Lawrence Technological University

TO COVER ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT CHANGESTO THE DELIVERY OF INSTRUCTION DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS.

THIS FUNDING IS TO SUPPORT UNIVERSITY'S STUDENTS WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN DISRUPTED, MANY OF WHOM ARE FACING FINANCIAL CHALLENGES AND STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

FOSTERING CONFIDENCE, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, AND NETWORKING TO STRENGTHEN THE STEM WORKFORCE -THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL NEED FOR WELL-EDUCATED SCIENTISTS, MATHEMATICIANS, ENGINEERS, AND TECHNICIANS BY SUPPORTING THE RETENTION AND GRADUATION OF HIGH-ACHIEVING, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED AT LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY. A TOTAL OF 24 SCHOLARS PURSUING BACHELOR'S DEGREES IN BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, DATA SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE WILL RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS AVERAGING $15,000 FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS. SCHOLARS WILL RECEIVE FACULTY MENTORING, AND THE PROJECT WILL BUILD STRONG SCHOLAR COHORTS THROUGH COORDINATED COURSE SCHEDULING AND ADVISING, A LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITY, AND INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMMING. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR SCHOLARS INCLUDE A SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM, STORYTELLING EXPERIENCES, AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS TRACK 2 SCHOLARSHIPS IN STEM PROJECT IS TO INCREASE STEM DEGREE COMPLETION OF ACADEMICALLY TALENTED, LOW-INCOME UNDERGRADUATES WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT NATIONAL NEED TO GROW THE STEM WORKFORCE AND NURTURE KEY TALENT THAT WILL ENSURE ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AND PROVIDE DOMESTIC LEADERSHIP ACROSS CRITICAL SECTORS. THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY SPEAKS TO THIS NEED BY SUPPORTING STEM STUDENT SUCCESS, WHICH WILL STRENGTHEN THE WORKFORCE IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, DATA SCIENCE, CYBERSECURITY AND OTHER KEY AREAS OF NEED. THE PROJECT WILL BE ASSESSED BY AN EXPERIENCED EVALUATOR, WHO WILL EXAMINE THE SCHOLARS' SUCCESS AND ENGAGEMENT AS WELL AS THE IMPACTS OF THE STORYTELLING EXPERIENCES, WHICH WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE PROGRAM AS A MEANS OF STRENGTHENING STUDENTS' COMMUNICATION, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, AND FOSTERING COMMUNITY. THE DATA GENERATED WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE KNOWLEDGE BASE REGARDING EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT TALENTED, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS IN STEM. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY NSF'S SCHOLARSHIPS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ACADEMICALLY TALENTED, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED WHO EARN DEGREES IN STEM FIELDS. IT ALSO AIMS TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION OF FUTURE STEM WORKERS, AND TO GENERATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ACADEMIC SUCCESS, RETENTION, TRANSFER, GRADUATION, AND ACADEMIC/CAREER PATHWAYS OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

RENOVATION OF LAWRENCE TECH'S NEXT-GENERATION LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH FACILITY

LTU BUS/TECH ACCELERATOR

INNOVATIVE CORROSION - FREE CFRP PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BRIDGE SYSTEM

PRIMARY CARE TRAINING AND ENHANCEMENT: PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT RURAL TRAINING IN MENTAL AND BEHAV. HLTH

THIS EDA INVESTMENT FUNDS THE DEVELOP A THRIVING CIRCULAR ECONOMY ECOSYSTEM IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, DRIVEN BY CREATING A ROBUST RECYCLED MATERIALS SUPPLY CHAIN AND THROUGH INCLUSIVE IMPACT OF ALL PEOPLE AND TYPES OF COMMUNITIES PROJECT. THE PROJECT WORK INCLUDES EXPANDING AND PRODUCING IMPACTS AT SCALE, INCLUDING: 1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR PARTICIPANTS TO REMOVE STRUCTURAL MARKET BARRIERS AND DEPLOY TECHNOLOGY AND SERVICE SOLUTIONS WITH A FOCUS ON DISTRESSED COMMUNITIES AND CREATING UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM MARKETS, 2) ENTREPRENEUR SUPPORT THAT INCLUDES COACHING, INVESTOR CONNECTIONS AND PROGRAMING COORDINATED THROUGH MICHIGAN'S SMARTZONES, 3) TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION ASSISTANCE INCLUDING ACCESS TO UNIVERSITY LABS, TESTING AND PRODUCT ROADMAPPING AND 4) CIRCULAR ECONOMY EVENTS CONVENING INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS AND HARNESSING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, INVESTMENT AND JOB CREATION ACROSS THE STATE. ONCE IMPLEMENTED, THE PROJECT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY SCALE THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN MICHIGAN BY GENERATING HIGH-SKILLED, HIGH-PAYING JOBS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, REMOVING MARKET BARRIERS, SPURRING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND SERVICE DEPLOYMENT, AND FOCUSING ON MICHIGAN'S DISTRESSED COMMUNITIES.

MRI: ACQUISITION OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE (ESEM) FOR ENGINEERING RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY STEM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: BE A NUCLEAR EXPERT IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN

A SEARCH FOR SAFER PLASTICS: SYNTHESIS AND REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY EVALUATION OF NOVEL BISPHENOLS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT BISPHENOL A (BPA) AFFECTS NOT ONLY THE DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF REPRODUCTIVE TISSUES, BUT ALSO DISRUPTS FEMALE MEIOSIS. THE INTERFERENCE OF BPA WITH THE MEIOTIC PROCESS LEADS TO THE FORMATION OF REPRODUCTIVE CELLS WITH AN INCORRECT NUMBER OF CHROMOSOMES, RESULTING IN THE INABILITY TO CONCEIVE, PREGNANCY LOSS, AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN OFFSPRING. IN RECENT YEARS, INCREASING HEALTH CONCERNS LED MANUFACTURERS TO SEEK BPA ALTERNATIVES, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN ITS REPLACEMENT WITH BISPHENOL F (BPF) AND BISPHENOL S (BPS), FOR EXAMPLE, IN SOME CONSUMER PRODUCTS. HOWEVER, NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE INDICATED THAT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE BISPHENOL ANALOGS RESEMBLE BPA IN THEIR ABILITY TO INTERFERE WITH HORMONES AND CAUSE MEIOTIC ERRORS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THE PROPOSED COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BISPHENOL STRUCTURE AND MEIOTIC FIDELITY. TO THIS END, WE AIM TO IDENTIFY BISPHENOL ANALOGS THAT POSE LOW OR NO RISK TO HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. THIS OBJECTIVE WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH TWO SPECIFIC AIMS: (1) SYNTHESIS OF A LIBRARY OF NOVEL, STRUCTURALLY DIVERSE BISPHENOL ANALOGS VIA PHENOLIC RING SUBSTITUTIONS, WHICH HAVE SHOWN PARTICULAR PROMISE IN MEDIATING LOWER TOXICITY IN STUDIES INVOLVING TETRAMETHYLBISPHENOL F; AND (2) IDENTIFICATION OF BPA ANALOGS THAT POSE LOW OR NO RISK TO MEIOSIS USING SEVERAL C. ELEGANS-BASED ASSAYS. THESE ASSAYS WILL INCLUDE THE MONITORING OF C. ELEGANS BROOD SIZE, GERM-CELL APOPTOSIS, EMBRYONIC LETHALITY, AND THE INCIDENCE OF MALES THAT ARISE AS THE RESULT OF A MEIOTIC ERROR. BISPHENOL CANDIDATES POSING LOW OR NO RISK TO MEIOSIS WILL BE FURTHER EVALUATED FOR THEIR ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING PROPERTIES USING A VALIDATED HUMAN CELL-BASED ASSAY. UNDERSTANDING HOW THE STRUCTURE OF BISPHENOLS AFFECT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH COULD LEAD TO THE REPLACEMENT OF THIS UBIQUITOUS REPRODUCTIVE TOXIN WITH A SAFER ALTERNATIVE IN CONSUMER PRODUCTS. FURTHERMORE, THIS INNOVATIVE PROPOSAL WILL SIGNIFICANTLY STRENGTHEN THE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL SCIENCES AT THE LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY BY PROVIDING OUR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN A FUNDED, MULTIDISCIPLINARY PROJECT WITH GREAT SOCIETAL RELEVANCE.

CAREER: EFFECT OF FIRE LOADS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF STRUCTURAL CONCRETE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE INTERACTION OF SURFACES STRUCTURED AT THE NANOMETER SCALE WITH THE CELLS IN THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT -THIS IS A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO AND BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW NANOMATERIALS IMPACT CELLULAR ACTIVITIES IN COMPARISON TO LARGER MATERIALS. IN THIS REGARD, THE PIS WILL INVESTIGATE THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL FACTORS OF NANOMATERIALS IN TERMS OF ADHESION AND SPREAD OF CELLS AND SYNTHESIS OF PROTEINS. THE RESEARCH TEAM PROPOSES THAT THE NANOMATERIAL SURFACE HAS HIGH SURFACE ENERGY, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GREATER ATTACHMENT AND GROWTH OF CELLS AND ENHANCED FORMATION OF DIFFERENT PROTEINS. THE UNDERSTANDING OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN NANOMATERIALS AND CELLS WILL PROMOTE NANOTECHNOLOGY IN THE FIELD OF MEDICAL IMPLANTS. AN EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN IN NANOSCIENCE WILL BE DEVELOPED BY THE RESEARCH TEAM TO PROMOTE TRAINING, EDUCATION AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO AND BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE WITH A FOCUS ON UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS. IN ADDITION, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WORKING TOGETHER WITH GRADUATES AND UNDERGRADUATES WILL ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE OF NANOSCIENCE AND ITS APPLICATION TO MEDICAL IMPLANTS FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF IMPROVEMENTS IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO ACQUIRE A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE FAVORABLE MODULATION OF CELLULAR ACTIVITY ON A NANOGRAINED (NG) SURFACE IN RELATION TO COARSE-GRAINED (CG) COUNTERPART. THE PIS WILL TEST THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS THAT THE RELATIVE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES OF NANOSCALE SURFACE COMPARED TO THE MICROSCALE COUNTERPART FAVORABLY ALTERS THE MECHANOSENSITIVITY OF THE CYTOSKELETON. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, THE PIS ARE PLANNING THREE SPECIFIC AIMS. IN THE FIRST AIM THE PIS ARE PLANNING TO UNCOVER THE MECHANISMS THAT WILL EXPLAIN HOW GRAIN BOUNDARY ENERGY AND SURFACE ENERGY INDUCED BY THE NANOSCALE SURFACE MODULATE CELL ADHESION AND BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONALITY. IN THE SECOND AIM, THE PIS PLAN TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ALTERED ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF THE NANOSCALE HIGH GRAIN BOUNDARY ENERGY INDUCED NANO-GRAINED SURFACE IS THE CAUSAL MECHANISM RESPONSIBLE FOR MEDIATING HIGH CELL ADHESION. IN THE THIRD AIM, THE PIS WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT MECHANOSENSING OF THE CYTOSKELETON IS A KEY MECHANISM THAT MODULATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ADHESIVE (ATTRACTIVE) FORCE OF NANOSCALE NANO-GRAINED SURFACE TO THE ADHESION STRENGTH OF ATTACHED CELLS. THE RESEARCH PROJECT WILL HAVE THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES: (I) UNCOVER THE MECHANISM THAT WILL EXPLAIN HOW NANOSCALE STRUCTURE INDUCES CHANGES IN SURFACE CHEMISTRY, SURFACE ENERGY AND ELECTRON WORK FUNCTIONS, IMPACTING CELLULAR FUNCTIONALITY; (II) ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISM THAT INCLUDES MEASURABLE CHANGES IN THE GRAIN BOUNDARY STATE/ENERGY INDUCED BY THE NANOSCALE STRUCTURE IN RELATION TO THE MICROCRYSTALLINE SURFACE AND HOW SUCH MECHANISM WOULD MODULATE CELL ADHESION AND BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONALITY; (III) UNRAVEL THE MECHANISM THAT LINKS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIGH DENSITY OF GRAIN BOUNDARIES WITH HIGH GRAIN BOUNDARY ENERGY TO THE ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES AT THE NANOSCALE SURFACE; (IV) UNCOVER THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ADHESIVE (ATTRACTIVE) FORCE OF THE NANOSCALE SURFACE TO THE ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF THE SURFACE AND PROVIDE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SUCH MECHANISMS WOULD REGULATE THE ADHESION OF CELLS. THE BROADER IMPACT OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT LIES IN THE POTENTIAL TO ELUCIDATE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING CELL-SUBSTRATE INTERACTIONS WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY ENABLE DESIGN OF ENGINEERED SURFACES WITH DESIRED PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES LEADING TO DESIRED BIOLOGICAL RESPONSES. OTHER KEY ASPECTS OF BROADER IMPACT OF THIS RESEARCH INCLUDE ADVANCING THE UNDERSTANDING OF CELL-NANOSCALE SURFACE INTERACTIONS. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY FACILITATE THE FABRICATION OF NANOSCALE PATTERNING OF SUBSTRATES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE NANOTECHNOLOGY DEVICES FOR APPLICATIONS IN FIELDS SUCH AS BIOLOGICAL MICRO-ELECTROMECHANICAL DEVICES AND MICROFLUIDICS. 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: EPIIC: LINKING VITAL ECOSYSTEMS (LIVE) IN RESEARCH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT -THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT AIMS TO ENHANCE INNOVATION CAPACITY AND STRENGTHEN REGIONAL ECONOMIC ECOSYSTEMS BY IMPROVING UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY COLLABORATION. THIS PROJECT WILL HELP THE MEMBER INSTITUTIONS BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACULTY SUPPORT SYSTEMS NECESSARY TO TRANSLATE ACADEMIC RESEARCH INTO REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS THAT BENEFIT LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND NATIONAL INDUSTRIES. BY DEVELOPING STRONGER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN RESEARCH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, THE COHORT WILL CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS TO SOLVE CHALLENGES IN AREAS LIKE DEFENSE, MOBILITY, AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING. THE PROJECT IS ESPECIALLY FOCUSED ON BUILDING SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS AND IMPROVING INTERNAL SYSTEMS THAT ALLOW FACULTY AND STAFF TO PURSUE INDUSTRY-ALIGNED RESEARCH AND COMMERCIALIZATION EFFORTS. THE PROJECT FOCUSES ON TWO MAIN GOALS: FIRST, BUILDING INTERNAL CAPACITY TO MANAGE EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND COMMERCIALIZATION PROJECTS BY IMPLEMENTING A GRANT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT PLATFORM , AND SECOND, EXPANDING THE COHORT?S INDUSTRY AND CROSS-REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS BY DEVELOPING AN INSTITUTIONAL ASSET MAP AND HOSTING TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE EVENTS. THE CENTREPOLIS ACCELERATOR WILL SERVE AS THE IMPLEMENTATION HUB, INTEGRATING THESE TOOLS AND LEADING TRAINING PROGRAMS IN GRANT MANAGEMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION. WORKSHOPS AND MENTORSHIPS WILL SUPPORT FACULTY ENGAGEMENT, WHILE CROSS-REGIONAL EVENTS WITH PARTNER INSTITUTIONS WILL FOSTER SHARED LEARNING AND PROJECT DEVELOPMENT. THESE EFFORTS ARE EXPECTED TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE FACULTY INVOLVEMENT IN USE-INSPIRED RESEARCH, GROW THE UNIVERSITY?S RESEARCH FUNDING PORTFOLIO, AND EXPAND INDUSTRY-ACADEMIC INNOVATION PARTNERSHIPS, ESPECIALLY IN FIELDS ALIGNED WITH NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIKE SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY. 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: EPIIC: BUILDING INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY FOR EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS -BUILDING INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY FOR EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS (BICEP) IS A TEAM OF FOUR UNIVERSITIES WITH THE SHARED GOAL OF COLLABORATIVELY BUILDING THEIR INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY AND KNOWLEDGE FOR GROWING EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS THAT ADVANCE KEY TECHNOLOGIES WITHIN THEIR INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS. TEAM MEMBERS INCLUDE SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY, LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY, AND MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MANKATO; EACH MEMBER IS BOTH A PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION (PUI) AS WELL AS AN EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTION (ERI). TO ADDRESS COMMON CHALLENGES TO PARTICIPATING IN THEIR REGIONAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS, THE BICEP TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED THREE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ON WHICH TO COLLABORATIVELY FOCUS THROUGH THIS PROPOSED PROJECT: A) OPERATIONAL MATURITY IN ESTABLISHING INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND STRUCTURE TO ENABLE EFFICIENT AND PROFESSIONAL PARTNERING, B) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO ENHANCE THE KNOWLEDGE OF FACULTY AND STAFF TO BE BETTER EQUIPPED TO PARTICIPATE IN AND CONTRIBUTE TO TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS WITH EXTERNAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND C) PARTNER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT MANAGING AND STRATEGICALLY EVOLVING PARTNERSHIPS OVER TIME. WHILE THE BENEFITS OF AND STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS ARE WELL DOCUMENTED, KNOWLEDGE ON HOW PUIS/ERIS CAN BEST GROW A COMPREHENSIVE ARRAY OF EXTERNAL TECHNICAL PARTNERSHIPS IS VERY LIMITED. FOCUSING ON THE AREAS OF OPERATIONAL MATURITY, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNER ENGAGEMENT, BICEP TEAM MEMBERS WILL IDENTIFY A SET OF STRATEGIES, PRACTICES, AND LESSONS LEARNED RELEVANT TO HOW PUI/ERI INSTITUTIONS CAN, IN GENERAL, BUILD THEIR CAPACITY TO SUPPORT THEIR REGIONAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS. THIS NEW KNOWLEDGE WILL BE CODIFIED, DOCUMENTED, AND DISSEMINATED THROUGH PUBLICATIONS, WORKSHOPS AND A TOOLKIT WITH RESOURCES THAT MAY BE USED BY OTHER PUI/ERI UNIVERSITIES. IN CONDUCTING THIS WORK, EACH INSTITUTION WILL BENEFIT FROM AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER AND QUALITY OF EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS, THE ABILITY TO SECURE EXTERNAL FUNDING AND RESOURCES, AND THE CAPACITY TO GROW PROGRAMS IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, USE-INSPIRED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND RESEARCH TRANSLATION. THIS WILL CATALYZE FACULTY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, INCREASE ENGAGEMENT OF UNDERREPRESENTED AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS WITHIN THE FEDERAL STEM-RELATED FUNDING PORTFOLIO, ENHANCE SKILLS WITHIN THE WORKFORCE, AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE ECONOMIC HEALTH OF THE BICEP TEAM INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS. 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.

GOALI/RUI: DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE NEW HIGHWAY BRIDGE SYSTEM

REU SITE: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DEVELOPING, ANALYZING, AND EVALUATING SELF-DRIVE ALGORITHMS USING REAL STREET LEGAL ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON CAMPUS -THIS PROJECT PROVIDES HANDS-ON ACTIVE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR URBAN ROAD SELF-DRIVING FUNCTIONS USING STREET-LEGAL VEHICLES. IT IS UNCOMMON FOR US UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP SELF-DRIVE ALGORITHMS USING REAL VEHICLES. IN THIS RESEARCH, STUDENTS WILL ANALYZE AND EVALUATE THE RESULTS OF DIFFERENT ALGORITHMS AFTER REAL-WORLD TESTING. THEY WILL GAIN KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE IN SELF-DRIVING ALGORITHM DEVELOPMENT, SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE WITH OTHERS THROUGH PUBLICATIONS, AND POTENTIALLY CHOOSE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AS THEIR CAREER PATH. STUDENT PERCEPTIONS ABOUT THE SMART MOBILITY FIELD AND CAREER OPTIONS WILL BE POSITIVELY AFFECTED, LEADING TO INCREASED INTEREST IN FUTURE GRADUATE STUDIES. EVALUATION AND COMPARISON RESULTS OF VARIOUS SELF-DRIVING ALGORITHMS TESTED ARE ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY. THE RESULTS WILL BENEFIT THE ADVANCE OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, BRINGING BENEFITS TO SOCIETY INCLUDING REDUCED POLLUTION, LESS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND CONGESTION, AND LOWER ECONOMIC COSTS. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE TO: (1) PROVIDE EXPERIENCES TO UNDERREPRESENTED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WHO OTHERWISE MIGHT NOT HAVE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN FUNDAMENTAL THEORIES IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT; (2) ALLOW STUDENTS TO DESIGN ALGORITHMS TO PRACTICE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT USING REAL VEHICLES ON REAL TEST COURSES; (3) STRENGTHEN THEIR CONFIDENCE, SELF-GUIDED CAPABILITIES, AND RESEARCH SKILLS; AND, (4) INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS INTERESTED IN GRADUATE PROGRAMS AND ULTIMATELY PROVIDE A QUALITY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WORKFORCE TO INDUSTRY. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE (1) INTENSIVE DAILY TRAINING WORKSHOPS WITH HANDS-ON PROBLEM SOLVING TASKS WITH REAL VEHICLES; (2) DEFINING RESEARCH PROBLEMS; (3) DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND TESTING OF ALGORITHMS; (4) ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE COLLECTED DATA AND RESULTS; (5) WRITING TECHNICAL REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS; (6) ASSESSMENTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROGRAM; (7) FIELD TRIPS; AND (8) POST-MEETINGS FOR PUBLICATIONS. THIS RESEARCH ALSO ADVANCES KNOWLEDGE BY IDENTIFYING ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF USING REAL VEHICLES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING SELF-DRIVING ALGORITHMS, PLUS THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO TEACH SELF-DRIVING ALGORITHMS USING REAL VEHICLES IN ORDER TO IMPROVE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

LEAPS-MPS: ENHANCING DYNAMIC POPULATION-LEVEL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS BY INCORPORATING WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE DATA -MATHEMATICAL MODELING HAS PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN ASSESSING AND FORECASTING THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND INFORMING PUBLIC HEALTH POLICIES. HOWEVER, EXISTING MODELS OFTEN FAIL TO CONSIDER UNDERREPORTED CLINICAL CASES, RESULTING IN INACCURATE ESTIMATES OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND FLAWED FORECASTS. MEANWHILE, WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE HAS EMERGED AS A PROMISING TOOL FOR CAPTURING DATA FROM A DIVERSE POPULATION, INCLUDING ASYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS AND THOSE NOT CAPTURED BY CLINICAL TESTING. DESPITE ITS POTENTIAL, INTEGRATING WASTEWATER DATA WITH MATHEMATICAL MODELS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES REMAINS LARGELY UNEXPLORED. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO BRIDGE THIS GAP BY LEVERAGING WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE DATA TO ENHANCE THE CALIBRATION OF DYNAMIC POPULATION-LEVEL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS. BY INCORPORATING WASTEWATER DATA, THE PROJECT SEEKS TO IMPROVE THE ESTIMATION OF TRUE DISEASE PREVALENCE, ENHANCE FORECASTING OF FUTURE CASES, AND MONITOR THE EMERGENCE AND EVOLUTION OF VIRAL VARIANTS. THE DEVELOPED MATHEMATICAL FRAMEWORKS WILL BE VITAL FOR THE ONGOING MONITORING OF COVID-19 AND SIMILAR DISEASES, ENABLING PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERVENTIONS AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY. THIS RESEARCH ACTIVELY ENGAGES UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, PARTICULARLY FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS, FOSTERING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY IN STEM FIELDS. THE PROJECT CONTRIBUTES TO THE CURRICULUM AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AT LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, ESTABLISHING A SUSTAINABLE AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROGRAM IN MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ADDRESS THE LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING MATHEMATICAL FRAMEWORKS USED TO MODEL INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPREAD, WHICH OFTEN SUFFERS FROM INADEQUATE CALIBRATION DUE TO UNDERREPORTED CASES RESULTING FROM ASYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS AND LOW SELF-REPORTING. AS A CONSEQUENCE, CRITICAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, SUCH AS THE BASIC REPRODUCTION NUMBER, ARE POORLY ESTIMATED, LEADING TO INACCURATE FORECASTS AND A LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS DRIVING INFECTION TRANSMISSION. TO OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES, THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP MECHANISTIC MATHEMATICAL FRAMEWORKS THAT ENHANCE TRADITIONAL SIR-TYPE (SUSCEPTIBLE-INFECTIOUS-RECOVERED) MODELS, COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH A SYSTEM OF ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS. THESE ENHANCED MODELS WILL INCORPORATE TWO ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF DATA: VIRAL RNA COPIES FOUND IN WASTEWATER AND VIRAL RNA COPIES FOUND IN STOOL SAMPLES. THE INCORPORATION OF WASTEWATER VIRAL RNA COPIES WILL INTRODUCE A NEW VARIABLE INTO THE SIR-TYPE MODEL, GOVERNING THE DYNAMICS OF VIRAL CONCENTRATION IN WASTEWATER OVER TIME. THE VIRAL SHEDDING CURVE, REPRESENTING THE AMOUNT OF VIRUS SHED BY AN AVERAGE INFECTED PERSON OVER TIME, WILL BE MODELED PHENOMENOLOGICALLY USING PARAMETERS DERIVED FROM CLINICAL STOOL SAMPLES. TO FURTHER IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF THE SHEDDING CURVE AND GAIN INSIGHTS INTO ITS UNDERLYING MECHANISMS, A WITHIN-HOST VIRUS MODEL WILL BE DEVELOPED, INCORPORATING UNINFECTED CELLS, INFECTED CELLS, AND IMMUNE RESPONSES WITHIN THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT. THE OVERALL MODELING FRAMEWORK WILL BE EXTENDED TO ACCOUNT FOR VIRUS VARIANTS BY DIVIDING THE INFECTIOUS CLASS INTO DISTINCT COMPARTMENTS, EACH WITH VARIANT-SPECIFIC PARAMETERS SUCH AS TRANSMISSIBILITY, VACCINE RESISTANCE AND REINFECTION RATE. THE RESULTING MATHEMATICAL MODELS WILL BE ANALYZED, NUMERICALLY SIMULATED, AND PARAMETERIZED USING APPROPRIATE DATASETS. USER-FRIENDLY COMPUTATIONAL PACKAGES WILL BE DEVELOPED TO FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE MODELS AND THEIR INTERFACE WITH PUBLIC HEALTH DATABASES. 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.

LEAPS-MPS: INCORPORATING STRATIFICATION BY VACCINATION STATUS AND VIRUS VARIANTS IN MATHEMATICAL MODELS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPREAD -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, MATHEMATICAL MODELING HAS PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN ASSESSING AND FORECASTING THE IMPACTS OF THE DISEASE AND GUIDING PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY. EXISTING MATHEMATICAL FRAMEWORKS, HOWEVER, HAVE BEEN SLOW TO ADAPT TO SUDDEN CHANGES IN DISEASE SPREAD DYNAMICS RESULTING FROM THE WANING VACCINE IMMUNITY AND EMERGENCE OF COVID-19 VARIANTS SUCH AS DELTA AND OMICRON. THIS PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES BY DEVELOPING DATA-DRIVEN MATHEMATICAL MODELING TOOLS WHICH DIVIDE POPULATIONS ACCORDING TO FACTORS THAT HAVE DISTINCT CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS THOSE DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN VACCINATION STATUS AND THE SPREAD OF VIRUS VARIANTS. AS COVID-19 EVOLVES AND BECOMES ENDEMIC IN THE GLOBAL POPULATION, THE DEVELOPED FRAMEWORKS WILL GUIDE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF POTENTIAL VACCINATION STRATEGIES AND ASSESSING THE CAPACITY OF VARIANTS TO ALTER THE COURSE OF DISEASE SPREAD. THIS WILL FACILITATE TARGETED AND IMPACTFUL POLICIES RATHER THAN DISRUPTIVE POPULATION-WIDE RESTRICTIONS AND LOCKDOWNS. THE PROJECT WILL ENGAGE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN TOPICAL APPLIED MATHEMATICS RESEARCH AND SUPPORT UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN STEM WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN METRO DETROIT. THE PROJECT WILL ADDITIONALLY ADVANCE CURRICULAR AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AT LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, WHICH WILL ENHANCE THE INSTITUTION'S RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT AND FURTHER THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR?S PROFESSIONAL GOAL OF ESTABLISHING A SUSTAINED, STUDENT-FOCUSED, AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROGRAM IN MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY AT LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY. TRADITIONAL MATHEMATICAL MODELING FRAMEWORKS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPREAD OFTEN IGNORE FACTORS OF HETEROGENEOUS SPREAD WITHIN A POPULATION. THIS CAN LEAD TO POOR ESTIMATES OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS (SUCH AS THE BASIC REPRODUCTION NUMBER AND HERD IMMUNITY THRESHOLD), MISTAKEN ASSESSMENTS OF THE MECHANISMS OF DISEASE SPREAD, AND INACCURATE FORECASTS. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP THE THEORY AND APPLICATION OF COMPARTMENTAL SIR-TYPE (SUSCEPTIBLE-INFECTIOUS-RECOVERED) MODELS, WHICH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A SYSTEM OF ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS, TO INCORPORATE VARIANCES IN A POPULATION'S VACCINATION COVERAGE LEVEL, DIFFERING WANING IMMUNITY PERIODS, AND COMPETITION BETWEEN VIRUS VARIANTS WITH DISTINCT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS. WANING IMMUNITY WILL BE INCORPORATED THROUGH A GAMMA-DISTRIBUTED DELAY ON RETURN TO SUSCEPTIBILITY AFTER VACCINATION OR PREVIOUS INFECTION. THE RESULTING DISTRIBUTED DELAY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS WILL BE ANALYZED AND NUMERICALLY SIMULATED USING THE LINEAR CHAIN TRICK, WHICH REDUCES GAMMA-DISTRIBUTED DELAYS TO A LINEAR CHAIN OF EXPONENTIAL DELAYS. CASE DATA FROM THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WILL BE USED TO PARAMETRIZE AND VALIDATE THE MODELS WITH THE GOAL OF PROVIDING INSIGHTFUL FORECASTS FOR THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 UNDER DIFFERENT IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULES. VIRUS VARIANTS WILL BE INCORPORATED BY DIVIDING THE INFECTIOUS CLASS INTO DISTINCT COMPARTMENTS WITH VARIANT-SPECIFIC PARAMETERS, SUCH AS VARIANCES IN TRANSMISSIBILITY, SEVERITY, VACCINE RESISTANCE, REINFECTION RATE, AND DIAGNOSTIC DETECTION. THE GOAL WILL BE TO ESTABLISH NOVEL CRITICAL THRESHOLDS FOR WHEN A VIRUS VARIANT CAN PERSIST OR BECOME DOMINANT IN A POPULATION AS WELL AS ADDRESS THE INVERSE QUESTION OF ESTIMATING A VARIANT'S EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS FROM ITS EARLY-STAGE GROWTH. BY CONTROLLING A POPULATION'S VACCINATION COVERAGE LEVEL, THE DEVELOPED MODELS WILL BE ABLE TO CUT THROUGH THE COMPLEXITY OF CASE INCIDENCE DATA TO PROVIDE CRITICAL INSIGHTS INTO THE PRIMARY FACTORS DRIVING DISEASE SPREAD. USER-FRIENDLY COMPUTATIONAL PACKAGES CAPABLE OF IMPLEMENTING THE MODELS AND INTERFACING WITH PUBLIC HEALTH DATABASES WILL BE DEVELOPED. 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.

CONGRESSIONAL EARMARK LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY - FY 22 CONGRESSIONAL COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING

ERI: NON-CONTACT ULTRASOUND GENERATION AND DETECTION FOR TISSUE FUNCTIONAL IMAGING AND BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION -TRADITIONAL ULTRASOUND IMAGING AND SENSING SYSTEMS HAVE LIMITATIONS IN RESOLUTION AND SPECIFICITY, OFTEN REQUIRING DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE MEDIUM UNDER INVESTIGATION THROUGH A COUPLING MEDIUM. HOWEVER, IN BIOMEDICAL DIAGNOSIS, THIS DIRECT CONTACT CAN CAUSE IRRITATION, RESULTING IN DISCOMFORT. AS A SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TOOL, DIRECT CONTACT OFTEN LEADS TO POLLUTION OF SAMPLES OR INCONVENIENCE IN OPERATION. TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP INTEGRATED NON-CONTACT ULTRASOUND GENERATION AND DETECTION SYSTEMS CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING HIGH-RESOLUTION AND HIGHLY SPECIFIED DETECTION AND IMAGING FOR BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONAL IMAGING AND BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION. THE DEVELOPED NON-CONTACT SYSTEMS CAN PROVIDE THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND BIOMEDICAL COMMUNITY WITH A VERY USEFUL TOOL FOR SPECIFIC BIOCHEMICAL AND FUNCTIONAL OBSERVATIONS AT A VERY SMALL SCALE. THE DEVELOPED SYSTEMS CAN ALSO OFFER THE TISSUE ENGINEERING COMMUNITY A NON-CONTACT AND NON-DESTRUCTIVE METHOD FOR CHARACTERIZING THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THEIR DEVELOPED TISSUES. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE RESEARCH TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AND WILL PROMOTE THE ENGAGEMENT AND INTEREST OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) THROUGH ITS OUTREACH ACTIVITIES. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE SYSTEMS THAT INTEGRATE BROADBAND ULTRASOUND GENERATION USING BOTH PHOTOACOUSTIC AND AIR-COUPLED ULTRASOUND TECHNIQUES. THESE SYSTEMS WILL INCORPORATE A COMPACT FIBER OPTIC SAGNAC INTERFEROMETER CAPABLE OF MULTIBAND DETECTION TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT SPATIAL RESOLUTION REQUIREMENTS AND ENABLE THE DETECTION OF TRANSVERSE ULTRASOUND WAVES FOR BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL TISSUES. THE INTEGRATION OF THESE NON-CONTACT ULTRASOUND GENERATION AND DETECTION TECHNIQUES WILL ENABLE NON-CONTACT TISSUE FUNCTIONAL IMAGING WITH OPTICAL RESOLUTION, AS WELL AS NON-CONTACT BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TISSUES. THE RESEARCH PLAN REPRESENTS THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC STUDY EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF A COMPACT FIBER OPTIC SAGNAC INTERFEROMETER IN BIOLOGICAL TISSUE IMAGING. THE COMPACT FIBER OPTIC SAGNAC INTERFEROMETER COULD BECOME A POWERFUL, AFFORDABLE, AND ATTRACTIVE TOOL FOR ENHANCING BIOMEDICAL DIAGNOSIS AND RESEARCH, OFFERING IMPROVED ACCURACY AND NON-CONTACT CAPABILITIES. ADDITIONALLY, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES THE FEASIBILITY OF USING THE COMPACT FIBER OPTIC SAGNAC INTERFEROMETER FOR MULTIBAND NON-CONTACT PHOTOACOUSTIC SIGNAL DETECTION IN BIOLOGICAL TISSUE, PARTICULARLY, IN THE ULTRA-HIGH-FREQUENCY RANGE, UP TO 400MHZ. SUCCESS IN THIS ENDEAVOR COULD REPLACE THE CURRENT EXPENSIVE PIEZO-BASED SINGLE TRANSDUCER IN HIGH-FREQUENCY ULTRASOUND DETECTION. FURTHERMORE, THE RESEARCH PLAN INTRODUCES NON-CONTACT AIR-COUPLED ULTRASOUND-INDUCED TRANSVERSE WAVES TO EVALUATE CARDIOVASCULAR PATH BIOMECHANICAL PROPERTIES, OPENING DOORS FOR ENGINEERED TISSUE MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION USING THIS PROPOSED NON-CONTACT ULTRASOUND GENERATION AND DETECTION TECHNIQUE. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

ERI: INTEGRABLE NANO-OPTICAL PARTICLE SIZER FOR MEASURING ULTRAFINE AIRBORNE PARTICLES -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). ULTRAFINE PARTICLES REFER TO AIRBORNE PARTICLES WITH DIAMETERS SMALLER THAN 100 NANOMETERS. THEY ARE PRESENT IN THE AMBIENT AIR WE BREATHE AND CAN BE GENERATED FROM MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES SUCH AS COMBUSTION OF FOSSIL FUELS, WILDFIRE SMOKE, AND CIGARETTE SMOKE. ULTRAFINE PARTICLES CAN POTENTIALLY POSE SEVERE HEALTH RISKS TO A HUMAN BODY. INHALATION OF ULTRAFINE PARTICLES CAN CAUSE PULMONARY INFLAMMATION, SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE AND MONITOR THE HEALTH RISKS CAUSED BY ULTRAFINE PARTICLES, WEARABLE SENSORS THAT CAN MEASURE THE SIZES OF ULTRAFINE PARTICLES AT POINTS OF INTEREST ARE HIGHLY DEMANDED. SUCH SENSORS SHOULD BE ECONOMIC, COMPACT, LOW-POWER, AND INTEGRABLE INTO DIGITAL MOBILE DEVICES AND AEROSOL DELIVERY DEVICES. OUT OF VARIOUS TECHNIQUES FOR MEASURING AIRBORNE PARTICLES, OPTICAL PARTICLE SIZERS HOLD GREAT PROMISE FOR REALIZING SUCH SENSOR PLATFORMS. AN OPTICAL PARTICLE SIZER MEASURES THE SIZES OF INDIVIDUAL AIRBORNE PARTICLES BY DETECTING THE LIGHT SCATTERED FROM PARTICLES WHEN THEY TRAVEL ACROSS A FOCUSED LASER BEAM. HOWEVER, IN EXISTING OPTICAL PARTICLE SIZERS BASED ON CONVENTIONAL OPTICS AND LOW-COST OPTOELECTRONIC COMPONENTS, THE SMALLEST DETECTABLE PARTICLE SIZE IS ABOUT 300 NANOMETERS WHILE ULTRAFINE PARTICLES, BEING SMALLER THAN 100 NANOMETERS, CANNOT BE MEASURED BECAUSE OF TOO WEAK LIGHT SCATTERING FROM THEM. RESPONDING TO THESE CHALLENGES AND LIMITATIONS, THIS RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSES A NOVEL SCHEME OF OPTICAL PARTICLE SIZER BASED ON A NANO-OPTICAL SENSOR STRUCTURE WHICH CAN DRASTICALLY BOOST THE OPTICAL SIGNALS INDUCED BY ULTRAFINE PARTICLES. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS AIMED AT DEVELOPING AN OPTICAL SENSOR PLATFORM CAPABLE OF MEASURING ULTRAFINE PARTICLES PRESENT IN THE AMBIENT AIR AND CIGARETTE SMOKE, WHICH CAN HAVE GREAT IMPACTS ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES WILL PROVIDE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE FIELD OF OPTICS, NANOTECHNOLOGY, AND AEROSOL SENSORS, AND WILL ALSO ENCOURAGE STEM PARTICIPATIONS FOR K-12 STUDENTS THROUGH AN OUTREACH ACTIVITY. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE OPTICAL RESPONSE OF NANO-OPTICAL STRUCTURES WHEN AIRBORNE ULTRAFINE PARTICLES ARE LOCATED ON THE NANOSCALE HOT SPOTS OF STRONGLY FOCUSED LIGHT. SPECIFICALLY, IT WILL GENERATE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING ON HOW TO USE SUBWAVELENGTH APERTURES IN METAL FILMS TO ACCURATELY MEASURE THE SIZES OF ULTRAFINE PARTICLES FLOWING THROUGH THE APERTURES. THE PROJECT CONSISTS OF THREE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: 1) MODEL, FABRICATE, AND CHARACTERIZE THE SUBWAVELENGTH APERTURES. 2) VALIDATE AND CALIBRATE THE SENSOR'S RESPONSE TO ULTRAFINE PARTICLES. 3) INVESTIGATE THE TRANSPORT OF ULTRAFINE PARTICLES THROUGH SUBWAVELENGTH APERTURES. THE PROJECT WILL EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PROPOSED SENSOR SCHEME INCLUDING THE SMALLEST DETECTABLE PARTICLE SIZE AND DETECTABLE CONCENTRATION, AND STUDY THE EFFECTS OF CRUCIAL FACTORS SUCH AS THE SIZE OF SUBWAVELENGTH APERTURES. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO A BREAKTHROUGH IN OPTICAL PARTICLE SIZERS BY EXTENDING THE SENSING CAPABILITY INTO THE DESIRED ULTRAFINE PARTICLE RANGE. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL ALSO ADVANCE THE FIELD OF PLASMONIC SENSORS BY ENABLING NEW APPLICATIONS IN SENSING AIRBORNE PARTICLES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

ERI: MORPHOLOGY-GOVERNED TRANSPORT PHENOMENA IN BIOMASS GASIFICATION: A PORE-RESOLVED CFD STUDY -BIOMASS GASIFICATION IS A PROMISING WAY TO PRODUCE CLEAN FUELS FROM PLANTS. ENGINEERS RELY ON SIMULATION TOOLS TO DESIGN GASIFICATION PROCESSES. THESE TOOLS ASSUME THAT SOLID PARTICLES OF BIOMASS HAVE SIMPLE SHAPES. REAL BIOMASS PARTICLES ARE UNEVEN AND FULL OF TINY HOLES. THEIR TRUE SHAPES AFFECT HOW FAST HEAT AND REACTING GASES REACH THEIR SURFACES, WHICH, IN TURN, AFFECTS PROCESS EFFICIENCY. THIS PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY THE SHAPE FEATURES THAT MATTER MOST IN GASIFICATION AND ANALYZE WHY, SO THAT THE TOOLS USED TO DESIGN AND OPERATE BIOMASS CONVERSION SYSTEMS CAN BE IMPROVED. THE RESULTS WILL SUPPORT MORE EFFICIENT AND RELIABLE REACTOR DESIGNS. THE PROJECT WILL TRAIN UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS IN ADVANCED IMAGING, SIMULATION, AND DATA READING. PROJECT RESULTS WILL BE INCLUDED IN COURSEWORK AND BROADLY SHARED THROUGH PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS. THE PROJECT WILL RECONSTRUCT THREE-DIMENSIONAL BIOMASS CHAR PARTICLE GEOMETRIES USING HIGH-RESOLUTION MICRO COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IMAGING, AND THEN QUANTIFY MEASURABLE SHAPE AND PORE DESCRIPTORS (FOR EXAMPLE, ROUGHNESS, ELONGATION, AND INTERNAL VOID FRACTION) FOR A REPRESENTATIVE PARTICLE SET. IT WILL THEN PERFORM PORE-RESOLVED COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS FOR (I) INDIVIDUAL PARTICLES AND (II) SMALL GROUPS OF PARTICLES TO RESOLVE HOW GEOMETRY AND RELATIVE ARRANGEMENT CONTROL LOCAL FLOW PATTERNS, HEAT EXCHANGE, AND INTER-PARTICLE EFFECTS SUCH AS SHIELDING AND WAKE INTERFERENCE. IT WILL BENCHMARK THESE RESULTS AGAINST IDEALIZED SHAPES TO DEFINE THE LIMITS OF SIMPLIFIED ASSUMPTIONS. TO BUILD CONFIDENCE IN THE SIMULATION FRAMEWORK, SELECTED PARTICLE SHAPES WILL BE REPRODUCED WITH HIGH-RESOLUTION THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING AND TESTED IN A SMALL WIND TUNNEL TO COMPARE MEASURED DRAG AND WAKE BEHAVIOR WITH SIMULATION PREDICTIONS UNDER NON-REACTING CONDITIONS. THE RESULTING IMAGE-TO-SIMULATION DATASET AND PHYSICS-BASED RELATIONSHIPS LINKING SHAPE TO TRANSPORT WILL PROVIDE BENCHMARK RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED REDUCED-ORDER MODELING IN MULTIPHASE SYSTEMS. 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: RELATIVISTIC HEAVY-ION THEORY

RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE: MRI: TRACK 1 ACQUISITION OF A FUNCTIONAL NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY (FNIRS) SYSTEM FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE -RESEARCHERS AT LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY (LTU) UTILIZE NSF MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION FUNDING TO PURCHASE A NIRSPORT2 FUNCTIONAL NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY (FNIRS) NEUROIMAGING SYSTEM FROM NIRX MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. FNIRS PROVIDES A NON-INVASIVE MEASURE OF CHANGES IN OXYGENATED- AND DEOXYGENATED-HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS IN THE HUMAN CEREBRAL CORTEX, REFLECTING REGIONAL BRAIN ACTIVITY IN RESPONSE TO PERCEPTUAL OR COGNITIVE TASKS. ACQUISITION OF THE FNIRS SYSTEM ALTERS LTU?S CAPACITY FOR INTER-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN BASIC AND APPLIED COGNITIVE SCIENCE, ENABLING RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN THE PRINCIPALS IN THE LTU PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM AND THE WIDER LTU COMMUNITY. THIS GREATLY INCREASES ABILITY TO PRODUCE CUTTING-EDGE COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH AND TO PURSUE FUNDED PROJECTS IN A WIDE RANGE OF DOMAINS. LTU STUDENTS ACROSS SEVERAL DISCIPLINES GAIN FROM HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE COLLECTING AND INTERPRETING FUNCTIONAL NEUROIMAGING DATA WITHIN A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS (E.G., BUSINESS, ENGINEERING, COMPUTER SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY), AS WELL AS INCREASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN CLASSES AT LTU. THE ACQUISITION OF FNIRS SUPPORTS A WIDE RANGE OF PLANNED COLLABORATIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROJECTS. THESE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING. 1) IDENTIFYING NEURAL MARKERS OF UNCERTAINTY TO IMPROVE DECISION MAKING (COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE). 2) USING MACHINE LEARNING TO DETECT UNSUSTAINABLY HIGH LEVELS OF COGNITIVE WORKLOAD (COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE). 3) HYPERSCANNING TO UNDERSTAND NEURAL SYNCHRONY IN PAIRS DURING COMPETITIVE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS (COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE). 4) APPLYING NEUROSTIMULATION (TDCS) TO EXAMINE CAUSAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF MOTOR AND VISUAL CORTICAL REGIONS TO LANGUAGE PROCESSING (COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE). 5) USING MACHINE LEARNING TO DETECT CHANGING EMOTIONAL STATES FOR BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE IMPROVEMENT (ENGINEERING). 6) USING FNIRS DATA TO IMPROVE SEMI-SUPERVISED AND UNSUPERVISED TRAINING OF DEEP NEURAL NETWORKS TO CLASSIFY ENGAGEMENT LEVEL DURING DRIVING (COMPUTER SCIENCE, MACHINE LEARNING), 7) EXPLORING THE NEURAL UNDERPINNINGS OF GRIT TO ENHANCE EDUCATION AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT (DECISION SCIENCE, EDUCATION), 8) UNDERSTANDING THE NEURAL BASIS FOR PURCHASING DECISIONS IN RESPONSE TO ADVERTISING (NEUROMARKETING), AND 9) UNDERSTANDING PREFRONTAL CORTEX CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INFLUENCE OF BRAND NOVELTY AND INFORMATION FRAMING ON PURCHASING DECISIONS. (NEUROMARKETING). 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.

CRII: III: RUI: MULTIPHYSICS MODELING OF SLOPE STABILITY IN POST-WILDFIRE ENVIRONMENT -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). POST-WILDFIRE LANDSLIDES AND DEBRIS FLOWS IN RECENT YEARS IN THE WESTERN U.S. HAVE BECOME MORE FREQUENT AND LED TO NUMEROUS FATALITIES AND LARGE ECONOMIC COSTS. THE INCREASE IN LANDSLIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY IN POST-WILDFIRE ENVIRONMENT HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO THE INCREASES IN SOIL MOISTURE AND REDUCTION OF COVERING VEGETATION AND ROOT ANCHORING EFFECT. THE POST-WILDFIRE HILLSLOPE STABILIZATION AND REHABILITATION METHODS ARE STRONGLY RELYING ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENGINEERING BEHAVIORS OF THE WILDFIRE-BURNT SOIL AND THE EFFECT OF POST-WILDFIRE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS (E.G., HEATING-COOLING AND WETTING-DRYING CYCLES). HOWEVER, THE TRANSITIONING MECHANISMS FROM INCREASING SOIL MOVEMENT TO CATASTROPHIC LANDSLIDE, ALONG WITH THE ENGINEERING CHARACTERISTICS OF WILDFIRE-BURNT SOIL, REMAIN UNEXPLORED. THERE IS CURRENTLY NO READILY AVAILABLE APPROACH OR FRAMEWORK TO EVALUATE THE WILDFIRE-BURNT SLOPE STABILITY OR SOIL PROPERTIES. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY DEVELOPING A MULTIPHYSICS AND MULTISCALE NUMERICAL FRAMEWORK TO ANALYZE THE ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF WILDFIRE-BURNT SOIL UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS DURING AND AFTER A WILDFIRE, THUS INFORMING OUR STRATEGIES FOR SLOPE STABILIZATION AND REMEDIATION. EXPECTED PROJECT?S OUTCOMES, SUCH AS THE PHYSICS-BASED MODELS, MULTIPHYSICS COUPLING ALGORITHMS, AND DECISION-SUPPORTING NUMERICAL DATA, WILL PROMOTE THE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE MULTIPHASE GRANULAR FLOW AND RENOVATE THE TECHNOLOGY IN WILDFIRE-BURNT SLOPE STABILIZATION. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE A MULTIDISCIPLINARY LEARNING PLATFORM THROUGH PROJECT-BASED CHALLENGING ACTIVITIES TO LEVERAGE A GREATER AWARENESS AMONGST THE ENGINEERING STUDENTS ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NUMERICAL MODELING IN ADDRESSING ENGINEERING CHALLENGES RELATED TO SUSTAINABLE AND ENERGY VIABLE SOCIETY. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO QUANTIFY THE FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS THAT GOVERN THE MECHANICAL AND HYDROLOGIC SOIL BEHAVIORS AND THEREFORE SLOPE STABILITY IN POST-WILDFIRE ENVIRONMENTS. THE APPROACH TO ACHIEVE THE INITIATIVE WILL COMBINE ANALYSIS AND NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS. TOWARDS THIS END, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL (1) EMPIRICALLY IDENTIFY THE WILDFIRE IMPACTS ON SOIL EROSION, INCLUDING REDUCTION OF ROOT ANCHORING EFFECT AND SUBSURFACE SEEPAGE FLOW; (2) ANALYTICALLY EVALUATE THE FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS DURING AND AFTER THE WILDFIRE, INCLUDING THE EFFECT OF SEVERE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT AND WETTING-DRYING CYCLES ON THE SOIL FABRIC; AND (3) NUMERICALLY MODEL THE MACRO-SCALE SLOPE STABILITY UNDER VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF MICRO-PARAMETERS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. THE STABILITY OF WILDFIRE-BURNT SLOPES WILL, FOR THE FIRST TIME, BE EVALUATED THROUGH PHYSICS-BASED CORRELATIONS THAT ARE INFORMED BY THE PARTICLE-SCALE MEASUREMENTS FROM THE NUMERICAL MODELS. THE PROJECT PUTS FORWARD AN INNOVATIVE CROSS-DISCIPLINARY MULTIPHYSICS RESEARCH THAT WILL ADVANCE OUR FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF MULTI-PHASE WILDFIRE-BURNT DEBRIS FLOW AND PROMOTE INSIGHTS INTO THE CORRELATIONS BETWEEN MICRO-SCALE PHYSICOCHEMICAL FORCES AND MACRO-SCALE MECHANICAL WILDFIRE-BURNT SOIL BEHAVIORS. THE COMBINATION OF EMPIRICAL, ANALYTICAL, AND NUMERICAL ANALYSES PROVIDES A POWERFUL RANGE OF INTERDISCIPLINARY TOOLS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECT OF COUPLED PHYSICAL-THERMAL-MECHANICAL-HYDROLOGIC PROCESS ON THE SOIL ENGINEERING PROPERTIES. 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: DISCOVERING NEW SOURCES OF CP VIOLATION IN FLAVOR PHENOMENOLOGY -THIS RUI AWARD FUNDS THE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES OF PROFESSOR BHUBANJYOTI BHATTACHARYA AT LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY. ALTHOUGH HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL, THE STANDARD MODEL (SM) OF PARTICLE PHYSICS HAS SEVERAL LIMITATIONS. ONE SUCH LIMITATION IS ITS INABILITY TO RESOLVE OUR UNIVERSE'S MATTER-ANTIMATTER ASYMMETRY PUZZLE. THE AMOUNT OF MATTER IN THE UNIVERSE --- SURPRISINGLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ?-- FAR EXCEEDS THE AMOUNT OF ANTIMATTER. A FUNDAMENTAL SYMMETRY CALLED CHARGE-PARITY (CP) RELATES MATTER WITH ANTIMATTER. AS A RESULT, ANY NEW PHYSICS BEYOND THE SM (SO-CALLED BSM PHYSICS) MUST THEREFORE HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT OF CP VIOLATION IN ORDER TO HELP SOLVE THIS PUZZLE. PROFESSOR BHATTACHARYA'S SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE FURTHER INSIGHT INTO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CP VIOLATION IN BSM THEORIES INVOLVING NEW HYPOTHETICAL PARTICLES. RESEARCH IN THIS AREA ADVANCES THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY PROMOTING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE IN UNDERSTANDING THE FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF NATURE THROUGH THE CREATION OF NEW THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS. THIS PROJECT IS ALSO ENVISIONED TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT BROADER IMPACTS. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT LAWRENCE TECH, WORKING UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF PROFESSOR BHATTACHARYA, WILL EMPLOY MODEL-INDEPENDENT TECHNIQUES TO COMPARE DATA WITH THEORY, IDENTIFY DEVIATIONS IN EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS FROM THE SM, AND CREATE NOVEL SOLUTIONS IN THE FORM OF NEW-PHYSICS MODELS THAT ALLEVIATE TENSIONS WITHIN THE DATA. PROFESSOR BHATTACHARYA'S STUDENTS WILL THUS BECOME FAMILIAR WITH CUTTING-EDGE COMPUTATIONAL TECHNIQUES AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE FUTURE AMERICAN WORKFORCE. MORE TECHNICALLY, PROFESSOR BHATTACHARYA WILL INVESTIGATE THE DECAY DISTRIBUTIONS OF HEAVY MESONS (SUCH AS B AND D MESONS) AS FUNCTIONS OF MULTIPLE KINEMATIC VARIABLES, USING SEVERAL THEORETICAL TOOLS. HE WILL EMPLOY FLAVOR-SU(3) SYMMETRY TO INVESTIGATE HADRONIC DECAYS AND EFFECTIVE-FIELD THEORY APPROACHES TO EXPLORE SEMI-LEPTONIC DECAYS. HIS RESEARCH WILL EXAMINE THESE DECAYS IN LIGHT OF NEW-PHYSICS MODELS WITH HYPOTHETICAL PARTICLES SUCH AS VECTORLIKE FERMIONS, LEPTOQUARKS, AXIONLIKE PARTICLES, AND HIGGSLIKE PARTICLES. THESE PROJECTS WILL CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DELIVERING A SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH-BASED EDUCATION TO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WHILE GENERATING INCREASED INTEREST IN AND GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF PARTICLE PHYSICS RESEARCH AMONG THE GENERAL PUBLIC. 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: DISCOVERING NEW SOURCES OF CP VIOLATION IN FLAVOR PHENOMENOLOGY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ADVANCING MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY ESTABLISHING PRACTICES TO IMPROVE MENTORSHIP, LEARNING, AND ENGAGEMENT IN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES (URES) IN ENGINEERING. URES PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN ENHANCING ENGINEERING STUDENTS' ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES BY PROVIDING HANDS-ON, AUTHENTIC EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. THIS LEVEL 2 PROJECT IN THE ENGAGED STUDENT LEARNING TRACK OF THE IUSE PROGRAM WILL BUILD ON AN EXISTING TOOLKIT OF INTERVENTIONS AND BEST PRACTICES THAT CREATE STRUCTURED REFLECTION AND MENTORING ACTIVITIES WITHIN ENGINEERING URES. THE IMPLEMENTATION, ADAPTATION, AND OUTCOMES OF THIS TOOLKIT IN URES WILL BE STUDIED ACROSS FIVE INSTITUTIONS. THIS WORK HAS THE POTENTIAL TO EXPAND ACCESS AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF MENTORSHIP IN ENGINEERING URES. IT WILL ALSO STRENGTHEN THE EXISTING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN A DIVERSE GROUP OF PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS, AND THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED WILL RESULT IN THE EXPANSION OF HIGH-QUALITY, FREELY AVAILABLE RESOURCES FOR ENGINEERING URES. DURING THE PROJECT, THE INVESTIGATORS WILL FORM AN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXCELLENCE NETWORK (UREN) WITH URE MENTORS, INCLUDING FACULTY, POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS, AND GRADUATE STUDENTS, TO IMPLEMENT THE EXISTING TOOLKIT. THE TOOLKIT INCLUDES STUDENT AND MENTOR TRAINING VIDEOS, ACTIVITIES, INSTRUCTOR GUIDES, AND WORKSHOPS THAT MAKE THE LEARNING AND BENEFITS OF URES MORE VISIBLE TO AND ACCESSIBLE FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY. THE UREN WILL PROVIDE STRUCTURED TRAINING AND COACHING TO HELP MENTORS FORM AN ACTION PLAN FOR ADOPTING THESE TOOLS IN THEIR RESEARCH MENTORSHIP. THE IMPLEMENTATIONS WILL BE EVALUATED THROUGH AN EMERGENT DESIGN STUDIES APPROACH, FOCUSING ON MEDIATING PROCESSES INVOLVING STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENT, REFLECTIVE THINKING, AND MINDSET. THESE FINDINGS WILL BE LINKED WITH EVALUATED OUTCOMES RELATED TO STUDENTS' AUTONOMY AND SELF-CONFIDENCE IN RESEARCH AND THEIR ABILITY TO CONNECT THEIR RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WITH THEIR LEARNING THROUGH COURSEWORK. THIS PROJECT WILL INCREASE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IMPROVING LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT IN ENGINEERING URES. EVALUATING WHETHER THE LEARNING GAINS OBSERVED IN PREVIOUS WORK CAN BE GENERALIZED ACROSS FIVE INSTITUTIONS WILL ESTABLISH THIS TOOLKIT AS AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO ENHANCING ENGINEERING STUDENTS' LEARNING. FURTHERMORE, IT WILL PROVIDE CRITICAL INSIGHT TO INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES THAT LEVERAGE STUDENT MINDSET TO SUPPORT EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN STEM FIELDS. 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.

BIGDATA: IA: QUERY-BY-EXAMPLE FOR BIG ASTRONOMICAL DATA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE RULES OF PREDATION: LINKING BIOMECHANICS AND ECOLOGY IN THE BAT-INSECT ARMS RACE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: IHBEM: BENEATH THE SURFACE: INTEGRATING WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR TO DECODE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PATTERNS -HOW CAN DISEASE OUTBREAKS IN AN INCREASINGLY INTERCONNECTED WORLD BE BETTER PREDICTED AND RESPONDED TO? THE PROJECT TACKLES THIS CHALLENGE BY COMBINING TWO KEY SOURCES OF INFORMATION: COMMUNITY WASTEWATER AND HUMAN BEHAVIORS. WHILE CURRENT METHODS OFTEN RELY ON DELAYED AND INACCURATE MEDICAL REPORTS, OUR INNOVATIVE APPROACH ANALYZES TRACES OF VIRUSES IN SEWAGE AND INCORPORATES VARIOUS TYPES OF DATA ABOUT HUMAN ACTIVITY. THIS INCLUDES INFORMATION ON PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS, SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, ONLINE SEARCHES, SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, AND IMMUNE FACTORS. BY COMBINING THESE DIVERSE DATA SOURCES, THE INVESTIGATORS AIM TO DETECT DISEASES EARLIER AND GAIN A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THEY SPREAD THROUGH COMMUNITIES. THE INVESTIGATORS WILL ALSO EXAMINE HOW PUBLIC ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS EVOLVE DURING PROLONGED HEALTH CRISES. ALTHOUGH THE INITIAL FOCUS IS ON COVID-19, THE METHODS TO BE DEVELOPED COULD BE APPLIED TO OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES, HELPING COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE PREPARE FOR FUTURE HEALTH EMERGENCIES. BEYOND THE RESEARCH, THE INVESTIGATORS ARE COMMITTED TO TRAINING UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS, NURTURING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. ULTIMATELY, THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE VALUABLE TOOLS FOR HEALTH OFFICIALS TO MAKE QUICKER, MORE INFORMED DECISIONS TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ENHANCE MATHEMATICAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELING BY INTEGRATING HUMAN BEHAVIORAL DATA WITH WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE DATA, CREATING A MORE COMPREHENSIVE AND TIMELY APPROACH TO OUTBREAK DETECTION AND RESPONSE. BY SYNTHESIZING ADVANCEMENTS ACROSS MATHEMATICAL MODELING, WASTEWATER EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE (GISCIENCE), THE RESEARCH APPROACH INNOVATIVELY CONNECTS HUMAN BEHAVIOR INSIGHTS WITH WASTEWATER DATA TO ENHANCE VIRAL TRANSMISSION UNDERSTANDING AND FORECASTS AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL. TO ACHIEVE THIS, THE INVESTIGATORS WILL PURSUE THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES: (1) DEVELOP AN EARLY-WARNING SYSTEM USING WASTEWATER AND DIGITAL AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR DATA; (2) CREATE A SOCIO-IMMUNO-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PHARMACEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS AND THE EMERGENCE OF DOMINANT VARIANTS USING WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE DATA; AND (3) MODEL THE IMPACT OF PANDEMIC FATIGUE SOCIAL BEHAVIORS ON VIRAL TRANSMISSION AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL. THESE OBJECTIVES WILL BE ADDRESSED BY A INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH TEAM, WHICH BRINGS TOGETHER EXPERTISE IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS, EPIDEMIOLOGY, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND GEOGRAPHY. THIS APPROACH REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD IN UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN HUMAN BEHAVIOR, IMMUNE RESPONSES, AND PATHOGEN SPREAD. ULTIMATELY, THE RESEARCH OUTCOMES WILL EQUIP HEALTH OFFICIALS WITH VALUABLE TOOLS FOR DESIGNING PROACTIVE, TARGETED, AND ADAPTABLE INTERVENTIONS, ENABLING QUICKER AND MORE INFORMED DECISION-MAKING. THIS AWARD IS CO-FUNDED BY DMS (DIVISION OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES) AND SBE/SES (DIRECTORATE OF SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES, DIVISION OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES). 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: THE SEED-PA. A PRACTICAL INSTRUMENT FOR ASSESSING INDIVIDUAL ETHICS INITIATIVES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CONFERENCE: STRATEGICALLY ENGAGING PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS AT BUILDING RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE, NETWORKS AND KNOWLEDGE (BRINK) IN THE EMERGENCE OF RESEARCH -THE UNIQUE RESPONSIBILITIES OF RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION AND RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT (RARD) ADMINISTRATORS, AS PROFESSIONALS WHO SUPPORT COLLABORATION ACROSS DIVERSE RESEARCH DISCIPLINES, SUPPORT FACULTY AT ALL STAGES OF THEIR ACADEMIC CAREERS, AND WHO ENGAGE WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS AND SPONSORS, MAKE RARDS A CRITICAL HUMAN RESOURCE INVESTMENT IN GROWING THE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE. THIS PROJECT WILL TRAIN RARD PROFESSIONALS TO USE A STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH, CALLED SOAR (STRENGTHS, OPPORTUNITIES, ASPIRATIONS, AND RESULTS) IN STRATEGIC THINKING, PLANNING, LEADING, AND FACILITATING CONVERSATIONS THAT SPARK INNOVATION, COLLABORATION, AND SUPPORT RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT WITHIN AND ACROSS EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS TO PROVIDE MENTORING, SHARED EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES REQUIRED FOR GROWTH. LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND MICHIGAN INDEPENDENT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES NETWORK WILL HOST THE BUILDING RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE, NETWORKS, AND KNOWLEDGE (BRINK) CONFERENCES TO PROVIDE TRAINING OVER A YEAR-LONG PERIOD VIA IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS AND WILL HOST A SYMPOSIUM TO SHOWCASE THE RESULTS OF PARTICIPANT?S IMPLEMENTED CAPACITY-BUILDING PROJECTS WITHIN AND ACROSS EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS. BRINK ADDRESSES EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS BY INCREASING CAPACITY THROUGH A SYNERGISTIC APPROACH THAT OPTIMIZES TRAINING, COLLECTIVE MENTORING, AND SYMPOSIA. THE BASIS OF BRINK?S RARD TRAINING IS THE SOAR FRAMEWORK AND METHOD OF APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY (AI), A PRACTICE OF ASKING GENERATIVE QUESTIONING AND USE OF POSITIVE FRAMING, TO INVOLVE ALL STAKEHOLDERS IN STRATEGIC PLANNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE. INITIAL WORKSHOPS WILL BE TRAINING IN SOAR, INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT OF STRENGTHS (THE SOAR PROFILE), AND SETTING OBJECTIVES FOR INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS. THE PROJECT WILL ENGAGE RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION AND RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT (RARD) ADMINISTRATORS FROM MICHIGAN?S EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS WHO WILL LEARN HOW TO USE SOAR TO THINK AND PLAN STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THE PRACTICES AND PROCESSES WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE. THREE ITERATIONS OF FOLLOW-ON 90-DAY MENTORING SESSIONS WILL SHARE INTERIM SUCCESSES ON PROJECTS AND STRATEGIES SUPPORTING IMPLEMENTATION. THE FINAL SYMPOSIUM WILL PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SUCCESSFULLY PRACTICED STRATEGIES THAT SPECIFICALLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY?S CAPACITY TO SUPPORT ALL EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS. THE BRINK PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SUSTAINABLE NETWORK OF EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS IN MICHIGAN. THE FLORIDA RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE IS A PARTNER AND MODEL FOR BUILDING THIS SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURE. THE METHODS AND RESULTS OF THE BRINK PROGRAM WILL BE WIDELY DISSEMINATED WITH THE GOAL OF PROMOTING NETWORKED APPROACHES TO BUILDING RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT CAPACITY WITHIN EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS. 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.

A COMPUTING FACILITY FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

MRI: ACQUISITION OF EYE TRACKING EQUIPMENT TO SUPPORT BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AT LTU

F/S CTR INNOV. & ENTREP.

SGER: LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS FOR THE USE OF CFRP IN PRESTRESSED

US-ISRAEL WORKSHOP ON SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS: MATERIALS AND ENERGY

US-ISRAEL WORKSHOP ON INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY IN MULTI-SCALE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF PH REGULATION IN THE SECRETION OF PROTEINS AND THE VIRULENCE OF THE APOPLAST-INFECTING FUNGUS MYCOSPHAERELLA GRAMINICOLA

STUDENT SUPPORT: 4TH NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE, TORONTO, CANADA; OCTOBER 23-25, 2019

US-EGYPT WORKSHOP ON SUSTAINABLE GREEN BUILDING IN DESERT ENVIRONMENT

CRII:OAC:A DATA-DRIVEN CLOSED-LOOP PLATFORM FOR OPTIMAL DESIGN OF DEPLOYABLE PIN-JOINTED STRUCTURES

US-JAPAN WORKSHOP: LCA OF SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE MATERIALS; HELD IN SAPPORO, JAPAN, OCTOBER 2009

STUDENT TRAVEL SUPPORT FOR INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT (IEOM) WORLD CONGRESS; DETROIT, MICHIGAN; 9-11 OCTOBER 2024 -THIS AWARD PROVIDES PARTICIPANT SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS AND YOUNG RESEARCHERS TO ATTEND THE WORLD CONGRESS ON INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT (IEOM) WORLD CONGRESS IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN, 9-11 OCTOBER 2024. THE CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES. US AND INTERNATIONAL RESEARCHERS PRESENT THEIR RESEARCH RESULTS ON ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN ORAL AND POSTER SESSIONS. THE CONFERENCE IMPACTS THE ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING COMMUNITIES. PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO PARTICIPATION BY WOMEN AND UNDER-REPRESENTED MINORITY GROUPS, WHICH PROMOTES DIVERSE PARTICIPATION AT THE CONFERENCE. THIS AWARD BENEFITS THE NATION THROUGH THE EDUCATION OF A SKILLED SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WORKFORCE, WHICH IS BETTER PREPARED TO PROVIDE TRANSFORMATIVE SOLUTIONS TO THE CHALLENGES IN THEIR CHOSEN FIELDS. THIS SYMPOSIUM PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN SUPPORTING AND SUSTAINING THE FIELD OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, WHICH HAS MANY IMPORTANT APPLICATIONS IN TRANSPORTATION, ENERGY, MICROELECTRONICS, AND OTHER INDUSTRIAL SECTORS. THIS PARTICIPANT SUPPORT IS EXPECTED TO BENEFIT THE STUDENTS? AND YOUNG RESEARCHERS? PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT. ATTENDANCE AT THE CONFERENCE GIVES THE STUDENTS AND YOUNG FACULTY A BROADER VIEW OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, ITS FUNDAMENTALS AND PRACTICE. THE CONFERENCE DISCUSSES SPECIALIZED TOPICS RELATED TO ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SUCH AS VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION, AI IN MANUFACTURING, SMART MOBILITY, SMART MANUFACTURING, ROBOTICS IN MANUFACTURING, DIGITAL TWINS, AND INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION. BESIDES TECHNICAL RESEARCH, THE CONFERENCE PLANS TO HOLD WORKSHOPS ON GEOMETRIC DIMENSIONING AND TOLERANCING (GD&T), PRODUCTION PART APPROVAL PROCESS (PPAP), AND PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER (PLC), AND PANELS ON SMART MOBILITY, EV CHARGING AND OTHERS. AT THE CONFERENCE, CONCEPTS AND CHALLENGES IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ARE IDENTIFIED AND PRESENTED, AND ATTENDEES CHART NEW PATHS FORWARD IN THE FIELD AND RALLY A NEW GENERATION OF RESEARCHERS TOWARD THEM. THE CONFERENCE IS ATTENDED BY US AND INTERNATIONAL RESEARCHERS, WHICH PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A VARIETY OF PERSPECTIVES TO BE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED. THE CONFERENCE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PARTICIPANTS TO SHOWCASE THEIR SCIENTIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND INTERACT WITH PEERS AND COLLEAGUES IN ACADEMIA, GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES AND INDUSTRY. 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 DEVELOPMENT OF A CONSOLIDATED MASTER PLAN AND DESIGNS FOR MULTIPURPOSE BIKE STATIONS IN UNDERUTILIZED PUBLIC PARKS IN DETROIT'S WEST E

STUDENT SUPPORT: NINTH NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE; WASHINGTON, DC; 4-6 JUNE 2024 -THIS GRANT PROVIDES TRAVEL SUPPORT FOR CONFERENCE REGISTRATION, ACCOMMODATIONS AND AIR TRAVEL FOR STUDENT ATTENDEES AT THE NINTH NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT (IEOM) CONFERENCE; WASHINGTON, DC; 4-6 JUNE 2024. THE THEME OF THE CONFERENCE IS ?OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN THE INDUSTRY 4.0 ERA?. ELIGIBLE STUDENTS MUST BE ENROLLED FULL-TIME AT A US COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY. PREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN ENGINEERING. STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO PRESENT A RESEARCH PAPER OR POSTER AT THE CONFERENCE. STUDENTS WHO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE IN THE IEOM CONFERENCE WILL HAVE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN NETWORKING WITH ATTENDEES FROM OVER 45 COUNTRIES. INDUSTRIES ARE FACING CHALLENGES FROM DISRUPTING SMART TECHNOLOGIES. STUDENTS WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTEND CONFERENCE KEYNOTE ADDRESSES, TECHNICAL SESSIONS, INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS, AND INDUSTRY 4.0 SESSIONS. THEY WILL MEET THE OUTSTANDING INDUSTRY SPEAKERS WHO BRING EXPERIENCE AND EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE. THE CONTACTS THAT ARE DEVELOPED AT THIS EVENT WILL ADD VALUE TO THE STUDENTS WHO MAY BE SEEKING JOB OPPORTUNITIES. STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AND COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS. ENGAGEMENT WITH INDUSTRY, ACADEMIA AND OTHER STUDENTS WILL BE A GREAT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND EDUCATION TO PREPARE STUDENTS IN THE CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS AND DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

STUDENT TRAVEL SUPPORT FOR THE INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT WORLD CONGRESS ON AI AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION; WINDSOR, CANADA; 14-16 OCTOBER 2025 -THIS AWARD PROVIDES PARTICIPANT SUPPORT FOR US STUDENTS TO ATTEND THE SECOND WORLD CONGRESS ON INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT (IEOM), TO BE HELD IN WINDSOR, ONTARIO, CANADA, 14-16 OCTOBER 2025. THE CONGRESS WILL FOCUS ON CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) APPLICATIONS IN MANUFACTURING AND THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE MANUFACTURING SUPPLY CHAIN, PARTICULARLY IN RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT GLOBAL UNCERTAINTIES. THE CONFERENCE BRINGS TOGETHER ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS AND INDUSTRY PRACTITIONERS TO SHARE INNOVATIONS IN SMART MANUFACTURING, SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE, AND AI INTEGRATION THROUGH ORAL PRESENTATIONS, POSTER SESSIONS, AND TECHNICAL COMPETITIONS. PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONGRESS WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GLOBALLY AWARE STEM WORKFORCE, EQUIPPING STUDENTS WITH INSIGHTS INTO THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN DIGITAL MANUFACTURING AND SMART TECHNOLOGIES. THE CONGRESS WILL ADDRESS FUTURE MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES, INCLUDING INDUSTRY 4.0, INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT), SIMULATION, VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION, AUTOMATION, AND SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS. STUDENTS WILL GAIN VALUABLE EXPERIENCE BY PARTICIPATING IN TECHNICAL COMPETITIONS, PRESENTING THEIR RESEARCH, AND ENGAGING IN PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING WITH U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRY PRACTITIONERS AND LEADERS. THE CONFERENCE IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON VARIOUS SECTORS, INCLUDING MANUFACTURING, TRANSPORTATION, AND ELECTRONICS. THIS PARTICIPANT SUPPORT CONTRIBUTES TO THE SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL, AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH OF STUDENTS, PREPARING THEM FOR LEADERSHIP ROLES IN THE EVOLVING LANDSCAPE OF MANUFACTURING AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT. 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.

LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY'S ALBERT KAHN LIBRARY COLLECTION, IMPROVING THE STORAGE ENVIRONMENT, PURCHASE OF PRESERVATION SUPPLIES, CONSULTATION AND STAFF TRAINING.

LIBRARY COLLECTIONS GENERAL PRESERVATION ASSESSMENT