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The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a major new scientific facility jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, released its first imagery today at an event in Washington, D.C. The imagery shows cosmic phenomena captured at an unprecedented scale. In just over 10 hours of test observations, NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory has already captured millions of galaxies and Milky Way stars and thousands of asteroids. The imagery is a small preview of Rubin Observatory’s upcoming 10-year scientific mission to explore and understand some of the universe’s biggest mysteries.

“The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory demonstrates that the United States remains at the forefront of international basic science and highlights the remarkable achievements we get when the many parts of the national research enterprise work together,” said Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “The Rubin Observatory is an investment in our future, which will lay down a cornerstone of knowledge today on which our children will proudly build tomorrow.”

“NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory will capture more information about our universe than all optical telescopes throughout history combined,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. “Through this remarkable scientific facility, we will explore many cosmic mysteries, including the dark matter and dark energy that permeate the universe.”

“We’re entering

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Microorganisms with extreme abilities have laid the groundwork for decades of biotechnologies from the PCR technique that enables amplification of DNA for diagnostics and drug development to the gene editing tool CRISPR, and now researchers supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation have found a trove of these microbes in a somewhat unlikely location — the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. The team identified more than 450 species with over 60 different biochemical pathways to deal with pollutants and 1,171 genes that can aid in processing heavy metals, offering potential for bio-based and cheaper methods of industrial clean-up, the costs of which are estimated to be more than $645 billion.

The Gowanus Canal is a contaminated waterway in Brooklyn that has high concentrations of petrochemicals and heavy metals. The researchers, including Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis of the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, collected soil samples at 14 locations along the 1.8-mile-long canal and deep sediment core samples and analyzed them using genomic sequencing and bioinformatics. Understanding the genetic sequences and metabolic pathways of the organisms identified will allow researchers to develop faster methods of what the microbes can do naturally.

“We have seen the power of extremophiles used in medicine and industry, and this new analysis expands the biological adaptations we can harness for societal benefit,” said Joanna Shisler, program director in the NSF Directorate for Biological

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The United States semiconductor industry is projected to have between 60,000 and 100,000 unfilled jobs by 2030. As the need for semiconductor technicians, engineers and scientists continues to increase, there is also a growing demand for innovative ways to train this anticipated workforce. But such training typically requires expensive clean rooms and advanced equipment, resources that many schools don’t have access to.

A team of researchers, which included high school and community college students, found a solution to this challenge by using artificial intelligence-powered virtual reality (VR) to create simulations as a cost-effective alternative for people to learn about the process of semiconductor fabrication. The results of their research, which is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Micro Nano Technology Education Center at Pasadena City College (PCC), in collaboration with the University of California, Irvine (UCI), are available in the Journal of Advanced Technological Education.

“Many students, especially those at underfunded schools, never get to see or touch the real semiconductor fabrication tools,” said Kristal Hong, a member of the research team and a computer science major at UCI. “I, myself, was a community college student without access to a cleanroom, so I know how that gap can dampen student enthusiasm.”

By using AI-powered VR to create cleanroom simulations, the team is offering a learning channel outside of traditional classrooms and

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