Wabash College

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND-IHE/INSTITUTION FOR WABASH COLLEGE

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND FOR WABASH COLLEGE

ESTABLISHMENT OF A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM IN CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS

EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF TRAINING UNDERGRADUATE CHEMISTRY STUDENTS HOW TO DELIBERATE

RUI: ATOMISTIC MODELING OF MEMBRANE PROTEINS

RUI: COMPLEX CONTROL IN C. ELEGANS USING DE NOVO DESIGNED PROTEIN SWITCHES -A FUNDAMENTAL GOAL IN SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY IS TO CONTROL CELLULAR PROCESS VIA THE TARGETED DEGRADATION OF IMPORTANT REGULATORY PROTEINS. THE AIM OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AND TEST A SPECIFIC AND TUNABLE SYSTEM FOR PROTEIN DEGRADATION IN A MODEL EUKARYOTIC ORGANISM. THIS PROJECT IS VIEWED AS AN IMPORTANT STEP TOWARDS THE APPLICATION OF THIS TOOL IN MORE COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS AND ULTIMATELY TOWARDS ITS APPLICATION IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND BIOTECHNOLOGY. THIS PROJECT WILL ENGAGE A DIVERSE GROUP OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCHERS IN INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR AND SUMMER, IMPROVING THEIR CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS, INDEPENDENT THINKING, AND ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH BOTH SCIENTIFIC AUDIENCES AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. PORTIONS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO THE MOLECULAR GENETICS AND BIOCHEMISTRY COURSES AT WABASH COLLEGE, ENGAGING A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN NOVEL SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. CURRENT METHODS OF CONTROLLING ESSENTIAL AND PLEIOTROPIC PROTEINS IN C. ELEGANS SUFFER FROM LIMITATIONS, INCLUDING INCOMPLETE PENETRANCE, FALSE NEGATIVES, AND THE INABILITY TO DIFFERENTIALLY CONTROL MULTIPLE GENES WITH THE SAME SYSTEM SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL PIONEER THE LATCHING ORTHOGONAL CAGE/KEY PROTEINS (LOCKR) METHOD OF PROTEIN CONTROL IN C. ELEGANS. LOCKR ENCOMPASSES A DE NOVO DESIGNED PROTEIN ?SWITCH? CAPABLE OF CAGING A LINEAR BIOACTIVE MOTIF AND AN INDUCIBLE PEPTIDE ?KEY.? THE PEPTIDE KEY UNLOCKS THE CAGED MOTIF IN THE SWITCH, ELICITING ITS BIOACTIVE FUNCTION. THE LOCKR SYSTEM?S DE NOVO ORIGINS ALLOW THE DESIGN OF MULTIPLE SWITCHES AND KEYS AS ORTHOGONAL PAIRS TO CONTROL MULTIPLE PROTEINS SIMULTANEOUSLY. A NEMATODE-OPTIMIZED DEGRONLOCKR SWITCH (NEMDEGRONLOCKR) WILL AFFORD C. ELEGANS RESEARCHERS A ROBUST PROTEIN CONTROL METHOD WITH TISSUE SPECIFICITY AND THE ABILITY TO INDEPENDENTLY CONTROL MULTIPLE GENES AT VARIOUS TIME POINTS IN DEVELOPMENT. THIS PROJECT APPLIES COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN, IN VITRO BIOPHYSICAL ANALYSIS, AND IN VIVO EXPERIMENTS USING CRISPR-CAS9 TO FUSE NEMDEGRONLOCKR TO GENES OF INTEREST. THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY WILL BE BROADLY DISSEMINATED BY THE PROJECT TEAM THROUGH PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS. C. ELEGANS STRAINS AND DNA CONSTRUCTS WILL BE DEPOSITED AT THE CAENORHABDITIS GENETICS CENTER AND ADDGENE, RESPECTIVELY. THE LOCKR SYSTEM IS HIGHLY TUNABLE, AS VIRTUALLY ANY LINEAR MOTIF CAN BE CAGED. THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE LOCKR SYSTEM, AND ITS ABILITY TO CONTROL SIGNALING PATHWAYS AND CELLULAR TARGETING, WILL SUPPORT SYNTHETIC BIOLOGISTS SEEKING TO PRODUCE NOVEL LIFELIKE SYSTEMS. DEMONSTRATION OF THE UTILITY OF THE LOCKR SYSTEM IN NEMATODES LAYS A FIRM FOUNDATION FOR ITS USE IN OTHER, EVEN MORE COMPLEX ORGANISMS. 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: EXPLORING LIPID INTERACTIONS USING ATOMISTIC MODELS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EQUIPMENT: MRI CONSORTIUM: TRACK 2 DEVELOPMENT OF A NEXT GENERATION FAST NEUTRON DETECTOR -THE STUDY OF NEUTRON-RICH ATOMIC NUCLEI CAN REVEAL EFFECTS ABOUT HOW PROTONS AND NEUTRONS INTERACT INSIDE NUCLEI. THESE PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FORMATION OF THE ELEMENTS IN THE UNIVERSE AND HELP SCIENTISTS UNDERSTAND HOW THE NUCLEAR CORE OF ATOMS FORM. ONE OF THE WAYS TO INVESTIGATE THESE NUCLEI AT THE EDGE OF STABILITY IS TO MEASURE THEIR BREAKUP PRODUCTS, WHICH INCLUDES THE NEUTRONS THAT ARE NOT NEEDED TO HOLD THE SMALLER NUCLEI TOGETHER. THE DETECTION OF NEUTRONS IS CHALLENGING BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CHARGE AND ONLY INTERACT WITH THE NUCLEAR CORE OF ATOMS. THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT, BUILDING, AND COMMISSIONING OF A MODULAR ARRAY BASED ON PLASTIC SCINTILLATOR FOR THE DETECTION OF FAST (BETWEEN ONE THIRD AND ONE HALF THE SPEED OF LIGHT) NEUTRONS. THE NEW DETECTOR ARRAY WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE HOW PRECISELY WE CAN DETERMINE THE NEUTRONS? POSITION COMPARED TO CURRENT NEUTRON DETECTORS BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE USE OF STATE-OF-THE-ART PHOTO-SENSORS, AND AS A RESULT ENABLE NUCLEAR STRUCTURE MEASUREMENTS WITH SUPERIOR PRECISION. THE DETECTOR MODULES WILL BE BUILT AND TESTED TO A LARGE EXTENT AT THE SEVEN PARTICIPATING UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS, ALLOWING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO LEARN KEY TECHNICAL SKILLS AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO NUCLEAR PHYSICS RESEARCH IN A MEANINGFUL WAY. SCINTILLATION DETECTORS, I.E. DETECTORS THAT MEASURE THE SCINTILLATION LIGHT THAT STEMS FROM SUBATOMIC PARTICLES INTERACTING WITHIN THE DETECTOR, ARE WIDELY EMPLOYED IN RESEARCH, INDUSTRY, AND MEDICAL IMAGING, SO THESE SKILLS CAN BE APPLIED IN MANY CRUCIAL FIELDS. CONTEMPORARY FAST NEUTRON DETECTORS USE CONVENTIONAL DETECTOR CONFIGURATIONS OF LONG PLASTIC SCINTILLATOR BARS READ OUT BY PAIRS OF PHOTO-MULTIPLIER TUBES (PMTS). THE POSITION OF THE NEUTRON INTERACTION IS DEDUCED FROM THE TIME DIFFERENCE OF THE SIGNALS MEASURED BY EACH PMT AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE DETECTOR BAR, AND FROM WHICH DETECTOR BAR HAS BEEN HIT. A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO SCINTILLATION-LIGHT COLLECTION IS PURSUED IN THIS NEW DETECTOR USING ARRAYS OF SILICON PHOTO-MULTIPLIERS (SIPMS), OVERCOMING THE LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT DESIGNS AND RESULTING IN IMPROVED POSITION RESOLUTION FOR FAST NEUTRON DETECTION. THIS ALSO ALLOWS A TILED DESIGN THAT OFFERS MUCH MORE FLEXIBILITY IN ADJUSTING THE ACTIVE AREA OF THE ARRAY TO SPECIFIC EXPERIMENT NEEDS. INVARIANT-MASS SPECTROSCOPY OF NEUTRON-UNBOUND STATES IN ELEMENTS BEYOND OXYGEN REQUIRES SUCH AN EXPERIMENTAL SETUP WITH IMPROVED RESOLUTION. AS ONE MOVES TO HEAVIER UNBOUND SYSTEMS ONE FACES HIGHER LEVEL DENSITIES. TO RESOLVE THESE IN THE RECONSTRUCTED DECAY ENERGY SPECTRUM REQUIRES HIGHER MOMENTUM (AND THUS POSITION) RESOLUTION. A HIGH POSITION RESOLUTION ALSO IMPROVES THE DISCRIMINATION OF DOUBLE-SCATTERED EVENTS AND ALLOWS THE USE OF HIGHER BEAM ENERGIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE AT THE RARE-ISOTOPE BEAM FACILITIES SUCH AS THE FACILITY FOR RARE ISOTOPE BEAMS (FRIB). THE COMPLETED INSTRUMENT WILL SERVE THE BROAD FRIB USER COMMUNITY AND ENABLE INVARIANT MASS MEASUREMENTS AT THE RESOLUTION THAT IS REQUIRED FOR HEAVIER AND MORE EXOTIC ISOTOPES THAT ARE AVAILABLE WITH FRIB BEAMS. 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.

CC*IIE CAMPUS DESIGN: NETWORK UPGRADE AND SCIENCE DMZ TO ENABLE HIGH-PERFORMANCE DATA TRANSFER

WABASH WELLNESS INITIATIVE - THE WABASH WELLNESS INITIATIVE (WWI) WILL FOCUS ON ALL STUDENTS AT WABASH COLLEGE (WC). IN LATE 2020, WC BECAME A JED CAMPUS AND COMPLETED AN ASSESSMENT OF SERVICE GAPS AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT NEEDS RELATED TO IMPROVING STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND PREVENTING SUICIDE. WWI WILL ADDRESS IDENTIFIED GAPS AND NEEDS AND SERVE 840 STUDENTS IN YEAR 1, AND 240 INCOMING STUDENTS IN YEARS 2 AND 3 FOR A TOTAL OF 1,320 STUDENTS. WC IS ONE OF ONLY THREE ALL MALE, PRIVATE, LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES IN THE US. ALL STUDENTS LIVE ON CAMPUS, 77% ARE WHITE, 23% ARE STUDENTS OF COLOR, 3% IDENTIFY AS LGBTQ+, 4% ARE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, 25% PELL ELIGIBLE, AND 29% FIRST GEN COLLEGE STUDENTS. 2020-21 HEALTHY MINDS STUDY RESULTS SHOWED WC STUDENTS BINGE DRINK MORE THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE AND 38.5% EXPERIENCED SYMPTOMS OF AT LEAST ONE SIGNIFICANT MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM. IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, TWO WC STUDENTS COMMITTED SUICIDE; FOUR ATTEMPTED SUICIDE; AND 19 REQUIRED EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS/ HOSPITALIZATION DUE TO SUICIDAL IDEATION, SUICIDAL ATTEMPTS, OR SUBSTANCE USE CRISES. TWO MALE STAFF MEMBERS AND ONE FORMER MALE FACULTY MEMBER ALSO DIED BY SUICIDE. SINCE FEBRUARY 2022, SEVEN WC STUDENTS HAVE WITHDRAWN FOR MENTAL HEALTH REASONS. THE NEAREST APPROPRIATE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ARE 30 MILES AWAY. WWI WILL BE ORGANIZED ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH FRAMEWORK FOR PREVENTING SUICIDE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES COMPRISED OF FOUR LEVELS OF INFLUENCE (SOCIETAL/STRUCTURAL, COMMUNITY/CONTEXTUAL, INTERPERSONAL/RELATIONAL, AND INDIVIDUAL). A WELLNESS COUNCIL OF STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF WILL PROVIDE STRUCTURE AND ACCOUNTABILITY, AND FOUR WORKING COMMITTEES (ONE FOR EACH LEVEL OF INFLUENCE) WILL COMPLETE TASKS. IDENTIFIED GAPS AND NEEDS WILL BE ADDRESSED BY MONTH 24, BE FULLY IMPLEMENTED THROUGHOUT YEAR THREE, AND LEAD TO IMPROVED STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. WWI WILL ENHANCE MENTAL HEALTH, PREVENT AND REDUCE SUICIDE AND MENTAL AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, PROMOTE HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIOR, AND IMPROVE IDENTIFICATION AND TREATMENT OF AT-RISK STUDENTS. OBJECTIVES: - SOCIETAL/STRUCTURAL: IMPLEMENT: (1) PROTOCOL FOR VIOLATION OF NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY; (2) CONSOLIDATED HEALTH/MENTAL HEALTH ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS; (3) MEDICAL LEAVE POLICY; (4) STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGIC PLAN; (5) TUITION INSURANCE. - COMMUNITY/CONTEXTUAL: IMPLEMENT: (1) CALENDAR OF EVIDENCE-BASED ACTIVITIES; (2) ASSESSMENTS/SCREENINGS CONNECTED TO INFORMATION/REFERRALS; (3) DISTRIBUTION OF RESEARCH-BASED INFORMATION TO PARENTS/STUDENTS/FACULTY/STAFF; (4) ENVIRONMENTAL LETHAL-MEANS SCANS AND REDUCING LETHAL MEANS FOR HIGH-RISK STUDENTS; (5) DRUG TAKE-BACK PROGRAM. - INTERPERSONAL/RELATIONAL: IMPLEMENT: (1) EXPANDED LIVING UNIT VISITS ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH; (2) STUDENT WELLNESS LEADERS; (3) APPROACHES TO REACH NON-ENGAGED STUDENTS; (4) GATEKEEPER TRAINING TO 80% OF STUDENTS AND 50% OF FACULTY/STAFF; (5) STRUCTURED LIFE SKILLS TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. - INDIVIDUAL: IMPLEMENT: (1) TELEMENTAL HEALTH SERVICE AVAILABLE 24/7/365; (2) REVIEW OF POSTVENTION PROTOCOLS WITH FACULTY/STAFF; (3) RECOVERY MENTORING PROGRAM AND ON-CAMPUS RECOVERY COMMUNITY; (4) CHANGES TO TRIAGE PROCEDURES; (5) CHANGES TO BIT SYSTEM; (6) FAMILY NOTIFICATION PROTOCOL. WWI INCLUDES ONGOING DATA COLLECTION, ASSESSMENT, AND REPORTING THAT MEET SAMHSA REQUIREMENTS AND A BI-ANNUAL REVIEW/REFLECT/REVISE PROCESS THROUGH WHICH THE WELLNESS COUNCIL AND PROJECT STAFF WILL CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR DATA AND USE IT FOR PROJECT IMPROVEMENT.

WABASH SUMMER INSTITUTE IN MATHEMATICS

INVOLVEMENT OF THE RAT INFRALIMBIC CORTEX AND DORSOLATERAL STRIATUM IN THE FACILI

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BRANCHING IN CHLORIDOID GRASSES: PHYLOGENY AND INFLORESCENCE DIVERSIFICATION

ENCOURAGING SCIENCE COMMUNICATION IN THE WABASH COLLEGE CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT

RUI: STIMULUS CHARACTERISTICS INFLUENCING NON-CARDINAL COLOR MECHANISMS

FACULTY TO PROVIDE IMMERSIVE-HUMANITIES EXPERIENCES FOR AT-RISK UNDERGRADUATES

MRI-CONSORTIUM: DEVELOPMENT OF A NEUTRON DETECTOR ARRAY BY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENTS FOR STUDIES OF EXOTIC NUCLEI.

FOSTERING REMEMBERING: ENHANCING STUDENT RETENTION OF PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE THROUGH PRECLASS ACTIVITIES AND PROCESS ORIENTED GUIDED INQUIRY INTEGRAT

RUI: ADAPTIVELY WEIGHTED FINITE ELEMENT METHODS FOR PDES AND OPTIMAL LEAST-SQUARES METRICS

RUI: COLLABORATION TO ENHANCE PARTICIPATION OF MINORITY AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN NUCLEAR SCIENCE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PROMOTING COMPUTATIONAL LITERACY IN BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY PREPARING FACULTY MEMBERS TO TEACH STUDENTS THE COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS THEY NEED TO JOIN THE WORKFORCE, READY TO TAKE ON THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGES. BIG DATA FIELDS (WHERE THE AMOUNT OF DATA IS TOO LARGE TO BE ANALYZED WITH EXCEL), SUCH AS BIOINFORMATICS, COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, PROTEIN DESIGN, AND DRUG DESIGN, ALL RELY ON COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS. IN ADDITION, USING COMPUTERS AS RESEARCH AND INFORMATION TOOLS IS RECOGNIZED BY THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (ASBMB) AS A NECESSARY SKILL FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (BMB) CURRICULA. THUS, DEVELOPING COMPUTATIONAL LITERACY IN BMB STUDENTS IS IMPORTANT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS TO FULLY PARTICIPATE IN EVOLVING SCIENTIFIC FIELDS. THIS PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY THE COMPUTATIONAL NEEDS OF THE BMB COMMUNITY AND TO DEVELOP AND DELIVER VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS AND CODING EXERCISES RELATED TO BMB FIELDS. THESE WORKSHOPS AND VIDEOS WILL BE MADE FREELY AVAILABLE ON SITES SUCH AS GITHUB AND YOUTUBE TO INCREASE THE REACH OF THIS PROJECT BEYOND THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO ATTEND THE LIVE, VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS. THERE IS CURRENTLY NO SINGLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION OR EXERCISES TO TRAIN BMB FACULTY TO TEACH COMPUTATIONAL LITERACY THROUGH CODING EXERCISES. LIKEWISE, NO TOOLS CURRENTLY EXIST TO ASSESS THE NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF THE BMB COMMUNITY TOWARDS BUILDING COMPUTATIONAL LITERACY. THE PROJECT TEAM PLANS TO DEVELOP A SERIES OF CODING EXERCISES AND WORKSHOP MATERIALS FREELY ACCESSIBLE VIA GITHUB AND YOUTUBE, WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO TRAIN BMB FACULTY TO TEACH CODING USING GOOGLE COLAB, AN EASY-TO-USE, AI-ASSISTED CODING ENVIRONMENT. THE PROJECT TEAM PLANS TO HOST THREE TYPES OF VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS THAT WILL EACH BE DELIVERED TWICE DURING THE PROJECT: INTRODUCTORY, LEARNING TO CODE, AND TEACHING WITH CODE. WORKSHOP SESSIONS WILL INCLUDE TOPICS SUCH AS WORKING WITH DATAFRAMES, PLOTTING, PROTEIN SEQUENCE ANALYSIS, AND PREPARING TO TEACH WITH LIVE CODING. THIS PROJECT PLANS TO IDENTIFY THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF THE BMB COMMUNITY, PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO THE CURRENT USES OF COMPUTATION IN BMB CURRICULA, AND CREATE WIDELY ACCESSIBLE WORKSHOPS AND MATERIALS TAILORED TO THE BMB COMMUNITY. THIS WILL ENABLE INSTRUCTORS TO INTEGRATE COMPUTATION EFFECTIVELY INTO THEIR COURSES AND WILL ESTABLISH A FOUNDATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF COMPUTATIONAL LITERACY IN BMB CURRICULA. THUS, THIS PROJECT PLANS TO SERVE TO ADVANCE COMPUTATIONAL LITERACY IN BMB EDUCATION AND ADJACENT FIELDS, SUCH AS BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY, TO BETTER PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS TO TACKLE IMPORTANT BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS USING COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS. THE NSF IUSE: EDU PROGRAM SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STEM EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS. THROUGH THE ENGAGED STUDENT LEARNING TRACK, THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE CREATION, EXPLORATION, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PROMISING PRACTICES AND TOOLS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

RUI: USING MONA, EXPLORING NEUTRON UNBOUND STATES IN NUCLEI NEAR AND BEYOND THE NEUTRON DRIPLINE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DEVELOPING A TOOL FOR TEACHERS TO ASSESS REAL-TIME LEARNING AND FORGETTING IN LARGE CLASSES