Lafayette College

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND-IHE/INSTITUTION

CARES ACT: EMERGENCY FUND FOR STUDENTS

J-PROTEIN REGULATION OF YEAST PRION PROPAGATION

CPATH T: CAMPUS WIDE COMPUTATION INITIATIVE - A NEW MODEL FOR COMPUTING EDUCATION

CAREER: GAS-REGULATED MECHANOCHEMICAL ACTIVATION FOR BIO-INSPIRED RESPONSES IN POLYMER NETWORKS

ACHIEVING DIVERSITY GOALS: A PROGRAM TO ADVANCE LEADERSHIP IN ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A CARL ZEISS EVO SEM (SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE) AT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A HIGH-SPEED LASER-BASED IMAGING SYSTEM FOR FLUID MECHANICS, COMBUSTION, AND PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

ANALYSIS OF TLR AGONIST TREATED TUMOR CELLS

CAREER: DESIGNING QUORUM SENSING MODULATORS FOR LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM TO PROBE INTERSPECIES AND HOST-MICROBE INTERACTIONS

RETROGRADE INTRAFLAGELLAR TRANSPORT GENES IN AMINOGLYCOSIDE-INDUCED HAIR CELL DEATH

USING STRUCTURED VIDEO CHAT TO IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOUNG CHILDREN ANDREMOTE GRANDPARENTS. - PROJECT SUMMARY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC MANY FAMILIES ARE USING VIDEO CHAT (E.G., ZOOM) TO MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS WITH DISTANT RELATIVES, INCLUDING GRANDPARENTS. WHILE 67% OF ALL GRANDPARENTS REPORTED LIKING THE IDEA OF VIDEO CHATTING WITH THEIR GRANDCHILDREN, ONLY 28% DID SO REGULARLY. INCREASING THIS PERCENTAGE COULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE GRANDPARENT-GRANDCHILD RELATIONSHIPS BECAUSE OUR PRELIMINARY STUDY 1 SHOWED THAT VIDEO CHAT FREQUENCY IS A STRONG PREDICTOR OF GRANDPARENT’S RATINGS OF CLOSENESS TO THEIR GRANDCHILD, EVEN AFTER CONTROLLING FOR THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM. THE OVERALL GOAL OF OUR PAST, ONGOING, AND FUTURE RESEARCH IS TO UNDERSTAND THE COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTAL CHALLENGES OF VIDEO CHAT IN ORDER TO SUPPORT ITS USE WITH CHILDREN. AS THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS THIS GOAL, WE PROPOSE TO DIRECTLY COMPARE TWO APPROACHES TO INSTRUCTING GRANDPARENTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE VIDEO CHATS BETWEEN GRANDPARENTS AND YOUNG GRANDCHILDREN (18-72 MONTHS OF AGE). FAMILIES WILL USE VIDEO CHAT WITHOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF RESEARCHERS DURING EACH VIDEO CHAT. PARENT-CHILD- GRANDPARENT TRIADS (N=180; THE LARGEST MULTI-SESSION OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF YOUNG CHILDREN AND VIDEO CHAT TO DATE) WILL RECORD 10 VIDEO CHATS UNDER ONE OF THREE RANDOMLY-ASSIGNED CONDITIONS: STRUCTURED PLAY, STRUCTURED READING, OR WHEN GIVEN NO INSTRUCTIONS (CONTROL). OUR OVERALL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT STRUCTURED VIDEO CHAT WILL INCREASE CHILDREN’S ENGAGEMENT AND JOINT ATTENTION (PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES), AS WELL AS GRANDPARENTS’ ENJOYMENT OF VIDEO CHAT AND CLOSENESS WITH THEIR GRANDCHILD (SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES). WE WILL USE DETAILED BEHAVIORAL CODING OF THE VIDEO RECORDINGS OF THESE CHATS TO OBJECTIVELY ASSESS MANY OF THE OUTCOME MEASURES. OUR PRELIMINARY STUDY 2 SHOWED THAT STRUCTURED VIDEO CHAT FACILITATES MORE POSITIVE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS. THE PROPOSED WORK EXTENDS OUR PRELIMINARY WORK BECAUSE IT TRANSLATES OUR LABORATORY METHODS TO A COMPLEMENTARY ECOLOGICALLY-VALID APPROACH IN FAMILIES’ NATURALISTIC ENVIRONMENTS. IN AIM 1, WE WILL DETERMINE WHETHER AND FOR WHOM STRUCTURED VIDEO CHAT IMPROVES CHILD ENGAGEMENT AND INCREASES CHILD-INITIATED SCREEN- BASED JOINT ATTENTION DURING VIDEO CHATS BETWEEN GRANDPARENTS AND GRANDCHILDREN. IN AIM 2, WE WILL DETERMINE WHETHER STRUCTURED VIDEO CHAT INCREASES GRANDPARENTS’ ENJOYMENT OF THE VIDEO CHATS AND LEADS TO GREATER FEELINGS OF CLOSENESS TO THEIR GRANDCHILD. PI MYERS AND CO-I STROUSE, WHO ARE BOTH AT R15-AREA-ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS, ARE WELL-QUALIFIED TO COMPLETE THE PROPOSED WORK. SINCE 2017, THEY HAVE PUBLISHED 9 PAPERS ON VIDEO CHAT, 12 PAPERS ON READING, AND COLLABORATIVELY COMPLETED 3 PRELIMINARY STUDIES AND 2 PAPERS. THEY HAVE MENTORED 77 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, MANY OF WHOM WERE CO-AUTHORS ON CONFERENCE POSTERS OR PRESENTATIONS (37; 22 AS A PRESENTER) OR JOURNAL ARTICLES (12). IMPORTANTLY, 17 STUDENTS CAME FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS (BIPOC, FIRST- GENERATION IN COLLEGE, LGBT). A TOTAL OF 47 ARE PURSUING OR HAVE COMPLETED GRADUATE WORK IN HEALTH-RELATED SCIENCES, INCLUDING 15 FOR DOCTORAL DEGREES. THE PROPOSED WORK ADDRESSES A NICHD CDBB PRIORITY OF ADVANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF “EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL MEDIA USE ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT.”

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A LIQUID/SUPERCRITICAL FLUID CHROMATOGHRAPHY MASS SPECTROMETER FOR ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH

CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN MAN AND MACHINE

GENES TO BEHAVIOR: UNLOCKING THE CODE FOR EARLY DETECTION OF READING DISORDER

MRI: ACQUISITION OF INSTRUMENTATION FOR ENHANCEMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND PEDAGOGY IN MOLECULAR BIOENGINEERING

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

RUI: CHEMICAL PHENOMENA OF COMPLEX CARBONYL-AMMONIUM AQUEOUS AEROSOL MIMICS -THIS RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS (RUI) PROJECT IS FOCUSED ON IMPROVING THE UNDERSTANDING OF CONDENSED-PHASE REACTIONS THAT LEAD TO THE FORMATION OF BROWN CARBON IN THE ATMOSPHERE. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH EFFORT WILL EXPLORE THE MECHANISTIC AND KINETIC CHANGES THAT OCCUR THROUGH THE AQUEOUS REACTIONS OF CARBONYLS AND AMMONIUM SULFATE. THIS WORK INCLUDES A SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF LIGHT ABSORPTION AS A FUNCTION OF COMPOSITION AND COULD LEAD TO IMPROVED PREDICTIONS OF BROWN CARBON FORMATION IN ATMOSPHERIC PARTICLES. THIS EFFORT INVOLVES RESEARCH ON THE CROSS-REACTIONS OF AMMONIUM SULFATE WITH PAIRED ?-DIFUNCTIONAL CARBONYLS (GLYCOLALDEHYDE, GLYOXAL, AND METHYLGLYOXAL) TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF CARBONYL RATIO AND IDENTITY ON PRODUCT FORMATION, BROWN CARBON LIGHT ABSORPTION, AND REACTION RATES. THE PROPOSED WORK AIMS TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING KEY SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS: (1) HOW DO CROSS-REACTIONS OF CARBONYL COMPOUNDS WITH AMMONIUM CHANGE PRODUCT COMPOSITION? (2) HOW DO LIGHT ABSORPTION PROPERTIES OF THE PRODUCT MIXTURES CHANGE AS A FUNCTION OF CROSS-REACTION BETWEEN CARBONYLS? (3) HOW DO PRODUCT FORMATION AND CHROMOPHORICITY CHANGE AS ADDITIONAL COMPLEXITY IS ADDED TO MIXTURE? SUPERCRITICAL FLUID CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY AND UV-VISIBLE SPECTROSCOPY WILL BE UTILIZED FOR THIS STUDY. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENTS WILL PERFORM THE LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS AND WILL BE INVOLVED IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE DATA WORKUP AND THE PRESENTATION OF THE 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.

MCA PILOT PUI: CAN UNHATCHED EGGS OR TRASH AFFECT NESTLING DEVELOPMENT AND SURVIVAL VIA MODIFIED THERMAL PROPERTIES OF THE NEST? -SONGBIRD POPULATIONS ARE DWINDLING, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE CONDITIONS ANIMALS EXPERIENCE EARLY IN LIFE AFFECT HOW BIG THEY GROW, HOW FAST THEY GROW, AND WHETHER THEY ARE LIKELY TO SURVIVE. STUDYING THESE EXPERIENCES PROVIDES IMPORTANT BIOLOGICAL INSIGHTS AND INFORMS QUESTIONS RELATED TO MANAGING WILDLIFE SPECIES THAT ARE EITHER A CONSERVATION PRIORITY OR ARE INVASIVE, OR MANAGING GAME POPULATIONS. AS ANIMALS MORE FREQUENTLY INTERACT WITH HUMANS, THERE IS ALSO AN INCREASED NEED TO STUDY THE EFFECTS THAT PEOPLE HAVE ON THEIR SURVIVAL. TO ADDRESS THESE QUESTIONS IN PART, THIS PROJECT WILL EXAMINE HOW DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF TRASH IN THE NESTS OF A SONGBIRD SPECIES AND THE NUMBER OF EGGS IN THE NEST AFFECT THE PARENTS? ABILITY TO INCUBATE EGGS AND KEEP BABY BIRDS WARM. THEN, THIS PROJECT WILL LINK NEST TEMPERATURES WITH THE BABY BIRDS? ABILITY TO GROW QUICKLY ENOUGH, TO LARGE ENOUGH SIZES, AND TO SURVIVE. ACCOMPLISHING THIS GOAL WILL REQUIRE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING MINIATURIZED TEMPERATURE SENSORS THAT CAN BE HIDDEN WITHIN 3D-PRINTED EGGS. THESE TEMPERATURE-SENSING DEVICES CAN BE TWICE AS SENSITIVE AS COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE OPTIONS, FIT INTO MUCH SMALLER EGG MODELS, AND BE PRODUCED FOR LESS THAN HALF THE PRICE THAN EARLIER TECHNOLOGY. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS TECHNOLOGY COULD THEN INFLUENCE INDUSTRIES THAT TRACK TEMPERATURES OF GOODS, AND THE BIOLOGICAL LESSONS COULD BE IMPORTANT FOR THOSE INVOLVED IN THE BIRD-WATCHING INDUSTRY, WHICH GENERATES APPROXIMATELY $100 BILLION ANNUALLY. THE TOOLS DEVELOPED IN THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO BE DEPLOYED IN CLASSROOM AND MENTORED RESEARCH SETTING WITH UNDERGRADUATES. WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL INVESTS IN PARENTAL EFFORT, THIS EFFORT PROVIDES BENEFITS TO YOUNG BUT REDUCES THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO CURRENT OR FUTURE OFFSPRING. THUS, WHEN FEMALES LAY EGGS THAT DO NOT HATCH, THAT BEHAVIOR IS DEEMED COSTLY DUE TO THE EXPENDITURE OF RESOURCES (E.G., ALLOCATING NUTRIENTS TO THE EGG, INVESTING ENERGY TO INCUBATE THE EGG), WITH NO PERCEIVED FITNESS BENEFIT IN TERMS OF ADDITIONAL OFFSPRING. HOWEVER, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT NOT ALL HATCHING FAILURE HAS NEGATIVE FITNESS CONSEQUENCES. IF PARENTS CAN CONSTRUCT THERMALLY EFFICIENT NESTS, THE COST OF PRODUCING AND INCUBATING AN EXTRA EGG MAY RESULT IN PROPORTIONATELY GREATER BENEFITS LATER ON, WHEN DEVELOPING OFFSPRING CAN RELY UPON THE THERMAL INERTIA OF AN UNHATCHED EGG TO MAINTAIN A HIGHER BODY TEMPERATURE, EVEN WHEN THEY CANNOT THERMOREGULATE THEMSELVES. ADDITIONALLY, SOME BIRDS INCORPORATE TRASH INTO THEIR NESTS, WHICH COULD AFFECT THE NEST?S THERMAL PROPERTIES. BY 1) EVALUATING NEST CHARACTERISTICS, AND 2) DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DATALOGGERS TO MEASURE INCUBATION BEHAVIOR, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO EVALUATE HOW TRASH CONTENT WITHIN A NEST AND THE PRESENCE OF UNHATCHED EGGS INTERACT TO AFFECT TEMPERATURE WITHIN A NEST. BY USING URBAN-EXPLOITING HOUSE SPARROWS (PASSER DOMESTICUS) AS A MODEL SPECIES, WHICH ROUTINELY INCORPORATE TRASH INTO THEIR NESTS, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO EVALUATE HOW WITHIN-NEST TEMPERATURES ARE RELATED TO NESTLING GROWTH, SURVIVAL, AND CONDITION THROUGHOUT DEVELOPMENT. BY ALSO TRACKING JUVENILE BEHAVIOR USING RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID)-BASED TRACKING METHODS, THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO EVALUATE LONGER-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF NEST ENVIRONMENT AND PARENTAL EFFORT. 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.

TAS::57 3600::TAS 'MAN AND MACHINE- MORE THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS'

CAREER: LINKING HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES AND LANDSCAPE FORM TO THE RIVERINE THERMAL REGIME IN THE MID-ATLANTIC US -RIVER TEMPERATURE IS A CRUCIAL MEASURE OF WATER QUALITY AND STREAM HEALTH. IT IS INFLUENCED BY MANY DIFFERENT FACTORS, SUCH AS WATERSHED CHARACTERISTICS, WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND PROCESSES OF THE WATER CYCLE. HOWEVER, MORE WORK IS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND HOW PROCESSES, SUCH AS STREAMFLOW, GROUNDWATER DISCHARGE, AND EVAPOTRANSPIRATION, IMPACT THE MAGNITUDES OF RIVER TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON SITES IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION, THIS PROJECT WILL APPROACH THE ISSUE OF RIVER TEMPERATURE IN TWO WAYS. FIRST, THROUGH A FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT AND TIMESERIES ANALYSIS OF RIVER TEMPERATURE OBSERVATIONS, AND SECOND, BY USING MODELS THAT DESCRIBE WATER MOVEMENT AND ENERGY EXCHANGE. CLARIFYING THE ROLE OF HYDROLOGY IN DETERMINING STREAM TEMPERATURE IS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND HOW AVERAGE CONDITIONS AS WELL AS EXTREME CONDITIONS SUCH AS DROUGHTS MAY IMPACT WATER QUALITY, AND TO IDENTIFY PLACES THAT ARE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO SUCH IMPACTS. THROUGH THESE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, THE RESEARCHER WILL PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING AND MENTORING TO ENHANCE SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND CAREER PREPAREDNESS AND WILL SUPPORT VISITING GRADUATE RESEARCH SCHOLARS TO COACH AS UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH MENTORS WHILE ALLOWING THEM TO LEARN ABOUT A CAREER AT A PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION. FINDINGS WILL BE SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC AND THROUGH K12 EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH IS TO CONCEPTUALLY, EMPIRICALLY, AND PREDICTIVELY LINK STREAM TEMPERATURE AND HYDROLOGIC PROCESSES IN COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTS ALONG THE RIVER NETWORK. TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CHANGES TO HYDRO-CLIMATOLOGY PROPAGATE INTO STREAMFLOW AND WATER QUALITY, THIS WORK WILL INTEGRATE OBSERVATIONS FROM THE REACH TO REGIONAL SCALE, ENABLING SYSTEMATIC SYNTHESIS OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN RIVER NETWORK CONTROLS AND STREAM TEMPERATURES. THE PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY EMPIRICAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN STATIC AND DYNAMIC DESCRIPTORS OF HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES AND THERMAL SIGNATURES, METRICS EXTRACTED FROM TIMESERIES OF STREAM TEMPERATURE, OF MID-ATLANTIC US STREAM SITES, AND WILL QUANTIFY THE IMPACT OF VARYING HYDROLOGICAL AND METEOROLOGICAL CONTROLS ON RIVER TEMPERATURE WITHIN A DETERMINISTIC STREAM TEMPERATURE MODELING FRAMEWORK. THIS EMPIRICAL APPROACH WILL BE BALANCED WITH PHYSICALLY BASED MODELING OF LOCAL STREAM TEMPERATURES AT THE REACH TO WATERSHED SCALE TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW VARIATIONS IN AND INTERACTIONS AMONG HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, METEOROLOGICAL VARIABLES, AND LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS ALONG THE RIVER NETWORK MAY INFLUENCE DOWNSTREAM RIVER TEMPERATURE. ALTOGETHER, THIS RESEARCH WILL YIELD NEW INSIGHTS ON THE EMPIRICAL AND MECHANISTIC CONTROLS ON RIVER TEMPERATURE REGIMES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES TO THESE REGIMES, WHILE EQUALLY SUPPORTING THE TRAINING OF UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE RESEARCHERS AS WELL AS PUBLIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATION. THIS PROJECT IS JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE HYDROLOGIC SCIENCES PROGRAM, AND THE EAR EDUCATION AND BROADENING PARTICIPATION 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.

REU SITE: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN MATHEMATICS AT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE

RUI: PERVIOUS CONCRETE PILES: AN INNOVATIVE GROUND IMPROVEMENT ALTERNATIVE

REU SITE: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN MATHEMATICS, APPLIED MATHEMATICS, AND STATISTICS AT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE

RUI: ROLE OF CRYSTALLINITY AND MORPHOLOGY IN DEGRADATION AND DRUG RELEASE OF PEO-B-PCL FILMS -NON-TECHNICAL: ADDITIVES ARE A CRUCIAL COMPONENT IN ENGINEERING ADVANTAGEOUS PROPERTIES IN PLASTICS. ONE EXAMPLE IS IN THERAPEUTIC MEDICAL TREATMENTS, WHICH RELY ON THE ABILITY TO DELIVER DRUGS IN A CONTROLLED WAY. UNDERSTANDING THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ADDITIVES AND POLYMER MOLECULES,IS CRITICAL FOR MODELING HOW THE MOLECULES MIGHT LEACH OR RELEASE FROM THE FINAL PRODUCT. FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE ADDITIVE?S RELEASE RATE INCLUDE HOW THEY ARE DISTRIBUTED AMONG THE POLYMER MOLECULES, HOW THOSE POLYMER MOLECULES ARE ARRANGED, AND HOW THE POLYMERS BREAK DOWN. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO DETERMINE HOW THESE INTERACTIONS IMPACT THE RELEASE AND DEGRADATION BEHAVIOR IN A TWO-COMPONENT POLYMER, POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE)-POLY(CAPROLACTONE) (PEO-B-PCL). PEO-B-PCL HAS TWO DIFFERING COMPONENTS: ONE THAT IS HYDROPHILIC, OR WATER-SOLUBLE, AND ONE THAT IS HYDROPHOBIC, OR WATER-INSOLUBLE. ADDITIONALLY, BOTH COMPONENTS CAN ASSEMBLE IN CRYSTALLINE PHASES (HAVING TIGHTLY STRUCTURED ARRANGEMENTS) OR AMORPHOUS PHASES (MORE RANDOM AND SPACIOUS MOLECULAR ARRANGEMENTS). BECAUSE OF THE DUALITY OF THE POLYMER, ADDITIVES MAY PARTITION INTO DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE MATERIAL. USING COMMON DRUG MOLECULES OF VARYING HYDROPHOBICITY, PEO AND PCL CRYSTALLINITY WILL BE MONITORED TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF ADDITIVES ON CRYSTAL FORMATION. A DECREASE IN CRYSTALLINITY OR CRYSTAL SIZE COULD BE OBSERVED WHETHER THE ADDITIVE EXISTS IN THE POLYMER AS INDIVIDUAL MOLECULES (GOOD DISPERSION) OR AS LARGE CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURES (POOR DISPERSION) AND WHETHER IT SEGREGATES INTO PEO OR PCL PARTIALLY, PRIMARILY, OR EXCLUSIVELY. PREPARATION OF THE ADDITIVE-POLYMER MIXTURE WILL BE VARIED TO SEE HOW CHANGES IN THE POLYMER CRYSTAL STRUCTURE IMPACTS THE ADDITIVE ASSEMBLY. NOT ONLY WILL CHANGES IN THE CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE IMPACT THE ADDITIVE RELEASE, IT WILL IMPACT THE PLASTIC?S EROSION AND DEGRADATION IN WATER. A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURE-PROPERTY RELATIONSHIPS IS NEEDED TO APPROPRIATELY UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF POLYMER PHYSICAL STRUCTURE IN THE PROCESS OF ADDITIVE RELEASE AND POLYMER BREAKDOWN OVER TIME. IN ADDITION TO SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY, THIS RESEARCH PROVIDES TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT FOR UNDERGRADUATES - OUR FUTURE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS - AND PROMOTES INCLUSION IN STEM FOR ALL. OUTREACH ACTIVITIES INCLUDING HOSTING A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AS A RESEARCH ASSISTANT AND ENGAGEMENT IN A K-6 COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM THAT BRINGS STUDENTS TO CAMPUS FOR ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS PROJECT. TECHNICAL: CONTROLLED DRUG RELEASE RELIES ON THE CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL STRUCTURE AND INTERACTIONS BETWEEN DRUG MOLECULES AND THE POLYMERIC CARRIER. MOLECULAR DISPERSION OF THE DRUG AND COMPLEX INTERACTIONS AMONG DRUG, POLYMER, AND WATER ARE PRIMARY FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE RATE OF RELEASE AND ITS CONTROL. ONE UNDERLYING FACTOR THAT IMPACTS THE DIFFUSION OF BOTH DRUG AND WATER MOLECULES IS THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF THE POLYMER WHERE CRYSTALLINE LAMELLAE PROVIDE PHYSICAL BARRIERS AND MICROPHASE SEPARATION PROVIDES INHOMOGENEOUS DISPERSION OF SMALL MOLECULES. AMPHIPHILIC POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE)-BLOCK-POLY(?-CAPROLACTONE) (PEO-B-PCL) IS A MODEL COPOLYMER WITH HIERARCHICAL PHYSICAL STRUCTURES, INCLUDING CRYSTALLIZATION OF BOTH BLOCKS AND SUBSEQUENT PHASE SEPARATION. THESE STRUCTURES ARE IMPACTED BY PREPARATION TECHNIQUES AND THE INCLUSION OF SMALL MOLECULE ADDITIVES. SPECTROSCOPIC AND THERMAL ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES WILL BE USED TO EVALUATE THE POLYMERS? AND DRUG?S STRUCTURES USING DIFFERING PREPARATION METHODS, THERMAL TREATMENTS, DRUG LOADING, AND DRUG HYDROPHOBICITY. PEO AND PCL DOMAINS SHOULD EXHIBIT CHANGES IN CRYSTAL SIZE AND/OR CRYSTALLINITY AS IT CORRELATES TO THE DRUG?S STRUCTURE AND DISPERSION (MOLECULAR OR CRYSTALLINE SOLID) AND PARTITIONING IN EACH DOMAIN. MORE HYDROPHOBIC MOLECULES ARE EXPECTED TO SEGREGATE INTO THE PCL DOMAIN; HOWEVER, INTERACTIONS DURING THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS MAY BE MORE COMPLICATED. PREVIOUSLY DETERMINED TECHNIQUES FOR TAILORING THE CRYSTAL MORPHOLOGY FROM EDGE-ON SPHERULITES TO FLAT-ON STRUCTURES WILL BE UTILIZED TO EVALUATE THE CRYSTAL STABILITY IN THE PRESENCE OF DRUG ADDITIVES OR AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTS. CONVERSELY, THE ABSORPTION OF WATER IN THE PEO DOMAINS SHOULD BE IMPACTED BY PEO CRYSTALLITES. SIMILAR TECHNIQUES WILL BE USED TO MONITOR THE DIFFUSION OF WATER INTO THE FILM AND SUBSEQUENT DISSOLUTION OF PEO CRYSTALS OF VARYING METASTABILITY. COMPLIMENTARY EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES IN CHROMATOGRAPHY AND GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS WILL BE USED TO MEASURE CONTROLLED RELEASE AND DEGRADATION PROFILES TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE ROLE OF THE POLYMER?S PHYSICAL STRUCTURE IN THE MACROSCOPIC PROPERTIES. UNDERSTANDING THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE PEO AND PCL CRYSTAL SIZE, CRYSTALLINITY, AND MORPHOLOGY AND RESULTANT WATER ABSORPTION, DEGRADATION, AND DRUG RELEASE PROPERTIES IS IMPORTANT FOR CONTROLLED DELIVERY. . 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.

DIGITAL PUBLICATION OF RECORDS OF EARLY ENGLISH DRAMA

RUI: ACQUISITION OF X-RAY POWDER DIFFRACTION INSTRUMENTATION WITH HEATING STAGE TO SUPPORT SOLUTION CALORIMETRIC RESEARCH AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

RUI: METASTABILITY OF CRYSTALS IN DOUBLE CRYSTALLINE PEO-B-PCL FILMS AND THEIR ROLE IN TRANSPORT PROPERTIES

RECORDS OF EARLY ENGLISH DRAMA: PUBLICATION OF COLLECTIONS IN MONOGRAPH AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS

LEAPS-MPS: GEOMETRY AND TOPOLOGY OF DUAL ARTIN GROUPS -A GROUP IS A MATHEMATICAL STRUCTURE WHICH CAN BE UNDERSTOOD EITHER GEOMETRICALLY (ENCODING THE SYMMETRIES OF A PARTICULAR OBJECT) OR ALGEBRAICALLY (USING SYMBOLIC MANIPULATION ACCORDING TO CERTAIN ABSTRACT RULES). GROUPS ARE OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE IN MATHEMATICS AND HAVE BEEN APPLIED IN A WIDE VARIETY OF AREAS, INCLUDING HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS, CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, ROBOTICS, AND CRYPTOGRAPHY. ONE AREA OF PARTICULAR INTEREST IS THE CLASS OF ARTIN GROUPS, WHICH ARE STRAIGHTFORWARD TO DESCRIBE ALGEBRAICALLY BUT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND GEOMETRICALLY. THIS PROJECT WILL EXAMINE THE TOPOLOGY AND GEOMETRY OF ARTIN GROUPS BY DEVELOPING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE GROUPS AND THE CLOSELY-RELATED ANALOGUE KNOWN AS DUAL ARTIN GROUPS. IN ADDITION, THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND ENHANCE STUDENT PROGRAMMING (SUCH AS THE MATHEMATICS COLLOQUIUM SERIES) AT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE. THE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT FALL INTO FOUR CATEGORIES. FIRST, THE PI WILL EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARTIN GROUPS AND DUAL ARTIN GROUPS. THESE TWO DEFINITIONS ARE CONJECTURED TO PRODUCE ISOMORPHIC GROUPS IN GENERAL, BUT THIS HAS ONLY BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN SELECT CASES. ONE GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO EXPAND THE CLASSES OF ARTIN GROUPS FOR WHICH THIS ISOMORPHISM IS KNOWN TO EXIST (E.G. TO THE CLASS OF EVEN ARTIN GROUPS). NEXT, THE PI WILL SOLIDIFY CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE DUAL ARTIN GROUPS CORRESPONDING TO BRAID GROUPS AND OTHER AREAS SUCH AS HYPERPLANE ARRANGEMENTS, TREE COMPLEXES, AND THE WORK OF THURSTON ON COMPLEX DYNAMICS. IN EACH OF THESE AREAS, PRIOR AND ONGOING WORK OF THE PI HAS IDENTIFIED TOPOLOGICAL CONNECTIONS WITH THE DUAL BRAID GROUP; THIS PROJECT WILL PRODUCE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW AND WHY THESE CONNECTIONS ARISE. THIRD, A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THIS PROJECT CONCERNS RECENT WORK OF THE PI WITH MCCAMMOND ON THE BRANCHED ANNULUS COMPLEX, WHICH IS A FINITE PIECEWISE-EUCLIDEAN CELL STRUCTURE ON A NEW COMPACTIFICATION FOR THE SPACE OF MONIC COMPLEX POLYNOMIALS WITH DISTINCT CENTERED ROOTS. IN COLLABORATION WITH MCCAMMOND, THE PI WILL INTRODUCE A GENERALIZATION OF THIS COMPLEX FOR EACH DUAL ARTIN GROUP AND EXAMINE ITS TOPOLOGICAL AND GEOMETRIC PROPERTIES. FINALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ON THE RELATED COMBINATORIAL TOPIC OF NONCROSSING PARTITION LATTICES. IN PARTICULAR, THE PI WILL GUIDE UNDERGRADUATES IN STUDYING THE LATTICES OF NONCROSSING PARTITIONS ARISING FROM PLANAR CONFIGURATIONS AND IDENTIFYING WHEN USEFUL COMBINATORIAL PROPERTIES APPEAR (E.G. GRADEDNESS, RANK-SYMMETRY, SHELLABILITY). 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.

RUI: REDUCING PERMEABILITY IN SANDS USING BIOFILM-FORMING BACTERIA AND QUORUM SENSING INHIBITORS TO CREATE UNIFORM GROWTH

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: WHAT LIES BENEATH: AN INVESTIGATION OF SUBGLACIAL SILICIC MAGMA SYSTEMS (VATNAJOKULL, ICELAND) -ICELAND IS POSITIONED WHERE A MID-OCEAN RIDGE AND A MANTLE PLUME INTERSECT AT HIGH LATITUDE, RESULTING IN DYNAMIC AND DANGEROUS VOLCANO-ICE INTERACTIONS. TWO OF ICELAND?S FOUR MOST HISTORICALLY ACTIVE VOLCANOES (GR?MSV?TN AND B?R?ARBUNGA) OCCUR NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF THE RIDGE AND PLUME, BUT THEY ARE LARGELY OBSCURED FROM VIEW BY VATNAJ?KULL, AN ICE CAP THAT COVERS ~10% OF ICELAND?S SURFACE AREA. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT GLACIAL RETREAT CAN LEAD TO INCREASED ERUPTION RATES BY DESTABILIZING EXISTING MAGMA BODIES AND EVEN PROMPTING NEW MAGMA GENERATION. AS CLIMATE CONTINUES TO CHANGE AND ICELAND?S ICE CAPS CONTINUE TO THIN, THERE IS INCREASING CONCERN ABOUT THE IMPACTS ON SUBGLACIAL VOLCANIC SYSTEMS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED HAZARDS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND PAST AND PRESENT BEHAVIOR OF SUBGLACIAL VOLCANIC SYSTEMS TO BETTER PREPARE FOR FUTURE VOLCANIC THREATS. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXPLORE THE ORIGIN, EVOLUTION, AGE, AND LONGEVITY OF MAGMAS UNDER VATNAJ?KULL IN ORDER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND ICELAND?S GLACIO-VOLCANIC HAZARD POTENTIAL, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY LEARNING ABOUT A GEOLOGICALLY UNIQUE PART OF THE WORLD. THIS WORK WILL STRENGTHEN EXISTING, AND FACILITATE NEW, COLLABORATIONS WITH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD AND IN ANALYTICAL LABS. IT WILL ALSO CREATE OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC EDUCATION, AND PROVIDE RIGOROUS RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR 6+ UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, A MAJORITY OF WHOM ARE FROM TRADITIONALLY UNDER-REPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS. IN ICELAND, SILICIC MATERIAL ACCOUNTS FOR ~10% OF THE EXPOSED CRUST; AT CENTRAL VOLCANOES, THIS AMOUNT INCREASES TO ~30%. VOLCANIC SYSTEMS BENEATH VATNAJ?KULL APPEAR TO HAVE A PAUCITY OF SILICIC MATERIAL RELATIVE TO THEIR SUBAERIAL COUNTERPARTS. THIS MAY BE A CONSEQUENCE OF THE PROXIMITY TO THE RIDGE-PLUME INTERSECTION, OR (MORE LIKELY) A CONSEQUENCE OF POOR EXPOSURE LEADING TO SAMPLE BIAS. SINCE SILICIC MAGMAS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ERUPT MORE EXPLOSIVELY AND WITH GREATER ASSOCIATED HAZARDS THAN BASALTIC MAGMAS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE THEY MAY PLAY AT THE PRODUCTIVE, ACTIVE, SYSTEMS OBSCURED FROM VIEW BY VATNAJ?KULL. THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS TO BE INVESTIGATED ARE: TO WHAT EXTENT ARE SILICIC MATERIALS ASSOCIATED WITH B?R?ARBUNGA, GR?MSV?TN, AND NEIGHBORING KVERKFJ?LL? ARE COLLECTED SILICIC MATERIALS FROM ACTIVE MAGMATIC SYSTEMS, OLDER BEDROCK, OR A COMBINATION? HOW DO THE GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE SYSTEMS? SILICIC MATERIALS COMPARE TO THOSE IN THE KNOWN ROCK RECORD ELSEWHERE IN ICELAND? WHAT HAZARDS DO SILICIC MAGMAS PRESENT IN THIS DYNAMIC RIFT-MANTLE PLUME-ICE ENVIRONMENT? DATA GENERATED IN THIS STUDY WILL FACILITATE MAPPING THE REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF SUBGLACIAL SILICIC MATERIALS (BOTH THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE VOLCANIC SYSTEMS AND THOSE FROM OLDER BEDROCK). EVIDENCE FROM NUNATAK AND MORAINE ROCKS (MAJOR AND TRACE ELEMENTS; HF, ND, AND PB ISOTOPES; PETROGRAPHY) AND THEIR ACCESSORY MINERALS (ZIRCON: U-TH AND U-PB DATES, O AND HF ISOTOPES, TRACE ELEMENTS; APATITE: TRACE ELEMENTS, VOLATILES) WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO DECIPHER THE PETROGENETIC ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION OF SILICIC SYSTEMS AT ICELAND?S MOST PLUME-AFFECTED, AND MOST ACTIVE, CENTRAL VOLCANOES. 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: RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN MATHEMATICS AT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE

JONATHAN SWIFT'S POEMS: A NEW SCHOLARLY EDITION AND ONLINE ARCHIVE

MRI: ACQUISITION OF STATE-OF-THE-ART SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION FACILITY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: WHERE DOES THE WATER GO: IMPROVING UNDERSTANDING OF STREAM-AQUIFER-ATMOSPHERE INTERACTIONS AROUND BEAVER DAM ANALOGUES

THERE IS MORE TO THE DATA - FINDING THE HIDDEN PIECES OF KNOWLEDGE

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A DESKTOP SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE FOR MATERIALS RESEARCH

ERI: MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INTERFASCICULAR MATRIX OF PATELLAR TENDON IN SHEAR AND TRANSVERSE TENSION -LIGAMENTS AND TENDONS ARE MUSCULOSKELETAL TISSUES THAT CONNECT BONES AND MUSCLES AND TRANSMIT FORCES BETWEEN THESE TISSUES. THESE TISSUES HELP TO STABILIZE THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND PREVENT INJURY FROM OVEREXTENDING A JOINT. DESPITE THIS CRITICAL ROLE IN BODILY FUNCTION, THERE IS A LIMITED ABILITY TO PREDICT HOW LIGAMENTS AND TENDONS DEFORM AND FAIL. WITHOUT THIS PREDICTIVE ABILITY, RESEARCHERS ARE LIMITED IN THEIR CAPACITY TO USE COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE INJURY AND TREATMENT OF MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES. THE GOAL OF THE RESEARCH SUPPORTED BY THIS ENGINEERING RESEARCH INITIATION (ERI) AWARD IS TO ENGAGE IN FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW LIGAMENTS AND TENDONS DEFORM AND FAIL BY EXAMINING DEFORMATIONS OF THE TWO COMPONENTS THAT MAKE UP THE TISSUE: THE INTERFASCICULAR MATRIX (IFM) AND THE FASCICLES. PRIOR WORK ON LIGAMENT AND TENDON MECHANICS HOMOGENIZES THE IFM AND FASCICLES INTO ONE SUBSTANCE. HOWEVER, RECENT WORK HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT THESE TWO REGIONS CANNOT BE HOMOGENIZED WHEN ANALYZING WHOLE TISSUE DEFORMATION AND FAILURE. THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE IFM AND FASCICLES WILL BE CHARACTERIZED USING A STEREO DIGITAL IMAGE CORRELATION (DIC) ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL TESTS COMBINED WITH INVERSE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS. TO MAXIMALLY LOAD THE IFM DURING TESTING, PATELLAR TENDON SAMPLES WILL BE LOADED IN TRANSVERSE TENSION AND SHEAR. DEFORMATIONS WILL BE TRACKED USING A STEREO DIC SETUP EQUIPPED WITH MACRO LENSES, WHICH ENABLE A 10-?M SPATIAL RESOLUTION THAT CAN DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE IFM AND FASCICLE REGIONS. THE EXPERIMENTAL DEFORMATION FIELDS WILL THEN BE ANALYZED USING AN INVERSE FINITE ELEMENT SCHEME TO EXTRACT THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE IFM AND FASCICLES. THE 3D MODELS OF THE TISSUE SAMPLES USED DURING MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION WILL BE GENERATED USING A PHOTOGRAMMETRY SETUP THAT HAS A SPATIAL RESOLUTION OF 10 ?M. THIS RESEARCH WILL BE THE FIRST TO GENERATE A SET OF SPATIALLY HETEROGENEOUS DEFORMATION DATA AND MATERIAL PROPERTIES THAT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE IFM AND FASCICLE REGIONS. TO PROMOTE BROADER PARTICIPATION IN ENGINEERING, A RECRUITMENT SESSION WILL BE ORGANIZED WITH THE SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS, OUT IN STEM, AND ENGINEERING FACULTY MEMBERS AT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE WHO HAVE RECEIVED TRAINING ON INCLUSIVE MENTORSHIP PRACTICES. RESEARCH MENTORSHIP AT LAFAYETTE WILL BE IMPROVED BY CREATING A FORMAL MENTORSHIP EVALUATION PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LAFAYETTE?S TEACHING CENTER. A SCIENTIFIC WRITING WORKSHOP WILL BE CONDUCTED TO ENABLE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS TO COMMUNICATE THEIR FINDINGS IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH PAPERS. 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.

TO SUPPORT THE ART OF URBAN ENVIRONMENTS FESTIVAL.

ERI: DIRECT PHOTOCHEMISTRY EFFECTS ON CARBONYL/AMMONIUM-DERIVED AQUEOUS SECONDARY ORGANIC AEROSOL -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). AEROSOLS HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON AIR QUALITY, HUMAN HEALTH, AND EARTH?S CLIMATE VIA INTERACTIONS WITH SUNLIGHT AND IN FORMING CLOUDS. MOST ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOLS ARE SECONDARY ORGANIC AEROSOLS(SOA), FORMED VIA THE OXIDATION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FOLLOWED BY PARTITIONING IN THE AEROSOL CONDENSED PHASE PARTICULATE MATTER. CARBONYL-CONTAINING VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (CVOCS) ARE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS TO SOA. HOWEVER, THE IMPACT OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF CVOCS ON THE SIZE, COMPOSITION AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SOA IS NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS ERI PROJECT IS TO ADDRESS THIS KNOWLEDGE GAP. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI) AND HIS TEAM WILL MEASURE THE SURFACE TENSION, LIGHT ABSORBANCE, AND COMPOSITIONS OF COVC-DERIVED AQUEOUS SOA SOLUTIONS UNDER VARYING AMOUNTS OF SUNLIGHT. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT WILL BENEFIT SOCIETY THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE IMPACT OF AEROSOLS ON AIR QUALITY, CLOUD FORMATION, AND CLIMATE CHANGE. FURTHER BENEFITS TO SOCIETY WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH STUDENT EDUCATION AND TRAINING INCLUDING THE MENTORING OF TWO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE. CARBONYL-CONTAINING VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (CVOCS) SUCH AS GLYOXAL AND METHYLGLYOXAL AND THEIR REACTIVE PRODUCTS ARE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FORMATION OF AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS OF SECONDARY ORGANIC AEROSOL (SOA). THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS ERI PROJECT IS TO ADVANCE THE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE BULK AND SURFACE AQUEOUS PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF CVOCS AND ITS IMPACTS ON THE SIZE, COMPOSITION, AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS OF SOA. TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, THE PI AND HIS TEAM PROPOSE TO CARRY OUT AN INTEGRATED EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM STRUCTURED AROUND THREE TASKS. TASK 1 WILL MODIFY THE LAFAYETTE CONTINUOUS-FLOW ATMOSPHERIC CHAMBER THOUGH THE ADDITION OF UV LAMP ARRAYS TO ENABLE THE EXPOSURE OF AQUEOUS SOA SOLUTIONS TO VARYING AMOUNTS OF RADIATION UNDER CONTROLLED RELATIVE HUMIDITY CONDITIONS. TASK 2 WILL MEASURE CHANGES IN THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION, COMPOSITION, AND SURFACE TENSION OF SOA SOLUTIONS USING AEROSOLIZED AQUEOUS MIXTURES OF CVOCS AS MODEL SYSTEMS. TASK 3 WILL ANALYZE THE COLLECTED DATA AND COMPARE THE CHANGES IN THE PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL PROPERTIES MEASURED IN TASK 2 TO THOSE FROM ANALOGOUS BULK SOLUTION AND DROPLET SAMPLES. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS RESEARCH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ADVANCE OUR FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE FORMATION AND PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF AQUEOUS SOA SOLUTIONS AND THEIR IMPACT ON AIR QUALITY, CLOUD FORMATION, RADIATIVE FORCING, AND CLIMATE CHANGE. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

MRI: ACQUISITION OF EQUIPMENT TO STUDY BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS

MRI: ACQUISITION OF LASER FLOW MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTATION FOR FLUID MECHANICS RESEARCH

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ECO-CBET: INTEGRATED BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROCESS TO RECOVER CRITICAL METALS FROM MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE IN LANDFILLS -2420517 (SHAH), 2420518 (YIP), AND 2420519 (SOH). THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP THE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY TO ENABLE AN INNOVATIVE AND INTEGRATED BIO- AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROCESS THAT CAN EFFECTIVELY RECOVER CRITICAL METALS FROM MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW) LANDFILLS WITHIN ASSOCIATED LEACHATES. GLOBALLY, OVER TWO BILLION TONS OF MSW ARE GENERATED PER YEAR, WITH EXPECTED DAILY PER CAPITA WASTE INCREASES OF NEARLY 20% BY 2050 FROM HIGH INCOME COUNTRIES SUCH AS THE US. THIS TRAJECTORY MOTIVATES THE PROJECT VISION TO INFORM TECHNICAL INNOVATION AND DRIVE A PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE WAY MSW AND ASSOCIATED LEACHATES ARE STEWARDED AND ULTIMATELY RE-ENVISIONED AND VALUED. FUNDAMENTAL ADVANCEMENTS ARE NECESSARY FOR PROTOTYPING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS IN WASTE MANAGEMENT AND METALS RECOVERY, WITH POTENTIAL FOR NEAR TERM NATIONAL IMPACT AND LONGER TERM IMPACT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WHERE WASTE PRODUCTION WILL LIKELY TRIPLE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DECADES. PROJECT OUTCOMES WILL FOSTER INFORMED DECISIONS IN HOW TO RECOVER AND VALORIZE CRITICAL MATERIALS FROM LANDFILLS?A PROCESS THAT CAN BE POWERED BY RECYCLING AND REUSING LANDFILL-GENERATED METHANE?TO ULTIMATELY IMPACT GRAND CHALLENGE AREAS OF REDUCING WASTE AND CURBING CLIMATE CHANGE. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE THE CRITICAL FIRST STEPS OF RESEARCH THAT CAN DIRECTLY IMPACT US NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS AND STRENGTHEN US ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS BY EXTRACTING MARKETPLACE RESOURCES FROM LANDFILL WASTE STREAMS AND THEREBY MITIGATE VULNERABILITIES TO SUPPLY CHAINS. THE RESEARCH TARGETS ENABLING A MORE CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. TO RECOVER CRITICAL METALS FROM LANDFILL WASTE STREAMS, THE PROJECT?S GOAL IS TO DEVELOP THE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE BEHIND AN INTEGRATED BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROCESS USING MICROBES TO PROMOTE IN-SITU METAL LEACHING INTO THE LEACHATE STREAM AND RECOVERING METALS FROM THE LEACHATE STREAM VIA ION SELECTIVE MEMBRANE SEPARATIONS. PROJECT OBJECTIVES ARE TO: (1) CHARACTERIZE THE CURRENTLY UNKNOWN CRITICAL METAL CONTENT IN EXISTING LANDFILL LEACHATES IN THE US, (2) EXAMINE THE ROLE AND USE OF IN-SITU BIOFILMS FOR BIOLEACHING, (3) ELUCIDATE THE COMPLEX CHEMISTRY OF METALS IN LANDFILL LEACHATE SAMPLES, (4) ADVANCE MEMBRANE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR SELECTIVE ION SEPARATIONS, AND (5) INTEGRATE LIFE CYCLE (LCA) AND TECHNO-ECONOMIC (TEA) ASSESSMENTS TO INFORM PROCESS DEVELOPMENT. OUTCOMES WILL ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE TO: (1) ESTABLISH BASELINE VALUES OF TOTAL CRITICAL METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN US LANDFILL LEACHATE SAMPLES, (2) CHARACTERIZE AND PROMOTE BIOLEACHING PERFORMANCE OF MICROBIOMES IN US LANDFILLS, (3) ELUCIDATE THE COMPLEX SPECIATION CHEMISTRY OF METALS IN REAL AND SIMULATED LANDFILL LEACHATES THAT DIRECTLY INFORM SEPARATION AND RECOVERY EFFORTS, (4) FABRICATE ION-SELECTIVE MEMBRANES WITH TAILORED CHEMISTRIES TO DEMONSTRATE ENHANCED SPECIFICITY OF ION SEPARATION FOR RECOVERY OF CRITICAL METALS FROM LEACHATES, AND (5) EVALUATE COST AND SUSTAINABILITY METRICS FOR ITERATIVE PROCESS DEVELOPMENT AND QUANTIFICATION OF THE ECONOMIC VALUE AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE OVERALL RECOVERY PROCESS. 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: PARABOLIC MONGE-AMPE?RE EQUATIONS, COMPUTATIONAL OPTIMAL TRANSPORT, AND GEOMETRIC OPTICS -THIS PROJECT IS CENTERED AROUND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEORETICAL TOOLS WHICH WILL LEAD TO EFFICIENT NUMERICAL METHODS FOR SOLVING THE OPTIMAL TRANSPORT PROBLEM, WHICH IS A MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM THAT SEEKS TO MINIMIZE THE TOTAL COST OF TRANSPORTING MASS FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER. THE THEORETICAL STUDY OF THIS PROBLEM HAS ADVANCED GREATLY IN RECENT YEARS, AND THE RESULTS OBTAINED HAVE BEEN APPLIED SUCCESSFULLY TO A NUMBER OF DISCIPLINES OUTSIDE OF MATHEMATICS, SUCH AS THE DESIGN OF LENSES WITH SPECIFIC REFLECTION PROPERTIES IN PHYSICS, MODELING THE ATMOSPHERE NEAR THE EARTH'S SURFACE IN GEOLOGY, AND CREATING OPTIMAL ASSIGNMENTS IN ECONOMICS, AMONG OTHERS. THIS LITANY OF APPLICATIONS MAKES THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS AN EVER MORE URGENT MATTER, AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE TOOLS THAT CAN BE MATHEMATICALLY GUARANTEED TO EXHIBIT OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE. THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP NOVEL COMPUTATIONAL METHODS BASED ON NONLINEAR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS AND ESTABLISH RIGOROUS MATHEMATICAL RESULTS ABOUT THESE EQUATIONS IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE DESIRABLE PERFORMANCE OF THE CORRESPONDING NUMERICAL ALGORITHMS. THE WORK OF THE PROJECT INVOLVES INDIVIDUAL AND COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH BY THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS (PIS), AND RESEARCH MENTORING OF GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, WITH APPROPRIATE PROBLEMS HAVING BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR STUDENTS. THE PIS WILL ALSO ENGAGE IN OUTREACH THROUGH CO-SUPERVISING AN UNDERGRADUATE TEAM IN 2024 THROUGH THE LAFAYETTE COLLEGE SUMMER REU PROGRAM AND IN 2025 THROUGH THE SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN EXPERIMENTAL MATHEMATICS PROGRAM AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. BOTH PROGRAMS AIM TO RECRUIT STUDENTS FROM SCHOOLS WITH LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH, WITH AN EYE TOWARD RECRUITMENT OF STUDENTS FROM TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN THE MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES. THE PROJECT DEVELOPS THE THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR ESTABLISHING EXISTENCE AND CHARACTERIZING LONG-TIME BEHAVIOR OF SOLUTIONS TO A CLASS OF DEGENERATE-PARABOLIC FULLY NONLINEAR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS (PDE) IN SINGULAR SETTINGS. THESE PDE ARE TIME-DEPENDENT VARIANTS OF THE CLASSICAL MONGE-AMPERE EQUATION. SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES IN DEVELOPING A THEORY OF CLASSICAL SOLUTIONS FOR TIME-DEPENDENT MONGE-AMPERE EQUATIONS WITH SMOOTH DATA AND DIRICHLET BOUNDARY CONDITIONS. BY COMPARISON, THE THEORY OF GENERALIZED SOLUTIONS FOR SUCH EVOLUTIONARY EQUATIONS IS SEVERELY UNDERDEVELOPED, ESPECIALLY IN THE CONTEXT OF OPTIMAL TRANSPORT AND GEOMETRIC OPTICS, WHERE THE NATURAL BOUNDARY CONDITION IS A NON-STANDARD ONE. THE CURRENT PROJECT WILL CREATE A THEORETICAL FOUNDATION FOR VISCOSITY AND WEAK SOLUTIONS OF A CLASS OF DEGENERATE PARABOLIC, FULLY NONLINEAR EQUATIONS OF MONGE-AMPERE TYPE WITH OBLIQUE BOUNDARY DATA. THE WORK WILL ALSO ESTABLISH QUANTITATIVE RATES OF CONVERGENCE FOR SUCH EQUATIONS; THIS WILL PROVIDE A PROMISING NUMERICAL METHOD FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF REFLECTOR SURFACES ARISING IN ENGINEERING PROBLEMS. 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.

FOAMS AND EMULSIONS CAN BE FORMED AND STABILISED ONLY IN PRESENCE OF WELL SELECTED ADDITIVES SUCH AS SURFACTANTS POLYMERS PROTEINS AND THEIR MIXTU

RUI: THERMODYNAMIC AND THERMAL EXPANSION BEHAVIOR OF MINERAL SYSTEMS

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A 4-40 GHZ VNA-BASED MATERIAL AND CHANNEL SOUNDER FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS AND RADAR RESEARCH

RUI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: GREENER PROCESSES FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF BIO-BASED POLYESTERS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE PROCESSES AND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: THE EVOLUTION OF LATE MIOCENE TO PRESENT SURFACE OCEAN CONDITIONS

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A LIGHT-DETECTION AND RANGING (LIDAR) SYSTEM FOR CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH

NSF GEO-NERC: COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: A GENERAL MODEL FOR BUBBLE NUCLEATION AND GROWTH IN VOLCANIC SYSTEMS -THIS PROJECT WILL BE JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION?S DIRECTORATE OF GEOSCIENCES (NSF/GEO) AND THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL (UKRI/NERC) OF THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK) VIA THE NSF/GEO-NERC LEAD AGENCY AGREEMENT. THIS AGREEMENT ALLOWS A SINGLE JOINT US/UK PROPOSAL TO BE SUBMITTED AND PEER-REVIEWED BY THE AGENCY WHOSE INVESTIGATOR HAS THE LARGEST PROPORTION OF THE BUDGET. UPON SUCCESSFUL JOINT DETERMINATION OF AN AWARD, EACH AGENCY FUNDS THE PROPORTION OF THE BUDGET AND THE INVESTIGATORS ASSOCIATED WITH ITS OWN INVESTIGATORS AND COMPONENT OF THE WORK. THE NUCLEATION AND GROWTH OF BUBBLES DRIVES EXPLOSIVE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS. AS SUCH, QUANTITATIVE MODELLING OF THESE PROCESSES IS ESSENTIAL IF WE ARE TO PREDICT ERUPTIVE STYLE, AS WELL AS THE NATURE OF ERUPTIVE PRODUCTS. THIS PROJECT WILL PRODUCE A USEFUL TOOL FOR THE VOLCANOLOGICAL RESEARCH COMMUNITY AND ENABLE OUR COLLECTIVE SCIENCE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AND ULTIMATELY PREDICT THE NATURE, EXPLOSIVITY, AND POTENTIAL HAZARD OF EXPLOSIVE ERUPTIONS. THIS MOST SERIOUS VOLCANIC HAZARD ARISES FROM LARGE ASH ERUPTIONS. ASH POSES LOCAL HAZARDS TO THE REGION SURROUNDING VOLCANOES, SUCH AS MT. ST. HELENS, IN 1980, AND ALSO THREATENS A MUCH BROADER AREA WITH ASH FALLOUT THAT CAN CONTAMINATE SURFACE WATER AND AGRICULTURAL SOILS, LEAD TO RESPIRATORY STRESS, AND IN THE CASE OF VERY LARGE ERUPTIONS, CAN TEMPORARILY ALTER GLOBAL CLIMATE. AS SUCH, THESE ERUPTIONS THREATEN NATIONAL AND GLOBAL SECURITY, AND UNDERSTANDING THEM MORE FULLY IS A SCIENCE PRIORITY. TOWARD THE GOAL OF SUCH UNDERSTANDING, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO GET TO THE HEART OF VOLCANOES- THE NUCLEATION OF BUBBLE THAT FORM, GROW AND DRIVE EXPLOSIVE ERUPTIONS. THE PROJECT INCLUDES INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC COLLABORATIONS WITH CROSS-UNIVERSITY MENTORING OF STUDENTS AND POSTDOCS, INCLUDING K-12 OUTREACH AND TRAINING OF UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS. THIS PROJECT WILL CREATE AND VALIDATE A UNIFIED NUMERICAL MODEL FOR THE NUCLEATION AND GROWTH OF BUBBLES IN MAGMA, ACROSS THE RANGE OF COMPOSITIONS MOST COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH EXPLOSIVE ERUPTIONS. AT PRESENT, RIGOROUS QUANTITATIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PHYSICAL CONTROLS ON THE NUCLEATION AND GROWTH OF BUBBLES IS IMPEDED BY TWO KNOWLEDGE GAPS RELATING TO NUCLEATION PROCESSES AND COMPLEX, EVOLVING BUBBLE GROWTH. THE PROJECT WILL COMBINE NOVEL EXPERIMENTS WITH THEORETICAL MODELING TO OVERCOME THESE KNOWLEDGE GAPS BY 1) CONDUCTING TARGETED EXPERIMENTS TO CONSTRAIN A NOVEL, THEORETICALLY-GROUNDED FORMULATION THAT CAPTURES BOTH HOMOGENEOUS AND HETEROGENEOUS NUCLEATION; 2) CREATING A NUMERICAL MODEL OF BUBBLE GROWTH THAT CAPTURES THE ENSEMBLE BEHAVIOR OF COHORTS OF INTERACTING BUBBLES, IN WHICH THE DISTRIBUTION OF NUCLEATION SITES MAY EVOLVE IN TIME AND SPACE; 3) COMBINING THE NUCLEATION FORMULATION AND BUBBLE GROWTH MODEL TO CREATE A UNIFIED MODEL. THAT ENSEMBLE BUBBLE GROWTH MODEL WILL USE THE NUCLEATION FORMULATION TO STOCHASTICALLY AND ITERATIVELY ASSIGN NUCLEATION EVENTS WITHIN A 3D VOLUME OF MELT, AND TRACK THE GROWTH OF THE RESULTING BUBBLES USING COHORTS OF SHELL MODELS. THIS COMBINED NUMERICAL MODEL WILL ALLOW USERS TO DETERMINE THE EVOLUTION OF MAGMA PROPERTIES FOR NATURAL ERUPTION PATHWAYS, AND SET THE STAGE FOR INVERTING FROM ERUPTIVE PRODUCTS TO INFER IN-CONDUIT ERUPTIVE CONDITIONS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

RUI: REACTIVITY OF COMPOUNDS CONTAINING1,1'-BIS(PHOSPHINO)METALLOCENEDIYL OR 1,1'-BIS(PHOSPHINO)METALLOCENE LIGANDS

RUI: IMPLICATIONS OF NON-MINIMAL DARK SECTORS -ONE PRINCIPAL AIM OF THESE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ORIGIN AND PROPERTIES OF THE DARK MATTER IN OUR UNIVERSE --- AN AS-YET MYSTERIOUS FORM OF MATTER THAT NEITHER EMITS NOR ABSORBS LIGHT, BUT NEVERTHELESS MAKES ITS PRESENCE FELT VIA ITS GRAVITATIONAL PULL ON NORMAL, VISIBLE MATTER. OVER THE NEXT DECADE, A HOST OF STATE-OF-THE-ART LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS AND TELESCOPES WILL PROVIDE US WITH A WEALTH OF NEW DATA. PROFESSOR THOMAS WILL INVESTIGATE NOVEL WAYS IN WHICH WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GLEAN INFORMATION ABOUT THE DARK MATTER --- AND ABOUT OTHER AS-YET-UNDISCOVERED PARTICLES WITH WHICH THE DARK MATTER MIGHT INTERACT --- FROM THIS FORTHCOMING DATA. THE OTHER PRINCIPLE AIM OF THESE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IS TO ADDRESS FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE HISTORY OF OUR UNIVERSE. TO WHAT EXTENT COULD THAT HISTORY HAVE DIFFERED FROM THE CANONICAL PICTURE WITHOUT THE UNIVERSE LOOKING MARKEDLY DIFFERENT TO US? IF THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE DOES IN FACT DEPART FROM THE CANONICAL PICTURE, HOW COULD WE TELL? ANSWERS TO SUCH QUESTIONS WOULD PROVIDE US WITH CLUES ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTAL NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF MATTER. PROFESSOR THOMAS WILL INVESTIGATE THE SCOPE OF POSSIBLE SUCH DEPARTURES AND HOW THEY WOULD IMPACT THE SIZES AND SHAPES OF GALAXIES, THE PROPERTIES OF RIPPLES IN THE SPACETIME CONTINUUM KNOWN AS GRAVITATIONAL WAVES (RIPPLES WHICH WERE DISCOVERED LESS THAN A DECADE AGO AND ARE NOW BEING USED BY ASTRONOMERS AS A TOOL TO LEARN ABOUT BLACK HOLES AND OTHER ASTROPHYSICAL PHENOMENA), AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE OBSERVABLE UNIVERSE WHICH DEPEND ON ITS HISTORY. A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THIS AWARD WILL BE USED TO SUPPORT UNDERGRADUATE INVOLVEMENT IN THESE RESEARCH TOPICS, THEREBY CULTIVATING INTEREST AMONG THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND HONING THEIR COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS. STATED IN MORE TECHNICAL TERMS, THE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED BY THIS AWARD HAVE TWO PRINCIPAL GOALS. THE FIRST IS TO ADVANCE OUR COLLECTIVE UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE PROPERTIES OF THE DARK SECTOR OF OUR UNIVERSE. THIS GOAL INVOLVES DEVELOPING NEW METHODS OF PROBING AND CONSTRAINING THE STRUCTURE OF THE DARK SECTOR, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE FULL RANGE OF VIABLE POSSIBILITIES INHERENT WITHIN THAT SECTOR. THE RESULTS OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS WILL INFORM BOTH THEORETICAL EFFORTS IN DARK-MATTER AND DARK-SECTOR MODEL-BUILDING AND STRATEGIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL DARK-MATTER DETECTION. THE SECOND GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW OUR UNIVERSE EVOLVED OVER TIME FROM THE END OF THE REHEATING PERIOD FOLLOWING COSMIC INFLATION TO THE PRESENT EPOCH. THIS GOAL INVOLVES DEVELOPING METHODS FOR DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN POSSIBLE EXPANSION HISTORIES FOR THE UNIVERSE ON THE BASIS OF OBSERVATIONAL DATA --- DATA CONCERNING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE MATTER POWER SPECTRUM OR THE PROPERTIES OF THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND. THE RESULTS OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS WILL INFORM BOTH THEORETICAL AND OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH EFFORTS IN EARLY-UNIVERSE COSMOLOGY. 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: ADAPTABLE GAME-BASED, INTERACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR STEM EDUCATION (AGILE STEM) -LEARNERS OF ALL AGES ARE EXPECTED TO BE PREPARED TO INTERACT WITH EMERGING AND TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN WORK ENVIRONMENTS. IN ADDITION, THE GROWING RELIANCE ON ONLINE LEARNING AND ITS UNPRECEDENTED AND UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ARE EXPECTED TO CHANGE THE EDUCATION LANDSCAPE FOREVER. THUS, THERE IS A NEED TO GROW THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING. EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS MACHINE LEARNING AND HIGH FIDELITY SIMULATED ENVIRONMENTS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CREATE CUSTOMIZED AND ADAPTABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS TO SUPPORT STEM LEARNING OUTCOMES. THIS PROJECT SERVES THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY ADVANCING THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT DESIGNING AND CREATING ADAPTABLE GAME-BASED, INTERACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR STEM. THE INCLUSION OF UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY AND FEMALE LEARNERS IN THE DESIGN STAGES OF THESE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, THEIR PORTABILITY, AS WELL AS THE CAPABILITY OF THESE ENVIRONMENTS TO BE CUSTOMIZED AND ADAPTIVE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ENHANCE EDUCATION EQUALITY, ENGAGEMENT, AND LEARNING OUTCOMES, AND BROADEN THEIR USABILITY TO SEVERAL STEM DOMAINS. MOREOVER, THE NARRATIVES AND SIMULATION MODELS ARE INSPIRED BY REAL-WORLD SYSTEMS. THEREFORE, THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS ARE EXPECTED TO ENHANCE THE LEARNER?S UNDERSTANDING OF COMPLEX SYSTEM CONCEPTS THAT ARE CHALLENGING TO UNDERSTAND USING TRADITIONAL TEACHING APPROACHES AND WILL HELP BUILD THE MUCH-NEEDED SKILLS FOR THE U.S. FUTURE STEM WORKFORCE. THE PROPOSED EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES DO NOT NECESSARILY NEED ACCESS TO SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT, WHICH ELIMINATES BARRIERS TO SCALABILITY AND BORDER IMPLEMENTATION AND USE. THE PRIMARY GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO AUTOMATICALLY CUSTOMIZE AND ADAPT THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) SIMULATED GAME-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS TO IMPROVE ENGAGEMENT, AND PROVIDE A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEPLOYMENT, IMPACT ON LEARNING AND SELF-REGULATED LEARNING (SRL) SKILLS, AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFERABILITY FROM THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS TO REAL-LIFE APPLICATIONS. THE PROJECT ADDRESSES THE LACK OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND/OR WORK IN THE FOLLOWING THRUST AREAS: 1) THE POTENTIAL OF REDUCING THE BARRIERS TO CONTENT GENERATION OF 3D SIMULATED GAME-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS USING EMERGING AND ADVANCED MACHINE-LEARNING METHODS; 2) CREATING CUSTOMIZED CONTENT AND ADAPTIVE 3D SIMULATED GAME-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN LEARNERS MOTIVATION AND ENGAGEMENT, ENHANCE LEARNING VIA INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTIVE CONTENT SCAFFOLDING, AND INCREASE KNOWLEDGE TRANSFERABILITY FROM GAME TO REAL-LIFE APPLICATIONS; 3) ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR ALL LEARNER GROUPS IN ONLINE AND RESIDENTIAL SETTINGS; AND 4) EXPLORING HOW LEARNER DECISION-MAKING AND BEHAVIOR DATA IN THE SIMULATED GAME-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, AND EYE-TRACKING, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, BIO-SIGNALS, AND USAGE DATA, ENHANCE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DECISION-MAKING/USAGE AND SRL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

IRES: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF WATER AND SANITATION SYSTEMS IN RURAL HONDURAS

RUI: PROBLEMS IN GEOMETRIC ANALYSIS AND GENERAL RELATIVITY

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A BIOPOTENTIAL MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

RUI: CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN HOT AND COLD COLLISIONS--ORIENTATION, ALIGNMENT, AND VELOCITY EFFECTS ON ASSOCIATIVE IONIZATION OF STATE-SELECTED ATOM

RUI: NEW DIRECTIONS IN DARK MATTER AND COSMOLOGY

RUI: REDOX REACTIONS OF PHOSPHINE SULFIDES, PHOSPHINE SELENIDES AND 1,1'-BIS(PHOSPHINO)METALLOCENES.

RECORDS OF EARLY ENGLISH DRAMA: PUBLICATION OF REGIONAL COLLECTIONS IN A NEW DIGITAL PLATFORM

RUI: PROBLEMS IN GEOMETRIC ANALYSIS AND GENERAL RELATIVITY

RUI: IMPLICATIONS OF NON-MINIMAL DARK SECTORS

RUI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH - GENETIC AND CELL BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERIZATION OF NONRANDOM MATING IN ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SUSCHEM: ENABLING THE BIOREFINERY: ISOLATION, FRACTIONATION, AND TRANSFORMATION OF BIO-BASED FEEDSTOCKS INTO FUELS AND CHEMIC

CHAOTIC LIDAR (CLIDAR) FOR UNDERSEA WEAPONS APPLICATIONS

EARMARKS

OBSERVATIONS OF OPEN CLUSTERS WITH NASA'S KEPLER AND K2 MISSIONS HAVE REVOLUTIONIZED THE STUDY OF STELLAR ROTATIONAL EVOLUTION AND MEASUREMENTS FROM KEPLER/K2 PROVIDE IMPORTANT BENCHMARKS FOR THEORETICAL MODELS. STARS IN YOUNG OPEN CLUSTERS WITH MASSES 0.3--1.3 MSUN SHOW A RANGE OF ROTATION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: HIGH LATITUDE TEMPERATURE AND BIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO PLIO-PLEISTOCENE GLOBAL CHANGE

RUI: CRYSTALLIZATION OF BIOLOGICALLY-RELEVANT POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE)-B-POLY(EPSILON-CAPROLACTONE) COPOLYMERS DURING FILM PREPARATION

BIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF KIDNEY CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES

EXPERIENCING REVOLUTION IN THE ?BACKCOUNTRY?: LEHIGH VALLEY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NEW NATION [CONTRIBUTING TO AMERICA250, FOUR CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS WILL COLLABORATE WITH HUMANITIES SCHOLARS TO DEVELOP FIVE EXHIBITIONS OFFERED FOR GENERAL AUDIENCES OVER A THREE-YEAR PERIOD (2025?28) AND CONDUCT A SYMPOSIUM SERIES. LAFAYETTE COLLEGE, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, DELAWARE AND LEHIGH NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR, AND HISTORIC BETHLEHEM MUSEUMS AND SITES WILL EXAMINE THE PIVOTAL IMPACT OF THE DIVERSE PEOPLES OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY ON THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF AMERICA. MATERIAL CULTURE AND HISTORIC SITES WILL ELUCIDATE HOW RESIDENTS OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY ?BACKCOUNTRY? OF NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIENCED AND CONTRIBUTED TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND THE EMERGING NATION. THE EXHIBITIONS WILL PROVIDE FRESH PERSPECTIVES ON THE AREA?S ROLE AS A SOURCE OF INNOVATIVE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION THAT SUPPLIED THE REVOLUTION AND THE NEW COUNTRY, THE VARIETY OF RESPONSES TO THE REVOLUTION AMONG ITS DIVERSE POPULATION, AND HOW THE REVOLUTION TRANSFORMED COMMUNITY LIFE.]

EXPANDING THE CAPACITY OF THE CENTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE TRANSFORMATION AND EDUCATION THROUGH INTEGRATING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION INTO INFRASTRUCTURE EDUCATION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SCREENCASTS FOR ENHANCING CHEMICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION

ADVANCING INTERSECTIONALITY: AN ANALYSIS OF UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES IN NSF ADVANCE PROGRAMMING

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ENABLING HYBRID METHODS IN THE NIMBLE HIERARCHICAL STATISTICAL MODELING PLATFORM -THIS PROJECT WILL ENABLE RESEARCHERS IN MANY FIELDS OF SCIENCE TO HARNESS ADVANCED COMPUTER ALGORITHMS TO ANALYZE COMPLEX DATA SETS. IN MANY FIELDS, RESEARCHERS SEEK TO DETERMINE WHAT HYPOTHESES ARE SUPPORTED BY DATA COLLECTED IN COMPLEX STUDY DESIGNS. DATA MAY BE COMPLEX BECAUSE THEY ARE COLLECTED IN MANY LOCATIONS, AT MANY POINTS IN TIME, FROM RELATED SAMPLING UNITS, UNDER DIFFERENT SAMPLING CONDITIONS, WITH DIFFERENT SAMPLE SIZES, AND/OR WITH IMPERFECT MEASUREMENTS. SUCH COMPLEXITIES ARISE IN RESEARCH FIELDS SUCH AS BIOLOGY, ASTRONOMY, EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, POLITICAL SCIENCE, AND PSYCHOLOGY, AMONG OTHERS. WHEN ANALYZING COMPLEX DATA, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT FOR RESEARCHERS TO DETERMINE WHICH POTENTIAL PATTERNS ARE REAL AND WHICH ARE SPURIOUS. TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, RESEARCHERS UTILIZE COMPUTER ALGORITHMS TO THOROUGHLY EXPLORE ALL POSSIBLE UNDERLYING RELATIONSHIPS AMONG VARIABLES THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN THE OBSERVED DATA. SUCH ALGORITHMS CAN BE SLOW, COSTLY, AND DIFFICULT TO CREATE, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE THEM FASTER AND EASIER FOR RESEARCHERS TO USE. THE INVESTIGATORS OF THIS PROJECT HAVE PREVIOUSLY CREATED A SOFTWARE PACKAGE CALLED NIMBLE (NUMERICAL INFERENCE FOR STATISTICAL MODELS USING BAYESIAN AND LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION) FOR THIS PURPOSE. NIMBLE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY USED FOR MANY COMPLEX DATA ANALYSIS PROBLEMS. COMPARED TO OTHER RELEVANT SOFTWARE, NIMBLE ENABLES RESEARCHERS TO USE A WIDER RANGE OF ALGORITHMS AND TO CUSTOMIZE ALGORITHMS TO EACH RESEARCH PROBLEM. THIS HAS ALLOWED MUCH FASTER PERFORMANCE IN SOME CASES, WHICH IN TURN ALLOWS MORE COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX DATA. IN THE CURRENT PROJECT, THE INVESTIGATORS WILL EXTEND NIMBLE?S CAPABILITIES. THEY WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO USE SOME KIND OF ACCURATE MATHEMATICAL APPROXIMATIONS FOR STATISTICAL CALCULATIONS IN COMBINATION WITH EXISTING ALGORITHMS, WHICH IN TURN WILL ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO CREATE NEW KINDS OF HYBRID ALGORITHMS FOR DATA ANALYSIS. THEY WILL ALSO MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO USE CERTAIN KINDS OF VERY EFFICIENT CALCULATIONS IN SOME PROBLEMS, WHICH WILL GREATLY IMPROVE PERFORMANCE. THE INVESTIGATORS WILL ALSO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND TRAINING TO USERS OF THE SOFTWARE AS WELL AS CREATING EDUCATIONAL MODULES TO HELP THE NEXT GENERATION OF UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS LEARN TO USE THESE METHODS. NIMBLE IS UNIQUE AMONG HIERARCHICAL STATISTICAL MODELING SOFTWARE BECAUSE IT COMBINES A LANGUAGE FOR STATISTICAL MODELS, A LANGUAGE FOR MODEL-GENERIC ALGORITHMS, AND A COMPILER TO GENERATE AND USE C++ SOURCE CODE FOR MODELS AND ALGORITHMS. IN THE CURRENT PROJECT, NIMBLE WILL BE EXTENDED TO SUPPORT HYBRID METHODS BY ENABLING ALGORITHMS TO BE NESTED WITHIN MODELS. THIS WILL ALLOW METHODS SUCH AS SPARSE GRID QUADRATURE TO INTEGRATE OVER ONE SET OF MODEL DIMENSIONS TO ACHIEVE THE CALCULATIONS NEEDED BY ANOTHER ALGORITHM SUCH AS MARKOV CHAIN MONTE CARLO. IN TURN, THIS CAPABILITY WILL ALLOW COMPOSITION OF METHODS SUCH AS LAPLACE APPROXIMATION AND METHODS THAT USE IT. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO EXTEND NIMBLE?S ALGORITHM LANGUAGE TO SUPPORT SPARSE MATRIX ALGEBRA METHODS, ALLOWING THIS EFFICIENT APPROACH TO BE USED BY ALGORITHM DEVELOPERS TO ENHANCE COMPUTATIONAL EFFICIENCY. TOGETHER, THE ADVANCES IN THIS PROJECT WILL ENHANCE STATISTICAL RESEARCH BY ENABLING NIMBLE TO SERVE AS A HUB FOR COMPOSITION OF MODELS AND METHODS, WHEREBY A DATA ANALYST CAN CREATE ONE STATISTICAL MODEL AND USE MANY DIFFERENT METHODS WITH IT. FINALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL INCLUDE TRAINING AND SUPPORT FOR NEW AND EXISTING USERS. 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.

US-CAMEROON INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY (BUEA, CAMEROON MAY 15-17, 2009)

NINETY-NINE YEARS OF GENERAL RELATIVITY: ESI-EMS-IAMP SUMMER SCHOOL ON GLOBAL ASPECTS OF MATHEMATICAL RELATIVITY

BETWEEN GEOMETRY AND RELATIVITY

THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO USE TESS FULL-FRAME IMAGES (FFI) TO MEASURE ROTATION PERIODS (PROT) FOR STARS IN SIX YOUNG OPEN CLUSTERS IN THE SOUTHERN SKY. AS SOLAR-TYPE STARS APPROACH THE MAIN SEQUENCE THEY CONTRACT AND SPIN MORE RAPIDLY ONCE THEY REACH THE MAIN SEQUENCE THEY STOP CONTRACTING AND THEIR SPIN SPEED DECREASES. THIS SPIN-DOWN IS THOUGHT TO BE CAUSED BY ANGULAR MOMENTUM LOST VIA STELLAR WINDS BUT THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO CONSTRAINTS ON MODEL BEHAVIOR AT THIS CRITICAL AGE. THE PROT MEASUREMENTS FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE USED TO CONSTRAIN FOR THE _RST TIME ANGULAR MOMENTUM EVOLUTION IN SOLAR-TYPE STARS BETWEEN 20{60 MYR. AN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA JOSE PEREZ CHAVEZ BEGAN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT DURING SUMMER 2019. OVER THE SUMMER PEREZ CHAVEZ WAS FUNDED BY THE BANNEKER INSTITUTE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND HE WAS FUNDED FOR 3 MONTHS IN THE WINTER BY THIS GUEST INVESTIGATOR GRANT. SO FAR HE HAS EXTRACTED LIGHT CURVES FROM TESS FFI DATA PERFORMED BACKGROUND SUBTRACTION TO CORRECT FOR SYSTEMATIC TRENDS IN THE LIGHT CURVES AND ANAYZED SOURCES OF NOISE IN THE LIGHT CURVES. PEREZ CHAVEZ HAS SUCCESSFULLY MEASURED ROTATION PERIODS FOR STARS IN ONE CLUSTER IC 2391 USING ONLY TESS SECTOR 8 DATA.

SCHOOL ON STOCHASTIC ANALYSIS, FINANCIAL AND ACTUARIAL MATHEMATICS WITH APPLICATIONS

OVERALL PROJECT GOAL: DESIGN AND SYNTHESIZE STIMULUS RESPONSIVE NANOPARTICLES USING THERMORESPONSIVE POLYMER GRAFTS TO PROVIDE SWITCHABLE CONTROL OVER SURFACE CHEMISTRYAND MACROSCOPIC DISPERSION (FOAMS AND EMULSIONS) STABILITY. THE GOALS OF THE RESEARCH ARE TO DEMONSTRATE A STIMULUS-RESPONSIVE DESIGN OF DISPERSION STABILITY AND A MECHANISTICDECOUPLING OF INTERFACIAL AND COLLOIDAL EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH FOAM DE/STABILIZATION USING CONDITIONS OF MICROGRAVITY.

DOCTORAL MENTORING CONSORTIUM AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUTONOMOUS AGENTS AND MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS (AAMAS 2011)

TO SUPPORT THE 2011-12 JAZZ MASTERS SERIES AT THE WILLIAMS CENTER FOR THE ARTS, PRESENTED BY THE LAFAYETTE COLLEGE PERFORMANCE SERIES.

TO SUPPORT JAZZ AT LAFAYETTE: A LAUNCH FOR THE SECOND QUARTER CENTURY, A SERIES OF CONCERT RESIDENCIES.

TO SUPPORT THE PRESENTATION OF DANCE COMPANIES AT THE WILLIAMS CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

TO SUPPORT "JAZZ AT LAFAYETTE: DECODING THE CUBAN JAZZ GENOME" PRESENTED BY THE WILLIAMS CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

TO SUPPORT THE CONCERT SERIES "THE WORLD OF JAZZ GROWS FLAT: THE GLOBALIZATION OF HIP."

TO SUPPORT THE 2012-13 JAZZ MASTERS SERIES AT THE WILLIAMS CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO SUCCESSFULLY DESIGN A "SUSTAINABLE FOOD LOOP" I.E. COMPOSTING SYSTEM FOR REDUCED WASTE AND PESTICIDES

TO SUPPORT JAZZ PROGRAMMING AT THE WILLIAMS CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

TO SUPPORT JAZZ PROGRAMMING AT THE WILLIAMS CENTER FOR THE ARTS.  

TO SUPPORT JAZZ PROGRAMMING AT THE WILLIAMS CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

TO SUPPORT JAZZ PROGRAMMING AT THE WILLIAMS CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

TO SUPPORT REMEMBERING MULGREW: PERSPECTIVES ON JAZZ KEYBOARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: US-KU-QA-AE PLANNING VISIT - THE IMPACT OF AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE GULF ARAB STATES

WORKSHOP: VIRTUAL STUDENT DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM (THINK TANK) AT THE ICAD 2022 CONFERENCE -THIS IS FUNDING TO SUPPORT A ONE-DAY THINK TANK (VIRTUAL WORKSHOP) OF ABOUT 10 PROMISING GRADUATE STUDENT SCHOLARS ALONG WITH FIVE DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH FACULTY MENTORS ON FRIDAY, JUNE 24, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS YEAR'S MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUDITORY DISPLAY (ICAD 2022), WHICH WILL BE HELD VIRTUALLY ON JUNE 25?27, 2022. HISTORICALLY, AUDITORY DISPLAYS HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED IN FAVOR OF VISUAL INFORMATION DISPLAYS, BUT TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES HAVE OPENED NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR THE DELIVERY OF AUDIO INFORMATION IN HUMAN-MACHINE SYSTEMS. WELL-DESIGNED AUDITORY DISPLAYS CAN PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN IMPROVING HUMAN PERFORMANCE WITH SYSTEMS, IN MAKING INFORMATION ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE (E.G., FOR PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS), AND IN PROVIDING NEW, EXCITING, FUL?LLING OPPORTUNITIES FOR HUMAN-MACHINE INTERACTIONS. AS SUCH, AUDITORY DISPLAYS AND SONI?CATION HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED IN SUCH DIVERSE APPLICATIONS AS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES, DESKTOP AND MOBILE DEVICES, AUTOMOTIVE USER INTERFACES, MEDICAL DEVICES, COMPUTER MUSIC, AND ARTISTIC INSTALLATIONS. AS A RELATIVELY YOUNG ?ELD, AUDITORY DISPLAY RESEARCH HAS A STILL-EMERGING POTENTIAL TO MAKE VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE AND SOCIETY. ACHIEVING THIS POTENTIAL REQUIRES THE ON-GOING DEVELOPMENT OF A BASE OF SCIENTI?C, ENGINEERING, AND ARTISTIC KNOWLEDGE BY A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WITH SPECI?C EXPERTISE AND INTEREST IN SOUND AS A MEDIUM FOR INFORMATION DISPLAY. DECADES OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE HAVE SHOWN THAT THE E?ECTIVE USE OF AUDITORY DISPLAYS REQUIRES A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF HOW HUMANS CREATE, PERCEIVE, AND USE SOUNDS,, AND FOR THE LAST 3 DECADES ICAD HAS BEEN THE PREMIERE VENUE FOR THE DISCUSSION AND DISSEMINATION OF THE INTELLECTUAL PRODUCTS OF AUDITORY DISPLAY RESEARCH. NORMALLY AN IN-PERSON MEETING, THE 2020 CONFERENCE WAS CANCELLED DUE TO THE ONSET OF THE PANDEMIC, AND THE 2021 EVENT WAS FORCED TO ASSUME A VIRTUAL FORMAT, WHICH WAS HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL, SO A SIMILAR FORMAT WILL AGAIN BE EMPLOYED THIS YEAR WHEN THE CONFERENCE THEME IS SONIFICATION THAT CAN BE USED TO MAINTAIN AWARENESS. MORE DETAILS ABOUT ICAD 2022 ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT HTTPS://ICAD2022.ICAD.ORG/. THE ICAD THINK TANK IS A DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM THAT PROMOTES SCHOLARSHIP AND NETWORKING AMONG NEW RESEARCHERS IN THIS IMPORTANT EMERGING INTERDISCIPLINARY AREA. THERE ARE THREE OBJECTIVES: TO SUPPORT THE RESEARCH E?ORTS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS WHO ARE STUDYING AUDITORY DISPLAYS AND SONI?CATION; TO PROVIDE SPECI?C FEEDBACK AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS TO BARRIERS THOSE STUDENTS ARE FACING IN THEIR RESEARCH PROJECTS; TO DEVELOP AND SUSTAIN A COMMUNITY OF EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS OF AUDITORY DISPLAYS. TO THESE ENDS, THE THINK TANK WILL PROVIDE A FRIENDLY AND OPEN, YET RIGOROUS, SCIENTIFIC FORUM IN WHICH PARTICIPANTS CAN PRESENT THEIR RESEARCH IDEAS, LISTEN TO ONGOING WORK FROM PEERS AND RECEIVE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK FROM A PANEL OF DISTINGUISHED EXPERTS. PANEL FEEDBACK IS DESIGNED TO HELP STUDENTS UNDERSTAND AND ARTICULATE HOW THEIR WORK IS POSITIONED RELATIVE TO RELATED RESEARCH, WHETHER THEIR TOPICS ARE ADEQUATELY FOCUSED FOR THESIS RESEARCH PROJECTS, WHETHER THEIR METHODS ARE CORRECTLY CHOSEN AND APPLIED, AND WHETHER THEIR RESULTS ARE APPROPRIATELY ANALYZED AND PRESENTED. THE THINK TANK WILL ALSO OFFER INVITED SPEAKERS AND DISCUSSION GROUPS (E.G., TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH RELEVANT INFORMATION ABOUT IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR DOCTORAL CANDIDATES, WHETHER THEY ARE CONSIDERING ACADEMIC OR INDUSTRIAL CAREER PATHS). THUS, THE THINK TANK WILL HELP SHAPE ONGOING AND FUTURE RESEARCH PROJECTS THAT HAVE CLEAR AND IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND UNIVERSAL ACCESS. IT WILL BRING TOGETHER STUDENTS FROM DIVERSE DISCIPLINES (SUCH AS ENGINEERING, COMPUTING, MUSIC, AND PSYCHOLOGY), SO THAT THEY CAN EXPERIENCE THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF APPROACHES TO AUDITORY DISPLAYS, ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND UNIVERSAL DESIGN. IT WILL AFFORD PARTICIPANTS EXPOSURE TO A LARGER COMMUNITY, ALLOWING THEM TO BOND AMONG THEMSELVES AND WITH SENIOR RESEARCHERS AT A CRITICAL STAGE IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. BECAUSE THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY CONSTITUTE A DIVERSE GROUP ACROSS A VARIETY OF DIMENSIONS, INCLUDING NATIONALITY AND CULTURE, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE, AND INSTITUTION, THE STUDENTS' HORIZONS ARE BROADENED TO THE FUTURE BENEFIT OF THE FIELD. THE ORGANIZERS WILL BE PROACTIVE IN PROMOTING DIVERSITY AMONG THINK TANK ATTENDEES; EVERY E?ORT WILL BE MADE TO RECRUIT AND SELECT PARTICIPANTS WHO REPRESENT THE DIVERSITY OF ICAD, BROADLY DE?NED, INCLUDING DIVERSITY OF RESEARCH TOPICS AND GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY, AND DIVERSITY OF DISCIPLINARY BACKGROUNDS. 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: A MULTIAGENT TEACHER/STUDENT FRAMEWORK FOR SEQUENTIAL DECISION MAKING TASKS