Trustees Of Amherst College

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND AID TO STUDENTS

RESISTANCE VARIATION TO ENDEMIC DISEASE AS A RISK FACTOR TO NEW DISEASE EMERGENCE

INHIBITOR-SENSITIVE PROTEIN TYROSINE PHOSPHATASES

MRI: TRACK 1 ACQUISITION OF A PULSE ELECTRON PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROMETER FOR RESEARCH AND INSTRUCTION IN THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY -THIS AWARD IS JOINTLY SUPPORTED BY THE MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION (MRI) PROGRAM, THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAM, AND THE MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES DIRECTORATE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES. AMHERST COLLEGE IS ACQUIRING A PULSE ELECTRON PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE (EPR) SPECTROMETER TO SUPPORT THE RESEARCH OF JACOB OLSHANSKY IN THE CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT, JONATHAN FRIEDMAN IN THE PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY DEPARTMENT, AND NUMEROUS USERS FROM A VARIETY OF INSTITUTIONS. EPR IS A WELL-ESTABLISHED CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUE FOR PROBING SYSTEMS WITH UNPAIRED ELECTRONS, SUCH AS ORGANIC RADICALS OR METAL COMPLEXES. INTEREST IN THIS TECHNIQUE HAS GROWN IN RECENT YEARS DUE TO ITS USEFULNESS TO MANY QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE (QIS) TECHNOLOGIES. SPECIFICALLY, QUANTUM MECHANICAL SPIN IS THE CRITICAL COMPONENT IN MANY PROPOSED QUANTUM BITS (QUBITS), AND THIS SPIN CAN READILY BE MEASURED AND MANIPULATED WITH PULSE EPR TECHNIQUES. THIS INSTRUMENT IS THEREFORE WELL-POSITIONED TO ADVANCE RESEARCH IN MATERIALS RELEVANT TO QIS WHILE SERVING AS A PLATFORM TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENTISTS. THIS EPR SPECTROMETER IS THE CORNERSTONE FOR A NEW EPR USER FACILITY THAT SERVES THE WIDER CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY, INCLUDING FOUR PREDOMINANTLY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS AND THREE R1 INSTITUTIONS. ALTHOUGH A CRITICAL PRIORITY OF THIS FACILITY IS SERVING QIS RESEARCHERS, IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCHERS EXPLORING MECHANISMS OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS, STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY, AND A VARIETY OF OTHER RESEARCH AREAS. THE FACILITY PRIORITIZES TRAINING AND SUPPORT FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS THROUGH BOTH ON-SITE INSTRUCTION AND PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ONLINE RESOURCES. THE ACQUISITION OF THIS INSTRUMENT SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING AT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WITHIN THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY AND NATIONALLY. CONTINUOUS WAVE EPR IS USED BY RESEARCHERS INTERESTED IN RADICAL INTERMEDIATES WITHIN ORGANIC TRANSFORMATIONS AND IS EMPLOYED IN INORGANIC CHEMISTRY INSTRUCTIONAL LABS. THIS INSTRUMENT IS ALSO EQUIPPED WITH PULSE EPR CAPABILITIES WHICH ALLOW FOR SPIN STATE MANIPULATION AND THE PROBING OF SPIN DYNAMICS. THIS CAPABILITY IS USED TO EXPLORE INORGANIC COMPLEXES AS POTENTIAL QUBITS, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON RARE-EARTH MATERIALS AND COMPLEXES THAT MAY SUPPORT CLOCK TRANSITIONS. FURTHERMORE, PULSE EPR CAN BE USED TO PROBE STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF BIOMOLECULES THROUGH SPIN LABELS. FINALLY, THIS INSTRUMENT IS EQUIPPED WITH A PULSED LASER THAT ENABLES LIGHT-INDUCED TRANSIENT AND PULSE EPR. THIS TECHNIQUE, A NOTABLY RARE CAPABILITY NATIONWIDE, ALLOWS FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF PHOTOGENERATED SPINS. RESEARCHERS USE THIS CAPABILITY TO EXPLORE PHOTOGENERATED SPIN-QUBIT PAIRS, SPIN STATES RESULTANT FROM TRIPLET-TRIPLET ANNIHILATION AND SINGLET FISSION, AND SPIN STATES WITHIN LIGHT-HARVESTING COMPLEXES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

PM: RUI: SEARCHING FOR OPTICAL CYCLING IN TLF AND LONG-RANGE SPIN-SPIN INTERACTIONS

RUI: PM: OPTICAL MOLECULAR CLOCKS FOR NEW PHYSICS SEARCHES -SOME ATOMS AND MOLECULES POSSESS QUANTUM STATES WITH PROPERTIES THAT ARE PARTICULARLY WELL-SUITED TO USE IN TIMEKEEPING, QUANTUM INFORMATION, OR TESTS OF PHYSICAL LAWS. THIS AWARD FOCUSES ON MOLECULAR VIBRATIONS ? WHERE THE ATOMIC NUCLEI STRETCH AND COMPRESS THE CHEMICAL BOND. THE PROJECT WILL DEMONSTRATE THE TOOLS NEEDED TO USE MOLECULAR VIBRATIONS AS PRECISE FREQUENCY REFERENCES (THAT IS AS GOOD CLOCKS) AND IS A STEPPING STONE ON THE WAY TOWARDS SEARCHING FOR CHANGES IN THE BASIC PHYSICAL PARAMETERS OF NATURE (SUCH AS HOW MANY TIMES HEAVIER THE PROTON IS THAN THE ELECTRON). SUCH CHANGES ARE PREDICTED BY SOME MODELS OF QUANTUM GRAVITY OR DARK MATTER, BUT NONE HAVE YET BEEN OBSERVED IN THE LAB. THIS RESEARCH TAKES PLACE AT A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE, AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ARE INVOLVED IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE WORK. THE PROJECT WILL ADVANCE THE CAREER OF A POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR. IN ADDITION TO TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS, THIS WORK DEVELOPS SKILLS IN EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS THAT ARE TRANSFERABLE TO A WIDE ARRAY OF FUTURE ENDEAVORS. THIS AWARD ENABLES INVESTIGATION OF LASER-DRIVEN VIBRATIONAL TRANSITIONS IN MOLECULAR IONS. THE PARTICULAR TRANSITION HERE ? FROM THE GROUND VIBRATIONAL STATE TO A VIBRATIONALLY EXCITED STATE IN THE DIATOMIC OXYGEN MOLECULAR CATION ? HAS A NARROW NATURAL LINEWIDTH, HIGH SENSITIVITY TO CHANGING FUNDAMENTAL CONSTANTS, AND LONG-TERM PROSPECTS AS AN OPTICAL MOLECULAR CLOCK. THE NONPOLAR NATURE OF THE MOLECULE SUPPRESSES SYSTEMATIC SHIFTS RELATED TO ELECTRIC FIELDS, SUCH AS AC STARK SHIFTS AND BLACKBODY RADIATION. MOLECULAR VIBRATIONS HOLD GREAT PROMISE FOR NEXT-GENERATION SEARCHES FOR DRIFTS OR OSCILLATIONS IN THE PROTON-TO-ELECTRON MASS RATIO. THIS PROJECT BUILDS ON THE PI?S EXPERIENCE WITH TRAPPED CHARGED PARTICLES AS WELL AS EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PRODUCING QUANTUM-STATE-SELECTED MOLECULAR IONS. THESE IONS WILL BE LOADED INTO A TRAP AND SYMPATHETICALLY COOLED WITH CO-TRAPPED ATOMIC IONS. THE TRAPPING ENABLES LONG PROBE TIMES, WHICH WILL BE NEEDED TO PRECISELY DETERMINE THE TRANSITION FREQUENCY AND TO DEMONSTRATE A PROOF-OF-PRINCIPLE SEARCH FOR VARIATION IN THE PROTON-TO-ELECTRON MASS RATIO. SUCH A SEARCH IS A PROBE OF ADDITIONAL DIMENSIONS, NEW SCALAR FIELDS, AND ULTRALIGHT DARK MATTER. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

CELL CYCLE REGULATION OF POLARITY PROTEINS IN PROLIFERATING EPITHELIA - PROJECT SUMMARY EPITHELIA ARE POLARIZED LAYERS OF ADHERENT CELLS AND THE FIRST ORGANIZED ASSEMBLIES TO EMERGE DURING ANIMAL DEVELOPMENT. AS THEY CONSTITUTE THE SCAFFOLDS OF MOST ORGANS, THEY UNDERGO EXTENSIVE REMODELING AND PROLIFERATION THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE ANIMAL. A LONG-STANDING QUESTION IS HOW PROLIFERATING CELLS MAINTAIN THEIR EPITHELIAL ORGANIZATION. LOSS OF BOTH CELL CYCLE CONTROL AND EPITHELIAL ORGANIZATION RESULT IN TISSUE DEFORMATIONS AND EPITHELIAL CANCERS. LOSS OF CELL POLARITY, IN PARTICULAR, IS ONE OF THE MOST PREVALENT CAUSES OF EPITHELIAL DISORGANIZATION. OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT EPITHELIAL POLARITY IS UNDER CELL CYCLE CONTROL. WORK ON PROLIFERATIVE EPITHELIA OF THE SEA ANEMONE NEMATOSTELLA VECTENSIS HAS SHOWN THAT POLARITY PROTEINS OSCILLATE ON AND OFF THE APICAL DOMAIN IN CONCERT WITH THE CELL CYCLE. DISCOVERY OF SIMILAR POLARITY OSCILLATIONS IN VARIOUS EPITHELIA SUGGEST THAT CELL CYCLE REGULATION OF EPITHELIAL POLARITY IS BROADLY CONSERVED. HOWEVER, VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE MECHANISMS THAT DRIVE EPITHELIAL POLARITY OSCILLATIONS AND THEIR ROLE IN TISSUE HOMEOSTASIS. I PROPOSE TO USE THE EARLY DEVELOPING EMBRYOS OF NEMATOSTELLA TO INVESTIGATE HOW THE CELL CYCLE REGULATES EPITHELIAL POLARITY. NEMATOSTELLA EMBRYOS FORM POLARIZED LAYERS WITHIN THE FIRST FEW CLEAVAGES AND MAINTAIN THIS ORGANIZATION DURING SUBSEQUENT SYNCHRONOUS CELL DIVISIONS. IMAGING AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGICAL APPROACHES WILL ALLOW US TO: [1] DISSECT WHETHER AND HOW THE CELL CYCLE MACHINERY DIRECTLY MODIFIES APICAL POLARITY PROTEINS, AND [2] DETERMINE HOW MITOTIC CHANGES IN CYTOSKELETAL ORGANIZATION CONTROL APICAL PROTEIN OSCILLATIONS. THE MECHANISMS WE WILL UNCOVER ARE LIKELY TO BE BROADLY APPLICABLE IN OTHER ANIMALS AND RELEVANT FOR HUMAN EPITHELIA AND THEIR ASSOCIATED DISEASES. .

MANIFOLD GREATNESS: THE CREATION AND AFTERLIFE OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE

INVESTIGATING THE REGULATION OF PI(3,4)P2 IN MIGRATING CELLS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISM OF PI(3,4)P2'S ROLE IN MIGRATION. PHOSPHATIDYLINOSITOLS SERVE AS CRITICAL MEDIATORS OF CELLULAR SIGNALING. PI(3,4)P2 HAS EMERGED AS A CRITICAL REGULATOR OF CELL MIGRATION. IT HAS RECENTLY BEEN PROPOSED THAT A MUTUALLY INHIBITORY FEEDBACK LOOP BETWEEN RAS AND PI(3,4)P2 REGULATES THE DYNAMIC EXTENSION AND RETRACTION OF CELLULAR PROTRUSIONS. THIS PROPOSAL WILL ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISM BY WHICH RAS REGULATES PI(3,4)P2 AND ESTABLISH PI(3,4)P2 AS A BONA FIDE REGULATOR OF RAS-DEPENDENT LEADING-EDGE DYNAMICS. WE WILL ALSO PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE REGULATION OF PI(3,4)P2 IN MIGRATING CELLS BY INVESTIGATING THE HYPOTHESIS THAT CLASS PI- 3KINASE PIKF REGULATES THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF PI(3,4)P2 IN DICTYOSTELIUM. OUR WORK WILL ALSO DEMONSTRATE THAT PIKF'S ROLE IN MIGRATION IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO ITS ABILITY TO SYNTHESIZE PI(3,4)P2. THIS WORK WILL PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT INSIGHT INTO THE FEEDBACK LOOPS THAT REGULATE RAS-DEPENDENT ACTIVITY. THE MOLECULAR TOOLS GENERATED BY THIS WORK WILL BE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE PURSUIT OF OUR LONG-TERM GOALS OF ELUCIDATING THE STRUCTURE OF THE SIGNALING NETWORKS THAT CONTROL MIGRATION. PHOSPHOINOSITIDE SIGNALING PLAYS AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN CELLULAR SIGNALING AND THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF NUMEROUS DISEASES. THEREFORE, THIS WORK IS IMMEDIATELY RELEVANT TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF DISEASE AND THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. OUR PROPOSED STUDIES WILL PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN RIGOROUS AND IMPACTFUL SCIENCE AND WILL BOLSTER THE ALREADY ROBUST RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT AT AMHERST COLLEGE.

SHAKESPEARE AND HIS FIRST FOLIO

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY NEW EXHIBITIONS: DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND INSTALLATION

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS

ICE-PENETRATING RADAR HAS BEEN USED TO EXPLORE THE INTERNAL GEOMETRY BASAL TOPOGRAPHY AND BASAL CONDITIONS OF ICE SHEETS AND GLACIERS FOR THE PAST SEVENTY YEARS

RUI: CHEMICAL AND PHOTOPHYSICAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN COLLOIDAL QUANTUM DOTS AND TRANSITION METAL CATALYSTS USED FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC CO2 REDUCTION -WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CHEMICAL CATALYSIS PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, PROFESSOR JACOB OLSHANSKY OF AMHERST COLLEGE IS STUDYING THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN NANOCRYSTALLINE LIGHT ABSORBERS AND METAL CATALYSTS FOR THE PHOTOCATALYTIC CONVERSION OF CARBON DIOXIDE. CARBON DIOXIDE IS A PROMISING CARBON SOURCE SINCE IT IS CHEAP AND ABUNDANT AND CAN BE EXTRACTED FROM AIR OR AT COMBUSTION SOURCES. THEREFORE, DEVELOPING METHODS TO CATALYZE THE CONVERSION OF CARBON DIOXIDE TO USABLE HYDROCARBONS IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. THE CURRENT AWARD FOCUSES ON EMPLOYING LIGHT ENERGY TO CATALYZE CARBON DIOXIDE CONVERSION INTO COMPOUNDS THAT CAN READILY BE TRANSFORMED INTO A WIDE RANGE OF USEFUL HYDROCARBONS. A RELATIVELY NEW CLASS OF HYBRID MATERIALS WILL BE EMPLOYED, CONSISTING OF NANOPARTICLES AND CATALYSTS COMPOSED OF EARTH-ABUNDANT MATERIALS. EXPERIMENTS WILL FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE NANOPARTICLES AND CATALYSTS WITH AN EYE TOWARDS DEVELOPING HIGHLY EFFICIENT HYBRID PHOTOCATALYSTS. THE INVESTIGATIONS WILL INVOLVE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH THAT IS BOTH INTERDISCIPLINARY AND HIGHLY COLLABORATIVE. WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CHEMICAL CATALYSIS PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, PROFESSOR JACOB OLSHANSKY OF AMHERST COLLEGE IS STUDYING THE CHEMICAL AND PHOTOPHYSICAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN COLLOIDAL QUANTUM DOTS AND TRANSITION METAL CATALYSTS USED FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC CARBON DIOXIDE REDUCTION. QUANTUM DOTS ARE RELATIVELY ROBUST AND OFFER SIZE- AND COMPOSITION-TUNABLE LIGHT ABSORPTION PROPERTIES. FURTHERMORE, AS NANOPARTICLES, THEY POSSESS HIGH SURFACE AREAS FOR PERFORMING CHEMICAL CONVERSIONS. THEREFORE, THEY ARE PROMISING NOT ONLY AS LIGHT ABSORBERS FOR PHOTOCATALYSIS BUT ALSO AS HIGHLY TUNABLE SYSTEMS. THE CURRENT AWARD WILL LEVERAGE THIS TUNABILITY TO MAP OUT GEOMETRY- AND COMPOSITION-DEPENDENT PHOTOEXCITED CHARGE TRANSFER DYNAMICS TO UNDERSTAND PHOTOCATALYSIS. WELL-DEFINED COMPOUNDS KNOWN TO CATALYZE CARBON DIOXIDE REDUCTION AS WELL AS ILL-DEFINED METAL ION CATALYSTS WILL BE EMPLOYED. CONCURRENTLY, A NEW CLASS OF VISIBLE LIGHT-ABSORBING QUANTUM DOTS FOR REDUCTIVE PHOTOCATALYSIS WILL BE DEVELOPED BY PREPARING ALLOYED ZINC SELENIDE AND ZINC TELLURIDE QUANTUM DOTS INSULATED WITH A ZINC SULFIDE SHELL. THESE QUANTUM DOT STRUCTURES WILL NOT ONLY PROVIDE NOVEL PLATFORMS FOR PHOTOCATALYSIS BUT WILL ALSO ALLOW US TO MAP OUT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ENERGETICS OR DISTANCE AND CHARGE SEPARATION RATES. ADDRESSING THESE FUNDAMENTAL PHOTOPHYSICAL QUESTIONS WILL BE MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH ULTRAFAST TRANSIENT ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY, PROVIDED BY A NETWORK OF COLLABORATORS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CAREER: STATISTICALLY-SOUND KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY FROM DATA -THE REAL-TIME GENERATION OF ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF DATA FROM SOCIAL AND NATURAL EVENTS HAS BECOME COMMONPLACE, SPANNING E-COMMERCE, SOCIAL MEDIA, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, URBAN DISASTER AND PANDEMIC MONITORING, AND MANY OTHER AREAS. SUCH STREAMING DATA NECESSITATE DATA MINING (DM) MODELS THAT CAN DO ANALYSIS, DERIVE ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS, AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, ALL ON THE FLY. FOR INSTANCE, PREDICTING CROWD MOVEMENT DUE TO PUBLIC EVENTS (SUCH AS CONCERTS, GAMES, PARADES, AND PROTESTS) BASED ON DATA STREAMING FROM SOCIAL MEDIA AND CITY SENSORS CAN AID IN REDUCING THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 BY ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO STEER CLEAR OF OVERCROWDED AREAS. HOWEVER, AS DM MODELS BECOME MORE PREVALENT IN PRACTICE, INTERPRETABILITY HAS EMERGED AS A VITAL ISSUE. USER COMPREHENSION AND TRUST IN DM MODEL OUTPUTS ARE CRITICAL FOR THEIR ACCEPTANCE IN DAILY ROUTINES AND WORKFLOWS. UNFORTUNATELY, EXISTING RESEARCH ON DATA STREAMS HAS FOCUSED MAINLY ON MODEL ACCURACY, PRODUCING MODELS THAT ARE TOO COMPLEX FOR HUMAN INTERPRETATION. THIS GAP BETWEEN DM RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS CALLS FOR NEW RESEARCH THAT OPTIMIZES MODEL ACCURACY AND INTERPRETABILITY SIMULTANEOUSLY. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO BRIDGE THE GAP BY DEVELOPING NOVEL ONLINE ALGORITHMS THAT ARE TRANSPARENT TO HUMAN USERS AND CAN PROVIDE A COMPLETE EXPLANATION OF THE LOGIC BEHIND EACH PREDICTION, EARNING THE TRUST OF HUMAN OPERATORS AND INCREASING LEGAL DEFENSIBILITY WHEN USED TO SUPPORT DECISION-MAKING IN CRUCIAL DOMAINS SUCH AS HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY, SECURITY, AND SOCIAL GOODS. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ADVANCE INTERPRETABILITY RESEARCH OF ONLINE DM MODELS THROUGH THREE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: (1) UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMISM OF VARYING FEATURE SPACES AND ITS IMPACT ON MODEL STRUCTURE; (2) QUANTIFYING MODEL PREDICTION UNCERTAINTY IN THE ABSENCE OF ADEQUATE SUPERVISION LABELS; AND (3) INDEXING AND ELUCIDATING MODEL INFERENCE PATHS. TO ACHIEVE THESE OBJECTIVES, THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON FOUR RESEARCH THRUSTS. THE FIRST THRUST WILL DEVELOP NOVEL ALGORITHMS THAT CAPTURE AND MODEL THE VARIATION PATTERNS OF FEATURE SPACES THROUGH AN EXPOSITORY FEATURE CORRELATION GRAPH, ALLOWING FOR JOINT LEARNING OF GRAPHS AND PREDICTIVE MODELS. THE SECOND THRUST WILL FOCUS ON DEVELOPING UNSUPERVISED METHODS TO QUANTIFY THE UNCERTAINTY OF MODEL PREDICTIONS AND IDENTIFY GEOMETRIC MANIFOLDS UNDERLYING DATA STREAMS WITH MEMORY-EFFICIENT STRUCTURES. THE THIRD THRUST WILL DEVISE NEW SYSTEMS TO INDEX, TRACK, AND ILLUSTRATE THE COMPLETE GENERATION PROCESS OF ONLINE PREDICTIONS. THE FOURTH THRUST WILL ESTABLISH EVALUATION METRICS AND PROTOCOLS TO STANDARDIZE INTERPRETABILITY MEASUREMENT IN STREAMING DATA CONTEXTS. THE PROJECT AIMS TO CONTRIBUTE TO INTERPRETABLE DATA MINING AND MACHINE-LEARNING RESEARCH, WHICH WILL HELP BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN DATA SCIENTISTS AND DOMAIN-SPECIFIC FORECASTING EXPERTS. AN EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT OF THE PROJECT WILL INVOLVE MENTORING AND EDUCATING RESEARCHERS INTERESTED IN PURSUING DM CAREERS IN ACADEMIA OR INDUSTRY, WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON UNDERREPRESENTED, FINANCIALLY DISADVANTAGED, OR DISABLED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO PIONEER NEW CLASSES AT THE FOREFRONT OF DATA MINING RESEARCH AND ORGANIZE WORKSHOPS AT CITY LIBRARIES TO ENGAGE WITH THE BROADER PUBLIC. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

RUI: CLOCK TRANSITIONS, COHERENCE AND QUANTUM DYNAMICS IN MOLECULAR NANOMAGNETS -NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: THE BURGEONING FIELD OF QUANTUM COMPUTATION AND QUANTUM INFORMATION RELIES ON THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THE QUANTUM STATES OF QUBITS, THE PHYSICAL SYSTEMS USED FOR QUANTUM INFORMATION PROCESSING. UNLIKE CLASSICAL BITS, IN WHICH INFORMATION IS STORED AS ZEROS OR ONES, QUBITS CAN BE PUT INTO QUANTUM SUPERPOSITIONS OF ZERO AND ONE STATES. IN ADDITION, QUBITS CAN BE ENTANGLED WITH ONE ANOTHER TO CREATE UNIQUE STATES THAT CANNOT BE DESCRIBED AS BELONGING TO ANY INDIVIDUAL QUBIT. SUPERPOSITION AND ENTANGLEMENT ARE THE QUANTUM UNDERPINNINGS THAT GIVE QUANTUM COMPUTATION ITS POTENTIAL POWER, A POWER THAT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A CERTAIN DELICACY: THE INFORMATION STORED AND PROCESSED IN A QUANTUM COMPUTER CAN EASILY BE DISTURBED BY INTERACTIONS WITH UNCONTROLLED ELEMENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT, SUCH AS FLUCTUATING MAGNETIC FIELDS OR VIBRATIONS. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON EMPLOYING MOLECULAR NANOMAGNETS AS QUBITS AND UNDERSTANDING AND MITIGATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS THAT AFFECT THE MAGNETS? ABILITY TO RETAIN QUANTUM INFORMATION. SO-CALLED CLOCK TRANSITIONS CAN HELP ISOLATE THE MAGNETS FROM THE EFFECTS OF FLUCTUATING MAGNETIC FIELDS. IN THIS RESEARCH, MICROWAVE PHOTONS ARE USED TO CONTROL THE MAGNETIC STATES OF THESE MAGNETS AND TO MEASURE HOW LONG QUANTUM INFORMATION CAN BE STORED IN THESE SYSTEMS, THE COHERENCE TIME. IN THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING THIS RESEARCH, THE TEAM IS INVESTIGATING FUNDAMENTAL QUANTUM PROPERTIES OF THESE MAGNETS IN THE PRESENCE OF MICROWAVE RADIATION. THE RESEARCH IS BEING CONDUCTED AT A PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT-SCHOLARS AND GRADUATE STUDENTS. THESE RESEARCHERS ARE ALL GAINING VALUABLE RESEARCH SKILLS THAT WILL FURTHER THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR CAREERS IN SCIENTIFIC AND RELATED TECHNICAL FIELDS IN ACADEMIA AND THE RAPIDLY GROWING COMMERCIAL QUANTUM INFORMATION SECTOR. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: THE BURGEONING FIELD OF QUANTUM COMPUTING AND QUANTUM INFORMATION REQUIRES QUBITS WITH LONG COHERENCE TIMES THAT ARE ALSO EASY TO MANIPULATE WITH EXTERNAL CONTROL PARAMETERS. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON EMPLOYING MOLECULAR NANOMAGNETS AS QUBITS AND UNDERSTANDING AND MITIGATING THE DECOHERENCE FROM ENVIRONMENTAL DEGREES OF FREEDOM. THE MOLECULAR MAGNETS STUDIED IN THIS PROJECT EXHIBIT ?CLOCK TRANSITIONS? THAT REDUCE THE DECOHERING EFFECTS OF FLUCTUATING MAGNETIC FIELDS. USING PULSE ELECTRON-SPIN RESONANCE TECHNIQUES, THE QUANTUM STATES OF THESE MOLECULES ARE CONTROLLED, AND THEIR COHERENCE TIMES ARE MEASURED. MECHANISMS OF DECOHERENCE ARE INVESTIGATED BY COMPARING THE COHERENCE TIMES AT CLOCK TRANSITIONS WITH THOSE MEASURED WHEN THE SYSTEM IS TUNED AWAY FROM CLOCK TRANSITIONS. IN ADDITION, THE RESEARCHERS ARE EXPLORING VARIOUS PULSE SCHEMES TO DYNAMICALLY DECOUPLE THE MAGNETS FROM DECOHERING ENVIRONMENTAL FLUCTUATIONS. PULSED MICROWAVE RADIATION IS ALSO BEING EMPLOYED TO INVESTIGATE USING AN ENSEMBLE OF MOLECULAR MAGNETS AS A MEDIUM FOR THE HOLOGRAPHIC STORAGE OF QUANTUM INFORMATION. IN THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING THIS RESEARCH, THE TEAM IS INVESTIGATING FUNDAMENTAL QUANTUM PROPERTIES OF THESE MAGNETS WHEN COUPLED TO A MICROWAVE RADIATION FIELD. THE RESEARCH IS BEING CONDUCTED AT A PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT-SCHOLARS AND GRADUATE STUDENTS. THESE RESEARCHERS ARE ALL GAINING VALUABLE RESEARCH SKILLS THAT WILL FURTHER THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR CAREERS IN SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL FIELDS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

RUI: MITOCHONDRIAL FERROPOTIN AND IRON HOMEOSTASIS IN PLANTS

RUI: TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS IN SPIN-1 AND SPIN-2 BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATES -SYMMETRY IS ONE OF THE CENTRAL ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES IN THE NATURAL WORLD. IT APPLIES TO THE MOST ENERGETIC SYSTEM WE CAN CONTEMPLATE - THE EARLY UNIVERSE - AS WELL AS TO SOME OF THE LEAST ENERGETIC, SUCH AS A DILUTE GAS COOLED TO ONLY TENS OF BILLIONTHS OF A DEGREE ABOVE ABSOLUTE ZERO. THIS TABLETOP EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT USES THE THEME OF SYMMETRY TO FOCUS ON THE HIGHLY-CONTROLLABLE, LOW-ENERGY ENVIRONMENT OF AN ULTRACOLD GAS WHERE DIRECT EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION IS POSSIBLE. ALTHOUGH WE OFTEN THINK OF SYMMETRY IN TERMS OF SPATIAL PATTERNS, SUCH AS THE REGULAR STRUCTURE OF A CRYSTAL, SYMMETRIES CAN ALSO BE INTERNAL AND HIDDEN FROM VIEW. THEIR INFLUENCE IN SUCH CASES MANIFESTS ITSELF IN THE TYPE AND BEHAVIOR OF THE PARTICLE-LIKE (OR QUASI-PARTICLE) EXCITATIONS THAT CAN EXIST WITHIN THE MEDIUM. EXAMPLES OF QUASI-PARTICLES THAT CAN BE OBSERVED IN AN ULTRACOLD GAS INCLUDE MONOPOLES, KNOTS, SKYRMIONS, AND VORTICES, EACH OF WHICH HAS AN (AS-YET UNOBSERVED) ANALOGUE IN THE COSMOS. THE PROJECT WILL STUDY THE CREATION AND TIME EVOLUTION OF SUCH QUASI-PARTICLES IN A MEDIUM WITH A BROADER RANGE OF INTERNAL SYMMETRIES THAN IN PREVIOUS EXPERIMENTS. THE RESULTING QUASI-PARTICLE BEHAVIOR IS EXPECTED TO BE MORE EXOTIC: AN ORDINARY COLLISION BETWEEN TWO VORTICES, FOR INSTANCE, CAN BECOME ONE IN WHICH CONNECTING FILAMENTS DEVELOP IN THE REGION BETWEEN THEM, LEAVING BEHIND A PERMANENT PHYSICAL RECORD OF THE ENCOUNTER. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR CUTTING-EDGE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL TRAINING FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, THEREBY CONTRIBUTING TO THE EDUCATION OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF CITIZEN-SCIENTISTS. THIS EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH PROGRAM EXPLORES THE CREATION AND TIME EVOLUTION OF TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS IN OPTICALLY TRAPPED RUBIDIUM-87 BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATES. THE SPIN DEGREE OF FREEDOM IN THESE SUPERFLUIDS LEADS TO A VARIETY OF MAGNETIC PHASES WITH DIFFERENT INTERNAL SYMMETRIES. EACH PHASE CAN HOST SPECIFIC TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS. THE RB-87 CONDENSATE IS ESPECIALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE IT HAS BOTH SPIN-1 AND SPIN-2 GROUND STATE HYPERFINE MANIFOLDS. THE SPIN-1 SYSTEM IS RELATIVELY SIMPLE, WITH ONLY TWO MAGNETIC PHASES. IT PROVIDES A CONVENIENT SPRINGBOARD FROM WHICH TO UNDERSTAND THE SPIN-2 SYSTEM, WHICH HAS FIVE MAGNETIC PHASES, TWO OF WHICH HAVE ENTIRELY DISCRETE SYMMETRIES: CYCLIC-TETRAHEDRAL, AND BIAXIAL NEMATIC. THE SPIN-2 RB-87 SYSTEM IS NOT FULLY CHARACTERIZED, AND IMMEDIATE EXPERIMENTAL GOALS INCLUDE (I) DETERMINING THE GROUND STATE MAGNETIC PHASE, AND (II) UNDERSTANDING THE BASELINE TIME-EVOLUTION OF EACH MAGNETIC PHASE. TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS IN THE BIAXIAL NEMATIC AND CYCLIC-TETRAHEDRAL PHASES ARE OF CONSIDERABLE INTEREST AS THE DISCRETE SYMMETRIES PERMIT VORTICES WITH FRACTIONAL CIRCULATION. MOREOVER, COLLISIONS BETWEEN VORTICES IN THESE PHASES ARE EXPECTED TO YIELD RUNG VORTICES, WHICH ARE PERMANENT FILAMENTS THAT BRIDGE THE DEPARTING VORTICES. BEYOND VORTICES, THE EXPERIMENTS WILL EXAMINE THE CREATION AND TIME EVOLUTION OF MONOPOLES IN THE UNIAXIAL NEMATIC PHASE, WHICH ARE EXPECTED TO DECAY INTO VORTEX RINGS, AS WELL AS OF EXOTIC SKYRMIONS IN THE DISCRETE-SYMMETRY MAGNETIC PHASES. THE DIFFERENT EXCITATIONS WILL BE GENERATED BY EXPOSING THE CONDENSATE TO CAREFULLY TAILORED TIME-DEPENDENT MAGNETIC AND OPTICAL FIELDS, AND WILL BE CHARACTERIZED USING ESTABLISHED IMAGING TECHNIQUES. THE RESULTS, OBTAINED BY THE PI AND HIS UNDERGRADUATE COLLABORATORS, ARE EXPECTED TO CONTRIBUTE DIRECTLY TO OUR SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS ACROSS MANY BRANCHES OF PHYSICS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SOIL TEMPERATURE, MYCORRHIZAL ASSOCIATION AND TREE NUTRITION AS DETERMINANTS OF DIVERGENT CHANGES IN TREE GROWTH AND ABUNDANCE IN ARCTIC ALASKA.

RUI: USING COLLOIDAL NANOPARTICLES TO HOST PHOTOGENERATED SPIN QUBIT PAIRS -WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CHEMICAL STRUCTURE, DYNAMICS & MECHANISMS-B PROGRAM OF THE CHEMISTRY DIVISION, JACOB OLSHANSKY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND JONATHAN FRIEDMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY AT AMHERST COLLEGE WILL BE DEVELOPING AND ANALYZING A NEW NANOPARTICLE-BASED SYSTEM THAT HAS POTENTIAL TO SERVE AS A CLASS OF QUANTUM BITS (QUBITS) THAT CAN BE INITIATED WITH LIGHT. THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUANTUM COMPUTERS AND OTHER QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE (QIS) TECHNOLOGIES HAS RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT ATTENTION IN RECENT YEARS OWING TO ITS PROMISE TO REVOLUTIONIZE COMPUTING. HOWEVER, THE SPECIFIC MOLECULAR SYSTEMS THAT WILL COMPRISE THE QUBITS IN THESE DEVICES REMAIN A CHALLENGE. IN THE CURRENT WORK, THE AMHERST TEAM FOCUSES ON PHOTOGENERATED (LIGHT-INITIATED) SPIN QUBITS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO BE GENERATED IN WELL-DEFINED QUANTUM STATES WITHOUT REQUIRING EXPENSIVE MILLIKELVIN COOLING DEVICES. THE TEAM WILL EXPLORE A NEW NANOPARTICLE-MOLECULE CONJUGATE SYSTEM FOR HOSTING THESE PHOTOGENERATED SPIN QUBITS. THEY WILL CHARACTERIZE THESE CONJUGATES WITH BOTH TIME-RESOLVED OPTICAL AND SPIN RESONANCE MEASUREMENTS TO EVALUATE THEIR UTILITY AS QUBIT CANDIDATES. THE INVESTIGATIONS WILL INVOLVE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH THAT IS BOTH INTERDISCIPLINARY AND HIGHLY COLLABORATIVE. THE STUDENTS TRAINED THROUGH THIS WORK WILL BE BETTER POSITIONED TO PURSUE CAREERS IN THE BURGEONING FIELD OF QIS. PHOTOGENERATED SPIN QUBIT PAIRS (SQP) OFFER A PROMISING PLATFORM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF QIS TECHNOLOGIES SINCE THEY ARE GENERATED IN WELL-DEFINED (NON-BOLTZMANN POPULATED) SPIN STATES. THE PROPOSED WORK AIMS TO EXPAND THE SCOPE OF THE MATERIALS THAT CAN HOST THESE PHOTOGENERATED SQPS. SPECIFICALLY, CONJUGATES OF NANOPARTICLES AND ORGANIC MOLECULES OFFER POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OVER THE ALL-ORGANIC SYSTEMS TYPICALLY USED TO SUPPORT SQPS. THESE CONJUGATES ARE EXPECTED TO BE SYNTHETICALLY TUNABLE, AND THE UNIQUE SPIN ENVIRONMENT PROVIDED BY THE NANOPARTICLE MAY ALLOW FOR QUBIT SPECIFIC ADDRESSABILITY WITHIN THE QUBIT PAIR. THE INITIAL WORK SUGGESTS THAT SQPS HOSTED BY CONJUGATES OF ZNO NANOPARTICLES AND ORGANIC DYE MOLECULES CAN BE DETECTED AND CHARACTERIZED WITH ELECTRON PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE (EPR) TECHNIQUES. THE RESEARCH TEAM AIMS TO BUILD A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SPIN STATES IN THESE CONJUGATES THROUGH ITERATIVE SYNTHETIC MODIFICATIONS AND SPIN-STATE CHARACTERIZATION USING BOTH CUSTOM-BUILT AND COMMERCIAL EPR SPECTROMETERS. THEY PLAN TO DEMONSTRATE SPIN-SPECIFIC ADDRESSABILITY AND PERFORM SPIN-QUBIT MANIPULATIONS ON MULTI-SPIN SYSTEMS HOSTED BY ZNO NANOPARTICLES. ULTIMATELY, THE WORK COULD PROVIDE RESEARCHERS WITH BOTH NEW MATERIALS AND POTENTIALLY NEW TECHNIQUES FOR EXPLORING PHOTOGENERATED SQPS IN THE CONTEXT OF QIS APPLICATIONS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

RUI: DISCERNING THE BALANCE OF INTERMOLECULAR FORCES AND THE ENANTIOMERIC COMPOSITION OF CHIRAL SAMPLES FROM THE STRUCTURES OF GAS-PHASE HETERODIMERS -WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CHEMICAL STRUCTURE, DYNAMICS, AND MECHANISMS A (CSDM-A) PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, PROFESSORS HELEN LEUNG AND MARK MARSHALL OF AMHERST COLLEGE ARE USING FOURIER TRANSFORM MICROWAVE (FTMW) SPECTROSCOPY AND COMPUTATIONAL METHODS TO STUDY INTERMOLECULAR FORCES OPERATIVE BETWEEN GAS-PHASE HETERODIMERS FORMED BY PROTIC ACIDS AND HALO-OLEFINS AND ARE DEVELOPING A CHIRAL TAGGING METHOD. INTERMOLECULAR FORCES HAVE PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROCESSES, MAKING IT IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE DELICATE BALANCE AND COMPETITION BETWEEN DIFFERENT CONTRIBUTIONS, SUCH AS ELECTROSTATIC AND STERIC EFFECTS. PROFESSORS LEUNG AND MARSHALL AND THEIR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL GENERATE MOLECULAR SPECIES HELD TOGETHER SOLELY BY INTERMOLECULAR INTERACTIONS AND EXAMINE THEIR ROTATIONAL SPECTRA USING TWO TYPES OF COMPLEMENTARY SPECTROMETERS, ONE WITH LARGE BANDWIDTH (SEVERAL THOUSAND MHZ) AND A NARROWBAND (1 MHZ) INSTRUMENT THAT ALSO PROVIDES ENHANCED SENSITIVITY. THE EXPERIMENTAL WORK, GUIDED AND SUPPLEMENTED BY COMPUTATIONAL METHODS, IS EXPECTED TO REVEAL THE SHAPE OF THE COMPLEXES AND HENCE THE NATURE OF THE INTERMOLECULAR FORCES. THIS WORK COULD LEAD TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUBTLE INTERPLAY AMONG THE INTERMOLECULAR FORCES THAT RESULTS IN A PREFERRED BINDING GEOMETRY, AND COULD IDENTIFY USEFUL CHIRAL TAGS THAT ENABLE EFFECTIVE CONVERSION OF A SAMPLE OF ENANTIOMERS (MOLECULES THAT ARE MIRROR IMAGES OF EACH OTHER) INTO DISTINCT MOLECULAR SPECIES THAT HAVE DIFFERENT ROTATIONAL SPECTRA. THIS RESEARCH PROVIDES MEANINGFUL HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IN MODERN, STATE-OF-THE-ART PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. WITH UP-TO-DATE, RELEVANT, MODERN INSTRUMENTATION, THIS RESEARCH WILL ENGAGE THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS IN PEDAGOGICALLY EFFECTIVE WAYS, BETTER PREPARE THEM TO BE RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS IN AN INCREASINGLY TECHNOLOGICAL WORLD, AND BETTER POSITION THEM TO CONTRIBUTE IN STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS) FIELDS. BUILDING ON A FOUNDATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERMOLECULAR INTERACTIONS BETWEEN HALOETHYLENES AND PROTIC ACIDS, THE EXTENSION FROM HALOETHYLENES TO HALOPROPENES RESULTS IN GREATER STRUCTURAL FLEXIBILITY, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A FINER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUBTLE INTERPLAY AMONG THE FORCES THAT LEAD TO A PREFERRED BINDING GEOMETRY FOR THE PROTIC ACIDS. THE CHIRAL TAGGING TECHNIQUE BEING INVESTIGATED RELIES ON THE CONVERSION OF ENANTIOMERS, WHICH HAVE IDENTICAL MICROWAVE ROTATIONAL SPECTRA, INTO SPECTROSCOPICALLY DISTINCT AND READILY IDENTIFIABLE DIASTEREOMERS UPON COMPLEXATION VIA NON-COVALENT INTERACTIONS TO FORM A HETERODIMER WITH A TAG MOLECULE OF KNOWN CHIRALITY. GIVEN THE KNOWN ABSOLUTE STEREOCHEMISTRY OF THE TAG, THE ABSOLUTE CONFIGURATION OF THE ANALYTE AND THE ENANTIOMERIC EXCESS OF A SAMPLE CAN BE DETERMINED IN A BACKGROUND FREE MANNER. THROUGH A DETAILED STUDY OF THE ROTATIONAL SPECTRUM AND THE INTENSITIES OF THE TRANSITIONS OF THESE COMPLEXES, THIS WORK COULD PROVIDE THE BENCHMARKING CRITICAL FOR ADOPTION OF CHIRAL TAGGING AS A ROUTINE ANALYTICAL METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE ENANTIOMERIC PURITY OF A CHIRAL ANALYTE SAMPLE. WITH THE ABILITY TO OBTAIN A LARGE BANDWIDTH ROTATIONAL SPECTRUM WITH CONSISTENT SOURCE CONDITIONS, THE CHIRPED PULSE TECHNIQUE IS PARTICULARLY ADVANTAGEOUS FOR THESE STUDIES. THE USE OF COMPUTATIONAL METHODS AND THE NARROWBAND BALLE-FLYGARE SPECTROMETER ADDS POWERFUL, COMPLEMENTARY STRENGTH TO THE WORK. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

DETERMINING THE RULES FOR DESIGNING ACTIVE DNA MATERIALS WITH CONDENSING AGENTS -NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: DNA IS THE MOLECULE IN YOUR CELLS THAT STORES YOUR GENETIC INFORMATION, BUT IT IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT BUILDING MATERIAL ON THE NANOSCALE. THE BASE-PAIRING RULES OF DNA?A BINDS TO T, C BINDS TO G?ALLOW ENGINEERS TO EASILY ASSEMBLE DIFFERENT SHAPES AND STRUCTURES. HOWEVER, THE SIMPLICITY OF DNA ALSO LIMITS ITS FUNCTIONALITY. BY ADDING PARTICULAR MOLECULES CALLED CONDENSING AGENTS TO DNA, OUR GOAL IS TO BEND, LOOP, STACK, OR RECONFIGURE DNA ON COMMAND. THIS RECONFIGURING OF THE DNA COULD IMPART DRAMATIC PROPERTIES TO THE DNA MATERIAL, INCLUDING DECREASED SIZE, INCREASED STABILITY, INCREASED STIFFNESS, DECREASED PERMEABILITY, OR INCREASED ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY. WE WILL STUDY THREE QUESTIONS: HOW DO CONDENSING AGENTS BEND AND LOOP DNA? HOW DO CONDENSING AGENTS RECONFIGURE DNA? AND, HOW CAN WE USE CONDENSING AGENTS TO ENGINEER PARTICULAR DNA MATERIALS? ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS WILL IMPACT OUR USE OF DNA MATERIALS IN VARIOUS APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING IMMUNOTHERAPIES, CARBON CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY, TISSUE ENGINEERING, BIOSENSING, OR NANOROBOTICS. MORE BROADLY, THE SCIENCE IN THE GRANT WILL BE DRIVEN ENTIRELY BY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS, PRESENTING AN INCREDIBLE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE TRAINING MODULES CREATED BY THE UNDERGRADUATES WILL THEN BE USED TO TRAIN COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY INSTRUCTORS IN A NATIONWIDE PROGRAM. TECHNICAL SUMMARY: DNA IS A UBIQUITOUS BIOMATERIAL THAT IS EASY TO ENGINEER. HOWEVER, THIS SIMPLICITY LIMITS FUNCTIONAL VERSATILITY. HERE, WE WILL USE A BIOMIMETIC APPROACH AND COUPLE DNA TO THE CONDENSING AGENTS, WHICH TYPICALLY FOLD, LOOP, CONDENSE, OR RECONFIGURE THE DNA INSIDE THE CELL. CONDENSING AGENTS ARE A CLASS OF POSITIVELY CHARGED MOLECULES THAT COULD BE USED TO SELF-ASSEMBLE AND RECONFIGURE DNA MATERIALS ON CUE, CREATING INCREASED CONDENSATION, INCREASED STABILITY, INCREASED STIFFNESS, DECREASED PERMEABILITY, OR INCREASED ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY. OUR GOAL IS TO DETERMINE THE RULES FOR HOW CONDENSING AGENTS BEND, LOOP, CONDENSE, AND RECONFIGURE DNA MOLECULES AND DNA ASSEMBLIES. WHILE RESEARCHERS HAVE BEEN STUDYING HOW CONDENSING AGENTS CONDENSE DNA FOR 40 YEARS, THE ANSWERS STILL REMAIN ELUSIVE. WE WILL USE NEW SINGLE MOLECULE TECHNIQUES, AS WELL AS A ?BOTTOM-UP? APPROACH, STARTING WITH SHORT DNA MOLECULES AND WORKING UP TO LARGER DNA ASSEMBLIES, TO STUDY THE STRUCTURES, PATHWAYS, MECHANICS, AND ENERGETICS OF THE PROCESS. IN ADDITION, WE WILL?FOR THE FIRST TIME?LOOK AT HOW CONDENSING AGENTS RECONFIGURE DNA MOLECULES WITH SEVERAL ASSEMBLED NUCLEOSOMES. THIS PROJECT WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR DNA BIOMATERIALS WITH EXQUISITE REGULATORY, ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL, OR GEOMETRIC CONTROL. THIS WORK WILL BE DRIVEN ENTIRELY BY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS, PRESENTING AN INCREDIBLE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS. TRAINING MODULES CREATED BY THE UNDERGRADUATES WILL THEN BE USED TO TRAIN COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY INSTRUCTORS IN A NATIONWIDE PROGRAM. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

FOLGER SUSTAINABLE PRESERVATION ENVIRONMENT PROJECT

TEACHING SHAKESPEARE TO UNDERGRADUATES

A DIGITAL ANTHOLOGY OF EARLY MODERN ENGLISH DRAMA

RUI: CREATING AND STUDYING TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS IN SPINOR BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATES -A PRIMARY GOAL OF PHYSICS IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFERENT SYSTEMS FIT TOGETHER WITHIN A UNIVERSAL PHYSICAL FRAMEWORK. ONE UNIFYING THEME INVOLVES TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS. (A TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATION IS A PHYSICAL FEATURE OF MATTER THAT CANNOT APPEAR SMOOTHLY, SUCH AS A HOLE POKED IN A PIECE OF CLAY: EITHER THE HOLE IS PRESENT, OR IT IS NOT.) STUDYING THESE EXCITATIONS IN ONE SYSTEM CAN PROVIDE KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER SYSTEMS THAT ARE MORE DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO STUDY EXPERIMENTALLY. THIS PROJECT INVOLVES EXPERIMENTS ON A GAS OF ATOMS AT TEMPERATURES NEAR ABSOLUTE ZERO TO CREATE AND STUDY CERTAIN TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS. REMARKABLY, THE PHYSICS OF THESE EXCITATIONS IN THE COLD GAS IS ANALOGOUS TO THAT OF NEUTRON STARS IN ONE CONTEXT, ATOMIC NUCLEI IN ANOTHER, AND FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLES IN A THIRD. ALL THESE SYSTEMS WOULD OTHERWISE BE CHALLENGING TO STUDY DIRECTLY. THE PROJECT ALSO EXTENDS NEW ELECTRIC AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGIES TO CREATE TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS IN A CONTROLLABLE MANNER USING SHAPED LASER BEAMS. THE GOAL IN THIS PART IS TO CREATE AND STUDY MULTIPLE INTERACTING EXCITATIONS, WHICH WILL PROVIDE FURTHER INSIGHT INTO THE PHYSICAL SYSTEMS THAT EXHIBIT SUCH PHENOMENA. FINALLY, A MAJOR EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT OF THE SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM IS THE LAB EXPERIENCE GAINED BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AS THEY WORK ON THE EXPERIMENTS. THIS CONTRIBUTES TO THE TRAINING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHYSICISTS AND SCIENTISTS. THIS PROJECT EXPLORES THE RICH PHYSICS OF TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS, SUCH AS VORTICES, MONOPOLES, AND SKYRMIONS, WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENT OF SPIN-2 DILUTE-GAS ATOMIC BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATES (BECS) OF RB-87. TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS ARE A UNIFYING THEME OF MANY DIVERSE BRANCHES OF PHYSICS, WHERE (FOR EXAMPLE) VORTICES IN A SUPERFLUID ARE ANALOGOUS TO COSMIC STRINGS, MONOPOLES IN A SOLID-STATE SYSTEM RESEMBLE THEORETICALLY PROPOSED ELEMENTARY PARTICLES, AND SKYRMIONS IN A MAGNETIC MATERIAL APPEAR IN THE CONTEXT OF ATOMIC NUCLEI. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST IS THE STUDY OF SPIN-2 VORTICES, WHICH CAN EXIST IN MAGNETIC PHASES WITH DISCRETE POLYTOPE INTERNAL SYMMETRIES AND ARE PREDICTED TO EXHIBIT EXOTIC COLLISIONS AND FRACTIONAL QUANTIZATION. THE PROPOSAL WILL ALSO FURTHER THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR THE CREATION OF MULTIPLE INTERACTING TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS, MAKING USE OF MODERN LIGHT MODULATION DEVICES TO GENERATE SYNTHETIC MAGNETIC FIELDS FROM VECTOR LIGHT SHIFTS, OR USING THEIR PHASE AND AMPLITUDE MODULATION PROPERTIES TO WRITE EXCITATIONS INTO THE CONDENSATES DIRECTLY. THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH IN THE ATOMIC SYSTEM WILL CONTRIBUTE DIRECTLY TO THE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF TOPOLOGICAL EXCITATIONS ACROSS THE MANY BRANCHES OF PHYSICS IN WHICH THEY APPEAR. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CATALOGING, DIGITIZING, AND CREATING ACCESS TO 17TH-CENTURY BRITISH BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS

LEAPS-MPS: LOCAL AND MANY PARTICLE LIMITS OF NON-LOCAL MICROSCOPIC CAR-FOLLOWING MODELS -IN THIS PROJECT, THE INVESTIGATOR CONSTRUCTS AND ANALYZES MULTI-SCALE NON-LOCAL MATHEMATICAL MODELS TO STUDY TRAFFIC FLOW. COMPARED WITH TRADITIONAL LOCAL TRAFFIC FLOW MODELS, THE NON-LOCAL TRAFFIC FLOW MODELS ARE EXPECTED TO MORE ACCURATELY CAPTURE THE DRIVERS? BEHAVIOR BY INTEGRATING THE DOWNSTREAM INFORMATION. THE CONSTRUCTED NON-LOCAL MODELS ARE CALIBRATED USING REAL TRAJECTORY DATA COLLECTED BY THE INVESTIGATOR AND HER COLLABORATORS DURING FIELD EXPERIMENTS. THE PROJECT ALSO INVESTIGATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NON-LOCAL AND LOCAL TRAFFIC FLOW MODELS THROUGH NUMERICAL SIMULATION AND MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS. THIS RESEARCH WILL LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR FURTHER EFFORTS TO REDUCE TRAFFIC FLOW INSTABILITIES, WHICH CAN SAVE ENERGY AND REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS. THE MODELS DEVELOPED AND ANALYZED IN THIS PROJECT SHOULD HAVE BROAD APPLICATIONS IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, CROWD DYNAMICS, SEDIMENTATION, MATERIALS WITH FADING MEMORY, BIOLOGICAL AND INDUSTRIAL MODELS, AND MORE. THE INVESTIGATOR WILL SUPERVISE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO AID THEIR MATHEMATICAL TRAINING AND A POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW FOR RESEARCH IN MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS AND THE APPLICATION OF MACHINE LEARNING TO TRAFFIC FLOW. GIVEN THE INVESTIGATOR?S UNIQUE BACKGROUND AND OUTREACH EFFORTS, THE PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON YOUNG WOMEN AND UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES IN STEM FIELDS. MOREOVER, THIS PROJECT ALSO ALLOWS EXPERTS IN THE FIELD FROM THE UNITED STATES TO ESTABLISH NEW CONNECTIONS AND STRENGTHEN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION AMONG EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO PERFORM MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS AND NUMERICAL SIMULATION ON NON-LOCAL MICROSCOPIC AND MACROSCOPIC MODELS, ESPECIALLY FOR TRAFFIC. THE INVESTIGATOR WILL MAINLY STUDY THREE SETS OF PROBLEMS: THE FIRST SET OF PROBLEMS IS TO DEVELOP A SECOND-ORDER NON-LOCAL MICROSCOPIC CAR-FOLLOWING MODEL AND STUDY ITS WELL-POSEDNESS. THE PARAMETERS OF THE NON-LOCAL MODEL WILL BE CALIBRATED USING OPTIMIZATION TO FIT REAL-TRAJECTORY DATA; THE SECOND SET OF PROBLEMS CONSISTS OF ANALYTICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE NON-LOCAL MICROSCOPIC MODEL TO THE LOCAL MICROSCOPIC MODEL WHEN THE NON-LOCAL FACTOR APPROACHES ZERO. THE LAST SET OF PROBLEMS FOCUSES ON THE DERIVATION OF THE MANY-PARTICLE LIMIT OF THE NON-LOCAL MODEL AS THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES APPROACHES INFINITY, WHICH RESULTS IN A MACROSCOPIC TRAFFIC FLOW MODEL GOVERNED BY A NON-LOCAL HYPERBOLIC CONSERVATION LAW. ONE OF THE INTENTS OF THE PROJECT IS TO DEMONSTRATE CONSISTENCY AMONG LOCAL, NON-LOCAL, MICROSCOPIC, AND MACROSCOPIC MODELS. THIS PROJECT SERVES AS THE SEED FOR THE INVESTIGATOR?S FUTURE RESEARCH, PARTICULARLY RELATED TO DATA-DRIVEN AND THEORY-BASED TRAFFIC FLOW MODELS, MULTI-LANE AND MULTI-CLASS TRAFFIC FLOW MODELING USING HYBRID SYSTEMS, AND OPTIMAL CONTROL FOR TRAFFIC SMOOTHING USING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

LEAPS-MPS: CONFORMATIONAL INVERSION IN HETEROTRIANGULENES FOR FERROELECTRIC SWITCHING -NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: THE GENERATION OF NEW AND ACCESS TO EXISTING DIGITAL INFORMATION IS CRITICAL TO THE CONTINUED ADVANCEMENT OF SOCIETY. CLOUD DATA STORAGE OFFERS GLOBAL ACCESS TO DIGITAL INFORMATION AND ALLOWS PORTABLE DEVICES TO GENERATE AND INTERFACE WITH DATA THAT NEED NOT BE STORED LOCALLY; HOWEVER, THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF CLOUD STORAGE FACILITIES INCLUDE ENERGY INEFFICIENCY, LAND USE ALLOCATION, AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. WHILE GLOBAL INFORMATION SHARING IS AN APPROPRIATE USE OF CLOUD STORAGE STRATEGIES, COMPENSATING FOR LIMITED LOCAL STORAGE CAPACITY IS, FUNDAMENTALLY, A CHALLENGE THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED BY INCREASING THE STORAGE DENSITY OF DATA STORAGE MATERIALS. WITH THIS LEAPS-MPS AWARD, THE RESEARCH TEAM INVESTIGATES A NEW CLASS OF CARBON-BASED MOLECULAR MATERIALS FOR NON-VOLATILE DIGITAL INFORMATION STORAGE WITH THE POTENTIAL TO DECREASE THE SIZE OF A BIT OF DATA BY SEVERAL ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE RELATIVE TO TRADITIONAL FERROELECTRIC TECHNOLOGIES AND AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE RELATIVE TO LEADING MEMORY CAPACITOR TECHNOLOGIES. FERROELECTRICITY IS A PHENOMENON BY WHICH INFORMATION CAN BE STORED WITHIN THE ELECTRONIC POLARIZATION VECTOR OF A MATERIAL. THE POTENTIAL USE OF THIS USE OF THESE MATERIALS WOULD ENABLE A TECHNOLOGY THAT WORKS BY ENCODING INFORMATION INTO THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHAPE OF A SINGLE MOLECULE THAT CAN BE MODIFIED WITH THE APPLICATION OF AN ELECTRIC FIELD. AS PART OF THIS LEAPS-MPS PROJECT, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT AMHERST COLLEGE LEARN ADVANCED MATERIALS SYNTHESIS AND ENGINEERING STRATEGIES. ADDITIONALLY, THIS RESEARCH ENCOURAGES DISCUSSION OF THE SUSTAINABILITY, EQUITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY OF LOCAL AND REMOTE DATA STORAGE STRUCTURES AND INSPIRES A REIMAGINING OF HOW THESE ISSUES MAY BE ADDRESSED. TECHNICAL SUMMARY: THE INVESTIGATION OF ORGANIC MATERIALS FOR PRACTICAL INFORMATION STORAGE APPLICATIONS HAS LONG BEEN PRECLUDED BY THE LACK OF ORGANIC FERROELECTRIC SYSTEMS THAT OPERATE AT OR NEAR ROOM TEMPERATURE. FERROELECTRICITY IN ORGANIC CRYSTALS GENERALLY ARISES FROM COLLECTIVE ROTATION AND/OR DISPLACEMENT OF MOLECULES IN THE SOLID-STATE IN RESPONSE TO AN APPLIED ELECTRIC FIELD. HOWEVER, SUCH MECHANISMS ARE SENSITIVE TO THE DETAILS OF CRYSTAL PACKING, WHICH CANNOT YET BE RELIABLY PREDICTED IN SILICO. THIS PROJECT, SUPPORTED BY A LEAPS-MPS AWARD, SEEKS TO DEVELOP FUNDAMENTAL MECHANISTIC INSIGHT FOR A NEW CLASS OF ORGANIC FERROELECTRICS THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CONFORMATIONAL INVERSION OF BOWL-SHAPED HETEROATOM-CENTERED TRIANGULENE COMPOUNDS (HETEROTRIANGULENES) FOR FERROELECTRIC SWITCHING. RESEARCHERS INVESTIGATE WHETHER FERROELECTRIC SWITCHING IN THE SOLID STATE IS STRONGLY CORRELATED WITH THE ENERGETICS OF MOLECULAR CONFORMATIONAL INVERSION RATHER THAN UNPREDICTABLE SUBTLETIES OF CRYSTAL PACKING, AND SUBSEQUENTLY STUDY THE TUNABILITY OF FERROELECTRIC PERFORMANCE THROUGH MOLECULAR DESIGN PRINCIPLES. THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH ESTABLISH THE FOUNDATION FOR A NEW CLASS OF FERROELECTRICS WITH THE POTENTIAL TO APPROACH THE SINGLE-MOLECULE LIMIT FOR DATA STORAGE. THIS RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED BY A DIVERSE AND CROSS-DISCIPLINARY TEAM OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS WHO RECEIVE TRAINING IN ORGANIC AND MATERIALS SYNTHESES, X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, AND DEVICE FABRICATION. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

LONG-TERM RESIDENTIAL FELLOWSHIPS AT THE FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY

LONG-TERM RESIDENTIAL FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM AT THE FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY'S TEACHING SHAKESPEARE INSTITUTE

CAREER: INVESTIGATION OF THE CELLULAR AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF CHLOROPLAST/MITOCHONDRIAL IRON EXPORT IN PLANTS -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117- 2) IRON IS A MINERAL NUTRIENT REQUIRED FOR VIRTUALLY ALL FORMS OF LIFE, INCLUDING PLANTS. HOWEVER, IRON IS TOXIC WHEN PRESENT IN EXCESS OR IMPROPERLY DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE CELL OR THE ORGANISM. TO COPE WITH SUCH PARADOX, ORGANISMS HAVE EVOLVED DELICATE STRATEGIES TO TIGHTLY CONTROL IRON. UNCOVERING THE PROCESSES OF IRON REGULATION WILL GENERATE KNOWLEDGE FUNDAMENTAL TO BIOLOGY. MEANWHILE, IRON DEFICIENCY IS A SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE THAT AFFECTS NEARLY HALF OF THE GLOBAL POPULATION. STAPLE CROPS, WHICH ARE NOT RICH SOURCES OF IRON, ARE THE MAIN DIETARY SOURCE OF IRON WORLDWIDE. THEREFORE, TO SUSTAINABLY SOLVE IRON MALNUTRITION, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTAND THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF IRON REGULATION IN PLANTS AND APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE FOR BIOFORTIFICATION, THE PROCESS OF ENHANCING NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF CROPS VIA SELECTIVE BREEDING OR GENETIC ENGINEERING. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON INVESTIGATING IRON REGULATION IN PLANT MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS, WHICH ARE SPECIALIZED INTRACELLULAR COMPARTMENTS CENTRAL TO PLANT METABOLISM AND REQUIRE HIGH LEVELS OF IRON FOR THEIR FUNCTION. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE KNOWLEDGE SIGNIFICANT FOR ITS SCIENTIFIC MERIT AND CRITICAL INSIGHTS THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO IMPROVE AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN HEALTH. FURTHERMORE, THE PROPOSED EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE AUTHENTIC RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND THE COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING NON-MAJOR BIOLOGY COURSE FOR K-12 OUTREACH WILL FOSTER THE GROWTH OF NEXT GENERATION SCIENTISTS AND SCIENCE COMMUNICATORS. MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS ARE THE SITE OF VITAL METABOLIC PROCESSES THAT REQUIRE IRON. THESE ORGANELLES ARE ALSO INVOLVED IN SENSING IRON AND INTEGRATING SIGNALS TO COORDINATE METABOLIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO CHANGES IN IRON LEVELS. MEANWHILE, IRON MUST BE TIGHTLY CONTROLLED IN THE MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS, AS THEY ARE PRONE TO DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE HIGHLY REACTIVE NATURE OF DYSREGULATED IRON UNDER AEROBIC CONDITIONS. THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES IRON REGULATION IN PLANT MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS, AND ITS IMPACT AT THE CELLULAR AND PHYSIOLOGICAL LEVELS, BY EXAMINING ARABIDOPSIS MUTANTS DEFECTIVE IN EXPORTING IRON FROM THE MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS. SPECIFICALLY, ABNORMAL MEMBRANE INVAGINATIONS DETECTED IN IRON-DEFICIENT MUTANTS DEFECTIVE IN MITOCHONDRIAL AND CHLOROPLAST IRON EXPORT WILL BE ANALYZED TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THESE STRUCTURES CONTRIBUTE TO INTERCELLULAR IRON TRANSPORT USING CELL BIOLOGY AND ADVANCED IMAGING TECHNIQUES. MEMBRANE TRAFFICKING HAS NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY STUDIED IN THE CONTEXT OF MITOCHONDRIAL AND CHLOROPLAST IRON AND WILL ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF PLANT IRON HOMEOSTASIS. THE POTENTIAL FUNCTIONAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE CHLOROPLAST/MITOCHONDRIAL IRON EXPORTER AND PROTEINS THAT SEQUESTER IRON IN CHLOROPLASTS AND MITOCHONDRIA WILL ALSO BE INVESTIGATED USING MOLECULAR GENETICS, BIOCHEMISTRY, AND PROTEOMIC APPROACHES. SUCH ANALYSES WILL PROVIDE CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE ON INTER-ORGANELLAR IRON HOMEOSTASIS IN MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS. OVERALL, THIS PROJECT INCORPORATES MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACHES AND WILL CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF PLANT IRON HOMEOSTASIS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY'S TEACHING SHAKESPEARE INSTITUTE

TEACHING SHAKESPEARE

RUI: ARITHMETIC DYNAMICS: ALGEBRAIC AND ANALYTIC -ARITHMETIC DYNAMICS IS A MATHEMATICAL FIELD BRIDGING THE INTERFACE BETWEEN NUMBER THEORY AND DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS. IT CONCERNS A BROAD RANGE OF ALGEBRAIC QUESTIONS ABOUT RATIONAL FUNCTIONS AND POLYNOMIAL EQUATIONS THAT ARISE, ALONG WITH THE MORE ANALYTIC ASPECTS OF CHAOS AND FRACTALS, IN THE ITERATION OF NONLINEAR FUNCTIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON SUBTLE OPEN PROBLEMS IN THIS RICH AREA, INCLUDING THE CONSIDERATION OF BOTH THE ALGEBRAIC AND THE ANALYTIC ASPECTS, ALONG WITH THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THEM. IN ADDITION, THE PI WILL SUPERVISE TWO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN A SUMMER RESEARCH REU EXPERIENCE, TO EXPAND THEIR MATHEMATICAL TRAINING. ANY COMPUTATIONAL DATA AND THEORETICAL RESULTS FROM ANY PART OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE SHARED VIA WEBSITES SUCH AS ARXIV.ORG, PUBLISHED IN PEER-REVIEWED MATHEMATICAL JOURNALS, OR OTHERWISE DISSEMINATED OPENLY TO THE BROADER MATHEMATICAL RESEARCH COMMUNITY. THE DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS STUDIED HERE ARE DEFINED BY REPEATEDLY COMPOSING A POLYNOMIAL OR RATIONAL FUNCTION WITH ITSELF. A WIDE RANGE OF CHAOTIC PROPERTIES ARISE UNDER SUCH ITERATIONS. THE ALGEBRAIC QUESTIONS THE PI WILL STUDY IN THIS PROJECT MAINLY CONCERN THE ACTION OF NUMBER-THEORETIC OBJECTS KNOWN AS GALOIS GROUPS ON BACKWARDS ORBITS, WHICH ARE NATURAL DYNAMICAL OBJECTS. THE ANALYTIC QUESTIONS THE PI WILL STUDY CONCERN THE VARIATION OF A RANGE OF DYNAMICAL OBJECTS (ESPECIALLY THE INTRICATE FRACTALS KNOWN AS JULIA SETS) IN A FAMILY OF SUCH DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS, WHEN WORKING OVER A SO-CALLED NON-ARCHIMEDEAN FIELD. THESE TWO SIDES OF THE PROJECT ARE TIED TOGETHER BY P-ADIC DYNAMICS, ONE OF THE PI'S MAIN AREAS OF EXPERTISE; P-ADIC NUMBER FIELDS COMPRISE A FUNDAMENTAL EXAMPLE OF NON-ARCHIMEDEAN FIELDS. ON THE ALGEBRAIC SIDE, P-ADIC DYNAMICAL FEATURES FOR DIFFERENT PRIME NUMBERS P CAN ELUCIDATE GALOIS ACTIONS. ON THE ANALYTIC SIDE, THE APPROPRIATE SETTING FOR P-ADIC AND MORE GENERAL NON-ARCHIMEDEAN DYNAMICS IS THE BERKOVICH PROJECTIVE LINE, ANOTHER OF THE PI'S AREAS OF EXPERTISE. IN BOTH CASES, THE PI'S APPLICATION OF P-ADIC DYNAMICAL TOOLS PROMISES TO PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE UNPREDICTABLE BEHAVIOR OF COMPLICATED ARITHMETIC DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

PUNISHMENT: THE AMERICAN STORY [PUNISHMENT IS AN ESSENTIAL OBJECT OF HUMANISTIC INQUIRY IN SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND IN HISTORY, CIVICS, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND LITERATURE COURSES AT THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. TEACHERS REGULARLY USE MATERIALS IN WHICH THE FACT OF PUNISHMENT, ITS PURPOSES, OR ITS FAIRNESS ARE CENTRAL ISSUES. THIS INSTITUTE WILL ADDRESS THREE QUESTIONS ABOUT PUNISHMENT THAT ARE PERENNIAL SOURCES OF LIVELY DEBATE. 1. WHAT IS PUNISHMENT AND WHY DO WE PUNISH AS WE DO? 2. WHAT CAN WE LEARN ABOUT POLITICS, LAW, AND CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES FROM AN EXAMINATION OF OUR PRACTICES OF PUNISHMENT? 3. WHAT ARE THE LIMITS OF PUNISHMENT? TOGETHER WITH THE VISITING FACULTY, WE WILL TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT FAMILIAR TEXTS AND EXPLORE NEW RESOURCES ON WHICH PARTICIPANTS MIGHT DRAW WHEN THEY TEACH ABOUT PUNISHMENT.]

SHAKESPEARE: LOVE AND INFAMY: ROMEO AND JULIET AND ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA IN CONVERSATION [THE FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY WILL HOST A THREE-WEEK RESIDENTIAL INSTITUTE FOR 25 MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS FROM JUNE 28 TO JULY 17, 2026. "SHAKESPEARE: LOVE AND INFAMY: ROMEO AND JULIET AND ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA IN CONVERSATION" WILL EXPLORE ROMEO AND JULIET, A STAPLE CLASSROOM TEXT, ALONGSIDE ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. THIS PAIRING ALLOWS TEACHERS TO DEEPEN THEIR EXPERTISE WHILE ALSO EXPERIENCING THE CHALLENGE OF ENGAGING WITH AN UNFAMILIAR TEXT, JUST AS THEIR STUDENTS DO. AT A TIME WHEN FOUNDATIONAL LITERARY SKILLS NEED RENEWED FOCUS, THE PROGRAM EMPHASIZES SHAKESPEARE?S LANGUAGE, SCHOLARSHIP, AND PERFORMANCE THROUGH THE FOLGER METHOD. PARTICIPANTS WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH SCHOLARS, MENTOR TEACHERS, PERFORMANCE EXPERTS, AND FOLGER STAFF TO GAIN HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH PRIMARY SOURCES AND PEDAGOGICAL STRATEGIES. THIS MARKS THE FOLGER?S 22ND SUMMER INSTITUTE AND FEATURES CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THREE EXPERTS BEHIND THE FOLGER GUIDE TO TEACHING ROMEO AND JULIET (2024-2025).]

TEACHING SHAKESPEARE

SHAKESPEARE AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA

EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM, ?REVOLUTION IS THE POD?: EMILY DICKINSON?S AMERICAN POETRY [THE EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM PROPOSES A LANDMARKS OF AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE WORKSHOP FOR K-12 EDUCATORS, ?REVOLUTION IS THE POD?: EMILY DICKINSON?S AMERICAN POETRY, IN SUMMER 2026. THIS WORKSHOP WILL EXAMINE DICKINSON?S POETRY IN LIGHT OF THE RHETORIC OF HER DAY, AS AMERICANS GRAPPLED WITH A NATIONAL IDENTITY ONE CENTURY ON FROM THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. THROUGH CREATIVE WRITING AND ENGAGEMENT WITH CONTEMPORARY POETS, PARTICIPANTS WILL ALSO EXPLORE HOW DICKINSON?S RULE-BREAKING, REVOLUTIONARY POETRY SPARKS THE IMAGINATIONS OF NEW GENERATIONS. THE WORKSHOP WILL CONSIST OF TWO ONE-WEEK SESSIONS FOR THIRTY-SIX TEACHERS EACH, SESSION I: JULY 19-24, 2026 AND SESSION II: JULY 26-31, 2026. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE BASED AT AMHERST COLLEGE, PARENT ORGANIZATION OF THE EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM. THE MUSEUM RECEIVED THIS GRANT PREVIOUSLY IN 2009, 2011, 2014, AND 2017, HOLDING A WORKSHOP CALLED ?EMILY DICKINSON: PERSON, POETRY, AND PLACE?.]

RATIONAL POINTS ON MODULAR CURVES, AND THE GEOMETRY OF ARITHMETIC STATISTICS -THE PROJECT WILL EXPLORE VARIOUS TOPICS WITHIN NUMBER THEORY AND ALGEBRAIC GEOMETRY. THESE ARE ANCIENT AREAS OF INQUIRY ROOTED IN VERY BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT SOLVING POLYNOMIAL EQUATIONS AND MOTIVATED BY CONCRETE APPLICATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE GREEK ASTRONOMER APOLLONIUS OF PERGA (240-190BC) DEVELOPED HIS THEORY OF CONICS AND ELLIPSES TO FACILITATE THE STUDY OF ASTRONOMY. QUESTIONS ABOUT NUMBERS AND SHAPES STILL REMAIN CENTRAL TO THE FRONTIER OF MATHEMATICAL RESEARCH, AND THIS PROJECT HAS A PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON USING MODERN TECHNICAL TOOLS TO STUDY CLASSICAL PROBLEMS. THE PROJECT INCLUDES PROBLEMS ACCESSIBLE TO UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATE STUDENTS, AND INCLUDES EFFORTS INCLUDING SUBSTANTIAL STUDENT FOCUSED CONFERENCE ORGANIZATION (SUCH AS THE ARIZONA WINTER SCHOOL). MAZUR'S TORSION AND ISOGENY THEOREMS ARE CORNERSTONES OF ARITHMETIC GEOMETRY, AND ARITHMETIC STATISTICS IS AN OLD FIELD FULL OF CLASSICAL PROBLEMS. IN RECENT YEARS BOTH AREAS HAVE ENJOYED AN INFLUX OF NEW IDEAS AND PROGRESS, ESPECIALLY VIA IDEAS FROM THE GEOMETRY OF NUMBERS, MODULI SPACES, ALGEBRAIC TOPOLOGY, COMPUTATIONAL NUMBER THEORY, AND MORE. IN PARTICULAR, THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY MAZUR'S ``PROGRAM B'', HIGHER DEGREE TORSION ON ELLIPTIC CURVES, A GENERALIZATION OF THE BATYREV--MANIN AND MALLE CONJECTURES TO STACKS (IN A SENSE, AN INTERPOLATION OF THESE CONJECTURES), AND NON-ABELIAN (AND INFINITE DEGREE) COHEN--LENSTRA HEURISTICS (AND, IN THE FUNCTION FIELD CASE, THEOREMS). EACH OF THESE SUB-PROJECTS WILL INTRODUCED NEW METHODS AND TOOLKITS/FRAMEWORKS THAT ARE EXPECTED TO BE BROADLY USEFUL, AND SUGGESTS NUMEROUS OPEN PROBLEMS AND NEW DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY'S "EARLY MODERN DIGITAL AGENDAS: ADVANCED TOPICS" INSTITUTE

SHAKESPEARE: OTHELLO AND THE TAMING OF THE SHREW IN CONVERSATION [IN SUMMER 2024, FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY IS EAGER TO BRING ONSITE 25 MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS FOR A TWO-WEEK FULLY RESIDENTIAL INSTITUTE TO TAKE PLACE JULY 7 - JULY 19, 2024. WE WILL WELCOME TEACHERS IN PERSON TO WORK IN THE FOLGER COLLECTION AS WELL AS IN NEWLY BUILT AND RENOVATED SPACES. SHAKESPEARE: OTHELLO AND THE TAMING OF THE SHREW IN CONVERSATION WILL FOCUS ON EXPLORATION OF THESE PLAYS BASED ON EXPERIENCE WITH THE POWER OF PAIRED TEXTS AND THE ILLUMINATION THAT OCCURS WHEN TEACHERS AND LEARNERS TAKE ON A DUAL EXPLORATION OF TWO STRONG TEXTS. WE EXPECT THE APPLICANT POOL TO INCLUDE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH, HISTORY, AND THE HUMANITIES. THE FOLGER HAS OFFERED 21 SUMMER INSTITUTES FOR SCHOOLTEACHERS; THESE PROGRAMS HAVE CHANGED THROUGH TIME, GROWING STRONGER BASED ON PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK AND FOLGER?S CAPACITY TO OFFER AS FULL AN EXPERIENCE AS POSSIBLE. IN 2024, TEACHERS WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NEW AND BROADLY EXPANDED EXHIBITS AND UPDATED SERVICES FOR RESEARCHERS.]

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY'S "EARLY MODERN DIGITAL AGENDAS: NETWORK ANALYSIS (EMDA2017)" INSTITUTE

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED TOPICS IN THE DIGITAL HUMANITIES: "EARLY MODERN DIGITAL AGENDAS"

PUNISHMENT: THE AMERICAN STORY

LEAPS-MPS: INTEGRABLE SYSTEMS AND HAMILTONIAN TORUS ACTIONS IN SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY -SYMMETRIES PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN UNDERSTANDING ANY COMPLEX SYSTEM, AND THIS PROJECT WILL FURTHER THE UNDERSTANDING OF SYMMETRIES IN A FIELD OF MATHEMATICS CALLED SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY. TIE A BALL TO A STRING, HOLD THE STRING UP, AND GIVE THE BALL A PUSH. CAN YOU PREDICT HOW THE BALL WILL SWING? THOUGH IT HAS NOW EXTENDED FAR BEYOND ITS ROOTS, SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY WAS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED TO STUDY CLASSICAL DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS, SUCH AS THIS PENDULUM. TO PREDICT ITS MOTION, IT IS USEFUL TO NOTICE THAT WHILE THE POSITION AND VELOCITY OF THE PENDULUM CHANGE OVER TIME, THE VALUES OF BOTH THE TOTAL ENERGY AND THE ANGULAR MOMENTUM STAY CONSTANT. THIS CONCEPT CAN BE EXTENDED BEYOND THIS SPECIFIC EXAMPLE TO A BROAD CLASS OF SYSTEMS CALLED INTEGRABLE, WHICH ARE THE FOCUS OF THIS PROJECT. ROUGHLY SPEAKING, A SYSTEM IS INTEGRABLE IF IT POSSESSES A LARGE NUMBER OF QUANTITIES WHICH DO NOT CHANGE AS THE SYSTEM EVOLVES. THESE CONSERVED QUANTITIES REFLECT SYMMETRIES OF THE SYSTEM AND MAKE THE DYNAMICS EASIER TO UNDERSTAND. THE PI WILL INVESTIGATE THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY, SYMMETRIES, AND INTEGRABLE SYSTEMS. THIS PROJECT NATURALLY INTERACTS WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES, SUCH AS PHYSICS, CONTROL THEORY, AND COMPUTER MODELING. SURPRISINGLY, SUFFICIENTLY SYMMETRIC INTEGRABLE SYSTEMS, THOUGH COMPLEX, CAN OFTEN BE DESCRIBED BY RELATIVELY SIMPLE OBJECTS, SUCH AS POLYGONS. STUDYING THESE OBJECTS OPENS UP MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECTS, WHICH THE PI WILL SUPPORT AND MENTOR, PROVIDING HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IN MATHEMATICAL RESEARCH TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS. FURTHERMORE, UNDERSTANDING CONSERVED QUANTITIES IN DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS HAS A VARIETY OF APPLICATIONS, ESPECIALLY RELATED TO CREATING ACCURATE AND ROBUST COMPUTER MODELS, WHICH IS A USEFUL APPLICATION IN ITS OWN RIGHT, AND IN TURN OPENS UP EVEN MORE EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH. THE SYMMETRIES DISCUSSED ABOVE ARE MODELED BY HAMILTONIAN GROUP ACTIONS, AND THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN HAMILTONIAN TORUS ACTIONS AND INTEGRABLE SYSTEMS. ON A SYMPLECTIC MANIFOLD OF DIMENSION 2N, AN INTEGRABLE SYSTEM IS THE DATA OF AN INDEPENDENT SMOOTH FUNCTIONS WHICH ARE PAIRWISE POISSON-COMMUTING. ON THE OTHER HAND, A HAMILTONIAN ACTION OF A K-DIMENSIONAL TORUS IS GENERATED BY K SUCH FUNCTIONS, AND THE ACTION IS SAID TO BE COMPLEXITY-ONE IF K IS ONE LESS THAN N. THUS, A COMPLEXITY-ONE TORUS ACTION IS ONLY ONE FUNCTION SHORT OF BEING AN INTEGRABLE SYSTEM. THIS RESEARCH IS CENTERED AROUND INTEGRABLE SYSTEMS WHERE THE FIRST N-1 FUNCTIONS GENERATE A COMPLEXITY-ONE TORUS ACTION, WHICH STRIKE A DELICATE BALANCE: THEY ARE RIGID ENOUGH TO ADMIT POWERFUL INVARIANTS, YET FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO APPEAR IN MANY EXAMPLES. THE PROJECT HAS FOUR MAIN GOALS: (1) DETERMINE CONDITIONS ON WHEN A COMPLEXITY-ONE TORUS ACTION CAN BE EXTENDED TO AN INTEGRABLE SYSTEM OF A CERTAIN CLASS BY CONSTRUCTING ONE ADDITIONAL FUNCTION; (2) DEVELOP NEW INVARIANTS OF INTEGRABLE SYSTEMS AND USE THESE INVARIANTS TO OBTAIN CLASSIFICATIONS; (3) CONSTRUCT NEW EXAMPLES OF INTEGRABLE SYSTEMS WITH DESIRED PROPERTIES BY DEFORMING WELL-UNDERSTOOD SYSTEMS, TYPICALLY WHILE PRESERVING AN UNDERLYING COMPLEXITY-ONE ACTION; (4) APPLY RESULTS TO QUESTIONS RELATED TO HAMILTONIAN DISPLACEABILITY, SYMPLECTIC CAPACITIES, AND FLOER THEORY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: TIMESCALES AND DRIVERS OF FLOODPLAIN DISEQUILIBRIUM AT CLIMATIC TRANSITIONS -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). RIVERS AND FLOODPLAINS SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCE THE LANDSCAPES AND ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH WHICH THEY PASS. THESE SYSTEMS EXHIBIT A RANGE OF FORMS AND CHARACTERISTICS (MORPHOLOGIES) CONTROLLED BY A BALANCE BETWEEN THE AVAILABILITY OF UNCONSOLIDATED ROCK (SEDIMENT) AND THE RIVER?S CAPACITY TO TRANSPORT THAT SEDIMENT. AS CLIMATE EXERTS A MAJOR CONTROL ON THESE VARIABLES, FLOODPLAIN MORPHOLOGIES ARE EXPECTED TO UNDERGO MAJOR CHANGES AS EARTH?S CLIMATE WARMS. UNDER A WARMING CLIMATE, SEDIMENT SUPPLY OFTEN DECLINES RELATIVE TO TRANSPORT CAPACITY AND NARROWING FLOODPLAINS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY VERTICAL CUTTING THROUGH OLDER DEPOSITS CREATING STAIR-STEPPED LANDSCAPE FEATURES CALLED RIVER TERRACES. THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO DEEPEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW FLOODPLAINS HAVE RESPONDED TO DIFFERENT MAGNITUDES AND TIMESCALES OF CLIMATIC CHANGES IN THE PAST TO ENHANCE OUR ABILITY TO PREDICT THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY WILL CHANGE IN THE FUTURE. THIS GOAL WILL BE ACHIEVED BY DETERMINING THE TIMING OF RIVER TERRACE FORMATION AND COMPARING IT TO KNOWN CLIMATE SHIFTS THROUGHOUT EARTH?S RECENT GEOLOGICAL PAST. THE PROJECT ALSO SUPPORTS A SUMMER WORKSHOP ON LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ACCESSIBLE UNDERGRADUATE VIRTUAL FIELD PROJECT ON TERRACE FORMATION, AND THE FACILITATION OF A COMMUNITY FIELD WORKSHOP TO SHARE PROJECT RESULTS. SPECIFIC RESEARCH QUESTIONS INCLUDE: (1) WHAT DURATION AND INTENSITY OF CLIMATIC CHANGE IS REQUIRED TO DRIVE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO FLOODPLAIN MORPHOLOGY? (2) HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR FLOODPLAINS TO ESTABLISH NEW, STABLE MORPHOLOGIES AFTER SIGNIFICANT CLIMATE-DRIVEN CHANGES? (3) TO WHAT EXTENT DO NON-CLIMATIC MECHANISMS COUNTER OR ENHANCE CLIMATIC CONTROLS ON FLOODPLAIN PROCESSES? THESE QUESTIONS WILL BE ADDRESSED BY RESOLVING THE TIMING OF ~14,000 YEARS OF FLOODPLAIN AGGRADATION AND DEGRADATION PRESERVED IN RIVER TERRACES IN EASTERN SCOTLAND AND COMPARING THEM AGAINST THE TIMING OF MAJOR AND MINOR CLIMATIC TRANSITIONS AND GLACIATIONS. EASTERN SCOTLAND IS AN IDEAL LOCATION TO UNDERTAKE THIS WORK BECAUSE IT IS TECTONICALLY INACTIVE, HAS AN EXCELLENT CLIMATE CHRONOLOGY, HAS UNDERGONE BOTH CONTINENTAL ICE SHEET AND ALPINE GLACIATION, AND CONTAINS RIVER TERRACE SUCCESSIONS. THE TERRACE CHRONOLOGY WILL BE DEVELOPED USING RADIOCARBON, OPTICALLY STIMULATED LUMINESCENCE, AND COSMOGENIC NUCLIDE EXPOSURE DATING. A COMPARISON OF THE TIMING AND DURATION OF RIVER MORPHOLOGY CHANGES BETWEEN FIELD SITES WITH THE SAME CLIMATIC AND GLACIAL HISTORY, BUT WITH DIFFERENT CATCHMENT PROPERTIES, WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE HOW NON-CLIMATIC VARIABLES INFLUENCE AGGRADATION AND DEGRADATION CYCLES. THE RESEARCH WILL ALSO ADDRESS THE ROLE OF PRIOR GLACIAL EROSION ON INFLUENCING FLOODPLAIN MORPHOLOGY AND MODERN SEDIMENT ROUTING. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

CROSSTALK: DC REFLECTS ON IDENTITY AND DIFFERENCE

A PREDICTION ALGORITHM FOR OPTIMAL NUMBER OF OOCYTES TO FERTILIZE DURING IN VITRO FERTILIZATION TREATMENT - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF) TREATMENT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY MORE COMMON AND SUCCESSFUL OVER THE LAST DECADE. EXTRA FROZEN EMBRYOS (EMBRYOS THAT COUPLES DO NOT USE RIGHT AWAY, BUT CONTINUE TO STORE) POSE AN EMOTIONAL AND FINANCIAL DILEMMA TO PATIENTS. THE EXTRA EMBRYOS ALSO LEAD TO A LOGISTICAL AND FINANCIAL DILEMMA FOR CLINICS. ONE STRATEGY TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF EXTRA EMBRYOS IN STORAGE IS TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF EMBRYOS CREATED IN THE FIRST PLACE. HOWEVER, THERE CURRENTLY IS NO VALIDATED METHOD TO DETERMINE HOW MANY EGGS SHOULD BE FERTILIZED DURING IN VITRO FERTILIZATION TREATMENT SUCH THAT ENOUGH EMBRYOS ARE FORMED TO HAVE THE DESIRED NUMBER OF CHILDREN WHILE MINIMIZING THE NUMBER OF EXTRA EMBRYOS. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP A PREDICTION TOOL TO AID CLINICIANS AND PATIENTS IN DECIDING HOW MANY EGGS SHOULD BE FERTILIZED DURING IVF. IN SPECIFIC AIM 1, WE WILL DEVELOP AN ALGORITHM USING EXISTING DATA FROM THE NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY CLINICAL OUTCOME REPORTING SYSTEM (SART CORS) DATABASE. WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP TWO SEPARATE MODELS, ONE TO PREDICT THE NUMBER OF EMBRYOS THAT WILL NEED TO BE TRANSFERRED TO YIELD ONE LIVE BIRTH AND THE SECOND TO PREDICT THE PROPORTION OF FERTILIZED EGGS THAT WILL YIELD TRANSFERRABLE EMBRYOS. BOTH MODELS WILL CONSIDER PATIENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND PRE-RETRIEVAL CYCLE CHARACTERISTICS AS POSSIBLE PREDICTORS. THE FINAL ALGORITHM WILL INVOLVE A FUNCTION OF THE RATIO OF THE TWO PREDICTIONS. IN SPECIFIC AIM 2, WE WILL SURVEY IVF PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS TO ASSESS THEIR INTEREST AND PERSPECTIVE IN UTILIZING THE PREDICTION TOOL. SURVEY RESPONSES WILL HELP ELUCIDATE POSSIBLE BARRIERS TO UTILIZATION, INFORMING US ON HOW BEST TO EDUCATE PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS ON THE VALUE OF THE PREDICTION TOOL. THIS PROPOSAL IS OF HIGH IMPORTANCE BECAUSE IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE THE WAY IVF IS CONDUCTED, THUS LIMITING THE NUMBER OF EGGS THAT ARE FERTILIZED AND CREATING LESS EMBRYOS. HAVING LESS EMBRYOS WILL MINIMIZE THE EMOTIONAL, FINANCIAL, AND LOGISTICAL TOLLS THAT EXTRA EMBRYOS POSE TO PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS. WITH SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE PROPOSED AIMS, WE WILL HAVE A TOOL THAT CAN HELP PROMOTE SAFER, EFFECTIVE, MORE RESPONSIBLE CARE FOR IVF PATIENTS.

THE EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM WILL IMPROVE COLLECTIONS DOCUMENTATION BY DIGITIZING INSTITUTIONAL RECORDS RELATED TO ITS APPROXIMATELY 8,000 ARTIFACTS PERTAINING TO THE FAMILY OF AMERICAN POET EMILY DICKINSON. MUSEUM STAFF WILL SCAN PHYSICAL RECORDS AND UPLOAD AND MANAGE THE DIGITIZED FILES IN THEIR DIGITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. PROJECT STAFF WILL ALSO TRAVEL TO OTHER REPOSITORIES OF DICKINSON-RELATED ARCHIVAL INFORMATION AND, WITH STAFF FROM THOSE PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS, CONDUCT SURVEYS OF PRIMARY SOURCES RELATED TO COLLECTIONS OBJECTS. THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN MORE COMPLETE COLLECTIONS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT, ENABLING THE MUSEUM TO INTERPRET THE POET’S LIFE AND TIMES MORE FULLY, AND PROVIDE PUBLIC AND SCHOLARLY ACCESS TO AN IMPORTANT CULTURAL COLLECTION.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RESOLVING CONFLICTING THERMOBAROMETRY AND STRATIGRAPHY IN THE TETHYAN HIMALAYA: IS NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE DURING OROGENESIS PRESERVED AT CRUSTAL SCALES? -METAMORPHIC ROCKS EXPOSED IN MOUNTAIN BELTS RECORD CRUSTAL BURIAL AND HEATING DURING MOUNTAIN BUILDING. THE METAMORPHIC PRESSURES RECORDED BY EXHUMED ROCKS ARE COMMONLY ASSUMED TO REFLECT THEIR BURIAL DEPTH. SUCH PRESSURES ARE IN TURN USED TO RECONSTRUCT THE EVOLUTION OF MOUNTAIN BELTS AND REFINE OUR KNOWLEDGE OF FUNDAMENTAL PLATE-TECTONIC PROCESSES. HOWEVER, RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST THAT SOME ROCKS RECORD PRESSURES THAT DO NOT REFLECT THEIR TRUE BURIAL DEPTHS (I.E., ?NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE?), THUS POTENTIALLY COMPLICATING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MOUNTAIN BUILDING EVENTS. THE TETHYAN HIMALAYA IN NORTHWESTERN INDIA IS A UNIQUE LOCATION TO TEST THE CONTROVERSIAL CONCEPT OF NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE BECAUSE PREVIOUS STRUCTURAL, SEDIMENTOLOGICAL, AND PALEONTOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS REGARDING BURIAL DEPTHS CONFLICT WITH RECORDED METAMORPHIC PRESSURES. THE PRESERVATION OF NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE IN THE TETHYAN HIMALAYA WILL BE TESTED VIA AN INTEGRATED FIELD AND LABORATORY STUDY TO REVEAL THE GEOMETRIC, TEMPERATURE, AND PRESSURE RELATIONSHIPS AND ASSESS THE VIABILITY OF NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE CONDITIONS RECORDED IN THE HIMALAYAN OROGEN. THIS PROJECT SERVES NATIONAL INTERESTS BY: (1) MAKING FUNDAMENTAL ADVANCES IN SCIENCE THROUGH TESTING AND CHALLENGING THE ?LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE? PARADIGM IN THE EARTH SCIENCES; (2) TRAINING GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN STEM; (3) SUPPORTING THREE EARLY-CAREER FACULTY TO ESTABLISH GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS; (4) INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION WITH RESEARCHERS AND INSTITUTIONS; AND (5) DEVELOPMENT OF A PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE FIELD-TRIP GUIDE THAT WILL EXPLORE THE GEOLOGY OF THE HIMALAYA OF NORTHWESTERN INDIA AND FOCUS ON HOW SCIENTIFIC INTERPRETATIONS EVOLVE WITH NEW OBSERVATIONS. WHETHER PRESSURES RECORDED BY METAMORPHIC ROCKS ACCURATELY REFLECT BURIAL DEPTHS OR CAN REPRESENT NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE CONDITIONS?SO CALLED TECTONIC OVERPRESSURE?IS CONTROVERSIAL. NUMERICAL MODELS AND THEORY SUGGEST THAT NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE, AND EVEN LIKELY IN SEVERAL TECTONIC SETTINGS, BUT DIRECT, UNAMBIGUOUS OBSERVATIONS OF THIS PHENOMENON ARE RARE. THE RESEARCH TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED A UNIQUE STUDY SITE IN THE WESTERN HIMALAYA WHERE DECADES OF SEDIMENTOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE TETHYAN STRATIGRAPHIC SECTION ARE INCONSISTENT WITH METAMORPHIC PRESSURE ESTIMATES FROM BASAL STRATA THAT IMPLY ~28+ KM BURIAL. EXISTING KINEMATIC MODELS FROM FIELD STUDIES DO NOT SUGGEST SUCH BURIAL DEPTHS OF THE SECTION, AND THUS THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN PRESSURE ESTIMATES AND PALINSPASTIC RECONSTRUCTIONS REQUIRES MORE SYSTEMATIC INVESTIGATION. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT METAMORPHIC PRESSURES FROM THE BASAL TETHYAN STRATA REFLECT NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE CONDITIONS AT THE REGIONAL SCALE (10?S OF KM). THIS WILL BE TESTED VIA A SYSTEMATIC RESEARCH PLAN INVOLVING GEOLOGIC MAPPING, QUANTITATIVE MICROSTRUCTURAL ANALYSIS, METAMORPHIC THERMOBAROMETRY AND PETROCHRONOLOGY, DETRITAL ZIRCON GEOCHRONOLOGY, AND LOW-TEMPERATURE THERMOCHRONOLOGY. WHETHER OR NOT NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE IS PRESERVED IN THE GEOLOGICAL RECORD, AND THE LENGTH-SCALES OVER WHICH IT IS PRESERVED, HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE GEOSCIENCE COMMUNITY AS AN IMPORTANT RESEARCH GOAL IN THE FIELD OF TECTONICS. EMPIRICAL SUPPORT OF REGIONAL-SCALE, NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURES WOULD REQUIRE A PARADIGM SHIFT IN METAMORPHIC PETROLOGY AND TECTONICS, WITH PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE EVOLUTION OF FAULT ZONES, OROGENS, AND PLATE-SCALE DYNAMICS. IF THE RESEARCH FINDS THAT NON-LITHOSTATIC PRESSURE IS NOT REQUIRED TO EXPLAIN THE GEOLOGICAL DISCREPANCIES IN THE WESTERN TETHYAN HIMALAYA, THIS STUDY WILL STILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT GEOLOGIC RELATIONSHIPS TO EVALUATE AND ADVANCE MODELS OF HIMALAYAN TECTONICS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

IAPI OAYE - UNLOCKING A HIDDEN HISTORY OF DAKOTA LANGUAGE AND CULTURE WITHIN THE WORD CARRIER [THIS PROJECT WILL TRANSLATE AND ANNOTATE ISSUES FROM THE DAKOTA-LANGUAGE HISTORICAL NEWSPAPER: IAPI OAYE: THE WORD CARRIER (1871-1939), THE LONGEST RUNNING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. THE NEWSPAPER OFFERS RARE AND IMPORTANT INSIGHTS INTO DAKOTA CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC SURVIVAL, AS WELL AS ENCOUNTERS WITH SETTLERS AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AT A TIME OF IMMENSE CHALLENGE AND CHANGE. THROUGH AN OPEN-ACCESS WEBSITE AND PRINT VOLUME OF ANNOTATED TRANSLATIONS AND HISTORICAL AND LITERARY SCHOLARSHIP, THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE NEW ACCESS TO THE HISTORY OF WESTWARD EXPANSION AS VIEWED THROUGH THE MULTIPLE LENSES OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES, EDUCATORS, DAKOTA WRITERS, AND THE WIDER COMMUNITIES IN WHICH THEY WERE ENMESHED.]

INTEGRATING SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE OBSERVATIONS TO UNDERSTAND GLACIER SLIDING IN WEST ANTARCTICA

SHAKESPEARE IN HIS WORLD--AND OURS

SHAKESPEARE AND THE PROBLEM OF BIOGRAPHY: A CONFERENCE

THE EMILY DICKENSON MUSEUM WILL CONCEPTUALIZE, PILOT, AND DESIGN INTERPRETIVE ENHANCEMENTS TO THE HOMESTEAD, EMILY DICKINSON’S HOME AND THE SITE OF HER CREATIVE OUTPUT. INFORMED BY ITS RECENT COMPREHENSIVE INTERPRETATION PLAN, THE MUSEUM WILL EXPAND ITS NARRATIVE TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE AND WELCOMING FOR ALL VISITORS. ENHANCEMENTS WILL INCLUDE VIGNETTES EXPLORING THE POET’S DAILY LIFE, POETRY THROUGH IMMERSIVE MEDIA, SUBTLE SOUNDSCAPES, AND PROJECTION MAPPING. MUSEUM STAFF WILL CONTRACT WITH AN EXHIBITION AND MULTI-MEDIA DESIGN FIRM AND ACCESSIBILITY SPECIALIST TO PRODUCE FULL SCHEMATIC DESIGNS AND WRITTEN NARRATIVES FOR INTERPRETIVE ELEMENTS. IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY AND HIGHLIGHTING STORIES OF DOMESTIC LABOR AT THE HOMESTEAD WILL BENEFIT ALL VISITORS TO THE SITE AND ENCOURAGE NEW AUDIENCES INCLUDING STUDENTS, LGBTQIA+, AND CONTEMPORARY CREATIVES, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS SEEKING INSPIRATION.

EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM COMPREHENSIVE INTERPRETIVE PLANNING

CONFERENCE: ON POISSON GEOMETRY -THIS AWARD PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR THE NINTH POISSON GEOMETRY CONFERENCE TO BE HELD AT AMHERST COLLEGE ON MARCH 16-23, 2023. THIS CONFERENCE SERIES CONSISTS OF REGULAR MEETINGS IN NORTH AMERICA OF MATHEMATICIANS INTERESTED IN POISSON GEOMETRY AND ITS APPLICATIONS, ATTRACTING LEADING EXPERTS AND YOUNG RESEARCHERS ALIKE. THE AIM OF THE SERIES IS TO PROMOTE INTERACTION BETWEEN MATHEMATICIANS INSPIRED BY PROBLEMS ARISING IN PHYSICS, AND PHYSICISTS SEARCHING FOR NEW MATHEMATICAL TOOLS. THE MEETINGS ALSO SERVE AS A UNIQUE FORUM FOR JUNIOR MATHEMATICIANS FROM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES TO LEARN ABOUT CUTTING EDGE DEVELOPMENTS IN POISSON GEOMETRY AND TO DISSEMINATE THEIR OWN RESEARCH RESULTS IN THE FIELD. POISSON GEOMETRY ORIGINATED AS THE MATHEMATICAL FORMULATION OF CLASSICAL MECHANICS AS THE SEMICLASSICAL LIMIT OF QUANTUM MECHANICS. ITS HISTORY BEGAN WITH CLASSICAL WORK BY POISSON, HAMILTON, JACOBI, AND LIE, DEVELOPING INTO A SEPARATE FIELD IN ITS OWN RIGHT AROUND 1980 VIA THE WORK OF LICHNEROWICZ AND WEINSTEIN. TODAY, POISSON GEOMETRY INFLUENCES AND IS INFLUENCED BY MANY ADJACENT AREAS OF MATHEMATICS, INCLUDING SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY, GENERALIZED COMPLEX GEOMETRY, LIE ALGEBROIDS AND LIE GROUPOIDS, GEOMETRIC MECHANICS, CLUSTER ALGEBRAS, INTEGRABLE SYSTEMS, QUANTIZATION, NON-COMMUTATIVE GEOMETRY, STRATIFICATION THEORY, AND THE GEOMETRY OF SINGULAR SYMPLECTIC AND POISSON STRUCTURES. THE ANNUAL WORKSHOPS PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR MEMBERS OF VARIOUS GROUPS WORKING ON RELATED AREAS FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES TO EXCHANGE NEW IDEAS AND STIMULATE COLLABORATION. THE GOAL OF EACH WORKSHOP IS TO ADDRESS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF THE SUBJECT. MORE INFORMATION IS FOUND AT THE CONFERENCE WEBSITE: HTTPS://WWW.AMHERST.EDU/ACADEMICLIFE/DEPARTMENTS/MATHEMATICS-STATISTICS/NEWS/GONE-FISHING. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

TO SUPPORT THE FOLGER THEATRE'S PRODUCTION OF "HENRY VIII" DIRECTED BY ROBERT RICHMOND.

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT THE FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARYS DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION OF DC I LOVE YOU A SERIES OF SITE-SPECIFIC PERFORMANCES CREATED WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

TO SUPPORT THE FOLGER THEATRE'S WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTION OF A NEW TRANSLATION OF "CYRANO DE BERGERAC" BY EDMOND ROSTAND TRANSLATED AND ADAPTED BY MI

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CONFERENCE: NEW ENGLAND ALGEBRAIC TOPOLOGY AND MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS SEMINAR (NEAT MAPS) -THE NEW ENGLAND ALGEBRAIC TOPOLOGY AND MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS SEMINAR (NEAT MAPS) IS A SERIES OF SHORT CONFERENCES DESIGNED TO BRING TOGETHER RESEARCHERS IN TOPOLOGY, MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS AND RELATED SUBJECTS WORKING WITHIN NEW ENGLAND AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. THIS AWARD PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR TWO CONFERENCE MEETINGS, THAT WILL TAKE PLACE AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY, NOVEMBER 11-12, 2023, AND AMHERST COLLEGE, APRIL 6-7, 2024. THE GOAL OF THESE EVENTS IS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EXPANDING DISCOURSE BETWEEN THE RESEARCH AREAS OF MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS, PARTICULARLY QUANTUM FIELD THEORY, AND ALGEBRAIC TOPOLOGY IN THE CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT. THE CONFERENCES WILL PROVIDE A VENUE FOR MATHEMATICIANS IN DIFFERENT SUBFIELDS AND DIFFERENT CAREER STAGES TO COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS CURRENT TRENDS IN THESE RESEARCH AREAS AND FOSTER AN INTELLECTUAL COMMUNITY ACROSS INSTITUTIONS. PARTICIPANTS WILL INCLUDE LEADING RESEARCHERS AS WELL AS GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POST-DOCTORAL SCHOLARS. RESEARCHERS WITH EXPERTISE SPANNING A COMBINATION OF THE FIELDS OF ALGEBRAIC TOPOLOGY AND MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS HAVE BEEN MAKING SUBSTANTIAL ADVANCES IN A RANGE OF AREAS OVER THE LAST DECADE, PARTICULARLY BY EXPORTING AND IMPORTING TECHNIQUES ACROSS AND BETWEEN THESE DISCIPLINES. THIS MINI-CONFERENCE SERIES WILL PRESENT LECTURES FROM LOCAL EXPERTS IN NEW ENGLAND ADDRESSING THESE NEW DEVELOPMENTS, INCLUDING, FOR INSTANCE, THE THEORY OF FACTORIZATION ALGEBRAS, FACTORIZATION HOMOLOGY, AND THE THEORY OF CONFIGURATION SPACES; FUNCTORIAL TQFT AND HIGHER CATEGORICAL TECHNIQUES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS TO KNOT AND MANIFOLD INVARIANTS; GEOMETRIC REPRESENTATION THEORY, INCLUDING VERSIONS OF THE GEOMETRIC LANGLANDS CORRESPONDENCE AS IT RELATES TO FOUR-DIMENSIONAL SUPERSYMMETRIC GAUGE THEORY; LOW DIMENSIONAL TOPOLOGY AND OPERADIC ALGEBRA; CHARACTERISTIC CLASSES OF MANIFOLD BUNDLES AND GAUGE THEORIES; POISSON-SIGMA MODELS AND THE INTEGRABILITY PROBLEM FOR LIE ALGEBROIDS. MORE INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE CONFERENCE WEBSITE: HTTPS://BRIANRWILLIAMS.GITHUB.IO/NEATMAPS/. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

LEAPS-MPS: UNCOVERING AND EXPLOITING MULTISCALE STRUCTURES IN BIG DATA USING DIFFUSION-BASED REPRESENTATION AND OPTIMAL SAMPLING

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EQUIPMENT: ACQUISITION OF A CONFOCAL MICRO-RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY SYSTEM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AND AMHERST COLLEGE -THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT THE ACQUISITION OF A CONFOCAL RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY SYSTEM FOR RESEARCH AND TEACHING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, AMHERST COLLEGE, AND FIVE-COLLEGE COMMUNITY. RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY INVOLVES THE MEASUREMENT OF THE SLIGHT ENERGY SHIFTS THAT RESULT WHEN A LASER IS FOCUSED ON A MINERAL OR FLUID TARGET SAMPLE. THE MAGNITUDE AND INTENSITY OF THESE ENERGY SHIFTS CONTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THE IDENTITY, COMPOSITION, OR DISTORTION OF THE TARGET SAMPLE. THE NEW RAMAN SYSTEM ? WHICH WILL BE HOUSED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS - WILL BE USED BY FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND RESEARCHERS TO IDENTIFY AND CHARACTERIZE MINERALS AND FLUIDS IN ROCKS. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST ARE EXTREMELY SMALL MINERALS AND FLUID ?BUBBLES? THAT HAVE BEEN TRAPPED IN LARGER MINERAL GRAINS. THESE TINY MINERAL AND FLUID INCLUSIONS CAN BE DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY BY OTHER TECHNIQUES, AND CAN BE USED TO CONSTRAIN THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE HOST ROCKS, IN TURN PROVIDING INSIGHT INTO LARGE-SCALE EARTH PROCESSES. THE RAMAN SYSTEM WILL AID RESEARCHERS AT UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AND AMHERST COLLEGE IN INVESTIGATING: THE EVOLUTION OF MOUNTAIN BELTS, THE ORIGINS OF CRITICAL MINERAL DEPOSITS, HOW MAGMA IS GENERATED UNDER VOLCANOES AND WHERE IN THE CRUST THIS MAGMA IS STORED, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNIQUES TO DATE ROCKS. THE NEW SYSTEM WILL ALSO BE INCORPORATED INTO UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE CLASSES, PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH HANDS-ON RESEARCH AND DATA-ANALYSIS EXPERIENCE. THE RAMAN SYSTEM WILL ALSO SERVE AS A COMPONENT OF OUR OUTREACH ACTIVITIES, ALLOWING FACULTY AND STUDENTS TO HOLD DEMONSTRATIONS THAT SHOWCASE MINERAL IDENTIFICATION AND MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION FOR K-12 STUDENTS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. THIS ACQUISITION OF THE RAMAN SYSTEM IS MOTIVATED BY THREE IMMEDIATE RESEARCH AVENUES AND ONE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: (1) IDENTIFICATION OF MINERAL INCLUSIONS AND INCLUSION ASSEMBLAGES IN METAMORPHIC PORPHYROBLASTS; (2) CHARACTERIZATION OF METAMORPHIC PRESSURES (AND TEMPERATURES) USING ELASTIC THERMOBAROMETRY; (3) QUANTIFICATION OF CO2 IN IGNEOUS MELT INCLUSIONS; AND (4) DEVELOPMENT OF ALPHA-DAMAGE IN ZIRCON THERMOCHRONOMETER. THE FIRST THREE PROJECTS WILL CONTRIBUTE CRITICAL DATA AND OPEN NEW RESEARCH AVENUES FOR ACTIVE (FUNDED) RESEARCH PROJECTS. THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MAY PROVIDE A NEW HIGH-TEMPERATURE THERMOCHRONOMETER TO COMPLEMENT 40AR/39AR BASED SYSTEMS. THE RAMAN SYSTEM WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE FOR A WIDE RANGE OF RESEARCH PROJECTS FROM FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE FIVE-COLLEGE COMMUNITY. THE NEW SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE EFFICIENT MINERAL IDENTIFICATION DOWN TO SMALL GRAIN/SPOT SIZES (CA. 1 MICROMETER). IT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY MINERAL INCLUSIONS EVEN WHEN SUCH INCLUSIONS ARE NOT EXPOSED AT THE SURFACE OF THE HOST MINERAL. IT IS ONE OF THE FEW TECHNIQUES FOR IDENTIFICATION AND QUANTIFICATION OF VOLATILE SPECIES (IN-SITU) IN VAPOR BUBBLES WITHIN MELT INCLUSIONS. RECENTLY, RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY HAS BEEN USED TO QUANTIFY THE STRESS STATE IN MINERAL LATTICES, WHICH HAS GIVEN RISE TO RAPIDLY EXPANDING RAMAN BAROMETRY APPLICATIONS. FOR THE RESEARCH APPLICATIONS (ABOVE) AND FOR MANY OTHERS, RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY PROVIDES DATA THAT CANNOT BE OBTAINED BY OTHER MEANS. THE NEW RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY SYSTEM WILL ALSO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON TEACHING AND STUDENT RESEARCH AT UMASS, AMHERST COLLEGE, AND IN THE FIVE COLLEGE COMMUNITY. THE PIS WILL DEVELOP RAMAN-BASED LEARNING ACTIVITIES INTO THEIR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY COURSES. BECAUSE OF THE EASE OF TRAINING AND USE, AND OUR LARGE ARCHIVE OF RESEARCH SAMPLES, WE SUSPECT THE RAMAN SYSTEM MAY BE PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE FOR INVOLVING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN ACTIVE, HIGH-IMPACT RESEARCH PROJECTS AS A PRECURSOR TO SENIOR THESES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

TO SUPPORT THE WORLD PREMIERE OF "ORESTES: A TRAGIC ROMP," ADAPTED BY ANNE WASHBURN FROM THE PLAY BY EURIPIDES IN CONSORTIUM WITH TWO RIVER THEATER C

CONFERENCE: INTERACTIONS OF POISSON GEOMETRY, LIE THEORY AND SYMMETRY -THE AWARD WILL SUPPORT US BASED PARTICIPANTS TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE ENTITLED INTERACTIONS OF POISSON GEOMETRY, LIE THEORY AND SYMMETRY WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE WEEK OF JUNE 30?JULY 4, 2025 AT THE INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TECNICO (IST) IN LISBON, PORTUGAL. THE MAIN SCIENTIFIC GOAL OF THIS CONFERENCE IS TO BRING THE EXPERTS IN POISSON GEOMETRY, LIE THEORY AND THEIR APPLICATIONS TO THE STUDY OF SYMMETRY, AS WELL AS NEARBY DOMAINS, TOGETHER TO PRESENT THE SIGNIFICANT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN EACH AREA, AND DISCUSS THE OPEN PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES IN EACH FIELD, AND CREATE A FORUM FOR RESEARCHERS TO INTERACT AND COLLABORATE. SUCH A UNIQUE WEEK-LONG CONFERENCE WILL HELP TO IDENTIFY AND PROMOTE PROMISING NEW RESEARCH DIRECTIONS, AND TO IMMERSE GRADUATE STUDENTS AND JUNIOR RESEARCHERS IN THE MOST CURRENT RESEARCH IN THE FIELDS. POISSON GEOMETRY AND LIE THEORY ARE RELATED BRANCHES OF DIFFERENTIAL GEOMETRY, WHICH ARE BOTH ROOTED DEEPLY IN MATHEMATICAL FORMULATION OF CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, AND THE STUDY OF SYMMETRY IN PHYSICS. IN THE LAST 50 YEARS, THESE AREAS EXPERIENCED A GOLDEN PERIOD OF ACCELERATED GROWTH WITH MANY MILESTONE RESULTS, E.G. SOLUTIONS OF THE ARNOLD CONJECTURE, MATHEMATICAL ASPECTS OF THE MIRROR SYMMETRY, KONTSEVICH?S FORMALITY THEOREM, ETC. THIS CONFERENCE PROVIDES A PLATFORM FOR RESEARCHERS FROM THESE AREAS AND NEARBY DOMAINS TO LEARN THE MOST RECENT ADVANCES IN POISSON GEOMETRY, LIE THEORY AND SYMMETRY, TO IDENTIFY PROMISING NEW DIRECTIONS, AND TO HELP BRING GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCS UP TO SPEED WITH THE CURRENT FRONTIER OF THE FIELDS. THE CONFERENCE WEBPAGE IS HTTPS://SITES.GOOGLE.COM/VIEW/IPGLS2025/. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT THE PUBLICATION AND PROMOTION OF THE MAGAZINE THE COMMON.

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT THE FIRST PHASE OF A STORYTELLING AND THEATER PROJECT AT THE FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY.

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT THE PUBLICATION OF THE MAGAZINE THE COMMON.

AMHERST CENTER FOR RUSSIAN CULTURE: PRESERVING FOR THE FUTURE [THE AMHERST CENTER FOR RUSSIAN CULTURE (ACRC) REQUESTS $9,992 TO SUPPORT A PRESERVATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND SUPPLIES TO REHOUSE AND SAFELY STORE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS AND RARE BOOKS. THE BULK OF THE FUNDING WOULD ENABLE A CONSULTANT FROM THE NORTHEAST DOCUMENT CONSERVATION CENTER (NEDCC) TO CONDUCT A SITE VISIT AND GENERAL PRESERVATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT THAT WOULD ALLOW THE ACRC TO DEVELOP LONG-TERM PRESERVATION GOALS AND PLANS FOR CARING FOR THE COLLECTIONS. IN CONJUNCTION WITH ELI BOYNE, A PRESERVATION SPECIALIST AT NEDCC, WE HAVE ALSO IDENTIFIED SUPPLIES THAT WE WOULD PURCHASE TO REHOUSE AND SAFELY STORE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND ARTISTS? BOOKS FROM RECENT ACQUISITIONS. TOGETHER, THESE ACTIVITIES WOULD ENABLE THE ACRC TO FULFILL ITS MISSION OF PROMOTING THE STUDY OF RUSSIAN CULTURE AND HISTORY ON THE STRENGTH OF ITS WORLD-CLASS BOOK, ARCHIVAL, AND ART COLLECTIONS.]

EVERGREENS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT THE PUBLICATION AND PROMOTION OF THE MAGAZINE THE COMMON.