Research Areas

Astronomy may well be the oldest science of all. Human beings have been studying the Sun, moon, planets and stars for at least 5000 years.

Biologists are life's detectives, discovering what "alive" really means.

Chemistry and materials research are the sciences of stuff--perhaps the only word that does justice to the myriad molecules and materials that we find in the world around us.

The Internet, Google, and web browsers show how past progress in computing affects our daily lives. The cutting-edge systems under design now will have an enormous impact on society--and science.

Earth's environments range from polar ice caps to hot, dry deserts, from dark ocean depths to high mountaintops.

Since its establishment in 1950, NSF has supported student education -- from the early introduction to mathematics and science, through the college and postgraduate experiences.

Engineers bridge the gap between what the mind can imagine and what the laws of nature allow.

Mathematics is the natural language of science and engineering. It is about numbers, shapes, symmetry, chance, change and much more.

Nanoscience is the ability to manipulate atoms and molecules.

Out of fascination and need, people have always studied other people.

Physics begins with the everyday physical world around us: the blue of the sky, the colors of the rainbow, the fall of an apple, the motion of the moon.

Polar Research focuses on the unique natural laboratories in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.