Wellesley College

CARES ACT HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND--WELLESLEY COLLEGE

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND PART II - INSTITUTIONAL - WELLESLEY COLLEGE

OPTICAL TOOLS TO STUDY PURINERGIC SIGNALING - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT EXTRACELLULAR ATP AND ADP ARE MEDIATORS OF PURINERGIC SIGNALING IN CELL-TO-CELL COMMUNICATION IN VIRTUALLY EVERY TISSUE. AUTOCRINE AND PARACRINE PURINERGIC SIGNALING CONTRIBUTES TO NORMAL CELLULAR FUNCTIONS SUCH AS IMMUNE CELL CHEMOTAXIS AND CELL VOLUME REGULATION, AND PURINERGIC SIGNALING ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO PATHOLOGY IN INJURY, INFECTION, SEPSIS, AND A NUMBER OF DISEASES. NOTABLY, EXTRACELLULAR ATP AND ADP MEDIATE PURINERGIC SIGNALING BETWEEN CELLS WITH BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS. HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE TO STUDY THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BY WHICH ATP AND ADP CONTROL DISTINCT SIGNALING EVENTS BECAUSE THEIR LEVELS ARE SPATIALLY HETEROGENEOUS AND PURINERGIC SIGNALING CAN VARY SIGNIFICANTLY FROM CELL-TO-CELL. CLEARLY, DIRECT MEASUREMENTS OF EXTRACELLULAR NUCLEOTIDES ARE NEEDED, BUT CURRENT METHODS ARE NOT WELL ADAPTED TO MEASURING FLUCTUATIONS IN THE LOW EXTRACELLULAR NUCLEOTIDE CONCENTRATIONS EXPECTED IN LIVE SPECIMENS. TO OVERCOME THIS BARRIER, WE WILL USE PROTEIN ENGINEERING TO DEVELOP HIGH AFFINITY CELL-SURFACE SENSORS THAT CAN BE USED TO RESOLVE THE COMPLEX SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF ATP AND ADP RELEASE, CLEARANCE, AND PURINERGIC RECEPTOR ACTIVATION. TO DEMONSTRATE THE APPLICATION OF OUR SENSORS AND ALSO GUIDE THEIR OPTIMIZATION, WE WILL STUDY NEURON-GLIA PURINERGIC SIGNALING IN THE BRAIN. IN PARTICULAR, WE WILL USE OUR SENSORS TO LEARN HOW METABOLIC STATE AFFECTS THE FUNCTION OF MICROGLIA, THE RESIDENT IMMUNE CELLS IN THE BRAIN, IN REGULATING THE REGIONAL PURINERGIC DYNAMICS THAT IMPACT LOCAL NEURONAL ACTIVITY. THE PROPOSED SERIES OF MULTIPLEXED IMAGING STUDIES THAT PAIR OUR PURINERGIC SENSORS WITH SENSORS OF DOWNSTREAM SIGNALING SHOULD DIRECTLY VISUALIZE CORE ELEMENTS OF NEURON-GLIA PURINERGIC COMMUNICATION IN AN INTEGRATED MANNER. THIS SHOULD PROVIDE VALUABLE INSIGHT INTO NOVEL MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COUPLING BETWEEN BRAIN ENERGY METABOLISM AND EXCITABILITY. FURTHERMORE, THE GENETICALLY-ENCODED TOOLS DEVELOPED THROUGH THIS PROPOSAL SHOULD BE BROADLY APPLICABLE TO DEEPER STUDY OF ANY PURINERGIC SYSTEM.

MECHANISMS OF STEROID ACTION IN BRAIN

SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR ANALYSIS OF BACTERIAL TRANSCRIPTOMES

WELLESLEY COLLEGE MCNAIR SCHOLARS PROGRAM

WELLESLEY COLLEGE MCNAIR SCHOLARS PROGRAM

NEURAL MECHANISMS OF AUDITORY MEMORY FORMATION NECESSARY FOR VOCAL LEARNING

WELLESLEY / UTA TRAINING AND GROWTH IN UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS

RUI: ADULT NEUROGENESIS: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM

NEURAL MECHANISMS OF COLOR IN EXTRASTRIATE CORTEX

RUI: ADULT NEUROGENESIS: PRECURSOR CELL REGULATION AND REPLENISHMENT

RUI: COLOR PROCESSING IN INFERIOR TEMPORAL CORTEX OF MACAQUE MONKEY

RUI: STATE-DEPENDENT MODULATION OF VISUOMOTOR REFLEXES ACROSS DROSOPHILA SPECIES

CHARACTERIZATION AND DESIGN OF HISTONE-DERIVED ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES

CREST: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH IN ENERGY SCIENCE TRAINEESHIPS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES AS VEHICLES FOR MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS IN MARINE BLACK QUEEN COMMUNITIES -THE FUNCTION AND STABILITY OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES IN THE OCEAN DEPENDS ON EXCHANGES OF BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL CELLS. MARINE MICROBES ARE TYPICALLY FAR APART FROM ONE ANOTHER, SO SOME OF THESE EXCHANGES OCCUR THROUGH THE RELEASE OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES INTO THE SURROUNDING WATER, WHERE THEY TRAVEL TO OTHER CELLS VIA SIMPLE DIFFUSION. UNDERSTANDING THE DEGREE TO WHICH SUCH VALUABLE PRODUCTS MADE BY ONE ORGANISM ARE TARGETED TO A SPECIFIC PARTNER, AND HOW, HAS IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF THE MARINE MICROBIOME. THIS PROJECT EXAMINES THE ROLE PLAYED BY A POORLY UNDERSTOOD TYPE OF VERY SMALL PARTICLE ? EXTRACELLULAR MEMBRANE VESICLES ? IN MEDIATING FUNCTIONAL INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE OCEANS. EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES ARE RELEASED BY MOST MARINE MICROBES AND ARE ABUNDANT IN OCEAN WATERS, BUT OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR FUNCTIONS REMAINS IN ITS INFANCY. AS VESICLES CAN CONTAIN DIVERSE MOLECULES, INCLUDING ACTIVE ENZYMES, AND TRANSPORT THEM BETWEEN CELLS, THEY MAY WORK AS A PACKAGING AND DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR GOODS AND SERVICES TRADED BETWEEN ECOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT MICROORGANISMS. BROADER IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE PROVIDING HANDS-ON RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS - INCLUDING THOSE FROM GROUPS HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM FIELDS - AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ACTIVE LEARNING EXERCISES TO HELP INCREASE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ROLES MICROBES PLAY IN STUDENTS? LIVES. THIS PROJECT EXPLORES VESICLE FUNCTIONS ACROSS MULTIPLE SCALES, COMBINING -OMICS ANALYSES, FIELD EXPERIMENTS, AND FUNCTIONAL STUDIES IN CULTURES OF DIVERSE AND ECOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT MICROBES TO ARRIVE AT NEW UNDERSTANDINGS OF VESICLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO CELLULAR EXCHANGES. THESE EXPERIMENTS INCORPORATE AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE FOR EXPLORING THE RANGE OF VESICLE FUNCTIONS AND GENETIC MECHANISMS AFFECTING THEIR PRODUCTION, EXAMINING HOW THEIR CONTENTS HAVE CHANGED IN CO-CULTURES OF PHYTOPLANKTON AND HETEROTROPHIC BACTERIA FOLLOWING HUNDREDS OF GENERATIONS OF EXPERIMENTAL LABORATORY EVOLUTION. FUNDAMENTAL ECOLOGICAL QUESTIONS ARE ADDRESSED CONCERNING WHETHER VESICLES, AND THEIR ASSOCIATED FUNCTIONS, ACT AS TRULY ?PUBLIC GOODS? IN THE OCEANS OR CAN INSTEAD BE TARGETED TO A SUBSET OF CELLS, POSSIBLY YIELDING ?CLUB GOODS? THAT DEFINE INTERACTING, COOPERATIVE NETWORKS. COLLECTIVELY, THIS EFFORT WILL GENERATE NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE MECHANISMS MARINE MICROBES USE TO INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND EXPERIMENTALLY DEFINE THE FUNCTIONAL POTENTIAL AND ECOLOGICAL IMPACT OF EV-MEDIATED TRAFFICKING NETWORKS IN THE OCEANS. THIS PROJECT IS JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY PROGRAM AND THE ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (EPSCOR). 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: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: QUANTIFYING THE ROLE OF MICROBIAL EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES IN MARINE DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A 500 MHZ NMR SPECTROMETER TO ENHANCE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AT WELLESLEY COLLEGE

RESPONDING TO SEXUAL ASSAULT ON CAMPUS: A NATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND SYSTEMATIC CLASSIFICATION OF THE SCOPE AND CHALLENGES FOR INVESTIGATION AND ADJUD

CHS: MEDIUM: RUI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MAKING THE INVISIBLE TANGIBLE: REIMAGINING SCIENCE EDUCATION IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH REALITY-BASED INTERFAC

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A SPECTRAL CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND TRAINING AT AN UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION OF NEUROGENESIS

RUI: ADAPTIVE INTEGRATION OF BILATERAL INPUTS TO RAT SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX

CAREER: SIGNALS FOR EVALUATING THE CREDIBILITY OF WEB SOURCES AND ADVANCING WEB LITERACY

TC: SMALL: RUI: TRAILS OF TRUSTWORTHINESS, UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTING QUALITY OF INFORMATION IN REAL-TIME STREAMS

CRI: II NEW: RUI: A MULTI-SURFACE INTERACTIVE VISUALIZATION FACILITY

RUI: ADVANCING THE ECOLOGICAL NICHE THROUGH DEMOGRAPHY

CAREER: ADVANCING INNOVATION IN BIO-DESIGN THROUGH REALITY-BASED INTERACTION

FW-HTF: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE NEXT MOBILE OFFICE: SAFE AND PRODUCTIVE WORK IN AUTOMATED VEHICLES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FW-HTF-RM: AI-ASSISTED PROGRAMMING: EQUIPPING SOCIAL AND NATURAL SCIENTISTS FOR THE FUTURE OF RESEARCH -COMPUTER PROGRAMMING IS ESSENTIAL FOR MODERN SCIENCE. SCIENTISTS WRITE PROGRAMS TO CONTROL INSTRUMENTS, RUN SIMULATIONS, AND ANALYZE DATA. HOWEVER, THE PROGRAMMING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES THAT SCIENTISTS USE OFTEN LAG BEHIND THOSE IN THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INDUSTRY. THIS LAG MAKES SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY SLOWER, MORE COSTLY, AND CAN LEAD TO UNREPRODUCIBLE RESULTS. IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TOOLS, SUCH AS CHATGPT, HAVE REVOLUTIONIZED THE SOFTWARE INDUSTRY. THEY HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO MAKE SOFTWARE ENGINEERS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PRODUCTIVE, BUT HAVE NOT HAD THE SAME IMPACT ON THE SCIENCES. THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AND TEST AI PROGRAMMING TOOLS THAT WORK FOR SCIENTISTS. THE RESEARCH TEAM IS DEVELOPING AI MODELS AND TOOLS THAT SUPPORT THE PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES THAT SCIENTISTS USE. THEY ARE DEVELOPING BENCHMARKS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AI TOOLS FOR PROGRAMMING TASKS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO THE SCIENCES. THEY ARE INVESTIGATING HOW AI PROGRAMMING TOOLS CAN HELP COLLEGE STUDENTS STUDY SCIENCE MORE EFFECTIVELY. BY HARNESSING AI TO MAKE PROGRAMMING EASIER FOR SCIENTISTS, THE PROJECT IS HELPING TO ACCELERATE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY, LOWER ITS COST, AND ALLOW MORE PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN SCIENTIFIC WORK. THE PROJECT IS DEVELOPING LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS OF CODE AND ASSOCIATED TOOLS TO SUPPORT SCIENTISTS. TO UNDERSTAND SCIENTISTS' NEEDS, THE TEAM IS RUNNING QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE STUDIES OF HOW SCIENTISTS WRITE PROGRAMS. BASED ON THESE FINDINGS, THEY ARE DEVELOPING DEEP NEURAL NETWORK MODELS FOR PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES THAT ARE FREQUENTLY USED IN THE SCIENCES, SUCH AS MATLAB AND R, BUT ARE LESS COMMONLY USED IN THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INDUSTRY. THESE MODELS ARE PARTICULARLY HELPFUL FOR SCIENTISTS WHO ARE NOT EXPERT PROGRAMMERS; THEY CAN TURN DESCRIPTIONS INTO COMPUTER PROGRAMS, AND ALSO GENERATE EXPLANATIONS OF EXISTING PROGRAMS. THE TEAM IS DEVELOPING MODELS THAT SUPPORT THE PROGRAMMING PARADIGMS THAT SCIENTISTS USE, INCLUDING COMPUTATIONAL NOTEBOOKS AND PROGRAMS WHOSE STRUCTURE IS DETERMINED BY DATA FORMATS. THE TEAM IS DEVELOPING CODE GENERATION MODELS THAT CAN BE DEPLOYED ON PRIVATE, AIR GAPPED NETWORKS, MAKING THEM SUITABLE FOR SCIENTISTS WORKING IN SENSITIVE FIELDS, INCLUDING ENERGY AND DEFENSE. 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.

MULTI-TARGET DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF DNA-BINDING ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES - ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES (AMPS) ARE A POTENTIALLY PROMISING STRATEGY TO ADDRESS THE ONGOING HEALTH CRISIS OF ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT MICROBIAL INFECTION BECAUSE THEY TARGET GENERIC BACTERIAL STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, THEREBY RENDERING EVOLUTIONARY PATHWAYS FOR BACTERIAL RESISTANCE MORE DIFFICULT. SOME AMPS HAVE A HYPOTHESIZED MECHANISM OF ACTION THAT FIRST INVOLVES INTERACTING WITH THE BACTERIAL CELL MEMBRANE AND TRANSLOCATING ACROSS IT TO ENTER THE BACTERIAL CELL. ONCE THESE AMPS ENTER BACTERIA, THEY CAN INTERACT WITH INTRACELLULAR TARGETS SUCH AS DNA. INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THESE CATIONIC PEPTIDES AND BOTH OF THEIR NEGATIVELY-CHARGED MEMBRANE AND NUCLEIC ACID TARGETS ARE MEDIATED IN LARGE PART BY ELECTROSTATICS. THIS PROJECT INVOLVES THE DESIGN OF AMPS WITH INCREASED ANTIMICROBIAL POTENCY THROUGH RATIONALLY MODIFYING FIVE AMPS BELIEVED TO TARGET NUCLEIC ACIDS TO ACHIEVE ENHANCED MEMBRANE AND DNA BINDING AFFINITY. THE PROJECT WORKFLOW INTEGRATES COMPUTATIONAL TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS OPTIMIZATION, MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS, AND CONTINUUM ELECTROSTATIC MODELING WITH EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS SPECTROSCOPY, MICROBIOLOGICAL TESTING, AND VESICLE-BASED ASSAYS. THIS MULTIFACETED APPROACH WILL ALLOW FOR NOT ONLY THE ENGINEERING OF POTENTIALLY MORE ACTIVE THERAPEUTICS BUT ALSO THE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF MULTI-TARGET MOLECULAR RECOGNITION IN ELECTROSTATICALLY-DRIVEN SYSTEMS. SPECIFICALLY, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL FIRST DESIGN PEPTIDES WITH A RANGE OF AFFINITIES TO EACH SINGLE TARGET – EITHER MEMBRANE OR DNA – FOLLOWED BY STUDIES TO DETERMINE HOW BINDING AFFINITY RELATES TO ANTIMICROBIAL POTENCY AND MECHANISM OF ACTION. BASED ON THESE RESULTS, THEY WILL THEN DESIGN AND ANALYZE PEPTIDES CO-OPTIMIZED TO IDEALLY INTERACT PROMISCUOUSLY TO BOTH MEMBRANE AND DNA TARGETS. BY COMPARING STRUCTURAL BASES OF DESIGNS RESULTING FROM DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE MECHANISMS OF MOLECULAR RECOGNITION IN THIS SYSTEM. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE A RICH CYCLE OF COMPUTATION AND EXPERIMENT THAT CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE PHYSICALLY-BASED MODELS AND YIELD A DESIGN FRAMEWORK THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO OTHER PEPTIDE SYSTEMS. IN ADDITION TO THESE SCIENTIFIC GOALS, THIS WORK WILL FOCUS ON ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AT WELLESLEY COLLEGE, A WOMEN’S UNDERGRADUATE-ONLY INSTITUTION. THROUGH THIS RESEARCH, WELLESLEY STUDENTS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF PROJECTS AT THE INTERFACE OF COMPUTATION AND EXPERIMENT.

THE MASSACHUSETTS CHILD CARE STUDY: CHILD CARE SUBSIDIES, CHILD CARE NEEDS & UTILIZATION, AND CHOICE OF CARE AMONG LOW-I

EARLY ADOLESCENT SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY USE AND PARENTAL MONITORING: IMPLICATIONS FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

PHOTOABSORPTION CROSS SECTION MEASUREMENTS AND MOLECULAR MODELING OF CO ISOTOPOLOGUES AND APPLICATIO

DIMENSIONS: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LAKE BAIKAL RESPONSES TO GLOBAL CHANGE: THE ROLE OF GENETIC, FUNCTIONAL AND TAXONOMIC DIVERSITY IN THE PLANKTON

THE SPECTACULARLY SUCCESSFUL NEW HORIZONS (NH) ENCOUNTER AND RECENT MODELING EFFORTS RAISE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERIC THERMAL STRUCTURE AND ENERGY BALANCE GLOBAL CIRCULATION WIND REGIMES AND THE PROPAGATION OF INERTIA-GRAVITY WAVES. WE PROPOSE TO APPLY A SUITE OF REALISTIC GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC AND RADIATIVE TRANSFER MODELING TOOLS TO EXPLORE THE UNDERLYING PHYSICAL PROCESSES AT WORK IN PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE AND TO IDENTIFY THEIR OBSERVABLE CONSEQUENCES. WE WILL PREDICT THE DYNAMICAL RESPONSE OF THE ATMOSPHERE TO A SET OF HYPOTHESIZED AND MODELED FORCINGS AND SURFACE CONDITIONS AND COMPARE THESE PREDICTIONS WITH NEW HORIZONS OBSERVATIONS AND WITH A SUBSTANTIAL CATALOG OF HIGH SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO (SNR) EARTH-BASED STELLAR OCCULTATIONS THAT PROVIDE OUR BEST RECORD OF DECADAL CHANGES IN PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE. OUR PROPOSED INVESTIGATION WILL FOCUS ON TWO IMPORTANT AND ANSWERABLE QUESTIONS: Q1. WHAT ARE THE DYNAMICAL AND TEMPORAL IMPLICATIONS OF PLUTO'S APPARENTLY COOLER THERMAL STRUCTURE? NEW HORIZONS OBSERVATIONS OF PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERIC THERMAL PROFILE REVEALED UPPER ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURES TO BE NEARLY ISOTHERMAL AT ABOUT 60 K OR ABOUT 30-60 K COOLER THAN THOSE DERIVED FROM DECADES OF PREVIOUS STELLAR OCCULTATIONS AS WELL AS A LESS STABLE LOWER ATMOSPHERE (L. YOUNG 2018). WHAT DOES THIS IMPLY FOR CHANGES IN THE DYNAMICS AND FLOWS OF PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE AND WHAT DOES THIS TELL US ABOUT THE TEMPORAL EVOLUTION OF PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE? HOW CAN WE RECONCILE THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE NH RESULTS AND STELLAR OCCULTATION THERMAL PROFILES? ARE RECENT MODELS INVOKING HAZE AS PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERIC COOLANT (ZHANG ET AL. 2017) CONSISTENT WITH STELLAR OCCULTATION OBSERVATIONS? Q2. WHAT IS THE SOURCE AND EFFECT OF PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERIC WAVES? THERE IS ABUNDANT EVIDENCE FOR WAVE ACTIVITY IN PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE: SCINTILLATIONS ("SPIKES") IN STELDLAR OCCULTATION LIGHTCURVES (TOIGO ET AL. 2010; FRENCH ET AL. 2015; PASACHOFF ET AL. 2005 2015) AND WAVE-LIKE FEATURES IN THE VERTICAL THERMAL PROFILES DERIVED FROM HIGH-SNR OCCULTATIONS INDICATE THAT THE WAVES ARE REGIONALLY AND/OR TEMPORALLY VARIABLE. PREVIOUSLY WE HAVE SUGGESTED THAT PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERIC WAVES ARE DRIVEN BY VERTICAL FLOW AT THE SURFACE RESULTING FROM A DIURNAL CYCLE IN THE SUBLIMATION AND CONDENSATION OF SURFACE ICES (TOIGO ET AL. 2010; FRENCH ET AL. 2015). HOWEVER NEW HORIZONS OBSERVATIONS PROVIDE CLEAR EVIDENCE OF KM-SCALE TOPOGRAPHIC RELIEF (MOORE ET AL. 2016) RAISING THE POSSIBILITY THAT PLUTO'S OBSERVED INERTIA-GRAVITY WAVES MAY INSTEAD (OR ADDITIONALLY) BE OROGRAPHIC IN ORIGIN. ARE WAVES IN PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE DRIVEN MORE BY SUBLIMATION OR BY TOPOGRAPHY? HOW DO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE WAVES COMPARE TO OBSERVATIONS (GLADSTONE ET AL. 2016; CHENG ET AL. 2017) OF THIN LAYERS OF HAZES IN THE ATMOSPHERE? OUR WORK DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THE PRIME FACIE CONTRADICTION BETWEEN ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURES INFERRED FROM YEARS OF EARTH-BASED OCCULTATIONS AND THE NEW HORIZONS OBSERVATIONS. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS INVESTIGATION WE WILL HAVE A MUCH DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF TWO POSSIBLE MECHANISMS FOR COOLING THE ATMOSPHERE OF PLUTO: ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR OR PHOTOCHEMICAL HAZE AND HOW THOSE FACTORS INFLUENCE THE GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION AND STRUCTURE. THIS IS CRITICAL TO UNDERSTANDING HOW PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE MAINTAINS THERMAL EQUILIBRIUM. ADDITIONALLY WE WILL UNDERSTAND HOW ATMOSPHERIC WAVES ARE GENERATED ON PLUTO: BY DIURNALLY-DRIVEN FROST SUBLIMATION AND CONDENSATION AND/OR BY HORIZONTAL FLOW OVER TOPOGRAPHIC RELIEF. WE WILL DETERMINE THE PREDICTED WAVELENGTHS STRENGTHS VERTICAL EXTENT AND VARIABILITY (BOTH REGIONAL AND TEMPORAL) OF THE MODELED WAVES IN EACH CASE AND COMPARE THEIR ABILITY TO ACCOUNT FOR THE OBSERVED VARIABILITY OF WAVE CHARACTERISTICS IN A RICH SET OF HIGH-SNR STELLAR OCCULTATION OBSERVATIONS AS WELL AS HAZE OBSERVATIONS FROM NEW HORIZONS.

PLUTO'S COLD, TENUOUS ATMOSPHERE PROVIDES A FASCINATING LABORATORY FOR EXPANDING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DYNAMICS AND STRUCTURE OF PLANETARY ATMOSPH

ADOLESCENT COMMUNICATION WITH FAMILY AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

DIVERSITY OF HUMAN MILK OLIGOSACCHARIDE METABOLIZING GENES IN TWO INFANT COHORTS - DIVERSITY OF HUMAN MILK OLIGOSACCHARIDE METABOLIZING GENES IN TWO INFANT COHORTS PROJECT SUMMARY ATOPIC DERMATITIS/ECZEMA IS A GROWING PROBLEM IN THE UNITED STATES AND AFFECTS NEARLY 20% OF INFANTS. IT USUALLY BEGINS DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF AN INFANT’S LIFE. EARLY ATOPY IS ALSO ONE OF THE PREDICTORS OF LATER ALLERGIC OR OTHER HYPERINFLAMMATORY HEALTH PROBLEMS. OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED A PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF HUMAN MILK FEEDING FOR ATOPIC DERMATITIS/ECZEMA IN INFANTS. THUS, TO PROTECT THEIR CHILD FROM THIS DISEASE, SOME WOMEN CHOOSE TO FEED THEIR INFANTS HUMAN MILK. HOWEVER, THERE IS CONFLICTING EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS INTERVENTION. ALTHOUGH DIET IS LIKELY AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS DISEASE, THE COMPOSITION OF THE MICROBIOTA AND ITS ABILITY TO DIGEST A SPECIFIC COMPONENT OF THE DIET IS POTENTIALLY JUST AS IMPORTANT IN PROTECTING AGAINST ATOPIC DERMATITIS/ECZEMA. IN FACT, THE ABILITY OF THE INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA TO METABOLIZE SPECIFIC HUMAN MILK OLIGOSACCHARIDES (HMOS) MAY EXPLAIN WHY HUMAN MILK FEEDING PROTECTS AGAINST ATOPIC DERMATITIS/ECZEMA IN SOME BUT NOT ALL INFANTS FED HUMAN MILK. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL INVESTIGATE MICROBIAL METABOLISM AND METABOLIC PRODUCTS AND IDENTIFY THEIR ASSOCIATION TO ATOPIC DERMATITIS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL ASSESS THE TAXONOMIC, FUNCTIONAL, AND METABOLIC COMPOSITION OF GUT-RESIDENT BACTERIA FROM HUNDREDS OF INFANTS RESIDING IN THE MIDWEST OR NORTHEAST UNITED STATES TO DETERMINE THE DIVERSITY, PREVALENCE, AND ABUNDANCE OF MICROBIAL HMO METABOLISM. THIS MULTI-OMIC DATA WILL BE LINKED TO REPORTS OF ATOPIC DERMATITIS/ECZEMA IN THE RESPECTIVE INFANTS. WE MAY ALSO IDENTIFY MICROBIOTA-ASSOCIATED GENES OR METABOLITES THAT ARE PROTECTIVE AGAINST ATOPIC DERMATITIS/ECZEMA. WE EXPECT THAT INFANTS WITH A MORE DIVERSE REPERTOIRE OF HMO METABOLIZING GENES PRESENT IN THEIR GUT MICROBIOME WILL BE PROTECTED FROM ATOPIC DERMATITIS/ECZEMA. PERFORMING THIS RESEARCH IN TWO DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE US WILL BE ESPECIALLY ADVANTAGEOUS, SINCE SUBTLE DIFFERENCES IN MEDICAL OR CULTURAL PRACTICES, OR SIMPLY GEOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES IN MICROBIAL EXPOSURE, MAY ALTER HMO METABOLIZING GENE REPERTOIRES INDEPENDENT OF BREASTFEEDING BEHAVIOR. THIS RESEARCH WILL DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MICROBIAL HMO METABOLISM IN HUMAN INFANTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND DETERMINE WHETHER A SPECIFIC PATTERN OF HMO METABOLIZING GENES PROTECTS INFANTS FROM ATOPIC DERMATITIS AND ECZEMA.

RUI: NEUROGENESIS IN ADULT BRAINS: THE VASCULAR NICHE, GLIAL PROGENITORS, MIGRATORY STREAMS AND NEURONAL DIFFERENTIATION IN THE OLFACTORY PATHWAY OF

IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INNOVATION, AND JOB CREATION

THIS IS A MULTI-INSTRUMENT PROPOSAL TO COMBINE ALL CASSINI UVIS VIMS AND RSS RING OCCULTATION OBSERVATIONS FROM 2005 THROUGH JUNE 2017 (ALL PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ON NASA S PLANETARY DATA SYSTEM) TO SUPPORT A MULTI-FACETED INVESTIGATION OF THE DYNAMICS AND STRUCTURE OF SATURN S RINGS. WE WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE VARIED VIEWING GEOMETRY LONG TIME-BASELINE MULTI-INSTRUMENT COVERAGE RECENT THEORETICAL ADVANCES AND THE NEWLY-REFINED CASSINI TRAJECTORY TO EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF A HOST OF TIME-VARIABLE PHENOMENA AND PREVIOUSLY INACCESSIBLE CHARACTERISTICS OF SATURN AND ITS RING SYSTEM.

PATHWAYS TO ETHICS OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE LIBERAL ARTS CURRICULUM -THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON HOW TO EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF DATA SCIENTISTS AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERS TO IMPLEMENT THEIR TECHNICAL EXPERTISE INFORMED BY SOUND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES. THIS INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE PATHWAYS TO MAKING ETHICS OF TECHNOLOGY?COMPUTATIONAL, DATA-DRIVEN TECHNOLOGY?A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF THE LIBERAL ARTS CURRICULUM FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS AND THEIR STUDENTS IN A MULTI-YEAR PEDAGOGICAL EXERCISE CALLED: METHOD, ETHICS, TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH SEMINAR (METER). THE FINDINGS FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE OF INTEREST TO EDUCATORS, PRACTITIONERS AND STUDENTS. THE PROJECT: PATHWAYS TO ETHICS OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE LIBERAL ARTS CURRICULUM SEEKS TO ADDRESS TWO QUESTIONS: HOW SHOULD THE NEXT GENERATION OF DATA SCIENTISTS AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERS BE EDUCATED TO THINK OF THEIR WORK AS NOT JUST TECHNICAL BUT ALSO ETHICAL? WHAT SORT OF EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES WILL LEAD THEM TO SEE THAT THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF THEIR WORK REQUIRES THAT IT BE DRIVEN BY SOUND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES? USING SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL ALSO COLLABORATE WITH ALUMS OF THEIR INSTITUTION TO BRING THE WORKPLACE INTO THE CLASSROOM. THIS PROJECT WILL GENERATE NEW KNOWLEDGE WITH RESPECT TO: 1. HOW WORKERS IN THE FIELD OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY REFLECT ON THEIR PREPARATION FOR CAREERS IN TECHNOLOGY, 2. HOW THE HISTORICAL AND PRESENT-DAY ITERATIONS OF LIBERAL ARTS CURRICULA INTERSECT, SUPPORT, OR OTHERWISE INTERROGATE THE ETHICS OF TECHNOLOGY, 3. STRATEGIES AND MATERIALS FOR MEANINGFUL INTERVENTION IN LIBERAL ARTS CURRICULA, WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF STRENGTHENING THE ETHICAL DECISION MAKING PREPARATION FOR FUTURE LEADERS IN TECHNOLOGY. 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.

MRI: ACQUISITION: MALDI-TOF/TOF MASS SPECTROMETER FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND TEACHING AT AN UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A FATHER-BASED INTERVENTION TO SUPPORT ADOLESCENTS REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH - RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIORS HAVE HIGH PERSONAL, SOCIAL, AND FINANCIAL COSTS. FATHERS’ TALK WITH TEENS ABOUT SEX CAN PROTECT TEENS FROM RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER, THE POSITIVE EFFECTS ARE LIMITED, AS FEW FATHERS TALK WITH THEIR TEENS ABOUT SEX AND THOSE WHO DO TALK REPORT LOW FREQUENCY OF TALK. IMPACTS OF PARENT PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT TEEN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ARE REDUCED BY LOW PARTICIPATION AND RETENTION AND LACK OF ATTENTION TO FATHER-SPECIFIC BARRIERS AND SUPPORTS FOR TALK WITH TEENS ABOUT SEX. THE PROPOSED INTERVENTION WILL ADDRESS LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING PROGRAMS BY USING AN ONLINE DESIGN WITH SELF-PACED LESSONS AND ENGAGING BOTH FATHERS AND TEENS, AND ADD INNOVATIVE ELEMENTS IDENTIFIED IN FATHER-BASED NEEDS ASSESSMENTS SUCH AS A FATHER-FACILITATED PEER-BASED SUPPORT GROUP AND IDENTIFYING MULTIPLE APPROACHES TO TALK WITH TEENS. USING INTERVENTION MAPPING, A SYSTEMATIC PROTOCOL USING THEORY, EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE, AND COMMUNITY INPUT TO DEVELOP HEALTH INTERVENTIONS, WE WILL DEVELOP AN ONLINE INTERVENTION TO SUPPORT FATHERS’ HEALTH-PROMOTING TALK WITH THEIR TEENS ABOUT SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS, USING SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY, AND EVALUATE THE INTERVENTION’S ACCEPTABILITY, FEASIBILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY. THE SHORT-TERM GOALS OF THE INTERVENTION ARE TO INCREASE HEALTH-RELATED KNOWLEDGE, SELF-EFFICACY, AND OUTCOME EXPECTATIONS AS MECHANISMS TO REDUCE TEENS’ SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOR. WE PLAN TO USE A FUTURE R01 TO CONDUCT A FULL-SCALE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL TO ASSESS THE PROGRAM’S EFFICACY TO ADDRESS LONG-TERM GOALS IDENTIFIED BY NIH OF REDUCING TEENS’ STI TRANSMISSION AND INCREASING THEIR CONTRACEPTIVE USE. THE AIMS OF THE CURRENT STUDY ARE 1) TO DEVELOP A 3-MODULE PROTOTYPE FOR A FATHER-TEEN ONLINE PROGRAM TO SUPPORT HEALTH-PROMOTING FAMILY COMMUNICATION ABOUT SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS, AND 2) TO EVALUATE THE PROGRAM’S ACCEPTABILITY, FEASIBILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY. TO ADDRESS AIM 1, WE WILL DEVELOP PROGRAM MODULES USING ONLINE LESSONS AND INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES FOR FATHERS AND TEENS TO COMPLETE TOGETHER, WITH ONGOING STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK FROM OUR FAMILY ADVISORY BOARD, WHICH INCLUDES 10 FATHERS AND ˜6 TEENS. AIM 2 WILL ASSESS THE PROGRAM’S ACCEPTABILITY, FEASIBILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY USING A PILOT STUDY OF 50 PAIRS OF HIGH SCHOOL-AGED TEENS AND FATHERS. ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT USE DATA SUCH AS PILOT ENROLLMENT, PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK, AND SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES. GIVEN THE LIMITED PROJECT SCOPE, PRELIMINARY EFFICACY WILL BE EXPLORED BY ASSESSING INITIAL DIRECTIONALITY FOR CORRELATES OF TEENS’ SEXUAL BEHAVIOR THROUGH PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION SURVEYS, USING MATCHED PAIR T-TESTS AND T-TESTS TO ASSESS EFFECTS OF TEEN GENDER ON OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY IS SIGNIFICANT AS IT TRANSLATES RESEARCH ON FATHER-TEEN TALK ABOUT SEX INTO A TECHNOLOGY-BASED AND POTENTIALLY SCALABLE INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO REDUCE TEENS’ SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOR. THIS STUDY’S INNOVATION LIES IN DEVELOPING ONE OF THE FIRST INTERVENTIONS TO ADDRESS FATHERS AS AN UNDER-UTILIZED RESOURCE TO SUPPORT TEENS’ SEXUAL HEALTH, USING NOVEL APPROACHES TO MAXIMIZE FATHER-TEEN COMMUNICATION ABOUT SEX. THIS STUDY PROMOTES PUBLIC HEALTH BY DEVELOPING AN INTERVENTION WITH POTENTIAL TO REDUCE TEENS’ SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOR.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: WE PROPOSE TO SUBMIT THE ENTIRE SET OF KNOWN HIGH-SNR URANUS RING OCCULTATION OBSERVATIONS TO NASA'S PDS RINGS NODE FOR USE B

RUI: THE ROLE OF LOW-ENERGY ELECTRONS IN HIGH-ENERGY RADIOLYSIS

RUI: CONDENSED PHASE RADIOLYSIS VS. PHOTOLYSIS

RUI: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF INTERPHASE NODE PROTEINS IN NDR-FAMILY KINASE SID2P LOCALIZATION DURING CYTOKINESIS. -THIS PROJECT WILL EVALUATE THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL CONTROL OF CELL DIVISION TO PROVIDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW HIGHLY CONSERVED REGULATORY MECHANISMS CONTRIBUTE TO A CELL?S ABILITY TO SUCCESSFULLY DIVIDE. CELL DIVISION IS A CRITICAL PROCESS ESSENTIAL FOR THE PROPER GROWTH AND MAINTENANCE OF LIVING ORGANISMS. A BETTER CHARACTERIZATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PROCESS COULD HAVE APPLICATIONS IN ENHANCING BIODIVERSITY, AGRICULTURE, OR FOOD PRODUCTION. CYTOKINESIS, THE FINAL STAGE OF CELL DIVISION, INVOLVES THE PHYSICAL SEPARATION OF THE TWO NEWLY FORMED CELLS. IN ANIMALS AND FUNGI, THIS PROCESS IS REGULATED BY A SERIES OF CONSERVED MOLECULAR PATHWAYS, ONE OF WHICH INVOLVES A KEY PROTEIN CALLED SID2P. RECENT RESEARCH INDICATES THAT OTHER PROTEINS, KNOWN AS SCAFFOLD PROTEINS, PLAY A ROLE IN RECRUITING SID2P AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO THE PRECISE LOCATION WHERE THE CELL WILL DIVIDE. UNDERSTANDING HOW THESE SCAFFOLD PROTEINS INTERACT WITH SID2P IS ESSENTIAL FOR UNRAVELING THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING CYTOKINESIS. BY UTILIZING GENETIC, BIOCHEMICAL, AND CELL BIOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO INVESTIGATE THESE INTERACTIONS, THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES GOVERNING CELL DIVISION. IN ADDITION TO THE RESEARCH GOALS, THIS PROJECT WILL ENABLE TRAINING OF WELLESLEY COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN BASIC GENETICS, MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY, QUANTITATIVE MICROSCOPY, AND COMPUTATIONAL IMAGE ANALYSIS. TRAINEES WILL ALSO HELP STIMULATE INTEREST AND EXCITEMENT ABOUT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF STUDENTS THROUGH THEIR MENTORSHIP OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE WELLESLEY COLLEGE SCIENCE CLUB FOR GIRLS, WHICH IS AN AFTER-SCHOOL OUTREACH PROGRAM FOR GIRLS INTERESTED IN STEM DISCIPLINES. CYTOKINESIS, THE FINAL STEP IN CELL DIVISION, IS A HIGHLY REGULATED PROCESS THAT MUST BE COORDINATED WITH MANY CONCURRENT EVENTS IN THE CELL CYCLE. CYTOKINESIS IN ANIMALS AND FUNGI INVOLVES THE CONSERVED MECHANISM OF CONTRACTILE RING ASSEMBLY AND CONSTRICTION, WHICH HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY STUDIED IN FISSION YEAST. THE FISSION YEAST SIN PATHWAY IS A SIGNALING CASCADE, HOMOLOGOUS TO THE MAMMALIAN HIPPO PATHWAY, WHICH INITIATES COMPLETION OF CELL DIVISION BY PROMOTING ONSET OF CONTRACTILE RING CONSTRICTION. THE FINAL STEP IN THE SIN INVOLVES THE NDR-FAMILY KINASE SID2P, WHICH IS HOMOLOGOUS TO THE MAMMALIAN DIVISION REGULATORY PROTEIN LATS1/2. WORK FROM THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR?S LAB AND OTHERS IMPLICATE FOUR TYPE 2 INTERPHASE NODE SCAFFOLD PROTEINS IN RECRUITING SID2P TO THE CONTRACTILE RING. THIS PROJECT TESTS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THESE SCAFFOLD PROTEINS FUNCTION IN A SYNERGISTIC PATHWAY TO LOCALIZE SID2P TO THE DIVISION SITE DURING CYTOKINESIS, THEREBY ENSURING TIMELY CELL DIVISION. THIS RESEARCH WILL CHARACTERIZE SID2P RECRUITMENT TO THE DIVISION SITE IN CELLS DEPLETED OF THE CYTOKINESIS SCAFFOLD PROTEINS AND EVALUATE THE EFFECT ON CONTRACTILE RING CONSTRICTION AND TIME TO COMPLETION OF DIVISION USING FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY. THE PROJECT WILL THEN IDENTIFY BINDING DOMAINS BETWEEN SCAFFOLD PROTEINS AND SID2P USING TRUNCATION MUTANTS AND IMMUNOPRECIPITATION. TOGETHER, THIS PROJECT PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO LOCALIZATION OF THE NDR KINASE SID2P DURING CYTOKINESIS IN FISSION YEAST, WHICH WILL IN TURN PROVIDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THIS CONSERVED, ESSENTIAL PROTEIN IS REGULATED AND CONTRIBUTES TO SUCCESSFUL CELL DIVISION IN OTHER ORGANISMS. 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.

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A FLOW CYTOMETER TO ENHANCE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AT WELLESLEY COLLEGE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: HOW ENERGY ECONOMY AND MUSCLE PROPERTIES SHAPE FISH SWIMMING STRATEGIES IN THE FIELD

CHS: SMALL: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION FOR PERSONAL GENOMICS: UNDERSTANDING, INFORMING, AND EMPOWERING USERS

SYSTEMATIC DESIGN OF HISTONE-DERIVED ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES - PROJECT SUMMARY BACTERIA THAT HAVE DEVELOPED RESISTANCE TO CONVENTIONAL ANTIBIOTICS ARE AN INCREASING PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN, AND ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES (AMPS) REPRESENT A POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE TO COMBAT THESE BACTERIA. ONE INTRIGUING FAMILY OF AMPS IS THE HISTONE-DERIVED ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES (HDAPS). HDAPS HAVE BEEN ISOLATED FROM NATURAL SOURCES, AND THE MECHANISMS FOR MANY OF THESE PEPTIDES HAVE BEEN DETERMINED EXPERIMENTALLY. HOWEVER, RELATIVELY LITTLE FOCUS HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THE RATIONAL OPTIMIZATION AND DESIGN OF HDAPS TO ENGINEER MORE ACTIVE PEPTIDES. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO ADDRESS THIS GAP THROUGH PURPOSEFUL AND DESIGN-MOTIVATED INVESTIGATIONS OF THREE ADDITIONAL FACTORS THAT WE HYPOTHESIZE WILL IMPACT HDAP ACTIVITY: PEPTIDE TRUNCATIONS, THE FORMATION OF HYBRID PEPTIDES, AND COMBINATION THERAPY WITH ANTIBIOTIC+AMP COCKTAILS. WE ARE EMPLOYING A CAREFULLY SELECTED SET OF FOUR REPRESENTATIVE HDAPS, BF2 AND THREE DESIGNED PEPTIDES DESHDAP1, DESHDAP2 AND DESHDAP3A. THESE PEPTIDES WERE CHOSEN TO SPAN THE TWO BROAD CATEGORIES FOR AMP INTERACTION WITH CELL MEMBRANES—PEPTIDES THAT TRANSLOCATE ACROSS PLASMA MEMBRANES (BF2 AND DESHDAP1) AND THOSE THAT INDUCE SIGNIFICANT MEMBRANE PERMEABILIZATION (DESHDAP2 AND DESHDAP3A). THESE PEPTIDES ALSO REFLECT A RANGE OF INITIAL ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES. THUS, WE FEEL THAT THEY PROVIDE A TRACTABLE SAMPLE SIZE THAT NONETHELESS PROVIDE SUFFICIENT MOLECULAR DIVERSITY TO IDENTIFY TRENDS. OUR METHODS INCLUDE A COMBINATION OF BACTERIAL AND EUKARYOTIC ASSAYS, CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY, SPECTROSCOPIC MEASUREMENTS, AND MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS. AFTER ELUCIDATING TRENDS FOR OUR THREE PROPOSED FACTORS THAT AFFECT HDAP ACTIVITY WITH OUR REPRESENTATIVE SET OF FOUR PEPTIDES, WE WILL COMBINE THIS INFORMATION TO CREATE A NOVEL SERIES OF PEPTIDES IDENTIFIED FROM HISTONE SEQUENCES THROUGH A LIBRARY-BASED APPROACH THAT OPTIMIZES THE INDIVIDUAL FACTORS FOR PEPTIDE ACTIVITY. WE CAN THUS ASSESS THE GENERALIZABILITY OF OUR TRENDS TO VALIDATE WHETHER THIS IS A USEFUL APPROACH FOR PEPTIDE DESIGN IN HDAPS. THESE STUDIES WILL PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF HDAPS AS POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC AGENTS AND PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO HDAP STRUCTURE-FUNCTION RELATIONSHIPS THAT POTENTIALLY CAN BE EXPANDED TO OTHER AMP FAMILIES. IN ADDITION TO THESE SCIENTIFIC GOALS, THIS RESEARCH ALSO HAS A STRONG EMPHASIS ON TRAINING AS THE WORK WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY SEVERAL UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS AND A FEW RECENT GRADUATES AT WELLESLEY COLLEGE, AN UNDERGRADUATE-ONLY WOMEN’S COLLEGE.

TO BLAME OR TO PRAISE: PROBING NOTCH REGULATION ONE AMINO ACID AT A TIME

FAMILY FRIENDLY: HOW ARE FIRMS AND ESTABLISHMENTS AFFECTED BY STATE PAID FAMILY LEAVE PROGRAMS?

GSE/RES: A SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF GENDER, RELATIONSHIPS, AND HIGH SCHOOL STEM

A MULTI-PURPOSE NANOVEHICLE FOR TARGETED BORON NEUTRON CAPTURE CANCER THERAPY & I

RUI: METHODS FOR CHARACTERIZING SMALL GENES IN BACTERIA

OUR RESEARCH PROGRAM FOCUSES ON THE MEASUREMENT AND MODELING OF VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET AND UV MOLECULAR PHOTOABSORPTION CROSSSECTIONS WITH THE HIGHEST P

LTREB-RENEWAL: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BEHAVIORAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC RESPONSES OF MIGRATORY BIRDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE

OUR RESEARCH FOCUSES ON THE MEASUREMENT AND MODELING OF VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET AND UV MOLECULAR PHOTOABSORPTION CROSS SECTIONS WITH THE HIGHEST PRACTICAL RESOLUTION AND ACCURACY. IT SUPPORTS EFFORTS TO INTERPRET MODEL AND UNDERSTAND OBSERVATIONS OF PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES AND IT RESPONDS TO THE SPECIFIC DATA NEEDS OF ONGOING NASA MISSIONS. WE REQUEST FUNDING TO SUPPORT LABORATORY WORK ON THE ISOTOPOLOGUES OF CO2 O2 AND CO AND ON N2 WITH CURRENT MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE APPLICATIONS BEING THE PRIMARY DRIVERS. CO2 O2 AND CO: ISOTOPE RATIOS OF ATMOSPHERIC SPECIES REVEAL MUCH ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF A PLANET S ATMOSPHERE AND VOLATILE RESERVOIRS. WE FOCUS HERE ON THE O AND C ISOTOPOLOGUES OF CO2 O2 AND CO IN THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE. PRESENT-DAY ISOTOPIC RATIOS IN THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE ARE SIGNATURES OF THE LONG-TERM EVOLUTION OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE. ISOTOPIC FRACTIONATION IN THE PHOTODISSOCIATION OF CO2 AND O2 IS EXPECTED TO STRONGLY INFLUENCE THE 16O/17O/18O COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE WHILE PHOTODISSOCIATION OF CO IS THE PRIMARY PHOTOCHEMICAL SOURCE OF THE ESCAPE OF ATOMIC CARBON FROM MARS. THE QUANTITATIVE INTERPRETATION OF ONGOING OBSERVATIONS OF THE MARTIAN UPPER-ATMOSPHERE ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION BY THE MAVEN NGIMS INSTRUMENT REQUIRES DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF ISOTOPE-SELECTIVE PROCESSES DURING PHOTODISSOCIATION. THESE IN TURN REQUIRE ACCURATE ISOTOPIC CROSS SECTIONS. WE PROPOSE TO: A) MEASURE THE CROSS SECTIONS OF THE RELEVANT CO2 ISOTOPOLOGUES (13C16O2 12C16O17O AND 12C16O18O) FROM THE IONIZATION LIMIT 90 NM TO 190 NM; B) MEASURE THE CROSS SECTIONS OF O2 ISOTOPOLOGUES AT LYMAN-ALPHA (121.6 NM) TO VERIFY PREDICTIONS OF STRONG FRACTIONATION EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STRONG SOLAR FEATURE; C) MEASURE CROSS SECTIONS OF 12C16O AND 13C16O FROM 91.2 NM TO APPROXIMATELY 80 NM TO SUPPORT EVALUATIONS OF STRONG 12C/13C FRACTIONATION IN THE PHOTOCHEMICAL ORIGIN OF ATOMIC CARBON ESCAPE FROM MARS FOLLOWING PHOTODISSOCIATION OF CO. THE PROPOSED MEASUREMENTS WILL BE CARRIED OUT ON THE DESIRS BEAMLINE OF THE SOLEIL SYNCHROTRON THE PREMIER FACILITY IN THE WORLD FOR GAS-PHASE HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOABSORPTION MEASUREMENTS. CO CAMERON BANDS AND N2 LBH BANDS: THE CAMERON BANDS OF CO ARE PROMINENT MIDDLE-ULTRAVIOLET AIRGLOW EMISSION FEATURES OF MARS AND THE LYMAN-BIRGE-HOPFIELD (LBH) BANDS OF N2 WERE RECENTLY OBSERVED IN EMISSION IN THE MARTIAN UPPER ATMOSPHERE BY THE IUVS ON MAVEN. LBH BANDS ALSO DOMINATE THE VUV AIRGLOW EMISSIONS FROM TITAN'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE; THE ANALYSIS OF THEIR PROMINENCE HAS LONG BEEN A CENTRAL COMPONENT OF UPPER-ATMOSPHERIC MODELS OF THE N2-RICH ATMOSPHERES OF EARTH TITAN TRITON AND PLUTO. THE DISTRIBUTION OF RADIANT ENERGY WITHIN THE CO AND N2 BANDS PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO TEMPERATURES PRESSURES AND DENSITIES AS WELL AS THE DISTRIBUTIONS OF ELECTRON AND ION ENERGIES AS FUNCTIONS OF ALTITUDE. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE EMISSION INTENSITIES RELIES ON A SUITE OF ELECTRON-IMPACT EXCITATION AND EMISSION CROSS SECTION MEASUREMENTS FOR RELEVANT GASES. THE EXTRACTIONS OF THESE CROSS SECTIONS FROM THE LABORATORY DATA ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SUBTLE BUT IMPORTANT EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DIPOLE-FORBIDDEN NATURE OF THE CO CAMERON AND LBH TRANSITIONS. WE ARE INITIATING A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WITH DR. CHARLES MALONE (JPL) A KEY AUTHOR ON THE MOST RECENT RELEVANT LABORATORY STUDIES OF ELECTRON-IMPACT ON CO AND N2 EXCITATION AND EMISSION TO MEASURE THE PHOTOABSORPTION CROSS SECTIONS OF THE CAMERON AND LBH BANDS AT TO APPLY OUR MEASUREMENTS TO IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF HE CAMERON AND LBH EMISSION CROSS SECTIONS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH CONTRIBUTES TO THE PDART PROGRAM VIA THE GENERATION OF NEW REFERENCE INFORMATION (SCOPE OF PROGRAM ELEMENT 1.5). THE SPECTROSCOPIC DATA ARE DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO ONGOING MARTIAN ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH AND ARE ALSO INTENDED FOR GENERAL USE IN PLANETARY SCIENCE. WE WILL ARCHIVE OUR DATA VIA THE ATMOSPHERES NODE OF THE NASA PDS.

LRRK2 KINASE ACTIVITY AND MITOCHONDRIAL OXIDATIVE STRESS

RUI: EXPLORING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CONDENSED PHASE PHOTOLYSIS AND RADIOLYSIS

REU SITE: CHEMISTRY AS THE FOCUS OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM AT WELLESLEY COLLEGE

GEOMETRY AND KINEMATICS OF SATURN'S RINGS:SATURN'S DIVERSE RING SYSTEM PROVIDES AN IDEAL LABORATORY IN WHICH TO STUDY A VARIETY OF DYNAMICAL PROCESS

RUI: THE ROLE OF PATELLIN1/2 IN ARABIDOPSIS VASCULAR DEVELOPMENT

FATHER-ADOLESCENT COMMUNICATION AND ADOLESCENT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

RUI: IIS: HCC: SMALL PROJECTS: ENHANCING GENOMIC EXPLORATION THROUGH REALITY-BASED INTERACTION

MRI: ACQUISITION OF AN INTEGRATED ATOMIC FORCE AND FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPE TO ENHANCE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AT WELLESLEY COLLEGE

LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS AND MODELING OF MOLECULAR PHOTOABSORPTION CROSS SECTIONS IN THE ULTRAVIOLET FOR PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES APPLICATIONS OUR L

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: LTREB: BEHAVIORAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC RESPONSES OF MIGRATORY BIRDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE

RUI: THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF A GENETICALLY ACCOMMODATED LARVAL COLOR POLYPHENISM

CHS: SMALL: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: UBIQOMICS: HCI FOR AUGMENTING OUR WORLD WITH PERVASIVE PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL OMIC DATA

RUI: A SYSTEMATIC, COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF MACROMOLECULAR CROWDING ON ELECTROSTATIC INTERACTIONS, BIOMOLECULAR RECOGNITION, AND MOLECULA

REU SITE: CHEMISTRY AS THE FOCUS OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM AT WELLESLEY COLLEGE

23-BPSF23-0079 BRIDGING FUNDAMENTAL ICE CHEMISTRY STUDIES AND OCEAN WORLD EXPLORATIONS

ABSORPTION MEASUREMENTS OF SO2 ISOTOPOLOGUES WITH APPLICATION TO SULFUR ISOTOPE MASS-INDEPENDENT FRA

RUI: ANATOMICAL TRANSFORMATION IN MAMMALIA: DEVELOPMENTAL CONTROLS OF VERTEBRAL COLUMN EVOLUTION

NSF-REU CHEMISTRY LG TRAVEL AWARDS FOR REU AND AMP STUDENTS, 2009-2011

RUI: CELLS FROM THE IMMUNE SYSTEM GENERATE ADULT-BORN NEURONS IN CRAYFISH

CRII: AF: RUI: ALGORITHMIC FAIRNESS FOR COMPUTATIONAL SOCIAL CHOICE MODELS -COMPUTERS NOW SUPPORT MANY KINDS OF PREFERENCE AGGREGATION/VOTING SYSTEMS AND HAVE EVEN MADE NEW ONES POSSIBLE, DRIVING DEEPER STUDY INTO COMPUTATIONAL SOCIAL CHOICE. FOR EXAMPLE, ONLINE LIQUID DEMOCRACY PLATFORMS ALLOW USERS TO VOTE DIRECTLY ON A TOPIC OR DELEGATE THEIR VOTE TO A TRUSTED PROXY WHOM THEY BELIEVE IS MORE INFORMED AND WILL REPRESENT THEIR INTERESTS. THESE SYSTEMS HAVE ALLOWED BUSINESSES TO MAKE COLLECTIVE DECISIONS ON ISSUES RANGING FROM PRODUCT DESIGN TO FOOD OFFERED IN THE CORPORATE CAFETERIA. HOWEVER, RECENT AUDITS OF ALGORITHMS USED IN MACHINE LEARNING AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS HAVE TAUGHT US THAT ALGORITHMIC DECISIONS MADE BY COMPUTERS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO UNINTENTIONALLY DISADVANTAGE INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS OF PEOPLE. SUCH ALGORITHMIC BIAS AND DISCRIMINATION CAN BE COUNTERED BY DESIGNING ALGORITHMS WITH SPECIFIC FAIRNESS GUARANTEES BUILT IN. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE COMPUTATIONAL SOCIAL CHOICE THROUGH AN ALGORITHMIC FAIRNESS LENS AND ILLUMINATE THE THEORETICAL LIMITATIONS OF ACHIEVING DIFFICULT OR CONFLICTING CONCEPTS OF FAIRNESS. IN ADDITION TO ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE THAT BENEFITS SOCIETY AND THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY, TOPICS STUDIED IN THIS PROJECT WILL BE USED TO ENRICH COURSES AT EVERY LEVEL OF THE COMPUTER SCIENCE CURRICULUM WITH ENGAGING REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS, AND LESSONS FEATURING THESE TOPICS WILL BE SHARED WITH THE BROADER COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION COMMUNITY. FINALLY, THE INVESTIGATOR WILL MENTOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, DIVERSIFYING THE PIPELINE TO GRADUATE SCHOOL. ALGORITHMS ARE COMMONLY USED TO IMPLEMENT EXISTING AND PROPOSED PREFERENCE AGGREGATION/VOTING SYSTEMS AS WELL AS TO ANALYZE THEM. AT THE SAME TIME, ALGORITHMIC BIAS AND DISCRIMINATION HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED IN A BROAD RANGE OF APPLICATIONS FROM HIRING TO MEDICINE TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE. IN MANY OF THESE AREAS, THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY HAS RESPONDED BY FORMALIZING COMPUTATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF FAIRNESS AND DESIGNING ALGORITHMS THAT EXPLICITLY OFFER FAIRNESS GUARANTEES, ESPECIALLY FOR MACHINE LEARNING TASKS SUCH AS CLASSIFICATION OR RECOMMENDATION. AT A HIGH LEVEL, THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO UNITE COMPUTATIONAL SOCIAL CHOICE AND THE RECENT RESEARCH INTO ALGORITHMIC FAIRNESS AND FAIRNESS, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND TRANSPARENCY (FACCT) IN AUTOMATED SYSTEMS MORE BROADLY. THE MAIN CONTRIBUTIONS TO COMPUTER SCIENCE AND OTHER DISCIPLINES WILL BE: (1) FORMULATING NEW COMPUTATIONAL PROBLEMS, OBJECTIVES, AND CONSTRAINTS FOR IMPLEMENTING AND EVALUATING VOTING SYSTEMS THAT CAN GUIDE FUTURE WORK IN ALGORITHMIC FAIRNESS THAT IS GROUNDED IN A SPECIFIC REAL-WORLD APPLICATION; (2) DESIGNING AND ANALYZING ALGORITHMS FOR THESE PROBLEMS THAT CAN PROVIDE FAIRNESS GUARANTEES; AND (3) PROVING IMPOSSIBILITY RESULTS THAT ESTABLISH WHICH NOTIONS OF FAIRNESS IN THESE SETTINGS ARE INCOMPATIBLE WITH EACH OTHER OR INTRACTABLE. A FOCUS OF (1) WILL BE TO BUILD CONNECTIONS BETWEEN FOUNDATIONAL, THEORETICAL WORK IN ALGORITHMIC FAIRNESS AND SPECIFIC APPLICATION AREAS IN COMPUTATIONAL SOCIAL CHOICE. THE WORK OF (3) WILL ECHO THE SEMINAL IMPOSSIBILITY RESULTS IN THE AREAS OF BOTH ALGORITHMIC FAIRNESS AND SOCIAL CHOICE THEORY. THUS, (1) AND (3) WILL INFORM THE INVESTIGATOR?S OWN WORK ON (2), BUT ALSO POSE NEW PROBLEMS TO THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY. 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: COMPUTATIONAL THINKING THROUGH MOBILE COMPUTING

UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE

PARENTAL PROFILES OF SEXUALITY COMMUNICATION: PROTECTIVE EFFECTS ON YOUTH SEXUAL

TEEN-PARENT HEALTH COMMUNICATION OVER EARLY, MIDDLE, AND LATE ADOLESCENCE

RISK BEHAVIORS AMONG OFFSPRING OF TEEN PARENTS: EFFECTS OF PARENTING ON THE NEXT GENERATION

CRII: CSR: RUI: MOBILITY COORDINATION OF THE CROWDS IN MOBILE CROWD SENSING PLATFORMS

COMMUNICATION ABOUT SEX IN THE NUCLEAR FAMILY AND BEYOND: IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH

POSTDOCTORAL BEHAVIORAL RES TRAINING ON AT-RISK YOUTH

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME: HEALTH OUTCOMES OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

RUI: ALGEBRAIC TOPOLOGY OF KNOT AND LINK SPACES

RIG: INVASION SUCCESS, GENETIC DIVERSITY AND HABITAT FRAGMENTATION IN POPULATIONS OF INTRODUCED AND ENDEMIC WEEVILS IN THE GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: INVESTIGATING GAS EXCHANGE PROCESSES USING NOBLE GASES IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT

RUI: ROLE OF POU FACTORS IN THE REGULATION OF THE TIMING OF METAMORPHOSIS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: EVALUATING FORM-FUNCTION-FITNESS RELATIONSHIPS IN POLYPHENIC BLUEGILL

THE SHAPES OF UNMODIFIED SIMPLE IMPACT CRATERS HAVE BEEN PRECISELY DESCRIBED ON MANY PLANETARY BODIES. OVER TIME, IMPACT CRATERS ARE MODIFIED BY SURF

RUI: THE EVOLUTIONARY AND DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF IMAGINAL CELLS IN A BASAL HOLOMETABOLOUS INSECT

RUI: CONNECTIONS BETWEEN COMPUTABILITY AND ALGEBRAIC STRUCTURES

MSB-ECA: A GENERALIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MODELING THE IMPACTS OF FOREST INSECTS AND PATHOGENS IN THE EARTH SYSTEM

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CNS CORE: MEDIUM: RUI: OPTICS WITHOUT BORDERS

LEAPS-MPS: UNCOVERING AND EXPLOITING MULTISCALE STRUCTURES IN BIG DATA USING DIFFUSION-BASED REPRESENTATION AND OPTIMAL SAMPLING -CONSUMERS OF INFORMATION DESIRE EFFICIENT METHODS FOR PROCESSING DATA, AND SCIENTISTS ARE INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING PATTERNS AND STRUCTURES IN DATA TO EXPLAIN WHY VARIOUS PHENOMENA OCCUR. THE FOCUS OF EMERGING BIG DATA ANALYTICS RESEARCH HAS SHIFTED TO ALTERNATIVE DATA STRUCTURES, ESPECIALLY (COMBINATORIAL) GRAPHS, AND NETWORKS. ALTHOUGH GRAPHS AND NETWORKS REQUIRE MATHEMATICALLY COMPLEX ALGORITHMS, THEY HAVE BUILT-IN LINKS THAT HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NODES AND MAKE THEM SIMPLER TO INTERPRET IN APPLICATIONS. THIS PROJECT INTRODUCES NEW THEORIES AND ALGORITHMS TO ADDRESS ASPECTS OF GRAPH DATA CHALLENGES THAT HAVE IMPACTS ON DIVERSE SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY INCLUDING IMAGING TOOLS USED BY MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT DISEASES, AND ON APPLICATIONS RANGING FROM THE REGULATORY NETWORKS DESCRIBING THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN GENES, RNA, AND PROTEINS IN THE BRAIN, TO HARDWARE AND SENSOR TECHNOLOGY. THE METHODS EXPLORED EXPAND THE FAMILY OF HARMONIC ANALYSIS ALGORITHMS THAT PRODUCED TOOLS SUCH AS THE WAVELET-BASED ONES FOR IMAGES USED IN COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS AND SAMPLING THEOREMS FOR TELEGRAPH COMMUNICATION. THE PROJECT ALSO INVOLVES TRAINING AND MENTORING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, PARTICULARLY STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS WITH LESS EXPOSURE TO CAREERS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. THE INTENT IS TO MOTIVATE AND PREPARE THEM FOR CAREERS IN ADVANCED MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AND INCREASE THE GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS OF THE US-BASED STEM WORKFORCE. OTHER ACTIVITIES INCLUDE PROMOTING EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN STEM FIELDS THROUGH PUBLIC LECTURES AND COORDINATED OUTREACH ACTIVITIES. APPLIED HARMONIC ANALYSIS TOOLS WILL PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE TWO-YEAR PROJECT. THE PRIMARY RESEARCH OBJECTIVES INCLUDE: (I) ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF MULTISCALE REPRESENTATIONS OF DATA SIGNALS ON GRAPHS AND NETWORKS, (II) THE OPTIMIZATION OF SAMPLING STRATEGIES FOR HIGH-DIMENSIONAL, NON-BANDLIMITED SIGNALS, AND (III) THE DESIGN OF COMPRESSION ALGORITHMS TO DEMONSTRATE THE POTENTIAL FOR DATASETS ON GRAPHS. THE ANALYSIS COMBINES FRAME THEORY, DIFFUSION GEOMETRY, AND DIRECTIONAL MULTISCALE MODELING; NOVEL NUMERICAL TECHNIQUES WILL BE DEVELOPED USING NUMERICAL LINEAR ALGEBRA AND COMPUTATIONAL HARMONIC ANALYSIS. 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.

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SOCIAL AND BIOGENETIC FACTORS OF NEW FORMS OF FAMILIES

EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION ON THE LOCATION STRUCTURE, AND PERFORMANCE OF U.S. DAIRIES

QUANTIFYING RATES OF BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTION TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CARBON CYCLE IN THE CANADA BASIN

MRI:ACQUISITION OF A CIRCULAR DICHROISM SPECTROPHOTOMETER FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND TRAINING IN CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY AT AN UNDERGRADUATE CO

CRII: SATC: RUI: UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING THE SECURITY AND PRIVACY NEEDS OF AT-RISK POPULATIONS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SHELFBREAK FRONTAL DYNAMICS: MECHANISMS OF UPWELLING, NET COMMUNITY PRODUCTION, AND ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING PROGRESSIONS FOR BIOCHEMISTRY - CONCEPT LINKAGE THROUGH THE COLLEGE CURRICULUM

MCH RESEARCH

RUI: DESCRIPTIVE REPRESENTATION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE U.S. COURTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PROBING THE VENTILATION EFFICIENCY OF THE DEEP OCEAN WITH CONSERVATIVE DISSOLVED GAS TRACERS IN ARCHIVED SAMPLES

RUI: EMBEDDING SPACES VIA CALCULUS OF FUNCTORS AND GENERALIZATIONS OF FINITE TYPE INVARIANTS

PARENTAL CHOICE: RESEARCH EVIDENCE FROM TWO NATIONAL DATASETS

PARENTAL WORK SCHEDULES, CCDF POLICIES & CHILD CARE ARRANGEMENTS IN LOW-INCOME FAMILIES

SCHOLARS AWARD: AN ENVIROTECHNICAL APPROACH TO BATTERIES, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND QUESTIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY

AN ETHNOGRAPHIC INVESTIGATION OF CONTEXTS OF TRUST AND DISTRUST

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FROM KNOWLEDGE CONSUMERS TO KNOWLEDGE PRODUCERS: A SCALABLE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING APPROACH FOR PSYCHOLOGY AND RELATED DISCIPL

TESTIFYING ON TUSKEGEE: TELLING THE TUSKEGEE SYPHILIS STUDY STORIES

RUI: CUSTOMS INSPECTION AND SHIPPING CULTURE AT THE PORT OF FUZHOU, CHINA

RUI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE ROLES OF INCREMENTAL INPUT, MAGMA CHAMBER PROCESSES AND ERUPTION ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BIMODAL VINALHAVEN PLUTO

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: US-GERMAN RESEARCH ON HUMAN-AUTOMATION INTERACTION FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK -AUTOMATED SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES. HOWEVER TODAY, COMPUTER-BASED AUTOMATED APPS AND DEVICES ARE WOVEN INTO OUR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL DAILY LIVES TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN BEFORE. OUR GOAL IS TO DESIGN HUMAN-AUTOMATION INTERACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK, WHICH ARE INTUITIVE, AND PROMOTE SAFETY, TRANSPARENCY, DIGNITY, AND TRUST. TO DO THIS, WE NEED BOTH SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS, AS WELL AS A WORKFORCE THAT UNDERSTANDS THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE FUTURE OF WORK. OUR IRES STUDENTS WILL HELP DEVELOP THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, AND THROUGH THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH OUR GERMAN COLLEAGUES, THEY WILL BE TRAINED BY THOUGHT LEADERS IN THE FIELD OF THE FUTURE OF WORK, HELPING US CREATE THE US WORKFORCE THAT WILL TACKLE THE PROBLEMS OF THE NEW FUTURE OF WORK. EACH SUMMER SIX STUDENT PARTICIPANTS WILL CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR TWO MONTHS ON THIS TOPIC IN GERMANY IN RESEARCH LABS LED BY THOUGHT LEADERS IN THE FIELD. THE GRANT WILL SUPPORT INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE IN STEM DISCIPLINES BY PROMOTING THE PARTICIPATION OF BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND IN PARTICULAR WOMEN. OUR GOAL IS TO DESIGN HUMAN-AUTOMATION INTERACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK, WHICH ARE INTUITIVE, AND PROMOTE SAFETY, TRANSPARENCY, DIGNITY, AND TRUST. THE INTELLECTUAL MERIT OF THE PROPOSED WORK WILL BE THE ADVANCES IN HUMAN-AUTOMATION INTERACTION IN FOUR AREAS. FIRST, OUR WORK WILL SHED LIGHT ON HOW WE SHOULD ALLOCATE TASKS BETWEEN HUMAN AND AUTOMATED AGENTS UNDER CERTAIN WORK CONTEXTS, INCLUDING IN AUTOMATED VEHICLES AND WHEN WORKING FROM HOME. SECOND, WE WILL IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO CREATE HUMAN-AUTOMATION INTERACTION FOR WORK-RELATED TASKS WHERE WORKERS DEVELOP TRUST AT THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL. THIRD, WE WILL IDENTIFY WAYS IN WHICH HUMAN-AUTOMATION INTERACTION CAN SUPPORT WORKER ATTENTION IN DIFFERENT WORK CONTEXTS, INCLUDING AUTOMATED VEHICLES AND WORK FROM HOME. FOURTH, WE WILL EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW NOVEL TECHNOLOGIES CAN SUPPORT WORK, AND IMPORTANTLY ALSO WELLBEING. OUR TECHNOLOGY FOCUS AREAS WILL INCLUDE SPEECH, AUGMENTED REALITY AND VIRTUAL REALITY, AND TANGIBLE INTERFACES. WHILE THESE TECHNOLOGIES ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE, WE WILL EXPLORE HOW THEY COULD BE WIDELY USED IN WORK SETTINGS TO SUPPORT A BROAD RANGE OF TASKS. 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.

UNS: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MEASUREMENT AND MODELING OF THE PATHWAYS OF POTENTIAL FUGITIVE METHANE EMISSIONS DURING HYDROFRACKING

NSF-REU CHEMISTRY LG TRAVEL AWARDS FOR REU AND AMP STUDENTS, 2014

NSF-REU LEADERSHIP GROUP TRAVEL AWARDS FOR REU AND LS-AMP PARTICIPANTS, APRIL 6-10, 2008, NEW ORLEANS, LA

THE PROPOSED EFFORT WOULD USE A COMBINATION OF MORPHOMETRIC AND RADAR PROPERTIES TO (1) GAIN NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE RATES AND PROCESSES BY WHICH KILOMETER-SCALE CRATERS DEGRADE; (2) USE THIS INFORMATION TO UNDERSTAND THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CRUST AND REGOLITH AND (3) ASSESS HOW IMPACT GARDENING CONTROLS THE REGOLITH EVOLUTION.

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: REDEFINING THE ECOLOGICAL MEMORY OF DISTURBANCE OVER MULTIPLE TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL SCALES IN FOREST ECOSYSTEMS

EAGER: ENHANCED SENSITIVITY OF DARK MATTER DETECTORS VIA MACHINE LEARNING

RUI: BOSONS IN OPTICAL LATTICES: PHYSICS OF THE INHOMOGENEOUS PHASES

RUI: OPTIMIZING DIRECTIONAL DARK MATTER D DETECTORS USING ASIC AND FPGA-BASED R READOUT ELECTRONICS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: IRES: US-GERMAN RESEARCH ON HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION IN UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING

STATE RESPONSE TO CLIMATE INSTABILITY -AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM WILL INVESTIGATE HOW AN ANCIENT COMMUNITY ADAPTED THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND SUBSISTENCE STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME DISAPPEARING WATER RESOURCES AND INCREASING ECONOMIC PRESSURES DURING A PERIOD OF EARLY STATE FORMATION. THE RESEARCHERS SEEK TO UNDERSTAND HOW COMMUNITIES COME TOGETHER TO NEGOTIATE SOCIALLY COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS IN ORDER TO OVERCOME OUTSIDE PRESSURES, SUCH AS ADVERSE CLIMATE CONDITIONS AND DEMAND FROM REGIONAL TRADE NETWORKS. THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK WILL PROVIDE IN-DEPTH CASE STUDIES THAT TELL THE STORY OF HOW COMMUNITY MEMBERS ADAPT THEIR DAILY LIVES WITHIN THESE CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES, AND HOW THEIR CHOICES TO COLLABORATE OR COMPETE WITH THE ENVIRONMENT AFFECT THE TRAJECTORY OF THEIR SURVIVAL. SETTLEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY, IN PARTICULAR, GIVES INSIGHT THROUGH A DETAILED, INTERSECTIONAL RECORD OF HOW PEOPLE CONSTRUCTED THEIR BUILT LANDSCAPE THROUGH AGRICULTURE, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, TOOL AND CRAFT PRODUCTION, AND TRADE NETWORKS. ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH OFFERS A COMPLIMENTARY BENEFIT OF BUILDING MODERN COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS, A TOP PRIORITY FOR THIS PROJECT, WHERE NEIGHBORING STAKEHOLDERS WILL BE CONSULTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND INTERPRETATION OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS. THIS PROJECT WILL CENTER THE RELEVANCY OF THE RESEARCH OUTPUTS BY ENSURING THE FULL INCORPORATION OF MODERN COMMUNITY MEMBERS? VOICES THROUGH RESEARCH-FOCUSED INPUT MEETINGS, ETHNOGRAPHIC INTERVIEWS ABOUT ANALOGOUS CURRENT DAILY-LIFE PRACTICES, AND PARTICIPATION IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OUTCOMES. THE RESEARCHERS WILL UNDERTAKE SPECIAL EFFORT TO ENCOURAGE THE FULL PARTICIPATION OF LOCAL WOMEN, WHO ARE OFTEN EXCLUDED IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY BUILDING COLLABORATIVE TRAINING RESOURCES PRODUCED BY THE INTERNATIONAL MAJORITY-WOMEN EXCAVATION TEAM AND ARCHAEOLOGY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM THE GRANT'S MANAGING INSTITUTION, A HISTORICALLY-WOMEN?S COLLEGE. AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF EXPERTS WILL ANALYZE COMPLEMENTARY LINES OF EVIDENCE: ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENTS, MATERIAL CULTURE PRODUCTION, POTTERY DESIGN AND EXCHANGE, USE OF CULTIVATED AND WILD PLANTS, DOMESTICATED LIVESTOCK AND HUNTING, SUPPORTED BY GEO- AND HYDRO-ARCHAEOLOGICAL MODELS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. INTERPRETATION WILL FOCUS ON THE AGENCY-BASED ACTIVE RESILIENCE OF ANCIENT COMMUNITY MEMBERS, RATHER THAN A PASSIVE ADAPTATION TO INCREASINGLY ARID CONDITIONS IN THE REGION. THE BROADER IMPACT OF THIS PROJECT WILL INCLUDE OPEN-ACCESS PUBLICATION OF THE DETAILED ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ECOFACT SEQUENCE DATA TO ALLOW FOR REGIONAL COMPARATIVE STUDIES. COLLABORATION WITH INTERNATIONAL SOCIETIES WILL CREATE SHARED APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY BASED PARTICIPATORY ARCHAEOLOGY THAT CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY APPLIED GLOBALLY. 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 WITH WELLESLEY COLLEGE, SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY AND BOSTON COLLEGE - ASSESSING THE SEISMIC POTENTIAL OF EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS USING LACUSTRINE EARTHQUAKE RECORDS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MSA: INCORPORATING CANOPY STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITY TO IMPROVE MODEL FORECASTS OF FUNCTIONAL EFFECTS OF FOREST DISTURBANCE

WORKSHOP: GRADUATE STUDENT CONSORTIUM AT THE 2012 TANGIBLE, EMBEDDED AND EMBODIED INTERACTION (TEI'12) CONFERENCE

CONFERENCE: SYMPOSIUM ON COMPUTATION AND PRAGMATICS -THE GROWING POPULARITY OF CHAT-BASED LANGUAGE MODELS AND OTHER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) SYSTEMS MAKES SOCIAL ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE A KEY PRIORITY FOR AI RESEARCH. THIS IS BECAUSE WHEN HUMANS USE LANGUAGE, THEY CONSIDER A RICH SET OF INFORMATION, INCLUDING THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR LISTENERS AND THEIR LISTENERS? BELIEFS AND GOALS. THIS PROJECT ADVANCES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIALLY-AWARE LANGUAGE TECHNOLOGY BY BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN EXPERTS IN LANGUAGE SCIENCE (INCLUDING LINGUISTS) AND TECHNOLOGY (INCLUDING COMPUTER SCIENTISTS). THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ADVANCEMENT BECAUSE IT FOSTERS A BETTER SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN LANGUAGE USE AND HOW TO IMPLEMENT THOSE PRINCIPLES IN AI SYSTEMS. BROADER IMPACTS INCLUDE ACTIVITIES THAT BRING COMPUTER SCIENTISTS AND LINGUISTS TOGETHER FOR COLLABORATION AND MENTORING ACTIVITIES TO TRAIN NEW RESEARCHERS IN THIS AREA. THE FIELD OF PRAGMATICS EXPLORES INTERACTIVE, CONTEXT-SENSITIVE, AND DISCOURSE-LEVEL ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE. ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN PROGRESS IN COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF PRAGMATICS AND A GROWING BODY OF APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL WORK, FOR THE MOST PART LANGUAGE SCIENTISTS AND COMPUTER SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN WORKING INDEPENDENTLY. THIS CONFERENCE PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTS AND NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING RESEARCHERS TO SHARE IDEAS. CONFERENCE TOPICS REFLECT MANY ASPECTS OF PRAGMATICS INCLUDING INFORMATIVITY, PERSPECTIVE-TAKING, IMAGE CAPTIONING, DISCOURSE COHERENCE, MUTUAL KNOWLEDGE IN DIALOGUE, AND EMOTION ANALYSIS. TO MAXIMIZE ATTENDANCE, THE CONFERENCE IS CO-LOCATED WITH TWO ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC GATHERINGS. VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE, PARTICIPATION, AND PRESENTATION ARE SUPPORTED BY AN ESTABLISHED VIDEO PLATFORM. EVENTS CONSIST OF BOTH INVITED AND CONTRIBUTED PRESENTATIONS IN ADDITION TO A POP-UP MENTORING EVENT FOR TRAINEES AND OTHER SCHOLARS THAT SUPPORTS ACCESS TO COMPUTATIONAL EXPERTS OUTSIDE OF THE HOME INSTITUTION. CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS ARE PUBLISHED IN OPEN ACCESS PROCEEDINGS. 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.

WORKSHOP: DOCTORAL SYMPOSIUM AT THE 2012 INTERACTIVE TABLETOPS AND SURFACES CONFERENCE (ITS 2012)

THE GOAL OF THIS APPLICATION IS TO ADDRESS AND AMELIORATE THE PROBLEM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN LIBERIA. HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS A HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERN THAT IS ALSO CLOSELY TIED TO ISSUES OF SEXUAL- AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (GBV), TWO PRIORITY THEMES OF PAS

FY 2018 SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP ITL, CNST

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EXPLORING PARTNERED TEACHING OF INTERDISCIPLINARY CS+X COURSES

THE ANNUAL CYCLE OF THE BIOLOGICAL CARBON PUMP IN THE SUBPOLAR NORTH ATLANTIC

THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE SOLAR COOKER TO AID IN CLEAN ENERGY FOR SEVERAL RURAL COMMUNITIES IN THE HIMALAYAS.

NIST SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM - BOULDER

FY 2015 SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP -EL

NEGATIVE ION DRIFT TIME PROJECTION CHAMBER DEVELOPMENT FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION TRACKING

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION AND CATALOGUE "BEYOND SENTIMENTALITY: CARLO DOLCI AND 17TH-CENTURY FLORENCE."

ARCHIVING AND TOOLS FOR RADIO SCIENCE RING OCCULTATIONS AT SATURN AND URANUS

A CULTURALLY-RESPONSIVE MAKER PROGRAM DESIGNED TO DEVELOP THE STEM INTEREST, SELF-EFFICACY AND SCIENCE IDENTITY OF BLACK GIRLS

RUI: BOSONS IN OPTICAL LATTICES: DYNAMICS AND CRITICALITY IN INHOMOGENEOUS SYSTEMS