Science Matters

Building stronger bridges between discovery, innovation, and prosperity

April 9, 2021

With increased global competition, how can we build a robust science and engineering enterprise empowered by discoveries and discoverers that accelerate advancements and technological innovations to…

Computer illustration depicting two black holes merging

A black hole collision: From theory to evidence

April 13, 2021

The creation of a black hole is one of the most violent events in the universe. Formed from the explosive collapse of a massive star, a black hole is a monster that consumes everything that comes too…

7 cool NSF-funded robots that are advancing science and helping society

April 7, 2021

Whether microscopic or human-sized, inspired by tree-dwelling mammals or pasta, the family of U.S. National Science Foundation-funded robots captures the incredible innovation possible with cross…

Sign that reads Entering Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

Tribal colleges and universities partner to fill COVID-19 data gaps

April 6, 2021

When Elisha Yellow Thunder first learned of COVID-19, she worried that her community would be hit hard. As a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation (Oglala Sioux Tribe), born and raised on the Pine Ridge…

illustration of people amid large scale notebooks and pencils

NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship Program: Launching science and engineering careers since 1952

March 23, 2021

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program is one of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s oldest programs, launched in 1952. In fact, the first GRFP awards predate NSF’s first awards for research…

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…