Baldwin Wallace University

BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY REQUEST FOR HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

BALDWIN WALLACE REQUEST FOR HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND

BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY UPWARD BOUND PROJECT 2022-2027

UPWARD BOUND AT BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

UPWARD BOUND

THE KEY OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO HELP GROW A SKILLED MARINE ENERGY WORKFORCE IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION BY ENGAGING BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY AND DAVIS AEROSPACE & MARITIME (DAVIS A&M) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF USER-CENTERED MARINE ENERGY SOLUTIONS DE-SIGNED FOR THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF LAKE ERIE

CENTRAL DOPAMINERGIC MODULATION OF SENSORY AND REWARD TASTE FUNCTION IN RATS.

PROJECT SHAKTI: STIGMA REDUCTION, HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AWARENESS & KNOWLEDGE ENHA

ESTABLISHMENT OF HEALTH EQUITY RESEARCH & EDUCATION INSTITUTE (HERE I) TO FACILITATE COMMUNITY-RELEVANT, INTERDISCIPLINARY, AND APPLIED RESEARCH, TRAINING, AND SERVICES TO ADDRESS INEQUITIES IN HEALTH

CUE-P: OHIO PATHWAYS TO UNDERGRADUATE COMPUTING SUCCESS (OPUCS) -AS THE DEMAND FOR COMPUTING PROFESSIONALS IN THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES TO GROW, IT IS CRITICAL TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS THAT WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO COMPLETE BACHELOR?S DEGREES IN COMPUTATIONAL FIELDS. BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN AND STUDENTS FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN COMPUTING IS LOW AS COMPARED TO THE GENERAL POPULATION, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF THESE STUDENTS INTO COMPUTING MAJORS WILL HELP TO FILL THE GROWING WORKFORCE NEEDS. OVER THE COURSE OF THIS FIVE-YEAR PROJECT, FIFTEEN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN OHIO WILL JOIN TOGETHER TO FORM THE OHIO PATHWAYS TO UNDERGRADUATE COMPUTING SUCCESS (OPUCS) PROJECT. THIS CONSORTIUM OF NINE FOUR-YEAR AND SIX TWO-YEAR INSTITUTIONS WILL DEVISE TRANSFER PATHWAYS THAT WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO COMPLETE THEIR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE WITH A FOCUS ON SUPPORTING WOMEN STUDENTS. THIS PROJECT BENEFITS SOCIETY BY PREPARING STUDENTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS FOR HIGH-PAYING POSITIONS, THUS MEETING THE NEEDS OF EMPLOYERS AND CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIAL MOBILITY FOR GRADUATES AND THEIR FAMILIES. OPUCS WILL ALSO PROVIDE AND STUDY THE IMPACT OF INNOVATIVE STRUCTURAL SUPPORT TO WOMEN COMPUTING STUDENTS AT THE ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED IN THE CONSORTIUM. THE OPUCS PROJECT OBJECTIVES ARE TO (1) ESTABLISH A STATEWIDE CONSORTIUM OF NINE FOUR-YEAR INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS, SIX TWO-YEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, AND 15 INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS; (2) DEVELOP CLEARLY ARTICULATED CURRICULAR PATHWAYS FOR STUDENTS FROM TWO-YEAR INSTITUTIONS TO COMPUTER SCIENCE BACHELOR DEGREE COMPLETION AT A FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTION; (3) INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO TRANSFER FROM TWO-YEAR TO FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS AND TO COMPLETE THEIR BACHELOR DEGREES WITHIN TWO YEARS OF TRANSFER; (4) INCREASE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN TRANSFER STUDENTS STUDYING COMPUTING; (5) INCREASE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO COMPLETE INTERNSHIPS WITH OUR INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS; AND (6) ESTABLISH AN ASSOCIATION FOR COMPUTING MACHINERY?S COUNCIL ON WOMEN IN COMPUTING (ACM-W) CHAPTER AT 75% OF THE CONSORTIUM INSTITUTIONS. TO COMPLETE THESE OBJECTIVES, THE PROJECT TEAM WILL (1) DEVELOP AN AGREED-UPON CURRICULUM FOR THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF A COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAM AMONG ALL OPUCS INSTITUTIONS; (2) USE THAT CURRICULUM AS THE BASIS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF FORMAL ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS; (3) PROVIDE SPECIFIC, DETAILED, AND ONGOING TRAINING TO ACADEMIC ADVISORS SO THAT STUDENTS HAVE A PLANNED PATHWAY FOR DEGREE COMPLETION IN FOUR YEARS; (4) PROVIDE FACULTY DEVELOPMENT TRAINING TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION ACROSS THE CONSORTIUM; (5) TRAIN ADMISSION COUNSELORS SO THEY ARE PREPARED TO TALK WITH PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE; AND (6) PROVIDE TAILORED RECRUITMENT MATERIALS BASED ON PROVEN STRATEGIES FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR WOMEN & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (NCWIT). CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE WILL COME FROM INVESTIGATION INTO TWO RESEARCH QUESTIONS: (1) TO WHAT EXTENT DOES BUILDING A CLEAR ACADEMIC PATHWAY AND OFFERING A FAMILIAR SOCIAL/PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT NETWORK AMONG THE INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED IN THAT PATHWAY LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF WOMEN STUDYING AND COMPLETING POST-SECONDARY COMPUTING DEGREES ACROSS OHIO? AND (2) WHICH ACTIVITIES OF THE OPUCS CONSORTIUM ARE PERCEIVED AS MOST IMPACTFUL BY WOMEN PURSUING COMPUTING DEGREES? 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.

IMPLEMENTING A CORE COMPETENCY AND MINOR IN HEALTH AND MEDICAL HUMANITIES [BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY (BW) IN BEREA, OH, WILL IMPLEMENT A CORE COMPETENCY AND MINOR IN HEALTH AND MEDICAL HUMANITIES, BUILDING UPON THE SUCCESS OF ITS NEH CONNECTIONS PLANNING GRANT IN 2023-24. OUR INNOVATIVE PLAN FOR A CORE COMPETENCY AREA IN HEALTH AND MEDICAL HUMANITIES BUILDS UPON OUR NEW CORE CURRICULUM, MAKING THIS COMPETENCY ATTAINABLE FOR ALL STUDENTS. THE MINOR, WHICH EXPANDS UPON THE CORE COMPETENCY, WILL BE FOUNDED UPON HUMANISTIC LEARNING OUTCOMES AND IS DESIGNED TO APPEAL TO MAJORS IN THE HUMANITIES, HEALTH SCIENCES, NATURAL SCIENCES, NURSING, AND BUSINESS. BW, WHICH WAS FOUNDED IN 1845 UPON THE VALUES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE LIBERAL ARTS, IS LOCATED MINUTES AWAY FROM THE HEALTHCARE MECCA OF CLEVELAND, ALLOWING US TO DRAW UPON OUR EXTENSIVE EXTERNAL PARTNERS IN THE REGION TO DEVELOP EXCITING PROGRAMMING AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS.]

UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE

BUILDING A CULTURALLY-COMPETENT STEM TEACHER WORKFORCE IN NORTHEAST OHIO -THE PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL NEEDS OF RECRUITING, TRAINING, AND GRADUATING MORE STEM EDUCATORS IN K-12 SCHOOLS AND ENSURING THOSE STUDENTS HAVE THE TRAINING NECESSARY TO SUCCEED IN DIVERSE CLASSROOMS. TO ADDRESS THESE NEEDS AND BUILD THE CAPACITY NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT A NOYCE PROGRAM, BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY WILL DEVELOP A NEW STEM-ANCHORED EDUCATION PROGRAM; ESTABLISH STRONGER RECRUITMENT PIPELINES FOR THAT PROGRAM WITH AREA K?12 SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES, INCLUDING THE CREATION OF A NEW DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM FOCUSED ON STEM EDUCATION; AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF TRAINING THAT STUDENTS RECEIVE IN CULTURALLY COMPETENT PRACTICES (CCP) TO BETTER PREPARE GRADUATES TO SUCCEED AS STEM EDUCATORS. THIS PROJECT AT BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY (BWU) INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT, FAIRVIEW PARK CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AND LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE. THE PROJECT OBJECTIVES ARE TO (1) DESIGN AND LAUNCH A NEW STEM EDUCATION BACHELOR?S PROGRAM THAT COUPLES A MAJOR IN BIOLOGY OR MATHEMATICS WITH THE COURSES NECESSARY TO MEET THE TEACHER LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS IN THE STATE OF OHIO; (2) IMPROVE THE EDUCATION AND STEM FACULTY?S KNOWLEDGE OF AND CAPACITY TO INTEGRATE INSTRUCTION IN THE USE OF CULTURALLY COMPETENT PRACTICES INTO THE CURRICULUM; (3) STRENGTHEN EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS WITH AREA HIGH SCHOOLS BY ESTABLISHING A RECRUITMENT PIPELINE INTO THE STEM EDUCATION PROGRAM; AND (4) STRENGTHEN EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS WITH AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGES WITH A FOCUS ON RECRUITING TRANSFER STUDENTS IN THE STEM EDUCATION PROGRAM. THESE ACTIVITIES WILL IMPROVE BWU?S CAPACITY TO MEET THE GROWING LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL NEED FOR ADDITIONAL, WELL-TRAINED, CULTURALLY COMPETENT STEM EDUCATORS. ADDITIONALLY, AS PART OF THE EVENTUAL TRACK 1 PROPOSAL, THE PROJECT LEADERS WILL STUDY HOW THE INTEGRATION OF CULTURALLY COMPETENT PRACTICES INTO THE CURRICULUM MIGHT BROADEN THE PERSPECTIVES OF AND INCREASE THE RESILIENCE OF YOUNG STEM EDUCATORS. THE PROGRAM EVALUATION WILL RELY ON INTERVIEWS OF THE PROJECT TEAM AND PARTNERS TO ESTABLISH THE FIDELITY TO PROPOSED PROJECT ACTIVITIES AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THOSE ACTIVITIES ACHIEVED THE PROPOSED OUTPUTS. THIS CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT IS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROGRAM SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE K-12 STEM TEACHERS AND EXPERIENCED, EXEMPLARY K-12 STEM TEACHERS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE PERSISTENCE, RETENTION, AND EFFECTIVENESS OF K-12 STEM TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 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.

SCC-PG: LEVERAGING COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND IOT BASED SENSORS TO IMPROVE LOCALIZED AIR QUALITY MONITORING IN COMMUNITIES -APPROXIMATELY 91% OF THE WORLD POPULATION LIVES IN ENVIRONMENTS THAT DO NOT CURRENTLY MEET AIR QUALITY STANDARDS. IN THE UNITED STATES (U.S.), THE CLEAN AIR ACT OF 1970 HAS RESULTED IN AIR POLLUTION CONCENTRATIONS DROPPING BELOW NATIONAL STANDARDS, MEANING THAT MOST COMMUNITIES IN THE U.S. HAVE CLEANER AIR. HOWEVER, CLEAN AIR IS NOT REALIZED ACROSS ALL COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, WHERE AIR QUALITY CAN DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY. FURTHER, REGULATORY AIR QUALITY SENSORS THAT ARE SPARSELY DEPLOYED MAY NOT ACCURATELY DETECT THE QUALITY OF AIR THAT RESIDENTS BREATHE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. WITH THE AVAILABILITY OF LOW-COST SENSORS AND ADVANCEMENT OF LOW-COST SINGLE-BOARD COMPUTERS AND MICROCONTROLLERS, THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO PROVIDE RESIDENTS WITH AN ABILITY TO ACCURATELY UNDERSTAND THEIR AIR QUALITY THROUGH THE DEPLOYMENT OF AN INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) AIR QUALITY SENSOR. WE WILL MEET WITH RESIDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY BOTH REDLINING AND NEARBY POLLUTION SOURCES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW AIR QUALITY AFFECTS THEIR DAILY LIVES AND WHAT AIR QUALITY INFORMATION IS MOST BENEFICIAL TO THEM. IN ADDITION, THE TEAM WILL CLOSELY COLLABORATE WITH PARTNER SCHOOL(S) TO CREATE K-12 CURRICULUM FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN HOW TO CREATE THEIR OWN AIR QUALITY SENSOR, DEPLOY IT AT THEIR SCHOOL, AND MAKE THE AIR QUALITY READINGS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. IN THIS RESEARCH, WE WILL COMBINE THE AVAILABILITY OF LOW-COST PARTICULATE MATTER SENSORS WITH THE ACCESSIBILITY OF IOT COMPATIBLE SINGLE-BOARD COMPUTERS AND MICROCONTROLLERS TO ENABLE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE FINE-GRAINED AIR QUALITY INFORMATION. TO PROVIDE REAL-TIME ACCESS TO THE DATA, A PROTOTYPE MOBILE APPLICATION FOR BOTH IOS AND ANDROID, ALONG WITH A WEB DASHBOARD, WILL BE DEVELOPED. TO ADDRESS COMMON CHALLENGES OF BOTH POWER AND CONNECTIVITY, WE WILL PARTNER WITH PCS FOR PEOPLE TO DEPLOY THE SENSORS AND PROVIDE CONNECTIVITY THROUGH THEIR EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. AN ENCLOSURE WILL BE DEVELOPED THAT ENSURES PROPER AIRFLOW, HAS LOW INTERFERENCE WITH WIRELESS COMMUNICATION, AND IS MODULAR TO ALLOW OTHER SENSING CAPABILITIES IN THE FUTURE. WE WILL COMPARE THE FINDINGS FROM A TEST DEPLOYMENT OF THE SENSORS WITH REGULATORY SENSORS READINGS AND SHARE THE RESULTS WITH THE COMMUNITY AND LOCAL OFFICIALS. TO ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PROJECT AND PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR IT TO EXPAND, WE WILL CREATE AN OPEN-SOURCE COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CURRICULUM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOL AND WE WILL PILOT A TECH CAMP AT OUR UNIVERSITY. 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.

NEURAL MECHANISMS FO EXTINCTION AND SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY

PLANNING A MINOR IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES [WE WISH TO PLAN A NEW, INNOVATIVE MINOR IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES AND HEALTH AT OUR INSTITUTION, WHICH IS LOCATED WITHIN MINUTES CLEVELAND?S WORLD-CLASS MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE COMPLEX IN NORTHEAST OHIO. THE INTERDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH HUMANITIES WILL ALLOW BALDWIN WALLACE TO CREATE NEW AND ROBUST CONNECTIONS BETWEEN STUDENTS AND FACULTY IN THE SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES WITH THE SCHOOLS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, NATURAL SCIENCES AND HEALTH SCIENCES ON OUR CAMPUS.]

THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A MOBILE APPLICATION, COMPATIBLE WITH ANDROID AND IOS, LISTING FOOD TO BE RECOVERED ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS. THIS APP IS WILL ORGANIZE THE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS WITHIN A UNIVERSITY TO REDUCE FOOD INSECURITY AMONG THE STUDENT BODY, AS WELL AS REDUCE FOOD WASTE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES.

MRI: EQUIPMENT: TRACK 1: ACQUISITION OF A HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING CLUSTER FOR ADVANCING MULTIDISCIPLINARY STEM RESEARCH AND TEACHING AT BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY -THE ACQUISITION OF A HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING CLUSTER (HPCC) SUPPORTED BY A MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION (MRI) AWARD SIGNIFICANTLY LEVERAGES THE EXISTING RESEARCH OUTPUT ACTIVITIES, TRAINING, AND TEACHING EXCELLENCE AT BALDWIN WALLACE (BW) UNIVERSITY. THE 824-CORE HPCC CONSISTS OF A MIX OF COMPUTE NODES WITH RAM RANGING FROM 256GB TO 1.024TB PER NODE, ALLOWING FOR DIFFERENTIAL USE OF THE NODES TO HOST AND ANALYZE LARGE DATASETS PRODUCED BY FACULTY AND STUDENTS FROM DIFFERENT ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS. IT ALSO FACILITATES THE COMPLEX ANALYSIS AND MODELING OF LARGE, NATIONAL SURVEYS MADE AVAILABLE BY FEDERAL AGENCIES, AND ENHANCES COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS WITH THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS, HEALTHCARE NETWORK, AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IN NORTHEAST OHIO AND BEYOND. THIS CRITICAL UPGRADE TO BW?S COMPUTING INFRASTRUCTURE IS KEY FOR ADVANCING RESEARCH ACROSS DIFFERENT STEM DISCIPLINES INCLUDING BIOINFORMATICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOMES RESEARCH. THE PI IS AN ACTIVE TOBACCO RESEARCHER AND THE HPCC FACILITATES RUNNING A COMPLEX BAYESIAN NETWORK ANALYSIS TO INVESTIGATE THE PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES USE AMONG YOUTH IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES. THIS PROJECT ADVANCES TOBACCO RESEARCH BY APPLYING A RIGOROUS CAUSAL METHODOLOGY APPROACH THAT IS COMPUTATIONALLY INTENSIVE YET HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF EASY INTERPRETATION AND THE ABILITY TO EXAMINE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ALL VARIABLES SIMULTANEOUSLY. TWO NOVEL BIOINFORMATICS PROJECTS ARE MADE FEASIBLE BY THE ACQUISITION OF THE HPCC. ONE PROJECT WORKS TO IDENTIFY SARS-COV-2 (THE CAUSATIVE AGENT OF COVID-19) ION CHANNEL GATING MECHANISMS WHILE THE OTHER EXAMINES MUTATIONS IN PATHOGENIC VARIANTS OF SARS-COV-2. BOTH PROJECTS ADVANCE THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE OF COVID-19 BY CHARACTERIZING THE BIOPHYSICAL DYNAMICS OF ION CHANNEL GATING AND CONDUCTANCE AND A POTENTIAL TO YIELD ROBUST SCREENING OF COVID-19 PATIENTS FOR THE EARLY DETECTION OF THOSE AT RISK OF SEVERE COVID-19 INFECTION. A COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECT APPLIES NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING ALGORITHMS TO EXAMINE PERSONALITY TYPES FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CONSUMERS? BEHAVIORS AND SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES FOR PREDICTING BEHAVIORS THAT FACILITATE TIMELY ACTIONS BY LAW ENFORCEMENTS AND THERAPISTS. A SOCIAL PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY PROJECT APPLIES COMPLEX SIMULATIONS TO EXAMINE TRENDS IN HEALTH OUTCOMES. THE HPCC ALSO ADVANCES TEACHING AT BW AS THE HPCC IS VITAL FOR RUNNING SIMULATIONS AND COURSE-BASED PROJECTS IN SEVERAL UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE COURSES IN BIOINFORMATICS AND GENOMICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE, DATA SCIENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING, BIOLOGY, FACULTY-STUDENT COLLABORATION COURSES, AND HEALTH INFORMATICS AND BIG DATA ANALYTICS. IN ADDITION TO TEACHING, BW IS COMMITTED TO TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DATA SCIENTISTS, BIG DATA ANALYTICS AND INFORMATICS SPECIALISTS THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE REGIONAL NETWORK OF HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. ADVANCING TEACHING AND TRAINING AT BW IS IMPORTANT TO PREPARE A QUALIFIED WORKFORCE TO MEET THE GROWING NEEDS OF DATA SCIENTISTS REGIONALLY AND NATIONALLY AND TO EMPHASIZE BW?S COMMITMENT FOR INCREASING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVENESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. BW?S UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT BODY CONSISTS OF 42% FIRST-GENERATION, 25% MINORITY, AND 37% ARE CLASSIFIED AS ECONOMICALLY-DISADVANTAGED (PELL-ELIGIBLE). 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.