Aerospace Business Leader, Supreme Problem Solver, and Innovative Science Communications Programs Capture Public's Interest in Science

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and its policy arm, the National Science Board (NSB), this week presented its annual awards, the Alan T. Waterman Award, the Vannevar Bush Award and the Public Service Award.

UCLA Professor of Mathematics Terence Tao was presented with the Alan T. Waterman Award. The annual Waterman Award recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by the NSF and carries a $500,000 grant for a three-year period. Often called a "supreme problem solver," and the "Mozart of Math," Tao and his work have had a tremendous impact across several mathematical areas. Tao spent a day at NSF, during which he conducted a seminar on his mathematical concepts and participated in an interview with NSF's Assistant Director for Math and the Physical Sciences Tony Chan, during which they describe Tao's research, his style of research and plans for future exploration, and larger questions with significance to understanding the scientific enterprise today. Excerpts from this interview are attached.

Esteemed businessman and aerospace engineer Norman Augustine was awarded the prestigious Vannevar Bush Medal, an award the NSB presents to an individual whom, through public service activities in science and technology, has made an outstanding "contribution toward the welfare of mankind and the nation." As Augustine was unable to accept the award in person, he pre-recorded a message last week during a conference that assessed progress on recommendations in "Rising Above the Gathering Storm," a report published two years ago by nonprofit, business and government experts in science and engineering, also known as, "Augustine Commission." In his message, Augustine addressed the NSB in its open plenary.

The NSB also presented two public service awards to organizations: SAE International, for which 2008 SAE President Thomas Ryan accepted the award nd addressed the NSB; and the Bayer Corporation, for which Bayer President and CEO Attila Molnar accepted the award, and Mae Jemison, Bayer's national spokesperson for its award-winning program Making Science Make Sense, addressed the NSB's open plenary session. Jemison, the first African-American woman to travel in space, participated in an on-camera interview with Kathie Olsen, NSF's deputy director (excerpts from which will soon be posted on the NSF website).

-NSF-

Designer Isotopes Push the Frontier of Science

Designer labels have a lot of cachet, a principle that's equally true in fashion and physics. The future of nuclear physics is in designer isotopes--the relatively new power scientists have to make specific rare isotopes to solve scientific problems and open doors to new technologies, according to Bradley Sherrill, a University distinguished professor of physics and associate director for research at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111552&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Ancient Beachcombers May Have Travelled Slowly

New evidence, more questions. That's the thumbnail of the first new data reported in 10 years from Monte Verde, the earliest known human settlement in the Americas.Evidence from the archaeological site in southern Chile confirms Monte Verde is the Americas earliest known settlement and is consistent with the idea that early human migration occurred along the Pacific Coast more than 14,000 years ago, but questions remain about just how rapidly that migration occurred."If ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111530&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Platypus Genome Decoded

The curious discovery of the duck-billed, egg-laying, otter-footed, beaver-tailed, venomous platypus in Australia in 1798 convinced British scientists that it must be a hoax. Sketches of its appearance were thought to be impossible.But new research proves that the oddness of the platypus' looks isn't just skin-deep. Platypus DNA is an equally cobbled-together array of avian, reptilian and mammalian lineages that may hold clues for human disease prevention.Mark Batzer and Andrew ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111521&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Closing the Achievement Gap in Math and Science

The latest results from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program show not only improved proficiency among all elementary and middle school students, but also a closing of the achievement gaps between both African-American and Hispanic students and white students in elementary school math, and between African-American and white students in elementary and ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111514&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Top Science and Math Teachers Receive Presidential Award

Excellent teaching in math and science can make a crucial difference to students' mastery of these subjects, and to decisions about future study and careers. Teachers who bring such teaching to their classrooms are being honored by President Bush as winners of the 2007 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).The PAEMST is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House. Each year, state officials are asked to ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111502&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.