To support potentially transformative research in neural and cognitive systems, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded 16 grants to multidisciplinary teams from across the United States.

Each award brings together scientists and engineers from diverse fields to investigate brain-related mysteries. The awards fall within two themes: neuroengineering and brain-inspired concepts and designs, and individuality and variation. Each provides up to $1 million over two to four years.

Brain-machine interfaces read signals directly from the brain to control external devices such as robotic limbs. While this technology has great potential to benefit people who are paralyzed, the interfaces often have poor performance because they use low-level signals to simultaneously control many aspects of the robotic limb’s movements. New NSF-funded research will leverage expertise across diverse fields to generate significant improvements in brain-machine interface technology. Shown here is Erik Sorto using a brain-controlled robotic arm to take a drink.Credit: Spencer Kellis and Christian Klaes

NSF Press Release

Bold new brain research in neuroengineering, brain-inspired design, and individuality

August 12, 2015

$13.1 million for 16 new awards part of NSF’s support for integrative, fundamental brain research and the BRAIN Initiative

Summary

National Science Foundation (NSF is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering, except for medical sciences.

NSF keeps the United States at the leading edge of discovery in areas from astronomy to geology to zoology. In addition to funding research in the traditional academic areas, the agency also supports “high-risk, high pay-off” ideas, novel collaborations and numerous projects that may seem like science fiction today, but which the public will take for granted tomorrow.

Information

Website:  nsf.gov/ YouTube Channel:  youtube.com/user/VideosatNSF  Twitter:  twitter.com/NSF Facebook: facebook.com/US.NSF Wikipedia Entry:  wiki/National_Science_Foundation

Email: info@nsf.gov Phone: (703) 292-5111 Address: National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Blvd Arlington, VA 2223

Organization

Director: France A. Córdova Advisory Committees: Staff Directory

The National Science Foundation’s street address is 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230

About NSF

NSF AT A GLANCE The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…” With an annual budget of $7.3 billion (FY 2015), we are the funding source for approximately 24 percent of all federally supported basic research ...

Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF)

France A. Córdova, was sworn in as director of NSF on March 31, 2014. Córdova leads the only government science agency charged with advancing all fields of scientific discovery, technological innovation, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. NSF’s programs and initiatives keep the United States at the forefront of science and engineering, empower future generations of scientists and engineers, and foster U.S. prosperity and global leadership.

Web Information

NSF web page: https://www.nsf.gov/mobile/staff/staff_bio.jsp?lan=fcordova

Wikipedia  page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_A._C%C3%B3rdova

Contact Information

Email: fcordova@nsf.gov

Phone: (703) 292-8000

Address: 1205 N, 4201 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, Virginia 22230

Biosketch

France A. Córdova, was sworn in as director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) on March 31, 2014. Nominated by President Barack Obama to head the $7.2-billion independent federal agency, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 12. Córdova leads the only government science agency charged with advancing all fields of scientific discovery, technological innovation, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. NSF’s programs and initiatives keep the United States at the forefront of science and engineering, empower future generations of scientists and engineers, and foster U.S. prosperity and global leadership.

Córdova is president emerita of Purdue University, where she served as president from 2007 to 2012. From 2002 to ...

Assistant Director for the NSF Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE) Co-lead with Jim Olds of NSF Neuroscience

In her role as head of the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, Cook will be a key member of the National Science Foundation’s senior management and policy team. She will direct an SBE staff of 119 and manage a budget of approximately $250 million. Dr. Cook was Director of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern from 1996 to 2012 and past President of the Gerontological Society.

Web Information

NSF web page: http://www.nsf.gov/staff/staff_bio.jsp?lan=fcook&org=SBE&from_org=SBE

Institute for Policy Research  web page: http://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/faculty-experts/fellows/cook-f.html

Contact Information

Email: fcook@nsf.gov

Phone: (703) 292-8700

Address: 905 N, 4201 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, Virginia 22230

Biosketch

Fay Lomax Cook is on leave from Northwestern University at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where she has served as NSF Assistant Director and head of the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate since September 2014. At the University, she is a faculty fellow of the Institute for Policy Research and professor of human development and social policy in the School of Education and Social Policy, with a courtesy appointment in the department of political science. Her research focuses on the interrelationships between public opinion and social policy, the politics of public policy, ...

Acting Division Director of the Division of Behavioral & Cognitive Sciences, National Science Foundation Co-Chair Interagency Working Group on Neuroscience Former Ex Officio Member of Multi-Council Working Group 

The Division of Behavioral & Cognitive Sciences  supports research in psychology, anthropology, linguistics, geography, and related fields. Dr. Story received her Ph.D. in social psychology from Cornell University and held several academic positions before joining NSF.

Web Information

Division of Behavioral & Cognitive Sciences Webpage: nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=bcs

Contact Information

Email: astory@nsf.gov

Phone: (703) 292-7249

Address: National Science Foundation 995 N – 4201 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, Virginia 22230

Biosketch

After serving for six years as director of the social psychology program at the National Science Foundation, Amber Story became Deputy Director of NSF’s Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) in October, 2009. BCS supports research in psychology, anthropology, linguistics, geography, and related fields. Dr. Story received her Ph.D. in social psychology from Cornell University and held several academic positions before joining NSF.

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APA Interview

July 7, 2010 by  Heather O’Beirne Kelly and Howard Kurtzman

APA: Welcome. To start, what’s new at NSF? 

Dr. Story: For one thing, we have a new head of the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), which includes the BCS Division. That’s Myron Guttman, who came to NSF from the University of ...

The National Science Foundation has assembled a number of excellent videos related to the BRAIN Initiative and neuroscience. You can browse these videos in sliders we have created with the following categories: BRAIN Initiative, Mysteries of the Brain,  Neuroengineering, Phylogeny, and Theorists. 

You can also view a sampling of these videos here in this post or you can find them on the NSF BRAIN Initiative YouTube Channel or on the NSF BRAIN Initiative website. Most of the videos were produced by NSF’s Science Nation, “the online magazine that’s all about science for the people”.

Upper left: Expansion microscopy brings the brain in 3-D into focusUpper right: OpenfMRI allows neuroscientists to share brain research dataLower right: Optogenetics research changes brain research;Lower left: Understanding the Mind by Mapping the Brain

OnAir Post: NSF BRAIN Initiative Videos