Worcester Polytechnic Institute

CENTER FOR THERMO-MECHANICAL PROCESSING OF MATERIALS BY DESIGN

DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF MATERIALS FOR AGILE MANUFACTURING

MATERIALS RECOVERY TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEFENSE SUPPLY RESILIENCY

CENTER FOR THERMO-MECHANICAL PROCESSING OF MATERIALS BY DESIGN

SCALING TEACHERS' PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ASSISTMENTS

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND APPLICATION FOR WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE - INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

TAS::89 0213::TAS FE NEW AWARD DE-FE0004895 "ENGINEERING DESIGN OF ADVANCED H2 CO2 PD AND PD/ALLOY COMPOSITE MEMBRANE SEPARATIONS AND PROCESS INTEN

IMPACT: INTEGRATIVE MINDFULNESS-BASED PREDICTIVE APPROACH FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN TREATMENT - IMPACT ABSTRACT CHRONIC PAIN IMPACTS 50 MILLION U.S. ADULTS, SEVERELY INTERFERES WITH THE WORK AND LIFE OF OVER 25 MILLION, AND COSTS $635 BILLION ANNUALLY FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT AND RESULTANT LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY. WHILE SOME NON- PHARMACOLOGICAL COMPLEMENTARY PAIN MANAGEMENT METHODS, SUCH AS MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR), ARE EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING THE PAIN OF SOME PATIENTS, OTHERS DO NOT RESPOND. CLINICIANS LACK THE TOOLS TO ACCURATELY AND RELIABLY PREDICT WHICH PATIENTS WILL RESPOND TO COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS. IN RESPONSE TO RFA-NS-22-050 (UG3/UH3), IMPACT – INTEGRATIVE MINDFULNESS-BASED PREDICTIVE APPROACH FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN TREATMENT PROPOSES USING MACHINE LEARNING METHODS (A SUBFIELD OF AI) TO IDENTIFY BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PREDICTIVE AND MONITORING MARKERS OF THE RESPONSE TO MBSR FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP). THIS RESEARCH WILL INCLUDE A POPULATION (TOTAL N=350) SUFFERING FROM CLBP. COMPREHENSIVE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DATA (LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY, SLEEP, CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS, HEART RATE VARIABILITY, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, PAIN OUTCOMES, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT) WILL BE COLLECTED FROM PATIENTS TREATED WITH MBSR FOR CLBP. AIM 1 (UG3) WILL INVOLVE THE INITIATION OF A CLINICAL TRIAL OF MBSR FOR CLBP (N=50) AND ML MODELING WITH LONGITUDINAL BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DATA AND RELATED CLINICAL TRIAL DATASETS TO IDENTIFY CANDIDATE PREDICTIVE AND MONITORING MARKERS OF THE RESPONSE TO MBSR FOR CLBP PRIOR TO EXPANDING THE TRIAL IN THE UH3 PHASE. MILESTONES FOR TRANSITION FROM THE UG3 PHASE (AIM 1) TO THE PENDING CLINICAL TRIAL OF THE UH3 PHASE (AIMS 2+3) WILL INCLUDE: (1) FINALIZED DATA COLLECTION AND PRIMARY ANALYSIS PROTOCOLS FOR THE CLINICAL TRIAL OF MBSR FOR CLBP, (2) SUCCESS WITH PASSIVE DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES AND EXPERIMENTATION WITH ML MODEL TRAINING AND TESTING FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF PREDICTIVE AND MONITORING BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MARKERS OF THE RESPONSE TO MBSR FOR CLBP, AND (3) PRELIMINARY VALIDATION OF CANDIDATE ML-BASED BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PREDICTIVE AND MONITORING MARKERS OF THE RESPONSE TO MBSR FOR CLBP USING STATISTICAL AND CROSS-VALIDATION METHODS. AIM 2 (UH3) WILL EXPAND THE CLINICAL TRIAL INITIATED IN AIM 1 TO COLLECT BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DATA FROM A SAMPLE OF 300 INDIVIDUALS. AIM 3 (UH3) WILL INVOLVE ML MODELING WITH DATA COLLECTED IN AIM 2 TO IDENTIFY AND VALIDATE ACCURATE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PREDICTIVE AND MONITORING MARKERS OF THE RESPONSE TO MBSR FOR CLBP. TO COMPLETE OUR AIMS, CLINICIAN SCIENTISTS FROM BOSTON UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS CHAN MEDICAL SCHOOL, AND CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERTISE IN SUCCESSFULLY RECRUITING AND ENGAGING POPULATIONS IN CLINICAL TRIALS OF MINDFULNESS INTERVENTIONS FOR PAIN WILL COLLABORATE WITH BIOMEDICAL, DATA SCIENTISTS AND MACHINE LEARNING RESEARCHERS FROM WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE. THIS PROPOSED PROJECT WILL ULTIMATELY ENHANCE CLINICAL DECISION- MAKING AND TARGETED TREATMENT OF CLBP.

MR-GUIDED PRECISION CONFORMAL ABLATION THERAPY FOR BRAIN TUMORS

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND APPLICATION FOR WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

CYBERCORPS SFS RENEWAL: SUPPORTING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WORKFORCE

REAL-TIME TROOP PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS MONITORING SYSTEMS USING A COMMON WIRELESS NETWORK

SCHOLARSHIP TRACK: SCHOLARSHIPS FOR SERVICE AT WPI

WEARABLE WIRELESS SENSOR FOR MULTI-SCALE PHYSIOLOGICAL MONITORING

TALKING MATH: IMPROVING MATH PERFORMANCE AND ENGAGEMENT THROUGH AI-ENABLED CONVERSATIONAL TUTORING

CHARGE-BASED BRAIN MODELING ENGINE WITH BOUNDARY ELEMENT FAST MULTIPOLE METHOD - ABSTRACT ALL MAJOR OPEN-SOURCE BRAIN MODELING PACKAGES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE (E.G., SIMNIBS, DUNEURO, SCIRUN, ROAST) AS WELL AS THEIR COMMERCIAL COUNTERPARTS (E.G., SIM4LIFE, ANSYS MAXWELL, COMSOL) USE THE ELECTRIC POTENTIAL- BASED FINITE ELEMENT METHOD (FEM) FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC MODELING. FEM HAS BEEN CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVED OVER THE PAST 60 YEARS, IS SIMPLE TO IMPLEMENT AND CAN MODEL AVERAGED TISSUE ANISOTROPY. AT THE SAME TIME, FEM MAY HAVE SOME INTRINSIC WEAKNESSES SPECIFICALLY AFFECTING HIGH-DEFINITION BRAIN MODELING. THE PRESENT PROPOSAL AIMS TO DEVELOP AND DISSEMINATE A NOVEL ALTERNATIVE BRAIN MODELING ENGINE. IN CONTRAST TO FEM WHICH USES THE ELECTRIC POTENTIAL, IT OPERATES WITH THE PRIMARY (BIO)PHYSICAL QUANTITY – SURFACE (AND VOLUMETRIC) INDUCED ELECTRIC CHARGE DENSITY. TO MODEL CHARGE INTERACTIONS, IT NATURALLY EMPLOYS THE MODERN FAST MULTIPOLE METHOD (FMM) INSTEAD OF FEM. FOR PIECEWISE HOMOGENEOUS BIOLOGICAL MEDIA OF ANY COMPLEXITY, ONLY SURFACE CHARGES AT BOUND- ARIES ARE PRESENT. THEIR INTERACTIONS ARE MOST ACCURATELY DESCRIBED BY THE BOUNDARY ELEMENT METHOD (BEM). THIS COMBINATION OF BEM AND FMM IS THE NEW PROPOSED BEM-FMM CHARGE ENGINE. THE PRINCIPAL ADVANTAGE OF BEM- FMM IS ITS NUMERICALLY UNCONSTRAINED SPATIAL FIELD RESOLUTION. AIM 1. IMPROVE AND COMPLETE THE BEM-FMM MODELING ENGINE. SUB-AIMS: (I) MAJOR SPEED UP OF THE BEM-FMM ENGINE; (II) NEW ADAPTIVE MESH REFINEMENT ALGORITHM; (III) NEW VOLUMETRIC ANISOTROPIC CO-SOLVER, (IV) COMPUTING ACTIVATING FUNCTION WITH UNCONSTRAINED NUMER- ICAL RESOLUTION AND; (V) FULL-SCALE NUMERICAL VERIFICATION AGAINST ESTABLISHED FEM SOLVERS SIMNIBS AND DUNEURO AT MESO (SUBMILLIMETER) SCALE. AIM 2. BEM-FMM TESTBED FOR NON-INVASIVE RECORDINGS AND STIMULATION. 2A. DEVELOP BEM-FMM SOURCE LOCALIZATION STREAM FOR EEG/MEG RECORDINGS. WE WILL CONSTRUCT AND VALIDATE AN IMPROVEMENT OVER CURRENTLY EXISTING BEM EEG/MEG SOURCE LOCALIZATION SOFTWARE SUITES USING BEM-FMM. WE WILL DELIVER A READY-TO-USE TESTBED WITH TWENTY HEAD MODELS AND EEG/MEG EXPERIMENTAL DATA. 2B. DEVELOP A BEM-FMM MODELING STREAM WITH EXTRACEREBRAL COMPARTMENTS FOR NONINVASIVE STIMULATION. FOR ENHANCED RESOLUTION, WE WILL AUTOMATICALLY ADD FINE-RESOLUTION MAJOR EXTRACEREBRAL COMPARTMENTS INTO EXISTING SEGMENTA- TIONS PIPELINES BASED ON ANATOMICAL RULES. WE WILL THEN DELIVER THE READY-TO-USE BEM-FMM TESTBED TARGETING TES AND ECT (ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY) WHERE THEIR EFFECT MIGHT BE CRITICAL FOR THE CORRECT DOSAGE PREDICTION AND CORRECT TARGETING. AIM 3. BEM-FMM TESTBED FOR INVASIVE ELECTRICAL STIMULATION. 3A. VALIDATE BEM-FMM TESTBED FOR MODELING ACTIVATING FUNCTION IN ANIMAL AXONS. VERIFICATION FOR A GIANT INTER-NEURONAL AXON OF CRAY- FISH PROCAMBARUS CLARKIA VIA ELECTRICAL/MAGNETIC STIMULATION AND COMPOUND ACTION POTENTIAL GENERATION FOR PARAL- LEL FIBERS IN TURTLE PSEUDEMYS SCRIPTA ELEGANS CEREBELLUM WILL BE DONE. 3B. VERIFY BEM-FMM TESTBED FOR MOD- ELING DBS RESPONSES. USING RETROSPECTIVE CLINICAL DATA, WE WILL DEVELOP A BEM-FMM ALGORITHM FOR PATIENT- SPECIFIC MULTIPOLAR DBS AND EVALUATE WHETHER THE MODEL PREDICTIONS ALIGN WITH CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS.

NOVEL ENERGY-EFFICIENT DRYING TECHNOLOGIES FOR FOOD, PULP AND PAPER, AND OTHER ENERGY INTENSIVE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES

THE EFFICACY OF FROM HERE TO THERE: A DYNAMIC TECHNOLOGY FOR IMPROVING ALGEBRAIC UNDERSTANDING

IGERT: TRAINING INNOVATIVE LEADERS IN BIOFABRICATION

NRT-FW-HTF: ROBOTIC INTERFACES AND ASSISTANTS FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK

NRT-HDR: DATA-DRIVEN SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING FOR A CIRCULAR ECONOMY

DH-WARFIGHTER: IMPROVING WARFIGHTER HEALTH BY EARLY DETECTION OF DIGITAL BIOMARKERS

CREATING A PATH TO ACHIEVING SUCCESS AND SENSE OF BELONGING IN COMPUTER SCIENCE -THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL NEED FOR WELL-EDUCATED SCIENTISTS, MATHEMATICIANS, ENGINEERS, AND TECHNICIANS BY SUPPORTING THE RETENTION AND GRADUATION OF HIGH-ACHIEVING, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED. OVER ITS SIX-YEAR DURATION, THIS PROJECT WILL AWARD A TOTAL OF 112 SCHOLARSHIPS TO 28 TALENTED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, WITH A DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED, WHO ARE PURSUING DEGREES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AT WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE (WPI) IN WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS. THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE ACADEMIC PREPARATION FOR INCOMING STUDENTS AND CREATE STUDENT-CENTERED SUPPORT FOR COHORT ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES BASED ON PREVIOUS STUDIES OF THE EXPERIENCES OF DISADVANTAGED AND MARGINALIZED STUDENTS. THIS PROJECT WILL HELP TO CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN PELL-ELIGIBLE AND NON-PELL-ELIGIBLE STUDENTS IN THEIR RETENTION AND GRADUATION RATES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND PREPARE STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS IN GRADUATE SCHOOL AND ULTIMATELY THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREERS. THE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT INCLUDE 1) CLOSING THE RETENTION AND GRADUATION RATE GAP BETWEEN THE LOW-INCOME (PELL) SCHOLARS AND NON-PELL COMPUTING STUDENTS, AND 2) PROVIDING INTERCONNECTED SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND SENSE OF BELONGING FOR STUDENTS EARNING A B.S. DEGREE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE. TO MEET THESE GOALS THE PROJECT WILL STUDY, DEVELOP, AND IMPLEMENT AN EVIDENCE-BASED NETWORK MODEL WHERE COHORT PEERS CONNECT, STUDY TOGETHER, AND BUILD THEIR COMPUTER SCIENCE IDENTITY THROUGHOUT THEIR COLLEGE EDUCATION. THESE ACTIVITIES WILL BE EVALUATED BASED ON THE SUCCESS, RETENTION, AND GRADUATION OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS IN COMPUTING. THIS PROJECT WILL ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS THAT WILL ASSIST OTHER EDUCATORS TO IMPROVE STEM EDUCATION. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY NSF?S SCHOLARSHIPS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LOW-INCOME ACADEMICALLY TALENTED STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED WHO EARN DEGREES IN STEM 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.

SMARTPHONE-BASED WOUND INFECTION SCREENER AND CARE RECOMMENDER BY COMBINING THERMAL IMAGES AND PHOTOGRAPHS USING DEEP LEARNING METHODS - I. PROJECT SUMMARY: SMARTPHONE-BASED WOUND INFECTION RISK SCREENER AND CARE RECOMMENDER BY COMBINING THERMAL IMAGES AND PHOTOGRAPHS USING DEEP LEARNING METHODS CHRONIC WOUNDS, WHICH AFFECT 6.5 MILLION PATIENTS IN THE US12 SEVERELY AFFECT THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE, CAN TAKE UP TO A YEAR TO HEAL AND RE-OCCUR IN 60-70% OF PATIENTS. WOUNDS OFTEN GET INFECTED (BACTERIA IN WOUND), RESULTING IN LIMB AMPUTATIONS IF NOT TREATED PROPERLY AND ON TIME1. IN CURRENT PRACTICE, AT THE POINT OF CARE (POC) (E.G., NURSES VISITING PATIENTS’ HOMES AND TRAUMA SITES), CAREGIVERS WHO ARE NOT WOUND EXPERTS HAVE NO WAY TO DIAGNOSE INFECTIONS. THUS, THEY CAUTIOUSLY REFER WOUNDS SUSPECTED TO BE INFECTED TO CLINICS FOR DEBRIDEMENT OF DEAD TISSUES, BLOOD TESTS AND INFECTION DIAGNOSES BY EXPERTS57-60. HOWEVER, REFERRALS INCREASE TIME BEFORE INFECTED WOUNDS ARE TREATED, AND THE CHANCES OF LIMB AMPUTATION. MOREOVER, SOME REFERRED WOUNDS END UP NOT BEING INFECTED, WASTING PATIENT AND EXPERT TIME AND EXPENSES (E.G., TRANSPORTATION)15-16. WHAT IS NEEDED IS A DIGITAL HEALTH SOLUTION THAT ENABLES NON-EXPERT WOUND CAREGIVERS TO ACCURATELY DETECT INFECTED WOUNDS AT THE POC EVEN WITHOUT DEBRIDEMENT AND PROVIDE STANDARDIZED RECOMMENDATIONS ON EVIDENCE-BASED CARE AND WHEN TO REFER. SMARTPHONES EQUIPPED WITH HIGH RESOLUTION CAMERAS AND THE PROCESSING POWER TO RUN MACHINE/DEEP LEARNING METHODS ARE OWNED BY MOST WOUND CAREGIVERS IN THE US56. PRIOR WORK BY GOYAL ET AL1 REPORTED PRELIMINARY RESULTS THAT SHOW THAT INFECTION CAN BE DETECTED FROM VISUAL ATTRIBUTES SUCH AS INCREASED REDNESS IN/AROUND THE WOUND IN A PHOTOGRAPH USING DEEP LEARNING (ACCURACY 0.727± 0.025, SENSITIVITY 0.709 ± 0.044, SPECIFICITY 0.744 ± 0.05). WHILE PROMISING, THEIR RESULTS NEED TO BE IMPROVED AND VALIDATED BEFORE CLINICAL APPLICATIONS. MOREOVER, THEIR DATASET INCLUDED ALREADY DEBRIDED WOUNDS WITH EASILY DISCERNABLE INFECTION CASES, AND THEY DID NOT RECOMMEND EVIDENCE BASED BEST CARE AND DECIDE WHEN REFERRALS TO WOUND CLINICS WERE THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION. CERTAIN THERMAL IMAGE PATTERNS ARE RELIABLE INDICATORS OF WOUND INFECTION20, AND SOME MODELS OF SMARTPHONES ARE NOW EQUIPPED WITH THERMAL CAMERAS55. OUR HYPOTHESES ARE THAT 1) THE ACCURACY OF SMARTPHONE WOUND INFECTION DETECTION CAN BE IMPROVED BY COMBINING THERMAL IMAGES WITH PHOTOGRAPHS JOINTLY ANALYZED USING A DEEP LEARNING METHOD 2) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTIONABLE, EVIDENCE-BASED WOUND CARE AND WHEN TO REFER CAN BE GENERATED USING MACHINE LEARNING TO STANDARDIZE CARE PROVIDED BY NON-EXPERTS. IN RESPONSE TO NOT-EB-19-018, WE PROPOSE RESEARCH TO INVESTIGATE THE CAPABILITY AND ACCURACY OF DETECTING INFECTED WOUNDS BEFORE DEBRIDEMENT USING DEEP LEARNING METHODS APPLIED TO COMBINATIONS OF WOUND PHOTOGRAPHS AND THERMAL IMAGES AND GENERATING CARE AND REFERRAL RECOMMENDATIONS. WE ALSO PROPOSE INTEGRATION OF THE SMARTPHONE-BASED INFECTION SCREENER INTO OUR GROUP’S EXISTING WOUND ASSESSMENT SYSTEM7-9, 21-29 AND VALIDATING IT ON NEW PATIENTS (N=100). SUCCESS ON OUR PROPOSED AIMS WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER AND OBJECTIVITY OF WOUND INFECTIONS DETECTED OUTSIDE THE WOUND CLINIC AND FAST-TRACKED TO THE CLINIC FOR TREATMENT, REDUCING THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS WHO REQUIRE AMPUTATIONS. OUR FINDINGS WILL APPLY TO DIVERSE WOUND TYPES INCLUDING DIABETIC, PRESSURE, ARTERIAL, VENOUS, SURGICAL61 AND TRAUMA WOUNDS62, WHICH ALL GET INFECTED.

RESEARCH COLLABORATION BETWEEN WPI AND CCDC-SC ON ADVANCED MATERIALS

ROBOTIC LUNG ULTRASOUND FOR TRIAGE OF COVID-19 PATIENTS IN A RESOURCE-LIMITED ENVIRONMENT

REVISIONS TO THE ASSISTMENTS DIGITAL LEARNING PLATFORM TO EXPAND ITS SUPPORT FOR RIGOROUS EDUCATION RESEARCH

DEFINING THE IMPACT OF LIPID SYNTHESIS AND TURNOVER ON AGING IN C. ELEGANS

PIMSE: A GK-12 PARTNERSHIP IMPLEMENTING MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION (PIMSE): ASSISTING MIDDLE SCHOOL USE OF TUTORING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROO

NEW AWARD TO WORCHESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE FOR SUPPORTED MOLTEN-METALMEMBRANE (SMMM) FOR HYDROGEN SEPARATION."

A CATALYTIC PROCESS TO CONVERT MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE COMPONENTS TO ENERGY

SILANEDIOL ENABLED DRUG DISCOVERY

BIOLOGICAL SUTURES TO ENHANCE PROGENITOR CELL DELIVERY AND RETENTION IN THE HEART

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FRAMEWORKS: CYBER INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SHARED ALGORITHMIC AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH IN ONLINE LEARNING

MOLECULAR DETERMINANTS OF SALMONELLA CELL-ENVELOPE COPPER HOMEOSTASIS - PROJECT SUMMARY THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DEFINE THE MECHANISMS OF CU HOMEOSTASIS IN THE CELL ENVELOPE OF THE PATHOGEN SALMONELLA ENTERICA. THIS ORGANISM IS AN IMPORTANT AND FREQUENT CAUSE OF GASTROENTERITIS, AS WELL AS, SYSTEMIC INFECTIONS. CU IS REQUIRED AS A REDOX CO-FACTOR IN THE CATALYTIC CENTERS OF ENZYMES. HOWEVER, FREE CU IS HIGHLY REACTIVE AND DELETERIOUS TO CELLS. CU, ALONG WITH THE OXIDATIVE BURST, IS CENTRAL IN HOST-PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS AS PART OF THE INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSE. AS SUCH, REDOX/CU HOMEOSTASIS IS ESSENTIAL FOR BACTERIAL VIRULENCE. WHILE THERE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN IDENTIFYING CYTOPLASMIC CU HOMEOSTATIC MECHANISMS, THERE IS A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE CELL ENVELOPE HANDLES AND DISTRIBUTES CU, WHILST MAINTAINING THE ASSOCIATED REDOX BALANCE. OUR GOAL IS TO DEFINE AND MODEL THE CU DISTRIBUTION IN THE SALMONELLA CELL ENVELOPE AND IDENTIFY ITS MOLECULAR LINKS WITH THE REDOX STRESS RESPONSE. THE AIMS OF THIS PROPOSAL ARE: 1) QUANTIFY CU FLUXES AND EQUILIBRIA AMONG PERIPLASMIC, CYTOPLASMIC AND EXTERNAL COMPARTMENTS WHILE DEFINING THE SIZE AND IDENTITY OF THE PERIPLASMIC CU SINK POOL. 2) DEFINE THE ROLE OF CUEP AS THE PERIPLASMIC CU CHAPERONE EXCHANGING THE METAL WITH VARIOUS TARGETS. WE WILL MONITOR CUEP IN VIVO ABUNDANCE, AS WELL AS ITS APO/HOLO EQUILIBRIA, IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN PERIPLASMIC CU LEVELS. WE WILL DETERMINE HOW CUEP OBTAINS CU FROM MEMBRANE TRANSPORTERS IN THE INNER AND OUTER MEMBRANES AND DELIVERS IT TO ALTERNATIVE CARRIERS TO ACHIEVE STEADY STATE LEVELS OF PERIPLASMIC CU. CUEP PARTICIPATION IN THE METALLATION OF SEVERAL PERIPLASMIC CUPROENZYMES WILL BE ASSESSED. 3) DETERMINE THE ROLE OF THE SCSABCD SYSTEM AT THE INTERFACE OF CU- AND REDOX-HOMEOSTASIS. THE REDOX ACTIVITY OF THESE ENZYMES WILL BE DETERMINED AND IN VIVO SUBSTRATES IDENTIFIED. THE RELATION BETWEEN SCSABCD ACTIVITY AND CU BINDING TO SUBSTRATES OR AMONG SCSABCD ENZYMES WILL BE ESTABLISHED. TO ACHIEVE THESE AIMS, THE JOINT EFFORTS OF TWO LABORATORIES WITH COMPLEMENTING EXPERTISE WILL USE A COMBINATION OF APPROACHES (MODELING OF METAL FLUXES, PROTEOMICS, METALLOMICS, IN VITRO HOST/PATHOGEN INTERACTION). OUR APPROACH TO SYSTEMATICALLY ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISMS OF CU/REDOX HOMEOSTASIS IN THE ENVELOPE OF AN IMPORTANT HUMAN PATHOGEN IS NOVEL, TIMELY AND INNOVATIVE.

IMPACT: INTEGRATIVE MINDFULNESS-BASED PREDICTIVE APPROACH FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN TREATMENT - IMPACT ABSTRACT CHRONIC PAIN IMPACTS 50 MILLION U.S. ADULTS, SEVERELY INTERFERES WITH THE WORK AND LIFE OF OVER 25 MILLION, AND COSTS $635 BILLION ANNUALLY FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT AND RESULTANT LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY. WHILE SOME NON- PHARMACOLOGICAL COMPLEMENTARY PAIN MANAGEMENT METHODS, SUCH AS MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR), ARE EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING THE PAIN OF SOME PATIENTS, OTHERS DO NOT RESPOND. CLINICIANS LACK THE TOOLS TO ACCURATELY AND RELIABLY PREDICT WHICH PATIENTS WILL RESPOND TO COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS. RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE POPULATIONS ARE ALSO UNDERREPRESENTED IN BOTH RESEARCH AND PRACTICE OF COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTIONS DESPITE INCREASED RISK FOR CHRONIC PAIN AND RELATED ADVERSE OUTCOMES. IN RESPONSE TO RFA-NS-22-050 (UG3/UH3), IMPACT – INTEGRATIVE MINDFULNESS-BASED PREDICTIVE APPROACH FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN TREATMENT PROPOSES USING MACHINE LEARNING METHODS (A SUBFIELD OF AI) TO IDENTIFY BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PREDICTIVE AND MONITORING MARKERS OF THE ’ RESPONSE TO MBSR FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP). THIS RESEARCH WILL TARGET A DIVERSE, HIGH RISK POPULATION SUFFERING FROM CLBP (TOTAL N=350). COMPREHENSIVE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DATA (LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY, SLEEP, CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS, HEART RATE VARIABILITY, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, PAIN OUTCOMES, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT) WILL BE COLLECTED FROM DIVERSE PATIENTS TREATED WITH MBSR FOR CLBP. AIM 1 (UG3) WILL INVOLVE THE INITIATION OF A CLINICAL TRIAL OF MBSR FOR CLBP (N=50) AND ML MODELING WITH LONGITUDINAL BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DATA AND RELATED CLINICAL TRIAL DATASETS TO IDENTIFY CANDIDATE PREDICTIVE AND MONITORING MARKERS OF THE RESPONSE TO MBSR FOR CLBP PRIOR TO EXPANDING THE TRIAL IN THE UH3 PHASE. MILESTONES FOR TRANSITION FROM THE UG3 PHASE (AIM 1) TO THE LARGER CLINICAL TRIAL OF THE UH3 PHASE (AIMS 2+3) WILL INCLUDE: (1) FINALIZED DATA COLLECTION AND PRIMARY ANALYSIS PROTOCOLS FOR THE CLINICAL TRIAL OF MBSR FOR CLBP, (2) SUCCESS WITH PASSIVE DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES AND EXPERIMENTATION WITH ML MODEL TRAINING AND TESTING FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF PREDICTIVE AND MONITORING BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MARKERS OF THE RESPONSE TO MBSR FOR CLBP, AND (3) PRELIMINARY VALIDATION OF CANDIDATE ML-BASED BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PREDICTIVE AND MONITORING MARKERS OF THE RESPONSE TO MBSR FOR CLBP USING STATISTICAL AND CROSS-VALIDATION METHODS. AIM 2 (UH3) WILL EXPAND THE CLINICAL TRIAL INITIATED IN AIM 1 TO COLLECT BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DATA FROM A LARGER SAMPLE (N=300). AIM 3 (UH3) WILL INVOLVE ML MODELING WITH DATA COLLECTED IN AIM 2 TO IDENTIFY AND VALIDATE ACCURATE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PREDICTIVE AND MONITORING MARKERS OF THE RESPONSE TO MBSR FOR CLBP. TO COMPLETE OUR AIMS, CLINICIAN SCIENTISTS FROM BOSTON UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS CHAN MEDICAL SCHOOL, AND CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERTISE IN SUCCESSFULLY RECRUITING AND ENGAGING DIVERSE POPULATIONS IN CLINICAL TRIALS OF MINDFULNESS INTERVENTIONS FOR PAIN WILL COLLABORATE WITH BIOMEDICAL, DATA SCIENTISTS AND MACHINE LEARNING RESEARCHERS FROM WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE. THIS PROPOSED PROJECT WILL ULTIMATELY ENHANCE CLINICAL DECISION- MAKING AND TARGETED TREATMENT OF CLBP.

CRCNS: MODELING FOR CAROTID PLAQUE RUPTURE AND STROKE

A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF HUMAN BONE ADAPTATION USING A NOVEL IN-VIVO LOADING MODEL

FUNCTIONAL CONNECTOME OF SEX-SPECIFIC PROCESSING OF SOCIAL CUES

SCH:SMARTPHONE WOUND IMAGE PARAMETER ANALYSIS AND DECISION SUPPORT IN MOBILE ENV

PHASE I CAMEL-CN: CURATING A LARGE-SCALE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE MULTIMODAL DATASET OF STUDENT ACTIONS IN ILLUSTRATIVE MATH TO STUDY MATHEMATICAL MISCONCEPTIONS -THIS PROJECT ADVANCES RESEARCH ON MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING BY DEVELOPING AND RELEASING A LARGE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATASET FOCUSED ON STUDENT REASONING ERRORS IN THE MATHEMATICS DOMAIN ALONGSIDE RELATED INSTRUCTIONAL CLASSROOM CONTEXT. THIS RESOURCE AIMS TO ENABLE NEW RESEARCH AND DISCOVERIES OF HOW MATHEMATICS REASONING ERRORS EMERGE, EVOLVE, AND ARE RESOLVED OVER TIME IN AUTHENTIC LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS. THE PROJECT LEVERAGES DATA COLLECTED IN A FREE ONLINE MATH PLATFORM THAT INCLUDES CLASSWORK, HOMEWORK AND ASSESSMENTS ACROSS A RANGE OF MATHEMATICS CONCEPTS IN GRADES 3-12. THE PLATFORM GIVES STUDENTS INSTANT FEEDBACK AND PROVIDES DATA TO TEACHERS TO GUIDE INSTRUCTION. THE INVESTIGATORS DEVELOP FINE-GRAINED ANNOTATIONS OF THIS RICH DATASET TO CAPTURE STUDENT MATHEMATICS PROBLEM-SOLVING BEHAVIORS, REASONING PROCESSES, PERFORMANCE, AND INSTRUCTIONAL CONTEXTS FOR OVER 500,000 STUDENTS, ENABLING LONGITUDINAL ANALYSES OF LEARNING INTERACTIONS AND OUTCOMES ACROSS GRADE LEVELS. THE RESULTING LARGE-SCALE, MULTIMODAL, MULTI-YEAR DATASET WITH DETAILED ANNOTATIONS OF STUDENT LEARNING INTERACTIONS AND OUTCOMES IS EXPECTED TO ENABLE FUTURE DISCOVERIES OF WAYS TO SUPPORT MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH

ASSISTMENTS MEETS INQUIRY

HARVESTING ENERGY FROM WASTEWATER BY CONVERTING SEWAGE SLUDGE TO RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS

MULTI-PHYSICS MODELING AND MESHLESS METHODS FOR ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUE PROGRESSION

EDUCATION RESEARCH PROGRAM

ACCUMULATED WHITE MATTER FIBER STRAIN FROM REPETITIVE HEAD IMPACTS IN CONTACT SPORTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A PREDICTIVE THEORY OF MUSCLE ENERGY CONSUMPTION

THE MOLECULAR DETERMINANTS OF ZINC UPTAKE MEDIATED BY HZIP4

NEUROPROSTHETICS: DEVELOPMENT OF TISSUE INTEGRATION, CONTROL AND SENSORY FEEDBACK SOLUTIONS FOR NEURAL-ENABLED PROSTHETIC DEVICES

SCH: MULTIDIMENSIONAL MICROFLUIDIC SALIVARY SENSOR WITH ADVERSARIAL KNOWLEDGE DISTILLATION FOR POINT-OF-CARE ASSESSMENT OF PERIODONTITIS AND COMORBIDITIES - THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP A SENSOR DEVICE PROTOTYPE TO RAPIDLY MEASURE AN ARRAY OF DIVERSE SALIVARY BIOMARKERS AS INPUT FOR NOVEL MACHINE LEARNING (ML) METHODS THAT CAN PREDICT PERIODONTITIS AND MONITOR PERIODONTAL PROGRESSION. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO DEVELOP A RAPID, USER-FRIENDLY, AND LOW-COST POINTOF-CARE (POC) DEVICE, FOR USE IN EITHER A DENTIST’S OFFICE OR AT HOME, THAT RAPIDLY INTEGRATES AND ANALYZES DATA TO SUPPORT PATIENT MANAGEMENT. IT ADDRESSES THE PRIORITY AREA OF THE DATA SCIENCE, COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, AND BIOINFORMATICS PROGRAM OF NIDCR IN INTEGRATING AND ANALYZING HIGH-VOLUME AND DIVERSE DATA TO BETTER UNDERSTAND DENTAL, ORAL, AND CRANIOFACIAL BIOLOGY AND DISEASES. ACCORDING TO THE CDC, NEARLY 50% ADULTS HAVE SOME FORM OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE. PERIOODONTITIS IS SILENTLY PROGRESSIVE AND PATIENTS OFTEN SEEK PROFESSIONAL CARE ONLY IN AN ADVANCED STAGE WHERE ADVANCED, PAINFUL AND COSTLY PROCEDURES ARE NEEDED TO CONTROL DISEASE OR REPLACE LOST TEETH. EARLY DETECTION OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE AT AN INDIVIDUAL PATIENT LEVEL IS REQUIRED AND THERE IS GROWING AWARENESS THAT MULTIPLE BIOMARKERS ARE VALUED IN PREDICTING RISK OF DISEASE IN INDIVIDUALS. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT PREDICTIVE MODELS CAN BE ESTABLISHED BASED ON THE MEASUREMENTS OF A LARGE SET OF PERIODONTITIS-ASSOCIATED BIOMARKERS IN SALIVA; A SENSOR DEVICE THAT INTEGRATES MULTI-SENSOR MODALITIES AND THE MACHINE LEARNING (ML) MODELS WILL ADVANCE THE CLINICAL GOAL OF EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF PERIODONTITIS TO ENABLE EARLIER CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS. THUS, WE WILL DEVELOP AND APPLY THREE DISTINCTIVE SENSOR MODALITIES FOR DETECTING CONCENTRATIONS OF SALIVARY ANALYTES RELEVANT TO VARIOUS STAGES OF PERIODONTAL PROGRESSION, I.E., INFLAMMATION, SOFT TISSUE DESTRUCTION OR BONE DESTRUCTION (AIM 1). DATA FROM BOTH SENSOR OUTPUTS AND CLINICAL EXAMINATION WILL BE USED TO TRAIN ML MODELS VIA A NOVEL MULTI-MODAL ADVERSARIAL KNOWLEDGE DISTILLATION ML FRAMEWORK, WHICH PROMOTES ACCURATE EARLY PREDICTION WITH PARTIAL LONGITUDINAL DATA REPRESENTATIONS (AIM 2). THE MULTI-SENSOR MODALITIES AND THE ML MODELS WILL BE EMBEDDED IN A SINGLE MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE, INCORPORATING STEPS SUCH AS SAMPLING, DETECTION, AND DATA ANALYSIS AS AN INTEGRATED LAB-ON-A-CHIP, AND PERMITTING THE SENSOR DATA PREPROCESSED TO TRANSMIT ONLY THE ACTIONABLE INFORMATION TO THE OUTSIDE PLATFORM TO PROTECT THE USER'S PRIVACY (AIM 3). SUCH A DEVICE IS ANTICIPATED TO OFFER FOR UNOBTRUSIVE, ACCURATE, AND FREQUENT SALIVA-BASED SELF-MONITORING, AND PROVIDE DETAILED MEDICAL DATA TO SUPPORT CLINICAL DECISIONS. IT WILL BE AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR FUTURE PERSONALIZED MEDICINE AND DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE PATIENTS' ORAL HEALTH.

COMPOSITE PD AND PD ALLOY POROUS STAINLESS STEEL MEMBRANES FOR HYDROGEN PRODUCTION AND PROCESS INTENSIFICAION

UNIFIED DESIGN, MODELING, AND CONTROL OF EXTENSIBLE CONTINUUM ROBOTS FOR OPERATION IN HUMAN WORKSPACES -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP A HIGHLY FLEXIBLE ROBOTIC ARM CALLED COBRA (CONTINUUM BIOINSPIRED ROBOTIC ASSISTANT) TO HELP PEOPLE WITH DAILY TASKS AND IMPROVE THEIR INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS. INSPIRED BY ORIGAMI, THESE SOFT ROBOTS ARE LIGHTWEIGHT, ADAPTABLE, AND SAFE FOR HUMAN INTERACTION, MAKING THEM PERFECT FOR USE IN HOMES AND HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENTS. THE RESEARCH IS FOCUSED ON CREATING ROBOTIC ARMS THAT CAN HANDLE COMPLEX TASKS LIKE PICKING UP ITEMS FROM SHELVES OR OPENING CABINET DOORS AND DRAWERS, WHICH ARE DIFFICULT FOR MANY EXISTING ASSISTIVE DEVICES. THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OR WHO USE WHEELCHAIRS, TO PROMOTE INDEPENDENCE, AND TO EASE THE WORKLOAD OF CAREGIVERS. FURTHERMORE, THE BREAKTHROUGHS IN DESIGNING AND CONTROLLING THESE SOFT ROBOTS COULD ALSO OPEN UP NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR THEIR USE IN INDUSTRIES, MANUFACTURING, AND SERVICES. THE RESEARCH TEAM IS COMMITTED TO EXPLORING AVENUES FOR THE TRANSLATION OF THIS TECHNOLOGY, WHICH COULD SIGNIFICANTLY BENEFIT THE ROBOTICS AND HEALTHCARE INDUSTRIES. THIS AWARD WILL ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO STEM EDUCATION, FURTHER ENHANCING ITS SOCIETAL IMPACT. THE RESEARCH AIMS TO ADVANCE THE FIELD OF SOFT ROBOTICS, CONTINUUM ROBOTS, AND MANIPULATION CONTROL. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY INTEGRATING A MODULAR SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE WITH CUSTOMIZABLE DESIGN ALGORITHMS, ALLOWING FOR THE DESIGN OF ROBOTS TAILORED TO SPECIFIC ASSISTIVE TASKS. THE PROJECT WILL INCORPORATE ADVANCED PROPRIOCEPTIVE SENSING AND REAL-TIME SMOOTH INVERSE KINEMATICS, ENHANCING THE ROBOTS' ABILITY TO ADAPT TO EXTERNAL LOADS AND AVOID OBSTACLES WHILE PERFORMING PRECISE MOVEMENTS. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT WILL INTRODUCE ADVANCED CONTROL STRATEGIES, INCLUDING CLOTHOID-BASED VISUAL SERVOING AND MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL, TO ENSURE ACCURATE AND SAFE INTERACTION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT. THE PROJECT'S OVERALL GOAL IS TO DELIVER HIGHLY CAPABLE AND RELIABLE ASSISTIVE SYSTEMS THAT IMPROVE PERFORMANCE OVER EXISTING TOOLS AND METHODS. IF SUCCESSFUL, THESE ROBOTS WILL BE CAPABLE OF CARRYING A CUP FULL OF WATER WITHOUT SPILLING ITS CONTENTS AND OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH AN ITERATIVE PROCESS OF BUILDING, MODELING, CONTROLLING, AND TESTING THESE ROBOTS IN A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION PLAN WITH REAL-WORLD USE CASES. 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.

COPPER HOMEOSTASIS IN THE OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGEN PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA

PREDICTING THE FUNCTIONAL IMPACT OF ALTERNATIVE SPLICING ON PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS USING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH - ALTERNATIVE SPLICING (AS) OF PRECURSOR MRNA PROVIDES AN IMPORTANT MEANS OF GENETIC CONTROL AND IS A CRUCIAL STEP IN THE EXPRESSION OF MOST GENES. AS GIVES RISE TO MULTIPLE ISOFORMS THAT CAN EXHIBIT DIFFERENTIAL STABILITIES, MOLECULAR BINDING CAPABILITIES, AND PHENOTYPIC EFFECTS, THEREBY GREATLY EXPANDING THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY OF GENES. THESE FUNCTIONS ARE FREQUENTLY DEREGULATED IN HUMAN DISEASE, LEADING TO ABERRANTLY EXPRESSED ISOFORMS THAT CAN ACT AS DRIVERS AND “REWIRERS” OF CELLULAR PATHWAYS. GIVEN THE INTRINSIC ROLE OF AS IN NEARLY EVERY ASPECT OF BIOLOGY, TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE FUNCTIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF ISOFORMS ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED. UNFORTUNATELY, PREDICTION OF ISOFORM FUNCTIONS ARE NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT, DUE TO OUR ONLY CRUDE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR DETERMINANTS OF ISOFORM ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS A PAUCITY OF EXPERIMENTAL DATASETS ANNOTATED AT ISOFORM RESOLUTION. THE EXPERIMENTS, IN TURN, ARE CHALLENGING IN THEIR OWN RIGHT, DUE TO A LACK OF ROBUST METHODS FOR THE DETECTION, MAPPING, AND PHENOTYPING AT ISOFORM-RESOLUTION IN VIVO. AS A CONSEQUENCE, ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAPS IN THE GENOMICS AND PROTEOMICS FIELDS IS AN UNDERSTANDING THE FUNCTIONAL AND EVOLUTIONARY IMPLICATIONS OF THE ASTONISHING COMPLEXITY OF THE HUMAN PROTEOME. TO MAKE PROGRESS TOWARDS THIS GAP, WE MUST REFORMULATE EXISTING APPROACHES. HERE, WE PROPOSE TO BUILD COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL METHODOLOGIES THAT ARE INTERTWINED ACROSS THE ENTIRE DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION LIFECYCLE. COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES, CAPITALIZING ON EVER-IMPROVING MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS, CAN PREDICT THE EFFECT OF AS AT HIGH COVERAGE. EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS CRITICAL TO BENCHMARK THE PREDICTIONS AS WELL AS SHED LIGHT ON HERETOFORE UNCHARACTERIZED FEATURES OF ISOFORM FUNCTIONALITY. THE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO DEVELOP (I) A PREDICTOR OF PROTEIN ISOFORM STABILITY, A “FIRST LINE OF EVIDENCE” AND PREREQUISITE OF ISOFORM FUNCTIONALITY, (II) A NOVEL BIOINFORMATICS APPROACH TO STUDY THE “REWIRING” EFFECTS OF AS ISOFORMS ON PROTEIN INTERACTIONS, AND (III) A NOVEL MEASURE, THE ALTERNATIVE SPLICING IMPACT FACTOR, THAT PREDICTS THE FUNCTIONAL ROLE OF AN ISOFORM BASED ON METRICS SUCH AS THE LOSS OF INTERACTION AND EXPRESSION PATTERNS, AND APPLY THIS CONCEPT TO DETERMINE AS-INDUCED PHENOTYPES IN-SILICO AND IN VITRO/VIVO (CELL-BASED ASSAY). EACH COMPUTATIONAL STAGE WILL BE CLOSELY COMPLEMENTED WITH A HIGHLY CUSTOMIZED AND NOVEL EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH– LARGE-SCALE ISOFORM PROTEOGENOMICS, INTERACTOMICS, AND FUNCTIONAL ASSAYS EXPERIMENTS–TO VALIDATE AND BENCHMARK THE PREDICTORS, AS WELL AS FEED INTO AN ITERATIVE COMPUTATION-EXPERIMENTAL “VIRTUOUS CYCLE”.

(NO IDC) SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION FOR EMERGING INNOVATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE WARFIGHTER

TO OBTAIN A COPY OF THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA) PLEASE GO TO THE ARPA-E WEBSITE AT HTTPS://ARPA-E-FOA.ENERGY.GOV. TO APPLY TO THIS FOA, APPLICANTS MUST REGISTER WITH AND SUBMIT APPLICATION MATERIALS THROUGH ARPA-E EXCHANGE (HTTPS://ARPA-E-FOA.ENERGY.GOV/REGISTRATION.ASPX). FOR DETAILED GUIDANCE ON USING ARPA-E EXCHANGE, PLEASE REFER TO THE ARPA-E EXCHANGE USER GUIDE (HTTPS://ARPA-E-FOA.ENERGY.GOV/MANUALS.ASPX). ARPA-E WILL NOT REVIEW OR CONSIDER CONCEPT PAPERS SUBMITTED THROUGH OTHER MEANS. FOR PROBLEMS WITH ARPA-E EXCHANGE, EMAIL EXCHANGEHELP@HQ.DOE.GOV (WITH FOA NAME AND NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT LINE). QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS FOA? CHECK THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AVAILABLE AT HTTP://ARPA-E.ENERGY.GOV/FAQ. FOR QUESTIONS THAT HAVE NOT ALREADY BEEN ANSWERED, EMAIL ARPA-E-CO@HQ.DOE.GOV. AGENCY OVERVIEW THE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY – ENERGY (ARPA-E), AN ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE), IS CHARTERED BY CONGRESS IN THE AMERICA COMPETES ACT OF 2007 (P.L. 110-69), AS AMENDED BY THE AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010 (P.L. 111-358), AS FURTHER AMENDED BY THE ENERGY ACT OF 2020 (P.L. 116-260): “(A) TO ENHANCE THE ECONOMIC AND ENERGY SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES THAT— (I) REDUCE IMPORTS OF ENERGY FROM FOREIGN SOURCES; (II) REDUCE ENERGY-RELATED EMISSIONS, INCLUDING GREENHOUSE GASES; (III) IMPROVE THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF ALL ECONOMIC SECTORS; (IV) PROVIDE TRANSFORMATIVE SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE THE MANAGEMENT, CLEAN-UP, AND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL; AND (V) IMPROVE THE RESILIENCE, RELIABILITY, AND SECURITY OF INFRASTRUCTURE TO PRODUCE, DELIVER, AND STORE ENERGY; AND (B) TO ENSURE THAT THE UNITED STATES MAINTAINS A TECHNOLOGICAL LEAD IN DEVELOPING AND DEPLOYING ADVANCED ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES.” ARPA-E ISSUES THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA) UNDER ITS AUTHORIZING STATUTE CODIFIED AT 42 U.S.C. § 16538. THE FOA AND ANY COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS OR GRANTS MADE UNDER THIS FOA ARE SUBJECT TO 2 C.F.R. PART 200 AS SUPPLEMENTED BY 2 C.F.R. PART 910. ARPA-E FUNDS RESEARCH ON, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF, TRANSFORMATIVE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS THE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MISSIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT. THE AGENCY FOCUSES ON TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN BE MEANINGFULLY ADVANCED WITH A MODEST INVESTMENT OVER A DEFINED PERIOD OF TIME IN ORDER TO CATALYZE THE TRANSLATION FROM SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY TO EARLY-STAGE TECHNOLOGY. FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION ABOUT ARPA-E, ITS PROGRAMS AND THE RESEARCH PROJECTS CURRENTLY SUPPORTED, SEE: HTTP://ARPA-E.ENERGY.GOV/. ARPA-E FUNDS TRANSFORMATIONAL RESEARCH. EXISTING ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES GENERALLY PROGRESS ON ESTABLISHED “LEARNING CURVES” WHERE REFINEMENTS TO A TECHNOLOGY AND THE ECONOMIES OF SCALE THAT ACCRUE AS MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION DEVELOP DRIVE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE COST/PERFORMANCE METRIC IN A GRADUAL FASHION. THIS CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT OF A TECHNOLOGY IS IMPORTANT TO ITS INCREASED COMMERCIAL DEPLOYMENT AND IS APPROPRIATELY THE FOCUS OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR OR THE APPLIED TECHNOLOGY OFFICES WITHIN DOE. IN CONTRAST, ARPA-E SUPPORTS TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CREATE FUNDAMENTALLY NEW LEARNING CURVES. ARPA-E TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS TYPICALLY START WITH COST/PERFORMANCE ESTIMATES WELL ABOVE THE LEVEL OF AN INCUMBENT TECHNOLOGY. GIVEN THE HIGH RISK INHERENT IN THESE PROJECTS, MANY WILL FAIL TO PROGRESS, BUT SOME MAY SUCCEED IN GENERATING A NEW LEARNING CURVE WITH A PROJECTED COST/PERFORMANCE METRIC THAT IS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN THAT OF THE INCUMBENT TECHNOLOGY. ARPA-E FUNDS TECHNOLOGY WITH THE POTENTIAL TO BE DISRUPTIVE IN THE MARKETPLACE. THE MERE CREATION OF A NEW LEARNING CURVE DOES NOT ENSURE MARKET PENETRATION. RATHER, THE ULTIMATE VALUE OF A TECHNOLOGY IS DETERMINED BY THE MARKETPLACE, AND IMPACTFUL TECHNOLOGIES ULTIMATELY BECOME DISRUPTIVE – THAT IS, THEY ARE WIDELY ADOPTED AND DISPLACE EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE MARKETPLACE OR CREATE ENTIRELY NEW MARKETS. ARPA-E UNDERSTANDS THAT DEFINITIVE PROOF OF MARKET DISRUPTION TAKES TIME, PARTICULARLY FOR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES. THEREFORE, ARPA-E FUNDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES THAT, IF TECHNICALLY SUCCESSFUL, HAVE CLEAR DISRUPTIVE POTENTIAL, E.G., BY DEMONSTRATING CAPABILITY FOR MANUFACTURING AT COMPETITIVE COST AND DEPLOYMENT AT SCALE. ARPA-E FUNDS APPLIED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET DEFINES “APPLIED RESEARCH” AS AN “ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN IN ORDER TO ACQUIRE NEW KNOWLEDGE…DIRECTED PRIMARILY TOWARDS A SPECIFIC PRACTICAL AIM OR OBJECTIVE” AND DEFINES “EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT” AS “CREATIVE AND SYSTEMATIC WORK, DRAWING ON KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM RESEARCH AND PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS DIRECTED AT PRODUCING NEW PRODUCTS OR PROCESSES OR IMPROVING EXISTING PRODUCTS OR PROCESSES.” APPLICANTS INTERESTED IN RECEIVING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR BASIC RESEARCH (DEFINED BY THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET AS “EXPERIMENTAL OR THEORETICAL WORK UNDERTAKEN PRIMARILY TO ACQUIRE NEW KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNDERLYING FOUNDATIONS OF PHENOMENA AND OBSERVABLE FACTS”) SHOULD CONTACT THE DOE’S OFFICE OF SCIENCE (HTTP://SCIENCE.ENERGY.GOV/). OFFICE OF SCIENCE NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC USER FACILITIES (HTTP://SCIENCE.ENERGY.GOV/USER-FACILITIES/) ARE OPEN TO ALL RESEARCHERS, INCLUDING ARPA-E APPLICANTS AND AWARDEES. THESE FACILITIES PROVIDE ADVANCED TOOLS OF MODERN SCIENCE INCLUDING ACCELERATORS, COLLIDERS, SUPERCOMPUTERS, LIGHT SOURCES AND NEUTRON SOURCES, AS WELL AS FACILITIES FOR STUDYING THE NANOWORLD, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE ATMOSPHERE. PROJECTS FOCUSED ON EARLY-STAGE R&D FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY ALONG DEFINED ROADMAPS MAY BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR SUPPORT THROUGH THE DOE APPLIED ENERGY OFFICES INCLUDING: THE OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY (HTTP://WWW.EERE.ENERGY.GOV/), THE OFFICE OF FOSSIL ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT (HTTPS://WWW.ENERGY.GOV/FECM/OFFICE-FOSSIL-ENERGY-AND-CARBON-MANAGEMENT), THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY (HTTP://WWW.ENERGY.GOV/NE/OFFICE-NUCLEAR-ENERGY), AND THE OFFICE OF ELECTRICITY (HTTPS://WWW.ENERGY.GOV/OE/OFFICE-ELECTRICITY). PROGRAM OVERVIEW THE ROSIE (REVOLUTIONIZING ORE TO STEEL TO IMPACT EMISSIONS) PROGRAM IS A 3-YEAR, $35 MILLION PROGRAM DEVELOPING PATHWAYS TO ZERO EMISSIONS IRONMAKING AND ULTRA-LOW LIFE CYCLE EMISSIONS FOR STEELMAKING. THE PROGRAM SEEKS TO FUND THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION OF NOVEL TECHNOLOGIES THAT PRODUCE IRON-BASED PRODUCTS FROM IRON-CONTAINING ORES AND ALTERNATIVE FEEDSTOCKS WITHOUT PROCESS EMISSIONS IN THE IRONMAKING STEP. THE PROGRAM’S TECHNOLOGIES WILL DEMONSTRATE A PATH TO COST-COMPETITIVENESS WITH TRADITIONAL INCUMBENT CARBOTHERMIC BLAST FURNACE IRONMAKING. THE TECHNOLOGIES FUNDED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM HAVE TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL, BECAUSE NO TECHNOLOGY ROUTE EXISTS TODAY THAT MEETS BOTH THIS EMISSIONS CONSTRAINT AND THIS COST PARITY GOAL. THE PROGRAM WILL HAVE TWO CATEGORIES. CATEGORY A INCLUDES PROCESSES FROM ORE TO IRONMAKING. CATEGORY B MUST INCLUDE IRONMAKING BUT CAN EXTEND TO DOWNSTREAM STEEL PRODUCTION. TECHNOLOGIES MUST HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ACHIEVE: • ZERO NON-BIOGENIC GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) EMISSIONS SPECIFICALLY FROM THE IRONMAKING PROCESS • ULTRA-LOW CRADLE-TO-GATE LIFECYCLE GHG EMISSIONS EMITTED PER TONNE OF IRON OR STEEL PRODUCT (< 0.7 TONNES CO2 EMITTED PER TONNE OF HRC STEEL) • PROCESS AND PRODUCT SCALABILITY OF >15 MILLION TONNES • COST PARITY WITH THE IRON OR STEEL PRODUCT BEING DISPLACED • MATERIALS PROPERTIES CONSISTENT WITH RELEVANT COMMERCIAL PRODUCT BEING DISPLACED • PRODUCED 10 KILOGRAMS (KG) OF PROPOSED PRODUCT BY PROJECT END • A DEMONSTRATED PRODUCTION RATE OF 1 KG/HOUR BY PROJECT END IF SUCCESSFUL, NOVEL IRONMAKING TECHNOLOGIES MEETING THE METRICS SET FORTH BY THE PROGRAM WILL ENABLE A REDUCTION OF U.S. EMISSIONS BY OVER 65 MILLION TONNES (MT) CARBON DIOXIDE EMITTED (CO2E) ANNUALLY (~1% OF U.S. EMISSIONS) AND GLOBAL EMISSIONS BY OVER 2.9 GIGATONNES (GT) ANNUALLY (5.5 % OF GLOBAL EMISSIONS).

BUILDING EDUCATIONAL BRIDGES BETWEEN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND BIOLOGY THROUGH TRANSDISCIPLINARY TEAMWORK AND MODULAR CURRICULUM DESIGN

SHB: MEDIUM: SELF-CARE MANAGEMENT: PATIENT-CENTERED DIABETIC WOUND CARE USING SMART PHONES

SCH: IN-VIVO REAL-TIME ASSESSMENT OF THROMBUS IN STROKE TREATMENT VIA FIBER RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY AND MULTI-PHYSICS NEURAL-OPERATOR LEARNING -STROKE IS A LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AND DISABILITY WORLDWIDE, CREATING A SIGNIFICANT SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BURDEN. IT OCCURS WHEN A BLOOD CLOT BLOCKS AN ARTERY IN THE BRAIN, CUTTING OFF THE BLOOD SUPPLY AND LEADING TO THE DEATH OF BRAIN CELLS. TO TREAT STROKE, PROMPT REMOVAL OF THE CLOT VIA AN INSERTED TUBE IS CRITICAL. IT HAS BEEN NOTICED THAT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT CLOT REMOVAL DEVICES AND TECHNIQUES VARIES DEPENDING ON THE CLOT'S CHEMICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES. HOWEVER, THERE IS CURRENTLY NO SUITABLE METHOD TO DETERMINE THE PROPERTIES OF A CLOT STUCK IN THE BRAIN IN ADVANCE OF THE SURGICAL PROCESS. THUS, THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ACHIEVE REAL-TIME ASSESSMENT OF CLOT MECHANICAL PROPERTIES TO GUIDE DECISION-MAKING FOR HIGHER CLOT REMOVAL SUCCESS RATES. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO PROVIDE DOCTORS WITH AN IMAGING CABLE, WITH A SPECIAL LIGHT SOURCE, THAT CAN BE DELIVERED THROUGH THE TUBE TO MEASURE THE CLOT'S PROPERTIES. TO QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY INTERPRET THE LIGHT COLLECTED FROM THE CLOT FOR CHEMICAL- AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTY MEASUREMENT, AN ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE ALGORITHM WILL BE CREATED. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE IMAGING CABLE AND THE ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE ALGORITHM FOR CLINICAL USE WILL BE ENABLED IN THIS PROJECT BY THE ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE IN MULTIPLE AREAS INCLUDING ENGINEERING, PHYSICS, DATA SCIENCE, BIOCHEMISTRY, AND MEDICINE VIA THE COLLABORATION AMONG ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS, AND DOCTORS. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL INVOLVE UNDERGRADUATE, COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AND HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RESEARCH, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON DIVERSITY IN RACE, GENDER, AND ACADEMIC STAGES. THE CURRENT STANDARD OF CARE FOR ISCHEMIC STROKE CAUSED BY LARGE-VESSEL OCCLUSION IS MECHANICAL THROMBECTOMY. THE FAILURE AND COMPLICATIONS OF MECHANICAL THROMBECTOMY CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE BLOOD CLOT TO BE RETRIEVED. CURRENTLY, THE EVALUATION OF CLOT PROPERTIES CAN BE ONLY VAGUELY ACHIEVED PREOPERATIVELY BY MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OR COMPUTER TOMOGRAPHY, WHICH CANNOT ASSIST REAL-TIME DECISION MAKING. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ACHIEVE INTRAVASCULAR, IN-VIVO, REAL-TIME ASSESSMENT OF CLOT MECHANICAL PROPERTIES TO GUIDE THROMBECTOMY DECISION-MAKING FOR HIGHER SUCCESS RATES. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, THE PROJECT HAS THREE OBJECTIVES: 1) TO EVALUATE CLOT CHEMICAL COMPOSITION IN-VIVO USING A CATHETER WITH FIBER RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY; 2) TO PREDICT CLOT MECHANICAL PROPERTIES BASED ON ITS CHEMICAL COMPOSITION VIA MULTI-PHYSICS MODELING AND MACHINE LEARNING; AND, 3) TO VALIDATE THIS IN-VIVO REAL-TIME INTRAVASCULAR APPROACH IN ANIMAL AND HUMAN CADAVERIC MODELS FOR CLINICAL TRANSLATION. SPECIFICALLY, THIS PROJECT HAS THE FOLLOWING TASKS: 1) INTEGRATION OF A SUB-MILLIMETER RAMAN FIBER PROBE INTO A CATHETER FOR NEURO-INTERVENTION; 2) TRAINING OF A CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK TO INTERPRET RAMAN SPECTRA FOR CLOT BIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS, ADDRESSING INCONSISTENT SPECTRAL BIOMARKERS AND FIBER-INDUCED BACKGROUND NOISE; 3) DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTI-PHYSICS DISSIPATIVE PARTICLE-DYNAMICS MODEL OF BLOOD CLOTS WITH CELLULAR COMPONENTS DESIGNED TO ADDRESS VARIATIONS IN INDIVIDUAL CLINICAL CASES; AND 4) TRAINING OF A NEURAL OPERATOR TO ACHIEVE REAL-TIME MAPPING FROM RAMAN SIGNALS TO CLOT MECHANICS. THIS PROJECT HAS THE FOLLOWING POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS. IN PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING, DOWNSIZING THE RAMAN FIBER PROBE TO THE UNPRECEDENTED SUB-MILLIMETER SCALE DEMONSTRATES THE PHILOSOPHY OF USING MACHINE LEARNING TO OVERCOME HARDWARE DIFFICULTIES, WHICH CAN DRIVE SENSOR INNOVATION. IN BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY, THE MINIATURIZED RAMAN PROBE WILL REMOVE SPATIAL CONSTRAINTS TO ENABLE RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY IN A WIDER RANGE OF SPECIMENS AND SETTINGS. IN MEDICINE AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH, THE MULTI-PHYSICS PARTICLE-BASED NUMERICAL MODEL OF BLOOD-CLOT BIOMECHANICS CAN SERVE AS AN IN-SILICO PLATFORM FOR INVESTIGATING THE PATHOGENESIS OF THROMBOSIS AND TESTING DRUGS AND DEVICES INTERACTING WITH CLOTS. IN DATA SCIENCE, THIS PROJECT SHOWCASES THE NEURAL OPERATOR ACCELERATING SCIENTIFIC SIMULATION FOR REAL-TIME, DATA-DRIVEN, CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING, WHICH MAY PROMOTE MACHINE-LEARNING USE FOR FAST INTERPRETATION OF CLINICAL DATA. THE PROJECT MAY PROMOTE SENSOR-ENABLED, DATA-DRIVEN, REAL-TIME, INTRAOPERATIVE DECISION-MAKING FOR OPTIMIZED THROMBECTOMY WITH SAFE, FAST, AND COMPLETE CLOT REMOVAL. GIVEN THE FACT THAT STROKE IS A LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AND DISABILITY ALL AROUND THE WORLD, THIS PROJECT PROMISES SIGNIFICANT SOCIETAL IMPACTS. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

PROTEIN SIMULATIONS WITH A FAST POLARIZABLE FORCE FIELD

THE ROLE OF MTOR SIGNALING IN THE REGULATION OF RAG EXPRESSION AND GENOMIC STABILITY DURING B LYMPHOCYTE DEVELOPMENT

CAREER: POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF MRNA STABILITY IN MYCOBACTERIUM SMEGMATIS

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FW-HTF-R: MOBILIZING NONPROFIT RESOURCES AND TALENTS WITH A COMMUNITY TOOL FOR PURPOSE-DRIVEN WORK -THIS PROJECT IS ITERATIVELY DESIGNING, ASSESSING, AND REFINING A COMMUNITY TOOL THAT PROVIDES A NEW WAY FOR NONPROFITS TO OBTAIN THE NECESSARY RESOURCES AND TALENTS TO SUPPORT THEIR PURPOSE-DRIVEN NEEDS. THIS PLATFORM CAN INCREASE THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT OF SMALL-TO-MEDIUM NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE CRITICAL SOCIAL AND HUMAN SERVICES, PARTICULARLY FOR HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED AND LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES. PARTNERING WITH NONPROFITS, THIS PROJECT INTEGRATES THE EXPERIENCES OF IMPACTED WORKERS INTO THE ITERATIVE DESIGN AND ASSESSMENT PROCESS. THROUGH A COLLECTIVE IMPACT FRAMEWORK, THE PROJECT AIMS TO ENSURE THAT THE PLATFORM REMAINS A COMMUNITY TOOL THAT HONORS THE TIME AND TALENTS OF NONPROFIT WORKERS AND ENABLES NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO SHARE TALENTS AND RESOURCES IN AN INCLUSIVE, SCALABLE, AND FAIR WAY OVER TIME. THE RESEARCH TEAM IS MEASURING ITS TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT ON WORKERS, NONPROFITS, AND THE COMMUNITY AND IS STUDYING NONPROFIT WORKERS? INTER-WORKPLACE MOBILITY EXPERIENCES, PURSUIT OF MEANINGFUL WORK, AND SENSE OF BELONGING AND PURPOSE. THIS PROJECT CONVERGENTLY BRINGS TOGETHER EXPERTISE IN DOMAINS INCLUDING MECHANISM DESIGN, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, COLLECTIVE IMPACT, APPLIED ETHICS, NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP, COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION, AND LAW. NEW MECHANISMS ARE BEING DEVELOPED TO CONDUCT RECURRENT MULTILATERAL COMBINATORIAL EXCHANGES, ENABLING NONPROFITS TO TEMPORARILY ACQUIRE NEW RESOURCES BY MOBILIZING THEIR OWN IN CONJUNCTION WITH STORED CREDITS. THESE ARE BEING INFORMED BY RIGOROUS RULES OF ENGAGEMENT THAT ARE INCLUSIVE, FAIR, AND SCALABLE. EACH RECURRENT EPISODE FEATURES AN EXCHANGE OF OFFERED RESOURCES, USING COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION TO REALLOCATE BOTH RESOURCES AND CREDITS IN A WAY THAT MAXIMIZES COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY VALUE. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT ARE BEING CO-DESIGNED USING COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH. AN INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS ITERATIVELY INTEGRATES BOTH QUANTITATIVE TECHNOLOGY FEEDBACK AND QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK REFLECTING THE EXPERIENCES OF MOBILIZED WORKERS AND NONPROFIT LEADERS. IN ADDITION, A FRAMEWORK IS BEING DEVELOPED TO MEASURE THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT AND TO ILLUMINATE THE INFLUENCE ON WORKERS? SENSE OF BELONGING AND PURPOSE, AS WELL AS WORKERS? CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ROLES AS CHANGE AGENTS AND THEIR PURSUIT OF MEANINGFUL WORK; THE EXTENT TO WHICH NONPROFITS? CAPABILITIES FOR ORGANIZATIONAL PRIORITY-SETTING AND PLANNING ARE TRANSFORMED; AND HOW ENABLED INTER-WORKPLACE MOBILITY CAN LEAD TO NEW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND TALENT RETENTION IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. FINALLY, THIS PROJECT IS EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR TECHNOLOGY TO SERVE AS THE BACKBONE SUPPORT FOR THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND ENGENDER FURTHER COOPERATION WITHIN THE NONPROFIT 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.

REMOVING PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL BOTTLENECKS FOR HYDROTHERMAL WASTE-TO-ENERGY THROUGH INTENSIFIED CONDITIONING OF BLENDED HIGH SOLID WASTE SLURRIES

TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF MEGAFARM IRRIGATION AT LEAST BY 50%THROUGH AN ACCURATE MEASUREMENT OF ROOT-ZONE SOIL MOISTURE THAT ISATTAINED BY DEVELOPING AN AI-BASED RADAR SYSTEM .

RF PROPAGATION MEASUREMENT AND MODELING FOR WIRELESS BODY AREA NETWORKING

CULTIVATING UNIVERSITY-SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO PREPARE STEM UNDERGRADUATES TO TEACH IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS

GENETIC ANALYSIS OF SIGNALING PATHWAYS IN CILIA ASSEMBLY AND REMODELING - PROJECT SUMMARY PRIMARY CILIA MEDIATE TRANSDUCTION OF ALL MAJOR SIGNALING PATHWAYS, WHICH IN TURN MODULATE CILIA MORPHOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL OUTPUTS. THE RESEARCH IN MY LAB IS FOCUSED ON IDENTIFYING NEW GENES AND MAPPING SIGNALING NETWORKS THAT REGULATE CILIA ASSEMBLY DURING DEVELOPMENT AND CILIA REMODELING IN RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS AT SINGLE-CELL RESOLUTION IN VIVO. TO PURSUE THESE RESEARCH QUESTIONS, WE USE SOPHISTICATED MOLECULAR GENETICS, PROTEOMICS, AND LIVE IMAGING APPROACHES IN C. ELEGANS WITH COMPLEMENTARY STUDIES IN MAMMALIAN CELL CULTURE MODELS. IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WE PROPOSE TO ADDRESS THREE RESEARCH GOALS. A FIRST MAJOR GOAL IS TO DEFINE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS THAT REGULATE HETEROTRIMERIC G PROTEIN SIGNALING DURING CILIA MORPHOGENESIS. HETEROTRIMERIC G PROTEINS AND THEIR CANONICAL ACTIVATORS G PROTEIN COUPLED RECEPTORS (GPCRS) LOCALIZE TO CILIA, MODULATE CILIA MORPHOLOGY, AND WHEN DISRUPTED CAUSE GENETIC DISORDERS IN HUMANS. KEY OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS THAT WE PROPOSE TO ADDRESS ARE: WHAT CONSERVED AND SPECIES-SPECIFIC MECHANISMS REGULATE CILIARY TRAFFICKING OF HETEROTRIMERIC G PROTEINS? HOW DO NON-CANONICAL, GPCR-INDEPENDENT MECHANISMS MODULATE FUNCTIONS OF CILIARY G PROTEINS? A SECOND MAJOR GOAL IS TO DETERMINE IN VIVO MECHANISMS THAT REGULATE AND MEDIATE CILIA REMODELING IN RESPONSE TO STRESS. AFTER EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS, PRIMARY CILIA UNDERGO STRUCTURAL REMODELING, WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED SIGNALING OUTPUT. WE WANT TO KNOW HOW STRESS MODULATES SIGNALING CAPACITY OF CILIA IN VIVO. WHAT ARE THE STRESS- AND CELL-SPECIFIC MECHANISMS OF STRESS-INDUCED CILIA DYNAMICS? A THIRD MAJOR GOAL IS TO IDENTIFY NEW CONSERVED GENES AND PATHWAYS IN CILIA MORPHOGENESIS AND FUNCTION. CELL- AND TISSUE-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN THE CILIOGENIC PROGRAMS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD, AND THE CAUSATIVE GENES FOR MANY CILIOPATHY CASES ARE UNKNOWN. FOR EXAMPLE, NEARLY 40 PERCENT OF INDIVIDUALS WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CILIOPATHIES ARE ESTIMATED TO BE WITHOUT GENETIC DIAGNOSIS. WE WANT TO HARNESS THE POWER OF BIOINFORMATIC APPROACHES AND C. ELEGANS GENETICS TO ASK – WHAT ARE THE DEVELOPMENTAL MECHANISMS THAT OPERATE IN CELL-SPECIFIC CONTEXTS TO ASSEMBLE CILIA? COLLECTIVELY, THESE PROJECTS WILL GENERATE FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHT INTO CELL-SPECIFIC SIGNALING NETWORKS THAT REGULATE CILIA ASSEMBLY, REMODELING, AND CILIA- MEDIATED CELLULAR FUNCTIONS. THIS KNOWLEDGE IS AN IMPORTANT STEPPINGSTONE TOWARD BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE GENETIC BASIS OF CILIOPATHIES, AND MORE BROADLY, OF MECHANISMS THAT ALLOW CELLS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT. THIS AWARD WOULD ALSO ALLOW US TO RECRUIT AND TRAIN A DIVERSE POOL OF RESEARCHERS, LAUNCH NEW COLLABORATIONS, AND FOLLOW NEW HYPOTHESES THAT EMERGE IN THE COURSE OF THIS STUDY.

CAREER: ROLE OF PLANT MYOSIN XI IN POLARIZED SECRETION AND ACTIN DYNAMICS

CAREER: CHARACTERIZATION OF EPIGENETIC FACTORS AND THEIR REGULATORY ROLES IN MODULATING MITOTIC FIDELITY

HCC: LARGE: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ALWAYS-ON RELATIONAL AGENTS FOR SOCIAL SUPPORT OF OLDER ADULTS

ROLE OF CAVEOLAE IN G PROTEIN SIGNALING

CHS: MEDIUM: IMPROVING INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITY WITH SIGN LANGUAGE FIRST TECHNOLOGY

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE), OFFICE OF FOSSIL ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGMENT INTENDS TO HELP BUILD OFF OF PRIOR DOE AND PRIVATE INDUSTRY INVESTMENTS ACROSS THE CRITICAL MATERIALS SUPPLY CHAIN, FROM EXTRACTION, PROCESSING, REFINING, MANUFACTURING, AND RECYCLING, AS WELL AS ON INVESTMENTS IN DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS OR MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS WITH LESS SUPPLY VULNERABILITY. THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY IS LOOKING TO DEVELOP BENCH SCALE CONCEPTS IN THE TECHNOLOGY READINESS LEVEL (TRL) 2 TO 4 RANGE AND TO DEMONSTRATE PROCESSES ON A CONTINUOUS/SEMICONTINUOUS BENCH SCALE BEFORE SCALING UP TO PILOT SCALE, AT TRL 6. FECM SUPPORTS REBUILDING THE U.S. LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE ECONOMICALLY VIABLE, ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE EXTRACTION, SEPARATION, PROCESSING, REFINING, AND RECYCLING OF CRITICAL MINERALS AND MATERIALS (CMM)

BEGINNINGS: NORTHEAST EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING ONHYDROGEN ADVANCEMENTS THROUGH MENTORSHIP, PROJECT INTEGRATION, OPERATION, AND NETWORKING -THE NEXT CHAMPION PROGRAM AIMS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO HYDROGEN ENERGY CAREERS AND SUPPORT WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION FROM ALL AMERICANS. HYDROGEN IS A KEY ENABLER OF U.S. ENERGY SECURITY AND RESILIENCE, WITH OFFICIAL REPORTS PROJECTING THAT THE HYDROGEN SECTOR COULD SUPPORT UP TO 100,000 JOBS NATIONWIDE BY 2030. THIS INITIATIVE BUILDS A REGIONAL HYDROGEN WORKFORCE PIPELINE BY CONNECTING TWO-YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS TO ADVANCED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, INDUSTRY INTERNSHIPS, AND JOB PLACEMENT SERVICES. THROUGH STRONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY COLLEGES, INDUSTRY LEADERS, REGIONAL WORKFORCE ORGANIZATIONS, AND FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS, PARTICIPANTS ENGAGE IN HANDS-ON LEARNING, RECEIVE MENTORING, AND COMPLETE IN-SITU INTERNSHIPS. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO BROADEN ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION BY OFFERING MENTORING, NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, AND TARGETED INTERVENTIONS THAT ADDRESS COMMON BARRIERS TO WORKFORCE ENTRY. THE LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO STRENGTHEN THE ENERGY WORKFORCE AND ENSURE THAT OPPORTUNITIES IN HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGIES ARE OPEN TO ALL AMERICANS. THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND TECHNICAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOR NON-TRADITIONAL LEARNERS PURSUING CAREERS IN HYDROGEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES. BUILT AROUND THE RECRUITMENT?AWARENESS?MENTORSHIP?POST-INTERNSHIP (RAMP) MODEL, THE PROGRAM IS DEVELOPED AND DELIVERED IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH INDUSTRY PARTNERS WHO HELP SHAPE THE CURRICULUM, CO-DESIGN LEARNING ACTIVITIES, AND HOST PARTICIPANTS FOR IMMERSIVE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES. THE TRAINING INCLUDES INTENSIVE MODULES ON PEM ELECTROLYZERS, FUEL CELLS, HYDROGEN SAFETY, AND INFRASTRUCTURE, SUPPORTED BY LAB ACTIVITIES, SIMULATION TOOLS, AND REAL-WORLD CASE STUDIES INFORMED BY INDUSTRY INPUT. INTERNSHIPS PROVIDE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE AND DIRECT MENTORSHIP IN OPERATIONAL SETTINGS, ENSURING THAT PARTICIPANTS GAIN SKILLS ALIGNED WITH CURRENT AND EMERGING WORKFORCE DEMANDS. THE PROGRAM?S COGNITIVE APPRENTICESHIP FRAMEWORK EMPHASIZES MODELING, COACHING, ARTICULATION, AND REFLECTION. OUTCOMES WILL BE EVALUATED USING BOTH FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE METHODS, TARGETING PARTICIPANT RETENTION, SKILL DEVELOPMENT, AND EMPLOYMENT PLACEMENT. PROJECT FINDINGS AND CURRICULUM MATERIALS WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO SUPPORT BROADER ADOPTION IN OTHER ENERGY SECTORS. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

PFI-RP: A NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT ENHANCEMENT OF COASTAL SOILS -THE BROADER IMPACT OF THIS PARTNERSHIPS FOR INNOVATION ? RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP (PFI-RP) PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE, COST-EFFECTIVE, AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SOIL IMPROVEMENT SOLUTION FOR COASTAL REGIONS. THIS TECHNOLOGY ADDRESSES A HIDDEN BUT SERIOUS CLIMATE-INDUCED HAZARD TO COASTAL CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE DUE TO SEAWATER INTRUSION AND CONCOMITANT SOIL SALINIZATION. TRADITIONAL CALCIUM-BASED METHODS OF STABILIZATION ARE NEITHER EFFECTIVE NOR SUSTAINABLE DUE TO HIGH ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND LARGE CARBON EMISSIONS IN THEIR MANUFACTURING PROCESS. THIS TECHNOLOGY OFFERS A GREENER ALTERNATIVE WITH A SIGNIFICANT MARKET POTENTIAL AND APPLICATIONS TO CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE, WATER SYSTEMS, AND OTHER GROUND IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. THE MARKET SIZE IS EXPECTED TO GROW TO $30.2 BILLION BY 2032. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO CREATE SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS BY ENHANCING THE SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE OF COASTAL COMMUNITIES. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT ADDRESSES GLOBAL ISSUES SUCH AS CONSERVING ENERGY AND RESOURCE RECOVERY BY RECYCLING WASTE MATERIALS. THE USE-INSPIRED, TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH WILL REPLACE THE CURRENT, NON-SUSTAINABLE CALCIUM-BASED STABILIZATION PRACTICE, GENERATING JOBS AND PROMOTING THE ADOPTION OF THE NEW MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES. AN INTEGRATED ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATIONAL AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN WILL BE USED TO TRAIN GRADUATE STUDENTS TO BECOME FUTURE ENTREPRENEURSHIP LEADERS IN ADVANCED, NEXT-GENERATION SOIL IMPROVEMENT TECHNOLOGIES. THE PROJECT PRESENTS AN INNOVATIVE, COST-EFFECTIVE, AND PRACTICAL SOLUTION TO IMPROVE SALINE COASTAL SOILS WHEN TRADITIONAL PORTLAND CEMENT-BASED METHODS ARE INEFFECTIVE OR EVEN PROBLEMATIC. THE SOIL IMPROVEMENT TECHNOLOGY ADDRESSES TECHNOLOGICAL, INDUSTRIAL, AND MARKET NEEDS BY DEVELOPING COST-EFFECTIVE AND ?GREENER? SOIL STABILIZER DERIVED FROM ABUNDANT INDUSTRIAL WASTE (I.E., FLY ASH-BASED GEOPOLYMER). SUCH A SOIL STABILIZER IS TECHNICALLY SOUND FOR TREATING SALT-BEARING COASTAL SOILS. THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO: (I) OPTIMIZE FLY ASH-BASED GEOPOLYMERS SUITABLE FOR IMPROVING COASTAL SALT-BEARING SOILS; (II) DEVELOP A SOIL IMPROVEMENT PROCEDURE THAT IS READY FOR ENGINEERING IMPLEMENTATION BY HOLISTICALLY CONSIDERING STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT, VOLUME CHANGE, AND DURABILITY THROUGH MEDIUM-SCALE LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS; AND (III) DEMONSTRATE COST EFFECTIVENESS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESILIENCY BENEFITS OF THE SOIL IMPROVEMENT TECHNOLOGY BY PERFORMING LIFE CYCLE COST AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS, FACILITATING COMMERCIALIZATION AND ADOPTION. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CONNECTING MENTOR PARTNERS FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF UNDERGRADUATES IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS

WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE HETEROSTRUCTURED CHROMIUM RESISTANT OXYGEN ELECTRODE FOR SOLID OXIDE ELECTROLYSIS CELLS DE-FE0032116-0000 NEW AWARD

ADVANCE ADAPTATION: ADVANCING TOWARD EQUITY FOR STEM FACULTY

ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT

ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH: EMERGING RESEARCH: USING AUTOMATED DETECTORS TO EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LEARNER ATTRIBUTES AND BEHAVIORS DURING INQUIRY

DE-DIFFERENTIATING ADULT HUMAN FIBROBLASTS INTO STEM-LIKE CELLS USING DEFINED CON

PHASE I I/UCRC WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE SITE: CENTER FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH IN DRYING (CARD)

ARTEMISININ BIOAVAILABILITY VIA AN ORALLY CONSUMED DRY LEAF HERBAL THERAPEUTIC.

BEGINNINGS: SENSOR TECHNOLOGY AS A VEHICLE TO CULTIVATE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOR EMERGING AND NOVEL TECHNOLOGIES -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY TRAINING A SKILLFUL WORKFORCE TO MEET THE GROWING TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES DELINEATED IN THE CHIPS AND SCIENCE ACT OF 2022. SENSOR TECHNOLOGY IS AMONG THE FASTEST-DEVELOPING BRANCHES IN MODERN TECHNOLOGY AND CONTRIBUTES TO ALL ASPECTS OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. THE TRANSFORMATION IN MINIATURE, INTELLIGENT AND CONVOLUTED SENSOR SYSTEMS WILL ENABLE SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING INNOVATIONS IN THE DEFENSE, SPACE, CIVIL, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY SECTORS. TO EMBRACE SUCH A TRANSFORMATION, ILLINOIS TECH?S EXLENT PROJECT, THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR SENSOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (ICSSE), ASSEMBLED A TEAM OF EXPERTS TO PROVIDE CROSS-DISCIPLINARY, EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING IN COMBINED AREAS OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, BIOTECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL, SEMICONDUCTOR AND MICROELECTRONICS. THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO PREPARE UNDERSERVED GROUPS, PARTICULARLY VETERANS, AND UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS IN STEM WITH THE TECHNICAL CAPABILITY TO TACKLE THE MULTIFACETED CHALLENGES IN THE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY SECTOR. THE PROJECT CONSISTS OF EDUCATION AND MENTORED RESEARCH IN SENSOR TECHNOLOGY IN AN ACADEMIC SETTING, FOLLOWED BY RELATED INDUSTRIAL INTERNSHIP TRAINING. SPECIFICALLY, THROUGH A 9-CREDIT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM, ILLINOIS TECH?S EXLENT PROJECT OFFERS DEDICATED MENTORSHIP, HANDS-ON TRAINING, AND ONE-ON-ONE COLLABORATIVE CAREER SUPPORT THROUGH FACULTY MENTORS, INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS, AND VETERANS ADMINISTRATION (VA) ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS. OF NOTE, THE PROJECT WILL AFFORD VETERANS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESKILLING/UPSKILLING AND REINTEGRATING INTO CIVILIAN SOCIETY, CREATING A STRONG CAREER PATH INTO THE EMERGING TECHNOLOGY WORKFORCE. THIS PROJECT ALIGNS WITH THE NSF EXLENT PROGRAM, FUNDED BY THE NSF TIP AND EDU DIRECTORATES, AS IT SEEKS TO SUPPORT EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS FROM DIVERSE PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS TO INCREASE THEIR INTEREST IN, AND THEIR ACCESS TO, CAREER PATHWAYS IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGY 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP)

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF COPPER TRANSPORT ATPASES

TAS::89 0222::TAS NEW; ANDERSON ACCELERATION FOR FIXED-POINT ITERATIONS; PI - HOMER WALKER

MODELING THE DYNAMICS OF SPINDLE BEHAVIOR IN CELLS WITH SUPERNUMERARY CENTROSOMES

GAANN FELLOWSHIPS IN COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH

CONTINUATION MODIFICATION

TC: SMALL: ANALYSIS FOR A CLOUD OF POLICIES: FOUNDATIONS AND TOOLS

GRADUATE ASSISTANCE IN AREAS OF NATIONAL NEED (GAANN)

COLLABORATIVE ROBOT LEARNING FROM DEMONSTRATION USING HIERARCHICAL TASK NETWORKS AND ATTRIBUTIVE MOTION PLANNING

DEVELOPMENT OF TISSUE INTEGRATION, CONTROL AND SENSORY FEEDBACK SOLUTIONS FOR NEURAL-ENABLED PROSTHETIC DEVICES

IUCRC PHASE II: WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE: CENTER FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH IN DRYING (CARD)

SCH: A NOVEL BIAS-MITIGATED MULTIMODAL OXYGEN MONITOR - ANNUALLY, ~300,000 NEONATES ARE ADMITTED TO THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU) IN THE U.S., MOSTLY DUE TO RESPIRATORY DISTRESS. AFTER A SUCCESSFUL MEDICAL TREATMENT IN THE NICU, EARLIER DISCHARGE TO A STABLE HOME LIFE COULD IMPROVE THE CHANCE OF SURVIVAL FOR NEONATES. HOWEVER, THE OUTPATIENT MANAGEMENT OF BABIES WITH FRAGILE RESPIRATORY STATUS IS CHALLENGING IN THE ABSENCE OF RELIABLE REMOTE MONITORING DEVICES SUITABLE FOR USE AT HOME. DUE TO THE SMALL FORM FACTOR AND EASE OF USE, CONTEMPORARY HOME MONITORING DEVICES DEPLOY SENSORS MEASURING SPO2, THE SATURATION OF HEMOGLOBIN BOUND TO OXYGEN. NEVERTHELESS, ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF OXYGENATION IS COMPLICATED AND NOT POSSIBLE WITH ONLY ONE PARAMETER. THEREFORE, IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, INVASIVE BLOOD GAS MEASUREMENTS - INCLUDING PARTIAL PRESSURE OF OXYGEN (PAO2), WHICH IS THE FREE DISSOLVED OXYGEN (NOT BOUND TO HEMOGLOBIN) - ARE NOT ENTIRELY REPLACED WITH SPO2. PAO2 IS AN ESSENTIAL CARDIO-RESPIRATORY MEASUREMENT AND THE DIRECT INDICATION OF LUNG EFFECTIVENESS. A DIRECT NONINVASIVE METHOD OF ASSESSING PAO2 IS PTCO2, OXYGEN GAS THAT DIFFUSES THROUGH THE SKIN. CREATING AN ABILITY TO SENSE TWO RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS (PTCO2 AND SPO2) WITH ONE WEARABLE IS UNIQUE AND SUPERIOR TO THE CURRENT PRACTICE OF MEASURING ONLY SPO2, FILLING AN IMPORTANT GAP IN MINIATURIZATION OF THE TRANSCUTANEOUS BLOOD GAS MONITORS.

AWARD NEW CA

PACSP TOOLS: STRENGTHENING CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIPS BY ADVANCING MOLECULAR AND ANALYTIC TOOLS FOR DISRUPTING ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE -BIODIVERSITY LOSS IS ONE OF THREE CRITICAL INTERLINKED CHALLENGES FACING HUMANITY TODAY, ALONGSIDE CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLLUTION. NATURE CRIME, PARTICULARLY, UNDERMINES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ACTIVITIES TO REDUCE BIODIVERSITY LOSS. AMONG THESE CRIMES, ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE (IWT) IS EGREGIOUS AND A CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS. THIS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY SPANS ALL US STATES AND TERRITORIES. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL USE NEW SCIENCE-PRACTITIONER PARTNERSHIPS TO OVERCOME SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE FAILURES ABOUT A) DATA GENERATION AND CLASSIFICATION AND B) DATA INTEGRATION AND APPLICATION. THE SCIENCE TEAM WILL USE SHARKS, RAYS, AND TURTLES AS CONSERVATION EXAMPLES AND INCLUDE EXPERTISE IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, WILDLIFE FORENSICS, OPERATIONS RESEARCH, NETWORK DISRUPTION, COMPUTER AND DATA SCIENCE, CONSERVATION CRIMINOLOGY AND HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. THIS RESEARCH WILL ENHANCE CONSERVATION EFFORTS BOTH IN THE US AND GLOBALLY BY INCREASING SCIENTIFIC AWARENESS AND IMPROVING THE PRECISION OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE SCOPE AND RATE OF LOSS OF SHARKS, RAYS AND TURTLES INVOLVED IN THE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE. FINDINGS WILL CONTRIBUTE VALUABLE DATA ABOUT THESE SPECIES AND WILL ALSO BE INTEGRATED WITH OTHER DATA TO BETTER UNDERSTAND FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES OF SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS. ADDITIONALLY, THE RESULTS WILL INFORM SCIENCE-BASED STRATEGIES FOR DISRUPTING ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE INCLUDING CRIME PREVENTION, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT MEASURES. THE SCIENCE TEAM WILL ALSO ENGAGE WITH UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS THROUGH PROJECT-BASED LEARNING, SUPPORT PHD DISSERTATIONS, AND PROVIDE SPECIALIZED TRAINING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THEIR PARTNERS THROUGH A 5-DAY TOOL-TRAINING WORKSHOP. FURTHERMORE, THE RESEARCHERS WILL COLLABORATE WITH DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS BY SHARING INFORMATION, CO-DESIGNING INITIATIVES, AND OFFERING DECISION-MAKING SUPPORT. THE RESEARCH AIMS FOCUS ON NOVEL SPECIES IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES, ONLINE MARKET ANALYSIS, DATA INTEGRATION, AND OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS FUNDAMENTAL CHALLENGES HINDERING EFFECTIVE ACTION FOR IWT. THE GOALS AND SCOPE OF THIS RESEARCH INCLUDE: 1) PRODUCING NEAR REAL TIME SPECIES-LEVEL GENETIC IDENTIFICATION FOR 185 SPECIES USING UNIQUE HIGH-RESOLUTION MELT (HRM) PROFILES; 2) DESIGNING AND DEVELOPING NEW MACHINE LEARNING FRAMEWORKS THAT EXPLORE VARIOUS HRM RANGES, UTILIZING ADVANCED DEEP LEARNING AND TRANSFER LEARNING APPROACHES USING DATA AUGMENTATION TECHNIQUES; 3) ADVANCING THE ACCURACY OF SPECIES IDENTIFICATION THROUGH IMPROVED ANALYSIS OF HRM CURVE PROFILES; 4) CONDUCTING LARGE-SCALE DATA COLLECTION, INNOVATIVE DATA LABELING, AND AUTOMATIC CLASSIFICATION TO PROVIDE DATA OPENNESS, HIGH RECALL RATE, EFFECTIVE IWT POST CLASSIFICATION MODELS, AND A VISUALIZATION TOOL; 5) INTEGRATING PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL CRIME ECOSYSTEMS USING SPATIALLY INTEROPERABLE DATA FROM EXPERTS AND NON-EXPERTS; 6) ADDRESSING ADVERSARIAL CHALLENGES THROUGH ADAPTIVE LEARNING AND SEQUENCE CREATION TO IMPROVE DECISION-MAKING UNDER UNCERTAINTY; AND 7) DEVELOPING A MODEL STRUCTURE CAPABLE OF ACCOUNTING FOR COMPLEXITY OF REAL-WORLD NETWORKS. THIS RESEARCH WILL ADVANCE SCIENCE UNDERSTANDING AND HELP OVERCOME CONSERVATION KNOWLEDGE FAILURES, THEREBY AIDING EFFORTS TO DECREASE THE ACCELERATION OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS FROM IWT. THIS PROJECT IS JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE DIVISIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY AND INTEGRATIVE ORGANISMAL SYSTEMS THROUGH THE PARTNERSHIP TO ADVANCE CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 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.

EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF PERCEPTUAL CUES ON MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS? ONLINE MATHEMATICAL REASONING AND LEARNING -MANY STUDENTS LACK THE NECESSARY PROCEDURAL AND CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE TO PROGRESS BEYOND ALGEBRA I. THIS LIMITS THEIR ABILITY TO PURSUE STEM INTERESTS, TRAINING, AND CAREERS. IN THIS PROMISING APPROACH TO GIVING SUPPORT TO LEARNERS, INVESTIGATORS WILL STUDY THE USE VARIOUS PERCEPTUAL CUES EMBEDDED IN ONLINE MATH MATERIALS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AN EFFORT TO EVALUATE WHETHER MANIPULATING THE VISUAL PERCEPTUAL CUES IN THE MATERIALS, SUCH AS COLORING AND SPACING, INFLUENCE LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE BY DIRECTING STUDENTS? ATTENTION TOWARDS KEY PIECES OF INFORMATION DURING PROBLEM SOLVING. THE OUTCOMES WILL PROVIDE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHETHER AND HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF PERCEPTUAL CUES WORK IN ORDER TO PROVIDE LOW-COST, AND EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT IN ONLINE MATH LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT WILL BETTER PREPARE STUDENTS FOR ALGEBRA AND HIGHER-LEVEL MATHEMATICS. IT IS PROPOSED THAT VIEWING CUES THAT HIGHLIGHT RELEVANT MATHEMATICAL STRUCTURES WILL SUPPORT IMMEDIATE PERFORMANCE AND LEARNING, BUT THAT VIEWING CUES THAT BREAK THE PATTERN OR STRUCTURE OF THE NOTATIONS, IN COMBINATION WITH TRAINING, WILL SUPPORT GREATER RETENTION. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO IMPLEMENT TWO EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES THAT INVESTIGATE WHETHER AND HOW CONGRUENT AND INCONGRUENT PERCEPTUAL CUES WITHIN MATH NOTATION INFLUENCE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS? ORDER-OF-OPERATIONS PERFORMANCE, LEARNING, AND RETENTION, AND TO UNDERSTAND HOW PERCEPTUAL CUES CREATE DESIRABLE DIFFICULTIES, OR PRODUCTIVE STRUGGLES, IN MATHEMATICS PRACTICE. STUDY 1 WILL EXPERIMENTALLY MANIPULATE AND TEST THE INDIVIDUAL EFFECTS OF PERCEPTUAL CUES IN MATH NOTATION ON MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS? PERFORMANCE ON ORDER-OF-OPERATIONS PROBLEMS. STUDY 2 WILL USE A 3?3 FACTORIAL DESIGN TO SYSTEMATICALLY TEST THE INDIVIDUAL AND SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF CONGRUENT AND INCONGRUENT PERCEPTUAL CUES ON STUDENTS? ORDER-OF-OPERATIONS PERFORMANCE, LEARNING, AND RETENTION. ADDITIONALLY, BOTH STUDIES WILL INVESTIGATE WHETHER STUDENTS? PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, MATH ANXIETY, AND PERCEPTUAL PROCESSING SKILLS MODERATE THE EFFECTS OF PERCEPTUAL CUES. THIS PROJECT WILL PRODUCE EVIDENCE OF THE ROLES OF PERCEPTUAL CUES ON STUDENTS? MATH PERFORMANCE, LEARNING, AND RETENTION, INCLUDING PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF ANY DIFFERENCES IN THE EFFECTS OF CONGRUENT VS. INCONGRUENT PERCEPTUAL CUES, AND WHETHER THESE VARIATIONS IN PERCEPTUAL EFFECTS INFLUENCE LEARNING SYNERGISTICALLY. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE EDU CORE RESEARCH (ECR) PROGRAM, WHICH SUPPORTS FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH ON STEM LEARNING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM, AND STEM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 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.

TWC: SMALL: MANAGING USER-LEVEL COMPROMISES IN ENTERPRISE NETWORKS

MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF ELECTRO-CHEMO-MECHANICAL INTERPLAY FOR SELECTIVE AND INTERCALATIVE EXTRACTION OF URANYL IONS USING DISORDERED METAL OXIDES

EXPANDQISE: TRACK 1: EDUCATION AND RESEARCH OF SYSTEM AND NETWORK SUPPORTS FOR QUANTUM CLOUD -NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: QUANTUM COMPUTING OFFERS THE PROMISE OF SOLVING INTRACTABLE PROBLEMS ACROSS MANY SCIENTIFIC DOMAINS INCLUDING CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY. HOWEVER, DESPITE THE RECENT ADVANCEMENTS IN QUANTUM HARDWARE, WE ARE STILL FAR FROM THE REALITY OF QUANTUM RESEARCHERS HAVING ON-PREMISES QUANTUM COMPUTERS. THE MAIN GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO DEMOCRATIZE ACCESS TO QUANTUM COMPUTING RESOURCES BY ALLOWING RESEARCHERS TO WORK WITH QUBITS VIA THE INTERNET. TO ACHIEVE THIS EVOLUTION TO WHAT WE HAVE OBSERVED IN CLASSICAL CLOUD COMPUTING WITH THE GENERAL AVAILABILITY OF SHARED, PUBLIC CLOUD PLATFORMS SUCH AS AMAZON WEB SERVICE, THIS PROJECT STUDIES THE SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR THE QUANTUM CLOUD BY DEVELOPING GENERAL WORKFLOW AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ALGORITHMS. ON THE EDUCATION FRONT, THIS PROJECT INTEGRATES THE FUNDAMENTALS OF QUANTUM COMPUTING AND TRADITIONAL CLOUD COMPUTING TECHNIQUES INTO THE CURRICULUM, AIMING TO PROVIDE THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL TRAINING TO THE STUDENTS AND PREPARE THEM FOR LATER INNOVATING IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF SCIENCE REQUIRING QUANTUM COMPUTING AND QUANTUM NETWORKING KNOWLEDGE. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: THE PROJECT?S FOUNDATION IS THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A QUANTUM CLOUD FRAMEWORK CALLED QCLOUD THAT CONSISTS OF NOVEL JOB PLACEMENT, JOB SCHEDULING, AND NETWORK SCHEDULING ALGORITHMS BASED ON PROPOSED MODELS OF QUANTUM CIRCUITS, GATES, AND REMOTE GATES. TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE QUANTUM CLOUD RESOURCES, THE RESEARCH TEAM INVESTIGATES ALGORITHMS FOR SCHEDULING QUANTUM PROGRAMS CONSIDERING VARIOUS TYPES OF QUANTUM ERRORS TO IMPROVE QUANTUM APPLICATION FIDELITY WITHOUT SACRIFICING OTHER TRADITIONAL SCHEDULING METRICS. THE PROJECT ALSO LOOKS AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A QUANTUM CLOUD SIMULATOR WITH BOTH COMPUTING AND NETWORK MODULES. THE SIMULATOR IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF QCLOUD, PROVIDING A MEANS TO EVALUATE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF QCLOUD. FURTHERMORE, THE RESEARCH TEAM PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING AND RUNNING QUANTUM PROGRAMS WITH THE DEVELOPED SIMULATOR. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ARE BUILT ON PIS? PRIOR WORK IN QUANTUM CLOUD, QUANTUM NETWORKS, AND TRADITIONAL CLOUD AND EDGE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE RESEARCH CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE EVOLUTION OF THE QUANTUM CLOUD, PROVIDE A MORE DIVERSE COMMUNITY WITH EASIER ACCESS TO QUANTUM RESOURCES, AND BUILD THE QUANTUM PRESENCE AT THE PI?S INSTITUTE. THIS AWARD WAS JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE DIRECTORATE FOR MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES, OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES; AND THE DIRECTORATE FOR COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, DIVISION OF COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATION FOUNDATIONS. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

TEACHERS ARE THE LEARNERS: PROVIDING AUTOMATED FEEDBACK ON CLASSROOM INTER-PERSONAL DYNAMICS

TAS::57 3600::TAS PERMITTIVITY GRADIENTS, POLARIZATION, AND GAS DYNAMICS INJ COMPOSITE ELECTROMAGNETIC HEAT EXCHANGERS

ABI INNOVATION: DISCOVERING ELEMENTS OF EXTREME AND HIGH CONSERVATION IN EUKARYOTIC GENOMES

PUTTING TEACHERS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT: USING MACHINE LEARNING TO PERSONALIZE INTERACTIONS WITH STUDENTS (DRIVER-SEAT)

A NOVEL FLOW MODELING PARADIGM FOR HEMODYNAMICS IN FETAL AORTA AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE DIAGNOSIS OF FETAL COARCTATION OF THE AORTA - COARCTATION OF THE AORTA (COA) IS A COMMON CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT, ACCOUNTING FOR 6-8% OF LIVE BIRTHS WITH CHD. IF THE COA IS SIGNIFICANT AND IS NOT DIAGNOSED AND TREATED IN A TIMELY FASHION, THE NEWBORN OR YOUNG INFANT MAY DEVELOP CARDIOGENIC SHOCK OR MAY DIE. CONTEMPORARY PRENATAL SCREENING AND DIAGNOSIS OF COA RELY ON ANATOMIC AND BLOOD FLOW CONDITIONS ACQUIRED BY THE FETAL IMAGING TECHNIQUE. THE LIMITED RESOLUTION OF THE IMAGING TECHNIQUE CONFINES THE ANATOMICAL AND HEMODYNAMIC METRICS AVAILABLE FOR PRENATAL SCREENING AND DIAGNOSIS. BOTH FALSE POSITIVE AND FALSE NEGATIVE DIAGNOSES OCCUR FREQUENTLY. HENCE, THERE IS AN EMERGING NEED FOR A NOVEL TECHNIQUE THAT PROVIDES NEW METRICS AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE FETAL AORTA. PERSONALIZED FLOW MODELING OFFERS A COST-EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO EVALUATING HIGH-FIDELITY HEMODYNAMICS IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM. IT HAS LED TO PARADIGM SHIFTS IN UNCOVERING MECHANISMS, IMPROVING DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS, AND DEVELOPING AND OPTIMIZING MEDICAL DEVICES AND TREATMENTS FOR HEART DISEASE. HOWEVER, FEW MODELS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED FOR FETAL CIRCULATION. THEREFORE, THE PROPOSED WORK AIMS TO DEVELOP NOVEL, PERSONALIZED FLOW MODELS THAT ASSESS HIGH-FIDELITY HEMODYNAMICS OF THE FETAL AORTA AND TO USE THE MODELS TO EVALUATE NOVEL FLOW METRICS FOR THE IMPROVED DIAGNOSIS OF COA IN FETUSES, LEVERAGING AN EXISTING, LARGE COHORT OF FETUSES (N=250 NORMAL AORTAS AND 250 COA IN FETUSES) FROM THE FETAL HEART SOCIETY. WE AIM TO (1) DEVELOP A NOVEL PERSONALIZED, COMPUTATIONAL FLOW MODEL OF THE FETAL AORTA USING A CLINICALLY ROUTINE IMAGING TECHNIQUE AND VALIDATE IT AGAINST IN VIVO MEASUREMENTS; (2) DEVELOP A NOVEL IN VITRO FLOW MODEL OF THE FETAL AORTA FOR THE VALIDATION OF NOVEL FLOW METRICS; AND (3) EVALUATE NOVEL FLOW METRICS FOR THE IMPROVED DIAGNOSIS OF COA IN THE FETUS. THE METRICS OF INTEREST INCLUDE (1) WALL SHEAR STRESS (WSS), AN IMPORTANT FLOW STIMULUS FOR THE MATURATION AND REMODELING OF EMBRYONIC AND POSTNATAL VESSELS, AND LINKED TO RECURRENT COARCTATION AFTER SURGICAL REPAIR IN COA PATIENTS, (2) FRACTIONAL FLOW RESERVE (FFR) AND FLOW RESISTANCE, WELL- RECOGNIZED MARKERS OF VASCULAR OBSTRUCTION. HOWEVER, THESE FLOW METRICS HAVE RARELY BEEN EXPLORED IN FETAL COA. THIS PROJECT BUILDS UPON OUR EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING AND APPLYING BLOOD FLOW MODELING IN CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS, UNIQUE CLINICAL EXPERTISE IN FETAL IMAGING, AND ACCESS TO A COMPREHENSIVE CLINICAL DATABASE (N = 500) FROM THE FETAL HEART SOCIETY. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES AND GAPS IN THE RESEARCH ON FETAL CIRCULATION AND CHDS IN FETUSES. THE PROJECT WILL YIELD NEW DATA AND KNOWLEDGE ON IMPROVED DIAGNOSIS OF COA IN FETUSES. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL DELIVER THE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND, VALIDATED COMPUTATIONAL AND IN VITRO FLOW MODELS FOR THE FETAL AORTA. THE FINDINGS AND TECHNOLOGY OBTAINED THROUGH THIS PROJECT WILL LAY A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE CLINICAL STUDIES THAT COULD LEAD TO IMPROVED SCREENING, DIAGNOSIS, AND OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN WITH COA. IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE NIH’S MISSION STATEMENT, THE PROPOSED WORK AIMS TO IMPROVE LIFELONG HEALTH FOR COA PATIENTS AND REDUCE THE BURDEN ON THESE PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

A CARBON NEGATIVE SELF-HEALING ENZYMATIC CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL -SECOND ONLY TO WATER, CONCRETE IS THE MOST CONSUMED MATERIAL ON EARTH. EVERY YEAR, WASTE CONCRETE FROM CONSTRUCTION AND CARBON DIOXIDE EXCRETION FROM CEMENT PRODUCTION AND TRANSPORT IS INCREASING, AND CONCRETE ALONE NOW CONTRIBUTES TO 9 PERCENT OF THE OVERALL CO2 EMISSIONS. ADDITIONALLY, CONCRETE IS INHERENTLY BRITTLE, AND IT REQUIRES FREQUENT REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT, WHICH ARE ECONOMICALLY EXPENSIVE AND FURTHER GENERATE LARGE VOLUMES OF CARBON DIOXIDE. SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AND LOW-COST SUBSTITUTES FOR CONCRETE FOR DECADES. THE GOAL OF THIS AWARD IS TO CREATE A NEW CLASS OF INEXPENSIVE, CARBON-NEGATIVE, SELF-HEALING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS USING A COMBINED MODELING AND EXPERIMENTAL FRAMEWORK. THE MATERIAL UTILIZES A SAFE, UBIQUITOUS, BIOLOGICAL ENZYME THAT CAN EFFICIENTLY CAPTURE CO2 DURING ITS PRODUCTION. USING THIS NEW PARADIGM, A SELF-HEALING ENZYMATIC CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL WILL BE PRODUCED. THIS ENZYMATIC CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL CAN SIGNIFICANTLY LENGTHEN THE SERVICE LIFE OF CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE WHILE CAPTURING CARBON. IT IS PREDICTED THAT ONE CUBIC YARD OF ENZYMATIC CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL WILL APPROXIMATELY STORE 18 POUNDS OF CO2. IN CONTRAST, ONE CUBIC YARD OF CONCRETE EMITS AROUND 400 POUNDS OF CO2. THE RESEARCH TASKS WILL BE COMPLEMENTED BY TRAINING BOTH GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND DEVELOPING A PROGRAM TO HELP INSPIRE UNDERPRIVILEGED GIRLS TO LEARN ABOUT CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING. INSPIRED BY THE EFFICIENT PROCESS OF CO2 TRANSPORT IN CELLS BY ENZYMES, A NEW PARADIGM IS INTRODUCED TO CREATE THE ENZYMATIC CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL WITH SELF-HEALING PROPERTIES. THE ENZYME, CARBONIC ANHYDRASE, CATALYZES CALCIUM CARBONATE CRYSTAL PRECIPITATION, ESTABLISHING MINERAL BRIDGES ALONG THE POLYMER SCAFFOLDING THAT BONDS THE AGGREGATE TOGETHER. HENCE, CURING OF THE MATERIAL CAN BE PERFORMED AT LOW TEMPERATURES IN A SHORT TIMEFRAME. THE MATERIAL EXHIBITS AN AVERAGE STRENGTH VALUE THAT IS THREE TIMES AS HIGH AS THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR CEMENT MORTAR AND IS ALSO CAPABLE OF SUSTAINING MANY CYCLES OF HEALING AFTER FRACTURE. THE SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION OF THE PROJECT INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING. (1) THE FORMULATION OF A NEW CLASS OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS THROUGH ENZYMATIC CRYSTAL PRECIPITATION. THE RATE OF CRYSTAL PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE ENZYMATIC MECHANISM IS FOUR ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE FASTER THAN BACTERIAL METHODS MAKING IT SCALABLE TO INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. (2) THE ENZYMATIC MECHANISM PROVIDES A MEANS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CARBON-NEGATIVE MATERIALS TO ULTIMATELY REPLACE CONCRETE. (3) A NOVEL FLUCTUATION-BASED SEMI-GRAND CANONICAL MONTE CARLO SIMULATION METHOD WILL BE USED AS A MODELING TECHNIQUE FOR THE THERMODYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF THE ENZYMATIC CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL. 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.

CONSTRUCTION AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $750,000, INCREMENTALLY FUNDED FOR $650,100

AOC: HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE FOR IMPROVING HEALTH CARE DELIVERY PROCESSES

DE-EE0008454 TO WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE PROJECT ENTITLED ''PHASE FIELD MODELING OF CORROSION FOR DESIGN OF NEXT-GENERATION MAGNESIUM-ALUMINUM VEHICLE JOINTS'' - ISSUE NEW AWARD.

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH, CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH: TAKING ADVANTAGE OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE PRINCIPLES: ADDING TO A COMPUTER-BASED TUTOR AN AUTOMATIC REASSESSMENT

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CCRI: NEW: REVISIT: SCALABLE EMPIRICAL EVALUATION OF INTERACTIVE VISUALIZATIONS -THIS PROJECT FURTHERS PROGRESS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF DATA VISUALIZATION BY DEVELOPING INFRASTRUCTURE TO ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO CONDUCT FEATURE-RICH ONLINE EXPERIMENTS. DATA VISUALIZATIONS ARE CRUCIAL IN DATA DRIVEN DISCOVERY IN FIELDS AS DIVERSE AS MEDICINE, BIOLOGY, OR INTELLIGENCE. VISUALIZATION IS ALSO OFTEN USED IN COMMUNICATION, FOR EXAMPLE BY NEWSPAPERS OR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. HOWEVER, IT IS DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHICH VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES ARE BETTER FOR PARTICULAR DATASETS AND TASKS. CAN CERTAIN VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES ENABLE PEOPLE TO MAKE JUDGEMENTS MORE EFFICIENTLY, OR MORE CORRECTLY? DOES A PARTICULAR TECHNIQUE LEAD TO MORE INSIGHTS, OR TO MORE DIVERSE TYPES OF INSIGHTS THAN OTHERS? IS ONE TECHNIQUE MORE ENJOYABLE TO USE, OR MORE VERSATILE? IS ONE TECHNIQUE EASIER TO LEARN THAN ANOTHER ONE? IS A TECHNIQUE BETTER AFTER DEVELOPING FAMILIARITY? THESE ARE THE KINDS OF QUESTIONS THAT THE VISUALIZATION COMMUNITY NEEDS TO ANSWER TO DEVELOP A RIGOROUS UNDERSTANDING OF DATA VISUALIZATION. HAVING ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS WILL ALLOW US TO MAKE BETTER VISUALIZATION DESIGN CHOICES, DEVELOP BETTER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VISUALIZATIONS, AND ALLOW US TO TAILOR VISUALIZATIONS TO AUDIENCES AND SITUATIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP TESTING INFRASTRUCTURE, SO THAT SCIENTISTS CAN ASK THESE QUESTIONS EFFICIENTLY IN LARGE SCALE WEB-BASED EXPERIMENTS, WITH DIVERSE PARTICIPANTS THAT REFLECT THE INTENDED AUDIENCE OF VISUALIZATIONS. THE TEAM WILL DEVELOP THE REVISIT INFRASTRUCTURE, A SUITE OF MODULAR BUT COMPATIBLE TOOLS TO DESIGN AND DEBUG ONLINE STUDIES OF INTERACTIVE VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES, TO EFFICIENTLY DESIGN TRAINING MATERIAL FOR THE STUDY, TO ELICIT FREE-FORM, SPOKEN RESPONSES FROM PARTICIPANTS, AND TO PROVIDE ADVANCED TOOLS FOR ANALYZING SUCH DATA. THE PROPOSED REVISIT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT ADDRESSES A CRITICAL BOTTLENECK IN VISUALIZATION RESEARCH: HOW CAN WE BETTER AND MORE EFFICIENTLY EMPIRICALLY EVALUATE VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES? THE REVISIT INFRASTRUCTURE AIMS TO DEMOCRATIZE EVALUATION OF INTERACTIVE VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES, AN AREA THAT HAS BEEN UNDER-EXPLORED, DUE IN PART TO THE HIGH TECHNICAL BURDEN AND SKILLS REQUIRED TO CREATE COMPLEX ONLINE EXPERIMENTS. THE KEY INNOVATIONS OF THIS PROJECT ARE: (1) SOFTWARE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR FLEXIBLE STUDY CREATION AND INSTRUMENTED DATA COLLECTION, INCLUDING INTERACTION PROVENANCE, INSIGHTS, AND RATIONALES, COMPATIBLE WITH ONLINE CROWDSOURCED STUDY CONTEXTS. (2) SOFTWARE INFRASTRUCTURE TO WRANGLE THE RESULTS DATA INTO FORMATS COMPATIBLE WITH OFF-THE-SHELF ANALYSIS TOOLS, AND ADVANCED SOFTWARE INFRASTRUCTURE TO ANALYZE THESE DIVERSE DATA STREAMS THAT CAN BE USED FOR PILOTING, QUALITY CONTROL, AND ANALYZING USAGE TYPES, INSIGHTS, RATIONAL, AND PERFORMANCE. THESE METHODS WILL ALLOW VISUALIZATION RESEARCHERS TO GATHER EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE ABOUT THE MERITS OF DIFFERENT INTERACTIVE VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES. IT WILL ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO UNDERSTAND THE TYPES OF INSIGHTS THAT DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES SUPPORT, REVEALING DIVERGING ANALYSIS STRATEGIES USERS MAY TAKE. ULTIMATELY, THESE METHODS WILL ENABLE A WIDER SET OF VISUALIZATION RESEARCHERS TO RUN A MUCH BROADER RANGE OF EXPERIMENTS USING CROWDSOURCING THAN BEFORE. 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: NRI: INT: TRANSPARENT AND INTUITIVE TELEOPERATION INTERFACES FOR THE FUTURE NURSING ROBOTS AND WORKERS

CAREER: EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION IN ENGINEERED PROKARYOTES -THE SOIL CONTAINS A COMPLEX WEB OF MICROBES, DOMINATED BY BACTERIA SPECIES, AND THESE MICROBES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR SOIL HEALTH, SOIL STABILITY AND CROP PRODUCTION. ENGINEERED VARIETIES OF SOIL BACTERIA MAY HELP PROTECT OUR SOILS BY DETECTING AND REMOVING POLLUTANTS, OR REDUCING THE NITROGEN NEEDED TO FERTILIZE FARMLANDS. TO ENGINEER SOIL BACTERIA EFFICIENTLY AND WITH MINIMAL RISK TO THE ENVIRONMENT, A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW IMPORTANT GENES ARE TURNED ON AND OFF IS NEEDED. THIS CAREER RESEARCH FOCUSES ON EPIGENETIC REGULATION ? GENE EXPRESSION THAT IS CONTROLLED BY CHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE DNA-AND ITS ROLE IN THE SURVIVAL AND PERFORMANCE OF NATIVE AND ENGINEERED STRAINS OF SOIL BACTERIA. THIS WORK WILL BE THE SOURCE OF PROJECTS FOR A RESEARCH-ORIENTED UPPER-LEVEL UNDERGRADUATE COURSE AND FOR INTERACTIVE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES THAT TEACH THE PRINCIPLES OF BIOENGINEERING TO UNDERGRADUATES. EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION VIA GENOME METHYLATION IN PROKARYOTES HAS BEEN VASTLY UNDERSTUDIED. DIFFERENCES IN GENOME METHYLATION HAVE BEEN OBSERVED UNDER CHANGING GROWTH CONDITIONS, SUCH AS BETWEEN EXPONENTIAL AND STATIONARY PHASE GROWTH, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THE GROWTH ENVIRONMENT SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCES EPIGENETIC REGULATION. HOWEVER, UNDERSTANDING OF EPIGENETIC REGULATION IN SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY CHASSIS ORGANISMS BEYOND E. COLI, AND IN REAL-WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXTS, IS EXTREMELY LIMITED. PSEUDOMONAS PUTIDA IS A VERSATILE GRAM-NEGATIVE ORGANISM THAT IS NATIVE TO SOIL, AND IS BEING DEVELOPED AS A CHASSIS FOR NUMEROUS INDUSTRIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS. YET, NO COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF EPIGENETIC REGULATION, NOR ANY INVESTIGATION OF EPIGENETIC EFFECTS ON SYNTHETIC GENE CIRCUIT FUNCTION, HAS YET BEEN REPORTED IN P. PUTIDA. THIS CAREER PROGRAM WILL EXAMINE HOW GENOME METHYLATION AFFECTS GENE EXPRESSION CHANGES THAT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THE TRANSITION OF P. PUTIDA FROM LABORATORY TO SOIL CONDITIONS. THESE EPIGENETIC CHANGES MAY SIMILARLY AFFECT THE FUNCTION OF INTEGRATED SYNTHETIC GENE CIRCUITS. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF GENOME METHYLATION ON GENE EXPRESSION AND SYNTHETIC GENE CIRCUIT FUNCTION IN P. PUTIDA WITHIN ITS NATIVE SOIL ENVIRONMENT. TO ACHIEVE THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE, TWO SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WILL BE PURSUED: 1) DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF GENOME METHYLATION ON ENDOGENOUS GENE EXPRESSION OF P. PUTIDA IN SOIL. 2) CONTROL SYNTHETIC GENE CIRCUIT EXPRESSION IN P. PUTIDA BY MODULATION OF DNA METHYLATION. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL BE COMPLEMENTED BY EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES THAT CREATE NEW OPEN-ACCESS HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCES FOR TEACHING THE CORE PRINCIPLES OF SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY. THE RESEARCH PROPOSED IN THIS CAREER PROGRAM WILL UNCOVER IMPORTANT EPIGENETIC PRINCIPLES THAT PERMIT ENGINEERED ORGANISMS TO THRIVE WITHIN A COMPLEX ENVIRONMENT. THE KNOWLEDGE WILL BE BROADLY TRANSLATABLE TO THE OPTIMIZATION OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED MICROBES FOR A RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND INDUSTRIAL 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

INTERPRETABLE DEEP LEARNING FOR ADVANCING FIELD-ENHANCED CATALYSIS

RESEARCH: PREDICTING STEM CAREER CHOICE FROM COMPUTATIONAL INDICATORS OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT WITHIN MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CLASSES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PRECISION LEARNING: DATA-DRIVEN EXPERIMENTATION OF LEARNING THEORIES USING INTERNET-OF-VIDEOS

CAREER: DEVELOPING NEW SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS FOR CLASSROOM OBSERVATION: A MULTI-MODAL MACHINE LEARNING APPROACH

MULTISCALE MODELING OF FLUIDITY IN PARTIAL EMT (PEMT) PLANAR TISSUES - 20*2%. +2(&402 2+/&+1%- /6(34+*%402 %34 +234 +''-( WU, MIN ! # (( +/3425&4+0/3 TO DATE, THE STUDIES ON TISSUE FLUIDITY ARE LIMITED TO THE EPITHELIAL-TISSUE PARADIGM, WHILE A VARIETY OF TISSUE MIGRATION AND MORPHOGENESIS INVOLVES CELLS IN THE PARTIAL EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL-TRANSITION (PEMT) STATE, INCLUDING ABNORMAL EARLY DEVELOPMENT, TISSUE REGENERATION, AND CANCER GROWTH. THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO UNRAVEL HOW TO CONTROL TISSUE FLUIDITY AND FLOWS WITH CELLS POCESSING THE HYBRID EPITHELIAL/MESENCHYMAL PHENOTYPE ALONG THE PEMT SPECTRUM. DIFFERENT FROM EPITHELIAL TISSUES, PEMT CELL MONOLAYERS PRESENT A UNIQUE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF FORCE-BEARING ACTIN NETWORK, AND IT IS NOT CLEAR HOW TISSUE FLOW AND FLUIDITY IS FACILITATED SPATIOTEMPORALLY IN THE PEMT TISSUE. THE PROJECT AIMS TO INVESTIGATE THE FLUIDITY PATTERNING IN THE PARTIAL EMT STATE AT THE LARGE-SCALE TISSUE LEVEL AND CELL-CELL AGGREGATE LEVEL. TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL, WE WILL DEVELOP A MULTISCALE THEORY-EXPERIMENT FRAMEWORK TO ELUCIDATE THE CELL-CELL INTERCALATION AND LARGE-SCALE KINEMATICS REGULATION IN THE IN VITRO TISSUE MONOLAYER INDUCED BY A PROFOUND WOUNDS. TO INVESTIGATE THE DISTINCTION OF THE PARTIAL EMT STATE TO THE EPITHELIAL STATE IN THE FLUIDITY CONTROL, WE WILL STUDY CELL LINES WITH DIFFERENT EMT POTENTIAL UNDER DIFFERENT TREATMENT CONDITIONS THAT CHANGE THEIR EXTENT OF PARTIAL EMT STATE AND PROTOCOLS KNOWN TO PERTURB CELL INTERCALATIONS AND TISSUE FLOW. TO DESCRIBE THE LARGE-SCALE TISSUE FLOW, WE WILL LEVERAGE THE MORPHOELASTICITY THEORY AND DEVELOP NOVEL NUMERICAL METHODS WHICH SOLVE THE COUPLED SYSTEM OF NONLINEAR ELLIPTIC AND TIME-EVOLUTION EQUATIONS BY CONSTRAINED NONLINEAR OPTIMIZATIONS. TO DESCRIBE THE CELL-CELL INTERCALATIONS AMONG THE TISSUE FLOW, WE WILL HYBRID THE MORPHOELASTICITY THEORY WITH CELL-CELL JUNCTIONAL KINEMATICS AND MECHANICS, AND SOLVE THE MULTISCALE SYSTEM AS A NONLINEAR OPTIMZATION PROBLEM. " (( +/3425&4+0/3 ABNORMAL DEVELOPMENT AND CANCER GROWTH INVOLVE BOTH SOLID AND FLUID PROPERTIES IN LIVING TISSUES, BUT UNDERSTANDING THEIR PRECISE IMPACT ON PATHOLOGICAL PROCESSES REQUIRES FURTHER INVESTIGATION. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP MATHEMATICAL THEORIES, NUMERICAL METHODS, AND EXPERIMENTS TO STUDY HOW FLUIDITY IS PATTERNED AT BOTH TISSUE AND CELLULAR LEVELS DURING IN VITRO TISSUE WOUND CLOSURE. +) %''+4+0/%- 31%&( +3 /(('(' 53( 20,(&4 (2)02.%/&( +4( 02.%4 %*( 2*%/+8%4+0/%- %.( WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE ! 04-1508581 42((4 100 INSTITUTE ROAD 42((4 +47 WORCESTER 05/47 4%4( MA 206+/&( 05/427 USA $+1 034%- 0'( 01609-2280 20,(&4 (2)02.%/&( +4( 0/*2(33+0/%- +342+&43 MA-002 2*%/+8%4+0/%- %.( UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST ! 153926712 42((4 100 VENTURE WAY 42((4 +47 HADLEY 05/47 4%4( MA 206+/&( 05/427 USA $+1 034%- 0'( 01035-9450 20,(&4 (2)02.%/&( +4( 0/*2(33+0/%- +342+&43 MA-002 5HY $SSURYHG 7KURXJK 0 %*( 74,7&2 .7*(947 7.3(.5&1 3;*89.,&947 &89 .789 .))1* WU, MIN ! $ ! !** .3897:(9.438 94 574;.)* 9-* 7*6:.7*) .3+472&9.43 .3 9-* +472&9 8-4<3 '*14< !9&79 <.9- 74,7&2 .7*(947 8 7.3(.5&1 3;*89.,&947 8 .89 &11 49-*7 8*3.47 0*> 5*78433*1 .3 &15-&'*9.(&1 47)*7 1&89 3&2* +.789 &2* * 422438 #8*7 &2* 7,&3.?&9.43 41* 43 74/*(9 WU,MIN MINWU3 WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC PI INSTITUTE SUN, YUBING YBSUN1 UMASS AMHERST CO-I WEN,QI QIWENWPI WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC CO-I INSTITUTE " ! " " #" ! &2* 7,&3.?&9.43 41* 43 74/*(9 $ !' # " " # ! " ! # % % " $ !' "# " "# & # ! "#! # $ ! # " " ! # & "# -9958 ,7&398 3.- ,4; 89*2%(*118 7*,.897> (:77*39 -92 + & 85*(.+.( 1.3* (&3349 '* 7*+*7*3(*) &9 9-.8 9.2* .3(1:)* & 89&9*2*39 9-&9 43* +742 9-* *,.897> <.11 '* :8*) ■ ! 5HY $SSURYHG 7KURXJK 4 &,* ! # $ :2'*7 9-* 5&,*8 (438*(:9.;*1> 9-74:,-4:9 9-* &551.(&9.43 4 349 :8* 8:++.=*8 8:(- &8 & '

SOUND NAVIGATION: ENABLING TINY ROBOTS TO FIND THEIR WAY THROUGH SMOKE, DUST, AND DARKNESS -THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH TO ENABLE AERIAL ROBOTS SMALLER THAN 100 MILLIMETERS AND WEIGHING LESS THAN 100 GRAMS TO NAVIGATE THROUGH CLUTTERED SURROUNDINGS IN THE PRESENCE OF SMOKE, DARKNESS, DUST, FOG, AND SNOW. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IN A COMPLETELY SELF-CONTAINED WAY, THE ROBOTS IN THIS PROJECT WILL USE SOUND WAVES INSTEAD OF LIGHT TO SENSE NEARBY OBJECTS. SOUND WAVES PENETRATE MUCH FARTHER THAN LIGHT THROUGH AIRBORNE PARTICLES, BUT ARE EASILY CONFUSED BY PROPELLOR NOISE AND ARE UNABLE TO RELIABLY DISTINGUISH SMALL FEATURES. THROUGH ADVANCES IN MATHEMATICAL MODELING, NEURAL NETWORK DESIGN, AND SENSOR CHARACTERIZATION, THIS PROJECT WILL GREATLY IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF SOUND-BASED IMAGES, WITHOUT EXCEEDING SIZE, WEIGHT, AND POWER CONSTRAINTS IMPOSED BY THE LIMITATIONS OF THE SMALL AERIAL PLATFORM. THE RESEARCH WILL RESULT IN INEXPENSIVE AND EASILY TRANSPORTED DRONES WITH THE POTENTIAL TO SAVE LIVES IN FOREST FIRES, CAVE RESCUE, WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, AND NATURAL DISASTERS, THEREBY CONTRIBUTING TO THE HEALTH, WELL-BEING, AND ECONOMIC STRENGTH OF THE NATION. THE RESEARCH BRINGS TOGETHER MULTIPLE FIELDS INCLUDING ROBOT PERCEPTION, BIO-INSPIRED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, SENSOR FUSION, AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, THUS GERMINATING NEW RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND CREATING RESEARCH TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS TRADITIONAL DISCIPLINARY SILOS. AERIAL ROBOT NAVIGATION BUILT ON MULTI-MODAL VISUAL-SONIC-INERTIAL (VSI) SENSING CAN OVERCOME CHALLENGES IN VISUALLY DEGRADED AND CHALLENGING SCENES THAT MAY CONFOUND CURRENT SENSING SYSTEMS SUCH AS MAY ARISE DUE TO DARKNESS, SNOW, SMOKE, DUST, OR FOG. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES SCIENTIFIC BARRIERS TO WIDESPREAD DEPLOYMENT OF VSI-BASED SYSTEMS, THROUGH THE ADVANCEMENT OF REPRESENTATIONS, MATHEMATICAL MODELS, AND NEURAL ARCHITECTURES. THESE ADVANCES WILL ALLOW EFFECTIVE EXTRACTION AND FUSION OF INFORMATION FROM VSI SYSTEMS, WITHOUT RELIANCE ON ANY EXTERNAL INFRASTRUCTURE OR PRIOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, WHILE RESPECTING PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS ON ON-BOARD COMPUTATION AND INFORMATION PROCESSING. THE PROJECT BUILDS ON THE FOLLOWING THREE KEY IDEAS: (1) ENHANCING ULTRASONIC DEPTH ESTIMATION THROUGH BIO-INSPIRED PASSIVE STRUCTURES, ACTIVE NOISE REDUCTION TECHNIQUES, AND PHYSICS-INFORMED NEURAL NETWORKS THAT LEVERAGE ROBOT MOTION TO OVERCOME THE ILL-POSED NATURE OF SPARSE SENSOR TRILATERATION; (2) FUSING MULTI-MODAL SENSOR DATA USING UNCERTAINTY-AWARE DEEP LEARNING MODELS AND FACTOR GRAPH OPTIMIZATION TO ACHIEVE ROBUST DEPTH ESTIMATION ACROSS VARYING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS; AND (3) IMPLEMENTING A HIERARCHICAL REINFORCEMENT LEARNING NAVIGATION STACK WITH COMPOSITIONAL POLICIES FOR PERCEPTION-ACTION SYNERGY, OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE, AND GOAL-DIRECTED MOVEMENT. THE APPROACH COMBINES MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF WAVE PHYSICS WITH DEEP DECLARATIVE NETWORKS, EMPLOYS SIM2REAL2SIM METHODOLOGIES FOR ROBUST GENERALIZATION, AND UTILIZES FACTOR GRAPH FORMULATIONS FOR TEMPORAL CONSISTENCY. THE RESULTS WILL BE EXTENSIVELY TESTED IN CONTROLLED PHYSICAL EXPERIMENTS SIMULATING AUTONOMOUS OPERATIONS IN (1) DENSE FOREST WITH LOW LIGHT AND HEAVY FOG, (2) FOREST FIRES WITH CORRESPONDING THICK SMOKE, AND (3) CAVES, MINES, AND COLLAPSED STRUCTURES SUBJECT TO HIGH DUST AND LOW LIGHT. 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.

MANIPULATING CHROMOSOME STRUCTURE TO SUPPRESS GENOME INSTABILITY

THE MECHANICS OF HOST CELL REPOPULATION OF ENGINEERED TISSUES - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT WE PROPOSE TO DETERMINE HOW THE HEMODYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT REGULATES THE ATTACHMENT, INVASION, AND DIFFERENTIATION OF HOST CELLS INTO “OFF-THE-SHELF” DECELLULARIZED TISSUE ENGINEERED HEART VALVES (TEHVS). WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT DYNAMIC MECHANICAL STRETCH AND FLUID SHEAR STRESS REGULATE REPOPULATION OF THE TEHV MATRIX BY ENHANCING AND ALIGNING 3D MATRIX ADHESIONS AND ACTIVATING LATENT TGF-BETA FROM THE MATRIX. TO TEST OUR HYPOTHESIS, BIOPOLYMER SCAFFOLDS SEEDED WITH FIBROBLASTS WILL BE CAST IN STRETCHABLE WELLS AND MICROFLUIDIC CHAMBERS UNTIL REMODELED INTO ISOTROPIC OR ALIGNED NEO-TISSUES AND THEN DECELLULARIZED IN SITU. WE WILL THEN QUANTIFY THE EXTENT TO WHICH VASCULAR AND CIRCULATING CELLS ADHERE TO AND INVADE THE MATRIX UNDER CYCLIC STRETCH (AIM 1) AND DYNAMIC FLOW CONDITIONS (AIM 2) RELEVANT TO IN VIVO IMPLANTATION. CELL ATTACHMENT, INFILTRATION, PROLIFERATION, APOPTOSIS, PHENOTYPE, AND ENDOTHELIAL-TO-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION MARKERS WILL BE QUANTITATIVELY MONITORED OVER TIME. TGF-BETA ACTIVATION AND 3D MATRIX ADHESION PROTEIN CONTENT AND ALIGNMENT WILL BE EXAMINED, AND ASSOCIATED SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS WILL BE INTERROGATED TO DETERMINE THE MECHANISMS GOVERNING THE CELL RESPONSES. THE RESULTS FROM THIS SYSTEMATIC STUDY WILL HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON TEHV DEVELOPMENT BY DETERMINING THE SIGNALS THAT AID (OR HINDER) HOST CELL REPOPULATION OF THE VALVE MATRIX WITH THE GOAL OF OPTIMIZING VALVE DESIGN FOR ADAPTIVE REMODELING UNDER COMPLEX IN VIVO CONDITIONS.

CAREER: GRASPING UNDERSTANDINGS OF STUDENTS MATHEMATICAL AND PERCEPTUAL STRATEGIES USING REAL-TIME TEACHER ORCHESTRATION TOOLS -MANY MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES DO NOT REACH PROFICIENCY IN ALGEBRA. WHEN SOLVING ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS AND EQUATIONS, STUDENTS NOT ONLY NEED TO PERFORM PROCEDURES, BUT ALSO IDENTIFY MATHEMATICAL STRUCTURE, ATTEND TO IMPORTANT PERCEPTUAL CUES, AND MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT WHICH STEPS ARE MOST APPROPRIATE OR PRODUCTIVE IN A PARTICULAR PROBLEM CONTEXT. MATH TEACHERS ARE CRITICAL TO SUPPORTING AND IMPROVING STUDENTS? MATH ACHIEVEMENT BY PROVIDING HIGH-QUALITY FEEDBACK, INSTRUCTION, DISCOURSE, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO THEIR STUDENTS. HOWEVER, MANY TEACHERS STRUGGLE TO FIND ALGEBRA-BASED TEACHING TOOLS THAT EFFICIENTLY PROVIDE A MEANS TO CHALLENGE STUDENTS TO THINK CONCEPTUALLY, KEEP THEIR STUDENTS ENGAGED, REVIEW STUDENT WORK EFFICIENTLY IN REAL-TIME, AND BETTER SUPPORT THEIR INSTRUCTION. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND USE OF NEW ALGEBRA-FOCUSED TEACHER TOOLS THAT USE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TO EFFICIENTLY PROVIDE TEACHERS WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR STUDENTS? MATH PROBLEM SOLVING STEPS, BEHAVIORS, ERRORS, AND LEARNING IN REAL-TIME. THE UNDERLYING HYPOTHESIS IS THAT IF TEACHERS ARE GIVEN DETAILED INFORMATION AND FEEDBACK ABOUT THEIR STUDENTS? PERCEPTUAL AND MATHEMATICAL PROCESSES USING REAL-TIME ANALYTICS, TEACHERS WILL BETTER NOTICE AND INTERPRET STUDENT STRUGGLES. IN TURN, TEACHERS WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS AND DIFFERENTIATE THEIR INSTRUCTION FOR A BROADER RANGE OF STUDENTS. THE MAIN RESEARCH QUESTION IS TO DETERMINE WHETHER TEACHERS ARE BETTER ABLE TO DETECT, ATTEND TO, INTERPRET, AND MAKE ACTIONABLE DECISIONS WHEN USING THE AI-SUPPORTED TOOL. RESEARCHERS WILL CONDUCT A SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES DURING THIS FIVE-YEAR PROJECT. FIRST, TO DETERMINE WHAT BEHAVIORS BEST PREDICT LEARNING, A DATABASE OF LOG FILES GENERATED FROM STUDENTS SOLVING PROBLEMS WILL BE ANALYZED USING STATISTICAL AND LEARNING ANALYTICS METHODS. NEXT, RESEARCHERS WILL UTILIZE MACHINE LEARNING APPROACHES TO CREATE AUTOMATED DETECTORS THAT CAPTURE THE USE OF EFFECTIVE MATH STRATEGIES, ERRORS, AND FOCUS THAT HAS LED TO IMPROVED LEARNING. THIRD, THE PROJECT WILL USE DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH ALONGSIDE TEACHERS TO CO-DESIGN, DEVELOP, AND PROTOTYPE AI-SUPPORTED TEACHER TOOLS. THE TOOLS PROVIDE CRITICAL INFORMATION ABOUT STUDENTS? MATHEMATICAL AND PERCEPTUAL PROCESSES AND HELP TEACHERS QUICKLY IDENTIFY WHAT GAPS STUDENTS HAVE IN THEIR MATH KNOWLEDGE. THE RESEARCHERS WILL CONDUCT CLASSROOM-BASED OBSERVATIONS AND INTERVIEWS TO EXAMINE HOW TEACHERS? INSTRUCTION AND STUDENTS? UNDERSTANDING MIGHT BE ALTERED WITH THE REAL-TIME TOOLS AND FEEDBACK. THE OUTCOME OF THE PROJECT WILL ADVANCE THEORIES AND FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH IN THE FIELDS OF LEARNING SCIENCE, COMPUTATIONAL DATA SCIENCE, HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION, AND MATH EDUCATION, AS WELL AS OFFER NEW INSIGHTS INTO AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF MATHEMATICAL STRATEGIES AND CLASSROOM ORCHESTRATION. THE TECHNICAL AND EDUCATIONAL AGENDAS ALSO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND PRACTICAL TRAINING AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN GRADUATE STUDENTS, POSTDOCS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS. THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). 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.

NCS-FO: INTEGRATING NON-INVASIVE NEUROIMAGING AND EDUCATIONAL DATA MINING TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF ROBUST LEARNING PROCESSES

(DURIP) "ENHANCING 5G SECURITY VIA ANALYSIS OF RF HARDWARE CHARACTERISTICS AND SPECTRAL BEHAVIOR"

INT: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DETECTING, PREDICTING AND REMEDIATING STUDENT AFFECT AND GRIT USING COMPUTER VISION

3D BIOPRINTING OF STRONG LIVING SCAFFOLDS - PROJECT SUMMARY THE REGENERATION OF DAMAGED OR DISEASED TISSUES THAT SERVE BIOMECHANICAL FUNCTIONS, SUCH AS MUSCULOSKELETAL TISSUES, HAS BEEN A LONG-STANDING CHALLENGE IN CLINICAL PRACTICE AND RESEARCH. REGENERATIVE ENGINEERING OFFERS A PROMISING ALTERNATIVE TO AUTO- OR ALLOGRAFTS FOR TISSUE REGENERATION BY COMBINING BIOMATERIAL SCAFFOLDS, VIABLE CELLS, AND BIOACTIVE FACTORS. ENGINEERING SCAFFOLDS THAT PROVIDE BOTH MECHANICAL SUPPORT AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES IS CRITICAL FOR REGENERATING SUCH TISSUES WITH BIOMECHANICAL FUNCTIONS. HOWEVER, CURRENTLY EXISTING SCAFFOLDS, WHICH INCLUDE EITHER TOUGH POLYMERS WITH LIMITED BIOACTIVITIES OR SOFT HYDROGELS WITH POOR MECHANICAL PROPERTIES, FALL SHORT OF MEETING BOTH MECHANICAL AND BIOLOGICAL NEEDS. TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, WE PROPOSE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL FAMILY OF EMULSION BIOINKS TO ENABLE THE 3D BIOPRINTING OF STRONG LIVING SCAFFOLDS WITH BUILT-IN MECHANICAL ROBUSTNESS AND DESIRABLE BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS FOR TISSUE REGENERATION. THE ENCAPSULATION OF BIOLOGICS (CELLS AND BIOACTIVE FACTORS) WITHIN SCAFFOLDS PRESENTS AN ATTRACTIVE STRATEGY TO EQUIP THE SCAFFOLDS WITH DESIRED BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS. THE MAJOR ROADBLOCKS TO ENCAPSULATE BIOLOGICS WITHIN TOUGH POLYMERS INCLUDE THEIR LACK OF BIOACTIVITY AND THE FREQUENT USAGE OF HARMFUL CHEMICALS, SUCH AS ORGANIC SOLVENTS AND/OR TOXIC REACTANTS. IN THIS STUDY, A WATER-IN-OIL EMULSION BIOINK IS DESIGNED BY DISPERSING AN AQUEOUS INTERNAL PHASE OF HYDROGEL DROPLETS (MICROGELS) WITH ENCAPSULATED BIOLOGICS IN AN EXTERNAL PHASE OF TOUGH POLYMER SOLUTION. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT MICROGELS WILL PROTECT THE FUNCTIONS OF ENCAPSULATED BIOLOGICS FROM HARMFUL CHEMICALS BY LIMITING THEIR DIFFUSION FROM THE EXTERNAL TO INTERNAL PHASES. THE SOLIDIFICATION OF TOUGH POLYMER AROUND EACH DISPERSED MICROGEL DURING 3D-BIOPRINTING WILL MAINLY CONTRIBUTE TO MECHANICAL ROBUSTNESS OF THE FINAL SCAFFOLD. THE PRELIMINARY DATA DEMONSTRATES THAT: 1) >95% VIABILITY OF FIBROBLAST CELLS IS ACHIEVED IN AN EMULSION BIOINK; AND 2) THE RESULTING EMULSION SCAFFOLDS AFFORD BOTH THE MECHANICAL ROBUSTNESS (ELASTIC MODULI 5-40 MPA) AND >90% CELL VIABILITY. THIS PROJECT WILL INITIATE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF CYTOCOMPATIBLE AND BIOPRINTABLE CELL- LADEN EMULSION BIOINKS, FOLLOWED BY CHARACTERIZATION OF 3D-BIOPRINTED EMULSION SCAFFOLDS, AND CONCLUDE WITH VALIDATING THE FUNCTIONS OF ENCAPSULATED BIOACTIVE FACTORS AND CELLS WITHIN SCAFFOLDS FOR MENISCUS REGENERATION AS A TEST MODEL. THIS MODEL WILL INCLUDE ASSESSMENTS OF PROLIFERATION, FIBROCHONDROGENIC DIFFERENTIATION IN VITRO, AND NEO-MENISCI FORMATION IN VIVO. OVERALL, OUR APPROACH PRESENTS A NEW METHOD TO PRODUCE MECHANICALLY STRONG AND BIOLOGICALLY FUNCTIONAL LIVING SCAFFOLDS BY INTEGRATING EMULSION CHEMISTRY AND 3D BIOPRINTING TECHNOLOGY. WE ANTICIPATE THAT THIS WORK WILL HAVE A BROAD AND SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON REGENERATIVE ENGINEERING BY BENEFITING REPAIR OR REGENERATION OF BROAD-SPECTRUM TISSUES WITH BIOMECHANICAL FUNCTIONS.

REGULATION OF VALVULAR INTERSTITIAL CELL FATE: ROLE OF BOUNDARY STIFFNESS

RENEWABLE ENERGY MATERIALS SCHOLARS STEM (REMS-STEM)

UNIFIED SUPPORT FOR THERMOLAB-ISS ICOPROSOL AND PARSEC

GRADUATE ASSISTANCE IN AREAS OF NATIONAL NEED - GRADUATE ASSISTANCE IN AREAS OF NATIONAL NEED

CAREER: DATA-ENHANCED MULTI-SCALE SIMULATIONS FOR ADVANCING SAMS IN INTERFACIAL ELECTROCATALYSIS -CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) IS RELEASED EVERY DAY FROM POWER PLANTS, FACTORIES, AND VEHICLES. MANAGING THIS WASTE CARBON IS AN IMPORTANT NATIONAL CHALLENGE. ONE POTENTIAL SOLUTION IS TO USE ELECTRICITY TO TURN CO2 INTO USEFUL FUELS AND CHEMICALS. HOWEVER, TODAY?S METHODS OFTEN HAVE DIFFICULTY BOTH CAPTURING CO2 AND CONTROLLING HOW IT REACTS. THIS LIMITS EFFICIENCY AND THE ABILITY TO MAKE MORE VALUABLE PRODUCTS. THIS PROJECT TACKLES THIS CHALLENGE BY STUDYING NEW CATALYSTS THAT CAN CAPTURE AND CONVERT CO2 TO HYDROCARBON FUELS. THE RESEARCH FOCUSES ON CU ELECTROCATALYSTS COVERED BY THIN LAYERS OF MOLECULES. THESE MOLECULAR LAYERS SERVE DUAL PURPOSES OF BINDING CO2 AND GUIDING THE ELECTROCHEMICAL REACTIONS THAT PRODUCE USEFUL MULTI-CARBON PRODUCTS. THE PROJECT USES COMPUTER SIMULATIONS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MACHINE LEARNING METHODS, AND QUANTUM PHENOMENA TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE CATALYST STRUCTURE AFFECTS THEIR PERFORMANCE. RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ARE INTEGRATED THROUGH HANDS-ON STUDENT TRAINING, K?12 OUTREACH AT A LOCAL DISCOVERY MUSEUM, A NEW GRADUATE COURSE IN APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING, AND OPEN EDUCATIONAL CONTENT SHARED THROUGH A PUBLIC YOUTUBE TEACHING CHANNEL. THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES HYBRID LIGAND-METAL SURFACES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO CAPTURE AND CONVERT CO2 IN A SINGLE STEP. THE RESEARCH USES SELF-ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS (SAMS) ON COPPER ELECTRODES AS A MODEL SYSTEM TO COMBINE CARBON CAPTURE AND ELECTROCHEMICAL CONVERSION. TO STUDY THIS, THE PROJECT USES A COMPUTER SIMULATION FRAMEWORK THAT COMBINES PHYSICS-BASED MACHINE LEARNING, DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY, AND MICROKINETIC MODELING TO SIMULATE HOW MOLECULES INTERACT WITH THE CATALYST SURFACE UNDER REALISTIC CHEMICAL CONDITIONS. SPECIFICALLY, THE PROJECT IMPROVES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ELECTROCATALYSIS BY USING COMPUTERS TO TEST HOW LIGAND LAYERS CONTROL CO2 BINDING, IDENTIFYING THE EXACT CHEMICAL STEPS THAT TURN CO2 INTO MULTI-CARBON PRODUCTS, AND EXAMINING HOW THE LIQUID ELECTROLYTE AND ELECTRIC FIELDS WORK TOGETHER TO CONTROL THE REACTION. EXPERIMENTAL SPECTROSCOPY MEASUREMENTS ARE USED TO TEST AND CONFIRM THESE COMPUTER PREDICTIONS, AND INVESTIGATE QUANTUM PHENOMENA AT THE ELECTRODE SURFACE. ULTIMATELY, THE PROJECT AIMS TO SHOW EXACTLY HOW THESE CATALYST SITES STABILIZE CHEMICAL REACTIONS, IDENTIFY THE KEY FACTORS THAT MAKE THEM EFFICIENT, AND CREATE DESIGN RULES FOR NEXT-GENERATION CATALYSTS. FINALLY, THIS NEW MODELING FRAMEWORK IS NOT JUST FOR CARBON CAPTURE AND CONVERSION; IT CAN ALSO BE USED FOR OTHER GREEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, INCLUDING NITROGEN REDUCTION AND BIOMASS UPGRADING. 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.

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP) -THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP) IS A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, FEDERAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. GRFP HELPS ENSURE THE VITALITY AND DIVERSITY OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING WORKFORCE OF THE UNITED STATES. THE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES AND SUPPORTS OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENTS WHO ARE PURSUING RESEARCH-BASED MASTER'S AND DOCTORAL DEGREES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) AND IN STEM EDUCATION. THE GRFP PROVIDES THREE YEARS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE GRADUATE EDUCATION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE DEMONSTRATED THEIR POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS IN STEM AND STEM EDUCATION. THIS AWARD SUPPORTS THE NSF GRADUATE FELLOWS PURSUING GRADUATE EDUCATION AT THIS GRFP INSTITUTION. 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.

PHASE II I/UCRC WPI: CENTER FOR ROBOTS AND SENSORS FOR THE HUMAN WELL-BEING

TESTING THE EFFECTS OF REAL-TIME SCAFFOLDING OF SCIENCE INQUIRY DRIVEN BY AUTOMATED PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

CAREER: INVESTIGATING BIOPHYSICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL DRIVERS OF FIBROSIS PROGRESSION AND REGRESSION ACROSS DIVERSE ENGINEERED IN VITRO PLATFORMS -FIBROSIS, OR EXCESS TISSUE PRODUCTION, CAN OCCUR AS A RESULT OF INJURY OR INFLAMMATION IN MANY TISSUES THROUGHOUT THE BODY. IF UNCHECKED, FIBROSIS CAN DISRUPT ORGAN FUNCTION. HOW SPECIFIC CELLS WITHIN TISSUES CONTRIBUTE TO FIBROSIS IN CERTAIN ORGANS IS UNKNOWN, WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP TARGETED TREATMENTS. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP IN VITRO MODELS TO STUDY FIBROSIS IN THE PANCREAS, SKIN, AND UTERINE FIBROIDS. THE PANCREATIC FIBROSIS MODEL WILL STUDY HOW TISSUE STIFFNESS, WHICH INCREASES DURING FIBROSIS, ENCOURAGES OR PREVENTS CELLS FROM PARTICIPATING IN FIBROSIS. THE SKIN MODEL WILL STUDY HOW TISSUE STIFFNESS AND STRETCHING INFLUENCE HOW CELLS COMMUNICATE ACROSS SKIN LAYERS DURING FIBROSIS. THE UTERINE FIBROID MODEL WILL EXAMINE HOW HORMONES AND HORMONE DISRUPTORS IMPACT FIBROID CELL GROWTH. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS WORK WILL EXPAND KNOWLEDGE OF HOW CELLS BEHAVE IN FIBROSIS IN DIFFERENT ORGANS AND HOW CERTAIN CELLS CAN BE TARGETED TO DEVELOP THERAPIES IN THE FUTURE. THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT STEM ACTIVITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AS WELL AS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE PATIENT EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE UNDERSTANDING. FIBROSIS CONTRIBUTES TO 45% OF DEATHS IN INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS THROUGH CHRONIC PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS, YET KNOWLEDGE GAPS REMAIN ABOUT FIBROSIS INITIATION, PROGRESSION, AND RESOLUTION IN DIFFERENT TISSUES. A CRITICAL BARRIER TO FIBROSIS TREATMENT IS LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TISSUE-SPECIFIC FEATURES OF THE EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX (ECM) AFFECT HOW FIBROGENIC AND NON-FIBROGENIC CELLS PARTICIPATE IN FIBROSIS. THIS CAREER PROJECT AIMS TO ENGINEER MANY IN VITRO FIBROSIS MODELS?PANCREAS, SKIN, AND UTERINE FIBROIDS?THAT DESIGNED TO ENABLE CONTROL OVER TISSUE-SPECIFIC ECM FEATURES (STIFFNESS, MICROSTRUCTURE), CELLULAR COMPOSITION, AND/OR EXOGENOUS BIOCHEMICAL INTERACTIONS FOR TARGETED INVESTIGATION INTO FIBROTIC PROCESSES. THE PANCREATIC MODEL USES ECM MATERIALS WITH TUNABLE STIFFNESS?METHACRYLATED TYPE I COLLAGEN AND HYALURONIC ACID?TO STUDY HOW STIFFNESS AND ECM REMODELING DIRECT, PROTECT, OR HINDER CELL FATE TRANSFORMATIONS OF FIBROGENIC (PANCREATIC STELLATE CELLS, MACROPHAGES) AND NON-FIBROGENIC CELLS (PANCREATIC EPITHELIAL CELLS, MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS). THE SKIN FIBROSIS MODEL RECREATES SKIN?S LAYERED STRUCTURE TO INDEPENDENTLY ALTER CELLULAR COMPOSITION AND ECM PROPERTIES (STIFFNESS, ALIGNMENT, MICROSTRUCTURE) AND EXAMINE CELLULAR CROSSTALK ACROSS SKIN LAYERS. A NOVEL INTRAMURAL UTERINE FIBROID MODEL IS USED TO INVESTIGATE BIOCHEMICAL INTERACTIONS?SEX HORMONES AND ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING AGENTS?AS DRIVERS OF FIBROSIS THAT INFLUENCE FIBROID CELL GROWTH, ECM DEPOSITION, AND LYMPHATIC VASCULAR INFILTRATION. OVERALL, THIS PROJECT USES DISTINCT, YET COMPLEMENTARY, APPROACHES TO ADVANCE IN VITRO FIBROSIS MODELS AND LOWER BARRIERS TO RESOLVING FIBROSIS AT A CELLULAR LEVEL. INTEGRATED EDUCATION GOALS FOCUS ON EXPANDING STEM PARTICIPATION AND INCREASING STEM AND MEDICAL LITERACY. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE A RE-DESIGNED SUMMER BIOMATERIALS COURSE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE?S FRONTIERS PROGRAM AND A NEW OUTREACH PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EPWORTH FREE CLINIC IN WORCESTER, MA TO PROMOTE MEDICAL LITERACY AND AWARENESS. 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: NEXT-GENERATION SURGICAL ROBOTS FOR ENERGY-BASED SURGERY -THIS FACULTY EARLY CAREER DEVELOPMENT (CAREER) AWARD WILL ENABLE A NEW CLASS OF SURGICAL ROBOTS TO TREAT DISEASE VIA FOCUSED DELIVERY OF ENERGY, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE AFFECTED TISSUE. THE PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE MULTIPLE FORMS OF ENERGY, INCLUDING LASERS, RADIOFREQUENCY, AND ULTRASONIC WAVES. THE PROJECT WILL CREATE ENERGY-BASED SENSING MODES THAT PROBE ANATOMICAL STRUCTURES WITH A LOW-ENERGY BEAM TO DETERMINE THEIR SHAPE AND THERMAL PROPERTIES. THESE MEASUREMENTS, WHICH CAN BE UPDATED IN REAL-TIME EVEN DURING A PROCEDURE, WILL ALLOW SAFER AND MORE PRECISE REMOVAL OF DISEASED TISSUE. INITIALLY, ALL FUNCTIONS WILL BE PERFORMED BY COMMAND OF A SURGEON BUT BECAUSE A ROBOT IS CAPABLE OF REACTING MUCH FASTER THAN A HUMAN, THE EVENTUAL GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO ENABLE AUTONOMOUS IMPLEMENTATION OF CERTAIN PROCEDURES. ENERGY-BASED SURGICAL ROBOTS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH BY REDUCING SURGICAL INVASIVENESS, RECOVERY TIMES, AND TREATMENT COSTS, AND BY ENABLING ENTIRELY NEW PROCEDURES FOR LIFE-THREATENING CONDITIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY CONSIDERED INOPERABLE. PARTICIPATION OF UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS IN THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAINING OF THE NATION?S NEXT GENERATION OF SURGICAL ROBOTICS ENGINEERS. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WILL SUPPORT THE CREATION OF A NEW FRAMEWORK OF PERCEPTION AND CONTROL TECHNIQUES TO ENABLE SURGICAL ROBOTS THAT MONITOR AND REGULATE THE THERMAL EFFECTS CREATED BY THEIR ENERGY-BASED END EFFECTORS. THE PROJECT WILL COMBINE IDEAS AND APPROACHES FROM MULTIPLE AREAS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, INCLUDING HEAT TRANSFER, FINITE ELEMENT MODELING, BIOMEDICAL IMAGING, STATISTICAL STATE ESTIMATION, AND NONLINEAR CONTROL THEORY. EXPECTED SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS INCLUDE (1) NEW PERCEPTION TECHNIQUES THAT EFFICIENTLY INTEGRATE THERMAL SENSING, IMAGING, AND PHYSICS-BASED SIMULATIONS TO INFER CRITICAL PATIENT INFORMATION; (2) NEW CONTROL ALGORITHMS THAT LEVERAGE THIS ENHANCED PERCEPTION TO AUTOMATICALLY REGULATE ENERGY DELIVERY AND SO ACHIEVE PRESCRIBED OUTCOMES IN THE PRESENCE OF UNCERTAINTY; AND (3), STRATEGIES TO APPROPRIATELY INTEGRATE HUMAN OPERATORS INTO THE CONTROL OF ROBOTIC ENERGY-BASED INSTRUMENTS. THE EXPECTED LONG-TERM IMPACT OF THIS WORK WILL BE TO EXTEND UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERACTIONS OF ROBOTS WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENTS BEYOND THE ANALYSIS AND CONTROL OF CONTACT FORCES, TO INCORPORATE NON-CONTACT FUNCTIONALITY ENABLED BY ENERGY-BASED HEAT EXCHANGE AND THE CONTROL OF STRUCTURAL TEMPERATURES. 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: CENTER FOR RESOURCE RECOVERY AND RECYCLING (CR3)

BPC-DP: DEPLOYING A VERTICALLY-INTEGRATED COMPUTING CURRICULUM TO AT-RISK STUDENTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SATC: CORE: MEDIUM: COMPILER-ASSISTED EMBEDDED SECURITY -THERE IS A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR MARKET FOR LOW-COST, ENERGY-EFFICIENT EMBEDDED SYSTEMS. UNFORTUNATELY, AS THE SOFTWARE FOR SUCH SYSTEMS IS TYPICALLY DEVELOPED IN C, THEY SUFFER FROM THE SAME PROGRAMMER-INDUCED MEMORY ERRORS THAT HAVE PLAGUED GENERAL-PURPOSE SYSTEMS. UNLIKE MOST GENERAL-PURPOSE COMPUTERS, HOWEVER, EXPLOITATION OFTEN LEADS TO REAL-WORLD PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCES. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP NEW METHODS TO SECURE EMBEDDED SOFTWARE. RATHER THAN PLACE THE SECURITY BURDEN ENTIRELY ON DEVELOPERS OF EMBEDDED SYSTEMS, THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO SHIFT THE ENFORCEMENT OF FUNDAMENTAL SECURITY PROPERTIES TO THE COMPILER, USING A COMBINATION OF COMPILE-TIME STATIC ANALYSIS, RUNTIME INSTRUMENTATION, AND HARDWARE SUPPORT. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO CONSIDER COMPILER ENHANCEMENTS TO ENABLE END-DEVELOPER SECURITY CUSTOMIZATION AND PROMOTE SOFTWARE LONGEVITY. THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR COMPILER-ASSISTED SECURITY ON LOW-COST EMBEDDED SYSTEMS. SUCH SYSTEMS ARE ALREADY WIDELY DEPLOYED IN EXISTING DOMAINS, SUCH AS CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS, AND ARE INCREASINGLY A PART OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, SUCH AS THE INTERNET-OF-THINGS (IOT). THE PROJECT WILL PRODUCE OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE AND EDUCATIONAL ARTIFACTS FOR BOTH RESEARCHERS AND DEVELOPERS, INCLUDING COMPILER ENHANCEMENTS, BENCHMARK APPLICATIONS, AND TUTORIALS ON THE ARTIFACTS TO BE PRESENTED AT TUTORIALS AND CONFERENCES. FINALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE STUDENT EDUCATION OUTCOMES AT THE PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS BY INTEGRATING THE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES WITH SECURITY COMPETITIONS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. 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.

FW-HTF-RL: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SHARED AUTONOMY FOR THE DULL, DIRTY, AND DANGEROUS: EXPLORING DIVISION OF LABOR FOR HUMANS AND ROBOTS TO TRANSFORM THE RECYCLING SORTING INDUSTRY

CAREER: DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICALLY TRANSPARENT BACTERIAL-DERIVED HYBRID-CELLULOSE BIOMATERIALS WITH ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES FOR WOUND TREATMENT -NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: NATURALLY DERIVED BIOMATERIALS HOLD TREMENDOUS PROMISE FOR ADDRESSING HUMAN HEALTH CONCERNS, INCLUDING WOUND CARE. HOWEVER, THE PROMISE OF MANY NATURALLY DERIVED BIOMATERIALS HAS NOT BEEN FULLY REALIZED, DUE IN PART TO THE FIELD?S LACK OF UNDERSTANDING REGARDING HOW THE MATERIALS ARE PRODUCED AND THE ABILITY TO TAILOR THE BIOMATERIAL PROPERTIES. THIS CAREER AWARD SUPPORTS FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH TO ADDRESS THIS CHALLENGE FOR ONE SUCH NATURALLY DERIVED MATERIAL KNOWN AS INSOLUBLE EXOPOLYSACCHARIDES (EPSS) PRODUCED BY THE SAME BACTERIA USED TO MAKE VINEGAR AND KOMBUCHA. THIS PROJECT WILL ESTABLISH NEW MATERIALS PRODUCED BY THESE BACTERIA AND THE SCIENTIFIC CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PROPERTIES OF THE NEW MATERIAL AND THE BACTERIAL MACHINERY USED TO PRODUCE THESE MATERIALS. THESE NEW MATERIALS WILL BE MODIFIED WITH ANTIBACTERIAL AGENTS FOR WOUND CARE AND INFECTION PREVENTION. IN ADDITION TO SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, THIS PROJECT INCLUDES INTEGRATED EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES TO EXCITE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ABOUT CAREERS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. HANDS-ON LABORATORY MODULES AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INSTITUTION?S STEM EDUCATION CENTER, WILL BE CREATED TO INSPIRE INTEREST IN MATERIAL SCIENCE AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING. INTEGRATED RESEARCH, MENTORING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE PROVIDED TO UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE LEVEL STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, INCLUDING STUDENTS FROM DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS, MINORITIES, AND WOMEN, TO IMPROVE RETENTION AND INCREASE DIVERSITY IN THE STEM WORKFORCE. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: THIS CAREER AWARD FOCUSES ON DEVELOPING DESIGNER INSOLUBLE EXOPOLYSACCHARIDES (EPSS) FROM KOMAGATAEIBACTER SPECIES FOR WOUND CARE. THESE MATERIALS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO POSSESS SEVERAL IMPORTANT PROPERTIES FOR WOUND DRESSING INCLUDING IMMEDIATE PAIN RELIEF, HIGH WATER HOLDING CAPACITY, IMPROVE DEVELOPMENT OF GRANULATION TISSUE, AND ACCELERATE RE-EPITHELIALIZATION. THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR?S TEAM STUDIES BACTERIAL-DERIVED EPSS TO IMPROVE FUNCTIONALITY AND UNCOVER THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE TO IMPROVE ITS UTILITY FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS. IN THIS PROJECT, TWO KEY PROPERTIES FOR WOUND TREATMENT WILL BE ADDRESSED, NAMELY WOUND VISUALIZATION AND INCORPORATION OF ANTIMICROBIALS. TO ACHIEVE THIS, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL GENERATE A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF OPTICALLY TRANSPARENT BACTERIAL-DERIVED EPSS FROM THE MOLECULAR THROUGH BULK SCALE CONNECTING GENOME TO PHENOME AND CHARACTERIZE NON-COVALENT ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDE BINDING, RELEASE, AND FUNCTIONALITY. THE LONG-TERM EDUCATIONAL GOAL OF THIS CAREER PROJECT IS TO PROMOTE AND TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF RESEARCHERS AND STUDENTS DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE BIOMATERIALS TO IMPROVE HUMAN HEALTH. THE EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE: 1) INSPIRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BECOME EXCITED ABOUT THE FIELDS OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH, 2) INTEGRATE PROJECT-BASED LABORATORY MODULES ON BACTERIAL PRODUCTION OF BIOPOLYMERS INTO AN UNDERGRADUATE COURSE, AND 3) PROVIDE RESEARCH TRAINING, MENTORSHIP, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS. 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.

MICROTHREAD-BASED DELIVERY OF HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS TO INFARCTED HEARTS

RET SITE: EMPOWERING HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS THROUGH RESEARCH EXPERIENCES ON QUANTUM AND CYBERSECURITY TO PREPARE THE FUTURE WORKFORCE -THIS PROJECT ESTABLISHES A THREE-YEAR, FULLY ONLINE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHERS (RET) SITE FOCUSED ON QUANTUM COMPUTING AND CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION. THE PROJECT PREPARES HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES TO BRING EMERGING TOPICS IN QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE AND CYBERSECURITY INTO THEIR CLASSROOMS. AS QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES CONTINUE TO DEVELOP, FUTURE WORKERS WILL NEED NEW KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO UNDERSTAND HOW QUANTUM COMPUTING AFFECTS DIGITAL SECURITY. HOWEVER, MOST HIGH SCHOOLS DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE THE RESOURCES OR TRAINING TO TEACH THESE TOPICS. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THIS NEED BY ENGAGING TEACHERS IN SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCES AND SUPPORTING THEM THROUGHOUT THE ACADEMIC YEAR AS THEY DEVELOP AND USE NEW CLASSROOM MATERIALS. BY PREPARING TEACHER-LEADERS AND PROVIDING ACCESSIBLE INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES, THE PROJECT EXPANDS ACCESS TO EMERGING SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING TOPICS, SUPPORTS NATIONAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN CYBERSECURITY AND QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE. THE PROJECT ENGAGES TEACHERS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING AND EVALUATING CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONAL UNITS THAT TEACH CYBERSECURITY CONCEPTS IN THE CONTEXT OF QUANTUM COMPUTING USING GAME-BASED AND TECHNOLOGY-SUPPORTED LEARNING APPROACHES. EACH SUMMER, PARTICIPATING TEACHERS COMPLETE A SIX-WEEK ONLINE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN WHICH THEY WORK WITH UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS TO DEVELOP STANDARDS-ALIGNED LESSON PLANS, CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES, AND LABORATORY EXERCISES. DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR, TEACHERS PARTICIPATE IN FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES INCLUDING BIWEEKLY MEETINGS, CLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATION, CURRICULUM REFINEMENT, AND SHARING OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND RESEARCH RESULTS. TEACHERS AND STUDENTS USE AN ONLINE PLATFORM THAT PROVIDES ACCESS TO A BROWSER-BASED QUANTUM CIRCUIT SIMULATOR, AUTOMATED ASSESSMENT TOOLS, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) LEARNING SUPPORT. THE PROJECT STUDIES HOW GAME-BASED LEARNING AND INTERACTIVE TOOLS CAN HELP MAKE COMPLEX QUANTUM CYBERSECURITY CONCEPTS ACCESSIBLE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL AND PRODUCES CLASSROOM-READY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS THAT CAN BE ADOPTED NATIONWIDE. 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: LUCO: A NONINVASIVE MINIATURIZED BLOOD GAS SENSOR FOR RESPIRATION MONITORING -AMONG THE VITAL SIGNS OF HUMAN HEALTH, RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS ARE KEY INDICATORS OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS OF THE HUMAN BODY. THE ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES MANDATES A MEASURE OF BLOOD GASES. THE DETERMINATION OF BLOOD GASES REQUIRES AN ARTERIAL BLOOD SAMPLE, AN INVASIVE AND PAINFUL PROCESS. THIS PROCEDURE, HOWEVER, PROVIDES ONLY A DISCRETE MEASUREMENT OF RESPIRATORY EFFICACY DURING A RAPIDLY CHANGING SITUATION. TRANSCUTANEOUS MONITORING IS A NONINVASIVE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY MEASURING OXYGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE DIFFUSED THROUGH THE SKIN, AND ANY CHANGES THEY UNDERGO CORRELATE CLOSELY WITH CHANGES IN BLOOD GASES. THE CONTEMPORARY METHODOLOGY FOR MEASURING TRANSCUTANEOUS OXYGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE REQUIRES A HEATED SENSOR (THAT MAY BURN THE SKIN AND REQUIRE FREQUENT ALTERATION OF THE SENSING SPOT) AND A COSTLY NON-PORTABLE, BULKY, CORDED SENSING UNIT. THIS PROJECT WILL ADDRESS A CRITICAL UNMET NEED FOR A COST-EFFECTIVE NONINVASIVE MINIATURIZED WEARABLE DEVICE CAPABLE OF SENSING MULTIPLE BLOOD GAS PARAMETERS THAT PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE PICTURE OF ONE?S RESPIRATORY STATUS FROM A HOME SETTING. THE CONTINUOUS AND REMOTE TRACKING OF VITAL RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS WILL PROVIDE RELEVANT AND ACCURATE DATA THAT ALERT A CAREGIVER AND INFLUENCE THE COURSE OF TREATMENT. AS THE PROPOSED SYSTEM ENABLES MASSIVE LONGITUDINAL BLOOD GAS DATA COLLECTED IN NON-CLINICAL SETTINGS, CLINICIANS AND RESEARCHERS CAN REMOTELY ASSESS AND MEASURE PULMONARY OUTCOMES OBJECTIVELY, AND CLINICIANS CAN FURTHER IMPROVE THE HOME CARE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH A FRAGILE RESPIRATORY STATUS. THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM COMPLEMENTING THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT STEM ENGAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS, PROVIDE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS - PARTICULARLY WOMEN, TRAIN STUDENTS IN STATE-OF-THE-ART CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS, BIOMEDICAL, AND OPTICS, AND SUPPORT THE FUTURE ENGINEERING WORKFORCE. THIS PROJECT WILL CREATE A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND WEARABLE BLOOD GAS MONITOR FOR MANAGING THE HOME CARE OF INDIVIDUALS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE CORE SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS WILL INCLUDE 1) THE CREATION OF A NOVEL MINIATURIZED CUSTOM-DESIGNED WEARABLE SENSOR THAT MEASURES TWO MODALITIES OF BLOOD GASES; 2) IDENTIFICATION OF FACTORS AFFECTING SENSOR READINGS SUCH AS TEMPERATURE AND DRIFT FOR THE SELF-CALIBRATION OF BLOOD GAS SENSORS; 3) THE EXPLORATION OF INNOVATIVE ELECTRONIC INTERFACES FOR A SPECIALIZED ANALOG FRONT-END FOR THE PROPOSED UNIQUE SENSOR WITH HETEROGENEOUS DECAY TIME, INCLUDING ONE WITH AN ULTRA-FAST RESPONSE; 4) DETERMINATION OF THE FEASIBILITY AND USABILITY OF THE SYSTEM DURING REAL-LIFE ACTIVITIES IN HOME SETTINGS BY CAPTURING THE DYNAMIC RESPIRATORY PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH LONGITUDINAL DATA. HAVING THE ABILITY TO SENSE TWO VITAL RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS (NAMELY, TRANSCUTANEOUS PARTIAL PRESSURES OF OXYGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE) WITH ONE WEARABLE DEVICE IS UNIQUE AND SUPERIOR TO THE CURRENT PRACTICE OF MEASURING ONLY OXYGEN SATURATION, AND FILLS AN IMPORTANT GAP IN THE MINIATURIZATION OF THE TRANSCUTANEOUS BLOOD GAS SENSOR FOR NONINVASIVE WEARABLE DEVICE APPLICATIONS. IN ADDITION, THE LONGITUDINAL NEW DATA WILL ENABLE NEW BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES TO ASSESS THERAPIES AND FURTHER INVESTIGATE MEDICAL CONDITIONS IN WHICH OXYGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE, INCLUDING NOVEL RESPIRATORY DISEASES THAT ARE NOT YET FULLY UNDERSTOOD (E.G., COVID-19). PROGRESS ON ENABLING THE AFFORDABLE AND SCALABLE REMOTE MONITORING OF OXYGENATION AND VENTILATION AT HOME IS TRANSFORMATIVE FOR PROSPECTIVE MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC 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.

RET SITE: ENGINEERING FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET: RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHING INTEGRATED STEM

RET SITE: ENGINEERING FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET: RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHING INTEGRATED STEM -THIS RENEWAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHERS (RET) SITE: ENGINEERING FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET: RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHING INTEGRATED STEM IS HOSTED BY THE WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE (WPI). THE RET SITE FOCUSES ON THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOR AN INTEGRATED APPROACH OF LEARNING AND DOING SCIENCE, MATH, AND ENGINEERING THROUGH REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS THAT FOCUS ON PEOPLE AND THE PLANET. A PRE-SERVICE TEACHER AND A LOCAL IN-SERVICE TEACHER WILL CONDUCT SUMMER RESEARCH FOR SIX WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS WILL WORK WITH A FACULTY MENTOR ON TOPICS SUCH AS HEALTHY LIVES, QUALITY EDUCATION, CLEAN ENERGY, RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION, AND CLIMATE ACTION. THE TEACHERS WILL PARTICIPATE IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS TO TRANSLATE THEIR RESEARCH EXPERIENCE INTO LESSON PLANS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS PRESENT THEIR WORK TO BROADER AUDIENCES. THIS PROJECT WILL IMPACT MANY HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE, TECH/ENGINEERING, AND MATH (STEM) TEACHERS AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN UNDERSERVED DISTRICTS WITH POPULATIONS THAT ARE RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE. BY BUILDING THE CAPACITY FOR STRONG STEM EDUCATORS IN OUR REGION, WE CAN PROVIDE RELEVANT STEM LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT ENGAGE STUDENTS TO DEVELOP REAL-WORLD PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS AND HELP PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS. THIS RENEWAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHERS (RET) SITE: ENGINEERING FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET: RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHING INTEGRATED STEM IS HOSTED BY THE WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE (WPI). THE OBJECTIVES ARE TO: 1) PROVIDE AUTHENTIC RESEARCH EXPERIENCES IN LABS FOCUSING ON ENGINEERING PROBLEM-SOLVING AND RESEARCH THAT IS CENTERED ON PEOPLE AND THE PLANET (U.N. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOP GOALS); 2) DELIVER HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE TEACHERS TO CREATE AN ?INTEGRATED STEM? LESSON PLAN BASED ON THEIR RESEARCH EXPERIENCES, IMPLEMENT THEIR LESSONS WITH THEIR STUDENTS, AND SHARE THE LESSON PLAN TO BROADER AUDIENCES; 3) INCREASE PARTICIPANTS? CONFIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW ENGINEERING BENEFITS PEOPLE; AND 4) FOSTER A COMMUNITY OF EDUCATORS FOR MENTORING AND SUPPORT AMONG THE PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS, AREA IN-SERVICE TEACHERS, WPI FACULTY AND GRADUATE STUDENTS, INDUSTRY PARTNERS, AND THE STEM EDUCATION CENTER. FOUR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS AND FOUR LOCAL IN-SERVICE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS FROM HIGH NEEDS SCHOOLS WILL BE PAIRED WITH WPI FACULTY FOR SIX WEEKS. RESEARCH TOPICS MAY INCLUDE: 1) GENETICALLY ENGINEERING A PLASMID TO STUDY ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE, 2) BRAIN SENSING FOR PERSONALIZED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, 3) PHOTOCATALYSTS FOR TREATMENT OF CONTAMINATED WATER AND PRODUCTION OF CLEAN ENERGY, 4) WATER-BASED TECHNOLOGY FOR PLASTIC RECYCLING, AND 5) CONTINUOUS MANUFACTURING FOR CLEANER PHARMACEUTICAL ENGINEERING. PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE WEEKLY WORKSHOPS TO GUIDE THEIR RESEARCH PROJECTS AS THEY LEARN RESEARCH TECHNIQUES AND CULMINATE IN A PUBLIC RET POSTER SYMPOSIUM. 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: LEVERAGING COLLECTIVE POWER OF ROBOTIC GRASPING ALGORITHMS VIA META-LEARNING AND ACTIVE PERCEPTION -FOR MANY MANUFACTURING, LOGISTICS, AND SERVICE APPLICATIONS, ROBOTS ARE REQUIRED TO PICK UP AND MANIPULATE OBJECTS. EVEN THOUGH THIS FUNDAMENTAL CAPABILITY HAS BEEN STUDIED EXTENSIVELY IN THE LAST DECADES AND A SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE, ROBOTS STILL STRUGGLE TO REACH THE DESIRED RELIABILITY LEVELS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ATTEMPT TO MANIPULATE OBJECTS IN CLUTTERED AND UNSTRUCTURED SETTINGS. IN THESE SETTINGS, THE VARIETY OF OBJECTS AND THE POSSIBLE SCENE CONFIGURATIONS ARE IMMENSE, MAKING IT EXTREMELY CHALLENGING TO DEVELOP A SINGLE OVERARCHING METHOD THAT CAN WORK IN ALL THE CONDITIONS. INSTEAD OF TRYING TO DEVELOP A PANACEA, THIS FACULTY EARLY CAREER DEVELOPMENT (CAREER) PROJECT PRESENTS A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT APPROACH: LEVERAGING THE CAPABILITIES OF MULTIPLE DIFFERENT METHODS, COMBINING THEIR STRENGTHS AND AVOIDING THEIR DRAWBACKS. THE FRAMEWORK ALSO CREATES CONDITIONS THAT BOOST THE ALGORITHMS? SUCCESS BY ALLOWING THE ROBOT TO EFFICIENTLY COLLECT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCENE. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS RESEARCH WILL BE UTILIZED TO DEVELOP ROBOTICS SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, E.G. WASTE SORTING AND RECYCLING, AND ESTABLISH A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND ENVIRONMENTAL ROBOTICS UNDERGRADUATE TRACK. FOR COMBINING THE OPINIONS OF DIFFERENT ALGORITHMS, SEVERAL ENSEMBLE LEARNING METHODS WILL BE DEVELOPED, TAILORED TO THE ROBOTIC MANIPULATION DOMAIN. A DIVERSITY ANALYSIS WILL BE CONDUCTED, WHICH WILL IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ALGORITHMS AND GUIDE THE ENSEMBLE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. FOR ENABLING THE ROBOT TO SYSTEMATICALLY COLLECT DATA, ACTIVE VISION STRATEGIES WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR THE UNDERLYING GRASPING ALGORITHMS AND THEIR ENSEMBLES. A STUDY TO DEVELOP A HIGH-LEVEL DECISION-MAKING ALGORITHM IS ALSO PLANNED TO ENABLE ROBOTS TO DETERMINE THE BEST SUITED DEXTEROUS PICKING STRATEGY FOR A GIVEN MANIPULATION SCENARIO. 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: ACCELNET: INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION TO ACCELERATE RESEARCH IN ROBOTIC SURGERY

ENGINEERING LIGHT-MATTER INTERACTIONS IN LAYERED SEMICONDUCTORS WITH ZEROVALENT METAL INTERCALATION

CRSNS: DEVELOPMENT OF EEG/MEG SOURCE RECONSTRUCTION WITH FAST MULTIPOLE METHOD - THIS PROPOSAL ENTITLED “DEVELOPMENT OF EEG/MEG SOURCE RECONSTRUCTION WITH FAST MULTIPOLE METHOD” WILL ADDRESS THE CURRENTLY UNMET NEED FOR SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ACCURATE, NEAR REAL-TIME EEG/MEG SOURCE LOCALIZATION TOOLS. THE RESULT WILL BE THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN ENTIRELY NEW, HIGH-SPEED, HIGH-RESOLUTION EEG/MEG SOURCE LOCALIZATION PIPELINE THAT INCLUDES: (I) FIELD SOLUTION USING THE CHARGE-BASED BOUNDARY ELEMENT METHOD (BEM) WITH FAST MULTIPOLE ACCELERATION; (II) INVERSE PROBLEM SOLUTION ALGORITHM UTILIZING THE CIRCUITAL RECIPROCITY THEOREM AND GLOBAL CORTICAL BASIS FUNCTIONS WITH AN UNLIMITED NUMBER OF CORTICAL SOURCES; (III) PRECISELY SEGMENTED HEAD MODELS AND; (IV) PRECISE MEG COMPATIBLE EEG HARDWARE, VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION EXPERIMENTS AND THEIR DOCUMENTATION. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY WILL BE ADAPTABLE TO ANY BRANCH OF COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE DIAGNOSIS (EEG AND MEG), PROVIDING ENHANCED UNDERSTANDING OF A PATIENT’S RESPONSE DURING ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENTS AND GREATER INSIGHT INTO OVERALL MENTAL WELL-BEING. AIM 1 ALGORITHM FOR EEG/MEG SOURCE RECONSTRUCTION WITH FAST MULTIPOLE METHOD AIM 1A ALGORITHM CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT (WPI WORCESTER AND MPI LEIPZIG) AIM 1B PRELIMINARY RESULTS (WPI WORCESTER AND MGH) AIM 2 INTEGRATION WITH HIGH DENSITY DRY-ELECTRODE EEG SYSTEM. EEG/MEG MEASUREMENTS AIM 2A DESIGN A 256 CHANNEL MEG-COMPATIBLE DRY-ELECTRODE SYSTEM (TU ILMENAU) AIM 2B PERFORM MRI/EEG/MEG VERIFICATION MEASUREMENTS (MPI LEIPZIG & TU ILMENAU) AIM 2C VERIFY, MODIFY AND IMPROVE BEM-FMM BASED SOURCE RECONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE (MPI LEIPZIG, WPI WORCESTER, TU ILMENAU) COUPLING HIGH-RESOLUTION ALGORITHMS WITH THE FINEST YET ROBUST AND EASY-TO-USE EEG HARDWARE IS ONE MAJOR PROPOSAL GOAL. SUCH COUPLING COULD MAKE AN ADVANCED HIGH-DENSITY DRY-ELECTRODE EEG VERY ACCURATE.

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

CAREER: ULTRAFAST CARRIER DYNAMICS IN 2D GROUP-IV MONOCHALCOGENIDES

CAREER: NITROGEN ACTIVATION: SPLITTING KINETIC CYCLES AND BREAKING ENERGETIC BARRIERS WITH PULSED CATALYSIS

APPLICATION OF GAS DYNAMIC COLD SPRAY PROCESSING FOR JOINING OF SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY

ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN LIQUID FILM BOILING - A TWO-PHASE HEAT TRANSPORT DEVICE DRIVEN BY ELECTRIC CONDUCTION MECHANISM IS AN INTERNATIONAL

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A TIME-RESOLVED SPECTROMETER SPANNING ULTRAVIOLET TO TERAHERTZ SPECTRAL RANGE FOR MATERIALS RESEARCH

ISN2: DISRUPTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING VIA NEEDS MATCHING AND CAPACITY EXPANSION

DEFINING THE ROLES OF SMALL KH-DOMAIN RNA BINDING PROTEINS IN MYCOBACTERIA - PROJECT SUMMARY MYCOBACTERIA INCLUDE IMPORTANT HUMAN PATHOGENS SUCH AS MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS, AND ELUCIDATING THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH THEY REGULATE GENE EXPRESSION IS NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THEIR MECHANISMS OF SURVIVING DRUGS AND OTHER STRESSORS ENCOUNTERED DURING INFECTION. HOWEVER, THE MYCOBACTERIA ARE EVOLUTIONARILY DIVERGENT FROM BETTER-STUDIED MODEL ORGANISMS. SMALL RNA BINDING PROTEINS HAVE CRITICAL ROLES IN MEDIATING SRNA-MRNA INTERACTIONS AND MODULATING MRNA STABILITY IN E. COLI. HOWEVER, MYCOBACTERIA LACK ORTHOLOGS OF THE RNA BINDING PROTEINS THAT ARE BEST CHARACTERIZED IN E. COLI. INSTEAD, MYCOBACTERIA ENCODE TWO PUTATIVE RNA BINDING PROTEINS, KHPA AND KHPB, THAT HAVE ORTHOLOGS IN SOME GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIA WHERE THEIR FUNCTIONS ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. GIVEN THE ALMOST COMPLETE ABSENCE OF PUBLISHED DATA ON SMALL RNA BINDING PROTEINS IN MYCOBACTERIA, WE PROPOSE TO DETERMINE THE BIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND FUNCTIONAL IMPACT OF KHPA AND KHPB USING THE NON-PATHOGENIC MODEL MYCOBACTERIAL SPECIES MYCOLICIBACTERIUM SMEGMATIS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL ADDRESS A MAJOR KNOWLEDGE GAP IN THE MYCOBACTERIAL FIELD WHILE PROVIDING IN-DEPTH TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT KHPA AND KHPB FORM BOTH HOMODIMERS AND HETERODIMERS THAT BIND DIFFERING SUITES OF MRNAS AND SMALL REGULATORY RNAS (SRNAS), AFFECTING THEIR STABILITY AND FUNCTION. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROPOSAL ARE TO DETERMINE THE FUNCTIONAL OLIGOMERIZATION STATES OF THESE TWO PROTEINS; DETERMINE THE COMPENDIA OF RNAS THAT THEY BIND; IDENTIFY THE PROPERTIES THAT MAKE THESE RNAS TARGETS OF KHPA/B; DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF KHPA/B ON RNA DEGRADATION RATES; AND DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF KHPA/B ON GROWTH AND STRESS TOLERANCE.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PRODUCTION OF SOLAR QUALITY SILICON BY MODEL-DRIVEN MOLTEN SALT ELECTROLYSIS

CAREER: TOWARD A SPECIALIZED EDGE FOR AUGMENTED REALITY -AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) APPLICATIONS ARE A POPULAR MEDIA THAT BENEFITS MILLIONS OF USERS. DOMAIN EXPERTS AND THE PUBLIC USE AR APPLICATIONS FOR DAILY TASKS, INCLUDING SAFETY TRAINING, TOURISM, AND ONLINE SHOPPING. HOWEVER, EXISTING EDGE-ASSISTED AR SYSTEMS OFTEN FALL SHORT IN HANDLING NOISY SENSOR DATA, MANAGING EDGE RESOURCES UNDER DYNAMIC WORKLOADS, AND MITIGATING VISUAL PRIVACY RISKS. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL LAY THE SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATIONS FOR A SPECIALIZED EDGE BY DESIGNING A GENERIC DEVICE-TO-EDGE PIPELINE THAT AR DEVELOPERS CAN USE TO IMPLEMENT AND DEPLOY EFFICIENT AND PRIVACY-PRESERVING AR TASKS. THE PROPOSED TECHNIQUES WILL COMPLEMENT AND EXTEND EXISTING APPROACHES FOR MOBILE AR FRAMEWORKS AND EDGE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH THRUSTS INCLUDE: (1) TECHNIQUES FOR HIGH-QUALITY DATA CAPTURE, ADAPTIVE AND SCALABLE DATA SHARING, AND RESOURCE-EFFICIENT EXECUTION; (2) METHODS AND DATASETS FOR AR RESEARCHERS TO GAIN NEW INSIGHTS, AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR DEVELOPERS TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR AR APPLICATIONS; AND (3) PRIVACY-PRESERVING APPROACHES THAT HELP AR DEVELOPERS MITIGATE PRIVACY RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH AR DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT. THE PROPOSED TECHNIQUES WILL SPAN DEVELOPMENT THROUGH DEPLOYMENT AND IMPROVE AR APPLICATIONS' END-TO-END PERFORMANCE. THE PI REGULARLY OPEN-SOURCES SYSTEMS AND DATASETS, PROMOTING ADOPTION AND BENEFITING THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY. THE RESEARCH PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT THE INCLUSION OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDENTS WITH DIVERSE TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDS TO ENGAGE IN MOBILE AND EDGE COMPUTING RESEARCH. THE PI WILL CREATE AND PILOT INTERACTIVE COURSE MATERIALS ON MOBILE AR IN THE PI'S EXISTING COURSES AND MAKE THEM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. COLLABORATION WITH AR TECHNOLOGY LEADERS AND DOMAIN EXPERTS WILL EASE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND EXPOSE STUDENTS TO REAL-WORLD AR PRODUCTS. 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.

DIVERSITY SUPPLEMENT TO SUPPORT MS. BRYHANNAH YOUNG - PLEASE SEE RESEARCH STRATEGY SECTION.

BIOENGINEERED MODELS OF INTRAMURAL UTERINE FIBROIDS: A DUAL-PLATFORM APPROACH TO STUDY MOLECULAR TRANSPORT BARRIERS AND BIOCHEMICAL INTERACTIONS - PROJECT SUMMARY UTERINE FIBROIDS, ALSO KNOWN AS LEIOMYOMA, AFFECT 70-80% OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE AND CARRY SIGNIFICANT HEALTH AND ECONOMIC BURDENS. FIBROIDS ARE BENIGN FIBROPROLIFERATIVE TUMORS CHARACTERIZED BY EXCESSIVE EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX (ECM) DEPOSITION AND REMODELING THAT ALTERS THE BIOPHYSICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL MICROENVIRONMENT, CELL INTERACTIONS, AND ACCESS TO SIGNALING MOLECULES (I.E., HORMONES, GROWTH FACTORS) AND TREATMENTS. YET, KNOWLEDGE GAPS REMAIN REGARDING HOW THESE FACTORS INFLUENCE FIBROID BEHAVIOR, AND THERE ARE LIMITED PRECLINICAL IN VITRO MODELS FOR UTERINE FIBROIDS THAT RECAPITULATE 3D TISSUE ARCHITECTURE, CELL INTERACTIONS, AND RELEVANT MICROENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT NEED FOR IMPROVED IN VITRO MODELS FOR UTERINE FIBROIDS WITH PATHOPHYSIOLOGICALLY RELEVANT CELL INTERACTIONS, TUNABLE BIOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES, AND BIOCHEMICAL SIGNALING TO EFFECTIVELY STUDY FIBROID BIOLOGY AND ADVANCE THERAPEUTIC DEVELOPMENT. THE PROPOSAL OBJECTIVE IS TO LEVERAGE TWO NOVEL IN VITRO MODELS OF UTERINE FIBROIDS—ONE WITH TUNABLE TRANSPORT PROPERTIES AND ONE REPRESENTING INTRAMURAL UTERINE FIBROIDS (FIBROIDS SURROUNDED BY MYOMETRIUM)—TO STUDY HOW ALTERED SIGNALING FROM SEX HORMONES (ESTROGEN, PROGESTERONE), OBESITY, AND THERAPEUTICS AFFECT FIBROID GROWTH. THIS WORK SUPPORTS THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF DEVELOPING PREDICTIVE IN VITRO MODELS OF UTERINE FIBROIDS—ACROSS ALL SUBTYPES—TO STUDY FIBROID INITIATION, GROWTH, PERSISTENCE, AND RECURRENCE. AIMS WILL TEST THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS THAT FIBROTIC BIOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES WITHIN THE FIBROID MICROENVIRONMENT AND FIBROID-MYOMETRIUM INTERACTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO FIBROID GROWTH AND TREATMENT RESPONSE BY REDUCING MOLECULAR TRANSPORT AND MODULATING THE ACTIVITY OF SEX HORMONES, OBESITY-RELATED FACTORS, AND THERAPEUTICS. THE OBJECTIVE WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY TWO SPECIFIC AIMS: AIM 1 – CHARACTERIZE FIBROID CELL RESPONSES TO MOLECULAR TRANSPORT BARRIERS USING A NOVEL TUNABLE COLLAGEN-ALGINATE INTERPENETRATING POLYMER NETWORK (IPN) MODEL AND AIM 2 – ESTABLISH A SELF- ASSEMBLED MYOMETRIAL TISSUE RING MODEL WITH EMBEDDED FIBROID SPHEROIDS FOR EVALUATING FIBROID CELL RESPONSES TO HORMONES, OBESITY, AND TREATMENT. IN AIM 1, WE WILL CHANGE FABRICATION PARAMETERS FOR TYPE I COLLAGEN-ALGINATE IPN HYDROGELS TO TUNE STIFFNESS TO THAT OF MYOMETRIUM AND FIBROID TISSUE AND REDUCE MOLECULAR TRANSPORT. A TISSUE MODEL WITH A FIBROID-TISSUE SPHERE EMBEDDED WITHIN AN IPN HYDROGEL WILL THEN BE USED TO EVALUATE HOW REDUCED MOLECULAR TRANSPORT OF BIOACTIVE MOLECULES OF VARYING SIZE INFLUENCES FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES, INCLUDING PROLIFERATION, METABOLIC, ACTIVITY, AND APOPTOSIS, USING HIGH THROUGHPUT AND CONTENT MULTIPLEXED ANALYSIS. IN AIM 2, SELF-ASSEMBLED UTERINE SMOOTH MUSCLE TISSUE RINGS WITH EMBEDDED UTERINE FIBROID SPHEROIDS (FIBROID CELLS, FIBROBLASTS) WILL UNDERGO SEPARATE EXPOSURES: 1) ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE HORMONE AT CONCENTRATIONS REPRESENTING A NORMAL MENSTRUAL CYCLE (LUTEAL AND FOLLICULAR PHASE) AND PREGNANCY (THREE TRIMESTERS); 2) CONDITIONED MEDIUM FROM LEAN AND OBESE ADIPOCYTES; 3) CLINICALLY RELEVANT DOSE OF LEUPROLIDE—A GONADOTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONE AGONIST THAT SUPPRESSES ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE PRODUCTION. MODELS WILL BE EVALUATED ON FIBROID GROWTH AND RELATED PROCESSES, PRIMARILY PROLIFERATION, APOPTOSIS, AND ECM PRODUCTION. COLLECTIVELY, THESE STUDIES WILL PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS INTO HOW THE FIBROID MICROENVIRONMENT INFLUENCES FIBROID GROWTH AND TREATMENT RESPONSE, WHILE ESTABLISHING INNOVATIVE IN VITRO MODELS THAT SERVE AS PLATFORMS FOR FUTURE MECHANISTIC AND THERAPEUTIC INVESTIGATION.

INVESTIGATING BLAST-RELATED OVERPRESSURE INJURY AND RECOVERY AT THE NEURONAL, STRUCTURAL, AND BEHAVIORAL LEVELS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT BLAST-RELATED TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (BTBI) RESULTS FROM EXPOSURE TO RAPID OVERPRESSURE WAVES AND IS PREVALENT IN MILITARY SETTINGS BUT ALSO AFFECTS CIVILIAN POPULATIONS. THESE ACUTE MECHANICAL DISRUPTIONS LEAD TO A CASCADE OF SECONDARY EFFECTS THAT LEAD TO NEURODEGENERATION AND PERSISTENT COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS. IT REMAINS UNCLEAR HOW THESE EFFECTS, INCLUDING NEURAL HYPERACTIVITY, INCREASED OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND INFLAMMATION, CONTRIBUTE TO POST- INJURY RECOVERY OR LONG-LASTING DAMAGE. AS A RESULT, NO NEUROPROTECTIVE THERAPIES ARE CONCLUSIVELY RECOMMENDED. EXPERIMENTAL TBI STUDIES ARE CHALLENGING DUE TO WIDE VARIABILITY AMONG EXPERIMENTAL METHODS, ANIMAL MODELS, AND TREATMENT PROTOCOLS, WHICH HAS HAMPERED UNDERSTANDING OF UNDERLYING PATHOLOGY MECHANISMS AS WELL AS THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTICS. THIS PROJECT PROPOSES A NEW, REPRODUCIBLE BTBI MODEL IN THE NEMATODE C. ELEGANS THAT ALLOWS PRECISE CONTROL OF THE BLAST PRESSURE WAVEFORM AND REAL-TIME MEASUREMENT OF NEURONAL ACTIVITY AND BEHAVIOR IN VIVO. INVERTEBRATES SHOW STRIKING SIMILARITIES TO MAMMALS AND, DESPITE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES IN CELL TYPES, PATHWAYS, AND MOLECULES, HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN UNCOVERING FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES IN NEUROBIOLOGY. MAMMALIAN BRAINS ARE VASTLY MORE COMPLEX, AND BLAST OVERPRESSURE WAVES REFLECT AND REFRACT THROUGH BRAIN STRUCTURES RESULTING IN WIDE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATION. NONETHELESS, OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS, SUPPORTED BY PRELIMINARY DATA, IS THAT BLAST OVERPRESSURE ELICITS INJURY IN C. ELEGANS SIMILAR TO MAMMALS AT THE MICROSCALE, NEURON LEVEL, THUS ENABLING THOROUGH AND EFFICIENT EXPLORATION OF BLAST-INDUCED INJURY CONDITIONS AND CELLULAR MECHANISMS. THE OBJECTIVES WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY TWO SPECIFIC AIMS: SPECIFIC AIM 1 WILL ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A BROAD RANGE OF BLAST PARAMETERS, INCLUDING MAGNITUDE, DURATION, WAVEFORM SHAPE, AND REPETITION ON BEHAVIOR, NEURAL FUNCTION, AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE, DEFINING INJURY THRESHOLDS BY THEIR RECOVERY POTENTIAL. SPECIFIC AIM 2 WILL VALIDATE THE METHOD BY EXAMINING THE ROLE OF TWO SECONDARY RESPONSES: NEURAL HYPERACTIVITY AND OXIDATIVE STRESS/INFLAMMATION. WE WILL MODULATE THEM BROADLY USING GENETIC AND PHARMACOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES AND SPECIFICALLY VIA TRPV4 ION CHANNELS AND THE AKT SIGNALING PATHWAY. EFFECTIVE METHODS, DOSES, AND TIME WINDOWS FOR SUPPRESSING EACH PROCESS WILL BE IDENTIFIED BY MONITORING RECOVERY IN NEURAL FUNCTION, STRUCTURE, AND BEHAVIOR OVER HOURS. THIS STUDY IS INNOVATIVE BECAUSE IT USES A NOVEL EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH THAT PERMITS, FOR THE FIRST TIME, LIVE NEURAL RECORDINGS DURING OVERPRESSURE INJURY, PARALLEL EXPOSURE OF MANY (UP TO 100'S) ANIMALS AT ONCE, AND THE ABILITY TO TRACK TBI PROGRESSION WITHIN INDIVIDUALS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT WILL (1) EXPAND UNDERSTANDING OF OVERPRESSURE THRESHOLDS AND REPETITIONS THAT CAUSE INJURY, (2) DELINEATE HOW AND WHEN SECONDARY EFFECTS CONTRIBUTE TO NEURODEGENERATION, (3) ENABLE HIGH-THROUGHPUT EVALUATION OF THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR FUTURE VERIFICATION STUDIES IN MAMMALS, AND (4) CREATE MEANINGFUL RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATES. P. 17

AN EFFICIENT FRAMEWORK FOR CHANNEL STATE DISSEMINATION AND NETWORK SYNCHRONIZATION

NRI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SOFTWARE FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH IN SEMI-AUTONOMOUS TELEOPERATION

ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN LIQUID FILM BOILING A TWO PHASE HEAT TRANSPORT DEVICE DRIVEN BY ELECTRIC CONDUCTION MECHANISM IS AN INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

CAREER: MODULAR ORIGAMI IN SOFT ROBOTIC SYSTEMS

CAREER: INORGANIC-ORGANIC HYBRID MICROREACTORS FOR FUNDAMENTAL STUDY OF CELLULOSE HYDROLYSIS BY SOLID ACIDS

III: SMALL: SCALABLE EVENT TREND ANALYTICS FOR DATA STREAM INQUIRY

FOOT BIOMECHANICS AND METATARSAL STRUCTURE IN RUNNERS WITH MINIMAL AND CUSHIONED SHOES - PROJECT SUMMARY BONE STRESS INJURIES (BSI) ARE OVERUSE INJURIES THAT RESULT FROM THE ACCUMULATION OF MICRODAMAGE IN BONES. THEY ARE AMONG THE MOST COMMON INJURIES IN RUNNING ATHLETES AND MILITARY PROFESSIONALS, ACCOUNTING FOR 20% OF SPORTS MEDICINE OUTPATIENT VISITS. THE METATARSALS BONES IN THE FEET ARE A COMMON LOCATION, ACCOUNTING FOR 38% OF BSI IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETES AND UP TO 58% IN THE MILITARY. RUNNING IS A HIGHLY REPETITIVE ACTIVITY INVOLVING APPROXIMATELY 1000 FOOTSTRIKES PER MILE. BONE ADAPTS TO MECHANICAL STRAIN TO BECOME STRONGER. HOWEVER, WHEN STRAINS ARE TOO HIGH, MICRODAMAGE ACCUMULATES FASTER THAN IT CAN BE REPAIRED AND A BSI CAN RESULT. DURING THE STANCE PHASE OF RUNNING, THE METATARSALS, WHICH ARE LONG AND THIN, EXPERIENCE HIGH BENDING MOMENTS AS THE ARCH OF THE FOOT DEFLECTS DOWNWARD AND GROUND REACTION FORCES INCREASE. THESE BENDING MOMENTS CAUSE HIGH STRAINS ON THE DORSAL SURFACE OF THE METATARSALS. THE FOUR LAYERS OF PLANTAR INTRINSIC MUSCLES (PIMS) HELP TO MITIGATE THE BENDING MOMENTS. WEARING MINIMAL FOOTWEAR, WHICH IS FLEXIBLE AND OFFERS NO EXTERNAL SUPPORT OF THE ARCH, HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY SHOWN TO INCREASE THE SIZE AND STRENGTH OF THE PIMS. IN CONTRAST, CHRONIC SUPPORT OF THE FOOT (E.G. FROM ORTHOTICS) RESULTS IN SIGNIFICANT FOOT WEAKENING. AMONG THE MANY DIFFERENCES, RUNNERS TYPICALLY USE A FOREFOOT STRIKE IN MINIMAL SHOES AND A REARFOOT STRIKE IN SUPPORTIVE SHOES. BECAUSE BOTH BONE AND MUSCLE ADAPT TO HABITUAL MECHANICAL LOADS, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT LONG-TERM RUNNING IN MINIMAL FOOTWEAR WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED PIMS AND METATARSAL STRENGTH COMPARED TO RUNNING IN TRADITIONAL CUSHIONED FOOTWEAR. WE FURTHER HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE BIOMECHANICS ASSOCIATED WITH RUNNING IN MINIMAL FOOTWEAR STIMULATES THESE POSITIVE ADAPTATIONS TO THE MUSCLES AND BONES OF THE FEET. THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY WILL EVALUATE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN FOOT BIOMECHANICS, FOOT STRUCTURE, AND FOOT STRENGTH IN A POPULATION OF MALE AND FEMALE RECREATIONAL RUNNERS WHO ARE HABITUATED TO EITHER MINIMAL OR SUPPORTIVE SHOES. TO UNCOVER THE MECHANISMS THAT EXPLAIN THE BIOMECHANICAL INFLUENCE OF FOOTWEAR ON RISK FACTORS FOR METATARSAL BSI, WE WILL USE A COMBINATION OF QUANTITATIVE IMAGING, BIOMECHANICS, AND MODELING. ALL THREE AIMS WILL USE DATA FROM THE SAME PARTICIPANTS AND EXPERIMENTALLY COLLECTED DATA. AIM 1 WILL EVALUATE THE ROLE OF HABITUAL FOOTWEAR ON FOOT STRUCTURE AND STRENGTH IN THE TWO GROUPS. AIM 2 WILL EVALUATE FOOT BIOMECHANICS, AND AIM 3 WILL QUANTIFY THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN FOOT MUSCLE STRENGTH, FOOT BIOMECHANICS, AND METATARSAL STRENGTH. BY INVESTIGATING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RUNNERS WHO ARE WELL HABITUATED TO EITHER MINIMAL OR CUSHIONED SHOES, WE WILL CLARIFY THE POTENTIAL ROLE THAT FOOTWEAR HAS ON STRENGTHENING THE MUSCLES AND BONES WITHIN THE FOOT. THIS WILL DIRECTLY INFORM INTERVENTIONS IN THE FUTURE TO PREVENT INJURY. BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE IMPACT, THE UNIQUE DATA WILL FORM A FOUNDATION FOR MORE SOPHISTICATED ANALYSES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND LOAD TRANSMISSION WITHIN THE FEET. THIS HAS BROAD APPLICATIONS IN PREVENTING AND TREATING OTHER COMMON FOOT INJURIES AND PROGRESSIVE DEFORMITIES THAT HAVE BIOMECHANICAL PATHOLOGIES, SUCH AS BUNION, COLLAPSING FOOT DEFORMITY, AND PLANTAR FASCIITIS.

CIF21 DIBBS: PD: ENHANCING AND PERSONALIZING EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES THROUGH TOOLS FOR EXPERIMENTATION

GRADUATE ASSISTANCE IN AREAS OF NATIONAL NEED (GAANN)

ASSESSMENT OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM UTILIZING PRINCIPAL DYNAMIC MODE ANALYSIS DURING MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND HYPERBARIC STRESS

MSHOST: A NOVEL HUMAN IN VITRO GENOMEWIDE ASSOCIATION PLATFORM TO STUDY B BURGDORFERI PATHOGENESIS AND GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO LYME DISEASE

III:SMALL: OUTLIER DISCOVERY PARADIGM

MAKING SENSE: SIMULTANEOUS SENSOR CONFIGURATION AND OPTIMAL CONTROL FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS

CAREER: SPATIAL-TEMPORAL IMITATION LEARNING

CAREER: ON THE ENGINEERING OF LIGHT METALS FOR ENHANCED DYNAMIC PROPERTIES AND FATIGUE PERFORMANCE

III: SMALL: COMPLEX EVENT ANALYTICS

CAREER: MIXING AND VORTICITY DYNAMICS IN ACTIVE FLUID SYSTEMS

STUDY OF THE RELIABILITY OF FIRE PATTERN INDICATORS USED IN WILDLAND FIRE INVESTIGATION

CDS&E: NOVEL COMPUTATIONAL MODELS FOR SMART WEARABLE BLOOD GAS MONITOR FOR INFANTS -DESPITE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN MEDICAL WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY, MONITORING OF RESPIRATION PARAMETERS, COMPARED TO OTHER VITAL SIGNS, HAS YET TO BE SUFFICIENTLY INVESTIGATED. THE MAJORITY OF RESPIRATION RESEARCH HAS FOCUSED HEAVILY ON RESPIRATION RATE AND BLOOD OXYGEN SATURATION. DESPITE BEING WELL-KNOWN, THESE ARE ONLY A SUBSET OF RESPIRATION PARAMETERS. BEYOND THAT, BLOOD OXYGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE PARTIAL PRESSURES - CALLED BLOOD GASES - HAVE MEDICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND THE POTENTIAL OF BEING MEASURED NONINVASIVELY. THIS RESEARCH SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSES A SERIOUS AND GLOBAL PROBLEM, RESPIRATION DISORDERS OF INFANTS. RESPIRATORY DISTRESS IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON REASONS FOR INFANT ADMISSION TO THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT AFTER SUCCESSFUL MEDICAL TREATMENT IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT, EARLIER DISCHARGE TO A HOME LIFE WITH REMOTE MONITORING INFRASTRUCTURES COULD IMPROVE THE SURVIVAL CHANCES OF THESE AT-RISK INFANTS. MONITORING PATIENTS WITH RESPIRATORY DISORDERS FROM A HOME SETTING COULD ENHANCE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES, FROM NEONATAL PATIENTS WITH DEVELOPING LUNGS TO ADULTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), WHILE CREATING AND BRINGING NEW LARGE DATA SETS TO THE ATTENTION OF CLINICIANS. CURRENTLY, CONVENTIONAL BLOOD GAS MONITORS EMPLOYED IN CORDED-BEDSIDE EQUIPMENT CAN FIND PLACE IN CLINICAL SETTINGS. HOWEVER, A WIRELESS MINIATURIZED BLOOD GAS MONITORING SYSTEM SUPPORTED WITH COMPUTATIONAL MODELS CAN EXTEND THE USE BEYOND THE HOSPITAL FOR LONG-TERM CARE. BESIDES THESE POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO SOCIETY, THIS PROJECT ADVANCES HARDWARE-SOFTWARE CO-DESIGN FOR WIRELESS WEARABLE SENSORS. MINIATURIZED BLOOD GAS RESEARCH OFFERS UNIQUE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND TECHNICAL DETAILS OF DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES AND DEVELOP TRANSLATIONAL BIOMEDICAL SKILLS. THE INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO PURSUE CAREERS IN RESEARCH AND STEM. THE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT ALLOWS TO INTRODUCE INTERDISCIPLINARY TOPICS AND HANDS-ON EXPERIMENTAL EXPERIENCES TO STUDENTS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A HARDWARE-SOFTWARE INTEGRATION FRAMEWORK FOR A MINIATURIZED, NONINVASIVE, WIRELESS, LUMINESCENCE-BASED OXYGEN SENSING WEARABLE DEVICE WITH AN OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE TOOLKIT. THE TOOLKIT ACCURATELY TRANSLATES THE BLOOD OXYGEN LEVELS BY UTILIZING MEASURED TRANSCUTANEOUS OXYGEN DIFFUSED THROUGH THE SKIN. WITHIN THIS FRAMEWORK, COMPUTATIONAL MODELS OF OXYGEN TRANSPORT IS USED TO ITERATIVELY DESIGN AN ESTIMATION ALGORITHM FOR THE INTELLIGENT SENSOR. THIS SENSOR IS RESILIENT TO NOISE ARISING FROM INTRA- AND INTERPERSONAL VARIATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, AND SENSOR HARDWARE OPERATIONS. THE CORE SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS INCLUDE 1) THE PRESENTATION OF COMPUTATIONAL MODELS OF OXYGEN TRANSPORT INCORPORATING FACTORS AFFECTING SENSOR READINGS SUCH AS WEIGHT, AGE, GENDER, SENSOR DEGRADATION, FOR BUILDING AN ESTIMATION ENGINE, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LITERATURE; 2) THE CREATION OF A NOVEL MINIATURIZED CUSTOM-DESIGNED WEARABLE THAT MEASURES TRANSCUTANEOUS OXYGEN; 3) THE INTEGRATION OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ON A FLEXIBLE MINIATURIZED WEARABLE DEVICE FOR LONG-TERM COMFORTABLE WEAR; 4) THE DETERMINATION OF THE COMPUTATIONAL MODELS? ACCURACY, THE SENSITIVITY OF OVERALL SYSTEM, AND THE SPECIFICITY OF THE SENSOR BY CAPTURING THE DYNAMIC RESPIRATORY PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH LONGITUDINAL DATA. THE DEVELOPED HARDWARE-SOFTWARE PLATFORM IS VALIDATED ON HUMANS. HAVING THE ABILITY OF SENSING VITAL BLOOD OXYGEN PARAMETER WITH A WEARABLE SUPPORTED WITH COMPUTATIONAL MODELS IS UNIQUE, FILLING AN IMPORTANT GAP IN THE MINIATURIZATION OF THE TRANSCUTANEOUS BLOOD GAS SENSOR FOR NONINVASIVE WEARABLE DEVICE 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.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE DOWNSIDE OF PERSEVERANCE--INVESTIGATING AND MOVING STUDENTS BEYOND UNPRODUCTIVE PERSISTENCE

A NOVEL PERSONALIZED FLOW MODELING PARADIGM FOR FETAL AORTA AND ITS VALIDATION WITH FETAL CARDIAC MRI - CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE (CHD) IS THE MOST COMMON BIRTH DEFECT AND A LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AND CHRONIC ILLNESS IN NEWBORNS, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN. PRENATAL SCREENING AND IDENTIFICATION OF CHD ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OF CHD, BUT ITS AVAILABILITY AND ACCURACY ARE CONFINED BY THE LIMITED RESOLUTIONS OF CURRENT FETAL IMAGING TECHNIQUES. PERSONALIZED FLOW MODELING HAS BEEN WIDELY USED TO AUGMENT MEDICAL IMAGING MODALITIES FOR ADULT AND PEDIATRIC HEART DISEASES. HOWEVER, TO DATE, NO VALIDATED MODELS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED FOR FETAL CIRCULATION. THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON COARCTATION OF THE AORTA (COA), A COMMON CHD ACCOUNTING FOR 6-8% OF LIVE BIRTHS WITH CHD. COA OCCURS WHEN A PORTION OF THE AORTA IS NARROWED, USUALLY AT THE ISTHMUS, AND BLOOD FLOW THROUGH IT IS OBSTRUCTED. BOTH FALSE POSITIVE AND FALSE NEGATIVE DIAGNOSES FREQUENTLY OCCUR IN CONTEMPORARY PRENATAL SCREENING AND IDENTIFICATION OF COA. IF THE COA IS SIGNIFICANT AND IS NOT DIAGNOSED AND TREATED IN A TIMELY FASHION, THE NEWBORN OR YOUNG INFANT MAY DEVELOP CARDIOGENIC SHOCK OR MAY DIE. THERE IS AN EMERGING NEED FOR A NOVEL TECHNIQUE THAT PROVIDES NEW METRICS AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE FETAL AORTA. THE PROPOSED WORK AIMS TO (1) DEVELOP A NOVEL, PERSONALIZED FLOW MODELING PARADIGM BASED ON ROUTINELY USED FETAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY THAT ASSESSES HIGH-FIDELITY HEMODYNAMICS OF THE FETAL AORTA. (2) VALIDATE THIS NOVEL PARADIGM IN COMPARISON WITH CUTTING-EDGE FETAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING TECHNIQUES, INCLUDING BOTH PHASE-CONTRAST AND 4D FLOW SEQUENCES. (3) USE THIS PARADIGM TO CONDUCT PILOT STUDIES IDENTIFYING NOVEL HEMODYNAMIC METRICS THAT DISCRIMINATE NORMAL AORTA AND COA IN FETUSES. THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON WALL SHEAR STRESS, WHICH WAS LINKED TO VESSEL DILATION AND REMODELING IN GENERAL AND RECURRENT COARCTATION IN PEDIATRIC AND ADULT PATIENTS WITH REPAIRED COA BUT HAS SCARCELY BEEN DISCUSSED IN THE FETAL AORTA WITH COA. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES AND GAPS IN THE RESEARCH OF FETAL CIRCULATION AND FETAL HEART DISEASE BY PRODUCING A NOVEL, VALIDATED CARDIOVASCULAR FLOW MODELING PARADIGM FOR PERSONALIZED HEMODYNAMICS IN THE FETAL AORTA. THIS PROJECT REPRESENTS THE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND ENDEAVOR TO DEVELOP A RIGOROUSLY VALIDATED PERSONALIZED FLOW MODEL FOR FETAL CIRCULATION. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO DEVELOP PARADIGM-SHIFTING COMPUTATIONAL MODELS FOR FETAL CIRCULATION THAT CAN BE USED TO UNCOVER THE PATHOGENESIS OF ALL CRITICAL CHDS TO IMPROVE DIAGNOSIS/PROGNOSIS AND TO AID IN THE PERSONALIZED TREATMENT/PREVENTION OF COA AND OTHER CRITICAL CHDS. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL YIELD NEW DATA AND KNOWLEDGE ON FETAL AORTIC HEMODYNAMICS, WHICH MAY ENABLE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ETIOLOGY AND IMPROVED DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS OF COA. THE TOOLS AND KNOWLEDGE GENERATED BY THIS PROJECT WILL LAY A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE TRANSLATIONAL STUDIES THAT COULD LEAD TO IMPROVED SCREENING, DIAGNOSIS, AND OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN WITH COA.

III: SMALL: FAIR DECISION MAKING BY CONSENSUS: INTERACTIVE BIAS MITIGATION TECHNOLOGY

SHF: SMALL: KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATED DATA-EFFICIENT DEEP LEARNING

CGV: SMALL: MODEL-DRIVEN VISUAL ANALYTICS ON STREAMS

CSR: SMALL: TOWARDS EFFICIENT DEEP INFERENCE FOR MOBILE APPLICATIONS

BD SPOKES: SPOKE: NORTHEAST: COLLABORATIVE: GRAND CHALLENGES FOR DATA-DRIVEN EDUCATION

CAREER: INVESTIGATION OF BIOLOGICAL SIGNALING WITH COMPLEXES THAT RELEASE ZINC UPON ILLUMINATION WITH LIGHT

CENTER: IUCRC SITE ADDITION WPI: WILDFIRE INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CENTER (WIRC) -IN THE UNITED STATES, THE ADJUSTED IMPACTS OF WILDFIRES EXCEEDED $100 B OVER THE PAST 22 YEARS. A COMMUNITY RESILIENT TO WILDLAND FIRES CAN PREPARE FOR ANTICIPATED SCENARIOS, TAKE MITIGATING ACTIONS, ADAPT TO CHANGING CONDITIONS, MINIMIZE LOSSES DURING THE RESPONSE TO AN EVENT, AND RAPIDLY RECOVER. SCIENTISTS WITH SAN JOS? STATE UNIVERSITY WILDFIRE INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTER (WIRC), AN INDUSTRY UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTER (IUCRC), ARE WORKING TOGETHER WITH WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE (WPI) RESEARCHERS TO HOLISTICALLY INVESTIGATE WILDFIRES. BROADER IMPACTS INCLUDE IMPROVED RESPONSE TO WILDFIRES, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREAS OF DECISION MAKING; DETERMINING RISK; ENSURING RELIABLE ELECTRICAL GRID OPERATIONS AND INFORMING DECISIONS ON GRID CUTOFF; MINIMIZING LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY; AND PROVIDING MORE EFFECTIVE WARNINGS AND PROGNOSTICATION TO POPULATIONS LIVING IN AREAS SUSCEPTIBLE TO WILDFIRE. THE CENTER IS TRAINING THE STEM WORKFORCE TO BECOME FIRE MANAGERS, CITY PLANNERS, FIRE ANALYSTS, AND FIRE METEOROLOGISTS. THE COLLABORATION WILL INCREASE THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS TRAINED IN WILDFIRE RESEARCH, DIVERSIFY THE TYPES OF TRAINING STUDENTS RECEIVE, AND INCREASE STUDENT?S POTENTIAL FOR INTERNSHIPS FROM A BROADER GROUP OF COMPANIES. BOTH INSTITUTIONS WILL CONDUCT ACTIVE OUTREACH USING THEIR CAMPUS PROGRAMS TO INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OF TRAINED STUDENTS. FINALLY, THE PARTNERSHIP EXTENDS THE REACH OF WIRC TO THE EAST COAST WHERE FIRE FREQUENCY AND EXTREME FIRES ARE ALSO INCREASING. COLLECTIVELY, THE CENTER IS CONDUCTING HIGH-IMPACT WILDFIRE RESEARCH TO PROVIDE NEW PREDICTIVE TOOLS AND STRATEGIES TO COMMUNITIES AND INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING FIRST RESPONDERS, RISK ANALYSTS, POLICYMAKERS, COMPANIES, AND UTILITIES. BY PARTNERING WITH WPI, A NEW IUCRC PARTNER SITE TO WIRC, THE COLLECTIVE TEAM WILL ADDRESS SEVERAL KEY TOPICS SYNERGISTIC WITH THE CENTER?S ONGOING WILDFIRE PREDICTION, PREPARATION, AND PREVENTION EFFORTS. FOR EXAMPLE, WPI ADDS CRITICAL RESEARCH DEPTH TO ADDRESS HUMAN SAFETY AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TO WILDFIRE, INCLUDING FIRE SAFETY AT THE WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE; SMALL-SCALE FIRE BEHAVIOR; FIRE IMPACT AT THE FIRE-FRONT LEVEL; FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS, AND FIREFIGHTER SAFETY. IMPROVEMENTS IN UNDERSTANDING OF FIRE SPREAD THROUGH DIFFERENT LAYERS OF VEGETATION, THE CHARACTERIZATION OF FIREBRANDS PRODUCED BY A FIRE-BURNING VEGETATION OR STRUCTURE, THE GENERATION OF RELIABLE FIRE BEHAVIOR DATA USED TO TRAIN AI MODELS, AND THE STUDY OF THE FUNDAMENTAL FIRE-FRONT LEVEL PROCESSES TO DRIVE EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR ARE CRITICALLY NEEDED TO IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND AND MODEL WILDFIRE. BECAUSE OF ITS EMPHASIS ON FIRE PROTECTION, WPI WILL STUDY NEW FIRE DETECTION METHODS, ROBOTICS SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE FIRST RESPONDERS? SAFETY, AND FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS FOR WILDFIRES. ITS STATE-OF-THE-ART FIRE PROTECTION LAB PROVIDES EQUIPMENT TO CONDUCT EXPERIMENTS, ENABLING RESEARCHERS TO EXTRACT FUNDAMENTAL MEASUREMENTS OF FIRE IGNITION AND CONFLAGRATION. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MECHANICAL REGULATION OF CELL DEATH

CAREER: A RED YEAST CELL FACTORY

NSF-DFG: SATC: CORE: SMALL: DEMONSTRATING PRACTICAL PROVABLE SIDE-CHANNEL SECURITY -SIDE-CHANNEL ATTACKS ARE A TYPE OF CYBER ATTACK WHERE THE ADVERSARY LEARNS ABOUT WHAT IS BEING CALCULATED BY OBSERVING EXTERNAL PROPERTIES SUCH AS POWER CONSUMPTION OR ELECTROMAGNETIC EMISSIONS. SIDE-CHANNEL INFORMATION LEAKAGE OF THIS TYPE IS A POTENT THREAT TO CRYPTOGRAPHIC HARDWARE SECURITY, ARISING FROM THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF COMPUTATION. THESE UNINTENTIONAL EMISSIONS CAN BE EXPLOITED TO EXTRACT SENSITIVE DATA, EVEN WHEN CRYPTOGRAPHIC ALGORITHMS ARE MATHEMATICALLY SECURE. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THIS CRITICAL VULNERABILITY BY BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THEORETICAL MODELS OF SIDE-CHANNEL LEAKAGE AND PRACTICAL HARDWARE DESIGN. THE NOVELTIES OF THIS PROJECT INCLUDE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED PHYSICAL PROBING MODELS, SCALABLE VALIDATION TOOLS, AND PROVABLY SECURE DESIGN METHODS. THE PROJECT'S BROADER SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPORTANCE ARE IN ITS POTENTIAL TO FUNDAMENTALLY STRENGTHEN THE PHYSICAL SECURITY OF HARDWARE SYSTEMS USED IN EVERYDAY TECHNOLOGIES BY MAKING SIDE-CHANNEL SECURITY VERIFICATION MORE SYSTEMATIC, PREDICTABLE, AND ACCESSIBLE. THE RESEARCH TEAM DEVELOPS NEW PROBING MODELS THAT REFLECT REAL-WORLD ADVERSARY CAPABILITIES AND INTEGRATES THEM INTO ADVANCED COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN TOOLS. THESE TOOLS ANALYZE VARIOUS FORMS OF SIDE-CHANNEL LEAKAGE AND DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF PHYSICAL DETAIL NEEDED FOR ACCURATE PREDICTIONS. THE RESEARCH TEAM VALIDATES THE NEW PROBING MODELS BY DESIGNING AND FABRICATING A RECONFIGURABLE INTEGRATED CIRCUIT. THIS HARDWARE SERVES AS A TESTBED TO ASSESS THE MODELS AND TO DRIVE MODEL IMPROVEMENTS. THE TEAM ALSO EXPLORES SECURE-BY-CONSTRUCTION DESIGN TECHNIQUES THAT GUARANTEE RESISTANCE TO SIDE-CHANNEL ATTACKS BASED ON FORMAL PROOFS. THE PROJECT LINKS EXPERTS IN SECURE HARDWARE AND FORMAL MODELING ACROSS INTERNATIONAL BORDERS AND ENHANCES THE SCIENTIFIC REACH AND IMPACT OF THE WORK. RESULTS ARE EXPECTED TO ADVANCE THE STATE OF THE ART IN SECURE HARDWARE DESIGN, INFLUENCE INDUSTRY PRACTICES, AND INFORM EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES THROUGH TUTORIALS AND WORKSHOPS IN CRYPTOGRAPHIC ENGINEERING AND DESIGN AUTOMATION. 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.