NSF Discoveries http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/ Discoveries posted on the NSF website, http://www.nsf.gov. en Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:01:16 EDT Plasma Waves Studied for New Electronics http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114977&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo of William Stillman in the lab evaluating the effects of focused terahertz radiation. With NSF support, long-time electrical engineer William Stillman talks about his return to school and the focus of his research involving terahertz radiation
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114977&govDel=USNSF_1 Algae: A New Way to Make Biodiesel http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114934&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo of Ben Wen holding algae biodiesel that was produced using a new solid catalyst method. NSF small business grantee Ben Wen describes a new catalytic approach for algae biodiesel production that uses less work and energy, produces less waste, and makes a lot more fuel
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114934&govDel=USNSF_1 Scientists Tackle Climate Model Mystery http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114910&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo of Peter Lawrence pointing to landcover changes on a computer screen. Researchers trace a problem with a key climate model to its hydrology scheme and find a simpler scheme keeps simulations in line with real-world observations
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114910&govDel=USNSF_1 Unlocking the Secrets and Powers of the Brain http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114979&govDel=USNSF_1 A real scan of a human brain. Leading minds in neuroscience discuss what we know about how our brains work and where the field is headed
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114979&govDel=USNSF_1 Exploring High-temperature Superconductivity and the Pseudogap http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114983&govDel=USNSF_1 Illustration showing scanning tunneling microscopy and angle-resolved photo-electron spectroscopy. Research using two complimentary techniques increases understanding of superconductor materials
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114983&govDel=USNSF_1 Libraries, Food Banks Benefit From Transportation Modeling http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114864&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo of Karen Smilowitz who helps nonprofit organizations streamline their work. NSF CAREER awardee Karen Smilowitz applies the art of operations research to find optimal solutions to problems in the nonprofit sector
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114864&govDel=USNSF_1 The Search for Drinking Water in Nicaragua http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114822&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo of Jill Bruning entering data with small group standing behind her in a farmer's field NSF-supported graduate student describes her fieldwork searching for geologic fractures that could improve groundwater exploration and the siting of wells in the rugged terrain
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114822&govDel=USNSF_1 Journal Spotlights Research on Marine Microbes Funded by National Science Foundation http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114903&govDel=USNSF_1 Diatoms through the microscope. The authors of all five articles included in Nature's recent special section on microbial oceanography have received NSF funding
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114903&govDel=USNSF_1 Coping With Unusual Atomic Collisions Makes an Atomic Clock More Accurate http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114850&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo of JILA's strontium atomic clock. Researchers have figured out how to nullify collision effects and make the clock still more precise
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114850&govDel=USNSF_1 Nanotechnology Video Wins Competition, Scores Big Hit on YouTube http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114756&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo of Ryan Miyakawa warming up the orchestra before recording The Nano Song. While nanotechnology is a field that is generally not well understood by the public, Ryan Miyakawa and fellow graduate students at the University of California Berkeley found a way to both enlighten and entertain non-scientists with this topic
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114756&govDel=USNSF_1 How to Listen to One Brain Cell at a Time http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114793&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo of a rat neuron filled with an agent. NSF Graduate Research Fellow Carl Schoonover presents his take on some of the intangibles of a complex method that measures neural activity
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114793&govDel=USNSF_1 Hunting for Life in Rocks Beneath the Seas http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114693&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo of Katrina Edwards sub-sampling volcanic basalt for microbiology as Brian Midson looks on. University of Southern California geobiologist Katrina Edwards describes research to find and characterize microbes in the crust beneath the deep sea
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114693&govDel=USNSF_1 Jellyfish: Far From Passive Drifters-in-the-currents http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114748&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo of Kakani Young swimming among jellyfish. "Biomixing" by floating animals churns waters in oceans, seas, lakes
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114748&govDel=USNSF_1 In Industrial Manufacturing, Efficiency Falls as Technology Advances http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114705&govDel=USNSF_1 Illustration showing advanced chips A comprehensive study of old and new manufacturing processes, from machining metal to making carbon nanofibers, shows that the more advanced technologies are less efficient in their use of energy and materials per kilogram of output
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114705&govDel=USNSF_1 Safer Nano Cancer Detector http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114720&govDel=USNSF_1 Photo showing bright red-orange photoluminescence from porous silicon nanoparticles. Nanoparticle test in mice could pave the way for human uses
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This is an NSF Discoveries item.]]> http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114720&govDel=USNSF_1