Author: WeWorldMedia-admin

NSF Graduate Research Fellows: Saving tigers, studying cancer and keeping park visitors safe at night

Published: 23 December 2024
Categories: National Science Foundation

RSS feed source: National Science Foundation

The U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) funds graduate student education across the country, helping them pursue their dreams, build their STEM career skills and do some very cool science. A genetic database for tiger conservation, a “highway” for cancer cells and a study helping national park visitors feel safe at night are just a few examples of recent fellow research. 

Tiger conservation: It’s GRRREAT!

There are over 5,000 privately held tigers in the U.S. (yes, like on “Tiger King”). During her fellowship, NSF GRFP alum Ellie Armstrong used genetic data from these captive tigers as well as wild tigers to help create a genetic reference panel that traces tiger health and ancestry. The results will help both conservationists preserve tiger genetic diversity and federal agencies prosecute wildlife crimes. 

A highway for cancer cells 

Collagen doesn’t just keep your skin firm, elastic and looking fabulous; it can also affect how cancers metastasize. GRFP fellow Sophie Mancha and her team recently discovered that parallel-aligned collagen fibers in the extracellular membrane (the jelly-like material around cells) accelerate the spread of cancer cell clusters. Mancha, who just defended her dissertation, hopes this discovery will help create future cancer therapies and build biological systems knowledge. 

Feeling safe at national parks

Artificial light is an issue in national parks, where wildlife needs and visitors’ feelings of safety can clash.

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NSF invests nearly $15M in four academic institutions for cybersecurity scholarships

Published: 23 December 2024
Categories: National Science Foundation

RSS feed source: National Science Foundation

Today, the U.S. National Science Foundation awarded CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) grants to four academic institutions in an investment of nearly $15 million toward training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and strengthening the cybersecurity workforce at government organizations.

“For nearly 25 years, the SFS program has been addressing the nation’s critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals in the field,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “This next cohort, focusing on cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, autonomous systems security, next-generation wireless, cybersecurity for smart manufacturing and more, is poised to make significant contributions to our national and economic security. Their work will contribute to the success of this great program and further strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity landscape.” 

Spanning 43 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the NSF CyberCorps SFS program not only extends full scholarships and stipends to students but also forges a modern approach to cybersecurity education. The recipients of these scholarships commit to contributing their expertise to federal, state, local or tribal government cybersecurity roles post-graduation.

Three of the four 2024 award recipients are new to the SFS program. The awardees and their projects are:

CyberCorps Scholarship for Service: Developing the Next-generation Cyber Workforce, Washington State University

CyberCorps Scholarship for Service: Training Iowa’s Cyber Talents to Protect the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure, Iowa State University 

CyberCorps Scholarship for Service: EAGLE: Empowering American Government Leadership in Cybersecurity through Education, George Mason University 

CyberCorps

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Improved efficiency is enabling record U.S. crude oil production from fewer rigs

Published: 23 December 2024
Categories: US Energy Information Administration

RSS feed source: National Science Foundation

In-brief analysis

December 23, 2024

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, December 2024
Note: The production values do not include Alaska or offshore production.

Crude oil production in the U.S. Lower 48 (L48) states, which excludes Alaska and offshore production, reached a record 11.3 million barrels per day (b/d) in November 2024, according to our estimate in the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) published on December 10. Crude oil production in the L48 states increased 3% year over year despite fewer active rigs in most major producing regions, demonstrating gains in operational efficiency.

Rigs drill oil wells, and an increased number of active drilling rigs indicates that U.S. producers are drilling more wells, which generally results in growing oil production. Our latest STEO shows the active rig count decreased year over year in

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