Clarkson University

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

CLARKSON UNIVERSITY WILL IDENTIFY AND QUANTIFY POLLUTANTS IN GREAT LAKES FISH TO SUPPORT THE GREAT LAKES FISH MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM (GL

THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS THE GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE AND THE GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT PURSUANT TO PUBLIC LAW 111-88. SPECIFICALL

COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING - CONSTRUCTION - PROJECT ADDRESS: CLARKSON UNIVERSITY SCIENCE CENTER, 8 CLARKSON AVENUE, POTSDAM, NY 13699 PROJECT DIRECTOR: KELLY CHEZUM, VICE PRESIDENT FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS EMAIL/PHONE: KCHEZUM@CLARKSON.EDU / 315-268-4483 WEBSITE: CLARKSON.EDU CLARKSON UNIVERSITY IS A 501(C)(3) EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION LOCATED IN THE NORTH COUNTRY OF NEW YORK STATE IN POTSDAM, ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. AS THE LARGEST RURAL REGION IN NEW YORK STATE, THE NORTH COUNTRY IS HOME TO MANY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, MINORITY GROUPS, VETERANS AND PEOPLE LIVING WELL BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. THE NORTH COUNTRY CURRENTLY HAS A RURAL HEALTH CARE ACCESS CRISES AND IS AN UNDERSERVED REGION, IN PART, BECAUSE OF THE INADEQUATE SUPPLY OF HEALTH SCIENCE AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. CLARKSON UNIVERSITY EDUCATES APPROXIMATELY 4,300 STUDENTS ACROSS 95 PROGRAMS, INCLUDING PROGRAMS FOR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, PHYSICAL THERAPIST, AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST OFFERED THROUGH THE LEWIS SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES, AND EMT TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION FOR THE REGION. IN FALL 2023, CLARKSON WILL BEGIN OFFERING AN UNDERGRADUATE HEALTHCARE MAJOR. THE LEWIS SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES IS THE ONLY SCHOOL OF ITS KIND IN THE NORTH COUNTY WITH A FOCUS ON PROVIDING RURAL HEALTH CARE ACCESS. IN ADDITION TO HEALTH CARE PROGRAM OFFERINGS, CLARKSON ALSO PROVIDES LABORATORIES THAT HOST BIOTECHNOLOGY, MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH, HEALTH SCIENCES, ENGINEERING AND CHEMISTRY PROGRAMS. THE EXPANSION OF CLARKSON UNIVERSITY’S SCIENCE CENTER WILL HAVE A BROAD REGIONAL IMPACT, AS IT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE STRUGGLING HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE REGION. THE PROJECT WILL ALLOW FOR GRADUATES AND OTHER MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS TO BE EDUCATED AND TRAINED AND SUBSEQUENTLY ENTER THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE TO SERVE THE PUBLIC IN HOSPITALS, CLINICS, MEDICAL OFFICES AND LABORATORIES THROUGHOUT THE NORTH COUNTRY’S RURAL NETWORKS. CLARKSON UNIVERSITY WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THE INCREASED DEMAND FOR ITS HEALTHCARE AND MEDICAL SCIENC E ADVANCED DEGREE PROGRAMS AND PROVIDE GROUND BREAKING MEDICAL RESEARCH, ULTIMATELY PRODUCING THOUSANDS MORE HEALTH SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS AND RESEARCHERS THAT WILL GO ON TO SERVE THE PUBLIC IN THE REGION. THE CURRENT FACILITY HAS HOUSED THE UNIVERSITY’S RESEARCH LABORATORIES, CLASSROOMS AND RELATED ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES SINCE ITS CONSTRUCTION IN 1971. OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS, OVER 40,000 STUDENTS HAVE PASSED THROUGH THESE FACILITIES, GRADUATED AND COMMENCED THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREERS, MANY IN THE HEALTH CARE FIELD. THE LEWIS SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES MEDICAL DEGREE PROGRAMS HAVE GROWN OVER THE YEARS AND THE UNIVERSITY SEEKS TO TRANSITION AND EXPAND THE RESEARCH AND TRAINING FACILITY TO ACCOMMODATE CONTINUED GROWTH. WITH THE PROPOSED PROJECT, CLARKSON UNIVERSITY WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THE INCREASED DEMAND FOR ITS HEALTH CARE AND MEDICAL SCIENCES ADVANCED DEGREE PROGRAMS BY ADDING NEW SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE MEDICAL RESEARCH, VIRTUAL STEM, BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY AND ENGINEERING LABORATORY FACILITIES, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC SPACE TO CONDUCT THE PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT COMMUNITY-BASED HEALTHCARE TRAINING. THE EXPANDED AND UPGRADED FACILITY WILL ENABLE THE UNIVERSITY TO BETTER EDUCATE AND TRAIN THOUSANDS MORE HEALTH SCIENCES PROFESSIONALS AND RESEARCHERS THAT WILL GO ON TO SERVE THE PUBLIC. WITH THE RENOVATION AND NEW CONSTRUCTION TO THE SCIENCE CENTER, CLARKSON UNIVERSITY WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE EDUCATION, HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES, RURAL HEALTH OUTREACH AND RESEARCH. THE ESTIMATED TOTAL COST OF THE PROJECT IS $40 MILLION. THERE ARE TWO COMPONENTS TO THE PROJECT: CONSTRUCTION/EXPANSION AND RENOVATION. THE COST BREAKOUT IS AS FOLLOWS: CONSTRUCTION/EXPANSION – $25,000,000: EXPANSION DESIGN - $2,300,000 EXPANSION CONSTRUCTION - $21,700,000 EXPANSION EQUIPMENT - $1,000,000 RENOVATION - $15,000,000: RENOVATION DESIGN - $1,200,000 RENOVATION CONSTRUCTION - $12,800,000 RENOVATION EQUIPMENT - $1,000,000

ALLOCATION FOR SECTION 18004(A)(1) OF THE CARES ACT - EMERGENCY FINANCIAL AID GRANTS TO STUDENTS

THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS THE GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE (GLRI) AND THE GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT, PURSUANT TO CLEAN WATER ACT, SECTION 118(C)(7), AS AMENDED BY PUBLIC LAW 114-322, TO PROTECT AND RESTORE THE CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF THE GREAT LAKES BASIN ECOSYSTEM. THE GREAT LAKES FISH MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM (GLFMSP) MONITORS CONCENTRATIONS OF ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN GREAT LAKES WHOLE FISH. SPECIFICALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL MEASURE THE CONCENTRATIONS OF PERSISTENT, BIOACCUMULATIVE TOXIC CONTAMINANTS IN GREAT LAKES LAKE TROUT (WALLEYE AT ONE SITE IN LAKE ERIE'S WESTERN BASIN) AT TWO FIXED SITES IN EACH OF THE GREAT LAKES AND GENERATE TEMPORAL TRENDS OF CONTAMINANT CONCENTRATIONS IN FISH. NOTE THAT THE HEADER OF THIS AWARD CAPTIONS IT AS A GRANT AGREEMENT, WHEREAS, IT IS A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT. EPA IS IMPLEMENTING A NEW GRANT SYSTEM THAT WILL SOON BE UNDERGOING ENHANCEMENTS TO ALLOW FOR MORE ACCURATE DESCRIPTIONS.

SMART RESPONSIVE NANOCOMPOSITES FOR SOLDIER PROTECTION

E-EDUCATION IN RESEARCH ETHICS: CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF ORGANELLE CHEMOTYPE FINGERPRINTING FOR THE FUNCTIONAL INVESTIGATION OF ORGANELLAR CHLORIDE - SUMMARY/ABSTRACT AS ONE OF THE MOST ABUNDANT ANIONS IN THE HUMAN BODY, CHLORIDE PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN HUMAN HEALTH. CHLORIDE HOMEOSTASIS IS MAINTAINED INSIDE THE CELL WHILE THE CHLORIDE LEVEL IS VARIED BASED ON THE FUNCTION OF ORGANELLES. DYSREGULATION OF CHLORIDE HOMEOSTASIS CAUSED BY THE MUTATION OF CHLORIDE CHANNELS RESULTS IN VARIOUS HUMAN DISEASES SUCH AS CYSTIC FIBROSIS (CFTR, >70,000 PEOPLE WORLDWIDE), PROTEINURIA AND KIDNEY STONES (CLC-5, 39 MILLION PEOPLE IN US), OSTEOPOROSIS (CLC-7, 10 MILLION PEOPLE IN US, 43 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE RISK GROUP). ALTHOUGH FIVE FDA-APPROVED CHLORIDE CHANNEL MODULATORS HAVE BEEN REPORTED, THEY ONLY TARGET PLASMA MEMBRANE CHLORIDE CHANNELS DUE TO THE TECHNICAL BARRIER. THERE IS NO FDA-APPROVED OR CLINICAL TRIAL DRUG THAT TARGETS ORGANELLAR CHLORIDE CHANNEL. THE FIELD OF CHLORIDE CHANNEL-TARGETED THERAPY IS STILL UNDER-STUDIED (5 FDA-APPROVED DRUGS, 2 CLINICAL TRIAL) COMPARED TO OTHER CHANNELS SUCH AS CALCIUM, POTASSIUM, AND SODIUM. THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE OF ORGANELLAR CHLORIDE AND THE WELL-CHARACTERIZED CHLORIDE CHANNEL ARE THE BIGGEST ROADBLOCKS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHLORIDE CHANNEL-TARGETED THERAPY. THEREFORE, SUITABLE RESEARCH TOOLS WITH A HIGH RESOLVING ABILITY TO EXAMINE THE ORGANELLE CHLORIDE IN LIVE CELLS IS A HIGHLY URGENT NEED, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO ELUCIDATE THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE OF ORGANELLAR CHLORIDE AND CHARACTERIZE THE CHLORIDE CHANNEL. HOWEVER, THE CURRENT CHLORIDE MEASUREMENT WITH ONE-DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS ONLY SHOWS THE AVERAGE ION LEVEL. IT CANNOT OBSERVE THE CHLORIDE LEVEL CHANGE IN A MINOR SUBSET OF ORGANELLES TRIGGERED BY THE CELLULAR PATHWAY SUCH AS STING AND AUTOPHAGY. FURTHERMORE, THE TYPICAL FLUORESCENCE MEASUREMENT CAN ONLY TELL THE VARIATION OF THE AVERAGE CHLORIDE LEVEL (INCREASE, DECREASE, AND NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE) IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS. THE CURRENT METHODS SIGNIFICANTLY HINDER THE IDENTIFICATION OF DEACTIVATED CELL PATHWAYS OR PROTEIN BASED ON THE CHLORIDE LEVEL MEASUREMENT. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH INTEGRATE ORGANELLE SELECTIVE DUAL REPORTERS, SINGLE ORGANELLE MEASUREMENT, SUB- CELLULAR IMAGING, AND THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS, TO FINGERPRINT THE CHEMOTYPE OF ORGANELLES ALONG WITH STING PATHWAY, AUTOPHAGY, AND MITOCHONDRIAL RESPIRATION. COMPLETION OF THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL FIND OUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE OF ORGANELLAR CHLORIDE WHICH SHED LIGHT ON THE CHLORIDE CHANNEL-TARGETED THERAPY. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORGANELLE CHEMOTYPE FINGERPRINTING TECHNIQUE WILL ALSO PROVIDE TOOLS TO CHARACTERIZE CHLORIDE CHANNELS, EVALUATE CHLORIDE CHANNEL MODULATORS AND IDENTIFY THE DEACTIVATED CELL PATHWAYS OR PROTEINS.

I/UCRC CGI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH - I/UCRC FOR IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH

I/UCRC PHASE II: I/UCRC FOR IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH

"ADVANCEMENT OF INTELLIGENT AEROSPACE SYSTEMS"

CLARKSON UNIVERSITY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

DESCRIPTION:THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP AND VALIDATE NANOSENSING TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATED WITH A NANO-REMEDIATION PLATFORM TO MONITOR AND COMPLETELY DEGRADE PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS) IN WATER.ACTIVITIES:THE SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED ARE 1) VALIDATE THE TECHNOLOGY USING STANDARD METHODS FOR MEASURING PFAS, 2) INTEGRATE THE NANO-CATALYTIC DEGRADATION PLATFORM WITH NANOSENSOR TECHNOLOGY AND TEST THE INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE, AND 3) DEPLOY THE PROTOTYPE AND DEMONSTRATE SENSING AND DEGRADATION CAPABILITIES IN GROUNDWATER, WASTEWATER, AND SURFACE WATER. SUBRECIPIENT:SUBAWARD OF $300,000 TO STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUANTUM RAMAN (QRAMAN) DETECTION AND OPTIMIZATION OF SURFACE ENHANCED RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY FOR QRAMAN. SUBAWARD OF $150,000 TO UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO WILL SUPPORT THE TESTING OF ELECTROCHEMICAL AND RAMAN SYSTEMS ON SAMPLES FROM WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS USING VALIDATION WITH LC-MS/MS ANALYSIS AND TESTING OF PFAS DEGRADATION PRODUCTS FROM THE PHOTOCHEMICAL DEGRADATION. SUBAWARD OF $300,000 TO UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PHOTOCATALYTIC MATERIALS AND ITS EFFICIENCY OF PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF PFAS.OUTCOMES:DELIVERABLES INCLUDE ANNUAL AND FINAL PROJECT REPORTS AS WELL AS A FIELD-READY TECHNOLOGY TO QUANTIFY, REDUCE AND MITIGATE PFAS CONTAMINATION IN GROUNDWATER, WASTEWATER, AND SURFACE WATER. THE EXPECTED OUTCOME OF THE PROJECT IS A COMPREHENSIVE LABORATORY STUDY TO TEST ROBUSTNESS AND ADAPTABILITY OF THE NOVEL NANOSENSING TECHNOLOGY FOLLOWED BY FIELD-SCALE DEPLOYMENT TO GENERATE NECESSARY PERFORMANCE DATA FOR BROADER IMPLEMENTATION. DIRECT BENEFICIARIES OF THIS PROJECT INCLUDE WATER USERS IN THE SAINT REGIS MOHAWK TRIBE AND THE WIDER RURAL NEW YORK REGION, INDUSTRIAL AND MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS, HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

NONLINEAR VISCOELASTIC-VISCOPLASTIC MODEL DEVELOPMENT FOR STRENGTH PREDICTION OF BONDED JOINTS

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT IS TO AWARD THE SECOND YEAR OF FUNDING IN ORDER TO MONITOR AND DEFINE FISH CONTAMINANT PROBLEMS IN THE G

STRATEGIES: THE STUDENT ENABLED NETWORK OF SENSORS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT USING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY (SENSE IT)

CLARKSON UNIVERSITY RONALD E. MCNAIR POST BACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT (MCNAIR) PROGRAM

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

CLARKSON UNIVERSITY RONALD E. MCNAIR POST-BACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT (MCNAIR) PROGRAM

ADVANCING LANGUAGE AND LITERACY FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS (ALL4ELS)

NOYCE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM FOR UPSTATE NEW YORK

PHASE-LOCKED POSTURAL PERTUBATION PSYCHOPHYSICAL MODELS

RONALD E. MCNAIR POSTBACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT

RONALD E. MCNAIR POST-BACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT

NUTRIENT RECOVERY FROM ANAEROBIC DIGESTION DEWATERING SIDESTREAM USING BIPOLAR MEMBRANE ELECTRODIALYSIS

ADVANCING VISUALIZATION AND QUANTIFICATION OF SUBCELLULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR MECHANICS THROUGH MECHANOCHEMICAL PROTOCOLS - PROJECT SUMMARY EXPLORING CELLULAR MECHANICS REPRESENTS A GROUNDBREAKING FRONTIER TO UNRAVEL THE COMPLEXITIES OF LIFE AND DISEASE. FAR FROM BEING STATIC ENTITIES, CELLS ARE DYNAMIC, ACTIVE MATERIALS THAT GENERATE AND SUSTAIN MECHANICAL FORCES, SERVING AS CRITICAL INDICATORS FOR VARIOUS PATHOLOGIES. DESPITE REMARKABLE STRIDES IN CELL MECHANICS, WE STAND IN A NEW ERA THAT BECKONS US TO SURMOUNT MANY CHALLENGES THAT HAVE LONG STYMIED PROGRESS. THESE CHALLENGES SPAN FROM TECHNOLOGICAL OBSTACLES TO LIMITED VERSATILE METHODOLOGIES, EACH REPRESENTING A UNIQUE PUZZLE AND CHALLENGE IN BIOMECHANICS. OUR MIRA PROGRAM EMBARKS ON AN UNPRECEDENTED JOURNEY TO ADDRESS BIOMECHANICS CHALLENGES BY LEVERAGING AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH THAT MELDS THE STRENGTHS OF CHEMISTRY AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. THE PI'S EXPERTISE IN MECHANOCHEMISTRY, MECHANICAL SENSING, AND FLUORESCENT MICROSCOPY HAS POSITIONED HIM AS A SUITABLE RESEARCHER TO USE MECHANOCHEMICAL PROTOCOLS TO VISUALIZE BIOMECHANICAL MAPPING INTO SUBCELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LEVELS. WE WILL ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING CHALLENGES: FIRST, THE CELL MECHANICS FIELD LACKS A VERSATILE TECHNIQUE FOR QUANTIFYING MULTISCALE CELL MECHANICS. EXISTING METHODS LIKE ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY (AFM) AND FLUORESCENCE RESONANCE ENERGY TRANSFER (FRET) OFFER PARTIAL SOLUTIONS BUT COME WITH THEIR OWN SETS OF LIMITATIONS, SUCH AS INTRICATE SETUPS, SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE, AND LOW THROUGHPUT. SECOND, HIGH-PRECISION, REAL-TIME FORCE MEASUREMENTS AT THE NANOSCALE ARE MISSING. WHILE AFM PROVIDES NANOSCALE RESOLUTION, ITS LIMITATIONS FOR IN VIVO APPLICATIONS AND THE VISCOELASTIC NATURE OF CELLS ADD LAYERS OF COMPLEXITY THAT FURTHER COMPLICATE DATA INTERPRETATION. THIRD, THE OBSTACLE OF ACCURATELY MEASURING IN VIVO DYNAMIC BIOMECHANICAL REGULATIONS IS A SIGNIFICANT HURDLE IN CELL MECHANICS. EXISTING TECHNIQUES, ALTHOUGH PRECISE, ARE GENERALLY UNSUITABLE FOR IN VIVO APPLICATIONS DUE TO THEIR INVASIVE NATURE AND COMPLEX SETUPS. THE DYNAMIC MILIEU OF LIVING SYSTEMS FURTHER COMPLICATES THE ISSUE, DEMANDING RAPID AND CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENTS. THESE CHALLENGES ARE NOT MERE OBSTACLES; THEY ARE OPPORTUNITIES, BECKONING US TO INNOVATE, EXPLORE, AND REVOLUTIONIZE BIOMECHANICS. AS WE EMBARK ON THIS EXHILARATING JOURNEY, WE ARE NOT JUST SOLVING PUZZLES BUT PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE, OPENING NEW AVENUES FOR RESEARCH AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS. THIS MIRA PROGRAM WILL ESTABLISH A PIONEERING ANALYTICAL PLATFORM FOR BIOMECHANICS, FROM BUILDING A COMPREHENSIVE LIBRARY OF MOLECULAR FORCE GAUGES (MFGS), INTEGRATING THESE FORCE GAUGES INTO VARIOUS BIOLOGICAL TARGETS FOR PRECISE BIOMECHANICAL MEASUREMENTS, TO DEVELOPING A STATE-OF-THE-ART SUPER-RESOLUTION BIOMECHANICAL MICROSCOPY BM-STORM TO VISUALIZE AND QUANTIFY CELLULAR AND SUBCELLULAR BIOMECHANICS WITH UNPRECEDENTED DETAIL. OUR RESEARCH AGENDA WILL BE BASED ON A THREE-FOLD APPROACH. FIRST, WE WILL PIONEER A COMPREHENSIVE LIBRARY OF MOLECULAR FORCE GAUGES (MFGS) DESIGNED TO OFFER UNPRECEDENTED INSIGHTS INTO CELLULAR AND SUBCELLULAR MECHANICS. THESE MFGS ARE INGENIOUSLY ENGINEERED TO UNDERGO OPTICAL OR LUMINESCENT TRANSFORMATIONS IN RESPONSE TO MECHANICAL FORCES, SERVING AS REAL-TIME, NANOSCALE FORCE SENSORS. OUR APPROACH ADDRESSES THE LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES LIKE FLIPPER PROBES AND FRET, OFFERING A MORE DIRECT AND VERSATILE METHOD FOR FORCE QUANTIFICATION. SECOND, WE WILL UTILIZE THESE MFGS TO SENSE BOTH COMPRESSIVE AND TENSILE FORCES ACROSS VARIOUS BIOLOGICAL TARGETS. THIS DUAL-MODE OPERATION ENRICHES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MEMBRANE MECHANICS AND OFFERS A ROBUST AND RELIABLE METRIC FOR TENSION MEASUREMENTS. THIRD, WE WILL DEVELOP AN INNOVATIVE SUPER-RESOLUTION BIOMECHANICAL MICROSCOPY, BM-STORM, TO VISUALIZE AND QUANTIFY CELLULAR AND SUBCELLULAR BIOMECHANICS WITH UNPRECEDENTED DETAIL. THIS SYSTEM LEVERAGES MECHANICAL FORCE TO CONTROL THE SWITCHING BETWEEN BRIGHT AND DARK STATES OF MFGS, OFFERING A BIOMECHANICAL COUNTERPART TO STOCHASTIC OPTICAL RECONSTRUCTION MICROSCOPY (STORM). OUR MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH WILL ADDRESS THE MOST PRESSING CHALLENGES IN BIOMECHANICS, FROM MULTISCALE FORCE QUANTIFICATION TO REAL-TIME, IN VIVO IMAGING. THROUGH THESE INNOVATIONS, WE WILL ELEVATE THE FIELD OF BIOMECHANICS TO AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL. OUR APPROACH IS INHERENTLY FLEXIBLE, ALLOWING FOR THE SEAMLESS INCORPORATION OF OTHER POSSIBLE MFGS AND THE ADOPTION OF OTHER NEW SUPER-RESOLUTION MICROSCOPY TECHNIQUES. OUR LONG-TERM VISION, SPANNING 5 TO 20 YEARS, IS TO EVOLVE THIS BIOMECHANICAL MEASUREMENT PLATFORM INTO A ROBUST, RELIABLE, AND VERSATILE SET OF PROTOCOLS. THIS WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR GROUNDBREAKING ADVANCEMENTS, INCLUDING IN VIVO BIOMECHANICAL TESTING, THREE-DIMENSIONAL BIOMECHANICAL MAPPING, AND DEEP-TISSUE BIOMECHANICAL MONITORING.

TRIO - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

BUILDING RURAL ASPIRATIONS IN NEUROSCIENCE WITH SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (BRAIN-STEM) - THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS SEPA R25 PROJECT IS TO INCREASE RURAL STUDENT INTEREST IN PURSUING A CAREER IN THE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS, AND IN SO DOING HELP ADDRESS THE HIGHER MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN RURAL COMMUNITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHORTAGE OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS WE WILL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR RURAL 9TH-12TH GRADE STUDENTS, BUILDING RURAL ASPIRATIONS IN NEUROSCIENCE WITH SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (BRAIN- STEM) THAT WILL USE RESEARCH-BASED STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE KEY MODIFIABLE BARRIERS THAT LIMIT RURAL STUDENT INTEREST IN AND THE ABILITY TO SUCCEED IN HEALTH CARE CAREERS. NAMELY, BRAIN-STEM WILL (1) IMPROVE ACADEMIC, RESEARCH, AND METACOGNITIVE SKILLS IMPORTANT IN SUCCEEDING IN THE STEM SUBJECTS RELEVANT TO HEALTH CARE PROFESSION TRAINING, AND THEREBY INCREASE STUDENTS’ PERCEIVED SELF-EFFICACY IN PURSUING THESE CAREERS, (2) PROVIDE ROLE MODELS AND MENTORS FOR STUDENTS, AND (3) IGNITE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT INTEREST IN THE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS. THESE AIMS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH 5-DAY SUMMER CAMPS AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS. THE SUMMER CAMP IS DESIGNED TO SPARK STUDENT INTEREST IN THE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS AND INTRODUCE ACADEMIC, RESEARCH AND METACOGNITIVE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT. THESE TOPICS WILL BE COVERED IN MORE DEPTH DURING THE AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM. BOTH THE SUMMER CAMP AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM CURRICULA WILL INCLUDE A COMBINATION OF ESTABLISHED (E.G., INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING) AND INNOVATIVE (E.G., METACOGNITIVE SKILL DEVELOPMENT) PEDAGOGICAL TECHNIQUES THAT WILL CONFORM TO THE NGSS STANDARDS. IMPORTANTLY, THE BRAIN-STEM CURRICULUM WILL BE DEVELOPED IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH OUR TEACHER PARTNERS. BRAIN-STEM PARTICIPANTS WILL WORK EXTENSIVELY WITH CLARKSON FACULTY AND NEAR-PEER STUDENTS, WHO WILL SERVE AS MENTORS AND ROLE MODELS. THESE MENTORS AND ROLE MODELS ALONG WITH OUR TEACHER PARTNERS WILL BE TRAINED IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS THAT WILL ENABLE THEM TO GUIDE STUDENTS THROUGH THE RESEARCH PROCESS; DEVELOP ACADEMIC, RESEARCH AND METACOGNITIVE SKILLS; TEACH THE PROCESS OF EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE; AND PROVIDE ENCOURAGEMENT TO PURSUE HEALTHCARE-RELATED CAREERS. TO IGNITE STUDENT INTEREST IN THE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS BRAIN-STEM WILL HAVE STUDENTS WORK ON TWO BRAIN-RELATED CLINICAL PROBLEMS THAT ARE PERSONALLY RELEVANT, IMPORTANT, AND HAVE LOCAL SIGNIFICANCE: ADDICTION AND CONCUSSION. FINALLY, ALL CURRICULUM AND BEST PRACTICES WILL BE BROADLY DISSEMINATED THROUGH A STATE-OF THE ART WEB APPLICATION, OPEN-SOURCE LESSON PLANS, JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS, CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS, AND A BROAD RANGE OF OTHER DELIVERY MECHANISMS (SUBSEQUENT CAMPS, ACADEMIC YEAR ENRICHMENT CLASS, AND INTEGRATED INTO OTHER OUTREACH PROGRAMS). BRAIN-STEM WILL ACCOMPLISH ALL OF THIS BY LEVERAGING CLARKSON UNIVERSITY’S FACULTY EXPERTISE AND STRONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH SURROUNDING SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS.

PFI:BIC - DEVELOPING ADVANCED RESILIENT MICROGRID TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE DISASTER RESPONSE CAPABILITY

STEM LEADERSHIP, EQUITY, AND ADVANCEMENT FOR FACULTY

CYBERTRAINING: IMPLEMENTATION: MEDIUM: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: COMPUTATIONAL AND DATA-CENTRIC ECOLOGY TRAINING

CRITICALITY AND INFORMATION FRAGILITY IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS - 10.4.2 INFORMATION STRUCTURE, CAUSALITY, AND DYNAMICS FOR CONTROL

PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRANT IS TO CREATE AN INTEGRATED MERGE AMONG ELECTRICAL GENERATION/CHARGING /DELIVERY SYSTEMS BY BUILDING AN ELECTRIC AUTONOMOUS DRIVING POD (EADP),POWERED BY RENEWABLE ENERGY-ENABLED CHARGING STATION FOR AN ON-CAMPUS DEMONSTRATION.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE PROPOSAL WILL PERFORM THE FOLLOWING TWO ACTIVITIES:THRUST 1: DEVELOPMENT OF AUTONOMOUS DRIVING POD WITH ADVANCED SENSING ANDCOMPUTING, TO INCLUDE:1) REAL-TIME COMPUTING FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE WORKLOADS2) IMAGE ENHANCEMENT ALGORITHMS UNDER LOW-LIGHT SCENARIO3) MAPS, QUEUING, SERVICE, AND SYSTEM OPTIMIZATIONSTHRUST 2: DEVELOPMENT OF A COMBINED SOLAR/WIND CHARGING STATION AND GRID INTEGRATION EXPECTED OUTCOMES: A TESTBED TO GENERATE ELECTRICAL POWER, STORE IT IN A BATTERY-BANK-BASED CHARGING STATION, AND DELIVER IT TO END-USERS USING AN ELECTRIC AUTONOMOUS DRIVING POD.INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION INDUSTRY, ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS, ROBOT SYSTEM INTEGRATORS, ELECTRIC VEHICLE OWNERSSUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT INTEND TO SUBAWARD FUNDS.

ITR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BIOMETRICS -- PERFORMANCE, SECURITY AND SOCIAL IMPACT

A VISCOELASTIC-PLASTIC APPROACH TO STATIC STRENGTH PREDICTION OF BONDED JOINTS

EXPANDQISE: TRACK 1: QUANTUM WALK ADVANTAGE IN ALGORITHM AND PROTOCOL DESIGN -NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: THE PROJECT HOLDS SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL TO ADVANCE THE FIELD OF CONTINUOUS-TIME QUANTUM WALK, AN IMPORTANT AND VERSATILE MODEL WITH BROAD INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS SUCH AS GRAPH ANALYTICS, QUANTUM CHEMISTRY SIMULATION, AND CRYPTOGRAPHY. THIS RESEARCH CAN ENHANCE QUANTUM SOFTWARE TOOLS AND FOSTER COLLABORATION ACROSS DIVERSE FIELDS, INCLUDING QUANTUM PHYSICS, MATHEMATICS, AND PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT INTEGRATES A ROBUST EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT, FOCUSING ON CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF QUANTUM COMPUTING TALENT, PARTICULARLY AMONG UNDERREPRESENTED DEMOGRAPHICS. BY DEVELOPING NEW COURSE MATERIALS INCORPORATING QUANTUM WALK CONCEPTS, THE PROJECT AIMS TO DEEPEN STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF QUANTUM PHYSICS, ALGORITHMS, AND GRAPH THEORY, THUS PROMOTING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY WITHIN STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS) EDUCATION. DISSEMINATION EFFORTS WILL ENSURE WIDESPREAD VISIBILITY AND ADOPTION OF THE PROJECT'S FINDINGS, FOSTERING A COLLABORATIVE AND VIBRANT QUANTUM COMPUTING COMMUNITY. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: THE PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP HIGH-FIDELITY QUANTUM TRANSPORT PROTOCOLS USING CONTINUOUS-TIME QUANTUM WALKS, LEVERAGING UNIQUE PROPERTIES TO TRANSCEND THE LIMITATIONS OF STANDARD QUANTUM WALKS. THIS INCLUDES DESIGNING PROTOCOLS THAT VIOLATE CONVENTIONAL LIMITATIONS, SUCH AS MONOGAMY AND SPEED LIMITS OF PERFECT STATE TRANSFER, WITH APPLICATIONS IN DYNAMIC STATE TRANSFER AND CRYPTOGRAPHY. THE PROJECT ALSO FOCUSES ON DESIGNING ROBUST QUANTUM SEARCH ALGORITHMS ON REALISTIC NETWORKS, ANALYZING THE EFFECTS OF NOISE AND PERTURBATION, AND OPTIMIZING QUANTUM SEARCH ON SPECIFIC GRAPH STRUCTURES. ADDITIONALLY, A NEW DOMAIN-SPECIFIC QUANTUM PROGRAMMING SYSTEM WILL BE DEVELOPED TO SUPPORT CONTINUOUS-TIME QUANTUM WALK APPLICATIONS, FEATURING LANGUAGE PRIMITIVES AND OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHMS TAILORED FOR THIS MODEL. THESE EFFORTS COLLECTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO ADVANCING THE THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS, ALGORITHMIC CAPABILITIES, AND PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF QUANTUM COMPUTING APPLICATIONS USING CONTINUOUS-TIME QUANTUM WALK, ULTIMATELY ENRICHING THE BROADER QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ECOSYSTEM. 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.

YONGMING LIU / CLARKSON UNIVERSITY VALIDATION AND UNCERTAINTY MANAGEMENT OF PROGNOSTIC ALGORITHMS OBJECTIVES: I. DEVELOP A GENERAL PROBABILISTIC FA

ADVANCE PARTNERSHIP: STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP FOR ALIGNMENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN STEM (SPACES) -ALTHOUGH RESEARCH USING COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH (CER) METHODS IS FUNDED BY SEVERAL FEDERAL AGENCIES, CER IS STILL UNDERVALUED WITHIN THE BROADER STEM DISCIPLINE CULTURE, AND OFTEN, IT IS CLASSIFIED AS ?SERVICE? DURING STEM FACULTY ANNUAL REVIEW, TENURE, AND PROMOTION PROCESSES. THIS PROJECT POSITS THAT THE SYSTEMIC UNDERVALUATION OF CER CONTRIBUTES TO THE ATTRITION OF MANY FACULTY THAT IDENTIFY AS WOMEN AND UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY WOMEN (URMWF) WHO FREQUENTLY ENTER ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING (ENVE) MOTIVATED TO ADDRESS SOCIETALLY IMPORTANT PROBLEMS. THIS ADVANCE PARTNERSHIP PROJECT TITLED ?STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP FOR ALIGNMENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN STEM (SPACES)? WILL ENHANCE THE UNDERSTANDING AND AWARENESS OF RIGOROUS CER RESEARCH AND ITS VALUE TO THE ENVE DISCIPLINE AND SOCIETY, ESPECIALLY AS CONDUCTED BY URMWF. THIS IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT AMONG 11 ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, ENVE DISCIPLINE?S PRIMARY PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES (AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS & SCIENTISTS, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR AEROSOL RESEARCH, ASSOCIATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING & SCIENCE PROFESSORS, WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION), AND AN NSF INITIATIVE FOCUSED ON CER THROUGH THE NATIONAL RESEARCH TRAINEESHIP PROGRAM. SPACES WILL LEVERAGE THE STRENGTH OF THE SPACES PARTNERSHIP, GAINS MADE IN GENDER REPRESENTATION IN ENVE, AS WELL AS THE JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (JEDI) INITIATIVES UNDERWAY IN ENVE AND PUBLIC HEALTH. THE PROJECT AIMS TO PRODUCE A STRUCTURAL MODEL, OPERATIONALIZED AS AN INSTITUTIONAL SCORECARD, THAT WILL RESULT IN GREATER FACULTY SUCCESS AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRESS FOR THOSE CONDUCTING CER. THE SCORECARD WILL INCORPORATE FACTORS THAT SHAPE TRENDS RELATED TO THE LONGEVITY AND ATTRITION OF URMWF FACULTY IN ENVE AT THE PERSONAL, DISCIPLINARY, AND SOCIETAL LEVELS. THE SCORECARD HAS POTENTIAL TO BE USED IN OTHER ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES. THE PROJECT GOALS ARE TO (1) INCREASE THE RETENTION AND PROMOTION OF URMWF IN ENVE; (2) TRANSFORM THE CLIMATE AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT AND VALUE COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH IN THE ENVE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY; AND (3) ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING AND AWARENESS OF CER RESEARCH AND ITS VALUE TO THE ENVE DISCIPLINE AND SOCIETY, ESPECIALLY AS CONDUCTED BY URMWF. THE NSF ADVANCE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO FOSTER GENDER EQUITY THROUGH A FOCUS ON THE IDENTIFICATION AND ELIMINATION OF ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS THAT IMPEDE THE FULL PARTICIPATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF DIVERSE FACULTY IN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS. ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS THAT INHIBIT EQUITY MAY EXIST IN POLICIES, PROCESSES, PRACTICES, AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND CLIMATE. ADVANCE PARTNERSHIP AWARDS PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE ADAPTATION AND ADOPTION OF EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES TO ACADEMIC, NON-PROFIT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND NON-ACADEMIC, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. 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.

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** GLOBAL FOOD PRODUCTION RELIES ON THE USE OF PHOSPHATE FERTILIZERS FOR THE TREATMENT OF CROPS, MAKING PHOSPHORUS (P) ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE, NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE IN AGRICULTURE. ABOUT 80% OF MINED P ENDS UP IN FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES, AND ANIMAL FEEDS, AND ALMOST HALF IS LOST THROUGH SOIL LEACHING AND EROSION, WHICH FURTHER LEADS TO EUTROPHICATION WITH SEVERE CONSEQUENCES ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH. THIS ACCUMULATION OF P IN WATER LEADS TO EXCESSIVE FORMATION OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS PRODUCING TOXINS, WHICH KILL FISH, POLLUTE DRINKING WATER, AND NEGATIVELY IMPACT TOURISM. MANY AGRICULTURAL FIELDS WITH POORLY DRAINED SOILS REMAIN SATURATED FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME AND OFTEN EXPERIENCE SURFACE PONDING. TILE DRAINAGE (TD) ARE USED IN AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES ON THOSE FIELDS TO EXTEND GROWING SEASON AND INCREASE CROP YIELDS, WHERE EXCESS NUTRIENTS MAY ENTER RECEIVING WATER THROUGH TD DISCHARGE.USING STATE-OF-THE-ART INNOVATIONS IN NANOTECHNOLOGY, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP NOVEL ADSORBENTS AND FILTRATION SYSTEMS TO MITIGATE THE TRANSPORT RISK OF P RELEASE FROM TILE DRAINAGE, WHILE RECOVERING THIS NONRENEWABLE RESOURCE FOR FURTHER USE AS A FERTILIZER. THE OUTCOME WILL BE A NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN BE USED TO OPTIMIZE AND CONTROL THE UTILIZATION OF P, MITIGATE ITS HARMFUL EFFECTS, AND THUS IMPROVE WATER QUALITY AND AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT. THIS PRACTICE WOULD ESSENTIALLY CLOSE THE LOOP AND HELP RESTORE OUR REGIONAL AND NATIONAL NUTRIENT BALANCES, CONTRIBUTING TO THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURE IN HUMID REGIONS.THE PROJECT IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES OF A1511 AGRICULTURE SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY: NANOTECHNOLOGY FOR AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SYSTEMS PROGRAM.

CRI II-NEW: IIS: OMNIVIEW MULTI-MODAL SENSOR LABORATORY FOR UNDERSTANDING HUMAN INTERACTIONS IN UBIQUITOUS ENVIRONMENTS

DEVELOPMENT OF A MINI LOW TURBULENCE INLET (MLTI) FOR STRATOSPHERIC AEROSOL SAMPLING

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** ANAEROBIC DIGESTION (AD) OF FARM RESIDUES CAN BENEFIT FARMERS NOT ONLY AS A RENEWABLE HEAT AND POWER SOURCE, BUT ALSO THROUGH SOLIDS RECOVERY, ODOR, PATHOGEN, AND VECTOR ATTRACTION REDUCTION WHILE PRODUCING A STABILIZED SOLIDS FERTILIZER. WHILE AD INSTALLATIONS AT LARGE FARMS HAVE INCREASED IN THE U.S., SMALLER FARMS HAVE NOT TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AD TECHNOLOGY. WE AND OTHERS HAVE DEMONSTRATED ON THE PILOT-SCALE THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF MODULAR AD TECHNOLOGY FOR DAIRY FARMS OF SMALL TO MEDIUM SCALE (25-500 COWS). YET, OUR RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT SMALL-TO-MEDIUM-SCALE FARMERS WITH INTEREST STILL PERCEIVE ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL HURDLES OF AD TECHNOLOGIES ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO THE INTERGRATION AT THEIR OPERATIONS. THERE REMAINS A KNOWLEDGE GAP BETWEEN POTENTIAL AD USERS AND DEVELOPERS OF AD TECHNOLOGIES: WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THESE FARMERS WILL MAKE BETTER INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT ADOPTION OF AD TECHNOLOGY APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR FARMS IF THEY ARE EXPOSED TO VIABLE SCALE DEPENDENT OPTIONS. OUR GOAL IS TO INTEGRATE OUR PROTOTYPE DIGESTER AT THE CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION FARM WITH EXISTING PROCESSES (E.G. GREENHOUSE, COMMERCIAL KITCHEN) AND ORGANIC WASTES FROM PRODUCERS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO SOURCE SEPARTE THEIR SOLID WASTE TO OPTIMIZE ENERGY, NUTRIENT FLOWS AND USE IT TO EDUCATE STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT AD SYSTEMS FOR SMALLER-TO-MEDIUM DAIRY FARMS. DATA ON SYSTEM PERFORMANCE, ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS WILL BE BROADLY DISSEMINATED TO PROMOTE ADOPTION OF INTEGRATED AD TECHNOLOGY.

CAREER: THE EFFECTS OF SPATIAL STRUCTURE AND HETEROGENEITY ON LOCAL ADAPTATION, DIVERSIFICATION, AND DISPERSAL EVOLUTION: EXPERIMENTAL TESTS AND STATISTICAL MODELS -MOST SPECIES LIVE IN COMPLEX AND VARIABLE ENVIRONMENTS. VARIATION IN WITHIN AN ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS WHERE SPECIES LIVE, HOW THEY MOVE AROUND, AND HOW THEY INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER. THIS, IN TURN, CAN INFLUENCE HOW THEY EVOLVE. UNDERSTANDING AND PREDICTING EVOLUTION IN COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTS HAS MANY IMPORTANT APPLICATIONS. THESE INCLUDE THE MANAGEMENT OF THREATENED SPECIES AND COMBATING RAPIDLY EVOLVING PATHOGENS SUCH. THIS PROJECT USES MATHEMATICAL MODELS AND LAB EXPERIMENTS WITH BACTERIA TO EXPLORE HOW VARIATION IN AN ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS EVOLUTION. RESULTS FROM THIS WORK WILL ALLOW FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW AND WHEN EVOLUTION IS PREDICTABLE. THE PROJECT ALSO PROVIDES RESEARCH TRAINING FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS, EXPANDED UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM, AS WELL AS AN ENRICHMENT COURSE FOR RURAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EMPHASIZING IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS BETWEEN BIOLOGY AND MATH. IN THE COMPLEX NATURAL WORLD, ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION AND LOCAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ORGANISMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTATION AND DIVERSIFICATION. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF SPATIALLY STRUCTURED AND VARIABLE ENVIRONMENTS ON LOCAL ADAPTATION, EVOLUTIONARY DIVERSIFICATION, AND DISPERSAL USING EVOLUTION EXPERIMENTS WITH POPULATIONS OF THE BACTERIUM, PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS. FIRST, AGENT-BASED MODELS WILL BE DEVELOPED AND USED TO BUILD EXPECTATIONS FOR EVOLUTION OF POPULATIONS LIVING IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPATIALLY HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENTS. THEN, USING THOSE EXPECTATIONS AS A GUIDE, THE EFFECTS OF SPATIAL HETEROGENEITY ON THE EVOLUTION OF THOSE BACTERIAL POPULATIONS WILL BE TESTED USING A UNIQUE SEMI-SOLID AGAR LAB ENVIRONMENT. GENOME SEQUENCE DATA WILL BE COLLECTED AND THEN BE ANALYZED USING NOVEL STATISTICAL MODELS OF MOLECULAR EVOLUTION. THE POPULATION GENOME DATA ANALYSIS WILL PROVIDE A UNIQUE FIRST LOOK AT THE DETAILS OF MOLECULAR EVOLUTION IN SPATIALLY STRUCTURED POPULATIONS. RESULTS FROM THIS RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESSES DRIVING EVOLUTION IN COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTS, ULTIMATELY ALLOWING FOR BETTER PREDICTIVE MODELS OF EVOLUTION IN SPECIES OF ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND HUMAN HEALTH IMPORTANCE. 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.

PA-21-071 FOR PATHEA BRUNO TO CA260126-01 IDENTIFYING A PROTEOMIC SIGNATURE FOR BREAST CANCER DETECTION IN BREAST MILK AND SERUM - PROGRAM DIRECTOR/PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (LAST, FIRST, MIDDLE): DARIE, COSTEL C. SUPPLEMENT APPLICATION (PAR-18-714) FOR CANDIDATE PATHEA BRUNO FUNDED PARENT GRANT CA260126-01: IDENTIFYING A PROTEOMIC SIGNATURE FOR BREAST CANCER DETECTION IN BREAST MILK AND SERUM. PROJECT SUMMARY BREAST CANCER (BC) IN YOUNG WOMEN (REPRODUCTIVE AGE, PRE-MENOPAUSAL) IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED MORTALITY, AND CURRENT METHODS OF DETECTING BC IN THIS GROUP OF WOMEN HAVE KNOWN LIMITATIONS. TOOLS FOR ACCURATELY ASSESSING PERSONAL BC RISK IN YOUNG WOMEN ARE NEEDED TO IDENTIFY THE WOMEN WHO WILL BENEFIT THE MOST FROM EARLIER INTERVENTION. BREAST MILK PROVIDES A NONINVASIVE WAY TO EXAMINE THE HEALTH OF THE BREAST. WE WILL APPLY QUANTITATIVE PROTEOMICS TO A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF BREAST MILK SAMPLES TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A GROUP OF PROTEINS (PROTEOMIC SIGNATURE) THAT CAN BE USED TO DETECT EARLY BREAST CANCER AND PREDICT WHICH WOMEN ARE AT INCREASED RISK OF DEVELOPING BC. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT A SET OF PROTEINS EXIST IN BREAST MILK THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY WOMEN WITH BC AND WOMEN AT INCREASED RISK OF DEVELOPING BC AT A YOUNG AGE. WE ALSO HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE SET OF PROTEINS, DETECTED IN THE BREAST MILK, CAN ALSO BE DETECTED IN THE BLOOD AND BE USED TO DETECT BC IN NON-LACTATING WOMEN. WE WILL IDENTIFY AND QUANTIFY PROTEOMICS BC SIGNATURES IN BREASTMILK AND SERUM THAT ARE BOTH POTENTIAL DIAGNOSTICS AND ALSO INFORM ON PATHWAYS AND PROCESSES THAT ARE DYSREGULATED IN BC. IN AIM 1, WE WILL EMPLOY A MULTIPLE REACTION MONITORING (MRM) APPROACH TO DEVELOP A QUANTITATION METHOD AND THEN USE IT TO QUANTIFY THE PROTEINS IN THE MILK (20 VS 20) AND SERUM (50 VS 50) SAMPLES OF DONORS WITH INVASIVE DUCTAL CARCINOMA (IDC) AND MATCHED CONTROLS, WHICH WERE ALREADY IDENTIFIED AS DYSREGULATED BY OUR LAB OR IN OTHER STUDIES. IN AIM 2, WE WILL PERFORM PEPTIDOMICS ANALYSIS OF THE SAME MILK AND SERUM SAMPLES. WE WILL ANALYZE THEM BY 1) NANOLIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY (NANOLC-MS/MS) AND 2) BY MATRIX ASSISTED LASER DESORPTION IONIZATION MASS SPECTROMETRY (MALDI-MS). THESE TWO METHODS COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER. IN AIM 3, WE WILL USE BIOINFORMATICS APPROACHES TO INVESTIGATE BOTH THE FUNCTION OF THE DYSREGULATED MILK & SERUM PROTEINS AND THEIR ROLE IN ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF BC. THE UNIQUE ASPECTS OF OUR STUDY INCLUDE PROTEOMICS ANALYSIS OF BREAST MILK FOR ASSESSING BC RISK. TRANSLATION OF THE PROTEOMIC SIGNATURE FROM A LOCAL MICROENVIRONMENT (BREASTS) TO A SYSTEMIC ENVIRONMENT (BLOOD) WILL THEN ALLOW ITS USE IN THE DETECTION OF BC IN NON-LACTATING WOMEN. OUR PROPOSAL CAN IMPACT SEVERAL MEDICAL AND RESEARCH AREAS: 1) TO PREVENT BC (PRIMARY PREVENTION), 2) TO IDENTIFY WHAT MAKES THE BREAST SUSCEPTIBLE TO CANCER DEVELOPMENT, AND 3) TO IDENTIFY THE BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAYS THAT FACILITATE BC GROWTH, LEADING TO PREVENTIVE TREATMENTS. THIS AREA GRANT WILL ALSO TRAIN AN EXTENSIVE NUMBER OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND DIRECT THEM TOWARDS CAREERS IN BIOMEDICAL FIELDS. PHS 398/2590 (REV. 06/09) PAGE CONTINUATION FORMAT PAGE

ASPIRE: ACADEMIC SUCCESS PROGRAM TO IMPROVE RETENTION AND EDUCATION FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN STEM

CAREER: LINKING CEMENT CHEMISTRY, MICROSTRUCTURE, AND LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE IN RAPID-SETTING AND SUSTAINABLE BELITIC CALCIUM SULFOALUMINATE CEMENT -THIS FACULTY EARLY CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (CAREER) AWARD SUPPORTS RESEARCH THAT INVESTIGATES THE LONG-TERM DURABILITY PROPERTIES OF BELITIC CALCIUM SULFOALUMINATE (BCSA) CEMENT THROUGH THE LENS OF ITS UNIQUE CHEMISTRY. RAPID-SETTING BCSA CEMENT REDUCES THE IMPACTS OF CONSTRUCTION ON SOCIETY AND ENABLES ACCELERATED RECONSTRUCTION IN THE FACE OF INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURES OR NATURAL DISASTERS. MEANWHILE, THE LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT OF BCSA CEMENT RELATIVE TO TRADITIONAL PORTLAND CEMENT ALIGNS WITH THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, WHICH AIM TO SAFEGUARD GLOBAL HEALTH AND PROSPERITY NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE. THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT RESEARCH THAT SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON HOW, WHEN, AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS RAPID-SETTING BCSA CEMENT SYSTEMS DEVELOP THEIR LONG-TERM DURABILITY PROPERTIES, AN AREA WHICH HAS RECEIVED LITTLE ATTENTION IN THE PAST. THIS AWARD WILL ALSO SUPPORT RESEARCH-INTEGRATED EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES FOCUSING ON PERSONALIZED COMPLEMENTARY LEARNING THROUGH MICRO-CREDENTIAL COURSES AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS, ENHANCING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE US STEM WORKFORCE. THE PRIMARY AIM OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO MAKE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN LATER-AGE HYDRATION PROCESSES AND LONG-TERM DURABILITY IN BCSA CEMENT SYSTEMS, WITH EMPHASIS ON CORROSION RESISTANCE AND ALKALI-SILICA REACTIVITY. TO THAT END, THIS PROJECT WILL (I) CHARACTERIZE THE HYDRATION CHEMISTRY OF BCSA CEMENT AT AGES FROM HOURS TO MONTHS, FOCUSING ON HYDRATION KINETICS, HYDRATE ASSEMBLAGES, PORE SOLUTION COMPOSITIONS, MICROSTRUCTURE EVOLUTION, THERMODYNAMIC MODELING, AND THE INFLUENCE OF CEMENT COMPOSITION AND REACTION CONDITIONS; (II) INVESTIGATE THE TIME DEPENDENCE OF MASS TRANSPORT AND CORROSION PROCESSES IN BCSA CEMENT COMPOSITES, FOCUSING ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH BCSA CEMENT SYSTEMS OF VARIOUS AGES OR MATURITIES PASSIVATE STEEL, BIND CHLORIDES, ENABLE MASS TRANSPORT, AND PROTECT EMBEDDED STEEL FROM CHLORIDE-INDUCED CORROSION; AND (III) CLARIFY THE MECHANISMS OF ALKALI-SILICA REACTION IN BCSA CEMENT COMPOSITES, WITH EMPHASIS ON HOW THE CHANGING HYDRATE ASSEMBLAGE AND PORE SOLUTION CHEMISTRY INFLUENCES THE FORMATION AND EXPANSION OF ASR GELS IN SYSTEMS WITH AGGREGATES OF VARYING REACTIVITY. THIS RESEARCH WILL ADVANCE THE STATE OF KNOWLEDGE IN MATERIALS SCIENCE, CEMENT CHEMISTRY, CONCRETE DURABILITY, AND CORROSION SCIENCE. 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.

ELEMENTS: TASCHIPS: THERMAL ANALYSIS OF SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS WITH HIGH EFFICIENCY, ACCURACY AND RESOLUTION ENABLED BY PHYSICS-AWARE REDUCED-ORDER LEARNING TECHNIQUES -THIS PROJECT DEVELOPS TASCHIPS, AN OPEN-SOURCE, HIGH-PERFORMANCE SIMULATION TOOL FOR THERMAL ANALYSIS OF MODERN MICROPROCESSORS SUCH AS CPUS, GPUS, AND AI-ACCELERATORS. THESE MICROPROCESSORS ARE CENTRAL TO THE NATION?S SCIENTIFIC, ECONOMIC, AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS, BUT INCREASING COMPUTATIONAL DEMANDS LEAD TO SERIOUS OVERHEATING CHALLENGES THAT CAN DEGRADE PERFORMANCE, RELIABILITY, AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF THESE MICROPROCESSORS. TASCHIPS ADDRESSES THESE CHALLENGES BY ENABLING FAST AND ACCURATE PREDICTION OF CHIP TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTIONS, ALLOWING RESEARCHERS AND ENGINEERS TO DESIGN MORE RELIABLE, SUSTAINABLE, ENERGY-EFFICIENT SYSTEMS. ITS PHYSICS-BASED LEARNING ALGORITHMS DELIVER ACCURATE REAL-TIME THERMAL MODELING CAPABILITIES AT RESOLUTIONS COMPARABLE TO DIRECT NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS (DNS) WITH COMPUTATIONAL SPEEDS EVEN FASTER THAN DYNAMIC THERMAL CIRCUITS. SUCH CAPABILITIES ALLOW APPROPRIATE RUN-TIME ASSIGNMENTS AND REDISTRIBUTIONS OF WORKLOADS BASED ON DYNAMIC HOT SPOT DISTRIBUTIONS IN THE MICROPROCESSORS. TASCHIPS WILL BE FREELY AVAILABLE TO THE BROADER RESEARCH COMMUNITY, WITH EXTENSIVE DOCUMENTATION AND CASE STUDIES, AND INTEGRATED INTO EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. THE PROJECT SUPPORTS NATIONAL INTERESTS BY ENABLING BETTER COMPUTING INFRASTRUCTURE, ENGAGING STEM STUDENTS IN RESEARCH THROUGH A REU PROGRAM, AND PROMOTING INNOVATION IN THERMAL-AWARE DESIGN FOR NEXT-GENERATION COMPUTING SYSTEMS. TASCHIPS INTEGRATES PHYSICS-AWARE REDUCED-ORDER LEARNING MODELS REVISED FROM PROPER ORTHOGONAL DECOMPOSITION AND GALERKIN PROJECTION (POD-GP) TO ENABLE EFFICIENT AND HIGH-FIDELITY THERMAL SIMULATION OF SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS WITH TENS TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CORES. THE TOOL INCLUDES MULTIPLE MODELING APPROACHES (GPOD-GP, ENPOD-GP, LENPOD-GP, AND MUPOD-GP) EACH DESIGNED FOR CHIPS OF VARYING COMPLEXITY AND SCALE. THESE MODELS ARE TRAINED ON HIGH-RESOLUTION SIMULATION DATA AND RIGOROUSLY ENFORCE PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES OF HEAT TRANSFER THROUGHOUT THE COMPUTATION, ENABLING BOTH SUBSTANTIAL SPEEDUPS AND FINE RESOLUTION OVER EXISTING THERMAL SIMULATORS, WHILE MAINTAINING A LEAST SQUARE ERROR ~1%. TASCHIPS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED VIA GITHUB WITH BOTH CPU- AND GPU-BASED IMPLEMENTATIONS. COLLABORATORS ACROSS DOMAINS SUCH AS REAL-TIME SCHEDULING, CARBON MODELING, AND POWER SYSTEMS SIMULATION WILL GUIDE USE-CASE-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT. THROUGH THIS EFFORT, TASCHIPS WILL ADVANCE CHIP-LEVEL THERMAL SIMULATION, SUPPORT INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH, AND PROVIDE A FOUNDATION FOR SCALABLE, REAL-TIME THERMAL MANAGEMENT TOOLS IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING. THIS AWARD BY THE OFFICE OF ADVANCED CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE IS JOINTLY SUPPORTED BY THE DIVISION OF GRADUATE EDUCATION WITHIN THE DIRECTORATE FOR STEM EDUCATION. 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.

DMS/NIGMS 1: MULTISCALE MODELING OF NOTCH SIGNALING DURING LONG-RANGE LATERAL INHIBITION - THE SPATIOTEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF MORPHOGENS CONTRIBUTES TO THE ORGANIZED DEVELOPMENT OF TISSUES AND ORGANS. ONE MODEL OF MORPHOGEN DISTRIBUTION IS ACTIVE TRANSPORT, WHICH INCLUDES CELL BASED MECHANISMS LIKE SIGNALING FILOPODIA. SIGNALING FILOPODIA FACILITATE CONTACT BETWEEN DISTANT CELLS IN ORDER TO ALLOW SIGNALING TO OCCUR, AND SUPPORT SEVERAL CELL SIGNALING PARADIGMS DURING DEVELOPMENT. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL USE MULTI-SCALE MODELING AND BIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT NOTCH SIGNALING OCCURS VIA FILOPODIA-FILOPODIA MEDIATED CELL-CELL CONTACTS IN VIVO. THIS HYPOTHESIS WILL BE TESTED IN THREE OBJECTIVES. (1) INVESTIGATE THE MECHANISM OF NOTCH ACTIVATION ON FILOPODIA. A MECHANICAL MODEL OF DISTINCT MODES OF FILOPODIA INTERACTIONS WILL BE USED TO QUANTIFY THE FORCES GENERATED DURING FILOPODIA MEDIATED SIGNALING TO IDENTIFY THE MOST LIKELY MECHANISM FOR NOTCH ACTIVATION. (2) DETERMINE HOW NOTCH SIGNAL IS RELAYED TO THE CELL BODY. A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF FILOPODIA IN THE PRESENCE OF DIFFUSION AND ACTIVE TRANSPORT OF SIGNALS WILL BE DEVELOPED TO QUANTIFY THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF EACH MECHANISM. WE WILL SUPPORT OUR MODEL WITH GENETIC APPROACHES AND QUANTITATIVE LIVE IMAGING. (3) CREATE A MULTI-SCALE VERTEX MODEL OF NOTCH SIGNALING DURING BRISTLE CELL PATTERNING. WE WILL COMBINE THE ABOVE MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR SUBMODELS OF NOTCH SIGNALING TO CREATE A TRULY MULTI-SCALE VERTEX MODEL OF THE PATTERNING THORAX. THIS FRAMEWORK WILL SUPPORT AN IN SILICO, REAL-TIME INVESTIGATION OF PATTERNING DYNAMICS VIA SIGNALING FILOPODIA TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL MOLECULAR REGULATORS OF THIS PROCESS. THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROPOSAL WILL RESULT IN A FOUNDATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS THAT DRIVE LONG-RANGE LATERAL INHIBITION DURING TISSUE PATTERNING. WE WILL INTRODUCE THE FIRST MULTI-SCALE MECHANICAL MODEL OF THE FLY THORAX THAT ALLOWS FOR CELL-DRIVEN DYNAMICS OF FILOPODIA AND REAL-TIME ACTIVATION OF NOTCH. THE EXPERIMENTAL WORK PROPOSED HERE ADDRESSES A MAJOR GAP IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF TISSUE DEVELOPMENT AND HOMEOSTASIS: HOW ACTIVE CELL PROCESSES CONTRIBUTE TO THE DISTRIBUTION AND ACTIVATION OF SIGNALS.

CAREER: ZWITTERIONIC METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS WITH MULTI-STIMULUS-RESPONSIVE PROPERTIES

AN INTEGRATIVE WAVE MODEL IN THE MARGINAL ICE ZONE BASED ON A RHEOLOGICAL PARAMETERIZATION

FUNDAMENTALS OF HETEROGENEOUS NUCLEATION WITH APPLICATION TO THE OPTIMIZATION OF HORIZONTAL RIBBON GROWTH -THIS AWARD SUPPORTS RESEARCH INTO NEW MODELS OF SOLIDIFICATION KINETICS AND EMPLOYS THEM TO OPTIMIZE THE HORIZONTAL RIBBON GROWTH (HRG) PROCESS. HRG IS A TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING THIN WAFERS OF SINGLE-CRYSTAL SILICON FOR USE IN SOLAR CELLS, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER PRODUCTION COSTS (POSSIBLY 75% LOWER) COMPARED TO CURRENTLY USED TECHNIQUES. COMMERCIALIZATION HAS NOT YET BEEN SUCCESSFUL MAINLY BECAUSE OF A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOLIDIFICATION DYNAMICS. NEW MODELS ENABLE THE PREDICTION OF CURRENTLY UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA OBSERVED IN HRG EXPERIMENTS. THE MODELS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPACT CRYSTAL GROWTH PROCESSES BEYOND HRG, LEADING TO NEW APPLICATIONS WITH MATERIALS OTHER THAN SILICON SUCH AS SAPPHIRE OR GERMANIUM. THIS WORK WILL PROVIDE DEEPER INSIGHTS INTO THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CRYSTAL GROWTH AND ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW GROWTH TECHNIQUES, WHICH WILL IN TURN HELP THE US TO ACHIEVE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE USING RENEWABLE RESOURCES AND GROW ADVANCED MANUFACTURING IN THE US. CURRENT THEORIES FOR 2D NUCLEATION ARE DERIVED ASSUMING THE NUCLEATION OCCURS IN A UNIFORM ENVIRONMENT WITH AN INFINITE AREA, WHICH ALWAYS RESULTS IN POLYNUCLEAR GROWTH. HOWEVER, IN ALL REALISTIC GROWTH PROCESSES, THERE ARE ALWAYS TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS THAT LIMIT THE AREA WHERE 2D NUCLEATION WILL OCCUR. THE EFFECT OF THESE TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS WILL BE INVESTIGATED USING MONTE CARLO AND MOLECULAR DYNAMIC SIMULATIONS, THE RESULTS OF WHICH WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP A NEW 2D NUCLEATION MODEL. THIS MODEL WILL PREDICT 2D NUCLEATION AND STEP PROPAGATION IN SPATIALLY VARYING TEMPERATURE FIELDS WITHOUT A-PRIORI ASSUMING POLYNUCLEAR GROWTH. THIS MODEL WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO HIGH-ORDER ACCURATE FINITE ELEMENT SIMULATIONS OF THE HRG PROCESS. THESE CONTINUUM SIMULATIONS WILL PREDICT THE ONSET OF 2D AND 3D FLOW AND SOLIDIFICATION INSTABILITIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE GROWTH PROCESS. THEY WILL BE USED TO OPTIMIZE THE PROCESS TO ENABLE THE PRODUCTION OF UNIFORM, THIN SILICON WAFERS, AT A HIGH PRODUCTION RATE. 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 CLARKSON UNIVERSITY SITE: CENTER FOR METAMATERIALS (CFM)

HIGH RATE SODIUM STORAGE MECHANISMS IN NON-GRAPHITIC CARBONS

COMPASS: COORDINATED MATH-PHYSICS ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

CAREER: UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE ENDOTHELIAL GLYCOCALYX THROUGH SINGLE MOLECULE VISUALIZATION

NEW AWARD TO CLARKSON UNIVERSITY AWARD NUMBER: DE-FE0032205 AWARD TITLE: METALLIC MEMBRANE REACTORS: AN INTENSIFIED PROCESS TO TRANSFORMING THE PRODUCTION OF CARBON-NEUTRAL HYDROGEN

MRI: DEVELOPMENT OF A REAL-TIME INSTRUMENT FOR MEASUREMENT OF AEROSOL HYGROSCOPICITY GROWTH FACTORS FROM AIRCRAFT PLATFORMS

CAREER: INORGANIC NANOPARTICLES WITH BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES: PREPARATION CHARACTERIZATION AND SENSING APPLICATIONS

HORIZONTAL RIBBON GROWTH OF SINGLE-CRYSTAL SILICON

LEAD HEALTHY HOME

CAREER: MANAGING UNCERTAINTIES IN RENEWABLE POWERED GRIDS -THIS NSF CAREER PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP ALGORITHMS TO MANAGE THE INHERENT UNCERTAINTIES OF RENEWABLE GENERATION IN ORDER TO PROVIDE RELIABLE AND LEAST COST OPERATIONS OF ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS. THE PROJECT WILL BRING TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE TO UTILITY CONTROL ROOMS BY FULLY INCORPORATING RENEWABLE UNCERTAINTIES INTO ONLINE ASSESSMENT OF INSTABILITY RISKS AND DECISION-MAKING OF RESOURCE DISPATCH. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY DEVELOPING A NOVEL COMPUTATIONAL FRAMEWORK THAT COMBINES PHYSICS-BASED POWER GRID MODELING, REAL-TIME SENSOR MEASUREMENT, AND PSEUDO MEASUREMENT FROM NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTIONS WITH ADVANCED MACHINE LEARNING AND DATA ANALYTICS TO ACHIEVE HIGHER COMPUTATION EFFICIENCY AND ACCURACY REQUIRED TO MANAGE RENEWABLE UNCERTAINTIES IN GRID OPERATIONS. THE INTELLECTUAL MERITS OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE NOVEL METHODOLOGIES TO ENHANCE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF RENEWABLE GENERATION, ASSESS TRANSIENT INSTABILITY RISKS, AND COORDINATE RESOURCE DISPATCH TO MITIGATE THE IMPACT OF RENEWABLE UNCERTAINTIES. THE BROADER IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE INNOVATIONS TO FUNDAMENTAL THEORIES OF UNCERTAINTY MANAGEMENT IN RENEWABLE ENERGY POWERED GRIDS AND IMPROVEMENTS TO THE WORKFORCE PIPELINE ENABLING THE SMOOTH TRANSITION TO 100% DECARBONIZED ELECTRICITY SYSTEMS. CURRENT STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGIES, I.E., LACK OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF OFFSHORE WIND GENERATION, DETERMINING TRANSMISSION STABILITY MARGIN VIA OFF-LINE STUDIES FOR ONLINE APPLICATIONS, AND STATIC/DYNAMIC (CAPACITY) RESERVE, DO NOT ADEQUATELY CAPTURE THE NEW FEATURES OF A RENEWABLE POWERED GRID WITH HIGH UNCERTAINTIES. THIS PROJECT WILL BRIDGE THESE GAPS BY 1) ENHANCING SYSTEM OPERATORS' SITUATIONAL AWARENESS THROUGH PROVIDING A NEW FRAMEWORK TO FUSE PHYSICS-BASED WEATHER PREDICTION AND DEEP-LEARNING METHODOLOGIES FOR IMPROVED OFFSHORE WIND GENERATION FORECASTING; 2) ENABLING REAL-TIME TRANSIENT INSTABILITY RISK ASSESSMENT BY DEVELOPING A COMPUTATIONAL DATA ANALYTIC ALGORITHM TO APPROXIMATE SYSTEM DYNAMICS; AND 3) REDESIGNING THE OPERATING RESERVE VIA THE DYNAMIC ENERGY RESERVE TECHNOLOGY TO INCORPORATE SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY CORRELATED RENEWABLE UNCERTAINTIES. THESE FUNDAMENTAL THEORIES AND TECHNOLOGIES MOVE THE SCIENCE OF RISK MANAGEMENT IN THE UTILITY CONTROL ROOM FROM OFFLINE STUDY WITH DETERMINISTIC PRACTICES TO DATA-DRIVEN, RISK-AWARE ONLINE SOLUTIONS, LEADING TO INFORMED DECISION-MAKING AND PROMPT MITIGATION ACTIONS BY SYSTEM OPERATORS TO PREVENT CASCADING EVENTS. 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.

ENGINEER, DEVELOP AND DEMONSTRATE AN INTEGRATED PROCESS COMPRISED OF MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY AND ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE PLASMA GENERATED VIA A NOVEL RETICU

ANAEROBIC DIGESTERS FOR SMALL-FARMS: AN ECONOMICALLY VIABLE TECHNOLOGY OUTREACH EFFORT

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION (AD) OF FARM RESIDUES CAN BENEFIT FARMERS NOT ONLY AS A RENEWABLE HEAT AND POWER SOURCE, BUT ALSO THROUGH SOLIDS RECOVERY, ODOR, PATHOGEN, AND VECTOR ATTRACTION REDUCTION WHILE PRODUCING A STABILIZED SOLIDS FERTILIZER. WHILE AD INSTALLATIONS AT LARGE FARMS HAVE INCREASED IN THE U.S., SMALLER FARMS HAVE NOT TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AD TECHNOLOGY. WE AND OTHERS HAVE DEMONSTRATED ON THE PILOT-SCALE THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF MODULAR AD TECHNOLOGY FOR DAIRY FARMS OF SMALL TO MEDIUM SCALE (25-500 COWS). YET, OUR RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT SMALL-TO-MEDIUM-SCALE FARMERS WITH INTEREST STILL PERCEIVE ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL HURDLES OF AD TECHNOLOGIES ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO THE INTERGRATION AT THEIR OPERATIONS THAT NO LONGER EXIST. THERE REMAINS A KNOWLEDGE GAP BETWEEN POTENTIAL AD USERS AND DEVELOPERS OF AD TECHNOLOGIES: WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THESE FARMERS WILL MAKE BETTER INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT ADOPTION OF AD TECHNOLOGY APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR FARMS IF THEY ARE EXPOSED TO VIABLE SCALE DEPENDENT OPTIONS. OUR GOAL IS TO INTEGRATE OUR PROTOTYPE DIGESTER AT THE CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION FARM WITH FARM EXISITNG PROCESSES (E.G. GREENHOUSE, COMMERCIAL KITCHEN) TO OPTIMIZE ENERGY, NUTRIENT FLOWS AND USE IT TO EDUCATE STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT AD SYSTEMS FOR SMALLER-TO-MEDIUM DAIRY FARMS. DATA ON SYSTEM PERFORMANCE AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS WILL BE BROADLY DISSEMINATED TO PROMOTE ADOPTION OF INTEGRATED AD TECHNOLOGY. THIS COMES AT AN OPPORTUNE TIME IN NEW YORK, WHERE THE THRESHOLD FOR DESIGNATION AS A MEDIUM SIZED CONFINED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS (CAFO) HAS RECENTLY BEEN RELAXED FROM 200 TO 300 COWS TO PROMOTE EXPANSION IN DAIRY INDUSTRY AND FARM PRODUCTIVITY. SO FARMERS WITH LESS THAN 300 COWS DO NOT HAVE TO COMPLY WITH REGULATIONS APPLICABLE ONLY TO LARGER CAFO'S.

TC: MEDIUM: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: UNIFICATION LABORATORY: INCREASING THE POWER OF CRYPTOGRAPHIC PROTOCOL ANALYSIS TOOLS

NEW START GRANT "MECHANICAL SCIENCES, COMPLEX DYNAMICS AND SYSTEMS: REDUCED MODELS, CONTROL AND FRAGILITY IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS BY AN INFORMATICS PERSPECTIVE"

ON HIERARCHICAL SCALES, INFORMATION REDUCTION EFFICIENCY AND INFERENCE IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS

DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF COMPONENTS OF THE ZEBRAFISH SEROTONIN SIGN

REU SITE: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN SENSOR DEVELOPMENT (DESIGN, MANUFACTURE, ANALYSIS) AND IMPLEMENTATION PIPELINE -A NEW THREE-YEAR REU SITE: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN SENSOR DEVELOPMENT (DESIGN, MANUFACTURE, ANALYSIS) AND IMPLEMENTATION PIPELINE (SDIP) IS HOSTED BY CLARKSON UNIVERSITY. THE SDIP PROGRAM FOCUSES ON DEVELOPING SKILLED LEADERS CAPABLE OF ADDRESSING GLOBAL CHALLENGES IN FIELDS SUCH AS PUBLIC HEALTH, THE ENVIRONMENT, SPACE, DEFENSE, PHOTONICS, AND ELECTRONICS. TEN STUDENTS WILL ENGAGE IN RESEARCH ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTALS, DESIGN, MANUFACTURING, DATA ANALYTICS AND APPLICATIONS OF SENSING TECHNOLOGIES. SDIP AIMS TO PROMOTE THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A QUALIFIED WORKFORCE IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES. REU PARTICIPANTS WILL FOCUS ON DEVELOPING ESSENTIAL SKILLS IN SENSING TECHNOLOGIES, AND THEN USING THOSE SKILLS AND UNDERSTANDING TO HELP SOLVE REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS AND PREPARE FOR STEM CAREERS. PROFESSIONAL COACHING, PRESENTATIONS, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK ON PUBLICATIONS WILL ENHANCE STUDENTS? COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND THEIR CAPABILITIES TO DISSEMINATE KNOWLEDGE TO THE BROADER SOCIETY. THE PROGRAM'S OBJECTIVES ARE TO: 1) IMPROVE STUDENTS' ABILITIES TO SOLVE REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS AND DEVELOP INTO INDEPENDENT RESEARCHERS THROUGH CROSS-DISCIPLINARY TRAINING IN SENSING TECHNOLOGIES, 2) ENHANCE STUDENTS' INTERPERSONAL, ORAL, AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS THROUGH PROFESSIONAL COACHING AND DIVERSE PRESENTATION FORMATS, 3) BROADEN THE ACADEMIC PIPELINE AND FACILITATE STUDENTS' PATHWAYS INTO STEM CAREERS, WITH A FOCUS ON ENGINEERING SYSTEMS AND SENSOR TECHNOLOGIES, AND 4) CULTIVATE A DIVERSE AND MOTIVATED COHORT TO MEET THE NATION'S NEED FOR A QUALIFIED WORKFORCE IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES. STUDENTS WILL BE INVOLVED IN ALL ASPECTS OF RESEARCH, FROM CONCEPTUALIZATION AND EXPERIMENTAL PLANNING TO DATA INTERPRETATION AND RESULT DISSEMINATION. THEY WILL GAIN EXPERIENCE IN SENSOR DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, MATHEMATICAL MODELING, DATA ANALYSIS, MANUFACTURING, AND DEPLOYMENT. EACH PARTICIPANT WILL ADDRESS AN OPEN- ENDED PROBLEM TO DEVELOP THE TECHNICAL AND CRITICAL-THINKING SKILLS NECESSARY FOR CREATING AND CHARACTERIZING SENSING SYSTEMS. ADDITIONALLY, REU PARTICIPANTS WILL ENGAGE WITH INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, PARTICIPATE IN DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, ATTEND SEMINARS, AND GO ON FIELD TRIPS, ALL OF WHICH WILL HELP PREPARE THEM FOR SUCCESSFUL, LIFELONG CAREERS IN STEM. THIS SITE IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY FUNDS PROVIDED TO THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION BY THE SEMICONDUCTOR RESEARCH CORPORATION. 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.

GENOME-WIDE ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL COOPERATION BETWEEN RUNX2 AND RUNX3 DURING SKELETAL DEVELOPMENT

A UNIVERSAL BIOSENSING PLATFORM AMPLIFYING SIGNALS PRODUCED BY NAD+/NADH-DEPENDENT ENZYMES -THIS PROJECT OFFERS A NOVEL APPROACH TO THE ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT BIOMOLECULES WITH ULTRA-HIGH SENSITIVITY. THE ANALYTICAL GOALS ARE ACHIEVED BY CREATING A UNIVERSAL BIOSENSING PLATFORM THAT COMBINES A BIOSENSING PART WITH A NOVEL BIOCHEMICAL AMPLIFICATION PART. THE BASIC SCIENCE INTEREST OF THE PROPOSED STUDY IS ENHANCED BY THE NUMEROUS APPLICATIONS OF THE NOVEL BIOSENSOR AND BY SIMPLE, EASILY EXCHANGEABLE, BIOSENSOR CONFIGURATION FOR IDENTIFYING SPECIFIC BIOMOLECULES. THE PROJECT OPENS NOVEL POSSIBILITIES IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF BIOSENSING, INCLUDING BIOMEDICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, FORENSIC, AND HOMELAND SECURITY APPLICATIONS. THE EDUCATIONAL IMPACTS INCLUDE CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENTS AS WELL AS PHD STUDENT EDUCATION AND PARTICIPATION OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS. THE RESEARCH PROGRAM ADDRESSES THE CHALLENGE OF ENZYME-BASED BIOSENSING WITH ULTRA-HIGH SENSITIVITY, PARTICULARLY WITH THE USE OF A UNIVERSAL BIOSENSING PLATFORM ADAPTABLE TO DIFFERENT ANALYTES WITH MINIMUM ADJUSTMENTS. A NOVEL APPROACH TO SIGNAL AMPLIFICATION, PROVIDING THE BIOSENSING WITH A SUB-NANOMOLAR OR EVEN PICOMOLAR DETECTION LIMIT IS ACHIEVED USING ARTIFICIAL CHIMERIC ENZYMES WITH ALLOSTERIC PROPERTIES. THESE ENZYMES ARE COMPOSED OF A BIOCATALYTIC PART OF PQQ-DEPENDENT GLUCOSE DEHYDROGENASE (GDH) AND A BIORECOGNITION PART SELECTIVELY BINDING NADH OR NAD+ COFACTOR THAT IS COMBINED WITH NADH/NAD+-DEPENDENT DEHYDROGENASES. THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE OFFERED APPROACH IS ACHIEVED BECAUSE ANY NADH/NAD+-DEPENDENT DEHYDROGENASE CAN BE EASILY COMBINED WITH THE SAME STANDARD ARTIFICIAL ALLOSTERIC GDH ENZYME SELECTIVE TO NADH/NAD+. THE BIOCATALYTIC SYSTEM INCLUDING BOTH ENZYME TYPES WILL BE STUDIED IN AN IMMOBILIZED FORM WITH A FLUORESCENT RESPONSE, THEN ON A NANOMODIFIED CONDUCTIVE ELECTRODE WITH AN ELECTROCHEMICAL (AMPEROMETRIC) RESPONSE. THE PRIMARY REACTION BIOCATALYZED BY AN NADH/NAD+-DEHYDROGENASE PRODUCES A STOICHIOMETRIC RESPONSE TO THE SELECTED ANALYTE IN THE FORM OF THE NADH OR NAD+ COFACTOR. THEN, THE NADH OR NAD+ MOLECULES BIND TO A BIORECOGNITION PART OF THE ARTIFICIAL GDH ENZYME RESULTING IN ITS CONFORMATIONAL CHANGE. THIS CHANGE WILL BE TRANSDUCED TO THE BIOCATALYTIC PART OF THE ARTIFICIAL GDH ENZYME, SWITCHING IT FROM THE INITIAL MUTE (OFF) STATE TO THE ACTIVE (ON) STATE, THUS TRIGGERING A BIOCATALYTIC CASCADE. NOTABLY, THE BINDING OF A SINGLE NADH OR NAD+ MOLECULE ACTIVATES THE BIOCATALYTIC REACTION PROVIDING A NON-STOICHIOMETRIC AMPLIFIED RESPONSE TO THE PRIMARY ANALYTE. THE STUDY OF AMPLIFIED BIOSENSING LEADS TO NOVEL BIOSENSORS WITH ADAPTIVITY TO DIFFERENT ANALYTES WHILE USING VARIOUS TARGET-SELECTIVE NADH/NAD+-DEHYDROGENASES IN COMBINATION WITH THE SAME ARTIFICIAL ALLOSTERIC ENZYME SELECTIVE TO NADH/NAD+. 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.

INTEGRATED INTELLIGENT CYBER-PHYSICAL FAULT-CONTAINMENT CONTROL FOR RESILIENT PEPDS

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY OF CHEMICAL AND TRANSPORT PROCESSES AT A PLASMA-LIQUID INTERFACE

SHF: SMALL: EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT OF ERROR CORRECTION AND DIGITALIZATION CONCEPTS FOR MULTI-ENZYME BIOMOLECULAR COMPUTING NETWOR

NANOSIZE PARTICLES AS BUILDING BLOCKS FOR UNIFORM COLLOIDS OF DIFFERENT MORPHOLOGIES

NSF-BSF: DEVELOPMENT OF A CHIMERA ENZYME SWITCH FOR BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACIDS BIOSENSING -THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL BIOSENSOR SYSTEM FOR THE ULTRA-SELECTIVE AND SENSITIVE ANALYSIS OF SPECIFIC AMINO ACIDS IN CLINICAL DIAGNOSTICS AND MEDICINE. THE COMBINING OF NEW BIOTECHNOLOGICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL APPROACHES WILL LEAD TO THE CREATION OF THESE NOVEL BIOANALYTICAL SYSTEMS. THE INTEREST OF THE PROPOSED STUDY IS ENHANCED BY THE POSSIBILITY OF ITS SIMPLE AND EASILY EXCHANGEABLE ADAPTATION TO NUMEROUS AMINO ACIDS AS HUMAN HEALTH BIOMARKERS. THE PRIMARY PROJECT FOCUS IS ON THE DIAGNOSTICS OF MAPLE SYRUP URINE DISEASE, A RARE AND SEVERE GENETIC DISORDER IMPACTING THE PROCESSING OF BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACIDS INCLUDING LEUCINE. THE EARLY DETECTION AND CONTINUOUS MONITORING OF LEUCINE LEVELS IN THE BLOODSTREAM ARE CRUCIAL FOR A TIMELY DIAGNOSIS OF SUCH DISORDERS IN INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN. THUS, THE PROJECT HAS NOT ONLY SCIENTIFIC BUT ALSO HIGH PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE, PROVIDING A NEW EASY-TO-USE POINT-OF-CARE BIOSENSOR SYSTEM FOR END-USERS. THE EDUCATIONAL PROJECT?S IMPACTS INCLUDE THE PARTICIPATION OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS AS WELL AS PHD STUDENTS. SPECIAL ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO THE RECRUITMENT OF JUNIOR RESEARCHERS AT ALL LEVELS, INCLUDING THOSE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS AND WAR-AFFECTED COUNTRIES. THE MENTORING BY EXPERTS IN THE FIELD WILL STIMULATE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT RECOGNIZED VIA MEDIA COVERAGE AND HIGH-LEVEL STUDENT-COAUTHORED PUBLICATIONS. THE INVOLVEMENT IN THIS MULTIDISCIPLINARY PROJECT WILL IGNITE INTEREST IN SCIENCE IMPROVING THE STUDENT?S EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE RESULTING IN INCREASING CHANCES FOR THEIR SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONAL CAREER GROWTH IN THE FUTURE. THE PRESENT PROPOSAL AIMS TO DEVELOP A NEW BIOTECHNOLOGICAL/BIOANALYTICAL PLATFORM BASED ON UNIQUE GENETIC-ENGINEERED CHIMERA ENZYMES FOR BIOSENSOR USE. THE CHIMERIC ENZYMES WILL BE CONSTRUCTED BY FUSING ULTRASELECTIVE ENZYMES TO SPECIFIC AMINO ACIDS ? AMINOACYL TRNA SYNTHETASES (RSS) WITH PYRROLOQUINOLINE-QUINONE GLUCOSE DEHYDROGENASE (PQQ-GDH) AS A REPORTER. THE FUSED CHIMERA ENZYMES WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY A HIGH SELECTIVITY TOWARD THE TARGET AMINO ACID AND, SIMULTANEOUSLY, BY AN ABILITY TO EFFICIENTLY DIRECT ELECTRON TRANSFER TO THE PHYSICAL TRANSDUCER. THE PROPOSED PLATFORM IS QUITE UNIVERSAL, AS IT IS EASY TO MODIFY THE SENSOR'S AMINO ACID SPECIFICITY BY CHANGING THE SPECIFIC RS DOMAIN OF THE FUSED CHIMERA ENZYME. TO SIMPLIFY THE PURIFICATION OF THE SPLIT PARTS OF THE CHIMERA ENZYME, THE HIS6-TAG WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO THE DOMAINS? STRUCTURE. MOREOVER, MODIFYING THE CHIMERA BY HIS6-TAG MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO CONTROL THE IMMOBILIZATION OF THE FUSED CHIMERIC ENZYME ON THE SURFACE OF THE PHYSICAL TRANSDUCER. THE USE OF HIS6-TAG AFFINITY MATERIALS/CHEMICALS (E.G., COPPER-FORMED NANOPARTICLES OR PYRENE-NTA) WILL PROVIDE AN APPROPRIATE ORIENTATION OF THE PQQ-GDH-CONSISTING DOMAINS IN A WELL-ORGANIZED SELF-ASSEMBLED LAYER CLOSE TO THE ELECTRODE SURFACE. SUCH AN APPROACH ENSURES AN EFFICIENT DIRECT ELECTRON TRANSFER FROM THE PQQH2 REDUCED ACTIVE CENTER RESULTING IN AN INCREASE IN THE SIGNAL AMPLIFICATION FACTOR. ALSO, THE CONTROLLED ORIENTATION WILL PREVENT THE CHIMERIC ENZYME INHIBITION DURING ITS CONFORMATIONAL CHANGES IN THE IMMOBILIZED STATE. THE SPECIFIC OUTPUT FROM THE IMMOBILIZED CHIMERIC ENZYMES WILL BE ANALYZED BY ELECTROCHEMICAL AND OPTICAL READOUTS (USING A PQQ-SPECIFIC FLUORESCENT PROBE AND A SMARTPHONE CAMERA). 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.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF AN INTEGRATED, DIGESTER-COGENERATION-VALUE-ADDED PROCESS

CAREER: NEW TECHNIQUES FOR AEROSOL/CLOUD SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS

INTERACTION OF HPV WITH CELLS OF THE TRANSFORMATION ZONE

CAREER: PIEZOELECTRIC MECHANOCATALYTIC DESTRUCTION OF PFAS IN SOLID MATRICES AT AMBIENT CONDITIONS: AN INTEGRATED RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PLAN -PER-AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS) ARE SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS THAT HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED AND USED IN NUMEROUS CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS SINCE THE 1940S. PFAS ARE AMONG THE MOST STABLE CHEMICALS EVER PRODUCED. DURING THE LAST TWO DECADES, INCREASING DETECTION OF PFAS IN VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA HAS RAISED SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR PERSISTENCE, STABILITY, AND ADVERSE IMPACT INCLUDING TOXICITY TO LIVING ORGANISMS AND HUMANS. WITH THE GRADUAL PHASE-OUT OF PFAS FROM CONSUMER AND INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS, STOCKS OF OBSOLETE PFAS CHEMICALS ARE BECOMING SOLID WASTES. IN ADDITION, LARGE QUANTITIES OF PFAS SOLID WASTES ARE INCREASINGLY BEING GENERATED INCLUDING WASTEWATER SLUDGE, CONTAMINATED SOILS, AND SPENT GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON (GAC) AND ION EXCHANGE (IX) MEDIA USED TO REMOVE PFAS FROM CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER SOURCES. CURRENTLY, THERMAL PROCESSES SUCH AS INCINERATION AND PYROLYSIS HAVE EMERGED AS THE MOST EFFECTIVE FOR TREATING AND DESTROYING PFAS LADEN SOLID WASTES AT INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL SCALES. HOWEVER, PFAS THERMAL TREATMENT PROCESSES REQUIRE HIGH TEMPERATURES (150-900 ?C) AND OFTEN GENERATE GASEOUS STREAMS CONTAINING TOXIC INTERMEDIATES AND PRODUCTS OF INCOMPLETE COMBUSTION (PICS) THAT REQUIRE ADDITIONAL TREATMENT TO MITIGATE THEIR RELEASES INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS CAREER PROJECT IS TO LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A NOVEL PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIAL (PZM)-ASSISTED BALL MILLING (BM) PROCESS CAPABLE OF TREATING AND DESTROYING PFAS SOLID WASTES AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND AMBIENT PRESSURE. TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR PROPOSES TO EXPLORE THE ACTIVATION OF MIXTURES OF CATALYTIC PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS (PZMS) AND PFAS CHEMICALS/SOLID WASTES USING A BM REACTOR TO GENERATE HIGH ELECTRIC POTENTIALS TO DECOMPOSE AND MINERALIZE PFAS INTO BENIGN INORGANIC PRODUCTS. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT WILL BENEFIT SOCIETY THROUGH THE GENERATION OF NEW FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE AND THE DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF REACTIVE PZMS TO ADVANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE TREATMENT AND DESTRUCTION OF PFAS SOLID WASTES. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO SOCIETY WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH STUDENT EDUCATION AND TRAINING INCLUDING THE MENTORING OF ONE GRADUATE STUDENT AND ONE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY. PFAS SOLID WASTES ARE PERVASIVE IN THE ENVIRONMENT. THEY INCLUDE OBSOLETE PFAS CHEMICALS, MANUFACTURING WASTES, CONTAMINATED SOILS, MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES, AND SPENT GRANULAR ACTIVATED (GAC) AND ION EXCHANGE (IX) MEDIA USED TO REMOVE PFAS FROM CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER SOURCES. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS CAREER PROJECT IS TO ADVANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE MECHANOCHEMICAL PROCESS THAT COULD TREAT AND CONVERT PFAS SOLID WASTES TO BENIGN PRODUCTS AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE. THE CORE GUIDING HYPOTHESIS OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS THAT THE COLLISIONS BETWEEN STEEL BALLS AND CATALYTIC PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS (PZMS) IN A BALL MILLING (BM) REACTOR LOADED WITH PFAS SOLID COMPOUNDS/WASTES CAN GENERATE TRANSIENT HIGH ELECTRIC POTENTIALS TO DEGRADE AND DESTROY THE PFAS. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH ARE TO (1) OPTIMIZE THE BM COLLISION ENERGY REQUIRED TO CARRY OUT THE PFAS MECHANOCHEMICAL DEGRADATION PROCESS, (2) MAXIMIZE THE REACTIVITY AND CATALYTIC ACTIVITY OF THE PZMS VIA RATIONALE DESIGN OF CRYSTAL STRUCTURE AND HETEROJUNCTIONS, (3) USE ADVANCED IN-SITU AND EX-SITU CHARACTERIZATION TOOLS TO PROBE AND UNRAVEL THE MECHANISMS AND PATHWAYS OF PFAS DEGRADATION, AND (4) EVALUATE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF A PZM ASSISTED BM PROCESS IN THE TREATMENT AND DESTRUCTION OF PFAS SOLID WASTES. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT THROUGH THE GENERATION OF NEW FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE TO ADVANCE THE DESIGN AND DEMONSTRATION OF A PZM-ASSISTED BALL MILLING (BM) PROCESS AND REACTOR FOR THE TREATMENT AND REMEDIATION OF PFAS SOLID WASTES AT ROOM AND AMBIENT PRESSURE. TO IMPLEMENT THE EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING GOALS OF THIS CAREER PROJECT, THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI) PROPOSES TO LEVERAGE ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY TO (I) ENGAGE AND MENTOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO WORK ON THE PROJECT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, (II) PROMOTE K-12 STEM LITERACY, AND (III) PROVIDE PFAS RELATED WORKFORCE TRAINING. TO PROMOTE STEM LITERACY FOR K-12 STUDENTS, THE PI PROPOSES TO DEVELOP AND DELIVER SCIENCE COURSES AND HANDS-ON LABORATORY EXERCISES BASED ON THE PROJECT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES. IN ADDITION, THE PI PLANS TO COLLABORATE WITH THE ACCREDITED PFAS ANALYSIS CENTER AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY TO PREPARE TRAINING MATERIALS AND HOST VIRTUAL SEMINARS IN PFAS ANALYSIS AND TREATMENT FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION WORKFORCE. 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.

REAL-TIME MONITORING OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN A HYPOXIC ENVIRONMENT

TWC: MEDIUM: COLLABORATIVE: LONG-TERM ACTIVE USER AUTHENTICATION USING MULTI-MODAL PROFILES

REGULATION OF DEVELOPING INTESTINAL STEM CELLS BY UNIQUE SECRETORY CELLS - SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE VERTEBRATE INTESTINE DEVELOPS THROUGH A COMMON SERIES OF EVENTS PRIOR TO MATURATION OF THE ADULT FORM. COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT SPECIES REVEALS THAT AS THE TUBE FORMS, PROLIFERATION OCCURS THROUGHOUT THE UNFOLDED EPITHELIUM. AS THE EPITHELIUM BEGINS TO FOLD, EPITHELIAL PROLIFERATION BECOMES RESTRICTED TO THE BASE OF THE DEVELOPING FOLDS (ZEBRAFISH) AND VILLI (MOUSE). AS PROLIFERATION IS RESTRICTED TO THE VILLI BASE, STEM CELLS BEGIN TO FORM. WHILE THE DEVELOPING STEM CELLS EXPRESS SOME OF THE GENES OF THEIR ADULT COUNTERPARTS, EXPRESSION IS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER SUGGESTING THAT THESE CELLS ARE IMMATURE. INTESTINAL STEM CELLS ALSO DECREASE LEVELS OF EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX COMPONENTS AS THEY MATURE. WHILE SIGNALING PATHWAYS SUCH AS WNT PLAY A ROLE IN DRIVING PROLIFERATION OF THESE STEM CELLS, THERE IS LIKELY TO BE NOVEL SIGNALING AND DIFFERENT INTERACTIONS WITH UNIQUE CELL TYPES TO COMPLETE GROWTH AND MATURATION OF THE IMMATURE STEM CELLS. DETAILS ABOUT THE STATE OF THE IMMATURE STEM CELLS HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED BUT LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT SIGNALS AND CELLS IN THE SURROUNDING NICHE THAT REGULATE GROWTH DURING THE PERIOD BEFORE ADULT STEM CELLS FORM. IN THIS PROPOSAL, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE ROLES OF NOVEL CELL TYPES IN REGULATION OF EPITHELIAL PROLIFERATION AND HOW THEY INTERACT WITH OTHER SIGNALING PATHWAYS BETWEEN RESTRICTION OF PROLIFERATION TO MATURATION OF THE STEM CELL NICHE. HERE WE USE THE ADVANTAGES OF EXTERNAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE ZEBRAFISH MODEL SYSTEM TO VISUALIZE THE DEVELOPING STEM CELL NICHE FOLLOWING MANIPULATION OF TRANSGENIC LINES. IN AIM 1 WE DETERMINE HOW NOTCH SIGNALING INTERACTS WITH OTHER PATHWAYS IN REGULATING EPITHELIAL PROLIFERATION. IN AIM 2 WE WILL ABLATE CELLS RECEIVING NOTCH SIGNALING TO ANALYZE THEIR ROLE IN EPITHELIAL PROLIFERATION. FINALLY, IN AIM 3 WE WILL DETERMINE WHICH NOTCH RECEPTORS PARTICIPATE IN THESE SIGNALING EVENTS. TOGETHER, THESE STUDIES WILL IDENTIFY NEW FEATURES OF THE NETWORK OF SIGNALS CONTROLLING GROWTH OF THE IMMATURE STEM CELL NICHE AS IT MATURES TO THE ADULT FORM. UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF REGULATORY CELLS AND SIGNALS WITHIN THE DEVELOPING STEM CELL NICHE WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMMONALITIES OF HOW STEM CELL NICHES DEVELOP ACROSS DIFFERENT TISSUES AND SPECIES. UNDERSTANDING THESE COMMONALITIES WILL AID IN APPROACHES TO GROW NEW OR REACTIVATE AGED STEM CELL NICHES.

PHARMACOLOGICALLY TUNING MEMBRANE PERMEABILITY TO DRUG-SIZED ORGANIC CATIONS THROUGH ACTIVATION OF KCA3.1 CHANNELS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT TO REACH THEIR THERAPEUTIC TARGETS WITHIN THE BODY, MOST DRUGS NEED TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO ENTER CELLS AND TRAVERSE EPITHELIAL BARRIERS. ACHIEVING THIS HINGES ON EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION ACROSS THE CELLULAR PLASMA MEMBRANE, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY CRUCIAL FOR DRUGS DESIGNED TO ACT INSIDE CELLS. FOR THE MANY WEAK ACID AND WEAK BASE DRUGS THAT CAN OCCUPY BOTH CHARGED AND UNCHARGED STATES AT PHYSIOLOGICAL PH, IT IS GENERALLY ASSUMED THAT SIMPLE DIFFUSION OF THE UNCHARGED SPECIES DIRECTLY ACROSS THE PHOSPHOLIPID BILAYER OF BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES IS THE MAJOR PASSIVE TRANSPORT PATHWAY. HOWEVER, EVIDENCE HAS STEADILY ACCUMULATED SUPPORTING A LARGER ROLE OF TRANSPORT PROTEINS, CARRIERS, AND CHANNELS, IN AIDING THE PASSIVE MOVEMENT OF DRUGS, CHARGED AND UNCHARGED, INTO AND THROUGH CELLS. THIS IS SIGNIFICANT ON TWO COUNTS. FIRST, IT MAY BE THAT FOR SOME DRUGS THE EXPRESSION AND FUNCTION OF FACILITATED TRANSPORT PROTEINS MAY BE AS INFLUENTIAL TO THE PHARMACOKINETICS GOVERNING ABSORPTION, DISTRIBUTION AND ELIMINATION AS THE EXPRESSION OF ACTIVE TRANSPORTERS SUCH AS P- GLYCOPROTEIN. SECOND, WHEREAS LIPOIDAL DIFFUSION IS NOT A PROCESS THAT CAN BE EASILY AND SELECTIVELY MODIFIED BY ADMINISTERED AGENTS, THE ACTIVITY OF MANY MEMBRANE TRANSPORTERS, PARTICULARLY CHANNEL PROTEINS, CAN BE READILY ALTERED BY PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVATORS AND INHIBITORS. GIVEN THAT MANY SUCH PROTEINS EXHIBIT PREFERENTIAL EXPRESSION IN CERTAIN CELL TYPES AND TISSUES, THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF EXPLOITING SUCH PHARMACOLOGICALLY TUNABLE TRANSPORT MECHANISMS FOR THE PURPOSES OF INFLUENCING DRUG TRANSFER AND ENHANCING THE POTENCY AND SELECTIVITY OF INTRACELLULARLY ACTIVE THERAPEUTICS. THE CURRENT PROPOSAL IS INSPIRED BY OUR RECENT DISCOVERY THAT ACTIVATION OF THE INTERMEDIATE CONDUCTANCE CA2+-ACTIVATED K+ CHANNEL (KCA3.1) INCREASES THE PERMEABILITY OF CELLS TO THE FLUORESCENT NUCLEAR STAINS, HOECHST 33258 AND DAPI THROUGH A PREVIOUSLY UNCHARACTERIZED MECHANISM. KCA3.1 RECEPTORS ARE HIGHLY EXPRESSED IN EPITHELIAL CELLS OF THE BLOOD VESSELS AND GUT, WHERE THEY COULD POTENTIALLY INFLUENCE THE ABSORPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF SMALL CATIONIC DRUGS. ADDITIONALLY, THEY ARE REPORTEDLY UPREGULATED IN MANY CANCERS, WHERE THEY MIGHT BE EXPLOITED AS A MEANS OF TARGETING TUMOR CELLS WITH SMALL CHARGED CHEMOTHERAPEUTICS. OUR GOAL IS TO ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISM UNDERLYING THIS KCA3.1-DEPENDENT, PHARMACOLOGICALLY TUNABLE DRUG TRANSPORT PATHWAY AND REVEAL THE STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS THAT PERMIT SMALL ORGANIC CATIONS TO USE IT.

CAREER: MECHANISMS OF HYDRATION KINETICS AND PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT IN ACTIVATED SLAG AND FLY ASH MULTIPHASE SUSTAINABLE BINDER SYSTEMS

REU SITE: HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING WITH ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS -THIS AWARD RENEWS THE SUPPORT TO A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES (REU) SITE AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY, POTSDAM, NEW YORK FOR A SECOND THREE-YEAR PERIOD. THIS SITE FOCUSES ON HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING (HPC) WITH ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS, AN AREA THAT IS CRITICAL TO NATIONAL SECURITY, SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY, AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. TO MAINTAIN THE U.S.?S LEADERSHIP IN THIS AREA, TALENTED STUDENTS WITH ADVANCED TRAINING IN HPC SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ARE URGENTLY NEEDED TO FULLY UNLEASH THE POWER OF HPC. THUS, THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ENCOURAGE 30 TALENTED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO PURSUE GRADUATE STUDY AND CAREERS IN HPC BY ENGAGING THEM IN EXCITING, ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS AND BY CULTIVATING THEIR TALENTS DURING A TEN-WEEK SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND BEYOND. THE RESEARCH PROJECTS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS ARE HIGHLY INNOVATIVE, SHARING THE COMMON THEME OF SOCIETALLY RELEVANT ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS THAT ORIGINATE FROM DIVERSE ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES, INCLUDING MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, CIVIL ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING, SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS. THERE ARE TARGETED EFFORTS TO RECRUIT STUDENTS UNDERREPRESENTED IN HPC CAREERS OR WHO MIGHT OTHERWISE BE UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH, SUCH AS HISTORICALLY MINORITY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON ATTRACTING UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES AND FEMALE STUDENTS. THE PROCESSES USED TO RECRUIT, SELECT, AND ONBOARD STUDENTS INCORPORATE PROVEN BEST PRACTICES IN SUPPORT OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES. FACULTY ADVISORS WITH EXPERTISE IN HPC APPLICATIONS MENTOR THE STUDENTS TO BE RESEARCHERS BY PROVIDING THEM WITH SPECIALIZED TRAINING IN THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF HPC APPLICATIONS THAT ARE ROOTED IN HIGHLY ENGAGING ENGINEERING INNOVATIONS. THIS SPECIALIZED TRAINING PROVIDES THE STUDENTS WITH THE HIGHLY VALUABLE TECHNICAL AND ANALYTICAL SKILLS THAT WILL BENEFIT THEM IN FUTURE PURSUITS SUCH AS GRADUATE STUDY OR INDUSTRY WORK. THE QUALITY OF THIS TRAINING IS FURTHER ENHANCED BY ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES SUCH AS AN HPC CRASH COURSE, FIELD TRIPS, INVITED SPEAKERS, WEEKLY GROUP RESEARCH MEETINGS, AND A MENTOR TRAINING WORKSHOP FOR FACULTY ADVISORS. ALL STUDENT PARTICIPANTS WILL BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND AND PRESENT IN PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES. THE PIS PLAN TO DISSEMINATE THEIR EXPERIENCE OF DELIVERING THE REU SITE THROUGH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS. 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.

CAREER: COUPLING NANOSCALE DEVICE MODELING WITH COARSE-GRAINED BIOMOLECULAR SIMULATIONS

ROLE OF INTERDIGITATING SECRETORY CELLS IN REGULATION OF INTESTINAL STEM CELLS DURING DEVELOPMENT

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ECO-CBET: PLASMA-ASSISTED DEHALOGENATION OF PERSISTENT HALOGEN-CONTAINING WASTE STREAMS -THE ?TAKE-MAKE-DISPOSE? MODEL FOR THE UTILIZATION OF HALOGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS HAS POLLUTED THE PLANET?S WATER, SOIL, AND AIR RESOURCES. THE STRONG CARBON-HALOGEN BONDS RESULTING FROM HALOGENS BEING POTENT OXIDANTS HAVE RESULTED IN A CONTAMINATION CHALLENGE WITH A DAUNTING LEGACY. CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS (CFCS), WHICH WERE GLOBALLY BANNED 30 YEARS AGO TO CLOSE THE ANTARCTIC OZONE HOLE, PERSIST IN THE ATMOSPHERE. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE OVER 9000 POLY- AND PERFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS) CURRENTLY CONTAMINATING RAINWATER WORLDWIDE, AND POLYVINYLCHLORIDE (PVC) PLASTICS ACCOUNT FOR MORE THAN 50% OF CHLORINE FOUND IN MUNICIPAL WASTE. TODAY, XENOBIOTIC ORGANOHALOGEN COMPOUNDS ARE PERVASIVE: PFAS-CONTAMINATED WATER IS CONSUMED BY 200 MILLION AMERICANS AND PVC IS THE PRIMARY CONTRIBUTOR TO THE NATION?S ANNUAL DIOXIN BURDEN, SURPASSING THAT OF ANY OTHER INDUSTRIAL PRODUCT. TO ADDRESS THIS LEGACY CONTAMINATION CHALLENGE, A STEP CHANGE SOLUTION IS REQUIRED, ONE THAT SURPASSES THE LIMITED SCOPE OF CURRENT THERMOCHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIES. IN THIS PROJECT, PLASMA-ASSISTED DEHALOGENATION IS PROPOSED AS A DISRUPTIVE SOLUTION TO THIS CHALLENGE. THE PROJECT FOCUSES ON THE USE OF NON-EQUILIBRIUM PLASMAS FOR THE DEGRADATION AND RECYCLING OF HALOGEN-CONTAINING WASTE AND HOLDS ENORMOUS POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING HUMAN HEALTH AND PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT. THIS CONVERGENT RESEARCH PROJECT WILL PROVIDE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY STEM EDUCATION AND TRAINING AND PREPARE A DIVERSE PIPELINE OF STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS TO BECOME THE NEXT GENERATION OF INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS. PLANNED OUTREACH ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES FOR K-12 PROGRAMS, WITH A FOCUS ON AT-RISK AND OFTEN UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS. THE EFFORT INVOLVES PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY TO FURTHER TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND ACTIVITIES THAT RAISE AWARENESS AMONG LOCAL COMMUNITIES ABOUT THE PERVASIVE PRESENCE OF HALOGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS AND THE ASSOCIATED HEALTH AND SAFETY CHALLENGES THEY POSE. THE GOAL OF THE RESEARCH IS TO PROBE AT A MECHANISTIC LEVEL PLASMA-ASSISTED DEHALOGENATION REACTION CHEMISTRY AND TO USE THESE INSIGHTS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE PROCESSES THAT MAKE POSSIBLE RECYCLING OF REACTION PRODUCTS OR THE FULL MINERALIZATION OF HALOGINATED COMPONENTS. NON-EQUILIBRIUM PLASMA REFERS TO A PARTIALLY IONIZED GAS OPERATING AT NEAR AMBIENT TEMPERATURES, WHERE ONLY THE ELECTRONS POSSESS KINETIC ENERGIES HIGH ENOUGH TO ENABLE THE PRODUCTION OF SHORT-LIVED REACTIVE SPECIES WHICH ACT AS INITIATORS FOR CHAIN REACTIONS OF VARIOUS SUBSTRATES. THIS CONVERGENT RESEARCH PROGRAM LEVERAGES THE PIS? EXPERTISE IN CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING, PLASMA SCIENCE, CHEMICAL MODELING AND THEORY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING TO ESTABLISH A PLASMA DEHALOGENATION MODEL THAT WILL BE USED TO DESIGN A REACTOR FOR PLASMA-ASSISTED DEHALOGENATION OF WASTE STREAMS WITH A FOCUS ON PFAS AND PVC AS TWO TESTBED CASES. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO NEW FUNDAMENTAL SCIENTIFIC INSIGHTS AND ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS CONTRIBUTING TO A BROADER FRAMEWORK FOR DEHALOGENATING A WIDE RANGE OF WASTE STREAMS. 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.

MISSION ASSURANCE THROUGH DEFENSIVE CHARACTERIZATION (MADC)

CAREER: RESUSPENSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS: AN INVESTIGATION OF MECHANICAL AND ELECTROSTATIC FORCES

UNIFICATION IN SYMBOLIC METHODS FOR THE VERIFICATION OF AUTOMATICALLY SYNTHESIZED CRYPTOSYSTEMS.

MRI: DEVELOPMENT OF AN AQUATIC HEALTH MONITORING UNIT

CAREER: AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE FLOW FIELDS OVER BIO-INSPIRED AND FINITE SPAN WINGS UNDERGOING DYNAMIC STALL

IMPACTS OF MANURE SPREADING TECHNIQUES ON DOWNWIND AIR QUALITY: PARTICLES, AMMONIA, AND BIOAEROSOLS

SHINE: FASTER BOUNDARY-CONFORMING SIMULATIONS OF SOLAR CONVECTION ON UNSTRUCTURED GRIDS -FASTER AND MORE ACCURATE PREDICTIONS OF SPACE WEATHER REQUIRE MODEL DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR CONDITIONS. THIS PROJECT DEVELOPS A COMPUTATIONAL MODEL FOR TURBULENT SOLAR CONVECTION BY ADVANCING THE COMPRESSIBLE HIGH-ORDER UNSTRUCTURED SPECTRAL DIFFERENCE (CHORUS) CODE. THIS INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT WILL SUPPORT TWO GRADUATE STUDENTS INCLUDING A FEMALE PH.D. STUDENT AS WELL AS AN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT. THE PI WILL COLLABORATE WITH NOAA?S SPACE WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER AS WELL AS NCAR?S HIGH ALTITUDE OBSERVATORY FOR BROADER DISSEMINATION OF CHORUS++ AS OPEN-SOURCE CODE. THIS PROJECT ACCELERATES THE COMPUTATIONAL EFFICIENCY OF CHORUS CODE AND IMPROVES ITS ACCURACY FOR STUDYING SOLAR CONVECTION WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED CAPABILITY TO CAPTURE ITS HIERARCHICAL AND INHOMOGENEOUS NATURE, AND FURTHER EXPLOITS THE CAPABILITIES OF CHORUS TO SHED NEW LIGHT ON MULTI-SCALE SOLAR CONVECTION, AND BY EXTENSION, THE FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS OF TURBULENT THERMAL CONVECTION UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DENSITY STRATIFICATION AND ROTATION. THE EXCELLENT PARALLEL EFFICIENCY OF CHORUS ALLOWS IT TO ACHIEVE THE HIGH COMPUTATIONAL RESOLUTION NECESSARY TO CAPTURE THE INTENSELY TURBULENT NATURE OF THE SUN?S CONVECTION ZONE (SCZ). IN THIS PROJECT, CHORUS WILL BE IMPROVED IN THREE ASPECTS: 1) A BOUNDARY- CONFORMING TRANSFINITE MAPPING WILL BE DESIGNED TO COMPLETELY REMOVE NUMERICAL ERRORS INDUCED BY ISO-PARAMETRIC MAPPING; 2) THE ORDER OF ACCURACY IN SPACE WILL BE IMPROVED FROM THIRD-ORDER (P2 ELEMENTS) TO SIXTH-ORDER (P5 ELEMENTS); AND 3) P-REFINEMENTS AND LOCAL TIME STEPPING CAPABILITIES WILL BE EQUIPPED FOR HIGHER RESOLUTION IN BOTH SPACE AND TIME. THE RESULTANT CHORUS++ CODE WILL BE OVER 100 TIMES FASTER THAN CHORUS. TURBULENCE IN THE SOLAR ATMOSPHERE IS DRIVEN BY THERMAL CONVECTION WHICH TRANSPORTS HEAT FROM THE DEEP SOLAR INTERIOR TO THE SURFACE LAYERS WHERE IT IS RADIATED INTO SPACE. TURBULENT CONVECTION IN TURN ESTABLISHES MEAN FLOWS AND HYDRODYNAMIC DYNAMO ACTION THAT REGULATES SOLAR VARIABILITY. AN ESSENTIAL FACTOR IN ESTABLISHING INHOMOGENEITY IS THE EXTREME VARIATION IN GAS DENSITY OF ORDER 1 MILLION ACROSS THE CONVECTION ZONE, WHICH PRODUCES A COMMENSURATE DISPARITY IN THE DYNAMICAL LENGTH AND TIME SCALES. SMALL THERMAL PLUMES DRIVEN BY RADIATIVE COOLING IN THE UPPER BOUNDARY LAYER MERGE INTO LARGER-SCALE COHERENT STRUCTURES DEEPER DOWN. THIS VAST DYNAMICAL RANGE POSES FORMIDABLE MODELING CHALLENGES THAT PUSH THE LIMITS OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS THAT REQUIRE LOCAL MESH REFINEMENTS AND LOCAL TIME STEPPING FOR PARALLEL COMPUTATIONS. 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.

REU SITE: AQUATIC SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY (ASET) REU AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY -CLARKSON UNIVERSITY IN POTSDAM, NEW YORK WILL HOST A NEW RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES (REU) PROGRAM CALLED AQUATIC SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY (ASET). THE PROGRAM WILL BRING TEN UNDERGRADUATES TO CLARKSON EACH SUMMER FOR A TEN-WEEK RESEARCH EXPERIENCE DURING THE SUMMERS OF 2023-2025. ASET WILL FOCUS ON THE GREAT LAKES-ST. LAWRENCE RIVER WATERSHED ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH. REU INTERNS WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN A RANGE OF DISCIPLINES ORGANIZED IN BROAD CATEGORIES OF 1) AQUATIC NATURAL SCIENCES, 2) AQUATIC SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCES AND 3) AQUATIC RESOURCE ENGINEERING. THE ASET SCHOLARS? RESEARCH EXPERIENCES WILL ADDRESS HIGH-NEED AND EMERGING AREAS IN AQUATIC NATURAL AND SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING WITH AN INTEGRATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITY THROUGH TRAINING, RESEARCH, SEMINARS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES A PROGRAMMATIC EMPHASIS ON INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE GREAT LAKES-ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. STUDENT RECRUITMENT WILL DEVELOP COHORTS THAT ARE DIVERSE IN PERSPECTIVE, DISCIPLINE, AND DEMOGRAPHICS. THE PROGRAM GOALS ARE TO 1) DEVELOP A SCHOLAR?S RESEARCH EXPERIENCE; 2) DEVELOP A DIVERSE, SUPPORTIVE, AND INCLUSIVE LEARNING COMMUNITY; 3) STRENGTHEN SCHOLARS? SKILLS TO CREATE AND EVALUATE COMMUNICATION PRODUCTS; 4) FOSTER SCHOLARS? EVALUATION OF THE ETHICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS IN RESEARCH; 5) VALIDATE THE SCHOLARS' ACADEMIC PATH AND FACILITATE DEGREE COMPLETION IN A STEM-RELATED FIELD; AND 6) ENCOURAGE SCHOLARS TO CHOOSE A CAREER IN STEM IN AQUATICS. ASET WILL EXPOSE STUDENTS TO A BROAD SPECTRUM OF AQUATIC SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY TOPICS PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH EXPOSURE TO DEEP DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES IN A RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT, WHILE IMMERSING THEM IN AN INCLUSIVE INTERDISCIPLINARY AND TRANS-DISCIPLINARY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. STUDENTS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONDUCT RESEARCH WITH FACULTY WHOSE WORK FOCUSES ON TOPICS SUCH AS BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, ELECTROCHEMISTRY, BIOSENSING AND ENVIRONMENTAL NANOTECHNOLOGY; MAPPING LANDSCAPES WITH GROUND PENETRATING RADAR, ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY AND SEISMIC REFLECTION; THE FATE AND TRANSPORT OF EMERGING CONTAMINANTS IN THE GREAT LAKES; ECOHYDRAULICS, HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOMS IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS, AS WELL AS OTHER AQUATIC SCIENCE RELATED TOPICS. 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: STRENGTHENING METALLIC NANOFOAMS THROUGH LIGAMENT SCALE MATERIALS DESIGN

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A HETEROGENEOUS COMPUTING PLATFORM FOR BIOMETRICS RESEARCH

CC* COMPUTE: ACCELERATING COMPUTATIONAL RESEARCH FOR ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE (ACRES) AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY, A CAMPUS CLUSTER PROPOSAL

NEW; NON-DARCIAN FLOW, IMAGING, AND COUPLED CONSTITUTIVE BEHAVIOR OF HETEROGENEOUS DEFORMING POROUS MEDIA; PI - KATHLEEN ISSEN

PARTICLE SIZE QUANTIFICATION IN LARGE SCALE CHEMICAL RELEASES USING OPTICAL METHODS

EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF DEFORMATION BAND FORMATION

SINGLE PARTICLE INVESTIGATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL PROCESSES USING NANO-IMPACT COLLISION TECHNIQUES

PFI-TT: A MECHANICAL TESTING SYSTEM TO CHARACTERIZE THE HETEROGENEOUS DEFORMATION OF MATERIAL AT MICROSCOPIC LENGTH SCALES

A NEW SIGNAL PROCESSING AND DETECTION APPROACH FOR UNDERWATER CHAOTIC LIDAR

REMOTE MULTI-ATTRIBUTE SPATIOTEMPORAL DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS ANALYSIS

CDS&E: AN EFFECTIVE THERMAL SIMULATION METHODOLOGY FOR GPGPUS ENABLED BY DATA-DRIVEN MODEL REDUCTION

REU SITE: SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCE ON RESILIENT CARBON-FREE U.S. ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS -THE SUMMER REU ON RESILIENT CARBON-FREE U.S. ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY WILL PROVIDE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOCUSED ON A SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT U.S. ELECTRICITY POWER GRID BY 2035. EACH YEAR, A COHORT OF 10 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON ATTRACTING PARTICIPANTS FROM RESEARCH LIMITED INSTITUTES AND UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, WILL BE RECRUITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SUMMER RESEARCH. THESE REU STUDENTS WILL BE MENTORED BY CLARKSON FACULTY AND CONDUCT RESEARCH INTO DATA ANALYTICS, MACHINE LEARNING, ADVANCED CONTROL, AND POWER SYSTEM ANALYSIS FOR IMPROVED GRID RESILIENCY AND GRID INTEGRATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE INVITED SEMINARS AND FIELD TRIPS HOSTED BY THE INDUSTRY PARTNERS, E.G., NATIONAL GRID, NEW YORK POWER AUTHORITY, AND NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY, TO BROADEN STUDENTS? KNOWLEDGE OF ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURES. THE OUTCOME OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS WITH INTERDISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE TO ADDRESS THE PRESSING CHALLENGES FACED BY THIS COUNTRY?S ELECTRIC POWER GRID FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT ENERGY SYSTEM OF THE FUTURE. CLARKSON UNIVERSITY WILL HOST A NEW 3-YEAR REU SITE FEATURING A TEN-WEEK IMMERSIVE SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR TEN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ANNUALLY. THE REU HAS A GOAL OF ATTRACTING AT LEAST 50% OF THE STUDENTS WILL BE FROM TWO- OR FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES WITH LIMITED RESEARCH RESOURCES AND AT LEAST 50% FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS INCLUDING UNPRESENTED MINORITIES, WOMEN, VETERAN OR FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS. THE PROGRAM?S DISTINGUISHING ELEMENTS INCLUDE: (1) RESEARCH PROJECTS ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES FACED BY THE POWER INDUSTRY TO ACHIEVE THE NATIONWIDE GOAL OF RESILIENT CARBON-FREE U.S. ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS BY 2035; (2) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES SUCH AS TRAINING OF ETHICS IN RESEARCH, COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AND PREPARING A STRONG APPLICATION TO GRADUATE SCHOOL TO FOSTER STUDENTS? EDUCATIONAL & CAREER DEVELOPMENT; AND (3) BOOTCAMP ON GRID RESILIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY, FIELD TRIPS AND INVITED TALKS TO STIMULATE AND SUSTAIN STUDENTS? INTEREST IN GRADUATE STUDIES IN THE ELECTRIC POWER SECTOR. THESE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES WILL FOCUS ON RESILIENCY AND CARBON-FREE GRIDS OF THE FUTURE INCLUDING GRID ASSETS HARDENING WITH 5G NETWORKS, RENEWABLE INTEGRATION, DATA ANALYTICS FOR OUTAGE MANAGEMENT, CONVERTER CONTROL FOR SOLAR AND OFFSHORE WIND, AND CYBER-RESILIENT CONTROL OF DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES. FOLLOWING THE SUMMER EXPERIENCE, MENTORS WILL SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS TO SUBMIT APPROPRIATE RESEARCH RESULTS FOR PUBLICATION IN PEER-REVIEWED IEEE CONFERENCES/JOURNALS. 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.

ALMOST CONJUGACY

REU SITE: HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING WITH ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS

A TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS FROM CLARKSON UNIVERSITY POTSDAM NY AND THE NEW YORK STATE ENERGY RESEARCH

PA-15-322 FOR ANTONIO LOUIS ROCKWELL TO GM113180-01 ELUCIDATING THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF THE EVOLUTIONARILY CONSERVED IME4 MRNA METHYLTRANSFERASE IN MET

DYNAMIC BIO-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF LIGAND-RECEPTOR BONDS

REU SITE: ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES TO SERVE HUMANITY (ASSETS TO SERVE HUMANITY)

REGULATION OF PAPILLOMAVIRUS-INDUCED IMMORTALIZATION BY EGF-RECEPTOR INHIBITION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE MECHANICS OF RESPIRATORY PARTICLE PRODUCTION IN THE LARYNX DURING PHONATION -INFECTIOUS DISEASE TRANSMISSION, AS HIGHLIGHTED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, EXACTS A SEVERE TOLL ON THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND HEALTH OF THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW AIRBORNE DISEASES ARE SPREAD, THIS PROJECT WILL DETERMINE HOW SPEAKING GENERATES MICROSCOPIC RESPIRATORY PARTICLES THAT CAN RELEASE INFECTIOUS PATHOGENS INTO THE SURROUNDING AIR. ALTHOUGH ACTIONS LIKE COUGHING AND SNEEZING PRODUCE HIGH NUMBERS OF RESPIRATORY PARTICLES, THESE EVENTS ARE NOT AS COMMON AS SPEAKING. IN COMPARISON, SPEAKING PRODUCES PARTICLES CONTINUOUSLY THAT RESULTS IN LARGE QUANTITIES OF PARTICLES BEING EXPELLED FROM THE MOUTH OVER TIME. THE RATES AT WHICH INDIVIDUALS PRODUCE RESPIRATORY PARTICLES WHEN SPEAKING VARY WIDELY AMONG PEOPLE FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. THIS PROJECT WILL ANSWER THIS CONUNDRUM BY PERFORMING EXPERIMENTS USING BOTH HUMAN SUBJECTS AND PHYSICAL MODELS OF PHONATION, WITH THE GOAL OF DISCOVERING HOW THE MECHANICS OF SPEAKING INFLUENCES HOW RESPIRATORY PARTICLES ARE PRODUCED. THIS APPROACH WILL UNLOCK NEW WAYS TO UNDERSTAND AEROSOL GENERATION IN THE VOCAL TRACT AND HOW IT AFFECTS AIRBORNE TRANSMISSION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. LARGE-SCALE COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS THROUGH A UNIVERSITY SPONSORED INNOVATION FAIR (IMAGINERIT) WILL TRANSMIT PROJECT FINDINGS TO AN INTERESTED PUBLIC. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ELUCIDATE THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF AEROSOLIZED PARTICLE GENERATION DURING PHONATION AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF AIRBORNE PATHOGENS. THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH WILL UTILIZE EXPERIMENTAL MODELS AND HUMAN MEASUREMENTS TO QUANTIFY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BIOMECHANICAL PROCESSES OF SPEECH AND THE MECHANICS OF RESPIRATORY PARTICLE PRODUCTION. THE PROJECT WILL EXPLORE HOW VARIATIONS IN THE RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE RESPIRATORY TRACT LINING FLUID AND THE BIOMECHANICAL ACTIONS AT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL SITES OF PARTICLE GENERATION CONTRIBUTE TO THE OBSERVED HETEROGENEITY IN AEROSOL PRODUCTION RATES AMONG INDIVIDUALS. THIS RESEARCH IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR ASYMPTOMATIC SPEECH-DRIVEN TRANSMISSION OF VIRUSES, AS EVIDENCED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. FINDINGS FROM THIS WORK WILL INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES FOR MITIGATING INFECTION RISK AND WILL HAVE BROAD APPLICATION TO PUBLIC HEALTH POLICIES REGARDING AIRBORNE DISEASES. THE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH OF THE RESEARCH PLAN WILL ALSO PROVIDE A UNIQUE EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING ENVIRONMENT FOR TWO GRADUATE STUDENTS AND THREE UNDERGRADUATES THAT WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE WORK PLAN. RESEARCH FINDINGS WILL ALSO BE INCORPORATED INTO EXISTING CLASSROOM CURRICULA AT BOTH THE UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE LEVEL. 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: SOURCES OF BLACK CARBON METHANE SULFONIC ACID AND OTHER PARTICULATE CONSTITUENTS OVER 45 YEARS IN THE ARCTIC

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SENSE-AND-ACT SYSTEMS FOR SUBSTANCE RELEASE MODELING DRUG DELIVERY TRIGGERED BY IMMUNE-SENSING BASED ON NANOSTRUCTURED ELECTR

CYBERTRAINING: PILOT: EMPLOYING PROPER ORTHOGONAL DECOMPOSITION (POD) AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING (HPC) IN ADVANCED CI

SCALABLE MANUFACTURING OF NANOSTRUCTURED BIOASSEMBLIES FOR LOW-COST PORTABLE BIOSENSORS

A VARIATIONAL APPROACH TO DATA MINING FROM HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGE SEQUENCES AND TRANSPORT ANALYSIS WITH MODEL FILTERING OF SPATIOTEMPORAL DYNAMICAL SYST

REU SITE: ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES TO SERVE HUMANITY (ASSETS TO SERVE HUMANITY)

CHAOTIC LIDAR FOR NAVAL APPLICATIONS

PFI-TT: BEHAVIOR-BASED ACCOUNT RECOVERY, TRUST ASSESSMENT, AND CONTINUOUS AUTHENTICATION FOR STRENGTHENING ONLINE IDENTITY

EFFICIENT REDUCED-ORDER MODELING TOOLS FOR AEROELASTIC PREDICTIONS IN SUPER LONG-SPAN BRIDGES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SUPPORTING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN UNDERGRADUATE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING COURSES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A GLOBAL VIEW OF TOPOGRAPHICALLY BOUND LOW LEVEL JETS

REU SITE: ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES TO SERVE HUMANITY (ASSETS TO SERVE HUMANITY)

REU SITE: MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY TEAM SCIENCE (MBIOTS) RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES (REU) PROGRAM AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). THE MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY TEAM SCIENCE (MBIOTS) RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES (REU) PROGRAM AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY IS A TEN-WEEK INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH SUMMER EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO TRAIN STUDENTS INTERESTED IN QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY THROUGH AN IMMERSIVE TEAM SCIENCE APPROACH. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PREPARE FUTURE BIOLOGISTS AND APPLIED MATHEMATICIANS TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE AND COLLABORATE ACROSS DISCIPLINES TO SOLVE PROBLEMS ARISING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. THE TARGETED POPULATION FOR THE MBIOTS REU SITE INCLUDES STUDENTS FROM A DIVERSE SET OF ACADEMIC BACKGROUNDS SUCH AS MATHEMATICS, BIOLOGY, HEALTH SCIENCES, PHYSICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND ENGINEERING. STUDENTS WILL BE RECRUITED NATIONALLY, WITH A FOCUS ON WOMEN, UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN STEM, AND STUDENTS AT INSTITUTIONS WITH LIMITED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES. THE FACULTY MENTORS HAVE EXPERTISE WORKING COLLABORATIVELY IN MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY, AND THE RESEARCH PROJECTS SPAN BIOLOGICAL PHENOMENA RANGING FROM ECOLOGY, CELL BIOLOGY, AND PUBLIC HEALTH. PARTICIPANTS WILL DEVELOP SKILLS APPLICABLE IN COLLABORATIVE SCIENCE, IN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION, IN PUBLISHING AND PRESENTING RESEARCH RESULTS, AND IN GRADUATE STUDIES AND CAREERS IN STEM. THE MBIOTS REU PROGRAM WILL INTRODUCE STUDENTS TO INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AT THE INTERSECTION OF BIOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS THROUGH PROJECTS THAT DIRECTLY COMBINE EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL COMPONENTS. STUDENTS WILL WORK IN PAIRS ON MENTORED RESEARCH, WITH ONE PARTICIPANT FOCUSED ON DATA COLLECTION IN A LABORATORY SETTING AND THE OTHER FOCUSED ON COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS. EACH TEAM WILL BE MENTORED BY FACULTY FROM BOTH THE BIOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENTS AT CLARKSON. A KEY COMPONENT OF THE MBIOTS REU WILL BE THE CLOSE INTERACTION BETWEEN STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS ACROSS DISCIPLINES, AS THEY COLLABORATIVELY DESIGN BOTH EXPERIMENTS AND MODELS TO ADDRESS BIOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. THE PROGRAM WILL ALSO INCLUDE RESEARCH SEMINARS ON MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY PROJECTS FROM FACULTY BOTH AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. THE SKILLS STUDENTS DEVELOP ARE VERSATILE AND BROADLY APPLICABLE, AND INCLUDE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, MODELING, COMPUTATION, DATA FITTING AND UNCERTAINTY QUANTIFICATION, AND MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS. TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS WILL ALSO BE EMPHASIZED VIA RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS INTENDED TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL AND SCIENTIFIC CAREERS. 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: ECLIPSE: EXPLORING NON-OXIDATIVE REACTION PATHWAYS OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE PLASMAS -THIS AWARD SUPPORTS A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BETWEEN NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY, CLARKSON UNIVERSITY, AND TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY TO EXPLORE CHEMICAL REACTION PATHWAYS IN LOW TEMPERATURE PLASMAS. THE FIELD OF LOW TEMPERATURE PLASMAS (LTPS) ENCOMPASSES APPLICATIONS RANGING FROM MICROELECTRONICS FABRICATION AND HUMAN IMPLANTS TO LASERS AND SOLAR CELL MANUFACTURING. THE SUCCESS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES RELIES ON THE REACTIONS OF PLASMA-GENERATED IONS AND FREE RADICALS. WHILE EXTENSIVE WORK HAS BEEN CONDUCTED TO IDENTIFY AND QUANTIFY REACTIVE OXYGEN AND NITROGEN SPECIES, THE GENERATION MECHANISMS AND SUBSEQUENT REACTIONS OF NON-OXIDATIVE SPECIES SUCH AS IONS AND METASTABLE ATOMS PRODUCED BY THE PLASMA ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN. THESE SPECIES HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO BE DEPLOYED FOR A RANGE OF UNIQUE PLASMOCHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS, INCLUDING THE REMOVAL OF TOXIC PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS) KNOWN AS ''FOREVER CHEMICALS'' FROM WATER USING MULTIPHASE GAS-LIQUID PLASMA REACTORS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT AND SCALE UP OF PLASMA REACTORS TO DEGRADE AND DESTROY PFAS, AND IS SUPPORTED UNDER THE ECOSYSTEM FOR LEADING INNOVATION IN PLASMA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (ECLIPSE) AND CRITICAL ASPECTS OF SUSTAINABILITY (CAS): INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY (CAS-SC) PROGRAMS. THE PROJECT SEEKS TO ELUCIDATE NON-OXIDATIVE CHEMICAL REACTION MECHANISMS AND PATHWAYS OF PHOTONS, METASTABLES, RADICALS, AND CHARGED PARTICLES GENERATED BY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE PLASMAS IN CONTACT WITH LIQUID WATER. THE CENTRAL APPROACH FOR ACHIEVING THESE OBJECTIVES INVOLVES MEASURING REMOVAL RATES OF FOUR NONOXIDIZABLE FLUORINATED COMPOUNDS IN THREE GAS-LIQUID PLASMA REACTORS OF WELL-DEFINED HYDRODYNAMICS AND CORRELATING THEM TO THE FLUXES DELIVERED FROM TWO DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE PLASMA JET DEVICES. THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS OF THIS EFFORT IS THAT SOLVATED ELECTRONS AND HYDROGEN RADICALS ARE THE KEY SPECIES INVOLVED IN NON-OXIDATIVE CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS. THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE DEGRADATION OF SHORT-CHAIN PFAS ARE OF PARTICULAR INTEREST, AS THESE COMPOUNDS HAVE PROVEN TO BE EXTREMELY CHALLENGING TO TREAT. THIS PROJECT INVOLVES STUDENTS AT ALL LEVELS, FROM K-12 TO GRADUATE, INCLUDING THOSE FROM UNDER-SERVED COMMUNITIES. MAJOR ACTIVITIES INCLUDE DEVELOPMENT OF A PORTABLE PLASMA-WATER DEMONSTRATION SETUP FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, ORGANIZATION OF A CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WORKSHOP AT A LOCAL CHILDREN?S MUSEUM, PARTICIPATION IN PLASMA SUMMER SCHOOLS, AND UTILIZING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO CREATE A SERIES OF EXCITING AND ENGAGING TECHNICAL VIDEOS TO ENCOURAGE PUBLIC INTEREST IN SCIENCE. 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.

REAL TIME QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AS A MARKER FOR DIFFERENTIAL NANOPARTICLE TOXICITY

NRI: FND: USING MULTI-MODAL DATA TO MAKE ROBOTIC GRASP ALGORITHMS AWARE OF HUMAN PREFERENCES FOR SAFE COLLABORATIVE ROBOT-HUMAN HANDOVER INTERACTIONS WITH NOVEL OBJECTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ECLIPSE-PFAS: ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE PLASMA-DRIVEN MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH FOR COMPLETE MINERALIZATION OF PFAS & PFAS PRECURSORS IN COMPLEX AQUEOUS SYSTEMS -PFAS (SHORT FOR PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES) ARE MAN-MADE CHEMICALS USED IN MANY PRODUCTS LIKE NON-STICK PANS, WATERPROOF CLOTHING, AND FIREFIGHTING FOAM. THEY ARE POPULAR BECAUSE THEY RESIST HEAT, WATER, AND OIL. HOWEVER, THAT IS ALSO WHAT MAKES THEM A POTENTIAL PROBLEM ? THEY DON?T BREAK DOWN EASILY IN THE ENVIRONMENT. OVER TIME, PFAS CAN BUILD UP IN WATER, SOIL, ANIMALS, AND EVEN PEOPLE, AND THEY MAY BE HARMFUL TO OUR HEALTH. REMOVING PFAS FROM WATER IS CHALLENGING. MOST REGULAR WATER TREATMENT METHODS DO NOT WORK WELL, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE WATER IS FULL OF OTHER WASTE MATERIALS. THIS PROJECT IS EXPLORING A NEW WAY TO GET RID OF PFAS USING A LOW-TEMPERATURE PLASMA ? A SPECIAL KIND OF ENERGIZED GAS. THIS PLASMA CREATES PARTICLES THAT CAN BREAK THE VERY STRONG BONDS IN PFAS CHEMICALS, HELPING TO DESTROY THEM. THE RESEARCH WILL TEST DIFFERENT PLASMA SYSTEMS AND WATER TYPES TO UNDERSTAND HOW PFAS BREAK DOWN. THE GOAL IS TO CREATE A RELIABLE, LARGE-SCALE METHOD THAT CAN REMOVE PFAS FROM WATER COMPLETELY. THIS WORK COULD HELP SOLVE A SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM AND PROTECT PEOPLE?S HEALTH. IT SUPPORTS THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION?S MISSION TO ADVANCE SCIENCE AND IMPROVE LIFE FOR EVERYONE. THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES THE MECHANISMS OF PFAS DEGRADATION IN COMPLEX AQUEOUS MATRICES VIA NON-EQUILIBRIUM PLASMA. THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT NON-OXIDATIVE PLASMA-INDUCED MECHANISMS, DRIVEN BY ELECTRON AND PHOTON INTERACTIONS, YIELD TRANSIENT HYDROFLUOROCARBONS THAT ARE SUBSEQUENTLY OXIDIZED BY HYDROXYL RADICALS TO RELEASE FLUORIDE IONS. THE RESEARCH IS ORGANIZED INTO FOUR TASKS: OPTIMIZING PLASMA PARAMETERS TO ENHANCE ELECTRON AND PHOTON FLUXES TO THE GAS-LIQUID INTERFACE; DEVELOPING ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR DETECTING PFAS AND BYPRODUCTS; REDESIGNING REACTORS TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY; AND APPLYING MACHINE LEARNING TO ANALYZE DATA AND GUIDE OPTIMIZATION. THIS RESEARCH WILL ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF PLASMA-LIQUID INTERACTIONS AND SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FEEDSTOCK-AGNOSTIC PLASMA PROCESS CAPABLE OF PFAS DEFLUORINATION ACROSS DIVERSE MATRICES. BROADER IMPACTS INCLUDE K-12 STEM OUTREACH, DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CASE STUDIES, AND INTEGRATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS INTO INTERDISCIPLINARY TRAINING PROGRAMS. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT WILL BE PROMOTED THROUGH PUBLIC TALKS, WORKSHOPS, AND A DATA-SHARING PLATFORM TO SUPPORT EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY. THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY 1) PROCESS SYSTEMS, REACTION ENGINEERING AND MOLECULAR THERMODYNAMICS PROGRAM, 2) ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM AND 3) THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM IN RESPONSE TO THE DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER 24-130, AS PART OF THE ECOSYSTEM FOR LEADING INNOVATION IN PLASMA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (ECLIPSE) INTERDISCIPLINARY 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.

CAREER: STOCHASTIC MULTIPLE TIME-SCALE CO-OPTIMIZED RESOURCE PLANNING OF FUTURE POWER SYSTEMS WITH RENEWABLE GENERATION, DEMAND RESPONSE, AND ENERGY

REU SITE PROGRAM IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING: SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION AND COORDINATION CONTROL OF DEMAND RESPONSE FOR ENHANCING THE SECURE AND ECONOMIC OPERATION OF POWER

DEVELOPMENT AND STUDY OF SELF-ASSEMBLED MICROTHERMOMETERS

IUCRC FOR METAMATERIALS

REDUCED-ORDER REPRESENTATIONS FOR DESIGN A MANIFOLD LEARNING APPROACH TO REDUCED-ORDER BASIS

GOALI: MAPPING OF CHARGE DISTRIBUTION ON A NON-UNIFORMLY CHANGED TONER PARTICLE FOR DETERMINING FUNDAMENTAL CONTRIBUTORS OF ADHESION FORCE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BALANCED MODELS--THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT, SOLUTION AND APPLICATION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: TOPOGRAPHICALLY BOUND BALANCED MOTIONS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A MULTIPLEXED MICROBIOSENSING PLATFORM FOR UNDERSTANDING REAL TIME NEUROTRANSMITTER DYNAMICS IN THE BRAIN

BIOENGINEERING RESEARCH EDUCATION TO ACCELERATE INNOVATION IN STEM - BOREALIS - ABSTRACT ”ENGINEERING HAS A PERSISTENT DIVERSITY CHALLENGE,” STATES A RECENT NATIONAL ACADEMIES REPORT. THE MOST IMPACTFUL SCIENCE COMES FROM DIVERSE TEAMS WORKING TOGETHER, AND DIVERSITY IN THE STEM WORKPLACE IMPROVES WORK ENGAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE, ENHANCES THE QUALITY OF RESEARCH AND PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE, AND PROMOTES INNOVATION. THE CURRENT HOMOGENEITY IN ENGINEERING, BOTH REGIONALLY AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY (CU) AND NATIONALLY, MOTIVATES THE BIOENGINEERING RESEARCH EDUCATION TO ACCELERATE INNOVATION IN STEM (BOREALIS) SCHOLARS PROGRAM, AND INSPIRES CLARKSON’S EQUITY-MINDED APPROACH TO BETTER ENGAGE SOCIODEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE REGIONAL STUDENTS. TO ADDRESS THESE OPPORTUNITIES, BOREALIS IS DESIGNED TO RECRUIT AND ENROLL THREE COHORTS OF FIVE SOCIODEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS (INCLUDING BLACK AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF COLOR AND STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES) ESPECIALLY FROM THE RURAL, ECONOMICALLY DEPRESSED NORTH COUNTRY REGION OF NEW YORK STATE, AND EDUCATE, ENCOURAGE, AND SUPPORT THEM TO ENTER THE BIOENGINEERING WORKFORCE VIA PURSUIT OF GRADUATE STUDY IN BIOENGINEERING. STUDENTS FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY OFTEN FACE CHALLENGES ENTERING STEM FIELDS AND BUILDING SCIENTIFIC IDENTITIES, SUCH AS SCANT ACADEMIC PREPARATION, AN UNWELCOMING ATMOSPHERE FROM FACULTY, AND NAVIGATING INTERSECTIONALITY OF IDENTITIES. THROUGH A SERIES OF INTEGRATED AND COMPLEMENTARY EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES—(1) A SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM; (2) FIRST- AND SECOND- ACADEMIC YEAR ACTIVITIES; AND (3) SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCES—COMBINED WITH EVIDENCE-BASED MENTOR AND MENTEE TRAINING, CU WILL FOSTER BOREALIS SCHOLARS’ SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION INTO AND COMPLETION OF THE HONORS PROGRAM, POSITIONING THEM TO PURSUE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN BIOENGINEERING OR A RELATED FIELD. THIS NEW PATHWAY LEVERAGES EXISTING RESOURCES FOR STUDENT SUCCESS. THE RESEARCH EDUCATION PLAN INCLUDES NEW INITIATIVES FOR STUDENT SUCCESS DURING THE FIRST UNDERGRADUATE YEARS, AND FACULTY TRAINING IN AND USE OF INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGY AND EFFECTIVE MENTORING. THE BOREALIS SCHOLARS PROGRAM AT CU REPRESENTS ONE SMALL STEP TOWARDS MAINTAINING AMERICA’S SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP BY INVESTING IN SOCIODEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY. BY THE CONCLUSION OF THE PROJECT, WE WILL HAVE: (1) CREATED AN EVIDENCE-BASED MENTORED PORTAL AND PATHWAY FOR RESEARCH-CURIOUS STUDENTS TO EXPLORE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING EARLY IN THEIR UNDERGRADUATE CAREER AND (2) BUILT AND SUSTAINED COHORTS OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS FROM RURAL BACKGROUNDS ENGAGED IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING RESEARCH, LEADING TO (3) AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF RURAL, DIVERSE STUDENTS PURSUING BIOENGINEERING GRADUATE STUDY. THESE THREE AIMS WILL ENABLE OUR GOAL OF INCREASING THE NUMBER OF RURAL, DIVERSE STUDENTS PURSUING BIOENGINEERING GRADUATE SCHOOL AFTER CU.

CAREER: A NOVEL AND FAST OPEN-SOURCE CODE FOR GLOBAL SIMULATION OF STRATIFIED CONVECTION AND MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS OF THE SUN

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PERSONALIZED MODELING, MONITORING AND CONTROL FOR ADVANCING VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE THERAPY IN END-STAGE HEART FAILURE

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A TOMOGRAPHIC PARTICLE IMAGE VELOCIMETRY SYSTEM

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF SCALABLE MOBILE MULTIDISCIPLINARY MODULES (SM3) FOR STEM EDUCATION

UNS: THE INTERACTION OF COHERENT STRUCTURES IN A SHEAR LAYER WITH A FLEXIBLE BEAM

TOXIC CHEMICAL SIGNATURES IN FISH COLLECTED FROM THE EASTERN NATIONAL PARKS

BRAVE NEW WHORL: VORTEX RING IMPINGEMENT ON CONCAVE SURFACES -VORTEX RING INTERACTIONS WITH SOLID AND DEFORMABLE SURFACES ABOUND IN NATURE AND ENGINEERING FLOWS. THIS SITUATION IS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT TO THE PROBLEM OF REPLACEMENT SPEECH FOLLOWING A LARYNGECTOMY, WHERE UNSTEADY FLOW EXITING A TRACHEOESOPHAGEAL PROSTHESIS PRODUCES PULSATILE VORTEX RINGS THAT IMPINGE ON THE CURVED WALL OF THE ESOPHAGUS. THE RESULTANT ESOPHAGEAL PRESSURE FIELD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCCESSFULLY PRODUCING TRACHEOESOPHAGEAL (I.E., REPLACEMENT) SPEECH. AS SUCH, UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANICS THAT ARISE AS VORTEX RINGS IMPACT CURVED SURFACES, IN PARTICULAR THE PRESSURE LOADING THAT IS PRODUCED, COULD LEAD TO IMPROVED SUCCESS RATES OF REPLACEMENT SPEECH. THIS WORK IS ALSO MORE BROADLY APPLICABLE TO BOTH BIOLOGICAL AND ENGINEERING FLOWS, SUCH AS CARDIAC HEMODYNAMICS, FLUIDIC ENERGY HARVESTING, WALL-BOUNDED TURBULENCE, ETC. THE PHYSICS OF THESE INTERACTIONS WILL BE INVESTIGATED VIA FLOW VISUALIZATION AND BOTH TWO-DIMENSIONAL AND TOMOGRAPHIC PARTICLE IMAGE VELOCIMETRY. ACQUISITION OF THE VELOCITY FIELDS WILL ENABLE DETERMINATION OF VORTICITY TOPOLOGIES, PRESSURE FIELD ESTIMATION, AND IDENTIFICATION OF PRESSURE SOURCE TERMS, AS WELL AS THE RESULTANT WALL LOADING THAT ARISES DURING THESE INTERACTIONS. THIS PROPOSAL BLENDS THE RESEARCH EFFORTS WITH A NOVEL OUTREACH PLAN TO HELP HIGH-SCHOOL CHORAL STUDENTS ENVISION HOW AN INTEREST IN ARTISTIC EXPRESSION IN VOICE CAN LEAD TO A CAREER IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. THE PROPOSED WORK PLAN WILL EXPLORE THE MECHANICS OF VORTEX RING-SURFACE INTERACTIONS WITH BOTH HEMISPHERICAL AND CYLINDRICAL CAVITIES. FLOW VISUALIZATION AND PARTICLE IMAGE VELOCIMETRY WILL BE UTILIZED TO EXPLORE HOW A PRIMARY VORTEX RING APPROACHING A CAVITY INDUCES FLOW ON THE SURFACE OF THE CAVITY, AND SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSES THE FLOW TO SEPARATE AND ROLL-UP INTO A SECONDARY VORTEX RING, AND POTENTIALLY DEVELOP AZIMUTHAL INSTABILITIES. THIS INTERACTION WILL BE INVESTIGATED IN BOTH AXISYMMETRIC (HEMISPHERICAL) AND TWO-DIMENSIONAL CAVITY GEOMETRIES AS A FUNCTION OF CAVITY RADIUS RELATIVE TO THE PRIMARY VORTEX RING RADIUS. THE PRESSURE LOADING THAT DEVELOPS ON THE CONCAVE SURFACE WILL ALSO BE QUANTIFIED TO PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTION. THE OUTCOMES FROM THIS RESEARCH PLAN WILL IMPROVE SUCCESS RATES OF TRACHEOESOPHAGEAL SPEECH. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO FACILITATE THE TRAINING AND EDUCATION OF ONE GRADUATE AND MULTIPLE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. FINALLY, THE OUTREACH PROGRAM WILL INSPIRE HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS TO PURSUE CAREERS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FIELDS, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING PAID SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR TWO OF THEM. 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.

"THE SWORD OF OUR SCIENCE": THE PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND POLITICAL TIMES OF OTMAR VON VERSCHUER

ADVANCED HYBRID SIMULATION FOR STORM SURGE LOADS

SIGNAL-RESPONSIVE HYBRID BIOMATERIALS WITH BUILT-IN BOOLEAN LOGIC

UNDERWATER HYBRID LIDAR-RADAR TEST SYSTEM FOR EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION AND EXPLORATION OF NEW EXTENDED-RANGE LIDAR TECHNIQUES

EVALUATION OF ANTI-SPOOFING APPROACHES FOR FINGERPRINT BIOMETRIC RECOGNITION SYSTEMS

MODELING SPATIOTEMPORAL SYSTEMS ON ARBITRARY NETWORKS BY UNCOVERING SPATIAL SCALES AND COMPONENT INTERACTIONS: UNCOVERING HIERARCHICAL SCALE INTERAC

MULTI-STAGE AND MULTI-TIMESCALE ROBUST CO-OPTIMIZATION PLANNING FOR RELIABLE AND SUSTAINABLE POWER SYSTEMS

THE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AN ELECTROCHEMICAL SEPARATION PROCESS DRIVEN BY A REDOX COUPLE, CALLED REDOX FLOW DESALINATION, FOR LOW ENERGY AND HIGH WATER RECOVERY DESALINATION OF BRACKISH GROUNDWATER AT A PRACTICAL PRODUCTIVITY RANGE SUCH AN ELECTRIC FIELD DRIVEN PROCESS CONSUMES LESS ENERGY THAN THE WIDELY USED REVERSE OSMOSIS REMAINING CHALLENGES OF REDOX FLOW DESALINATION FOR A BROADER IMPLEMENTATION ARE TO ASSESS AND MITIGATE SCALING AND PRECIPITATION FORMATION DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF MINERALS IN BRACKISH GROUNDWATER TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES, THIS STUDY WILL FOCUS ON THREE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 1 FABRICATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF CARBON BASED ELECTRODES FOR LOW ENERGY DESALINATION 2 SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MONOVALENT ION SELECTIVE MEMBRANES FOR HIGH WATER RECOVERY DESALINATION AND 3 INTEGRATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF A BENCH SCALE REDOX DRIVEN ELECTROCHEMICAL SYSTEM FOR REAL BRACKISH GROUNDWATER DESALINATION

DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL SCATTER FILTERING FOR UNDERWATER OPTICAL PROXIMITY DETECTORS

AN ALL OPTICAL CHAOTIC LIDAR SYSTEM BASED ON A BLUE CHAOTIC FIBER RING LASER

PFI-TT: DEVELOPMENT OF EASY-TO-USE AFFORDABLE SENSORS FOR RAPID DETECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS

THE MISPERCEPTION OF RANDOMNESS: A DEVELOPMENTAL STUDY

TAS::57 3600::TAS "(YIP 11) - CONCURRENT STRUCTURAL FATIGUE DAMAGE PROGNOSIS UNDER UNCERTAINTY"

GLOBAL SIMULATIONS OF SOLAR DYNAMO USING THE SPECTRAL DIFFERENCE WITH DIVERGENCE CLEANING ALGORITHM.

A CURVED MORTAR ALGORITHM FOR COMPUTATIONAL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS WITH LOCAL MESH REFINEMENTS AND LOCAL TIME STEPPING

IUCRC PHASE I CLARKSON UNIVERSITY: CENTER FOR ELECTRIC, CONNECTED AND AUTONOMOUS TECHNOLOGIES FOR MOBILITY (ECAT) -THE ECAT CENTER CONCENTRATES ON INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CENTERED AROUND ELECTRIC, CONNECTED AND AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES (ECAVS). THE CENTER NOT ONLY SERVES AS AN APPARATUS OF ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS COLLABORATING WITH INDUSTRY ON PROBLEMS OF HIGH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE, BUT ALSO PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES INDUSTRY PARTNERS TO ACCESS THE ADVANCED SYNERGIC RESEARCH PRODUCED BY A DIVERSE GROUP OF RESEARCHERS. THE ECAT CENTER WILL ACCELERATE THE TRANSFORMATION OF MOBILITY METHODS FROM CONVENTIONAL VEHICLES TO ECAVS AND FACILITATE A NEW COLLABORATION PARADIGM FOR THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY BY DEVELOPING LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIPS AMONG INDUSTRY, ACADEME, AND GOVERNMENT. OUR TRANS-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH TEAM LOCATED AT MULTIPLE SITES WILL FOCUS ON INNOVATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS THE INTEGRATION OF ELECTRIFICATION AND AUTONOMOUS TECHNOLOGIES IN VARIOUS DOMAINS, INCLUDING ADVANCED ELECTRIC VEHICLES (EVS) AND INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) SENSORS, RELIABLE VEHICLE TO EVERYTHING (V2X) COMMUNICATION DEVICES, HIGH PERFORMANCE EDGE COMPUTING PLATFORMS, EFFICIENT ALGORITHMS FOR SENSOR DATA PROCESSING, AND THE CREATION OF CONNECTED AUTONOMOUS DRIVING SYSTEMS. THE CLARKSON UNIVERSITY SITE WILL FOCUS ON HARDWARE SUPPORT AND COMPUTING BACKBONE, ESPECIALLY EMPLOYING EDGE COMPUTING, EDGE SERVER, CLOUD COMPUTING IN A HOLISTIC AND INTEGRATED FASHION TO ADDRESS THE COMPUTING NEED FOR CONNECTED AND AUTONOMOUS DRIVING WORKLOADS. THE ECAT CENTER WILL STRIVE TO ADVANCE THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGIES TOWARDS REALIZING ECAVS IN OUR DAILY LIFE. THE CENTER WILL ACCELERATE BOTH KNOWLEDGE AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) TRANSFER BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR THE RAPID TRANSFORMATION OF THE STATE-OF-THE-ART MOBILITY TECHNOLOGIES FROM RESEARCH LABS TO INDUSTRY AND MARKET. EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS WILL BE DEVOTED TO (I) CURRICULUM DESIGN AT UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE LEVELS, (II) SUMMER CAMP DEVELOPMENT FOR K-12 STUDENTS, (III) BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN COMPUTING AND ENGINEERING, AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY AND THE OTHER ECAT SITES AS WELL. DATA OBTAINED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL INCLUDE EXPERIMENTAL, COMPUTATIONAL, TEXT-BASED, AND/OR CURRICULAR DATA. ALL DATA PRODUCTS WILL BE RETAINED FOR A MINIMUM OF THREE YEARS AFTER CONCLUSION OF THE AWARD OR THREE YEARS AFTER PUBLIC RELEASE (PUBLICATION), WHICHEVER IS LATER. THE SITES OF THE CENTER WILL HAVE PASSWORD-PROTECTED SHARED NETWORK DRIVES TO FACILITATE DATA SHARING WITHIN THE TEAMS, WITH COLLABORATORS, AND INDEED ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY WITH AN INTEREST IN THE NSF-FUNDED DATA. A LANDING PAGE FOR NAVIGATION TO ARCHIVED DATA WILL BE CREATED AT HTTP://ECAT.CENTER. 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.

UBM-GROUP: ITIMBREAC: INTERDISCIPLINARY TRAINING IN MATHEMATICAL AND BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT CLARKSON

AMERICAN WOMEN ENGINEERS FROM THE BABY BOOM GENERATION

MRI: ACQUISITION OF AN X-RAY MICROTOMAGRAPHY SYSTEM

AIR OPTION 2: RESEARCH ALLIANCE- IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSITION READINESS AND ACCELERATED INNOVATION NETWORK (IT-TRAIN)

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A NANOINDENTATION SYSTEM FOR ADVANCED MATERIALS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

TAS::57 3600::TAS DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF QUANTUM OPTIMIZATION METHODS

CDS&E/COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR COMPUTATIONAL MODEL VALIDATION

"WAVELET SPECTRAL FINITE ELEMENTS FOR WAVE PROPAGATION IN COMPOSITE PLATES"

ERASE-PFAS: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: NICKEL AND PALLADIUM SINGLE-ATOM ELECTROCATALYSTS FOR SELECTIVE CAPTURE AND DESTRUCTION OF PFAS IN COMPLEX WATER MATRICES

A TELEMEDICINE DEVICE FOR REHABILITATION OF LOWER EXTREMITY IMPAIRMENT AFTER STRO

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LOCKING NANOPARTICLES

EAGER: CFD-BASED ADJOINT METHODS FOR DESIGN APPLICATIONS WITH UNSTEADY SEPARATED FLOWS

OPTICAL WAVEFRONT PROCESSING FOR HYBRID LIDAR-RADAR

BRIGE: OS-SPECIFIC MANY-CORE DESIGN

NUE: OVERCOMING THE GEOGRAPHIC/INFRASTRUCTURE DISADVANTAGE OF A REMOTE SMALL RESEARCH/TEACHING INSTITUTION IN NANO/MICRO-SCALE ENGINEERING EDUCATION

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP)

REU SITE: AQUATIC SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY (ASET) REU AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MULTI-INPUT BIOSENSORS WITH BUILT-IN LOGIC

ERI: INVESTIGATING THE FUNDAMENTAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS AND HYDROGELS ? TOWARDS A STEM CELL-BIOMATERIAL THERAPY FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (HMSCS) HAVE THE PROMISE TO TREAT A WIDE VARIETY OF HUMAN DISEASE CONDITIONS DUE TO THE CELLS? ABILITY TO TRANSFORM INTO MANY MATURE CELL TYPES. STEM CELLS ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO INFLUENCE IMMUNE RESPONSE AND WOUND HEALING. HOWEVER, THEIR PROMISE HAS NOT YET BEEN REALIZED IN THE CLINIC. RECENT WORK HAS EXPLORED HOW BIOMATERIALS CAN CONTROL HMSC BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER, HOW HMSCS CHANGE BIOMATERIALS OVER TIME IS UNKNOWN. THIS ENGINEERING RESEARCH INITIATION (ERI) AWARD WILL ADDRESS HOW BIOMATERIALS CHANGE OVER TIME DUE TO STEM CELLS, HOW STEM CELLS RESPOND TO BIOMATERIALS, AND THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO. THE RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT MAY LEAD TO IMPROVED STEM CELL-BASED THERAPIES FOR CONDITIONS LIKE OSTEOARTHRITIS. THE PROJECT WILL INTRODUCE LOCAL K-12 STUDENTS TO THE EXCITING POSSIBILITIES OF CAREERS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING THROUGH HANDS-ON DEMONSTRATIONS FOR THE POTSDAM NORTH COUNTRY CHILDREN'S MUSEUM. THE PROJECT WILL ENHANCE THE CLARKSON UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM THROUGH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AND A NEW COURSE. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW BIODEGRADABLE HYDROGELS, MIMETIC OF THE NATIVE CARTILAGE MICROENVIRONMENT, DIRECT LINEAGE SPECIFICITY OF ENCAPSULATED HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL (HMSC). THIS GOAL WILL BE ACHIEVED BY DESIGNING AN HMSC-LADEN HYDROGEL CAPABLE OF MODULATING CELLULAR STIFFNESS AND SHAPE AND INVESTIGATING THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HYDROGEL PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND STEM CELL CULTURE CONDITIONS. A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH WILL BE USED TO FABRICATE A SERIES OF HYDROGELS WITH VARYING PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES. THE SPECIFIC DESIGN CRITERIA INCLUDE THE POLYMER TYPE, MOLECULAR WEIGHT, AND CONCENTRATION, PRESENCE OF A KNOWN CHONDROGENIC SMALL MOLECULE ELUTING FROM A POLYMERIC NANOPARTICLE THAT IS INCORPORATED INTO THE HYDROGEL BACKBONE, AND THE PATTERNING AND ENCAPSULATION OF THE HMSCS WITHIN THE HYDROGEL. UPON FABRICATION OF THE HYDROGEL VARIATIONS, THE DYNAMIC HYDROGEL PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES WILL BE INVESTIGATED IN VARIOUS STEM CELL CULTURE CONDITIONS AND THE EFFECTS OF THE HYDROGEL VARIATIONS ON HMSC CHONDROGENESIS WILL BE EXPLORED. COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN THE GENERATION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE THAT MAY BE USED TO GUIDE BIOMATERIAL-STEM CELL THERAPIES FOR TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS, AS WELL AS LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT TOWARDS DEVELOPING A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE FUNDAMENTAL INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIOMATERIAL PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND THE STEM CELL MICROENVIRONMENT. 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: ENGINEERING DESIGN OF OXYGEN RICH SURFACES FOR BIOELECTRODES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIRECT-IN-LIQUID ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN-RICH GAS

ERI: ADVANCING BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN THROUGH AGE-ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS -GLOBALLY, OVER ONE BILLION PEOPLE ? MANY OF THEM CHILDREN ? LACK FORMAL IDENTIFICATION, LEAVING YOUNG CHILDREN ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO IDENTITY THEFT, TRAFFICKING, AND GAPS IN HEALTHCARE. THIS ENGINEERING RESEARCH INITIATION PROJECT AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY ADDRESSES THAT CRITICAL CHALLENGE BY DESIGNING AND DEVELOPING BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS (AGES 0?4). THESE AGE-ADAPTIVE INNOVATIONS WILL ENABLE RELIABLE RECOGNITION OF YOUNGER CHILDREN'S UNIQUE BIOLOGICAL TRAITS (SUCH AS FINGERPRINTS, FACIAL FEATURES, OR IRIS PATTERNS) EVEN AS THEY RAPIDLY GROW. BY PROVIDING A SECURE AND EFFICIENT MEANS TO IDENTIFY YOUNG CHILDREN, THE PROJECT SERVES THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY PROMOTING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE IN BIOMETRIC SECURITY AND ADVANCING NATIONAL HEALTH AND WELFARE THROUGH IMPROVED CHILD SAFETY, IDENTITY PROTECTION, AND STREAMLINED PEDIATRIC RECORD-KEEPING. THE PROJECT ALSO INTEGRATES RESEARCH WITH EDUCATION: UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN HANDS-ON BIOMETRIC SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT, AND INTERACTIVE OUTREACH EVENTS AT LOCAL SCHOOLS AND CHILDREN'S MUSEUMS WILL ENGAGE FAMILIES IN STEM LEARNING. THROUGH THESE EFFORTS, THIS PROJECT TACKLES A PRESSING SOCIETAL PROBLEM AND HELPS CULTIVATE A DIVERSE NEW GENERATION OF ENGINEERS WHILE INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF CHILD-CENTRIC BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGIES. THE PROJECT'S OBJECTIVES ARE TO: 1) DESIGN AGE-ADAPTIVE BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN (AGES 0?4) ACROSS MULTIPLE MODALITIES (FACIAL, FINGERPRINT, AND IRIS RECOGNITION); 2) INTEGRATE QUALITY-AWARE IMAGE CAPTURE AND REAL-TIME AUTHENTICATION CAPABILITIES INTO MINIATURIZED BIOMETRIC DEVICES TO ENSURE HIGH-QUALITY DATA COLLECTION FOR THIS AGE GROUP; 3) CONDUCT AN EXPANDED LONGITUDINAL STUDY WITH THE NEWLY DEVELOPED BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGIES TO CHARACTERIZE HOW CHILDREN'S BIOMETRIC TRAITS EVOLVE AS THEY GROW AND TO DEVELOP PREDICTIVE MODELS THAT KEEP IDENTIFICATION ACCURATE OVER TIME; AND 4) ESTABLISH PRIVACY-COMPLIANT DATA COLLECTION PROTOCOLS AND COLLABORATE WITH INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS (E.G., HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS) TO REFINE THE TECHNOLOGY AND ENSURE ITS BROAD APPLICABILITY. THIS APPROACH WILL YIELD NEW KNOWLEDGE ON THE STABILITY AND MATURATION OF BIOMETRIC TRAITS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD, ALONG WITH PRACTICAL AGE-TAILORED BIOMETRIC TOOLS. 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.

ERI: EVOLUTION OF DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF PILE FOUNDATIONS IN PERMAFROST WITH CLIMATE CHANGE -THIS ENGINEERING RESEARCH INITIATION (ERI) AWARD WILL SUPPORT RESEARCH THAT INVESTIGATE THE EVOLUTION OF THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF DEEP STRUCTURAL FOUNDATIONS IN PERMAFROST. PILE RESPONSE TO VIBRATIONS FROM EARTHQUAKES IS AFFECTED BY CHANGES IN SOIL PROPERTIES FROM INCREASING TEMPERATURES. ALASKA HAS MORE EARTHQUAKES THAN ANY OTHER REGION OF THE UNITED STATES AND IS, IN FACT, ONE OF THE MOST SEISMICALLY ACTIVE AREAS OF THE WORLD. INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOW BEING DAMAGED BY BOTH THAW-RELATED SETTLEMENTS AND FREQUENT SEISMIC ACTIVITY BECAUSE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF PERMAFROST ARE TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT AND SOIL TEMPERATURE VARIATION SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTS SEISMIC VIBRATIONS IN THE PERMAFROST REGION. CONSEQUENTLY, DYNAMIC BEHAVIORS OF A SOIL-PILE FOUNDATION SYSTEM, WHICH ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO THE STABILITY OF A STRUCTURE, CANNOT BE PREDICTED FROM MEASUREMENTS TAKEN FROM PERMAFROST OR NON-PERMAFROST REGIONS ONLY. THIS RESEARCH WILL CHARACTERIZE AND ASSESS THE IMPACT OF ONGOING PERMAFROST DEGRADATION ON THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIORS OF PILE FOUNDATIONS IN THE FACE OF SEISMIC HAZARDS. THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES FROM CLARKSON UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS; THEY WILL ASSIST WITH INSTRUMENTATION, SOIL TESTING, IN SITU TESTS, AND DATA PROCESSING. IN ADDITION, AN EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH PROGRAM FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSES THAT DEMONSTRATES DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF MODEL PILES IN LAYERS OF SOIL WILL BE IMPLEMENTED. THE GOAL OF THIS ERI RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO CHARACTERIZE THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIORS OF PILE FOUNDATIONS IN DEGRADING PERMAFROST, KNOWLEDGE THAT COULD BE USED TO DEVELOP RESILIENT, SUSTAINABLE DESIGNS FOR PILES SUBJECT TO EARTHQUAKES AND CLIMATE CHANGE, AND INCREASE SERVICE LIFE WHILE REDUCING MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION COSTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, TWO OBJECTIVES WILL BE PURSUED: (1) CHARACTERIZATION OF THE EFFECTS OF THICKNESS AND DISTRIBUTION OF FROZEN AND UNFROZEN SOIL LAYERS ON THE DYNAMIC STIFFNESS AND DAMPING OF SOIL-PILE SYSTEMS USING LABORATORY-SCALE TESTS; AND (2) INVESTIGATION OF SEASONAL FREEZE-THAW EFFECTS ON THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF PILES IN ALASKA PERMAFROST USING IN SITU VIBRATION TESTING. THE FOLLOWING FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED: (1) HOW DOES THE TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION OF THE GROUND AFFECT THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF THE SOIL-PILE SYSTEM IN DISCONTINUOUS PERMAFROST REGIONS? AND (2) WHAT IS THE ROLE OF CHANGES IN THERMOMECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE SOIL LAYERS CAUSED BY FREEZE-THAW IN THE DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF PILE FOUNDATIONS? BY INTEGRATING EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS FROM BOTH LABORATORY AND FIELD TESTS, THE RESEARCH WILL IMPROVE THE MODEL OF A DYNAMIC BEAM ON A NONLINEAR WINKLER FOUNDATION FOR PERMAFROST REGIONS. THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR DEVELOPING AND INVESTIGATING INNOVATIVE FOUNDATION SOLUTIONS FOR CONTINUOUS AND DISCONTINUOUS PERMAFROST ZONES, THEREBY INCREASING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE IN THE ARCTIC. 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.

ERI: ADVANCING A NIR-MECHANOCHEMICAL BIOPHOTONIC PLATFORM - A BREAKTHROUGH IN DEEP-TISSUE IMAGING AND BIOMECHANICAL SENSING -BIOMEDICAL IMAGING IS ESSENTIAL FOR PHYSICIANS TO DIAGNOSE DISEASES QUICKLY AND SAFELY WITHOUT COMPLEX INVASIVE PROCEDURES. HOWEVER, MOST IMAGING TECHNIQUES STRUGGLE TO PENETRATE THE BODY DEEPLY OR CAPTURE THE INTRICATE DETAILS OF SMALL BIOLOGICAL ENTITIES LIKE CELLS AND BIOMOLECULES. THIS PROJECT PROPOSES A GROUNDBREAKING SOLUTION BY DEVELOPING A TECHNOLOGY THAT COMBINES DEEP TISSUE IMAGING WITH THE ABILITY TO DISCERN EXTREMELY SMALL CELLULAR COMPONENTS. UTILIZING ULTRASOUND WAVES AND NEAR-INFRARED LIGHT, THIS APPROACH IS SET TO OFFER UNPARALLELED INSIGHTS INTO BOTH TISSUE DEPTHS AND CELLULAR BEHAVIOR, POTENTIALLY CHANGING THE WAY DISEASES ARE DIAGNOSED AND TREATED. DOCTORS WILL FIND THIS INITIATIVE PARTICULARLY BENEFICIAL, AS IT WILL EQUIP THEM WITH ADVANCED TOOLS FOR MORE PRECISE INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS, CONTRIBUTING TO SUPERIOR TREATMENT PLANS. FURTHERMORE, THE PROJECT IS COMMITTED TO MAKING THIS INNOVATIVE IMAGING TECHNOLOGY BOTH AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE, EMPOWERING PHYSICIANS TO MAKE MORE INFORMED DECISIONS REGARDING PATIENT CARE. THE PROJECT ALSO AIMS TO PROMOTE EDUCATIONAL EQUITY BY PROVIDING ENHANCED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AND STEM RESOURCES TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN STEM. IT ENDEAVORS TO INTRODUCE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION TO YOUNG STUDENTS IN LOCAL SCHOOLS, PREPARING THEM FOR DIVERSE STEM CAREERS. THROUGH AN INTERDISCIPLINARY, STUDENT-FOCUSED EDUCATIONAL APPROACH THAT INCORPORATES MULTIMEDIA, RESEARCH, AND TEAMWORK, THE PROJECT SEEKS TO NURTURE A FUTURE WORKFORCE IN STEM FIELDS. BIOMEDICAL IMAGING IS ESSENTIAL FOR RAPID AND PRECISE CLINICAL DIAGNOSES, YET IT STRUGGLES WITH ACHIEVING BOTH DEEP TISSUE PENETRATION AND HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION. TRADITIONAL METHODS LIKE MRI, CT, AND ULTRASOUND OFFER DEEP TISSUE SCREENING BUT LACK DETAILS AT THE CELLULAR OR ORGAN LEVELS, WHEREAS OPTICAL BIOIMAGING TECHNIQUES PROVIDE HIGH RESOLUTION AT THE ORGANELLE LEVEL BUT WITH LIMITED PENETRATION DEPTH DUE TO PHOTON-TISSUE INTERACTIONS. TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES, THIS PROJECT INTRODUCES AN INNOVATIVE BIOPHOTONICS APPROACH BY DEVELOPING NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) MECHANOCHEMICAL BIOPHOTONIC TRANSDUCERS. THESE TRANSDUCER MOLECULES ARE DESIGNED TO HARNESS ULTRASONIC WAVES TO TRIGGER NIR CHEMILUMINESCENCE, MERGING THE DEPTH OF ULTRASOUND IMAGING WITH THE HIGH RESOLUTION OF NIR IMAGING. THIS SYNERGY AIMS TO REVEAL MOLECULAR AND SUB-CELLULAR STRUCTURES IN DEEP TISSUES FACILITATED BY GAS DROPLETS TO AMPLIFY IMAGING SIGNALS. WITH HIGH-RESOLUTION, MULTICOLORED, AND 3D IMAGING CAPABILITY AT UNPRECEDENTED DEPTHS, THIS TECHNOLOGY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ENHANCE MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS AND PERSONALIZED TREATMENTS SIGNIFICANTLY. THE PROJECT FOCUSES ON CREATING NON-INVASIVE IMAGING TOOLS AND PIONEERING NEW RESEARCH AVENUES IN ULTRASOUND INDUCED BIOPHOTONICS. THIS ADVANCEMENT COULD FACILITATE AFFORDABLE DEEP-TISSUE IMAGING TECHNIQUES, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTING CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING AND PATIENT CARE EXPERIENCE. 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: AMPS: RETHINKING STATE ESTIMATION FOR POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS IN THE QUANTUM ERA -THE ACCELERATED TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY AND THE RAPID MODERNIZATION OF POWER SYSTEMS WITH SMART INTERNET-OF-THING (IOT) DEVICES HAVE PRESENTED NEW INTEGRATION CHALLENGES AND MADE THE SYSTEMS HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO NEW CYBERTHREATS. THESE CHALLENGES AND RISKS UNDERSCORE THE URGENT NEED FOR MORE ADVANCED AND ROBUST STATE AND SITUATION AWARENESS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE EARLY DETECTION AND MITIGATION OF GRID INCIDENTS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ESTABLISH A NOVEL COLLECTION OF QUANTUM ARCHITECTURES, ALGORITHMS, AND MATHEMATICAL TOOLS FOR QUANTUM ERA POWER SYSTEM STATE ESTIMATION (SE), A CRITICAL PROCESS IN SUPERVISORY CONTROL AND DATA ACQUISITION (SCADA) SYSTEMS. BY CAPITALIZING ON THE RECENT BREAKTHROUGHS AND REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS IN QUANTUM COMPUTING AND QUANTUM NETWORKING, THE PROJECT INVESTIGATES HOW THE MASSIVE POWER OF QUANTUM COMPUTING CAN PROVIDE MORE RAPID AND ACCURATE RESPONSES TO CHANGES IN THE SYSTEMS. FURTHER, THE PROJECT LEVERAGES QUANTUM NETWORKING TO PROVIDE DATA COMMUNICATION WITH HIGH CONFIDENTIALITY AND INTEGRITY, RAISING THE POWER GRID SECURITY TO THE NEXT LEVEL. THIS PROJECT WILL HAVE BROAD COMMUNITY AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS THROUGH OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE RELEASE AND THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERS, PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN STEM. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A HOLISTIC QUANTUM-INSPIRED FRAMEWORK FOR POWER STATE ESTIMATION, ADDRESSING THE CYBER RISKS AND OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES FOR DECENTRALIZED GRIDS. TOWARDS THIS GOAL, FOUR MAIN RESEARCH ACTIVITIES INCLUDE 1) QUANTUM NETWORK ARCHITECTURE - DESIGNING A NETWORK AND SERVICE-ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE AND PROTOCOLS TO IMPLEMENT THE QUANTUM KEY DISTRIBUTION AND TO HANDLE THE CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS IN SMART GRIDS; 2) QUANTUM COMPUTING FOR SE - DEVELOPING TIMELY AND HIGH-EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS FOR POWER STATE ESTIMATION, INCLUDING EFFICIENT PREPROCESSING, OPTIMIZING ISING HAMILTONIAN, HARDWARE-EMBEDDING, AND ANNEALING; AND 3) DISTRIBUTED QUANTUM SYSTEMS FOR SE - PROPOSING A ROBUST AND TRUST-WORTHY DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM STATE ESTIMATION WITH A SUPPORT OF QUANTUM NETWORKING, QUANTUM COMPUTING, AND ADVANCED DEEP LEARNING METHODS. 4) ASSESSMENT - DEPLOYING, TESTING, AND CONDUCTING COMPREHENSIVE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPOSED FRAMEWORK BASED ON A QUANTUM CYBER-PHYSICAL TESTBED TO SUPPORT THE STATE ESTIMATION IN SMART GRIDS ENABLED BY QUANTUM NETWORKING AND COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES. THIS PROJECT WILL LAY THE MATHEMATICAL AND ALGORITHMIC FOUNDATION FOR THE APPLICATION OF QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES IN SMART GRIDS. 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.

ERI: THEORY AND SIMULATION OF PHOTOEXCITATION DYNAMICS IN 2-DIMENSIONAL MATERIALS FOR SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). MEETING THE INCREASING ENERGY DEMANDS OF THE WORLD?S GROWING POPULATION IN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE WAYS IS AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGES FACING SOCIETY TODAY. ONE SUCH APPROACH IS TO TAP INTO THE ENERGY FROM SUNLIGHT; HOWEVER, CURRENT MATERIALS USED TO CAPTURE SOLAR ENERGY ARE COSTLY TO MANUFACTURE AND RELATIVELY INEFFICIENT. TO CONTRIBUTE TO EFFICIENT HARVESTING OF SOLAR LIGHT FOR ENERGY CONVERSION PROCESSES, THIS PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE HOW SPECIFIC PROPERTIES OF TWO TYPES OF 2-DIMENSIONAL MATERIALS ENABLE ABSORPTION OF SOLAR ENERGY. STATE-OF-THE-ART COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES ARE USED TO MODEL THESE ENERGY CONVERSION PROCESSES AT THE LEVEL OF ATOMS AND THEIR ELECTRONS. THE PROJECT INTEGRATES THE KNOWLEDGE OF MATERIAL SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MATERIALS CURRENTLY UNDER EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION FOR USE OF SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING DEVICES AND PROVIDE INSIGHTS TO IMPROVE THEIR EFFICIENCY. DR. TRIVEDI?S RESEARCH PROGRAM IS INTEGRATED WITH AN EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT TO INSPIRE UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS TO PURSUE CAREERS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND ENGINEERING. TWO DIMENSIONAL NANOPOROUS MATERIALS DISPLAYS A RICH ARRAY OF PHOTOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES THAT GOVERN EXCITATION DYNAMICS WITHIN THE MATERIAL RESULTING IN EFFICIENT CHARGE AND ENERGY GENERATION AND TRANSPORT. HOWEVER, FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS HAVE EMERGED FROM RECENT EXPERIMENTS REGARDING THE INFLUENCE OF INTERFACE, DEFECTS, AND DOPANTS ON THE CHARGE AND ENERGY DYNAMICS OF PLANAR NANOPOROUS MATERIALS AND THEIR POWER CONVERSION EFFICIENCIES USED IN SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING DEVICES. SPECIFICALLY, HOW EXCITON QUENCHING AND UNDESIRED CHARGE TRAPPING CONTRIBUTE TO THESE EVENTS IS UNCERTAIN. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE NONEQUILIBRIUM PROCESSES INVOLVED IN EXCITON GENERATION AND TRANSPORT, AND IN CHARGE SEPARATION FOLLOWING PHOTOEXCITATION IN TWO SPECIFIC TYPES OF NANOSTRUCTURES: (I) CU3HHTT2 MOF AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF A FAMILY OF 2D ?- CONJUGATED MOFS WITH HONEYCOMB-LIKE SHEET STRUCTURES AND (II) MONOLAYER OF TRI-S-TRIAZINE-BASED GRAPHITIC CARBON NITRIDE. USING A COMBINATION OF MIXED QUANTUM-CLASSICAL APPROACHES AND NONADIABATIC MOLECULAR DYNAMICS THIS COMPUTATIONAL RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE A DETAILED, ATOMISTIC LEVEL DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOEXCITATION DYNAMICS. THE INVESTIGATION OF INFLUENCE OF DIMENSIONALITY, INTERFACES, DEFECTS, AND DOPANTS ON THE MATERIAL?S LIGHT HARVESTING PERFORMANCE WILL BE UNDERSTOOD BY PURSUING TWO OBJECTIVES, TO (I) ELUCIDATE THE INFLUENCE OF INTERFACE ON CHARGE AND ENERGY TRANSFER USING ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE THEORY AND (II) INVESTIGATE NONEQUILIBRIUM PHENOMENA INVOLVED IN EXCITON GENERATION AND TRANSPORT FOLLOWED BY CHARGE SEPARATION AT THE INTERFACE. COMPUTATIONAL DETERMINATION OF THE CHARGE AND ENERGY DYNAMICS WITHIN AND AT INTERFACES OF THESE PLANAR NANOSCALE MATERIALS WILL PROVIDE ESSENTIAL INSIGHTS FOR THEIR OPTIMAL USE IN DEVICES FOR SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING, SENSING, IMAGING AND OTHER ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES. 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.

ERI: REIMAGINING THE USE OF ANIMAL MODELS IN MUSCULOSKELETAL RESEARCH -ANIMAL SUBJECTS ARE FREQUENTLY USED AS SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMANS IN BIOMECHANICS RESEARCH STUDIES. THIS IS TYPICALLY JUSTIFIED BY LOW VARIABILITY BETWEEN ANIMAL SUBJECTS, LOW COST, AND HIGH BIOLOGICAL SIMILARITY ACROSS SPECIES. WHILE THE BIOLOGY OF ANIMAL TISSUES, SUCH AS CARTILAGE AND LIGAMENTS, HAS BEEN STUDIED EXTENSIVELY, LITTLE IS OFTEN KNOWN ABOUT THE FORCES ACTING ON THEM DURING NORMAL ACTIVITY. THIS STUDY WILL LEVERAGE THE FACT THAT SOME ANIMAL TISSUES ARE SUBJECTED TO MUCH NARROWER RANGES OF LOADING THAN THOSE OF HUMANS TO DRAW CONNECTIONS BETWEEN LOAD AND TISSUE STRUCTURE. THIS ENGINEERING RESEARCH INITIATION (ERI) PROJECT WILL EXAMINE THE LOADS ACTING ON DIFFERENT DISCS IN THE BOVINE TAIL THROUGHOUT THE DAY THROUGH A COMBINATION OF LIVE-ANIMAL MOTION TRACKING AND COMPUTER MODELING. THIS WORK WILL ESTABLISH ANIMAL MODELS AS IDEAL SYSTEMS FOR STUDYING THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN MECHANICS AND BIOLOGY. RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL REDUCE THE SOCIETAL BURDEN OF LOW BACK PAIN BY CONTRIBUTING TO PATIENT-SPECIFIC MODELS, WHICH WILL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER A CHANGE IN LOAD PATTERN, SUCH AS CHANGE IN OCCUPATION. THIS WORK WILL BE PRESENTED TO BOTH ADULT CITIZEN SCIENTISTS THROUGH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY-BASED SCIENCE CAF? SERIES AND TO YOUNG SCIENTISTS THROUGH AN ANNUAL UNIVERSITY-HOSTED SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR. THIS PROJECT IS TO EXAMINE BOVINE CAUDAL INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS TO UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TISSUE STRUCTURE AND IN-VIVO LOADING HISTORY. IN-VIVO LOADING HAD BEEN A CRITICAL LIMITATION IN THE ABILITY TO STUDY THE PROCESS OF TISSUE REMODELING IN RESPONSE TO LOAD. THIS STUDY WILL FOCUS ON THE BOVINE CAUDAL INTERVERTEBRAL DISC, WHICH IS LOADED ONLY IN DORSAL EXTENSION AND LATERAL BENDING AND IS A FREQUENTLY USED MODEL OF THE MORE COMPLEXLY LOADED HUMAN LUMBAR DISC. LIVE-ANIMAL MOTION TRACKING WILL BE COMBINED WITH NUMERICAL MODELING TO ESTIMATE MULTI-AXIAL LOAD MAGNITUDES ON ALL DISCS IN THE TAIL OVER THE COURSE OF A TYPICAL DAY. MICROSTRUCTURAL IMAGING WILL BE USED TO QUANTIFY THE DISTRIBUTION OF RESIDUAL STRAIN DEVELOPMENT IN EACH DISC. MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS WILL BE USED TO COMPARE TISSUE STRUCTURE BETWEEN THESE DISCS. THE RESULTS OF THIS WORK WILL BE USED TO BUILD PATIENT-SPECIFIC COMPUTER MODELS OF THE HUMAN SPINE, WHICH WILL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER A CHANGE IN LOAD PATTERN, SUCH AS CHANGE IN OCCUPATION. TOGETHER, THESE STUDIES WILL DRAW A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN LOAD AND RESIDUAL STRAIN, WHICH WILL ENABLE FUTURE PATIENT-SPECIFIC MODELS OF THE HUMAN LUMBAR SPINE WITH A GOAL OF PREDICTING INJURY RISK FROM ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. 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.

INTEGRATING CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES AND DATA INTO INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES

THIS PROJECT WILL AUGMENT THE GREAT LAKES FISH MONITORING PROGRAM AND SUPPORT THE GREAT LAKES BINATIONAL TOXIC STRATEGY'S GOAL TO MONITOR EMERGING E

ERI: ENHANCING CRISPR-CAS12A-POWERED BIOSENSING DETECTION OF THE MICROCYSTIN SYNTHETASE GENE FOR EARLY WARNING OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS USING MAGNETIC BEAD-BASED REPORTER -THE FREQUENT AND PERVASIVE OCCURRENCES OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (HABS) IN THE UNITED STATES AND WORLDWIDE, WHICH ADVERSELY IMPACT ECOSYSTEM/HUMAN HEALTH AND INFLICT ECONOMIC DAMAGE, REQUIRE INNOVATIVE EARLY DETECTION METHODS TO MINIMIZE AND MITIGATE THEIR IMPACT. TRADITIONAL MONITORING METHODS ONLY IDENTIFY TOXINS AFTER A HAB EVENT HAS OCCURRED, THUS REACTING TO RATHER THAN PREVENTING THE OUTBREAK. RECOGNIZING THE URGENT NEED FOR PROACTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING STRATEGIES, THIS ERI PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THIS CRITICAL GAP AND INTRODUCE A TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACH UTILIZING A NOVEL BIOSENSING TECHNOLOGY, CLUSTERED REGULARLY INTERSPACED SHORT PALINDROMIC REPEATS (CRISPR). THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A HIGHLY SENSITIVE AND SELECTIVE BIOSENSOR BASED ON CRISPR-CAS12A TECHNOLOGY COUPLED WITH A NOVEL MAGNETIC BEAD-BASED REPORTER FOR THE EARLY DETECTION OF THE MICROCYSTIN SYNTHETASE GENE (MCY), THE PREREQUISITE IN THE PRODUCTION OF THE MOST PREVALENT CYANOTOXINS (I.E., MICROCYSTINS) DURING HABS. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT WILL BENEFIT SOCIETY BY ADVANCING OUR CAPABILITY TO PREDICT CYANOBACTERIAL HABS IN A TIMELY AND ACCURATE MANNER WITH THE GOAL OF REDUCING THEIR ADVERSE IMPACTS ON PUBLIC HEALTH, ECOSYSTEMS, AND THE ECONOMY. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO SOCIETY WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AND STUDENT TRAINING, INCLUDING THE MENTORING OF ONE GRADUATE STUDENT AND TWO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY. MICROCYSTINS PRODUCED BY TOXIC CYANOBACTERIA DURING HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (HABS) POSE SEVERE THREATS TO HUMAN HEALTH AND ECOSYSTEMS AND LEAD TO ENORMOUS ECONOMIC LOSS. CURRENT MONITORING METHODS FOCUSED ON MICROCYSTINS DO NOT HAVE PROACTIVE FEATURES AS THE TOXINS BECOME DETECTABLE USUALLY AFTER THE OUTBREAK OF A HAB EVENT. A BREAKTHROUGH IN THE MONITORING METHODOLOGY IS IDENTIFYING THE MICROCYSTIN SYNTHETASE (MCY) GENE, THE PREREQUISITE OF MICROCYSTIN PRODUCTION BY MICROCYSTIN-PRODUCING STRAINS. HOWEVER, THE MCY GENE DETECTION BY CONVENTIONAL PCR-BASED METHODS REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL INVESTMENT, HIGH OPERATIONAL COSTS, EXPERIENCED PERSONNEL, AND A LONG LEAD TIME. THE GOAL OF THIS ERI PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A HIGHLY SELECTIVE AND SENSITIVE BIOSENSOR FOR RAPID AND SIMPLIFIED DETECTION OF THE MCY GENE BY IMPLEMENTING THE REVOLUTIONARY CLUSTERED REGULARLY INTERSPACED SHORT PALINDROMIC REPEATS (CRISPR) TECHNIQUE WITH A NOVEL MAGNETIC BEAD (MB)-ENHANCED REPORTER. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH ARE TO 1) DESIGN AND OPTIMIZE THE CRISPR-CAS12A/CRRNA COMPLEX FOR THE MCYE GENE DETECTION; 2) DEVELOP AN MB-BASED REPORTER FOR ENHANCED CRISPR-CAS12A-DERIVED FLUORESCENCE SIGNALS; 3) INVESTIGATE THE MATRIX EFFECTS AND DEMONSTRATE THE MB-ENHANCED CRISPR-CAS12A-POWERED BIOSENSING SYSTEM USING LAKE WATER SAMPLES. TO IMPLEMENT THE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES OF THE PROJECT, THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR PLANS TO LEVERAGE EXISTING PROGRAMS AT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE LOCAL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM AND SENIOR LEARNING CENTER TO PROMOTE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH, K-12 STEM EDUCATION, AND LIFE-LONG LEARNING IN THE COMMUNITY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.