Hems Inc

DESCRIPTION:THIS AGREEMENT PROVIDES FUNDING UNDER THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT (IRA) TO TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY. THE RECIPIENT IS A REGIONAL GRANTMAKER (RGM), IN COLLABORATION WITH ACHIEVING COMMUNITY TASKS SUCCESSFULLY (ACTS), FOR THE SUBSEQUENT AWARD GRANTMAKING ACTIVITIES. THE GRANTMAKER PROGRAM WILL DISTRIBUTE $51,682,500 IN SUBAWARDS. AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL MAKE THE FINAL DETERMINATION OF HOW MANY OF EACH TYPE OF AWARD (TIER I, II, OR III, PLUS NONCOMPETITIVE SUBAWARDS) WILL BE DISTRIBUTED. ADDITIONALLY, TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY WILL DEVELOP A SYSTEM THAT REQUIRES ALL FUNDED SUBRECIPIENTS TO PROVIDE PROGRESS REPORTS FOR EACH 6-MONTH PERIOD OF FUNDING. GUIDANCE INCLUDING DETAILED INFORMATION ON WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE PROGRESS REPORT WILL BE DEVELOPED BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND PROVIDED IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH AND OTHER LANGUAGES AS REQUESTED. FOR SUBRECIPIENTS THAT HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, A PAPER VERSION OF THE PROGRESS REPORT WILL BE ACCEPTED VIA EMAIL OR MAIL. CHALLENGES NOTED IN THE PROGRESS REPORTING WILL BE REVIEWED BY THE PROGRAM MANAGER, DISCUSSED WITH MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND REFERRED TO EPA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF NEEDED. EACH SUBRECIPIENT WILL BE INFORMED OF THE REQUIRED SUBRECIPIENT PROGRESS REPORT DUE DATES AND PROVIDED INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SUBMIT VIA THE GRANT PLATFORM SECURED FOR THE REGIONAL GRANTMAKER PROGRAM. THE PURPOSE OF THIS AWARD IS TO FUND THE SUBSEQUENT AWARD FOR THE PASS-THROUGH ENTITY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY. TWO HUNDRED NINETY-SIX (296) GRANT APPLICATIONS WILL BE AWARDED DURING THE THREE-YEAR PROJECT PERIOD THAT WILL CONSIST OF THREE GRANT CYCLES ANNUALLY DURING YEARS 1-3. AN OUTSIDE INDEPENDENT EVALUATOR WILL BE SECURED TO DEVELOP AND OVERSEE AN ONGOING EVALUATION PLAN FOCUSED ON SOLICITING FEEDBACK FROM POTENTIAL APPLICANTS AND AWARDED SUBRECIPIENT TO ASSESS (1) THE USEFULNESS OF SHARED GRANT APPLICATION INFORMATION, (2) DISSEMINATE STORIES FROM APPLICANTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL OR CLIMATE JUSTICE CONCERNS AND HOW THEY STAND TO BENEFIT FROM THE FUNDING, (3) PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT WITH APPLICANT ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK, AND (4) INCREASED KNOWLEDGE OF APPLICANTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEIR PROJECTS ALIGN WITH THE FUNDING CRITERIA. EVALUATION WILL ALSO FOCUS ON CAPACITY BUILT AMONG EJ FRONTLINE ORGANIZATIONS, THE PERCEPTION OF CHANGES ACHIEVED BY SUBRECIPIENTS, PARTICULARLY IN UNDERSERVED, DISADVANTAGED AND/OR REMOTE COMMUNITIES, AND SUCCESSES AND LESSONS LEARNED. A SEMI-ANNUAL REVIEW OF COLLECTED DATA WILL BE COMPLETED BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE IN JANUARY AND JUNE ANNUALLY, AND AN ANNUAL RETREAT WILL BE HELD IN SUMMER 2025 AND 2026 TO PLAN THE UPCOMING YEAR'S GRANT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION. AN ANNUAL REPORT OF PROGRAM DELIVERABLES WILL BE AVAILABLE IN FALL 2025 AND 2026, AND THE FINAL REPORT INCLUDING SUCCESS STORIES WILL BE AVAILABLE IN SUMMER 2027. ACTIVITIES:THE ACTIVITIES IN THE SUBSEQUENT AWARD PHASE INCLUDE: TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY HAS HIRED VARIOUS PROGRAM STAFF WHO WILL OVERSEE THE PROGRAM'S OPERATION AND PROVIDE GENERAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT OF PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION; COORDINATE THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND PROPOSED REVIEW TEAMS; CONDUCT OUTREACH WITH STATE HUBS AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND TRANSLATION SERVICES; SERVE AS INITIAL POINT OF CONTACT FOR ELIGIBLE SUBRECIPIENTS THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS AND TO AWARDEES FOR REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. A CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST PLAN HAS BEEN CREATED TO ENSURE REVIEWERS HAVE COMPLETED THE FORM AND APPROVED TO PARTICIPATED IN ANY UPCOMING GRANT APPLICATION CYCLES. AN ONLINE GRANT APPLICATION PORTAL, DEDICATED TO THE GRANTMAKER PROGRAM, HAS BEEN CREATED FOR ELIGIBLE SUBRECIPIENTS TO APPLY FOR FUNDING. A REVIEWER DATABASE HAS ALSO BEEN DEVELOPED TO INCLUDE POTENTIAL REVIEWERS BY AREA OF EXPERTISE AND COMMUNITY; THE REVIEW CRITERIA WILL BE EXAMINED AND APPROVED BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THE BULLARD CENTER'S PROGRAM MANAGER AND THE FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR

HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PROGRAM

PROVIDE EMERGENCY AID ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS AND AS APPROPRIATE TO INSTITUTIONAL NEEDS RELATED DIRECTLY TO THE DISRUPTION IN SERVICES DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

CENTER FOR BIOMEDICAL AND MINORITY HEALTH RESEARCH

TITLE III, PART B STRENGTHENING HISTORICALLY BLACK GRADUATE INSTITUTIONS (HBGI) PROGRAM

HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PROGRAM (FUTURE ACT)

DESCRIPTION:THIS AGREEMENT PROVIDES AN INITIAL FUNDING OF $4,917,247 TO TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY UNDER THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT (IRA). TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY WILL ACT AS THE REGIONAL GRANTMAKER (RGM), IN COLLABORATION WITH ACHIEVING COMMUNITY TASKS SUCCESSFULLY (ACTS), FOR GRANTMAKING ACTIVITIES. THE TOTAL FUNDING FOR TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY WILL BE $50,000,000, SPLIT INTO TWO AWARDS OF AN INITIAL AND SUBSEQUENT GRANT. BOTH AWARDS WILL BE DERIVED FROM THE SAME FUNDING SOURCE AND WILL HAVE SEPARATE YET OVERLAPPING TIMELINES. THE INITIAL GRANT FUNDS WILL ALLOW THE REGIONAL GRANTMAKER TO ESTABLISH AND CARRY OUT THE PROPOSED PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE, OUTREACH, AND SYSTEM MOBILIZATION EFFORTS. THE AIM IS TO ESTABLISH THE COLLECTION, REVIEW, SELECTION, AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE THRIVING COMMUNITIES SUBGRANTS. THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT WILL BE CUSTOMIZED TO EACH ASSISTANCE REQUEST, DEVELOPING ROBUST AND TRANSPARENT STRUCTURES. TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY WILL ASSIST COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS (CBOS) AND COMMUNITY LEADERS IN ESTABLISHING STRUCTURES TO ENSURE THAT INCOMING FINANCIAL RESOURCES ARE DISTRIBUTED WITH EQUITY AND TRANSPARENCY. THE PROPOSED GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES WILL BE SHARED AMONG THE STAKEHOLDERS TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS. ACTIVITIES:THE PROJECT ACTIVITIES DURING THE INITIAL AWARD PHASE INCLUDE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HUBS WITH TWO HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCUS) THAT WILL SERVE AS A CENTRAL POINT FOR COMMUNITY ACCESS TO THE GRANT-MAKING PROGRAM. A NEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL BE DEVELOPED TO OVERSEE THE GRANT-MAKING PROGRAM'S DESIGN AND OPERATION. GUIDELINES AND PROTOCOLS WILL BE ESTABLISHED FOR REVIEWING SUBRECIPIENT APPLICATIONS, PROVIDING TECHNICAL SUPPORT BEFORE AND AFTER FUNDING AWARDS, AND COLLECTING REPORTS FROM SUBRECIPIENTS. EXPERIENCED VENDORS WILL BE CONTRACTED TO CREATE A USER-FRIENDLY PROCESS FOR SUBMITTING GRANTS, MANAGING THE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDING AWARDS, AND COLLECTING REPORTING SUBMISSIONS. FURTHERMORE, A CONSULTANT WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN PROGRAM EVALUATION WILL BE HIRED TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PROCESS AND OUTCOME EVALUATION PLAN FOCUSED ON OVERALL EFFICACY AND A PLAN FOR SOLICITING FEEDBACK FROM FUNDED AND POTENTIAL APPLICANTS. THIS COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH AIMS TO ENSURE THE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT OF THE GRANT-MAKING PROGRAM. SUBRECIPIENT:TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY WILL WORK WITH ACHIEVING COMMUNITY TASKS SUCCESSFULLY (ACTS) TO ESTABLISH AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR OVERSEEING THE GRANT-MAKING PROGRAM'S DESIGN AND OPERATION. THEY WILL CREATE GUIDELINES AND PROTOCOLS FOR REVIEWING SUBRECIPIENT APPLICATIONS, OFFERING TECHNICAL SUPPORT BEFORE AND AFTER FUNDING AWARDS, AND COLLECTING REPORTS FROM SUBRECIPIENTS. ACHIEVING COMMUNITY TASKS SUCCESSFULLY (ACTS) WILL USE ITS EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING IMPACTFUL COMMUNITY-LED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROJECTS TO ENGAGE, EDUCATE, AND EMPOWER THROUGH CITIZEN SCIENCE, COMMUNITY INCLUSION, AND INITIATIVES THAT PROMOTE COMMUNITY RESILIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. FURTHERMORE, ACHIEVING COMMUNITY TASKS SUCCESSFULLY (ACTS) WILL PROVIDE TRAINING AND RESOURCES TO ENHANCE CRITICAL THINKING AND BOOST RESIDENTS' ABILITY TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR COMMUNITY AND DRIVE TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE.OUTCOMES:THE PROJECT ANTICIPATED DELIVERABLES INCLUDE A MULTILINGUAL WEBSITE/LANDING PAGE, AND QUARTERLY BILINGUAL EMAILS (IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH) WHICH WILL BE SENT QUARTERLY TO THE NETWORKS OF TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY. PAID CONTRACTORS/EXPERTS WILL USE THEIR METHODOLOGY TO DISTRIBUTE EMAILS AND HARD COPY MATERIALS THROUGHOUT TRIBAL NATIONS. A WEBINAR WILL ALSO BE HOSTED ON A VIRTUAL PLATFORM THAT PROVIDES TRANSLATION INTO MULTIPLE LANGUAGES TO ADVERTISE THE AVAILABILITY OF THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES. ADDITIONALLY, IN-PERSON PRESENTATIONS AND PRINTED MATERIALS ABOUT THE SUBAWARD OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE INCORPORATED AT CONFERENCES, EVENTS AT TRIBAL NATIONS, AND COMMUNI

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

GENERAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY ACTIVITY

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FEDERAL TRIO PROGRAMS TALENT SEARCH

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM-TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM - TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY- (KASHMERE, WHEATLEY, STERLING)

COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING - CONSTRUCTION - TSU HAS DESIGNED A PLAN TO ENGAGE IN A MULTI-PHASE / MULTI-YEAR REHABILITATION PROJECT TO MODERNIZE THE W. R. BANKS CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER, A SIX THOUSAND SQUARE FOOT SINGLE-STORY BUILDING AND CREATE THE INSTITUTE FOR URBAN PUBLIC HEALTH AND HOUSING EQUITY, AN URBAN RENEWAL PROGRAMMING INITIATIVE. TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY’S INSTITUTE FOR URBAN PUBIC HEALTH AND HOUSING EQUITY INITIATIVE IS BEING DESIGNED TO ADDRESS SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN HISTORICALLY UNDESERVED COMMUNITIES AND INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINORITY HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS THROUGH TRAINING AND RESEARCH. AT ITS CORE, THE INSTITUTE WILL BE DEVELOPED WITH THE NEIGHBORING PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, CUNEY HOMES’ RESIDENTS AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY IN MIND. THE INSTITUTE WILL FOCUS ON DEVELOPING SKILLS AND PROVIDING ONGOING TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION FOR PROFESSIONALS TO SERVE AS “FRONTLINE” HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND COMMUNITY ADVOCATES. FURTHERMORE, THE INSTITUTE WILL GROW THE UNDERSTANDING OF HEALTH DISPARITIES AND HOUSING INEQUITY WITHIN A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT. MR. LARENCE SNOWDEN, ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR CORPORATE-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND CAREER PATHWAYS (PI) AND PROJECT DIRECTOR (PD) WILL SERVE AS HAVE SENIOR OVERSIGHT AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE INSTITUTE PROJECT. THE TOTAL TSU INSTITUTE FOR URBAN PUBLIC HEALTH AND HOUSING EQUITY RENOVATION PROJECT COST IS $2,000,000. THIS HRSA CONSTRUCTION/EQUIPMENT PROJECT REQUESTS $2,000,000 IN FUNDING TO COVER THE TOTAL CONSTRUCTION, RENOVATION, MODERNIZATION, AND EQUIPMENT COSTS.

AWARD PURPOSE: REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACCELERATORS- ASSIST ENTITIES IN DEVELOPING IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE PRIORITIES AND FINANCING STRATEGIES FOR THE ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT OF A PROJECT THAT IS ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING UNDER THE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE AND INNOVATION ACT (TIFIA) PROGRAM UNDER CHAPTER 6 OF TITLE 23, UNITED STATES CODE. ACTIVITES: BUILD NORTHWEST CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (EVENTS, COURSES, PRACTICES, TRIBAL ENGAGEMENT, WEBINARS, ETC), ZERO EMISSION COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR (FAST CHARGING EV INFRASTRUCTURE), CRITICAL CONNECTIONS (BRT, HOOD RIVER BRIDGE REPLACEMENT), HIGH PERFORMANCE RAIL (CASCASE CORRIDOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS) DELIVERABLES: KICK-OFF MEETING; QUARTERLY & ANNUAL REPORTS; PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN; PROJECT EVALUATION PLAN INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: PACIFICA NORTHWEST REGION COMMUTERS.

LOUIS STOKES RENEWAL STEM PATHWAYS AND RESEARCH ALLIANCE: HOUSTON LOUIS STOKES ALLIANCE FOR MINORITY PARTICIPATION -THE LOUIS STOKES ALLIANCES FOR MINORITY PARTICIPATION (LSAMP) PROGRAM ASSISTS UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN THEIR EFFORTS TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS MATRICULATING INTO AND SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING HIGH QUALITY DEGREE PROGRAMS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) DISCIPLINES TO DIVERSIFY THE STEM WORKFORCE. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON TRANSFORMING UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION THROUGH INNOVATIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION STRATEGIES, AND RELEVANT EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES IN SUPPORT OF POPULATIONS UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM DISCIPLINES: AFRICAN AMERICANS, HISPANIC AMERICANS, AMERICAN INDIANS, ALASKA NATIVES, NATIVE HAWAIIANS, AND NATIVE PACIFIC ISLANDERS. THESE STRATEGIES FACILITATE THE PRODUCTION OF WELL-PREPARED STUDENTS HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND MOTIVATED TO PURSUE GRADUATE EDUCATION OR CAREERS IN STEM. FOR THE UNITED STATES TO REMAIN GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE, IT IS VITAL THAT IT TAPS INTO THE TALENT OF ALL ITS CITIZENS AND PROVIDES EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATIONAL PREPAREDNESS IN STEM AREAS THAT UNDERPIN THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY. THE HOUSTON LSAMP STEM PATHWAYS & RESEARCH ALLIANCE (H-LSAMP) HAS FORMED AN ALLIANCE IN RESPONSE TO THE NEED FOR A MORE DIVERSE AND SKILLED TECHNICAL WORKFORCE. THAT NEED STILL EXISTS AND IS PARTICULARLY ACUTE IN TEXAS. THE INSTITUTIONS THAT MAKE UP THE ALLIANCE ARE DIVERSE AND INCLUDE TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY (THE LEAD INSTITUTION), TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-DOWNTOWN, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-CLEAR LAKE. THROUGH THIS PROJECT, THE ALLIANCE WILL PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH RESEARCH EXPERIENCES, MENTORING, SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES, ACTIVITIES TO BUILD COMMUNITY AMONG STUDENTS, AND DEDICATED PROGRAM SPACE. IN ADDITION, H-LSAMP WILL BE A MODEL AND A RESOURCE IN LONGITUDINAL ASSESSMENT ANALYSIS FOR LONG-STANDING, MULTIDIMENSIONAL STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAMS, CONTRIBUTING TO THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH SPACE. THE ALLIANCE TEAM IS ALSO COMMITTED TO DISSEMINATING LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH PRACTICE AND RESEARCH TO AUDIENCES WITHIN THE STATE, REGION AND NATIONWIDE, SUPPORTING THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION'S STRATEGIC GOAL TO EMPOWER STEM TALENT TO FULLY PARTICIPATE IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING BY IMPROVING CONDITIONS FOR MINORITIZED STUDENTS IN STEM AND HELPING BUILD A DIVERSE AND EXCELLENT STEM WORKFORCE. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

NANOPARTICLES AND NANOCAPSULES FOR GLIOMA TARGETING

THE TSU SHAPE INITIATIVE: CHANGE THROUGH HEALING, AWARENESS, NETWORKS, AND GATEWAYS TO EMPOWERMENT (CHANGE)

THE TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY CENTER

TITLE III, PART F STRENGTHENING HBCU PROGRAM FOR THE FOSTERING UNDERGRADUATE TALENT BY UNLOCKING RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION (FUTURE) ACT PROGRAM

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, MADISON UPWARD BOUND MATH AND SCIENCE

MATERNAL HEALTH RESEARCH NETWORK (MH-RN) FOR MSIS--RESEARCH AWARDS

TRIO STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES STEM-TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

TRIO STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

PNWER REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACCELERATOR

PNWER REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACCELERATOR

UPWARD BOUND MATH AND SCIENCE PROGRAM - MADISON - TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

THE TSU SHAPE INITIATIVE YES!

THE TSU SHAPE INITIATIVE: BRUTHAS PROJECT - THE TSU SHAPE INITIATIVE: BRUTHAS PROJECT IS A TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS AND GREATER COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICE PROVIDER PARTNERSHIP. THE PARTNERSHIP IS DESIGNED TO EXPAND AND ENHANCE ACCESS TO TREATMENT OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (SUD), HIV, HEPATITIS-C AND STI PREVENTION SERVICES PRIMARILY AMONG AT-RISK ETHNIC/SEXUAL MINORITY MALES IN HOUSTON/HARRIS COUNTY. THE OVERALL HIV BURDEN (INCIDENCE RATE OF 21.6-25.6; PREVALENCE RATE OF 464.6-566.8) WITHIN HOUSTON/HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS IS GREATER THAN THAT REPORTED AT THE STATE (INCIDENCE RATE OF 15.7; PREVALENCE RATE OF 327.9) AND NATIONAL LEVEL(INCIDENCE RATE OF 11.4; PREVALENCE RATE OF 308.7). IN HOUSTON/HARRIS COUNTY, AFRICAN AMERICANS (45%) AND HISPANICS (38%) ACCOUNTED FOR MOST NEW HIV 2018 DIAGNOSES (OVER 1,200, 9% INCREASE FROM 2017) AND MALE-TO-MALE CONTACT (68%) REPRESENTED THE GREATEST CATEGORY OF TRANSMISSION. THE TSU SHAPE INITIATIVE: BRUTHAS PROJECT IS AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM HOUSED WITHIN A UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE THE FLUIDITY OF SUCH A DIVERSE TARGET POPULATION. AS SUCH, THE PROJECT WILL IMPLEMENT SERVICES WITHIN A LOCALITY THAT IS HARDEST HIT BY THE HIV EPIDEMIC. ITS PRIORITY POPULATION IS AFRICAN AMERICAN AND HISPANIC YMSM/MSM 16 YEARS AND OLDER THROUGHOUT GREATER HOUSTON WHO ARE AT-RISK FOR HIV, VIRAL HEPATITIS, SUBSTANCE MISUSE, AND/OR POOR MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES. THE BRUTHAS PROJECT AN IDEAL COMPLEMENTARY PROGRAM THAT CAN EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF ETHNIC MINORITY YMSM/MSM THROUGHOUT THE GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY. GOALS OF THE BRUTHAS PROJECT ARE TO 1) INCREASE ACCESS TO HIV AND HEPATITIS CLINICAL CARE SERVICES FOR SEXUAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY MALES; 2) IMPLEMENT PREVENTION STRATEGIES THAT REDUCE SUBSTANCE USE, POOR MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES, SEXUAL RISK, AND ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIERS AMONG SEXUAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY MALES; 3) DEVELOP, UTILIZE, AND DISSEMINATE ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES TO ENGAGE SEXUAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY MALES. THE BRUTHAS PROJECT FURTHER COMMITS TO DELIVERING CULTURALLY GROUNDED PREVENTION STRATEGIES TO INCLUDE STATUS NEUTRAL FRAMEWORK AND SERVICE APPROACH, REDUCED COUNSELING, TESTING, AND REFERRAL RAPID-TEST APPROACH, COMMUNITY PROMISE FOR HIGH IMPACT PREVENTION (HIP), GROUP-EDUCATION SESSION MODEL, (TRANSFORM) TRANSFORMING FROM HIV PREVENTION PRACTICE TO PREVENTION INNOVATION: COMPREHENSIVE HIV CARE DELIVERY FOR MSM OF COLOR AND THE BRUTHAS PROJECT EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION. THE EVIDENCE-BASE INTERVENTIONS AND/OR PROMISING PRACTICES HIGHLIGHTED ABOVE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ADDRESSING DISPARITIES IN SERVICE ACCESS, USE, AND OUTCOMES. THE BRUTHAS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE DIRECT CLINICAL TESTING SERVICES TO AN ANNUAL MINIMUM OF 50-125 HOUSTON/HARRIS COUNTY RESIDENTS FOR A TOTAL OF 435 UNDUPLICATED PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFYING AS YMSM/MSM AND/OR ENGAGED IN SIMILARLY CONSISTENT BEHAVIORS RECEIVING HIV, HEPATITIS-C AND/STI SCREENING OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD. OF THESE, APPROXIMATELY10: )43-45 PARTICIPANTS) WILL ENROLL IN AN INTENSIVE EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION PROGRAM DESIGNED TO REDUCE INDIVIDUAL SEXUAL RISK FACTORS AND BETTER ADDRESS UNIQUE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS IMPACTING OVERALL WELLBEING.

GENERAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY ACTIVITY

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY PROJECT TITLE: CONSORTIUM FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OF ALLOYS FOR EXTREME CONDITIONS (REAM) PROJECT OBJECTIVES: OVERCOME CHALLENGES IN THE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE TUNGSTEN ALLOYS. ENHANCE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING STRUCTURES VIA MACHINE LEARNING, IMPROVING QUALITY AND RELIABILITY OF TUNGSTEN COMPONENTS. EXAMINE EFFECTS OF STRESSORS ON TUNGSTEN TO DEVELOP MATERIALS THAT ARE FEASIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE. BRIDGE ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRY NEEDS BY FOSTERING A COMPREHENSIVE LEARNING AND RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL SHAPE THE NEXT GENERATION OF TECHNOLOGICALLY ADEPT, GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE NATIONAL DEFENSE WORKFORCE.

MICRO/NANO-ENCAPSULATION OF PARTIALL OXIDATION BIOCATALYSTS

MCNAIR PROGRAM - TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

2/2 COLLABORATIVE UNION FOR CANCER RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND DISPARITIES (CURED) - CURED OVERALL ABSTRACT DAN L DUNCAN COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER (DLDCCC) AT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE (BCM) AND TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY (TSU) ARE JOINTLY SUBMITTING A P20 APPLICATION TO BUILD A COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP IN CANCER RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH. DLDCCC IS A NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE (NCI) DESIGNATED CANCER CENTER. TSU IS ONE OF THE NATION’S LARGEST HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCU) SERVING UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS AND UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS (ISUPSS). BCM AND TSU HAVE HAD SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATIONS. THIS RELATIONSHIP WAS STRENGTHENED RECENTLY THROUGH TSU’S U54 “CENTER FOR BIOMEDICAL AND MINORITY HEALTH RESEARCH”, WHERE BCM FACULTY HAVE PARTNERED CLOSELY ON COLLABORATIVE CANCER DISPARITIES COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH. THIS P20 PROGRAM PROVIDES AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR TSU AND BCM TO EXPAND COLLABORATIONS. WE PROPOSE A BCM-TSU P20 PROGRAM “COLLABORATIVE UNION FOR CANCER RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND DISPARITIES” (CURED) THAT WILL FOSTER STRONG COLLABORATIONS UTILIZING OUR COMPLEMENTARY STRENGTHS. OVERALL OBJECTIVES ARE TO CREATE A SHARED INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL PROVIDE AN OPTIMAL ENVIRONMENT FOR CANCER RESEARCH, EDUCATION, COMMUNITY OUTREACH, AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSIFY THE BIOMEDICAL WORKFORCE. CURED WAS ESTABLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF SENIOR LEADERSHIP AT EACH INSTITUTION, REFLECTED IN THE SIGNIFICANT INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP. BCM HAS COMMITTED $160,000/YEAR FOR FOUR YEARS IN COST MATCHING FUNDS, $ 50,000 FOR PILOT PROJECT 2 FOR ONE YEAR, AND COMMITTED FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE TRAINING OF TSU SUMMER STUDENTS IN THE CANCER RESEARCH EDUCATION PROGRAM. TSU HAS COMMITTED TO RETURN THE INDIRECT COST ALLOCATION AMOUNTING TO $98,000 EACH YEAR. ALL TSU INVESTIGATORS ARE MEMBERS OF THE DLDCCC. LEADERS OF EACH INSTITUTION ARE THUS COMMITTED TO EMPOWER THE P20 PARTNERSHIP TO ADDRESS CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES AMONG URM AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS IN HOUSTON. OUR GOALS ARE TO (1) ESTABLISH A COLLABORATIVE ALLIANCE BETWEEN BCM AND TSU FOR CANCER RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH. WE WILL (A) ESTABLISH CURED OFFICES IN BOTH INSTITUTIONS THAT WILL PROVIDE COORDINATION FOR RELEVANT ACTIVITIES, EVALUATE PROGRESS OF CURRENT PROJECTS, AND ENSURE A PIPELINE OF INNOVATIVE PILOT PROJECTS; (B) CENTRALIZE INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES FOR FACULTY/TRAINEE RESEARCH NEEDS (C) LEAD A CANCER RESEARCH AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR TSU STUDENTS THAT INCLUDES MENTORED CANCER RESEARCH, AN EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM, HANDS-ON TRAINING IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT; (D) BUILD A BCM/TSU COMPREHENSIVE OUTREACH PROGRAM TO ADDRESS CANCER DISPARITIES AT THE BENCH, BEDSIDE, AND WITHIN THE COMMUNITY; AND (2) TO SUPPORT A PIPELINE OF COLLABORATIVE INNOVATIVE CANCER RESEARCH PILOT PROJECTS. OVERALL IMPACT: WE ARE CERTAIN THAT THE PROPOSED CURED WILL ENHANCE CANCER RESEARCH EDUCATION CAPACITY AT TSU, PROMOTE A DIVERSE RESEARCH WORKFORCE, AND IMPROVE BCM/DLDCCC’S EFFECTIVENESS IN DEVELOPING AND SUSTAINING RESEARCH PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES. WE WILL DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH CAPACITY LEADING TO INDEPENDENT AND COLLABORATIVE APPLICATIONS TO THE NIH/OTHER FEDERAL/NON-FEDERAL AGENCIES.

CONGREGATE: AN ACCELERATOR TO RE-OPEN THE TOURISM AND PERFORMING ARTS INDUSTRIES

TSU VETERANS FOR EXCELLENCE CENTER

PARTNERSHIP FOR FOSTERING GRADUATE TRAINING IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AT TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

SELECTIVELY MANIPULATING INTESTINAL GLUCURONIDATION TO ALLEVIATE MYCOPHENOLATE MOFETIL-INDUCED DIARRHEA - PROJECT TITLE: SELECTIVELY MANIPULATING INTESTINAL GLUCURONIDATION TO ALLEVIATE MYCOPHENOLATE MOFETIL-INDUCED DIARRHEA ABSTRACT: GLUCURONIDATION IN THE GI TRACT USUALLY IS A DETOXIFICATION PROCEDURE FOR PHENOLIC DRUGS USED TO TREAT DISEASES ON THE OTHER ORGANS. FOR MANY OF THESE DRUGS, GLUCURONIDATION IN THE GI TRACT IS INSUFFICIENT, RESULTING IN EXCESSIVE DRUG ACCUMULATION IN THE LOWER GI SEGMENTS (I.E., ILEUM AND COLON) TO CAUSE LOCAL TOXICITY (E.G., DIARRHEA, CONSTIPATION). OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO DEVELOP SAFE AND EFFECTIVE AGENTS TO SELECTIVELY MANIPULATING GLUCURONIDATION IN THE LOWER GI TRACT TO BOOST LOCAL DETOXIFICATION WITHOUT COMPROMISING PLASMA DRUG EXPOSURE AND EFFICACY FOR BETTER THERAPEUTIC OUTCOMES. IN THIS APPLICATION, WE PROPOSE TO USE MYCOPHENOLATE MOFETIL (MMF), A PRODRUG OF MYCOPHENOLIC ACID (MPA) USED TO PREVENT REJECTION IN ORGAN TRANSPLANT PATIENTS, AS THE MODEL DRUG TO PROVE THE PRINCIPLE-OF-CONCEPT. CLINICAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT MORE THAN 20% OF ORGAN TRANSPLANT PATIENTS WITH MMF TREATMENT SUFFER FROM CHRONIC DIARRHEA, WHICH SIGNIFICANTLY DOWNGRADES PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIVES AND DOUBLES GRAFT LOSS INCIDENCE. IN THE PRELIMINARY STUDY, WE FOUND THAT WOGONIN AND CHRYSIN, TWO COMPOUNDS THAT ARE ONLY BIOAVAILABLE IN THE LOWER GI TRACT DUE TO TWO NOVEL RECYCLINGS MECHANISMS DISCOVERED BY US RECENTLY, CAN EFFECTIVELY ATTENUATE MMF-INDUCED DIARRHEA IN RATS. IN VITRO STUDIES SHOWED THAT WOGONIN CAN INDUCE UGT1A, A SUBFAMILY OF ENZYMES CATALYZING MPA TO BE METABOLIZED INTO MPA-GLUCURONIDE (MPAG, A NON-TOXIC METABOLITE). ADDITIONALLY, IN VITRO STUDIES SHOWED THAT CHRYSIN COULD INHIBIT UGT2B7, AN ENZYME ISOFORM CATALYZING MPA TO BE METABOLIZED INTO ACYL-MPA-GLUCURONIDE (ACMPAG, A TOXIC METABOLITE). PK STUDIES IN RATS SHOWED THAT CO-ADMINISTRATION OF WOGONIN/CHRYSIN WITH MMF DIDN'T ALTER THE PLASMA EXPOSURE TO MPA, THE ACTIVE FORM FOR IMMUNOSUPPRESSION. THEREFORE, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT SELECTIVELY AND SYNERGISTICALLY MANIPULATING MPA INTESTINAL GLUCURONIDATION BY ORGAN TARGETING AGENTS WOGONIN AND CHRYSIN COULD REDUCE LOCAL EXPOSURE TO MPA AND ACMPAG IN THE LOWER GUT TO ATTENUATE DIARRHEA INDUCED BY MMF WITHOUT AFFECTING SYSTEMIC EXPOSURE TO MPA. WE PROPOSE TWO SPECIFIC AIMS TO TEST OUR HYPOTHESIS: (1) VERIFY THE SYNERGISTIC ANTI-DIARRHEAL EFFECT OF WOG AND CHRY AND DEVELOP MORE EFFECTIVE DOSING REGIMENS USING CELLS AND ANIMAL MODELS (AIM 1); AND (2) DETERMINE THE MECHANISM OF DIARRHEA ATTENUATION BY WOG AND CHRY USING CELLS AND ANIMAL MODELS (AIM 2). SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT WILL ALLOW US TO PROVE THE CONCEPT OF BOOSTING LOCAL DETOXIFICATION IN THE LOWER GUT USING LOCALLY BIOAVAILABLE COMPOUNDS. SELECTIVELY MANIPULATING DRUG METABOLISM IN A SPECIFIC ORGAN USING ORGAN TARGETING AGENTS IS HIGHLY INNOVATIVE, THUS UNRAVELING AN IMPORTANT NEW PARADIGM ON MANAGEMENT OF SIDE EFFECTS IN THE GI TRACT. THIS PROJECT WILL ALLOW THE PI TO MAINTAIN AND EXPAND HIS INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN DEVELOPING RECYCLED LOCALLY BIOAVAILABLE DRUGS. ADDITIONALLY, RECEIVING THIS AWARD WILL ALLOW THE PI TO CONTINUOUSLY ATTRACT AND TRAIN STUDENTS FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUND, ESPECIALLY FROM UNDER-REPRESENTED MINORITY POPULATIONS, WITH MULTI-DISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNIQUES.

THE STRENGTHENING CULTURALLY SPECIFIC CAMPUS APPROACHES TO ADDRESS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND STALKING INITIATIVE (CSC INITIATIVE) SUPPORTS HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCUS), HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS (HSIS), AND TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (TCUS) TO STRENGTHEN THEIR INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND STALKING ON CAMPUS. THE CSC INITIATIVE FOCUSES ON BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF THESE INSTITUTIONS TO ESTABLISH CULTURALLY RELEVANT STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND STALKING, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE RESPONSE PROTOCOLS AND PREVENTION PROGRAMMING. TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY IS A PUBLIC, FOUR-YEAR, HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY (HBCU) LOCATED IN HOUSTON, TX. WITH THIS NEW AWARD, TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, IN COLLABORATION WITH ITS CAMPUS PARTNERS, WILL CREATE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC STRATEGIES TAILORED TO BLACK STUDENTS AND OTHER UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS, AND WORK WITH THE DESIGNATED CAMPUS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDER TO: 1) BUILD THE CAPACITY OF THE INSTITUTION TO DEVELOP A CULTURALLY SPECIFIC, COORDINATED COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO ADDRESS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND STALKING BY SECURING RELEVANT PARTNERSHIPS, CONDUCTING TRAININGS, AND DEVELOPING RESOURCES TAILORED TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY; 2) DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN TO OUTLINE KEY STRATEGIES NECESSARY TO ESTABLISH A COORDINATED COMMUNITY RESPONSE; AND 3) ESTABLISH A COORDINATED COMMUNITY RESPONSE TEAM THAT WILL OVERSEE AND IMPLEMENT PROJECT ACTIVITIES.

RESEARCH INITIATION AWARD: STRUCTURE-REACTIVITY RELATIONSHIP OF RUTHENIUM COMPLEXES FEATURING ASYMMETRIC CHIRAL LIGANDS -NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: THIS PROJECT ADVANCES THE FIELDS OF INORGANIC AND BIOLOGICAL INORGANIC CHEMISTRY WHILE PROVIDING SIGNIFICANT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AT TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY. IT DEVELOPS NOVEL RUTHENIUM COMPLEXES AND FOCUSES ON THEIR UNIQUE MOLECULAR STRUCTURES, HOLDING POTENTIAL FOR BREAKTHROUGHS IN AREAS RANGING FROM CATALYSIS TO MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY. THE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT ENGAGES STUDENTS HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM FIELDS. THROUGH HANDS-ON RESEARCH EXPERIENCES AND ROBUST MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS, STUDENTS GAIN INVALUABLE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE, ENHANCING THEIR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PROSPECTS. THIS DUAL FOCUS ON CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PROMISES BROADER SOCIETAL BENEFITS, INCLUDING THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF FUTURE SCIENTISTS. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: THE RESEARCH EXPLORES THE REACTIVITY OF NOVEL MONO-RUTHENIUM COMPLEXES COORDINATED WITH ASYMMETRIC CHIRAL LIGANDS. THE PROJECT AIMS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE MOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF THESE RUTHENIUM COMPLEXES INFLUENCES THEIR CHEMICAL PROPERTIES, PARTICULARLY THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH NITRIC OXIDE AND DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID. THE RESEARCH TEAM SYNTHESIZES A SERIES OF MONO-RUTHENIUM COMPLEXES USING OXAZOLIDINE-2-THIONE AND THIAZOLIDINE-2-THIONE DERIVATIVES AS LIGANDS. VARIOUS SYNTHETIC ROUTES ARE EMPLOYED TO OBTAIN AND CHARACTERIZE THESE COMPLEXES, INVESTIGATING THEIR STRUCTURAL, ELECTROCHEMICAL, AND SPECTROSCOPIC PROPERTIES. BY EXAMINING THE STEREOCHEMICAL EFFECTS AND ESTABLISHING COMPREHENSIVE STRUCTURE-REACTIVITY PROFILES, THIS RESEARCH PROJECT FILLS CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE GAPS AND PAVES THE WAY FOR INNOVATIVE APPLICATIONS IN CATALYSIS, PHOTOCHEMISTRY, AND MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY. ULTIMATELY, THE FINDINGS CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE EFFICIENT AND SELECTIVE FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, ENHANCING THE UNDERSTANDING OF RUTHENIUM-BASED CHEMISTRY AND ITS POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS. 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.

MECHANISM OF IOP-LOWERING EFFECTS OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT IN PRIMARY OPEN ANGLE GLAUCOMA, ELEVATED INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE (IOP) IS ASSOCIATED WITH ABNORMALLY INCREASED RESISTANCE TO AQUEOUS HUMOR (AH) OUTFLOW. DUE TO THE COMPLEX PATHOGENESIS OF GLAUCOMA, THE EXACT MECHANISM FOR INCREASED RESISTANCE TO AH OUTFLOW AND CHANGES IN VASCULAR FUNCTION IS YET TO BE FULLY DETERMINED. EVIDENCE OF THE PRESENCE OF A FUNCTIONAL TRANS-SULFURATION PATHWAY IN MAMMALIAN TISSUES HAS STIMULATED A SURGE OF INTEREST IN THE BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND ROLE OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE (H2S) IN OCULAR FUNCTION AND DISEASE. IN A PREVIOUS STUDY WE SHOWED EVIDENCE THAT H2S (USING H2S-RELEASING COMPOUNDS AS TOOLS) CAN LOWER IOP IN NORMOTENSIVE RABBITS. FURTHERMORE, WE REPORTED THAT H2S CAN ENHANCE AQUEOUS HUMOR OUTFLOW, AN EFFECT THAT IS MEDIATED VIA THE CONVENTIONAL PATHWAY. HOWEVER, THE EXACT MECHANISM OF ACTION OF H2S ON ELEVATED IOP AND AQUEOUS HUMOR DYNAMICS IS UNCLEAR. THE GOAL OF THE PRESENT PROPOSAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF H2S IN THE PATHWAY AND PROCESSES INVOLVED IN THE REGULATION OF IOP IN GLAUCOMA. SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL EVALUATE THE PHYSIOLOGICAL/PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTION OF H2S (USING H2S-RELEASING COMPOUNDS) ON AN EXPERIMENTALLY-INDUCED ANIMAL MODEL OF GLAUCOMA AND WILL ALSO DETERMINE THE ROLE OF THE ENDOGENOUS PATHWAY FOR THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF H2S IN THE MAINTENANCE OF IOP IN THIS MODEL. FURTHERMORE, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE CELLULAR MECHANISM/S OF ACTION OF EXOGENOUSLY-ADMINISTERED H2S AND ENDOGENOUSLY-PRODUCED H2S ON PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN THE OUTFLOW OF IOP AND NEURODEGENERATIVE CHANGES IN GLAUCOMA. IN SUMMARY, STUDIES DESIGNED IN THE PRESENT PROPOSAL WILL ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: I) WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF TOPICALLY INSTILLED H2S (USING H2S-RELEASING COMPOUNDS AS GAS DONORS) ON ELEVATED IOP? (II) ARE BIOSYNTHETIC ENZYMES FOR H2S PRODUCTION (CBS, CSE, 3MST) INVOLVED IN THE RELEASE AND/OR AVAILABILITY OF H2S IN THE CILIARY ARTERY, CILIARY EPITHELIUM, IRIS, TM AND NEURAL RETINA IN CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS WITH GLAUCOMA? (III) DOES THE CONCENTRATION OF H2S IN TISSUES (CILIARY ARTERY, CILIARY EPITHELIUM, IRIS, TM AND NEURAL RETINA) CORRELATE WITH PROTEIN/MRNA EXPRESSION LEVELS OF BIOSYNTHETIC ENZYMES (CBS, CSE AND 3MST) IN CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS WITH GLAUCOMA? (IV) DOES THE PATHWAY LEADING TO H2S PRODUCTION ALTERED BY ELEVATED PRESSURE IN THE TM USING THE HUMAN ANTERIOR SEGMENT ORGAN CULTURE MODEL? (V) DOES THE IOP-LOWERING ACTION OF H2S (ADMINISTERED AS H2S-RELEASING COMPOUNDS) INVOLVE CHANGES IN TM MORPHOLOGY AND MMP-INITIATED ECM TURNOVER? (VI) DOES THE H2S-MEDIATED CHANGES IN IOP MITIGATE SOME OF THE NEURODEGENERATIVE CHANGES OBSERVED IN GLAUCOMA? WHAT ARE THE MECHANISM/S INVOLVED? WE ANTICIPATE THAT DATA OBTAINED FROM THE PRESENT STUDY MAY ALSO REVEAL A NOVEL ROLE FOR H2S IN THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND/OR PHARMACOLOGY OF THE ANTERIOR UVEA AND POSTERIOR SEGMENT OF THE EYE.

THE AGE-DEPENDENCE AND CELL-SPECIFICITY OF BREAST CANCER DRIVEN BY MUTANT P53

NANOPARTICLES AND NANOCAPSULES FOR GLIOMA TARGETING

DEVELOPMENT OF NEW HEMOSTATIC DRESSINGS

REGIONAL PANDEMIC PLAN

THE AGEP DATA ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE ALLIANCE MODEL: TRAINING AND RESOURCES TO ADVANCE MINORITY GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS INTO FACULTY CAREERS

COMPARATIVE ANALYSES OF MYBL1 KNOCKDOWN IN NON-TUMOR AND TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER CELLS - COMPARATIVE ANALYSES OF MYBL1 KNOCKDOWN IN NON-TUMOR AND TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER CELLS PROJECT SUMMARY THE MYBL1 GENE BELONGS TO THE MYB FAMILY OF GENES, WHICH INCLUDES C-MYB AND MYBL2. THE GENES ARE PROTO-ONCOGENES THAT FUNCTION AS STRONG TRANSCRIPTIONAL ACTIVATORS INVOLVED IN PROLIFERATION, DIFFERENTIATION AND CELL CYCLE SIGNALING PROCESSES, ALL WHICH ARE KEY EVENTS IN TUMOR PROGRESSION. STUDIES SHOWED THAT TRUNCATED C-MYB IS AN ONCOGENE AND AS SUCH, THE GENE WAS STUDIED AS A THERAPEUTIC TARGET FOR BREAST CANCERS. LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT MYBL1 AND MYBL2. BOTH PLAY SUBSTANTIAL ROLES IN CELL CYCLE PROGRESSION AND ARE OVEREXPRESSED IN DIFFERENT CANCERS, INCLUDING BREAST CANCERS. PUBLISHED RESULTS FROM THE PLAYER LABORATORY SHOWED MYBL1 OVEREXPRESSED IN A SUBPOPULATION OF TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCERS (TNBC). IN A SEPARATE COMPREHENSIVE SUPERVISED NETWORK ANALYSES OF LUMINAL BREAST CANCERS, MYBL1 OVEREXPRESSION WAS SHOWN TO CORRELATE WITH POOR DISEASE PROGNOSIS. BASED ON THESE STUDIES THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR‘S (PI) LABORATORY CHOSE TO STUDY THE MYBL1 GENE WITH AN INTEREST IN CHARACTERIZING THE GENE IN NON-TUMOR TN COMPARED TO TNBC AND IDENTIFYING GENES AFFECTED BY ITS EXPRESSION IN THE CANCERS. THE EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH IS TO KNOCKDOWN THE MYBL1 GENE IN THE SAMPLES, PERFORM MICROARRAY ANALYSES TO IDENTIFY GENES DIFFERENTIALLY AFFECTED BY THE PROCESSES, FOLLOWED BY FURTHER ANALYSES TO AUTHENTICATE CANDIDATE GENES IDENTIFIED DURING THE PROCESS. AS A PROOF OF CONCEPT, MYBL1 GENE WAS DOWN-REGULATED IN A TNBC CELL LINE. THE CANDIDATE GENES AFFECTED BY DECREASING MYBL1 EXPRESSION INCLUDE MYBL2 AND AN ENRICHMENT IN CELL CYCLE SIGNALING GENES SOME OF WHICH ARE NOVEL. THIS OBSERVATION IS CONSISTENT WITH THOSE WHICH SHOW CO-EXPRESSION OF MYBL1 AND MYBL2 AND SUBSTANTIATE THE ABILITY OF MYBL1 TO REGULATE EXPRESSION OF MYBL2. THE EXPERIMENTS OUTLINED IN THE CURRENT STUDY SHOULD BROADEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF SIGNALING EVENTS IN TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST SAMPLES. FOR AIM 1, THE INVESTIGATORS WILL CONTINUE KNOCKDOWN STUDIES OF MYBL1 IN TNBC AND INCLUDE AN ADDITIONAL TNBC AND A NON-TUMOR TN SAMPLE AS COMPARISONS. THESE DATA WILL ALLOW THE PI TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENTIAL PATTERNS OF REGULATION BY MYBL1 IN NON-TUMOR COMPARED TO TRIPLE NEGATIVE CANCERS IN EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY GENES AND PROCESSES THAT MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED WITH TUMOR PROGRESSION. BECAUSE TNBC ARE HETEROGENEOUS, THIS STUDY IS CONFINED TO SUBTYPE B, MYBL1 EXPRESSING SAMPLES. RELIABLE SIGNATURE GENES WILL BE IDENTIFIED, AND PATHWAY ANALYSES PERFORMED. THE HYPOTHESIS IS THAT EXPRESSION OF MYBL1 IN THE DIFFERENT TISSUES RESULT IN DIFFERENT SIGNALING MECHANISMS. SELECT DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED GENES WILL BE EXAMINED USING TISSUE MICROARRAYS WITH DEFINED RECEPTOR STATUS AND SURVIVAL DATA AND COMPARED TO THE MYBL1 GENE EXPRESSION PATTERN. FOR AIM 2, THE PROLIFERATIVE CAPACITY AND INVASIVE POTENTIAL OF THE VARIOUS KNOCKDOWN SAMPLES WILL BE COMPARED. FOR AIM 3 THE TUMORIGENIC PROPERTIES OF CONTROL UNTREATED, SHRNA SCRAMBLED CONTROL AND MYBL1 SHRNA KNOCKDOWN PREPARATIONS FOR EACH CELL LINE WILL BE EXAMINED VIA SOFT AGAR ANALYSES.

DEVELOPMENT OF ULTRAFINE PARTICLES FOR INTRANASAL DELIVERY OF ANTIPSYCHOTICS

RESEARCH INITIATION AWARD: NON-APOPTOTIC FUNCTIONS FOR FAS-ASSOCIATED DEATH DOMAIN (FADD) IN OSTEOSAROCMA

TRIO-STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES (CLASSIC)

TRIO-STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES (STEM)

THE OFFICE OF STEM ENGAGEMENT (OSTEM) SEEKS TO: 1. ATTRACT STUDENTS TO STEM THROUGH UNIQUE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT SPARK INTEREST AND PROVIDE CONNECTIONS TO NASAS MISSION AND WORK 2. ENGAGE STUDENTS IN AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCES WITH NASA

CONFERENCE: EQUITY, INNOVATION, AND STEAM - STRENGTHENING THE R&D CONNECTIONS -STEAM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, THE ARTS, AND MATH) CONTINUES TO GROW IN THE INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING FIELD, WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF FINDINGS FROM RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT NEED TO ASSESS WHERE THIS NASCENT FIELD IS IN RELATION TO EQUITY AND WHAT ARE THE CRITICAL NEXT STEPS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN. RESEARCH SHOWS: (1) A NEED TO DEVELOP MORE MUTUALLY SUPPORTIVE LINKS IN THIS WORK BETWEEN RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS; (2) A NEED TO ADDRESS EQUITABLE ACCESS, FRAMING, AND DESIGN IN STEAM INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING; AND ADDITIONALLY, (3) THAT STEAM ENGAGES UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS IN STEM. THIS CAN, POTENTIALLY, HELP PROVIDE NEEDED DIVERSITY IN THE STEM WORKFORCE, ALONG WITH CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE THINKING SKILLS ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS. TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INNOVATION COLLABORATIVE, WILL CONVENE A TWO-YEAR FIVE-PHASE WORKING CONFERENCE PROJECT TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES. THIS CONFERENCE PROJECT IS HOUSED ON AN HBCU (HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES) CAMPUS THAT HAS A MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAM AND A UNIVERSITY MUSEUM. A CORE GROUP OF DIVERSE LEADING STEAM INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS WILL HELP LEAD THE PROJECT. THEY WILL ASSEMBLE DIVERSE TEAMS REPRESENTING THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING INSTITUTIONS. DURING THE TWO YEARS, THESE PARTICIPANTS WILL IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN EQUITY, CHOOSE AND FRAME THE SIX MOST IMPORTANT TOPICS TO ADDRESS, AND INVESTIGATE THESE TOPICS THROUGH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON COMPONENTS. THIS CONFERENCE PROJECT CAN SERVE AS A MODEL FOR OTHER FIELDS TO DEVELOP AN APPROACH AND NEXT STEPS RELATING TO EQUITY, ESPECIALLY AS IT INTEGRATES RESEARCH AND PRACTICE. THE GOALS OF THIS RESEARCH ARE TO DEVELOP: 1) A COHESIVE APPROACH, INTEGRATING RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, TO THE MOST SALIENT ISSUES REGARDING EQUITY IN STEAM INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING; AND 2) AN EFFECTIVE MODEL FOR A STEAM INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING CONFERENCE PROJECT TO ADDRESS EQUITY. ALL TARGETED OUTCOMES WILL BE ITERATIVELY MEASURED USING EQUITABLE, CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE EVALUATION TECHNIQUES. THE PROJECT FINDINGS WILL BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH TRADITIONAL AND NONTRADITIONAL MEANS WITH A FOCUS ON REACHING A WIDE VARIETY OF DIVERSE AUDIENCES. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS PROCESS, THERE WILL BE A MORE COHESIVE VIEW OF WHERE THE STEAM INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING FIELD IS IN RELATION TO EQUITY THAT WILL INFORM NEXT STEPS THAT WILL BENEFIT A BROAD SPECTRUM OF UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS. THIS CONFERENCE PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE ADVANCING INFORMAL STEM LEARNING (AISL) PROGRAM, WHICH SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT: (A) CONTRIBUTE TO RESEARCH AND PRACTICE THAT CONSIDERS INFORMAL STEM LEARNING'S ROLE IN EQUITY AND BELONGING IN STEM; (B) PROMOTE PERSONAL AND EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS IN STEM; (C) ADVANCE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY; (D) FOSTER INTEREST IN STEM CAREERS; (E) CREATE AND ENHANCE THE THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE INFORMAL STEM LEARNING; (F) IMPROVE COMMUNITY VIBRANCY; AND/OR (G) ENHANCE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND THE PUBLIC'S ENGAGEMENT IN AND UNDERSTANDING OF STEM AND STEM PROCESSES. 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.

SCHOOL EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE (PROJECT SERV)

IMMUNITY IS A KEY BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM AFFECTED BY SPACEFLIGHT. OUR PREVIOUS SPACE EXPERIMENT SUGGESTED THAT SPACEFLIGHT CONDITIONS DECREASE THE FREQUENCY OF ANTIBODY SOMATIC HYPERMUTATIONS (BASCOVE ET AL. 2011 FASEB JOURNAL). THIS OBSERVATION COULD I

IMMUNOGLOBULIN REPERTOIRE ANALYSIS OF TUMOR INFILTRATING B CELLS IN A METASTATIC HER2 POSITIVE BREAST CANCER MOUSE MODEL - BREAST CANCER (BC) IS THE MOST COMMONLY DIAGNOSED CANCER AND ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF CANCER-RELATED DEATH WORLDWIDE. HER2 POSITIVE (HER2+) BC, PRESENT IN APPROXIMATELY 30% OF BC CASES, IS CHARACTERIZED BY ITS AGGRESSIVE PROGRESSION AND HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF METASTASIS. PATIENT SURVIVAL SIGNIFICANTLY DECLINES ONCE THE CANCER BECOMES RESISTANT TO STANDARD TREATMENTS OR SPREADS. MUTATIONS IN THE TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENE P53 ARE OBSERVED IN 50% TO 90% OF HER2-POSITIVE BCS AND ARE STRONGLY CORRELATED WITH POORER SURVIVAL OUTCOMES. MEANWHILE, EMERGING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT IMMUNOGLOBULINS (IGS) PRODUCED BY TUMOR-INFILTRATING B CELLS (TIL-BS) RECOGNIZE AND RESPOND TO TUMOR ANTIGENS AND MAY PLAY A TUMOR-SUPPRESSIVE ROLE. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATE THAT HER2+ BC PATIENTS WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF IGS FROM THE TIL-BS EXPERIENCE LONGER SURVIVAL COMPARED TO THOSE WITH FEWER IGS. ADDITIONALLY, IN A HER2+ BC MOUSE MODEL, THE NUMBER OF IGS WITHIN TUMORS IS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE PRECANCEROUS MAMMARY GLAND, AND THIS NUMBER DECREASES FURTHER WHEN THE CANCER METASTASIZES. THE COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE IG REPERTOIRE IN THE CANCER GENOME ATLAS DATASETS LED TO THE DISCOVERY OF PUBLIC IGS, WHICH SHARE IDENTICAL CDR3 SEQUENCES AND V/J GENE USAGE ACROSS MULTIPLE PATIENTS AND MAY POSSESS POTENTIAL ANTI-TUMOR ACTIVITY. THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSED STUDY IS TO INVESTIGATE THE IG REPERTOIRES FROM THE TIL-BS AND THE FUNCTION OF THE PUBLIC IGS IN A METASTATIC HER2+ BC MOUSE MODEL. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT NONMETASTATIC HER2+ BC CONTAINS DISTINCT PUBLIC IGS PRODUCED BY THE TIL-BS, WHICH POSSESS ANTIMETASTATIC FUNCTION. BOTH METASTATIC AND NONMETASTATIC PRIMARY TUMORS FROM THE HER2+ MOUSE MODEL HARBORING WILD-TYPE OR MUTANT P53 WILL BE SUBJECTED TO IG REPERTOIRE ANALYSIS. THE PUBLIC IGS WILL BE SYNTHESIZED, SCREENED FOR POTENTIAL ANTIGENS, AND ASSESSED FOR THEIR TUMOR-BINDING ACTIVITIES. LASTLY, SELECTED PUBLIC IGS WILL BE TESTED FOR TUMOR SUPPRESSIVE EFFICACY BOTH IN VITRO AND IN VIVO. THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HER2+ BC BIOLOGY AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT INCORPORATES A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO INVOLVE BOTH GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH, PROVIDING THEM WITH PRACTICAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES. STUDENTS WILL UNDERGO THOROUGH TRAINING IN EXPERIMENTAL METHODS, INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMWORK, AND CRITICAL THINKING, EQUIPPING THEM FOR FUTURE STUDIES AND CAREERS IN CANCER RESEARCH. THIS INITIATIVE AIMS TO NURTURE A NEW GENERATION OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCHERS, EMPOWERING THEM WITH THE EXPERTISE TO MAKE MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELD OF CANCER RESEARCH.

COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES (CMAP) A RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERSHIP PILOT (RDPP) PROPOSAL

CATALYST AWARD: CHARACTERIZATION OF P27KIP1 AS AN ENHANCER OF STEM-LIKE PROPERTIES IN BREAST CANCER STEM CELLS

SBIR PHASE I: ELIMINATING CRITICAL FAILURE MECHANISMS AND INCREASING PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT IN ALKALINE FUEL CELLS BY USING A SOLID POLYMER ELECTRO

SEC. 9007 REAP-RENEW ENERGY SYS GRANTS (MAN)

DDETFP LOCAL COMPETITION FELLOWSHIP

DDETFP LOCAL COMPETITION FELLOWSHIP

DDETFP LOCAL COMPETITION FELLOWSHIP

DDETFP LOCAL COMPETITION FELLOWSHIP

DDETFP LOCAL COMPETITION FELLOWSHIP

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVE PROGRAM

COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE GULF SOUTH