[Editors] New NSF Web Site Released

[Elizabeth Thomson]

Hi there!

Yesterday the NSF unveiled its completely revamped web site, which 
now focuses more on the general public. Thought many of you might be 
interested in checking it out (see below).

I attended a meeting last October where my NSF counterparts discussed 
the upcoming web site and how it will have a ravenous appetite for 
cool university research stories funded by NSF. So keep those story 
ideas coming (whether or not related to NSF :).

In fact, I just alerted NSF yesterday to two cool MIT stories that 
they would indeed like to feature on their site; learned of both from 
MIT Editors! Many thanks to Carol Breen of physics (an undergrad 
there and colleagues discovered the three biggest stars ever) and 
Debbie Levey of Civil/environmental engineering (one of her profs is 
traveling to Sri Lanka in a week to do research involved with the 
aftereffects of the tsunami). Both stories are NSF-funded all the 
way.....and my counterparts at NSF weren't aware of them. See??? 
Communicators at MIT aren't the ONLY ones who are often the last to 
hear about cool stuff......

Cheers,

Elizabeth
News Office

>
>PIO Colleagues:  
>
>Voila!  (And "yikes!" ;)   It's done!  Check it out ... 
><http://www.nsf.gov>http://www.nsf.gov
>
>After a month of beta-testing and more than a year of preparation 
>(and argument, angst, and various forms of influencing ;), NSF went 
>live yesterday with our brand-new web site.  It's entirely 
>redesigned to focus on the general public while also delivering more 
>efficiency to our PIs.   Please see media advisory at bottom.
>
>So what's the difference?  Too many to name. Just compare to the old 
>site, at: <http://www-dev.nsf.gov>http://www-dev.nsf.gov (if you can 
>access it beyond our firewall).
>
>
>If you know the history and culture of NSF, you know what a big step 
>this is from a public affairs perspective.  It's reallly our first 
>major public affairs emphasis on the general public as a key 
>audience.   Not everyone in NSF is happy about the outcome, but 
>then, we knew that would be the case.   
>
>
>
>Here's a paragraph from the memo circulated to NSF staff to inform 
>them of the change:  
>
>"The new site is the end product of more than 18 months of 
>discussions, focus groups, customer surveys and interviews, and 
>weekly WIG meetings.  Its design bears little resemblance to its 
>predecessor. In large part, that's because it is intended to 
>accomplish two sweeping goals mandated by senior management: To 
>inform the general public directly about NSF-supported research and 
>education in the most vivid, understandable and exciting ways; and 
>to achieve a consistent "look and feel" across all the online 
>offerings from NSF's seven directorates and numerous offices.  The 
>new site also offers advanced features to accomplish many of the 
>agency's e-government goals, a continuously updated roster of 
>programs and deadlines, and various tools to make it easier to deal 
>with NSF."
>
>Please feel free to publicize this in your organization newsletters, 
>etc.  (Copies of resulting publicity is welcome...but not 
>necessasry.)
>
>
>
>Yours, Mary Hanson
>
>NSF Public Affairs
>
>  Some key features that are aimed at the general public:
>
>A help center describing the new features
><http://www.nsf.gov/help>http://www.nsf.gov/help
>A plain-language explanation of NSF and how it works
><http://www.nsf.gov/about/glance.jsp>http://www.nsf.gov/about/glance.jsp
>General overviews on the types of science that NSF supports
><http://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews>http://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews
>Results of NSF research
><http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/>http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/
>Examples of NSF-supported TV programs and other informal education efforts
><http://www.nsf.gov/news/now_showing/>http://www.nsf.gov/news/now_showing/
>Additional features that are aimed at the science and education community:
>
>A new "funding" section, including an A-Z index, and upcoming due dates
><http://www.nsf.gov/funding/>http://www.nsf.gov/funding/
>A new way to find NSF employees
><http://www.nsf.gov/staff/>http://www.nsf.gov/staff/
>Quick access to science and engineering statistics
><http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/>http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/
>Consistent design to NSF directorates, divisions and programs
>

-- 
=================================
Elizabeth A. Thomson
Assistant Director, Science & Engineering News
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
News Office, Room 11-400
77 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA  02139-4307
617-258-5402 (ph); 617-258-8762 (fax)
<thomson at mit.edu>

<http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/www>
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