Trustees Of Mount Holyoke College

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND-STUDENT AID

METHODS FOR HIGH-DIMENSIONAL DATA IN HIV/CVD RESEARCH

LOW-LITERATE ADULT LEARNERS AND MORPHOLOGICAL PROCESSES: A MULTI-SKILLS APPROACH

GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS AND IMMUNE HYPERSENSITIVITY IN DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES RELEVANT TO AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

RESEARCH THAT SUPPORTS QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF MARS' SURFACE AS A POTENTIAL HABITAT FOR LIFE, PAST OR PRESENT, IS OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE TO THE FU

RUI: ECOSYSTEM RESPONSES TO ATMOSPHERIC N DEPOSITION IN AN OMBROTROPHIC BOG: VEGETATION AND MICROCLIMATE FEEDBACKS LEAD TO STRONGER C SINK OR SOURCE

GENETIC IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIAL RNA CHAPERONE PROTEINS AND THEIR MECHANISMS OF ACTION

THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO ENHANCE SCIENCE RETURN FROM THE CHEMCAM INSTRUMENT BY IMPROVING ITS CAPABILITY TO PROVIDE ACCURATE CHEMICAL ANALYSES OF MARTIA

CAREER: INTEGRATING FORM AND FUNCTION IN THE COEVOLUTION OF COPULATORY TRAITS

CAREER: MESOSCALE ANALYSIS OF DENSE GRANULAR FLOWS

IMPROVING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF COMMUNITY-COLLEGE TRANSFER STUDENTS TO STEM MAJORS AT MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LEVEL II PREPARING UNDERGRADUATES FOR RESEARCH IN STEM-RELATED FIELDS USING ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY (PURSUE)

CAREER: DIALOGUE ENGAGEMENT FOR EDUCATIONAL ROBOTS

MRI: ACQUISITION OF INTEGRATED LASER SCANNING/SPINNING DISK CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY SYSTEM TO ADVANCE MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND TRAINING AT MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE

RCN-UBE UNDERGRADUATE VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES AS A RECRUITMENT TOOL FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN STEM -THE VIRTUAL FIELD (THEVIRTUALFIELD.ORG) WAS CREATED TO BROADEN ACCESS TO TRANSFORMATIVE FIELD LEARNING EXPERIENCES AT FIELD STATIONS AND MARINE LABS (FSMLS) FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN STEM DISCIPLINES. TRADITIONAL FIELD EXPERIENCES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE A PROFOUND IMPACT ON STUDENT KNOWLEDGE AND ENGAGEMENT IN THE SCIENCES. HOWEVER, THESE OPPORTUNITIES ARE OFTEN UNAVAILABLE TO THOSE FROM COMMUNITY COLLEGES (CCS) AND MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS (MSIS), DUE TO FINANCIAL, SOCIAL, AND LOGISTICAL BARRIERS. ADDITIONALLY, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC FURTHER EXACERBATED THESE CHALLENGES, LIMITING IN-PERSON FIELD OPPORTUNITIES. TO OVERCOME THESE BARRIERS AND INCREASE ACCESS TO FIELD EXPERIENCES, THIS PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGIES TO MAKE FIELD BIOLOGY EXPERIENCES BROADLY ACCESSIBLE. BY UNITING FSMLS, VIRTUAL LEARNING EXPERTS, VIDEOGRAPHERS, AND EDUCATORS, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO BRIDGE THE GAP AND BRING SCIENCE EDUCATION TO DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, ULTIMATELY CONTRIBUTING TO THE BROADER GOAL OF INCREASING DIVERSITY IN THE FIELD SCIENCES. THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON TRAINING IN INQUIRY- AND EVIDENCE-BASED TEACHING, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF VIRTUAL MATERIALS TO ENHANCE THE EFFECTIVE USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF VIRTUAL INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING MATERIALS BY THE RESEARCH COORDINATION NETWORK (RCN) FACULTY AND FIELD STATION AND MARINE LABS (FSMLS). AN ONLINE COMMUNITY WILL BE CREATED TO ENCOURAGE THE SHARING OF IDEAS FOR CREATING EFFECTIVE VIRTUAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERSERVED STUDENTS. THE PROJECT INCLUDES SEVEN ANNUAL ORIENTATION AND TRAINING WORKSHOPS WHERE EXPERTS WILL PRESENT ON VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY SKILLS, CLASSROOM USE, AND EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT. THESE WORKSHOPS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FACILITATED DISCUSSIONS, BREAKOUT SESSIONS, AND FEEDBACK COLLECTION. THE PROJECT AIMS TO COLLECT FEEDBACK ON THE NEEDS OF NETWORK PARTICIPANTS, IDENTIFY BARRIERS TO ACCESSING CONTENT, EXPLORE COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES, AND DEVELOP COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE DOCUMENTS FOR FACULTY AND FSMLS. ADDITIONAL BIMONTHLY OFFICE HOURS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PARTICIPANTS AND ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE PROJECT TO SEEK SUPPORT AND CLARIFICATION. FACULTY AND FSML PARTICIPANTS WILL INTEGRATE VIRTUAL MATERIALS INTO THEIR EXISTING COURSES AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND EMPLOY RIGOROUS ASSESSMENTS TO QUANTIFY OUTCOMES TO SHARE WITH OTHER PARTICIPANTS. THE PROJECT ALSO FOCUSES ON THE COLLABORATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW VIRTUAL MATERIALS AND TOOLS, INCLUDING VIRTUAL MATERIALS, INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS, AND AN ASSESSMENT GUIDE. THE ASSESSMENT EXPERT WILL LEAD THE CREATION OF AN ASSESSMENT GUIDE WITH PROTOCOLS FOR ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING AND AFFECTIVE OUTCOMES, WHICH WILL BE UPDATED ANNUALLY BASED ON PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK. FURTHERMORE, THE PROJECT SEEKS TO ESTABLISH LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIPS TO SUSTAIN VIRTUAL FIELD EXPERIENCES BEYOND THE DURATION OF THE GRANT. THIS PROJECT IS BEING JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THE DIRECTORATE STEM EDUCATION, DIVISION OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION AS PART OF THEIR EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES POSED IN VISION AND CHANGE IN UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY EDUCATION: A CALL TO ACTION (HTTP://VISIONANDCHANGE/FINALREPORT/). 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.

MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT FOR LASER-INDUCED BREAKDOWN SPECTROSCOPY: CALLIBRATION

RUI: MECHANISM OF PROMOTER ESCAPE BY E. COLI RNA POLYMERASE

GSE: WORKING CLASS WOMEN USING COMMUNITY COLLEGE PATHWAYS TO FOUR YEAR STEM DEGREES

WHY DOES ORAL FLUENCY PREDICT SILENT READING COMPREHENSION? NEUROCOGNITIVE MARKERS OF IMPLICIT METER AS A POTENTIAL MEDIATOR - PROJECT SUMMARY ORAL READING FLUENCY PREDICTS SILENT READING COMPREHENSION IN DEVELOPING READERS, BUT THE UNDERLYING NEUROCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS OF THIS RELATIONSHIP ARE UNKNOWN. IT IS CRITICAL TO UNDERSTAND THESE MECHANISMS, AS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FLUENCY AND COMPREHENSION SUPPORTS THE INCLUSION OF FLUENCY IN NATIONAL LITERACY POLICY; FLUENCY INSTRUCTION TO IMPROVE COMPREHENSION HOWEVER, CANNOT BE OPTIMIZED IF THE MECHANISTIC PATHWAY LINKING THESE FACULTIES IS UNCLEAR. MOREOVER, UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISTIC PATHWAY BETWEEN FLUENCY AND COMPREHENSION IN TYPICAL READING DEVELOPMENT CAN PROVIDE NEUROCOGNITIVE TARGETS FOR REMEDIATION IN STRUGGLING READERS, INCLUDING CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH DYSLEXIA. ORAL READING PROSODY, A COMPONENT OF ORAL READING FLUENCY, HAS RECENTLY BEEN SHOWN TO CARRY A UNIQUE PORTION OF THE FLUENCY TO COMPREHENSION RELATIONSHIP, THAT IS SEPARABLE FROM THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AUTOMATIC DECODING. WE PROPOSE THAT METER, A COMPONENT OF PROSODY CONCERNING THE ORGANIZATION OF STRESS, PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THIS PROCESS. OUR OVERARCHING HYPOTHESIS IS THAT MATURATION OF ORAL READING PROSODY COINCIDES WITH MATURING FLUENCY OF “INNER VOICE” AUDITORY IMAGERY (I.E., IMPLICIT PROSODY) DURING SILENT READING, LEADING TO IMPROVED COMPREHENSION. WE PREDICT THAT DEVELOPING READERS WITH IMPROVED ORAL READING METER WILL HAVE IMPROVED IMPLICIT REPRESENTATION OF METRIC STRUCTURE AT THE NEURAL LEVEL (AIM 1), AND IMPROVED APPLICATION OF IMPLICIT METRIC STRUCTURE DURING SILENT READING (AIM 2), IN A MANNER THAT IMPROVES SILENT READING COMPREHENSION (AIM 3). WE WILL TEST OUR HYPOTHESIS BY MEASURING ORAL READING METER, NEURAL IMPLICIT METRIC REPRESENTATION, AND REALIZATION OF IMPLICIT METRIC STRUCTURE IN EYE MOVEMENTS DURING SILENT READING IN CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 6 AND 10 YEARS OLD, A DEVELOPMENTAL EPOCH WITHIN WHICH ORAL PROSODY AND SILENT READING UNDERGO SIGNIFICANT MATURATION. WE WILL MODEL HOW THE ADULT-LIKENESS OF IMPLICIT METRIC REPRESENTATION AND REALIZATION MEDIATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORAL READING METER AND STANDARDIZED MEASURES OF SILENT READING COMPREHENSION, COVARYING FOR AUTOMATIC DECODING AND PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS. THIS WORK WILL PROVIDE CLEAR INSIGHT INTO THE MECHANISMS RELATING ORAL READING FLUENCY TO SILENT READING COMPREHENSION, WHICH WILL INFORM NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND PROVIDE MECHANISTIC TARGETS FOR REMEDIATION TRAINING IN STRUGGLING READERS. MOREOVER, THIS WORK WILL PROVIDE OUR TEAM OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS TRAINING IN USING HUMAN ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR TO INTERROGATE THE NEUROCOGNITIVE UNDERPINNINGS OF COMPLEX BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDING FOOTING FOR A COMPETITIVE FUTURE IN ACADEMIA, CLINICAL PRACTICE, OR BIOMEDICAL INDUSTRY.

MOUSE MODEL OF MATERNAL ALLERGIC ASTHMA AND OFFSPRING AUTISM-LIKE BEHAVIORAL DEFICITS

SI2-SSI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BRINGING END-TO-END PROVENANCE TO SCIENTISTS

INVESTIGATIONS OF SMALL HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN ASSEMBLIES IN CHAPERONE FUNCTION

CAREER: A RIGIDITY THEORY FOR MULTI-ROBOT FORMATIONS

CAREER: LOCAL CHARGE POLARIZATION AND TRANSPORT OF NANOCRYSTAL QUANTUM DOT SOLID STATE STRUCTURES USING SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY

III: MEDIUM: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DEEP LEARNING IN SPECTROSCOPIC DOMAINS

MOUNT HOLYOKE UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS SUMMER RESEARCH INSTITUTE

STATISTICAL METHODS FOR MODELING MULTI-OMIC DATA

RUI: TIME-RESOLVED POINT KELVIN PROBE FORCE MICROSCOPY FOR NON-TRADITIONAL SEMICONDUCTORS

RUI: MECHANISMS THAT LINK CONFLICT AND SLEEP OVER TIME

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: PHYSICS OF FERROMAGNETIC NANOSTRUCTURES IN A CIRCULAR FIELD

IOS PROPOSAL: RUI: EXPLORING RANGE LIMITS IN THE FIDDLER CRAB UCA PUGNAX USING THE DYNAMIC ENERGY BUDGET APPROACH

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: PHYSICS OF FERROMAGNETIC NANORINGS IN AN EXTERNAL AZIMUTHAL FIELD

DOUBLE BETA DECAY

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A MULTI CHAMBER HYBRID ORGANIC/INORGANIC THIN FILM DEPOSITION SYSTEM

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: REDOX RATIOS IN AMPHIBOLES AS PROXIES FOR VOLATILE BUDGETS IN IGNEOUS SYSTEMS

EFFECT OF BASE LESIONS ON THE DNA DUPLEX

THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROPOSAL ARE TO DO LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS, THEORETICAL MODELING, AND COMPARISON WITH DATA FROM MSL TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDI

RUI: POLY (VINYL ALCOHOL) THIN FILM DEWETTING BY CONTROLLED DIRECTIONAL DRYING

RUI: UTILIZING COLLABORATIVE EVENT ETHNOGRAPHY TO UNDERSTAND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DEVELOPING BIOLOGY UNDERGRADUATES? SCIENTIFIC LITERACY AND IDENTITY THROUGH PEER REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC MANUSCRIPTS

MAIDS RESISTANCE-ASSOCIATED GENE EXPRESSION IN SECONDARY LYMPHOID ORGANS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: IDEAS LAB: RNA-ENCODED MOLECULAR MEMORY (REMM) -IN MOST ORGANISMS, THE GENETIC INFORMATION IS COMPOSED OF THE MOLECULE DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID (DNA). BUT ONLY A FRACTION OF DNA IN THE GENOME?THE ?CODING DNA??CONTAINS BIOCHEMICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR GENERATING THE PROTEINS THAT PERFORM THE VAST RANGE OF ACTIVITIES ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE. INDEED, 99% OF THE HUMAN GENOME IS REGARDED AS ?NON-CODING? DNA. INTRIGUINGLY, THE DNA IN THIS ?NON-CODING? PART OF THE GENOME CAN STILL GENERATE RNA, EVEN THOUGH THESE NON-CODING RNAS ARE NOT TRANSLATED INTO PROTEINS, IN CONTRAST TO THE MESSENGER RNAS GENERATED BY CODING DNA. SURPRISINGLY, THE FUNCTIONS OF NON-CODING RNAS, WHICH REPRESENT A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE GENOME, ARE STILL LARGELY UNKNOWN. A MAJOR GOAL OF THE PRESENT PROJECT IS TO EXPLORE POTENTIAL ROLES THESE NON-CODING RNAS COULD PLAY IN THE ENCODING OF MEMORY. AT PRESENT, MEMORIES ARE WIDELY THOUGHT TO BE STORED AS CHANGES IN THE STRENGTHS OF CONNECTIONS AMONG NEURONS IN THE BRAIN. THE PROJECT WILL BUILD ON PRIOR EVIDENCE THAT SOME FORMS OF SIMPLE MEMORY MAY INSTEAD BE ENCODED AS CHANGES IN RNA MOLECULES. THE PROJECT WILL EXAMINE WHETHER ONE SIMPLE FORM OF MEMORY?BEHAVIORAL SENSITIZATION?CAN BE STORED BY NON-CODING RNA, OR WHETHER NON-CODING RNA CAN PRODUCE DOWNSTREAM MOLECULAR CHANGES THAT STORE MEMORY. IN ADDITION, THE PROJECT WILL ENHANCE THE TRAINING OF FUTURE SCIENTISTS, INCLUDING GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS. FINALLY, UNDERGRADUATE AND MINORITY STUDENTS UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE PROPOSED RESEARCH UNDER THE MENTORSHIP OF THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS, AND THEREBY GAIN A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. A PREVIOUS STUDY BY ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS (PIS) SHOWED THAT LONG-TERM MEMORY (LTM) CAN BE TRANSFERRED BY INJECTING RNA FROM TRAINED ANIMALS INTO UNTRAINED ANIMALS. IN THIS PRIOR WORK, RNA WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE NERVOUS SYSTEMS OF SENSITIZED (?TRAINED?) MARINE SNAILS (APLYSIA CALIFORNICA), PURIFIED, AND THEN INJECTED INTO UNTRAINED SNAILS; INJECTED RNA FROM TRAINED ANIMALS PRODUCED SENSITIZATION IN UNTRAINED ANIMALS, WHEREAS RNA FROM UNTRAINED DONOR ANIMALS DID NOT. THE PIS HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE EXPRESSION OR POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL STATE OF ONE OR MORE NON-CODING RNAS (NCRNAS) IS SELECTIVELY INDUCED BY SENSITIZATION TRAINING AND THAT THIS MOLECULAR CHANGE MEDIATES PERSISTENT SENSITIZATION MEMORY IN APLYSIA. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, THE PIS WILL PERFORM DIFFERENTIAL RNA-SEQ ON PURIFIED RNA FROM TRAINED AND UNTRAINED ANIMALS AND IDENTIFY SPECIES OF NCRNA WITH CHANGES THAT CORRELATE SIGNIFICANTLY WITH LTM. INITIAL EXPERIMENTS WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE EXPRESSION LEVELS OF SPECIFIC NCRNAS CHANGE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF SENSITIZATION. BASED ON THESE RESULTS, ADDITIONAL ASPECTS OF NCRNA STRUCTURE, MODIFICATION STATE OR PROTEIN INTERACTIONS WILL BE PROBED TO EXPLORE WHETHER SENSITIZATION TRAINING INDUCES PERSISTENT CHANGES IN THESE NCRNA PROPERTIES THAT COULD MEDIATE MEMORY ENCODING IN APLYSIA. THIS WORK WOULD SET THE STAGE FOR A FUTURE PROJECT IN WHICH CANDIDATE NCRNAS BE SCREENED FOR MNEMONIC POTENCY BY DISRUPTING THEM WITH ANTISENSE OLIGONUCLEOTIDES (ASOS) AND ASSESSING THE EFFECTS ON NEURONAL EXCITABILITY AND SYNAPTIC CONNECTIVITY OF APLYSIA SENSORY AND MOTOR NEURONS, AS WELL AS THE EFFECT OF THE ASOS ON LTM IN INTACT ANIMALS. THIS AWARD WAS CO-FUNDED BY THE DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, AND THE NEURAL SYSTEMS CLUSTER IN THE DIVISION OF INTEGRATIVE ORGANISMAL 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.

TEACHING FOR OUR MOMENT: TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPORT SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND MENTAL WELLNESS FOR STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS

RUI: USING GRAPH THEORY MEASURES TO PROBE OXYGEN VACANCY AND PROTON CONDUCTION IN PEROVSKITES AND DOUBLE PEROVSKITES

RUI COLLABORATIVE: BIOMECHANICS AND CONTROL OF LANDING IN TOADS

RUI: FRACTAL STRUCTURE FORMATION FROM POLY(VINYL ALCOHOL) ADSORPTION ON SILICONE SUBSTRATES

RUI:DIRECTED MOLECULAR ARCHITECTURAL ASSEMBLY VIA DYNAMIC COVALENT CHEMISTRY

RUI: BORONIC ESTER MODIFIED POLYSACCHARIDES FOR OXIDATION-RESPONSIVE DELIVERY APPLICATIONS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FORMATION, STABILITY, AND DETECTION OF AMORPHOUS FERRIC SULFATE SALTS ON MARS

RUI: UNDERSTANDING HOW GRAIN BOUNDARIES AFFECT PREFERRED PROTON CONDUCTION PATHWAYS IN DOPED PEROVSKITE OXIDES

UBM - INSTITUTIONAL: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FOUR COLLEGE BIOMATH CONSORTIUM

CAREER: EDUCATIONAL TRAJECTORIES OF LOW-INCOME URBAN YOUTH IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

RUI: STABILIZATION OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES IN SOLUTION BY POLY(VINYL ALCOHOL) ADSORPTION

CRII: RI: RUI: GENERATING HAPTICS IN TELEROBOTICS THROUGH PERCEPTION COMPLEMENTARITIES DURING PHYSICAL DISTANCING

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: REFINING GEOTHERMOBAROMETRY IN PYROXENES USING IN SITU MEASUREMENTS OF FE3+

MINERAL STANDARDS & TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT FOR LASER-INDUCED BREAKDOWN SPECTROSCOPY

RUI: RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY AND STABLE ISOTOPE INVESTIGATIONS OF GRAPHITE IN MARBLE

MESSENGER OBSERVATIONS OF MERCURY HAVE PROVIDED AN UNPRECEDENTED DATASET FOR ANALYZING ITS GEOLOGY, GEOMORPHOLOGY, AND SURFACE PROPERTIES. IN THIS

EAGER: FEASIBILITY OF INCREASING ORGANIC LED LIFETIME VIA IMPROVED THERMAL MANAGEMENT

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

BRC-BIO: THE ROLE OF SEROTONIN SIGNALING IN AUTOREGULATION OF AXON MORPHOLOGY, CONNECTIVITY, AND BEHAVIOR IN DROSOPHILA -THE PRIMARY ROLE OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM IS TO PERCEIVE CONDITIONS IN OUR SURROUNDINGS AND ELICIT THE APPROPRIATE BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE. THIS IS CONTROLLED BY COMPLEX NEURAL CIRCUITS THAT ARE INTERCONNECTED THROUGH LONG CABLE-LIKE STRUCTURES CALLED AXONS. ONE IMPORTANT GROUP OF AXONS ARISES FROM SEROTONIN-PRODUCING BRAIN CELLS, WHICH INTEGRATE WITH CIRCUITS THROUGHOUT THE NERVOUS SYSTEM TO MODULATE BEHAVIORS SUCH AS MOOD, SLEEP, APPETITE, AND COGNITION. ULTIMATELY, THESE BEHAVIORAL OUTPUTS ARE DETERMINED BY THE PRECISE GROWTH AND WIRING OF AXONS. RECENT WORK BY THE PI AND OTHERS IN THE FIELD HAS SHOWN THAT SEROTONIN-PRODUCING BRAIN CELLS USE SEROTONIN ITSELF TO HELP SHAPE ITS AXONS DURING EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT. THIS RESEARCH WILL UTILIZE CUTTING-EDGE GENETIC TOOLS AVAILABLE IN FRUIT FLIES, DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER, TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS MOLECULAR MECHANISM WORKS INSIDE THE CELLS, HOW IT SHAPES CIRCUITS IN THE BRAIN, AND HOW IT IMPACTS BEHAVIORAL OUTPUT. THE FRUIT FLY NERVOUS SYSTEM IS BUILT WITH THE SAME BASIC COMPONENTS, WHICH ASSEMBLE AND DIRECT NEURAL ACTIVITIES AS THEY DO IN THE HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEM. THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED WILL THEREFORE PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO HOW ABNORMAL SEROTONIN EXPOSURE DURING DEVELOPMENT CAN LEAD TO BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS IN HUMANS. THESE STUDIES WILL PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH EXPERIENCES IN GENETICS, CELLULAR BIOLOGY, AND NEUROSCIENCE THROUGH PAID RESEARCH POSITIONS. BY REDUCING FINANCIAL BARRIERS TO UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AT AN INSTITUTE SERVING LARGE POPULATIONS OF LOW-INCOME AND FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS, THIS PROJECT ADVANCES THE NSF MISSION TO GROW A DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE. PRELIMINARY IN VITRO EXPERIMENTS INDICATE THE SEROTONIN RECEPTOR 5-HT1A INITIATES SIGNALING EVENTS THAT AUTOREGULATE SEROTONERGIC AXON OUTGROWTH. THE FIRST OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DETERMINE THE INTRACELLULAR MECHANISMS 5-HT1A ENGAGES USING GENETIC AND PHARMACOLOGICAL MANIPULATION OF CANDIDATE SEROTONIN SIGNALING PATHWAYS IN PRIMARY DROSOPHILA SEROTONERGIC NEURONS PAIRED WITH MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF AXON OUTGROWTH AND LIVE CELL IMAGING OF ACTIN DYNAMICS. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DETERMINE HOW AUTOREGULATION SHAPES ANATOMICAL CIRCUITS USING A SINGLE SEROTONERGIC NEURON (SP2-1) AS A MODEL. THIS NEURON INNERVATES THE LARVAL VISUAL SYSTEM AND CAN BE LABELED SELECTIVELY USING EXISTING GENETIC TOOLS, ALLOWING 3D RECONSTRUCTIONS OF THE SP2-1 NEURON UNDER VARIOUS EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS. A NOVEL ANTEROGRADE TRANS-SYNAPTIC BRAINBOW LABELING APPROACH WILL BE USED TO ASK HOW CHANGES IN SEROTONIN SIGNALING ALTER CONNECTIVITY OF THE SP2-1 NEURON. THE THIRD OBJECTIVE IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW DEFECTS IN SEROTONIN AUTOREGULATION CAN ALTER BEHAVIORAL OUTPUTS BY MANIPULATING SEROTONIN SIGNALING AND CORRELATING CHANGES IN SP2-1 MORPHOLOGY TO CHANGES IN VISION-BASED BEHAVIORS. THESE STUDIES WILL PROVIDE THE FIRST MOLECULAR MECHANISM OF SEROTONIN AUTOREGULATION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE MORPHOLOGICAL AND FUNCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SEROTONERGIC SYSTEM. THIS RESEARCH PIPELINE WILL ALSO SERVE AS A FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE RESEARCH INCLUDING ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT CELL TYPES AND/OR CIRCUITS, BEHAVIORAL PARADIGMS, OTHER SIGNALING MOLECULES, AND DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES. 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.

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

CUE ETHICS: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EVALUATING FRAMEWORKS FOR INCORPORATING COMPUTING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH:TRANSFER LEARNING FOR CHEMICAL ANALYSES FROM LASER-INDUCED BREAKDOWN SPECTROSCOPY

NEH SUMMER SEMINAR FOR SCHOOL TEACHERS ON EXISTENTIALISM

EXISTENTIALISM

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EFFECTS OF COMPOSITION AND COOLING RATE ON FE XANES GLASS CALIBRATIONS

RUI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: REDOX RATIOS BY FE-XANES

EXISTENTIALISM

RE-THINKING INEQUALITY THROUGH A LOCAL-GLOBAL LENS: HISTORICAL IMAGINATION IN THE LIBERAL ARTS

SCAFFOLDING EFFECTIVE PRACTICE FOR USE OF ANIMATIONS IN TEACHING MINERALOGY AND PHYSICAL GEOLOGY

HDR DSC: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE DATA SCIENCE WAV: EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE & RESOLUTION OF FUNDAMENTAL MOSSBAUER PARME TERS IN MARS-ANALOG MINERALS

EXISTENTIALISM

EAGER: TRANSPARENT ELECTRODE DEVICE ARCHITECTURE FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY TANDEM COLLOIDAL QUANTUM DOT PHOTOVOLTAICS

RUI: UNDERSTANDING HOW DOPANT AFFECTS PREFERRED PROTON CONDUCTION PATHWAYS IN PEROVSKITE OXIDES

BUILDING ANALYTICAL COMPETENCE FOR GEOSCIENCE STUDENTS THROUGH USE OF SPECTROSCOPIC TOOLS

UNDERSTANDING THE INFLUENCE OF A TEACHABLE ROBOT ON STEM SKILLS AND ATTITUDES

MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS ELECTRONIC RECORDS START-UP

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CNS CORE: SMALL: CREATING AN EXTENSIBLE INTERNET THROUGH INTERPOSITION -IN COMMON PARLANCE, THE INTERNET IS THE SET OF APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES THAT WE CAN ACCESS FROM OUR PHONES, LAPTOPS, AND OTHER PERSONAL DEVICES. HOWEVER, IN THE NETWORKING RESEARCH COMMUNITY, THE TERM ?THE INTERNET? REFERS MORE SPECIFICALLY TO THE BASIC COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE ON WHICH THESE APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES HAVE BEEN BUILT. WHAT MANY FIND SURPRISING IS THAT WHILE THE SET OF APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES HAVE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE YEARS, THE BASIC ARCHITECTURE OF THE INTERNET ITSELF ? THAT IS, THE ARRANGEMENT OF FUNCTIONALITY IN THE COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE ? HAS REMAINED ALMOST COMPLETELY UNCHANGED SINCE IT FIRST TOOK SHAPE ROUGHLY FORTY YEARS AGO. THIS LACK OF CHANGE IS NOT BY CHOICE; WE KNOW MANY WAYS THE INFRASTRUCTURE COULD BE IMPROVED TO PROVIDE USERS WITH BETTER SECURITY, PRIVACY, AND PERFORMANCE. INSTEAD, THE LACK OF CHANGE IS BECAUSE EVOLVING SUCH A LARGE INFRASTRUCTURE IS A DIFFICULT DESIGN CHALLENGE IN ITSELF. MORE SPECIFICALLY, ANY PROPOSAL FOR ARCHITECTURAL CHANGE IN THE INTERNET MUST MEET THE TWIN CHALLENGES OF: (I) HOW TO DEPLOY THE NEW DESIGN WITHOUT BREAKING THE OLD, AND (II) HOW TO CREATE INCENTIVES SO THAT ALL THE MAJOR PROVIDERS OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE BENEFIT FROM THIS CHANGE (OR ELSE IT IS UNLIKELY TO HAPPEN). THIS RESEARCH PROJECT AIMS TO OVERCOME THESE BARRIERS WITH A DESIGN WE CALL THE EXTENSIBLE INTERNET. IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS WILL NOT JUST BE A ONE-TIME CHANGE, BUT WILL TURN THE INTERNET INTO A PLATFORM THAT CAN EASILY INCORPORATE CHANGE ON AN ONGOING BASIS. MORE TECHNICALLY, THIS WORK IS BUILT ON THE CENTRAL INSIGHT THAT THE ORIGINAL INTERNET ARCHITECTURE?S NARROW WAIST OF IP CONFLATED TWO ROLES: THAT OF TYING ALL LAYER-2 (L2) NETWORKS TOGETHER, AND THAT OF PROVIDING A SERVICE MODEL TO END HOSTS. THE EXTENSIBLE INTERNET SEPARATES THESE TWO ROLES BY INSERTING AN INTERPOSITION LAYER BETWEEN LAYERS L3 AND L4 THAT (I) IS BUILT ON TOP OF L3, AND CAN USE THE CURRENT L3 WITHOUT CHANGE, AND (II) PROVIDE THE SERVICE MODEL TO END HOSTS. THE ENTIRE FOCUS OF THE EXTENSIBLE INTERNET DESIGN IS ARCHITECTING THIS NEW LAYER SO THAT AN EXTENSIBLE SET OF SERVICES ? RANGING FROM SECURE ATTESTATION TO IMPROVED PRIVACY TO MULTIPOINT DELIVERY TO VARIOUS OTHER DELIVERY MODELS ? CAN BE SEAMLESSLY DEPLOYED ON TOP OF THIS INTERPOSITION LAYER. THE RESEARCH CHALLENGES INCLUDE: HOW TO STRUCTURE THE DATA PATH SO THAT IT CAN BE BOTH FULLY FLEXIBLE AND HIGHLY EFFICIENT; HOW TO STRUCTURE GLOBAL SERVICES TO BE HIGHLY RESILIENT; AND HOW TO FEASIBLY SUPPORT AN EVOLVING YET UNIFORM SERVICE MODEL (I.E., SUPPORTED BY ALL NETWORK PROVIDERS). WE WILL DEMONSTRATE THE RESULTING DESIGN ON VARIOUS NETWORK TESTBEDS, INCLUDING NSF?S OWN FABRIC TESTBED. IN ADDITION, ALL SOFTWARE WE CREATE IN THIS PROJECT WILL BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AND OPEN SOURCE. 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.

EAGER: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: TOWARDS AN EXTENSIBLE INTERNET

NEH ENDURING QUESTIONS COURSE ON BUSINESS AND MORALITY

PHYSICS AT BABAR AND DOUBLE BETA DECAY

PRIORITIZING SURVEY EFFORTS FOR THE INVASIVE ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE, ANOPLOPHORA GLABRIPENNIS, USING REMOTE SENSING

THINLEAF HUCKLEBERRY, WHOSE SCIENTIFIC NAME ISVACCINIUM MEMBRANACEUMDOUGLAS EX TORR., IS ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT AND IN INCREASINGLY HIGH DEMAND DUE TO THE FLAVONOID SECONDARY METABOLITES IN ITS BERRIES THAT PRODUCE DESIRABLE DIETARY ANTIOXIDANTS AND A DELICIOUS FLAVOR PROFILE. ALTHOUGH THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENT ON FLAVONOID PRODUCTION IN THINLEAF HUCKLEBERRY ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD, IN CLOSELY RELATED SPECIES IT IS KNOWN THAT LIGHT QUALITY AND ELEVATION CONTRIBUTE TO FLAVONOID PRODUCTION. IN ADDITION TO CONTRIBUTING TO THE DESIRABLE QUALITIES OF THE BERRIES, FLAVONOIDS ALSO DEFEND PLANT LEAVES AGAINST DAMAGE FROM UV AND OVEREXPOSURE TO LIGHT. UNLIKE ITS CLOSE RELATIVES LIKE THE BLUEBERRY AND CRANBERRY, THINLEAF HUCKLEBERRY HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFULLY DOMESTICATED, DESPITE RECENT EFFORTS. IDENTIFYING OPTIMAL LIGHT GROWING CONDITIONS WILL BE IMPORTANT TO REDUCE HARVESTING PRESSURE ON NATURAL POPULATIONS, WHICH NEGATIVELY IMPACTS THE ANIMALS THAT RELY ON THE BERRIES, LEAVES, AND STEMS FORFOOD. IN ADDITION, UNDERSTANDING PATTERNS IN LEAF FLAVONOID PRODUCTION IN NATURAL POPULATIONS WILL ILLUMINATE THE SPECIES' ABILITY TO ADAPT TO THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW LIGHT, LATITUDE, AND ELEVATION AFFECT THE FLAVONOID PROFILE OF THE LEAVES TO ASSIST IN COMMERCIAL CULTIVATION, MEDIATE THE IMPACT OF OVERHARVESTING, ASSESS PERSISTENCE IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND IDENTIFY CORRELATIONS BETWEEN GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION AND FLAVONOID NUTRITION FOR ANIMALS. RESULTS FROM THIS PROJECT MAY IMPACT ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF FOREST MANAGEMENT OF THINLEAF HUCKLEBERRY.THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS MULTIDISCIPLINARY AND ADDRESSES THREE CENTRAL OBJECTIVES: 1) CONDUCT CONTROLLED TREATMENTS OF DIFFERENT LIGHT INTENSITIES, HARVEST THE LEAVES GROWN UNDER THE CONTROLLED CONDITIONS, ANALYZE THEM FOR THEIR FLAVONOID CONTENT AND THE EXPRESSION LEVELS OF GENES INVOLVED IN FLAVONOID PRODUCTION, AND COMPARE THESE MEASUREMENTS BETWEEN LIGHT INTENSITY TREATMENTS, 2) HARVEST LEAVES FROM POPULATIONS AT LOW AND HIGH ELEVATIONS AT THREE DIFFERENT LATITUDES ACROSS ITS GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, ANALYZE THE LEAVES FOR THEIR FLAVONOID CONTENT AND THE EXPRESSION LEVELS OF GENES INVOLVED IN FLAVONOID PRODUCTION, AND COMPARE THESE MEASUREMENTS BETWEEN LATITUDES AND ELEVATIONS, AND 3) COLLECT LEAVES FROM THE SAME POPULATIONS AS OBJECTIVE 2, SEQUENCE THE DNA OF THESE LEAVES, USE THE DNA SEQUENCES TO CONSTRUCT AN EVOLUTIONARY TREE THAT RELATES THE POPULATIONS TO ONE ANOTHER, AND EXAMINE HOW EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF THE POPULATIONS INFLUENCES THE FLAVONOID PRODUCTION AND GENE EXPRESSION LEVELS IN THE LEAVES. OBJECTIVE 1 OBTAINS A BASE-LINE EXPECTATION FOR WHAT THE FLAVONOID PRODUCTION AND GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS SHOULD LOOK LIKE AT DIFFERENT LIGHT INTENSITIES. OBJECTIVE 2 TESTS THIS PATTERN IN THE FIELD AND EXAMINES PATTERNS OF FLAVONOID PROFILES ACROSS ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENTS. FINALLY, OBJECTIVE 3 TESTS WHETHER THE PATTERNS FROM OBJECTIVES 1 AND 2 HOLD WHEN,TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY, AND ALSO TESTS WHETHER PATTERNS OF FLAVONOID PRODUCTION AND GENE EXPRESSION CAN BE PREDICTED BY A POPULATION'S EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY.RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT MAY INFORM OPTIMAL GREENHOUSE GROWING CONDITIONS FOR THINLEAF HUCKLEBERRY POTENTIALLY REDUCING HARVESTING PRESSURE ON NATURAL POPULATIONS IN THE FUTURE. RESULTS MAY ALSO UNCOVER THE PHOTOPROTECTIVE RESPONSE OF THIS SPECIES AT HIGHER LATITUDES AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS, ILLUMINATING ITS POTENTIAL ABILITY TO ADAPT GIVEN RAPID CLIMATE CHANGE. FINALLY, THE RESULTS MAY IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF ECOLOGICAL CORRELATION BETWEEN GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION AND LEAF PALATABILITY TO ANIMALS. THIS PROJECT COMBINES LAB AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS AND USES CUTTING-EDGE BIOINFORMATICS TOOLS AND MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS METABOLOMICS, TRANSCRIPTOMICS, AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY, TO ADDRESS THESE OBJECTIVES. DATA FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AND RESULTS WILL BE SHARED IN PEER-REVIEWED SCIENTIFICJOURNALS AND AT NATIONAL CONFERENCES.

NEH ENDURING QUESTIONS COURSE ON "WHAT IS FAMILY?"

SYMPOSIUM: SENSORY FEEDBACK AND ANIMAL LOCOMOTION: PERSPECTIVES FROM BIOLOGY AND BIOROBOTICS, JANUARY 5, 2018, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

HUDSON RIVER UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS CONFERENCE 2020-2022

MOUNT HOLYOKE UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS SUMMER RESEARCH INSTITUTE

RUI: MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF CHROMOSOME ORGANIZATION AND SEGREGATION IN BACTERIA