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75 years of discovery, innovation, and impact: Why we must celebrate and safeguard the NSF

Two students at a computer with NSF 75th banner on top

On May 10, 2025, the National Science Foundation (NSF) celebrates 75 years of empowering discovery, innovation, and learning. For generations, NSF has supported the ideas and people that have shaped STEM education, research, and opportunity in America. But this milestone is more than a celebration—it’s also a moment for reflection. The gains we’ve made through […]

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Aloha from the Pelehonuamea Project

Mauna Loa eruption, 2022, NPS

Hawaiʻi’s iconic volcanoes have shaped its islands, culture, and communities for centuries. From the breathtaking eruptions of Mauna Loa to the challenges of living with air pollution caused by the eruptions (known as “vog”), volcanic activity is an intrinsic part of life in Hawaiʻi. What if students could harness computational tools to better understand volcanic […]

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Changing climates, changing forests: What is the future of boreal forests?

Boreal Forest Fire Explorer

Massive amounts of Earth’s stored carbon is located in boreal forests, including those in northern Canada and Alaska. As temperatures rise and wildfires become more frequent, scientists are studying the boreal forest’s transformation from carbon sink to carbon source. We partnered with Dr. Brian Buma at the University of Colorado Denver and the Environmental Defense […]

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Understanding floods: A look inside a classroom

Flood Explorer showing area after it has been urbanized

Stephanie Harmon is a Science Consultant with the Partnership Institute for Math and Science Education Reform (PIMSER) in Kentucky. Previously, she taught Earth science and physics at Rockcastle County High School in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, and has consulted on several Concord Consortium projects. For my students in rural Kentucky, floods are personal. In July 2022, […]

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Support for WATERS curriculum spreads in Oregon

Two teachers with their crumpled paper watershed models

The WATERS (Watershed Awareness using Technology and Environmental Research for Sustainability) project recently ended with a Master Teacher Workshop at our Concord office for selected teachers who participated in the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research with excellence and enthusiasm. The goal of the workshop was to exchange best practices for teaching the now freely available, […]

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What is the future of forest fires? Using Wildfire Explorer to learn about boreal forest succession

Quebec Canada wildfire smoke consumes New Jersey and New York City June 7, 2023

Last summer, thick plumes of wildfire smoke from northern Canada blanketed cities as far south as Washington, D.C., in an eerie orange haze. Record-breaking wildfires in provinces across Canada resulted in catastrophic damage to homes and communities, the destruction of more than 45.7 million acres of forest, and dangerously unhealthy air quality throughout the Northeast […]

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