Every February, Black History Month provides the scientific community with an opportunity to commemorate the countless contributions made by generations of African American scientists and engineers -- and to celebrate the work of black researchers making the discoveries today that will help shape the future.

Since 1952, the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) has recognized and supported outstanding early career graduate students. This month, we're sharing their stories. More than 50 fellows provided NSF with photos of their work in the lab and in the field. They provided insight into what they're researching, why they chose a science career and why they're proud of their work.

We'll be talking about these accomplished researchers through social media. Check out NSF's Twitter and Facebook feeds for updates, and see all the fellows' stories collected in a series of posts to the NSF Tumblr site. Links to the Tumblr posts will go live when they're published:

Feb 3 -- Celebrating Black History Month with our graduate fellows
Feb. 9 -- Black History Month: What our graduate fellows are researching
Feb. 11 -- Fieldwork, from plant fossils to robotics
Feb. 16 -- Black History Month: Why a career in science?
Feb. 19 -- Parents, mentors inspire passion for science
Feb. 23 -- Black History Month: What makes you proudest?
Feb. 26 -- Scientific careers provide personal, professional rewards