally settled into your new lab. Now you might be looking to secure funding for your new research idea or take on a…