In 2021, five research projects from Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) users and staff were named in the Brookhaven feature story, "Top-10 Areas of Amazing Science at Brookhaven Lab in 2021." These include: the development of extreme ultraviolet-sensitive photoresist "masks"; a study of materials used to trap noble gases within nanoscale pores; mapping the magnetic and electronic properties of exotic "topological" superconductors; and an investigation into the primary cause of failure in lithium-metal batteries. Another of these "top-10" projects is a study to improve COVID-19 simulations. The research team, including a CFN staff scientist, developed a detailed mathematical model to understand and predict how the virus spreads, finding that variations in people's social behavior, not herd immunity, drove the suppression and reemergence of COVID waves early in the pandemic. Congratulations to all of the CFN staff and users who participated in these studies!