This week with NSF Director Panchanathan
This week, NSF Director Panchanathan underscored the importance of investing in future of innovative science and engineering research that will shape next-generation technology, the STEM workforce and jobs of the future.
On Tuesday, during the second of this year's five NSB meetings, the Director highlighted the work being done to strengthen and expand current initiatives, the launch of new programs and partnerships, all aimed at achieving NSF's three major priorities: strengthening established NSF, inspiring the "missing millions," and accelerating technology and innovation.
Afterward, at the NSF Awards Ceremony, the director celebrated this year's Alan T. Waterman awardees — three scientists and engineers whose creative and innovative approaches to research are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in each of their respective fields. The awardees include Natalie S. King of Georgia State University for her work in promoting the advancement of Black girls in STEM, William Anderegg of University of Utah for his work in understanding the future of Earth's forests in a rapidly changing climate, and Asegun Henry of Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his work in understanding the physics of heat.
On Friday, Director Panchanathan joined Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) at the University of New Hampshire to tour facilities and learn about programs supported through NSF investments that enable fundamental research in wide-ranging and important topics, including advanced manufacturing, space weather, and human-automation interaction for the future of work.
Several highlights include the director hearing from students and researchers participating in the Convergent Arctic Research Perspectives and Education program — an NSF-supported graduate research traineeship program that prepares participating graduate students for academic and non-academic careers addressing challenges caused by a changing climate in the Arctic — touring the John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center where students experience hands-on, interdisciplinary learning opportunities in a factory environment; and learning about UNHInnovation, a department that supports start-up companies — based on UNH’s intellectual property — and develops new opportunities for university and industry collaboration.