The mission of The Why Files is to explore the science, math and technology lurking behind the headlines of the day, and to present those topics in a clear, entertaining and accessible manner. Although based at and supported by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Why Files covers science at all institutions that engage in scientific exploration and discovery. We hope this information will help explain the relationship between science and daily life.
The Why Files was founded in 1996 as a project of the National Institute for Science Education (NISE) with funding from the National Science Foundation. Since 1998, The Why Files has been funded through the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The research arm of The Why Files remains a component of the NISE, an interdisciplinary research institute based at UW-Madison. The mission of NISE is to discover insights into science and math education at all levels and to share those discoveries with educators, business leaders, scholars, students, scientists and others who play essential roles in quality education.
The National Science Foundation is a federal agency whose mission is to support the overall U.S. science and technology enterprise, including basic research and science education.
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