RSS feed source: National Institute of Standards & Technology

The White House’s AI Action Plan sends a clear message: the United States is all-in on winning the future of artificial intelligence. This road map removes barriers to American innovation and reaffirms our commitment to seizing the opportunities of AI to advance economic competitiveness and national security. At the U.S. National Science Foundation, we’re proud to have a critical role in realizing this future.

Over the coming weeks, NSF will unveil a series of major initiatives that align with this momentum, including:

New NSF AI Research Institutes to accelerate breakthroughs in foundational AI and the application of AI to health, education, chemistry and materials science.A partnership to create a large language model infrastructure to develop cutting-edge capabilities to drive AI for science.AI Testbeds to evaluate real-world AI systems with transparency and rigor.The next phase of the National AI Research Resource to supercharge AI innovation through access to critical computational resources, data, software and training resources.

These investments will help secure U.S. leadership in AI while ensuring the benefits of this powerful technology reach across America and create more jobs. NSF stands ready to work alongside our partners in government, private industry and philanthropy to keep American innovation on the frontier where it belongs.

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RSS feed source: National Institute of Standards & Technology

“Forever chemicals” are everywhere — from Teflon pans and dental floss to raincoats and microwave popcorn bags. Known as PFAS, these chemicals (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are noted for their resistance to heat, oil and water. That same staying power makes them a growing concern. PFAS have been linked to a range of serious health risks, including increased risk of certain cancers, fertility issues, immune system dysfunction and developmental problems. Because PFAS remain in water, soil and air for a long time (hence the name “forever chemicals”), removing them from the environment has become a public priority.  

Earlier this year, a team of scientists from Rice University (including U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program alum Kevin Wyss) announced the development of a new method to break down PFAS that is not only extremely effective (removing 99.98% of the most common PFAS pollutant), but also creates the valuable manufacturing material graphene, one of the world’s strongest and lightest materials.  

This pioneering method involves combining PFAS with granular activated carbon and salts, then heating it to over 3,000 degrees Celsius in under a second. The intense heat breaks the chemical bonds in PFAS, turning them into harmless fluoride salts. At the same time, the activated carbon in the mixture is turned into graphene, which is used in industries such as manufacturing, electronics

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