Science Blog - Press Release</b></p><br> <b>NSF PR 02-78 - September 25, 2002</b></p></a></p><p></p><h3>Awards will Advance the State of Information Technology's Art<br> <span class=subtitle><I>Research also expected to spur advances in fields from biology to physics</I></span></h3><p>The National Science Foundation (NSF) will support new approaches to software development and computer networking and communications that will in turn provide scientists with entirely new ways of working with large data sets, visualizing what the data represent and sharing knowledge around the globe. The grants were made under NSF's Information Technology Research (ITR) program.</p><p>From the study of biological phenomena at the cellular level to enhancing earthquake prediction to efforts to advance the design and development of "embedded" software systems that help to run automobiles and aircraft, the third year of ITR grants will provide scientists with powerful new analytical and communications tools. They will also simultaneously advance the state of the art in computer science.</p><p>Peter A. Freeman, who heads NSF's Computer and Information Science and Engineering directorate, announced the new round of ITR awards in Washington D.C.</p><p>"This year's grants," he said, "will not only advance the United States' role as the world leader in computer and information science, but also advance the frontiers of several scientific disciplines."</p><p>The ITR program is designed to spur fundamental research and innovative uses of IT in science and engineering. The grants are cross-directorate and multidisciplinary. NSF this year awarded a total of $144 million in new grants under the program. The newly funded projects were selected from over 1,600 competitive proposals. They include seven large projects that will each total between $5 million and $13.5 million over five years. Another 95 mid-sized projects will each total $1 million to $5 million for three to five years, and 240 smaller projects will receive up to $500,000 each for up to three years.</p><p>Freeman noted that the range of ITR projects funded this year strongly demonstrates how vital information technology is to advancing scientific knowledge across disciplines.</p><p>"As the breadth and scope of these awards indicate, software engineering, hardware development and other aspects of information-technology research have the potential to materially advance not only how we solve scientific problems but even how we conceptualize those problems themselves," he said. "Computers and software are far more than mere tools. Rather they provide entirely new methods for tackling scientific questions."</p><p>Among the large grants, one project will link locally stored data with global data storehouses and analytical tools to allow ecologists and other researchers to tackle research problems that previously were too complex to even attempt. Another large award will allow researchers to develop new ways of creating more robust "embedded software" programs that are found throughout modern society, from automobiles and aircraft to radios and telephones to toys and even weapons.</p><p>In an entirely different realm, ITR will support a project to create a national information infrastructure for researchers who hope to improve the ability to predict earthquakes as well as to understand such phenomena as the role of mountain building in the evolution of climate and life. Two large ITR awards will deal with aspects of the biological sciences, including biophysics at the sub-cellular level and efforts to understand the functions of proteins, which could lead to the development of new drugs.</p><p>Advances in the use of new materials to enhance the use of information technology also are part of the initiative. An ITR grant this year will help to speed the development of a device called the OptIPuter, which will use optical networks to communicate over wide areas. Another large ITR project seeks to develop new and more robust, large-scale distributed systems.</p><center></center><p></p><p>For a searchable database of ITR awards, see: <a href=http://www.itr.nsf.gov/>http://www.itr.nsf.gov/</a></p><p></p>National Science Foundation<br> Office of Legislative and Public Affairs<br> 4201 Wilson Boulevard<br> Arlington, Virginia 22230, USA<br> Tel: 703-292-8070<br> FIRS: 800-877-8339 | TDD: 703-292-5090<br></b></p><br><td valign=top><script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1680599806301730" crossorigin="anonymous"></script></td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><br><br><center><font class=content>This article comes from Science Blog. Copyright © 2004<br><a href=http://www.scienceblog.com/community>http://www.scienceblog.com/community</a><br><br><a href="http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/archives/C/">Archives C</a></font></td></tr></table></body></html><script defer src="https://static.cloudflareinsights.com/beacon.min.js/vcd15cbe7772f49c399c6a5babf22c1241717689176015" integrity="sha512-ZpsOmlRQV6y907TI0dKBHq9Md29nnaEIPlkf84rnaERnq6zvWvPUqr2ft8M1aS28oN72PdrCzSjY4U6VaAw1EQ==" data-cf-beacon='{"rayId":"8d18a262cc9457f6","version":"2024.10.1","serverTiming":{"name":{"cfExtPri":true,"cfL4":true,"cfSpeedBrain":true,"cfCacheStatus":true}},"token":"9c27f975182e4a4186638b966a3f5c3d","b":1}' crossorigin="anonymous"></script>