THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering.
“NSF funding is critical to the continuing education of
Tennessee students at the K-12, undergraduate and graduate level in the STEM fields as well as supporting cutting-edge research in our state that leads to new technologies and jobs.”
Camilla Benbow, Dean of Vanderbilt University’s Peabody
College of Education and Human Development and member of the National Science Board
BY THE NUMBERS
Tennessee in FY 2012
$71 Million: NSF funds awarded
22 nd : National ranking in NSF funds
25: NSF-funded institutions
259: NSF grant awards
2: NSF research centers/facilities
EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN TENNESSEE
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been awarded $16 million to begin the National
Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, or NIMBioS. UT Knoxville won the award in competition with 18 of the nation's other top research institutions.
Vanderbilt University Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Robert J. Webster III
Ff design more accurate and less invasive surgical tools called continuum robots. Since 2000,
25 Vanderbilt School of Engineering faculty members have received NSF CAREER awards.
University of Memphis Associate Professor of Computer Science Lan Wang has received an
NSF grant to create new and innovative ways to build a more reliable and robust Internet.
The project, known as Named Data Networking, could redesign the Internet to offer better support for security, mobility and new applications.
EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN TENNESSEE
The Scientist-in-the-Classroom Partnership pairs science teaching fellows from Vanderbilt University, Tennessee
State University, Meharry Medical College and Fisk
University with middle school teachers one day a week throughout the school year. The teams collaborate on lesson plans and hands-on, inquiry-based activities, with the fellows providing additional demonstrations and tutoring.
The Collaborative Chemistry Research Experiences for
Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of
Memphis annually provides 8 undergraduate students from across the midsouth with a ten-week intensive research experience complemented with industrial site visits, and weekly one-hour sessions devoted to research support skills, such as literature searching, critical reading of the scientific literature, writing, scientific ethics, and presentation skills.
“Math Success for STEM Majors” at Tennessee Tech
University will include 2,300 students in six initiatives over the course of five years in projects aimed at improving math instruction. award to implement a program to improve success rates for students in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines.
With support from the IGERT (Integrative Graduate
Education and Research Traineeship) program, the
Vanderbilt-Fisk Interdisciplinary Program for Research and Education in the Nanosciences is a graduate level program focused on research and graduate student education associated with nanoscale science and engineering.
Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)  1527 Eighteenth Street, NW  Washington, DC 20036  www.cnsfweb.org

THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) not only funds cutting-edge research at institutions across the country, NSF’s education initiatives ensure the U.S. will remain a global leader in innovation for generations to come.
In October 2010, Tennessee was one of seven states selected by NSF to receive an EPSCoR award, totaling $20 million for five years. This is one of the largest federal science grants ever awarded to the state. Tennessee’s award seeks to expand and enhance the physical, personnel, and cyber infrastructure at academic institutions in the state. The program builds on the state government's investment in the clean energy sector for economic development and the recent hiring of eminent faculty members in energy related areas in the University of Tennessee system.
RESEARCH STIMULATED BY EPSCoR
• Awards to new faculty at non-research extensive institutions
• Scholarships/stipends for graduate students participating in academic bridge programs
• Summer research experience for undergraduates
• Summer mini-sabbaticals for high school, community college and four-year college faculty
• Outreach to K-12 classrooms
• Summer internships and a yearlong undergraduate training program
UNIVERSITY PARTNERS
East Tennessee State University
Fisk University
King College
Middle Tennessee State University
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Tennessee State University
Tennessee Technical University
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Vanderbilt University
University of Memphis
University of Tennessee Space Institute
TENNESSEE SOLAR CONVERSION AND STORAGE USING OUTREACH, RESEARCH AND
EDUCATION (TN-SCORE)
The grant will help foster collaboration between institutions and researchers. In the collaboration, faculty and students will be grouped in "network nodes" for research, mentorship, and outreach. These collaborative efforts and the research of TN-SCORE will focus on three main areas:
• Advanced solar conversion and innovation
• Components and devices for energy storage and conversion
• Nanostructures for enhancing energy efficiency
Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)  1527 Eighteenth Street, NW  Washington, DC 20036  www.cnsfweb.org