EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED RESEARCH IN WEST VIRGINIA Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) 1527 Eighteenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 www.cnsfweb.org West Virginia THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering. . . “NSF support allows students, faculty and staff at West Virginia University, Marshall University and West Virginia State University to perform important and transformative science, technology and education projects that will benefit the public and lead to economic development and improved public security and environmental safety.” -- Curt M. Peterson, WVU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Dr. Maura McLaughlin of West Virginia University was part of a team that discovered 17 new millisecond pulsars, and recently received a $6.5 million award from the NSF to launch an international partnership for detecting gravitational waves. Dr. Tina Cartwright of Marshall University is the former West Virginia State Climatologist. After teaching meteorology, she began to see that many students are underprepared for STEM studies. The goal to reverse that trend brought her to Marshall as program director for the MU-ADVANCE program, an NSF-funded initiative that seeks to advance women in academic science and engineering careers. Dr. Jason Best of Shepherd University is director of the university’s observatory that provides far-reaching opportunities for students in astronomy, physics and physical science courses. Dr. Best also employs the observatory as a K-12 educational tool in the community. Dr. Nick Wu of West Virginia University is a participant in WVNano, West Virginia’s focal point for nanoscale science that was elevated to a statewide initiative as a result of the an NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement award. Dr. Wu’s lab is focused on nanomaterials, nano-patterns, photocatalysts and photoelectrochemical cells, sensors and fuel cells. Dr. Xiaodong Michael “Mike” Shi of West Virginia University is a participant in the WVNano initiative. In 2009, he was awarded a five-year, $550,000 NSF CAREER Award – the largest award of its kind at WVU – to conduct biomedical and material investigations that could revolutionize health care, biosensor and energy industries. Dr. Tony Szwilski of Marshall University is co-principal investigator on “Cyberinfrastructure for Transformational BY THE NUMBERS West Virginia in FY 2012 $18 Million: NSF funds awarded 45 th : National ranking in NSF funds 6: NSF-funded institutions 44: NSF grants awarded