Ursinus College

INSTITUTIONAL RELIEF FUNDING.

RELIEF FUNDING.

PARTNERSHIPS FOR ENGAGEMENT, RESILIENCE, AND SUPPORT THROUGH INTERDISCIPLINARY STEM TEAMWORK -THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL NEED FOR WELL-EDUCATED SCIENTISTS, MATHEMATICIANS, ENGINEERS, AND TECHNICIANS BY SUPPORTING THE RETENTION AND GRADUATION OF HIGH-ACHIEVING, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED AT URSINUS COLLEGE. A TOTAL OF 24 SCHOLARS PURSUING BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREES IN BIOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND PHYSICS WILL RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS AVERAGING $14,500 FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS. SCHOLARS WILL RECEIVE FACULTY MENTORING AND THE PROJECT WILL BUILD STRONG SCHOLAR COHORTS THROUGH CROSS-DISCIPLINARY COHORT ACTIVITIES. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR SCHOLARS INCLUDE SUPPLEMENTAL MATHEMATICS SUPPORT AND COURSE RECITATION SECTIONS. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS TRACK 2 SCHOLARSHIPS IN STEM PROJECT IS TO INCREASE STEM DEGREE COMPLETION OF ACADEMICALLY TALENTED, LOW-INCOME UNDERGRADUATES WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT NATIONAL NEED TO GROW THE STEM WORKFORCE AND NURTURE KEY TALENT THAT WILL ENSURE ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AND PROVIDE DOMESTIC LEADERSHIP ACROSS CRITICAL SECTORS. THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY SPEAKS TO THIS NEED BY SUPPORTING STEM STUDENT SUCCESS, WHICH WILL STRENGTHEN THE WORKFORCE IN BIOTECHNOLOGY AND OTHER KEY AREAS OF NEED. THE PROJECT WILL BE ASSESSED BY AN EXPERIENCED EVALUATOR THAT WILL EXAMINE THE PROJECT?S IMPACT ON STUDENT SELF-EFFICACY AND MATH COMPETENCY, AND THE DATA GENERATED WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE KNOWLEDGE BASE REGARDING EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT TALENTED, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS IN STEM. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY NSF?S SCHOLARSHIPS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ACADEMICALLY TALENTED, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED WHO EARN DEGREES IN STEM FIELDS. IT ALSO AIMS TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION OF FUTURE STEM WORKERS, AND TO GENERATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ACADEMIC SUCCESS, RETENTION, TRANSFER, GRADUATION, AND ACADEMIC/CAREER PATHWAYS OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE: THE RENOVATION OF THOMAS HALL AT URSINUS COLLEGE

RIBOSOME-ASSOCIATED REGULATION OF YEAST PRION FORMATION

IDENTIFICATION OF NEW REGULATORS OF CENTROSOME POSITIONING IN C. ELEGANS AXIS POL

SUPPORTING INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE II: SCHOLARSHIPS TO SUPPORT UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SUCCESS IN NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOLOGY-BIOCHEMISTRY-MOLECULAR BIOLOGY MAJORS

MRI: EQUIPMENT: A NEW CEBR3 GAMMA-RAY DETECTION ARRAY (CEBRA) FOR PARTICLE-GAMMA COINCIDENCE EXPERIMENTS AT THE FSU SUPER-ENGE SPLIT-POLE SPECTROGRAPH -THIS AWARD PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR URSINUS COLLEGE, A PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION, TO UPGRADE THE PARTICLE-GAMMA RAY COINCIDENCE CAPABILITIES AT THE JOHN D. FOX LABORATORY AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY (FSU) BY EXPANDING THE EXISTING ARRAY OF LOW-BACKGROUND CEBR3 SCINTILLATION DETECTORS USED TO MEASURE GAMMA RAYS IN COINCIDENCE WITH PARTICLES COLLECTED BY SUPER-ENGE SPLIT-POLE SPECTROGRAPH (SE-SPS) FOLLOWING NUCLEAR REACTIONS. THIS COMBINED SETUP WILL ENABLE SELECTIVE AND DETAILED STUDIES OF NUCLEAR-STRUCTURE PHENOMENA, OF WHICH MANY ARE ALSO RELEVANT FOR UNDERSTANDING NUCLEAR REACTIONS TAKING PLACE IN EXPLOSIVE STELLAR ENVIRONMENTS. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS ARRAY, KNOWN AS CEBRA, WILL BE PERFORMED BY THE PI AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT URSINUS COLLEGE IN COLLABORATION WITH CO-PIS FROM FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY (FSU) AND OHIO UNIVERSITY (OU). THIS NEW INSTRUMENT WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE OF PRESENT PARTICLE-GAMMA COINCIDENCE CAPABILITIES AT FSU, WILL ENABLE ACCESS TO LOW-ENERGY NUCLEAR SCIENCE FACILITIES, AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS. THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT WILL GAIN SKILLS IN USING RADIATION DETECTORS, TROUBLESHOOTING, GATHERING, AND ANALYZING DATA, AND PREPARING RESULTS FOR PUBLICATION. THE FUNDS FROM THIS MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION (MRI) GRANT WILL CREATE AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF GAMMA-RAYS IN COINCIDENCE WITH CHARGED PARTICLES DETECTED IN THE SE-SPS. THE PLANNED CEBRA WILL CONSIST OF 14 LOW-BACKGROUND CEBR3 SCINTILLATION DETECTORS WITH HAMAMATSU PHOTOMULTIPLIERS READ OUT WITH CAEN DIGITIZERS. THE ENERGY RESOLUTION OF THE CEBR3 DETECTORS IS SUFFICIENT TO DISENTANGLE G DECAYS LEADING TO DIFFERENT EXCITED STATES, ENABLING EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMS COMPLIMENTARY TO THOSE AT RARE ISOTOPE FACILITIES SUCH AS THE FACILITY FOR RARE ISOTOPE BEAMS AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. THE INITIAL TESTING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CEBR3 DETECTORS WILL BE PERFORMED AT URSINUS COLLEGE. THIS STAGE WILL PROVIDE A UNIQUE POSSIBILITY FOR THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO GET EXPOSED TO MODERN G-RAY SPECTROSCOPY TECHNIQUES AND INSTRUMENTS AT THEIR HOME INSTITUTION. AT THE SAME TIME, A GEANT4 SIMULATION OF THE DIFFERENT DETECTORS WILL BE DEVELOPED AT URSINUS WITH SUPPORT FROM FSU AND OU. 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.

SUPPORTING INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE IN STEM EDUCATION FOR LOW-INCOME HIGH-ACHIEVING STUDENTS THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMING

BRC-BIO: PHENOTYPIC TRAITS FACILITATE PLASTICITY IN A MODEL MARINE GASTROPOD -THE INTERTIDAL ZONE WHERE THE OCEAN MEETS LAND IS A HIGHLY VARIABLE HABITAT WHERE ORGANISMS OFTEN EXPERIENCE RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS, FROM COMPLETE SUBMERSION IN WATER TO FULL AIR EXPOSURE OVER A MATTER OF HOURS. MOST ORGANISMS ARE UNABLE TO WITHSTAND SUCH RAPID CHANGES IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT WHEREAS OTHERS THRIVE. UNDERSTANDING WHAT MAKES SOME ORGANISMS SUCCESSFUL UNDER THESE CONDITIONS PROVIDES CLUES TO THE PHYSIOLOGY THAT ALLOW AN ORGANISM TO WITHSTAND ENVIRONMENTAL EXTREMES. RESEARCHERS WILL CHARACTERIZE HOW INTERTIDAL ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION INFLUENCES THE ECOLOGY, PHYSIOLOGY, AND BEHAVIOR OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES USING THE AMERICAN SLIPPER SNAIL?AN INTERTIDAL SNAIL THAT RESIDES ALONG THE US EAST COAST?AS A MODEL. THIS PROJECT WILL EXPERIMENTALLY TEST THE PHYSIOLOGICAL LIMITS OF SLIPPER SNAILS UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS CHARACTERISTIC OF THEIR NATIVE RANGE. THIS PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH ECOLOGICAL SUCCESS OF SLIPPER SNAILS IN HIGHLY VARIABLE ENVIRONMENTS. THE RESULTS CAN BE APPLIED TO MANAGEMENT OF INVASIVE POPULATIONS OF THE SNAIL IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, WHICH THREATENS LOCAL FISHERIES. THIS PROJECT ALSO PROVIDES RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT URSINUS COLLEGE. THE RESEARCH WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO A NEW MARINE INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY COURSE AND CURE LAB FOR STUDENTS. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT SUPPORTS THE INTEGRATION OF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION INTO A MARINE BIOLOGY COURSE VIA PARTNERSHIP WITH A TWO-DIMENSIONAL ART COURSE AT THE COLLEGE. FINALLY, THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT TWELVE PAID SUMMER INTERNSHIPS FOR STUDENTS AND WILL PROVIDE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACADEMIC TERM STUDENTS OVER THE THREE-YEAR AWARD. ORGANISMAL RESILIENCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY IS DIFFICULT TO ASSESS DUE TO SHIFTING POPULATION BASELINES. HOWEVER, NOT ALL POPULATIONS ARE EQUALLY IMPACTED, THUS IDENTIFYING THESE DIFFERENCES ACROSS A SPECIES? NATIVE RANGE IS CRITICAL FOR PREDICTING FUTURE SUCCESS. THE CLIMATIC VARIABILITY HYPOTHESIS SUGGESTS THAT ORGANISMS EXPOSED TO GREATER ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY WILL HAVE A WIDER RANGE OF ECOLOGICAL TOLERANCES, WHICH MAY IMPROVE ECOLOGICAL SUCCESS IN HABITATS WITH MORE STABLE CONDITIONS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO USE AMERICAN SLIPPER SNAIL (CREPIDULA FORNICATA) POPULATIONS TO TEST THE HYPOTHESES THAT POPULATIONS OCCURRING IN MORE VARIABLE INTERTIDAL ENVIRONMENTS SHOW GREATER PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY AND THAT PLASTICITY OF PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS IS KEY TO THEIR ECOLOGICAL SUCCESS IN RESPONSE TO CHRONICALLY CHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. AIM 1 WILL CHARACTERIZE TWO DISTINCT POPULATIONS OF THE AMERICAN SLIPPER SNAIL AND CORRESPONDING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AT CAPE MAY, NJ AND NAHANT, MA USING FIELD SAMPLING AND LONG-TERM MONITORING TO ASSESS VARIABILITY AND DEGREE OF SPECIALIZATION BY POPULATIONS TO THOSE CONDITIONS. AIM 2 WILL EVALUATE THE PHENOTYPIC AND GENOTYPIC RESPONSES OF THE DIFFERENT POPULATIONS OF SNAILS UNDER ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE USING A SERIES OF MESOCOSM EXPERIMENTS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS INFORMED BY THE DATA GATHERED IN AIM 1. THIS WORK WILL IDENTIFY THE PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS THAT PROVIDE THESE INTERTIDAL ORGANISMS AN ADVANTAGE IN VARIABLE CONDITIONS THROUGH INTEGRATION OF DATA ACROSS MULTIPLE ECOLOGICALLY RELEVANT SCALES (I.E., MOLECULAR, PHYSIOLOGICAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL). 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.

III: RI: SMALL: RUI: TRACKING PREDATORS AND BULLIES VIA CHAT LOG TRANSCRIPTS

ROLE OF MICROGLIAL FRACTALKINE SIGNALING IN ALTERED DOPAMINERGIC WIRING IN FASD - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT DESPITE PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS, FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS (FASD) REMAIN PREVALENT DUE TO ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION BY WOMEN THAT ARE PREGNANT OR OF CHILD-BEARING AGE. PRENATAL ALCOHOL EXPOSURE DISRUPTS (1) DOPAMINERGIC MESOCORTICOLIMBIC PROJECTIONS WHICH IS LIKELY RELATED TO THE EXECUTIVE DYSFUNCTION, ATTENTION DEFICITS, AND INCREASED RISK FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS THAT CHARACTERIZE FASD, (2) THE SUBPALLIUM, A CRITICAL INTERMEDIATE TARGET DURING AXON FORMATION, AND (3) GUIDANCE CUES AND SIGNALING PATHWAYS THAT DRIVE AXON FORMATION. IN THIS STUDY, WE TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT BINGE PRENATAL ALCOHOL EXPOSURE HINDERS DOPAMINERGIC AXON OUTGROWTH IN THE SUBPALLIUM THROUGH REDUCED SIGNALING BETWEEN DOPAMINE AXONS AND MICROGLIAL CELLS VIA FRACTALKINE. OUR EXPERIMENTS AIM TO (1) DEFINE THE DEVELOPMENTAL TIMING OF ALCOHOL-INDUCED ALTERATIONS IN FRACTALKINE SIGNALING AND (2) DETERMINE THE ROLE OF THESE ALTERATIONS IN MICROGLIAL NUMBER, ACTIVATION, AND REGULATION OF DOPAMINERGIC AXON GUIDANCE. TO DETERMINE THE DEVELOPMENTAL TIMING OF ALCOHOL EFFECTS ON FRACTALKINE SIGNALING, WE WILL MEASURE IN VIVO LEVELS OF MRNA AND PROTEIN FRACTALKINE (CX3CL1), ITS RECEPTOR (CX3CR1), AND RESULTANT CYTOKINES (IL-1SS, TNFA, IL-6, MIP-1A, AND MCP-1) BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER MICROGLIAL GUIDANCE OF DOPAMINERGIC AXONS. TO VISUALIZE ALCOHOL EFFECTS ON MICROGLIAL ACTIVATION IN THE SUBPALLIUM, WE WILL COUNT IMMUNOSTAINED MICROGLIA AND PERFORM 3D RECONSTRUCTIONS TO ANALYZE MORPHOLOGY USING IMARIS AND HALO TECHNOLOGIES. TO MEASURE DOPAMINERGIC AXON OUTGROWTH, WE WILL TRACE TYROSINE HYDROXYLASE (TH) IMMUNOSTAINED AXONS. TO CONFIRM THE REQUIREMENT OF FRACTALKINE SIGNALING IN THESE EFFECTS, WE WILL UTILIZE CX3CR1EGFP/EGFP MICE WHICH SERVE AS FUNCTIONAL KNOCKOUTS OF THE FRACTALKINE RECEPTOR. OUR ANTICIPATED FINDINGS WILL REVEAL THE IMPACT OF DEVELOPMENTAL ALCOHOL EXPOSURE ON CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR PROPER NERVOUS SYSTEM WIRING, AN AREA THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDERSTUDIED. THIS WORK WILL ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING OF NEUROBIOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF NEUROINFLAMMATION AND DAMPENED DOPAMINE FUNCTION THAT ARE OBSERVED IN HUMAN FASD.

METABOLIC ADAPTATIONS TO ACUTE AND CHRONIC EXERCISE - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT OBESITY IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVD), INCLUDING CARDIOMYOPATHY AND HEART FAILURE. THE CARDIOMETABOLIC PROFILE OF THE OBESE HEART DEMONSTRATES AN IMBALANCE BETWEEN LIPID UPTAKE AND OXIDATION, REPRESENTATIVE OF “CARDIAC LIPOTOXICITY”, WHICH IS A POTENTIAL CULPRIT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CARDIOMYOPATHY. WHILE EXERCISE TRAINING IS A RECOMMENDED NON-PHARMALOGICAL INTERVENTION FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY PREVENTION OF BOTH OBESITY AND CVD, THE CARDIOMETABOLIC ADAPTATIONS THAT OCCUR IN RESPONSE TO CHRONIC EXERCISE TRAINING REMAIN ELUSIVE. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF POTENTIAL CONCERNS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE INCONSISTENCIES IN THE LITERATURE INCLUDING THE TIME AFTER THE LAST EXERCISE SESSION THAT METABOLISM WAS ASSESSED, THE METHODOLOGIES USED TO EVALUATE METABOLISM, AND THE EXERCISE TRAINING PROTOCOLS UTILIZED IN THE STUDIES. FURTHERMORE, STUDIES THAT SPECIFICALLY EXPLORE SEX DIFFERENCES ARE LIMITED. THEREFORE, THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY AND UNDERSTAND THE CARDIOMETABOLIC ADAPTATIONS IN MALE AND FEMALE MICE IN RESPONSE TO ACUTE AND CHRONIC EXERCISE. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL ACCOMPLISH THE OBJECTIVE THROUGH THREE SPECIFIC AIMS: 1) TO IDENTIFY THE TIME COURSE OF THE METABOLIC RESPONSE TO ACUTE EXERCISE IN MALE AND FEMALE MICE; 2) TO IDENTIFY THE ADAPTATIONS IN CARDIAC SUBSTRATE UTILIZATION AND METABOLIC PATHWAYS IN RESPONSE TO CHRONIC TREADMILL RUNNING AND VOLUNTARY WHEEL RUNNING; AND 3) TO EVALUATE THE ABILITY OF EXERCISE TRAINING TO MODULATE CARDIAC METABOLISM IN THE OBESE HEART. WITHIN EACH AIM, THESE THREE WORKING HYPOTHESES ARE PROPOSED: 1) THE METABOLIC RESPONSES TO ACUTE EXERCISE WILL REQUIRE GREATER THAN 24 HOURS TO RETURN TO BASELINE AND WILL EXHIBIT SEX SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES; 2) CHRONIC EXERCISE TRAINING WILL ENHANCE FATTY ACID AND KETONE BODY OXIDATION IN AN INTENSITY DEPENDENT MANNER; AND 3) CHRONIC EXERCISE TRAINING WILL RESTORE THE BALANCE OF LIPID UPTAKE AND FATTY ACID OXIDATION AND IMPROVE KETONE BODY OXIDATION IN OBESE HEARTS. OVERALL, THE FINDINGS FROM THIS PROJECT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FIELDS OF CARDIAC METABOLISM AND EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AS WELL AS ENHANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF EXERCISE TRAINING IN PROMOTING CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH PARTICULARLY IN THE SETTING OF OBESITY AND IMPROVE THE KNOWLEDGE GAP REGARDING SEX AS A BIOLOGICAL VARIABLE. FURTHERMORE, THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL PROVIDE MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES IN BASIC RESEARCH TO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND ALLOW THEM TO BE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE FOR ENTRY INTO GRADUATE PROGRAMS AND MEDICAL SCHOOL AS WELL AS TO PURSUE CAREERS IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES.

CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF FOREBRAIN AXON PATHFINDING DEFECTS IN FASD

RUI: CENTROSOME POSITIONING AND POLARITY ESTABLISHMENT IN THE C. ELEGANS EMBRYO

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MODELING ORGANISMAL RESPONSES TO CHANGING ECOLOGICAL REGIMES VIA INVESTIGATION OF STRESS, GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION IN THE LONGEST-LIVED MAMMAL

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: QUANTUM DYNAMICS AND CONTROL WITH ULTRACOLD RYDBERG ATOMS

RUI: BMAT: EVALUATING IONIZABLE AMPHIPHILIC JANUS DENDRIMERS AS DELIVERY AGENTS FOR NUCLEIC ACIDS -NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: METHODS TO ALTER GENE EXPRESSION HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM MODERN MEDICINE. THESE TOOLS DIRECTLY MODIFY GENETIC INFORMATION OR CHANGE HOW MUCH OR HOW LITTLE A SPECIFIC GENE IS EXPRESSED. MANY OF THESE APPROACHES USE MOLECULES CALLED NUCLEIC ACIDS TO TREAT DISEASE, BUT FOR THESE THERAPIES TO BE SUCCESSFUL, SMALL PARTICLES OR VESICLES MUST ENCAPSULATE AND CARRY THESE NUCLEIC ACIDS TO DESIRED CELL TYPES. VARIOUS BIOMATERIALS SUCH AS LIPIDS, POLYMERS, AND DENDRIMERS HAVE BEEN USED TO CONSTRUCT THESE CARRIER SYSTEMS. A RELEVANT EXAMPLE OF SUCH A SYSTEM IS THE COVID-19 VACCINE, A LIPID-BASED NANOPARTICLE THAT DELIVERS MESSENGER RNA (MRNA) TO ELICIT AN IMMUNE RESPONSE. UNDERSTANDING HOW THESE BIOMATERIALS INFLUENCE THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE RESULTING PARTICLES AND HOW THEY AFFECT INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE BODY IS CRITICAL TO DESIGNING EFFECTIVE MATERIALS FOR DELIVERY OF NUCLEIC ACID THERAPEUTICS. THIS WORK AIMS TO CHARACTERIZE VESICLES MADE FROM A NEW TYPE OF MOLECULE CALLED IONIZABLE AMPHIPHILIC JANUS DENDRIMERS (IAJDS). JANUS DENDRIMERS ARE STRUCTURES WITH TWO DIFFERENT CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS ON EACH SIDE. THE PROPOSED STUDIES WILL ESTABLISH HOW DIFFERENCES IN IAJD PROPERTIES AFFECT VESICLE CHARACTERISTICS LIKE SIZE AND SHAPE, HOW THESE VESICLES INTERACT WITH COMMON BIOLOGICAL PROTEINS LIKE THOSE FOUND IN THE BLOOD STREAM, AND HOW THESE VESICLES ENTER AND RELEASE NUCLEIC ACIDS IN CELLS. MORE BROADLY, THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE MEANINGFUL HANDS-ON RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS VIA SUMMER RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AND DEVELOPMENT OF A MINI-COURSE BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE (MINI-CURE) IN BIOPHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. UNDERGRADUATES WILL ALSO BE ENCOURAGED TO EXPLORE THEIR SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS AND PARTICIPATE IN THE BROADER SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY VIA PARTICIPATION IN A STEM-FOCUSED STUDENT CLUB ON CAMPUS. TECHNICAL SUMMARY: EFFECTIVE USE OF NUCLEIC ACID THERAPEUTICS RELIES ON DELIVERY AGENTS THAT ENHANCE NUCLEIC ACID CIRCULATION TIMES, SHIELD FROM NUCLEASES, AND AID IN INTRACELLULAR DELIVERY. IN PARTICULAR, THE SUCCESS OF RNA THERAPEUTICS, INCLUDING MESSENGER RNA (MRNA) AND SMALL INTERFERING RNA (SIRNA), CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO INNOVATIONS SURROUNDING THE IONIZABLE LIPID COMPONENT OF THE LIPID NANOPARTICLE (LNP); HOWEVER, CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH IMMUNOTOXICITY, LABORIOUS SYNTHESES, AND EXTRAHEPATIC DELIVERY CONTINUE TO LIMIT THE SCOPE OF THESE DELIVERY VEHICLES, SUGGESTING A NEED FOR NEW IONIZABLE AMPHIPHILIC MOLECULES. RECENTLY, IONIZABLE AMPHIPHILIC JANUS DENDRIMERS (IAJDS) HAVE EMERGED AS TOOLS TO ENCAPSULATE AND DELIVER MRNA IN VIVO VIA A ONE-COMPONENT DENDRIMERSOME NANOPARTICLE (DNP) DELIVERY SYSTEM. INITIAL PUBLICATIONS EXPLORING MRNA DELIVERY USING DNPS SUGGEST THAT IAJD STRUCTURE DICTATES IN VIVO LOCALIZATION AS WELL AS ACTIVITY; HOWEVER, FUNDAMENTAL AND MECHANISTIC QUESTIONS REMAIN. THE MAJOR GOAL OF THIS WORK IS TO CHARACTERIZE DNPS PREPARED FROM IAJDS IN THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF NUCLEIC ACID THERAPEUTICS (MRNA AND SIRNA) AND UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DNPS INTERACT WITH AND WITHIN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. SPECIFICALLY, THIS WORK WILL (1) ELUCIDATE HOW IAJD STRUCTURE DICTATES THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DNPS INCLUDING SIZE, SHAPE, MORPHOLOGY, AND NUCLEIC ACID ENCAPSULATION, (2) DETERMINE HOW THESE DIFFERENCES INFLUENCE INTERACTIONS OF DNPS WITH SERUM PROTEINS, THUS IMPACTING CYTOTOXICITY AND IMMUNOGENICITY, AND (3) EVALUATE MECHANISMS FOR CELLULAR INTERNALIZATION AND FUNCTIONAL DELIVERY OF MRNA AND SIRNA. THESE STUDIES WILL ESTABLISH STRUCTURE-FUNCTION RELATIONSHIPS TO EXPLAIN HOW DNPS ENCAPSULATING NUCLEIC ACIDS EXERT THEIR THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE MEANINGFUL HANDS-ON RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS VIA SUMMER RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AND DEVELOPMENT OF A MINI-COURSE BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE (MINI-CURE) IN BIOPHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. UNDERGRADUATES WILL ALSO BE ENCOURAGED TO EXPLORE THEIR SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS AND PARTICIPATE IN THE BROADER SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY VIA PARTICIPATION IN A STEM-FOCUSED STUDENT CLUB ON CAMPUS. 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.

REU SITE: EXPLORATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE IN THE MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

REU SITE: MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AT URSINUS COLLEGE - A BROAD SPECTRUM OF OPPORTUNITIES

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A 300 MHZ NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE (NMR) SPECTROMETER TO ENHANCE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AT URSINUS COLLEGE

RUI: ROLES OF UNC-13 AT SYNAPSES AND IN RNA PROCESSING IN C. ELEGANS

USING DE NOVO PROTEIN MODELS TO UNDERSTAND FUNCTIONAL TUNING IN DI-IRON CARBOXYLA

RUI-COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH-ELECTROKINETIC TRANSPORT AND ELECTRIC FIELD CONTROL OF ION MOTION THROUGH THE INTERIOR OF SINGLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL:RUI: SINGLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBE NANOPORES FOR MOTION CONTROL OF BIOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT MOLECULES AND IONS AND UNDERGRADUATE

MEETING THE FOOD, FIBER, AND ENERGY NEEDS OF A GROWING GLOBAL POPULATION IN THE FACE OF A CHANGING CLIMATE IS AMONG THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY. DEVELOPING AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS THAT ENHANCE CARBON STORAGE IN SOIL IS ESSENTIAL TO INCREASING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY WHILE ALSO MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH REDUCED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE HOW CROPPING SYSTEM DIVERSIFICATION, SPECIFICALLY THE PRACTICE OF GROWING MULTI-SPECIES PERENNIAL FORAGE CROPS TO SUPPORT LIVESTOCK, IMPACTS THE CAPACITY OF AGRICULTURAL SOILS TO STORE CARBON. ECOLOGICAL STUDIES IN NATURAL SYSTEMS SUCH AS GRASSLANDS HAVE SHOWN THAT AS PLANT SPECIES DIVERSITY INCREASES SO DO BENEFITS SUCH AS PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENT NUTRIENT CYCLING. WE EXPECT, THEREFORE, THAT LEVERAGING THIS POSITIVE PLANT DIVERSITY EFFECT IN AGRICULTURE WILL LEAD TO INCREASES IN SOIL CARBON STORAGE. THIS RESEARCH WILL MEASURE THE EFFECTS OF INCREASING CROP DIVERSITY ON SOIL CARBON AND EXPLORE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PLANT ROOTS AND SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES THAT UNDERLIE CARBON ACCUMULATION AND STORAGE IN SOIL. THE RESULTS OF THIS SEED GRANT WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT ON THE EFFICACY OF USING CROP DIVERSIFICATION TO GROW SOIL CARBON STOCKS AND PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION FOR SUBSEQUENT INITIATIVES THAT INTEGRATE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION WITH RESEARCH AND EXTENSION TO DEVELOP AND DISTRIBUTE MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FARMERS ON DIVERSIFICATION PRACTICES THAT ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY AND SOIL CARBON STORAGE.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: COLD RYDBERG ATOMS

A TRANSPARENT SYSTEMATIC UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER ACCESSIBLE METHOD FOR ESTIMATING THE IMPACT CONDITIONS OF COPERNICAN AGED LUNAR CRATERS

MOSSBAUER STUDIES OF IRON CONTAINING ENZYME ACTIVE SITES AND MODEL COMPLEXES

SBE: SMALL: AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CYBERAGGRESSION AND SELF-DISCLOSURE AMONG DIVERSE YOUTHS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: COHERENT CONTROL OF INTERACTIONS AMONG ULTRACOLD RYDBERG ATOMS

RUI: SHELL STRUCTURE AND COLLECTIVE EXCITATIONS IN EXOTIC NUCLEI -THIS PROJECT ENGAGES URSINUS COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATES IN EXPERIMENTAL NUCLEAR STRUCTURE RESEARCH. THE PROJECT IS PART OF AN ONGOING COLLABORATION WITH COLLEAGUES AT THE FACILITY FOR RARE ISOTOPE BEAMS (FRIB), FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY (FSU), AND THE LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY (LBNL). THE URSINUS COLLEGE NUCLEAR STRUCTURE GROUP WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SYSTEMATIC EVOLUTION OF SINGLE-PARTICLE AND COLLECTIVE EXCITATIONS THROUGH EXPERIMENTAL WORK AT FRIB AND FSU. THE GROUP WILL ALSO SUPPORT THE NUCLEAR STRUCTURE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF SIMULATIONS OF THE GRETA GAMMA-RAY TRACKING ARRAY USED EXTENSIVELY AT FRIB. THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAINING OF THE STEM WORK FORCE BY MAINTAINING AN ACTIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM IN NUCLEAR STRUCTURE ON THE URSINUS COLLEGE CAMPUS. UNDERGRADUATE PARTICIPANTS WILL APPLY THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF PHYSICS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM, GAIN PRACTICAL SKILLS IN DATA ACQUISITION, ANALYSIS, AND SIMULATION, OBSERVE AND PARTICIPATE IN THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR ACCELERATOR FACILITIES AND PRESENT THEIR WORK AT THE URSINUS COLLEGE SUMMER FELLOWS SYMPOSIUM AND AT AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY/DIVISION OF NUCLEAR PHYSICS MEETINGS. THE PROJECT CONSISTS OF TWO INDEPENDENT EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMS AND A DETECTOR SIMULATION EFFORT. FIRST, THE MECHANISM(S) DRIVING CHANGES IN STRUCTURE IN THE N=28 ISOTONES BELOW CA-48, INCLUDING THE EROSION OF THE N=28 SHELL AT Z=14 IS A TOPIC OF GREAT INTEREST WHICH THE GROUP PROPOSES TO ADDRESS AT FRIB WITH INVERSE-KINEMATICS PROTON SCATTERING AND COULOMB EXCITATION MEASUREMENTS OF SI-42. THE PROPOSED MEASUREMENTS OF SI-42 WILL EXTEND THE EMPIRICAL PICTURE OF THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF NEUTRONS AND PROTONS TO FIRST 2+ EXCITATIONS IN THE N=28 ISOTONES DOWN TO Z=14, WHERE THE N=28 SHELL COLLAPSES. SECOND, THE SYSTEMATICS OF FIRST 2+ STATE ENERGIES SUGGEST THAT THE N=32 SUBSHELL GAP DECREASES WITH INCREASING NEUTRON NUMBER ABOVE THE CA ISOTOPES AND VANISHES ENTIRELY IN THE FE ISOTOPES. THE GROUP PROPOSES TO CONTINUE THEIR ONGOING INVESTIGATION OF THE CLOSING OF THE N=32 SUBSHELL THROUGH A NEUTRON-TRANSFER MEASUREMENT TO AN N=28 CR-52 TARGET AT FSU. FINALLY, THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT THE CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF SIMULATIONS OF THE GRETA GAMMA-RAY TRACKING ARRAY. THIS WORK IS AN IMPORTANT TO THE NUCLEAR SCIENCE COMMUNITY FOR AT LEAST TWO REASONS. FIRST, SIMULATIONS ARE A CENTRAL TOOL IN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, NEEDED FOR THE PLANNING AND PROPOSAL OF EXPERIMENTS AT FRIB. SECOND, DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF MANY EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES, ACCURATE SIMULATIONS ARE NEEDED TO EXTRACT EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS FROM RAW DATA. 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.

PROMOTING PEST MOVEMENT TO ENHANCE BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF POTATO LEAFHOPPER

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ROLE OF FLEXIBLE DESIGN AND INSTRUCTOR SUPPORTS IN IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE COURSE-BASED RESEARCH EXPERIENCES ACROSS DIVERSE INSTITUTION TYPES

RUI: SHELL STRUCTURE AND CORE POLARIZATION IN EXOTIC NUCLEI

RUI: SHELL STRUCTURE AND CORE POLARIZATION IN EXOTIC NUCLEI

RUI: SHELL STRUCTURE AND CORE POLARIZATION IN EXOTIC NUCLEI

RUI : SHELL STRUCTURE OF EXOTIC NEUTRON-RICH NUCLEI

MRI: DEVELOPMENT OF A LIQUID HYDROGEN TARGET FOR USE WITH RARE ISOTOPE BEAMS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: TRANSFORMING INSTRUCTION IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS VIA PRIMARY HISTORICAL SOURCES (TRIUMPHS)

I-CORPS: EXPLORING THE COMMERCIALIZATION POTENTIAL OF CHATCODER

THE BERMAN MUSEUM OF ART WILL DIGITIZE THE ARCHIVES AND ARTWORK IN ITS COLLECTION OF ARTIST FRANÇOISE GILOT, WHO WAS A MEMBER OF THE SCHOOL OF PARIS AND THE LONG-TIME PARTNER OF PABLO PICASSO. THE COLLECTION INCLUDES 270 WORKS OF ART, INCLUDING LITHOGRAPHS AND ETCHINGS. STAFF WILL RECEIVE TRAINING ON DIGITIZATION AND WORK WITH A PAID STUDENT COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT TO INPUT METADATA AND REHOUSE THE COLLECTION. AS A RESULT OF THE PROJECT, HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS AND DETAILED METADATA RECORDS OF THE ARTIST’S ARCHIVES, PAINTINGS, AND WORKS ON PAPER WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ACCESSIBLE ONLINE TO STUDENTS, SCHOLARS, EDUCATORS, AND ARTISTS.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: USING PROTEIN FUNCTION PREDICTION TO PROMOTE HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN THINKING IN UNDERGRADUATE BIOCHEMISTRY EDUCATION

HUMANS, NATURE, AND LANDSCAPES IN 21ST-CENTURY SUBURBIA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: USING PROTEIN FUNCTION PREDICTION TO PROMOTE HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN THINKING IN UNDERGRADUATE BIOCHEMISTRY EDUCATION

TO SUPPORT THE CONSERVATION OF A COLLECTION OF PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN FRAKTUR AT THE BERMAN MUSEUM OF ART.

NEH ENDURING QUESTIONS COURSE ON "WHAT IS LOVE?"

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION "THE BLOB" AT THE PHILIP AND MURIEL BERMAN MUSEUM OF ART INCLUDING A "POP-UP" INSTALLATION AND OTHER PUBLIC PROGRAMMING.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RECOVERY

RUI: MOSSBAUER STUDIES OF IRON CONTAINING ENZYME ACTIVE SITES AND MODEL COMPLEXES

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION THE BLOB AT THE PHILIP AND MURIEL BERMAN MUSEUM OF ART INCLUDING A POP-UP INSTALLATION AND OTHER PUBLIC PROGRAMMING.