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one of the Supercomputer Centers has led to a clearer understanding of the chemical and 

 physical processes responsible for the formation of air pollution The computational capability 

 to perform this type of detailed modeling and scientific understanding led to changes in the 

 Clean Air Act and is now a routine part of the design of more effective air pollution control 

 strategies throughout the world Projects currently underway, such as the linking of powerful 

 supercomputers to solve complex climate simulation problems, promise to keep this nation at 

 the forefront of science, engineering, and education in computer and networking technology 

 well into the twenty-first century 



Created in 1960, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) serves as the 

 world center for atmospheric research Facilities available to university, NCAR, and other 

 researchers include advanced computational resources and research aircraft to measure 

 meteorological and chemical state parameters Recent research using these facilities has 

 ranged from the global effect of clouds on climate, to the background status of aerosols in the 

 atmosphere, the development and testing of the next generation of climate models, from 

 observations and simulations of tornado formation to detailed observations of the sun's 

 corona This research will increase our understanding of the climate and will help to improve 

 the accuracy of weather forecasting 



For six years NSF has supported the University NAVSTAR Consortium (a consortium of 30 

 universities) to provide equipment, technical, and logistic assistance to scientists using the 

 Global Positioning System (GPS) GPS is a space-based radionavigation system of 24 earth- 

 orbiting satellites The three-dimensional positioning relative to a terrestrial reference frame 

 with an accuracy better than a few millimeters allows direct measurements of the motions of 

 tectonic plates, displacements along seismically active faults, and the swelling of volcanoes 

 before eruption These projects have led to a much improved understanding of earthquakes 

 and earthquake hazard mitigation techniques 



Education and Training: Many of NSF's educational programs simultaneously seek to use new 

 knowledge in service to society 



Engineering Education Coalitions. The Engineering Education Coalitions link engineering 

 programs in colleges and universities together to create and implement comprehensive, 

 systemic models for reform of undergraduate engineering curricula For example, the 

 Engineering Coalition of Schools for Excellence in Education and Leadership (ECSEL), 

 consisting of engineering schools at Howard University, City College of New York, 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Morgan State University, Pennsylvania State 

 University, the University of Maryland, and the University of Washington, has made significant 

 progress in institutionalizing the design experience into the core curricula With $3 million 

 annually from NSF, matched by contributions from the participants, these schools have 

 worked together since 1990 to introduce engineering design all across the curriculum The 

 ECSEL schools use assorted projects to introduce design at the Freshman level Howard 

 University has focused on the design of products for the community such as portable shelters 

 for the homeless The University of Maryland freshman design course is now offered to all 

 600 incoming students and has resulted in the design, manufacture, assembly, and testing of 

 fully realized products such as windmills to produce electricity and solar water boilers At 

 Penn State the introductory design course is now offered to approximately 500 students per 

 semester At the City College of New York (CCNY) the Engineering Freshman Design course 

 is now required in the engineering curricula 



