Articles tagged with Scientific Foundations
A new research from North Carolina State University explores how security tools are used by software developers, finding that peer influence and corporate culture are key factors in adoption. The study also highlights limitations of current tools, including inaccurate notifications and lack of user-friendly interfaces.
The XENON100 detector achieved high sensitivity, challenging traditional dark matter models. The team recorded faint annual modulation signals in the data, raising questions about the nature of dark matter.
The USDA Forest Service's online Waterviz tool will be strengthened by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, enabling it to reach more students and educators. The tool, which combines environmental sensors, music, and digital art, aims to increase understanding of science and data literacy.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is set to commercialize its intelligent tutor, MathSpring, a software designed to provide personalized math lessons for K-12 students. The technology has shown promise in improving student performance by up to 10% on standardized test scores.
A team of Penn State researchers, led by Ping Li, has been awarded a nearly $1 million grant to investigate how readers comprehend science texts. The project aims to capture cognitive and brain representations during and after reading, with implications for STEM education.
Researchers at Rice University and UTHealth aim to develop wireless implants that can help patients regain communication skills after speech impairments. The three-year project will analyze data from intracranial recordings in patients with epilepsy, with the ultimate goal of creating a prosthetic system to reconstruct speech.
Dr. Candace Lewis, a TGen researcher, has received the 2015 Bisgrove Scholars award to investigate how stressful events in young children affect their DNA and RNA, and potentially influence their behavior later in life.
Using powerful computer simulations, researchers identified a material made of hafnium, nitrogen, and carbon with a melting point of over 4,400 kelvins, two-thirds the temperature at the surface of the sun. The next step is to synthesize the material and corroborate the findings in the lab.
The University of Wyoming will receive a new borehole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instrument to measure aquifer levels, enhancing its subsurface hydrology research capabilities. The Javelin device, developed by Vista Clara Inc., will visualize water storage and changes in aquifers.
The National Weather Service is launching new graphics to communicate forecast information more clearly, based on research by a team at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The new icons feature split images and color-coded boxes to convey the existence, timing, and potential severity of upcoming weather threats.
The article discusses the challenges of watershed science in understanding complex systems and simulating human-nature interactions. Integrated research methods are proposed as a solution, combining approaches from different disciplines, including holism and reductionism.
Researchers Dr. Walter Mischel, Philip Peake, and Yuichi Shoda have been awarded the first Golden Goose Award for their work on the marshmallow test, which found correlations between self-control and life outcomes. Their research has led to advances in teaching self-control and improving lives.
William Robin Lindemann, a senior at Iowa State University, has been awarded a prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for his work in materials science and engineering. The fellowship provides three years of financial support to pursue a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering.
Researchers will use lab-equipped aircraft, ground-based instruments, and weather balloons to understand nighttime storm formation and evolution. The goal is to improve forecasts of damaging storms and provide insights into atmospheric conditions that lead to storm clustering and organization.
The AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards program is expanding globally, now accepting entries from reporters worldwide. The expanded program will bestow 16 prizes annually, including a new $3,500 Silver prize, with top awards increasing in value.
Researchers have imaged the continuous volcanic plumbing system under Yellowstone, revealing a reservoir of hot, partly molten rock 12-28 miles beneath the surface. The new discovery is 4.4 times larger than the previously known magma chamber.
The team aims to create scalable nano-manufacturing processes for functional metamaterials, revolutionizing computing, communication, sensing, and imaging. By manipulating light in ways not possible in natural materials, they seek to overcome current roadblocks towards integrated photonics.
Benjamin C. Jantzen wins NSF CAREER Award to study enabling machines to carry out scientific research on their own. His approach, Dynamical Kinds Theory, aims to create a robot scientist by developing computer algorithms that can automatically choose relevant variables for investigation.
Researchers found that interactive tools can boost persuasiveness of websites, particularly modality interactivity, which absorbs users and limits thoughts, while message interactivity increases thoughts and promotes positive attitudes towards the message.
Scientists observed a young, massive star changing shape over 18 years, revealing key stages of its formation. A torus-shaped dusty environment slowed down an initially spherical outflow, resulting in an elongated, beam-like structure.
The UChicago Materials Research Center has received a six-year, $20.6 million grant from the NSF to investigate materials formed far from equilibrium and explore new paradigms for material fabrication and response. The center will support three IRGs addressing fundamental issues in soft materials, active materials, and quantum materials.
A Carnegie Mellon University study found that when smartphone users learn the frequency of app location sharing, they quickly limit further sharing. Participants who received daily 'privacy nudges' detailing their app's access to sensitive information restricted permissions more than those who used an app permission manager.
A University of Texas at Arlington assistant professor will study the vertical movements that formed the Rockies' present topography and the influence of topography on climate. A geo-camp for local high school students traditionally underrepresented in science will also be conducted to fuel student interest in geosciences.
Researchers have used cyborg insect technology to study the behavior of giant flower beetles in flight, revealing a key muscle used for steering. The findings demonstrate improved control over the beetles' free-flying movements, with potential applications in search-and-rescue operations.
Researchers found high concentrations of dimethylarsinate (DMA) in southern Willamette Valley aquifers, correlating with overall arsenite levels. The study suggests that monitoring organic arsenic is crucial for treating arsenic-contaminated water.
Biophysicist Takeshi Sakamoto received a $692,000 NSF grant to investigate how molecular motors transport large vesicles in cells. He aims to understand the mechanisms of chemical energy conversion to mechanical force.
Scientists found a receptor protein called gp130 that activates signaling pathways stimulating stem cell proliferation and survival, leading to healing and repair. This discovery has implications for developing new treatments for colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.
NYU's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) received a six-year, $14.4 million NSF grant to expand its research and exploration of fundamental organizing principles of matter. The Center aims to create new materials with unique properties and advance technology sectors.
A team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine aims to create a prosthetic limb that not only moves like a natural one but also feels like it. By integrating sensory technologies, they hope to improve users' dexterous control and intuition when interacting with the device.
The UTSA Cloud and Big Data Laboratory is partnering with Indiana University on a $6.6 million NSF grant to create a research cloud for thousands of researchers, providing easy access to advanced computing tools. The project, called Jetstream, will utilize OpenStack-based cloud environment.
The Tripal Gateway project aims to build a network of online research databases for fruit, hardwood trees, and legumes, using software-defined networking technology to facilitate rapid data transfer. The three-year grant will enhance genomic database capacity, enabling faster data sharing and analysis.
National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Dr. France A. Córdova will participate in five sessions on science, technology and innovation. Key discussions include gaps in scientific knowledge, global problems, emerging areas, gender equality, and humanity's long-term survival.
A University of Tennessee professor is using plantations to examine race relations and history in the US. The study will analyze how Southern plantations are incorporating the history of slavery and how visitors interpret the information.
The Center will address four key topics: layered oxide ferroics, autonomously powered nano-motors, high-pressure electronic metalattices, and optically active particles. The grant supports 45 faculty members worldwide in interdisciplinary research.
Research at the University of Kansas explores how native language impacts processing auditory words in a second language. Annie Tremblay's study investigates cues that signal word beginnings and endings, finding that some cues are easier to pick up than others.
Researchers demonstrate that β relaxations are intrinsic to supercooled liquids and glasses, connecting them to outstanding issues in glassy physics and material sciences. The study suggests that metallic glasses could be used to design glassy materials with specific properties, such as ductility.
The Equitable Science Curriculum for Integrating Arts in Public Education project integrates arts and sciences to help elementary students grasp basic scientific concepts. The program, launched with $6.4 million NSF funding, uses creative movement and visual arts to enhance learning and reduce cognitive load.
The Undergraduate STEM Education Coalition has released a sourcebook offering practical advice on how to achieve widespread and sustained transformation in teaching in STEM disciplines. The publication highlights the need for institutional capacity-building and overcoming barriers to faculty adopting effective teaching practices.
A study from Johns Hopkins Medicine found that performance is influenced by a person's aversion to loss, with those having high loss aversion doing better when faced with large prospective losses but choking under pressure of large gains. Brain imaging revealed the ventral striatum as the key brain area involved in this process.
Researchers are using ant behavior to develop a new method for verifying complex electronic designs. By applying swarm intelligence, these methods can efficiently search large spaces and reduce the computational cost of traditional approaches.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is renowned for its expertise in drilling through ice sheets, playing a critical role in advancing astronomy and understanding climate change. Researchers have successfully extracted ancient climate data from cores, providing valuable insights into the Earth's past.
The University of Texas at Arlington has received a $974,250 NSF grant to support doctoral students from underrepresented minority groups. The Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowships will provide full tuition, a $30,000 yearly stipend, and additional resources to help students succeed in STEM fields.
Astronomers have combined traditional method with reverse engineering to improve accuracy in measuring distant galaxies. They calculated a robust distance measurement using near-infrared and visible-light photos, estimating a redshift of 10 for the galaxy.
A $470,350 NSF award will support research on how proteins form groups or clusters within cells, which is associated with cancer and heart arrhythmias. The project aims to gain a better understanding of normal and abnormal protein grouping to prevent or correct abnormalities.
Researchers at the University of California - San Diego developed SeedMe to convert labor-intensive data sharing processes into streamlined automatable ones, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. The platform aims to provide significant time-saving benefits for researchers by enabling easy integration into existing scientific appl...
A UT Arlington multi-disciplinary team is optimizing and integrating volumes of data to help physicians make better decisions about treating patients' pain. The project aims to remove bias in assessing treatment effects, providing doctors with more accurate information.
Researchers investigate formation and stability of calcium alginate spheres in molecular gastronomy, finding key role for calcium ions and spontaneous wrapping of alginate chains around liquid droplets. The study's findings could help chefs design innovative cooking techniques, leading to even more fanciful dishes.
Researchers have published a detailed appraisal of Friction Stir Welding (FSW), a complex welding technique that can join difficult-to-weld materials. The study concludes that FSW has the potential to be increasingly valuable in modern industry, but scientific understanding is still at an early stage.
The University of Delaware has received a $3.3 million NSF grant to develop a program that aims to increase the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women faculty, particularly in STEM fields. The five-year program will provide research support and mentoring opportunities for faculty.
The NSF grant will expand Climate Central's efforts to produce and deliver localized climate science content and professional development opportunities to TV meteorologists. More than 150 weathercasters are participating, and the goal is to add an additional 200 weathercasters to the project.
Researchers using the Green Bank Telescope have found pebble-size particles near the Orion Nebula, a potential new class of interstellar particles that could aid planet formation. These dense ribbons of rocky material may represent a mid-size class of particles, with sizes up to a centimeter across.
The NSF has awarded two grants to expand its National Innovation Network through the I-Corps program, supporting innovation education, research, and infrastructure in Southern California and Texas. The new nodes will join five existing regional hubs, fostering mentorship, research, and entrepreneurship.
Scientists have discovered two separate phases of ferromagnesian silicate in the lower mantle, one containing nearly no iron and the other rich in iron. This finding has significant implications for seismology and the study of earthquakes, highlighting the need to reconsider existing models.
The University of Houston is launching a new center to increase female STEM faculty recruitment, particularly among women of color. The five-year grant will support workshops on inclusion and diversity, mentorship programs, and senior administrative fellowships for women in STEM leadership roles.
A University of Oregon team, with NSF support, is building a computational model to probe the influence of forest governance and climate on deadly insect infestations. The research aims to improve existing knowledge on mountain pine beetle infestation by identifying large-scale patterns of forest change under various scenarios.
Researchers tracked 35 blue sharks for up to 1,000 days and found evidence of a discrete central North Atlantic nursery. Juvenile female blue sharks migrate seasonally while juvenile males expand their range southward, with males displaying greater behavioral variation.
A novel complement inhibitor has been found to reduce liver cell death and stimulate post-surgery liver regrowth in mice. The treatment increased survival rates from 0% to 70% even after removing up to 90% of the liver. This breakthrough could represent a new treatment strategy for various liver injuries in humans.
The American Chemical Society has concluded that a lack of supply is due to increasing demand for materials such as indium, platinum and copper. The white paper suggests focusing on finding alternative materials and new approaches to technology development to prevent these elements from disappearing.
A consortium of Missouri universities and research institutions will examine how climate change affects agriculture in the state. Researchers will focus on plant stress, soil changes, and regional weather patterns.
Researchers at Carnegie Institution found that molybdenum disulfide undergoes structural changes when subjected to high pressure, resulting in a metallic state. The compound's transformation occurs above 197,000 times normal atmospheric pressure and is reversible upon decreasing pressure.