51 Pegasi b Fellow Discovers First Extrasolar Radiation Belt: Q&A with Dr. Melodie Kao Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 6/13/2023 on 6/13/2023 A team of scientists led by Dr. Melodie Kao, a 51 Pegasi b postdoctoral fellow based at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has discovered the first extra-solar radiation belt, a zone of energetic charged particles that are captured by and held around a planet by that planet’s magnetosphere. See below for a Q&A with …
Letter from the President and CEO — Spring 2023 Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 6/6/2023 on 6/6/2023 The Greenland ice sheet extends more than 600,000 square miles, covering most of the country. It is about four times the size of California and it is melting. The loss from the ice sheet is responsible for a significant percentage of today’s sea level rise.
New Report: Grantee NASEM on Closing the Opportunity Gap for Young Children Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 5/31/2023 on 5/31/2023 When it comes to investing in equitable education opportunities for young children, factors related to the opportunity gap cannot be overlooked. For young children, some of these structural and institutional forces that maintain and exacerbate inequality include poverty, food insecurity, exposure to violence, inadequate access to health care, well-funded quality schools, and mental health care.
Solving the Astrophysical N-body Problem More Efficiently Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 5/26/2023 on 5/26/2023 A new algorithm developed by a grantee of the Foundation’s Science program has the potential to trace the evolution of large astrophysical systems, such as galaxies, planetary systems, or clusters of stars.
Communicating with Multilingual Populations: New Language Access Toolkit for Nonprofits Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 5/24/2023 on 5/24/2023 How does your organization ensure that individuals and communities with limited English proficiency have the same level of engagement with your organization’s work as those who speak English as their primary language?
President Biden Announces Intent to Appoint Liz Simons as Member of Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 5/12/2023 on 5/12/2023 Today, President Biden announced key appointments to several boards and commissions, including his intent to appoint Liz Simons, Chair of the Board of the Heising-Simons Foundation, to serve as a member of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Q&A with Grantee UnboundEd: Finding Common Ground for Effective Literacy Instruction in California Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 5/8/2023 on 5/8/2023 In California, twenty percent of students attending public schools are classified as English learners, a term that identifies students who speak a language other than English at home, and who are learning English in other settings. As the state with the largest English learner population in the country, discussions on how to deliver appropriate reading …
New Initiative Lifts Up Early Childhood Practitioners in California with $2 Million in Awards Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 5/8/2023 on 5/8/2023 The Heising-Simons Foundation’s Education program is pleased to share that Practitioners’ Voice California (PVCA), housed at Tides Foundation, has granted nearly $2 million to community-based organizations across California to build up the leadership power of early childhood practitioners. PVCA is supported by a consortium of foundations, including Heising-Simons Foundation.
1400 Degrees: Exploring the Universe of Materials with Nadya Mason Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 5/2/2023 on 5/2/2023 “Condensed matter is the physics of stuff. We’re surrounded by wood, metal, and electronics that we take for granted. But we should be wondering more about materials. Why does a metal conduct electricity? Is it the little dudes running from one end to another?” Dr. Nadya Mason Dr. Nadya Mason, a condensed matter physicist who …