University Of St Thomas

LEARN, WORK, AND EARN: “GROW YOUR OWN” PRACTICE-BASED RESIDENCY PATHWAYS TO PREPARE EFFECTIVE EDUCATORS

GRANTED: BUILDING CAPACITY IN RESEARCH: AN ADMINISTRATIVE MODEL FOR PREDOMINANTLY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS -AS PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS (PUIS) EXPAND EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, THERE IS OFTEN A PERIOD DURING WHICH NUMBERS OF EXTERNAL AWARDS RECEIVED STRAINS THE EXISTING POST-AWARD SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, LEADING TO ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN FOR PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS (PIS) AND CREATING COMPLIANCE RISKS FOR THE INSTITUTION. EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE IS NEEDED FROM PUIS THAT HAVE IMPLEMENTED SPECIFIC PLANS TO IMPROVE POST-AWARD SUPPORT. THE CENTRAL RESEARCH QUESTION ADDRESSED IN THIS STUDY IS WHETHER A COMBINATION OF TARGETED INITIATIVES SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION INFRASTRUCTURE CAN FACILITATE A RAPID AND EFFECTIVE TRANSITION OF A PUI GRANTS OFFICE FROM A ?DEVELOPING? TO A ?MATURE? PHASE. SPECIFIC PROJECT GOALS INCLUDE OPTIMIZING EFFICIENCY OF INSTITUTIONAL PROCESSES TO MANAGE SPONSORED PROJECTS; BUILDING INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF GRANTS ADMINISTRATION THROUGH THE CREATION OF RESOURCES FOR TRAINING AND SUPPORTING PIS AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF; AND DEVELOPING AN UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING PROGRAM IN RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION. THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS (UST), A PUI IN SAINT PAUL, MN, WITH AN EXPANDING PORTFOLIO OF EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH, WILL CREATE A SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR FUNDED PIS THAT WILL SERVE AS A NATIONAL MODEL FOR OTHER EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS (ERIS) AND SPECIFICALLY AS A RESOURCE FOR 17 OTHER PUIS IN MINNESOTA. THOUGH THE FOCUS WILL BE ON THE MINNESOTA COHORT, THE MODEL WILL BE SCALABLE AND APPLICABLE TO PUIS/ERIS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AN ADDITIONAL BENEFIT OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE INITIATION OF A RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR TRAINING PIPELINE FOCUSED ON DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION TO HELP MEET THE CURRENT URGENT NEED FOR SUCH PERSONNEL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE OVERARCHING GOAL IS TO BUILD A RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAN SUSTAIN THE CURRENT AND ANTICIPATED FUTURE GROWTH IN EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS AT UST IN A SCALABLE MANNER, SHARE RESOURCES, AND SERVE AS A CASE STUDY FOR PUIS AND OTHER ERIS NATIONWIDE, SUPPORTING THE ROLE OF THESE INSTITUTIONS IN A NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE. THIS GOAL WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THREE ITERATIVE PROJECT DOMAINS: (1) ASSESSING NEEDS, IMPLEMENTING SOLUTIONS, AND ASSESSING EFFECTIVENESS AT UST; (2) SHARING RESOURCES WITH PARTNER INSTITUTIONS THROUGH THE MINNESOTA PRIVATE COLLEGE COUNCIL (MPCC) AND ASSESSING THE TRANSFERABILITY OF THESE SOLUTIONS TO PUIS; AND (3) SHARING RESOURCES NATIONALLY THROUGH CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS. EACH OBJECTIVE IS COUPLED WITH SPECIFIC EVALUATION CRITERIA THAT WILL BE TESTED BY AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR, ENABLING AN ASSESSMENT OF EACH OF THESE ACTIVITIES. 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.

ALTERNATE PATHWAYS TO EXCELLENCE: ENGINEERING A TRANSFER-FRIENDLY EXPERIENCE

CHANGING CAMPUS CLIMATE FOR SCIENCE SCHOLARS' SUCCESS -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 THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS, A CATHOLIC LIBERAL ARTS UNIVERSITY IN MINNESOTA. OVER ITS SIX-YEAR DURATION, THIS PROJECT WILL FUND SCHOLARSHIPS TO 23 UNIQUE FULL-TIME STUDENTS WHO ARE PURSUING BACHELOR?S DEGREES IN BIOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY, NEUROSCIENCE, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE. ACADEMICALLY TALENTED, LOW-INCOME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE FOUR-YEAR SCHOLARSHIPS. THIS TRACK 2 PROJECT BUILDS ON LESSONS LEARNED FROM ST. THOMAS?S PREVIOUSLY FUNDED NSF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS TALENT EXPANSION PROGRAM (STEP) AND OTHER PROGRAMMING FOCUSED ON IMPROVING STUDENT SUCCESS. THIS PROJECT WILL ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW INSTITUTIONS CAN BUILD EQUITABLE SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND A STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY TO INCREASE LOW-INCOME STEM STUDENTS? DEGREE COMPLETION, AS WELL AS THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSFORMING UNIVERSITY PRACTICES AND CAMPUS CLIMATE IN ADVANCING STUDENTS? ACADEMIC SUCCESS. FOUR KEY ACTIVITIES WILL UNDERPIN THE PROJECT'S EXECUTION. FIRST IS TO ESTABLISH ENHANCED ON-CAMPUS SCIENTIFIC STUDENT JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND STREAMLINED ACCESS TO CAMPUS SUPPORT SERVICES. SECOND IS DEVELOPING A SCIENCE-THEMED LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITY. THIRD IS TO CREATE A NEW ONE-CREDIT CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE FOUNDATIONS OF SCIENCE SUCCESS COURSE AND A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MINNESOTA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE TO ENHANCE STUDENT NETWORKING. FOURTH, AND FINALLY, IS TO HIRE A SOCIAL WORK WELLNESS INTERN WHO WILL SUPPORT STEM SCHOLARS, INCLUDING BY INCORPORATING PSYCHO-EDUCATION INTO A NEW ONE-CREDIT FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE COURSE. THE PROJECT WILL ACHIEVE BROADER IMPACTS FOR LOW-INCOME STEM STUDENTS BY ESTABLISHING PATHWAYS INTO ON-CAMPUS LEADERSHIP POSITIONS SUCH AS PEER MENTORS, LAB ASSISTANTS, AND STUDENT RESEARCHERS. BY SERVING IN THESE ROLES, STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP A SCIENTIFIC IDENTITY AND DEEPEN CONNECTIONS TO FACULTY MEMBERS AND PEERS. BY INTEGRATING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL STEM FACULTY, ST. THOMAS WILL ASSURE STRONG INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCY WITHIN STEM PEDAGOGY TO SUPPORT RETENTION AND SUCCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS. THE PROJECT?S INTELLECTUAL MERIT WILL BE ACHIEVED BY DISSEMINATING FINDINGS ABOUT THE RETENTION AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS BENEFITS OF INFUSING ACADEMICALLY RIGOROUS, DEI-INFUSED STEM CURRICULA, AS WELL AS ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL SUPPORT INTO STEM DISCIPLINES FOR LOW-INCOME STEM STUDENTS. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE STEM DEGREE COMPLETION OF LOW-INCOME, HIGH-ACHIEVING UNDERGRADUATES WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED. FOUR KEY OBJECTIVES GUIDE THE PROJECT. FIRST IS TO REDUCE LOW-INCOME ACADEMICALLY TALENTED SCIENCE STUDENTS? FINANCIAL PRESSURE AND UNMET NEED BY PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS. SECOND IS TO RETAIN SCHOLARS IN SCIENCE MAJORS FROM FIRST TO SECOND YEAR AT A RATE OF AT LEAST 80%. THIRD IS TO GRADUATE AT LEAST 80% OF SCHOLARS WITH A SCIENCE DEGREE WITHIN FOUR YEARS. FOURTH IS TO HAVE AT LEAST 85% OF SCHOLARS WHO GRADUATE REPORT HAVING APPLIED TO A STEM JOB OR GRADUATE PROGRAM, AND AT LEAST 70% TO HAVE ENTERED A STEM JOB OR GRADUATE PROGRAM WITHIN FOUR MONTHS OF GRADUATION. FROM PREVIOUSLY FUNDED NSF PROJECTS, ST. THOMAS HAS ADOPTED STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE INCLUSIVITY IN SCIENCE EDUCATION WITH CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY, REDESIGNED INTRODUCTORY STEM COURSES, AND STRENGTHS-BASED MENTORING IN ACADEMIC ADVISING. FROM THESE EFFORTS, THE INSTITUTION HAS LEARNED THAT THE DIRECT BENEFITS TO STUDENTS FROM STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES, TRAINING STAFF, AND IMPROVING RESOURCES HAVE HAD LONGER LASTING BENEFITS AND WERE MORE SUSTAINABLE THAN EFFORTS TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC STUDENT DEFICITS. THE KNOWLEDGE GENERATED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL INFORM ST. THOMAS?S POLICIES AND PRACTICES ACROSS ALL MAJORS. RESEARCH QUESTIONS INCLUDE: (1) TO WHAT EXTENT DO SCIENCE SCHOLARS INTERVENTIONS SUPPORT STUDENTS? PSYCHO-SOCIAL NEEDS? (2) HOW WELL DOES A SCIENCE-THEMED LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITY SUPPORT STUDENTS? SENSE OF BELONGING AT THE UNIVERSITY AND IN THEIR MAJORS? AND (3) HOW WELL DOES A CAREER-FOCUSED STEM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE INCREASE SELF-EFFICACY AND NURTURE STEM IDENTITY FORMATION? THE PROJECT?S ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES ARE THAT LOW-INCOME SCIENCE STUDENTS WILL DEMONSTRATE AN INCREASED SENSE OF BELONGING, A STRONG STEM IDENTITY, AND EMOTIONAL AND FINANCIAL WELLNESS, LEADING THEM TO GRADUATE WITH A SCIENCE DEGREE AND PURSUE STEM CAREERS AT HIGH RATES. THE PROJECT TEAM AND INDEPENDENT EVALUATOR WILL CONDUCT A MIXED METHODS EVALUATION TO ASSESS PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION, PROVIDE FOR ONGOING IMPROVEMENTS, AND TO MONITOR THE EXTENT TO WHICH GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ARE ACHIEVED. THE EVALUATION WILL STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EFFORTS TO INCREASE SCHOLARS? SUCCESS, RETENTION, AND GRADUATION BY MINIMIZING FINANCIAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS, INCREASING PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AS A SCIENTIST, AND NURTURING BELONGING FOR LOW-INCOME STEM STUDENTS. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY NSF?S SCHOLARSHIPS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LOW-INCOME ACADEMICALLY TALENTED 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.

RONALD E. MCNAIR POST-BACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT

NEW PATHWAYS FOR STEM TEACHER EDUCATION TO BETTER SERVE MINNESOTA'S DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATIONS -THE PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL NEED FOR MORE STEM TEACHERS PREPARED TO SERVE IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOLS, PARTICULARLY STEM TEACHERS OF COLOR. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN, STUDENTS OF COLOR HAVE LOWER DROPOUT RATES AND HIGHER STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES WHEN TAUGHT BY A TEACHER OF THE SAME RACE AND ETHNICITY. IN STEM CLASSROOMS, STEM TEACHERS OF COLOR ARE ESSENTIAL FOR UNDERREPRESENTED YOUTH TO DEVELOP STEM IDENTITIES AND BROADEN PARTICIPATION ACROSS THE STEM WORKFORCE. THERE IS ALSO A GROWING NEED TO PREPARE TEACHERS TO WORK WITH STUDENTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA, AN URGENT ISSUE IN HIGH-NEED DISTRICTS THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO TEACHER ATTRITION. THE PROJECT WILL RECRUIT FROM THE DOUGHERTY FAMILY COLLEGE (DFC), A TWO-YEAR COLLEGE HELPING UNDERSERVED AND UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS TRANSITION TO A FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTION. IT WILL PROVIDE INTENSIVE MENTORING, ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, STUDY ABROAD PROJECTS AND STEM RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, AND TRAUMA-INFORMED PEDAGOGY TRAINING. CONTINUED MENTORING, TRAUMA-INFORMED EDUCATION TRAINING, A DINNER AND DISCUSSION SERIES AND SOCIAL NETWORKING WILL SUPPORT SCHOLARS DURING THEIR INDUCTION YEARS. THE PROJECT IS ANTICIPATED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER AND DIVERSITY OF STEM TEACHERS PREPARED TO SERVE AND PERSIST IN HIGH NEED SCHOOLS. THIS PROJECT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE DFC AND THE HIGH-NEED SOUTH ST. PAUL SCHOOL DISTRICT. PROJECT GOALS INCLUDE: 1) RECRUIT AND SUPPORT AT LEAST 13 UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARS OVER FIVE YEARS FROM THE DIVERSE DFC POPULATION PURSUING A BIOLOGY, MATHEMATICS, OR PHYSICS DEGREE; 2) RETAIN AND GRADUATE AT LEAST 90% OF THE UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARS; 3) PREPARE SCHOLARS TO WORK IN HIGH-NEED DISTRICTS; AND 4) PROVIDE MENTORS/ADVISORS AT ST. THOMAS WITH TRAINING IN TRAUMA-INFORMED PEDAGOGY TO INCREASE SCHOLARS? KNOWLEDGE AND ITS USAGE WITHIN THEIR CLASSROOMS. THE TRAUMA-INFORMED THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK WILL PROVIDE A BROAD, POSITIVE IMPACT FOR SCHOLARS, FACULTY, AND STAFF AT ST. THOMAS AND DFC, AS WELL AS TEACHERS IN THE SOUTH ST. PAUL SCHOOL DISTRICT, BY HELPING THEM RECOGNIZE TRAUMA AMONG STUDENTS AND TRAUMA THEY MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED THEMSELVES. RIGOROUS EXTERNAL EVALUATION IS ANTICIPATED TO GENERATE NEW KNOWLEDGE ON THE IMPACT OF TRAUMA-INFORMED PEDAGOGIES AND OTHER PROJECT COMPONENTS ON THE RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND GRADUATION OF DIVERSE STUDENTS PURSUING STEM TEACHING CERTIFICATION AND SERVING IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOLS. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL DISSEMINATE FINDINGS VIA REGIONAL AND NATIONAL CONFERENCES, JOURNAL ARTICLES, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND A PROJECT WEBSITE. THIS TRACK 1: SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROJECT (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROJECT SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE K-12 STEM TEACHERS AND EXPERIENCED, EXEMPLARY K-12 TEACHERS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTIVENESS AND RETENTION OF K-12 STEM TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CSUMS: A COMPUTATIONAL TRAINING AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN THE MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMA

CAREER: EFFECTS OF URBAN AGRICULTURE EXPANSION AND CLIMATE ON NUTRIENT CYCLING AND LOSS IN URBAN ECOSYSTEMS

FY 23 CONGRESSIONAL COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING

CAREER: TOWARDS DATA-DRIVEN AND FIELD-VALIDATED MICROGRID MODELING AND ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES -THIS NSF CAREER PROJECT AIMS TO INCREASE THE RELIABILITY, SECURITY, AND RESILIENCY OF THE ELECTRIC POWER GRID VIA THE USE OF MICROGRIDS. MICROGRIDS ARE LOCAL ELECTRIC ENERGY SYSTEMS THAT CAN OPERATE WITH THE GRID AND SEPARATE FROM THE GRID DURING EMERGENCIES. MICROGRIDS CAN IMPROVE GRID RESILIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY, AND ACCELERATE DISASTER RECOVERY. THE PROJECT WILL BRING TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE TO HOW MICROGRIDS ARE DESIGNED AND OPERATED BY ADDRESSING THE GAP BETWEEN THEORETICAL STUDIES AND REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, STATE-OF-THE-ART DATA-DRIVEN AND MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS WILL BE EMPLOYED. THE INTELLECTUAL MERITS OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE DEVELOPING A NEW APPROACH TO ACCURATELY MODEL REAL-WORLD CONDITIONS, USING MACHINE LEARNING TO REDUCE MODEL COMPLEXITY, AND CREATING AND FIELD-VALIDATING A MICROGRID STABILITY PREDICTION TOOL. THE BROADER IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE AN IMPROVED METHOD TO DESIGN AND OPERATE MICROGRIDS WHICH WOULD REDUCE IMPLEMENTATION COSTS. BY REDUCING COSTS, MICROGRIDS CAN BE DEPLOYED FASTER IN BOTH DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED NATIONS. THIS WOULD QUICKEN THE ELECTRIFICATION OF HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES AND IMPROVE GRID RESILIENCY, ROBUSTNESS, AND SUSTAINABILITY. THE NEWLY CREATED KNOWLEDGE WOULD BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH HANDS-ON COURSES AND WORKSHOPS ON POWER ENGINEERING. STABILITY PREDICTION FOR MICROGRIDS REQUIRE ACCURATE MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF THE PHYSICAL SYSTEM TO CAPTURE IMPORTANT DYNAMICS AND SUBTLETIES. CURRENT MODELING PRACTICES DO NOT ACCOUNT FOR TWO CRITICAL REAL-WORLD PHENOMENA, NAMELY, CONTROLLER SATURATION AND PROTECTION ACTION, BOTH OF WHICH HAVE DRASTIC EFFECTS ON SYSTEM STABILITY. THE FIRST TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION OF THIS PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THIS GAP BY DEVELOPING AN APPROACH TO CONCURRENTLY MODEL THOSE TWO PHENOMENA. ADDITIONALLY, MICROGRID STABILITY STUDIES ARE APPROACHED THROUGH LINEAR OR NONLINEAR TECHNIQUES. STABILITY TECHNIQUES CAN BECOME TOO COMPLEX DUE TO MODEL ORDER AND NUMBER OF NONLINEARITIES. THE SECOND TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION WILL LEVERAGE ADVANCES IN SCIENTIFIC MACHINE LEARNING (SCIML) TO REDUCE A SYSTEM?S MODEL ORDER BY CREATING SURROGATES. THE THIRD TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION WILL BE A MICROGRID STABILITY PREDICTION TOOL USING SCIML THAT WILL PREDICT TRANSIENT STABILITY UNDER DIFFERENT OPERATING CONDITIONS AND DESIGN FACTORS. DATA FROM AN INDUSTRY-GRADE MICROGRID AND REAL-WORLD EQUIPMENT WILL BE USED TO TUNE AND CONFIRM THE ACCURACY OF THOSE SURROGATES 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.

RCN-UBE: TRAINING UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGISTS THROUGH URBAN AGRICULTURE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH (RUI): BURIAL OF ORGANIC CARBON IN TEMPERATE, SHALLOW LAKES

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A HIGH-SPEED STEREOSCOPIC PARTICLE IMAGE VELOCIMETRY SYSTEM FOR RESEARCH AND TEACHING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EPIIC: EXCELLENCE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY, ACADEMIA, AND NEW DISCOVERIES (EXPAND) -THE EXPAND CONSORTIUM CONSISTS OF FIVE UNIVERSITIES (ANDREWS UNIVERSITY, MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY, UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS, AND WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY) SPREAD ACROSS THE INDUSTRIALIZED NORTH OF THE UNITED STATES FROM MINNESOTA TO MASSACHUSETTS. THE INSTITUTIONS ARE FOUR-YEAR PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES BASED NEARBY OR WITHIN LARGER METROPOLITAN AREAS WITH WELL-ESTABLISHED INDUSTRIES THAT TYPICALLY PRIORITIZE PARTNERSHIPS WITH MORE PROMINENT MAJOR RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES. THIS EPIIC PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE THE NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE, SKILLSET AND PREPARATION FOR THE INSTITUTIONS IN THE EXPAND CONSORTIUM TO INCREASE AND INSTITUTIONALIZE EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS. IN TURN, THIS WILL ENHANCE REGIONAL INDUSTRY COMPETITIVENESS BY ACCELERATING INNOVATION AND TRANSFERRING EXPERTISE FROM UNDERUTILIZED ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, RESULTING IN REALISTIC USE-INSPIRED RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER, AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE RESEARCH FRONTIER. THE PROJECT AIMS TO BUILD STRONG AND SUSTAINABLE EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS IN VARIOUS DISCIPLINES OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE, FOCUSING ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES. THE PROJECT'S METHODS AND APPROACHES INCLUDE SHARING BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED TO IMPROVE POLICIES AND PROCESSES FOR EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS, BUILDING FACULTY AND STAFF EXPERTISE THROUGH DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT, AND DEVELOPING INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHILE RAISING THE INSTITUTIONS' PROFILES THROUGH TARGETED ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS. THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF THIS PROJECT LIES IN ENHANCING THE CAPACITY OF THESE INSTITUTIONS TO SUPPORT LOCAL INNOVATION AND USE-INSPIRED RESEARCH, PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, DEVELOPING FACULTY EXPERTISE IN STRATEGIC INDUSTRY COLLABORATIONS, FOSTERING INNOVATION IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES BY STRENGTHENING ACADEMIA-INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS, AND CONTRIBUTING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN THEIR RESPECTIVE REGIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL NOT ONLY BENEFIT THE EXPAND CONSORTIUM UNIVERSITIES BUT ALSO DEMONSTRATE A MODEL FOR HOW SMALLER INSTITUTIONS CAN COLLABORATE TO PROMOTE THEIR DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES THROUGH THE SHARING OF EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CC* NETWORK DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION FOR SMALL INSTITUTIONS: THE TOMMIE SCIENCE NETWORK- A DEDICATED RESEARCH NETWORK FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

RUI: MEASURING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES FROM URBAN AGRICULTURE -URBAN AGRICULTURE HAS EXPANDED IN MANY CITIES IN RECENT YEARS AND HAS POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE A VARIETY OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES FOR URBAN RESIDENTS. THERE IS A PRESSING NEED TO QUANTIFY THESE BENEFITS IN ORDER TO ASSESS HOW URBAN AGRICULTURE MAY BE PART OF CITIES? STRATEGIES FOR CLIMATE ADAPTATION. HOWEVER, THE WIDE VARIETY OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, COMBINED WITH THE COMPLEXITY OF URBAN CONTEXTS AND A CHANGING CLIMATE, MAKES IT CHALLENGING TO QUANTIFY THESE BENEFITS AND POTENTIAL TRADEOFFS. THIS RESEARCH BUILDS ON AN ONGOING LONG-TERM STUDY THAT HAS SHOWN HOW DIFFERENT SOIL AMENDMENT INPUTS ALTER WATER INFILTRATION AND NUTRIENT CYCLING. THIS WORK PROVIDES POLICY-RELEVANT DATA FOR CITIES DEVELOPING GUIDELINES AROUND URBAN AGRICULTURE AND ORGANICS WASTE RECYCLING THAT IS SHARED THROUGH COLLABORATIONS WITH EXTENSION AND AGENCY PARTNERS. THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH TRAINING AND NEW CURRICULA AT THE UNDERGRADUATE AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. THE RESEARCH ADDRESSES THREE OBJECTIVES. OBJECTIVE 1 IS A CONTINUATION OF AN ONGOING LONG-TERM EXPERIMENT IN WHICH RATES OF NUTRIENT RECYCLING (RECOVERY BY CROPS OF COMPOST-DERIVED NUTRIENTS) AND LOSS (EXPORT VIA LEACHATE) ARE MEASURED IN REPLICATED PLOTS THAT RECEIVE DIFFERENT TYPES AND AMOUNTS OF COMPOST. NEW WATER INPUT TREATMENTS WITH DIFFERENT IRRIGATION AND RAINFALL SIMULATION SCENARIOS ARE ADDED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE INTERACTION BETWEEN CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE FATE OF COMPOST-DERIVED ORGANIC MATTER AND ASSOCIATED NUTRIENTS THAT BUILDS UP IN THE SOILS OF URBAN FARMS AND GARDENS. FROM THE RESULTING MEASUREMENTS, BUDGETS ARE CONSTRUCTED FOR CARBON, NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS, AND WATER, IN ORDER TO QUANTIFY NUTRIENT RECYCLING AND LOSS, CARBON SEQUESTRATION, AND COOLING DUE TO EVAPOTRANSPIRATION. OBJECTIVE 2 EXTENDS THIS RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND THE FATE OF COMPOST-DERIVED NUTRIENTS IN URBAN FARMS AND COMMUNITY GARDENS ACROSS MINNEAPOLIS-SAINT PAUL, WHICH HAVE A VARIETY OF BACKGROUND SOIL CONDITIONS AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. THE PROJECT INCLUDES DETAILED INTERVIEWS ON SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO CONSTRUCT NUTRIENT BUDGETS FOR TEN FARMS AND MEASUREMENTS OF NUTRIENT CONCENTRATIONS IN LEACHATE AND ALONG VERTICAL PROFILES TO DETERMINE THE FATE OF EXCESS NUTRIENTS. OBJECTIVE 3 FOCUSES ON COMPARING VARIOUS ECOSYSTEM SERVICES FROM DIFFERENT URBAN AGRICULTURE LAND USE SCENARIOS USING THE INTEGRATED VALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND TRADEOFFS (INVEST) SUITE OF MODELS. CALCULATIONS OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND NUTRIENT RECYCLING POTENTIAL FOR ALL SCENARIOS ARE CALCULATED DIRECTLY BASED ON PROJECT DATA. THE INVEST MODELS FOR CARBON SEQUESTRATION, URBAN COOLING, URBAN FLOOD RISK MITIGATION, URBAN STORMWATER RETENTION, NUTRIENT DELIVERY, AND POLLINATOR HABITAT ARE PRODUCED FOR THESE SCENARIOS. 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.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH (RUI): TOWARD A STOICHIOMETRIC THEORY OF ANT ECOLOGY--FROM COLONY PERFORMANCE TO COMMUNITY COMPOSITION

JAVITS GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS EDUCATION ACT

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE HISTORY, PHYSIOLOGICAL, AND FLORAL TRAITS IN CLARKIA: DO GENETIC CORRELATIONS AFFECT MATING SYSTEM

MRI-R2: ACQUISITION OF A 400 MHZ NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE (NMR) SPECTROMETER

QUANTIFYING THE ROLE OF MIXING INTERFACES IN BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLING IN A CONTAMINATED AQUIFER-WETLAND SYSTEM: LINKING HYDROGEOLOGICAL, MICROBIOLOGI

MRI: SEM FOR GEOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND MATERIALS SCIENCE RESEARCH AND TEACHING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

RUI: KNOTTING TRANSITIONS IN PHYSICAL SYSTEMS

RUI: THEORY AND SIMULATIONS OF KNOTTING IN PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS RANGING FROM PROTEINS TO GLUEBALLS

INTEGRATING SHARED ACCESS REMOTE ROBOTIC OBSERVATORIES INTO INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY LABORATORIES

RUI: STRUCTURE OF ENTANGLEMENT IN MACROMOLECULES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PHOTOSWITCHABLE INTERLAYER EXCITON DEVICES FROM 2D HYBRID HETEROSTRUCTURES -COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PHOTOSWITCHABLE INTERLAYER EXCITON DEVICES FROM 2D HYBRID HETEROSTRUCTURES THIS GRANT WILL SUPPORT A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM BETWEEN PURDUE UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS, WHICH FOCUSES ON INVESTIGATING TWO DIMENSIONAL (2D) MATERIALS. ATOMICALLY THIN TRANSITION METAL DICHALCOGENIDES SUCH AS MOS2 AND WSE2 SHOW UNIQUE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES WHICH MAY NOT BE OBSERVED FROM BULK CRYSTALS. THESE INCLUDE STRONG PHOTOLUMINESCENCE DUE TO THE RECOMBINATION OF AN ELECTRON-HOLE PAIR, CALLED EXCITON IN A QUANTUM MECHANICAL TERM. WHEN TWO DISSIMILAR 2D MATERIALS ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER (FOR EXAMPLE, MOS2/WSE2), A NEW PHENOMENON EMERGES. THIS IS CALLED INTERLAYER EXCITON ORIGINATING FROM STRONG INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE HETEROLAYERS. WHILE THERE IS AN EXCITEMENT ABOUT THE INTERLAYER EXCITONS GIVEN THEIR POTENTIAL IMPACT IN DIVERSE APPLICATIONS, THE RELEVANT MECHANISMS ARE NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD. THIS RESEARCH INTRODUCES NOVEL STRATEGIES TO MODULATE THE FORMATION AND BEHAVIOR OF INTERLAYER EXCITONS, THEREBY GAINING A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING AND DEVELOPING PRACTICAL DEVICES. FUNCTIONAL ORGANIC LAYERS WILL INTERFACE WITH 2D HETEROSTRUCTURES, INCLUDING PHOTOSENSITIVE MOLECULES THAT CAN CHANGE THE OPTICAL AND ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES UPON EXTERNAL LIGHT IRRADIATION. THIS PROJECT WILL COMBINE ADVANCED EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS WITH MODELING AND COMPUTATIONAL CAPABILITIES TO ELUCIDATE THE FUNDAMENTAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN 2D MATERIALS AND ORGANIC LAYERS, AND RELATED INTERLAYER EXCITON PROPERTIES. THE RESEARCH WILL ALSO BE COMPLEMENTED BY AN EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH PROGRAM TO ADVANCE THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF NANOSCALE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. THE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE (I) DEVELOPMENT OF NEW COURSE MATERIALS, (II) RESEARCH-BASED ENGINEERING EDUCATION FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, AND (III) DEVELOPMENT OF A HANDS-ON MODULE FOR K-12 STUDENTS THAT ILLUSTRATES THE PRINCIPLES OF 2D MATERIALS. THE CENTRAL GOAL OF THE RESEARCH IS TO DEMONSTRATE 2D HETEROSTRUCTURED HYBRID DEVICES FROM TRANSITION METAL DICHALCOGENIDES AND PHOTOCHROMIC MOLECULES AND STUDY THE RELATED OPTOELECTRONIC PROPERTIES. A LIBRARY OF FUNCTIONAL MOLECULES WILL BE EXAMINED SUCH THAT THEIR HIGHEST OCCUPIED MOLECULAR ORBITAL AND LOWEST UNOCCUPIED MOLECULAR ORBITAL LEVELS WILL BE SWITCHED BY EXTERNAL SIGNALS SUCH AS IRRADIATING WAVELENGTHS. THE PHOTOSWITCHABLE BEHAVIORS WILL BE EXPLOITED FOR MODULATING THE INTERLAYER EXCITONS IN HETEROBILAYERS AND SEVERAL DISTINCT DEVICE CONFIGURATIONS WILL BE INVESTIGATED. THE HYBRID HETEROSTRUCTURES WILL BE CONSTRUCTED AND STUDIED WITH OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY AND CONDUCTIVE ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY. AB INITIO CALCULATIONS BASED ON DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY WILL BE PERFORMED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS TO GUIDE AND VERIFY THE EXPERIMENTS. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL TOGETHER DEVELOP A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE KEY PARAMETERS THAT GOVERN THE PHOTOSWITCHABLE INTERLAYER EXCITON DEVICES AND UNDERPIN THE STRUCTURE-PROPERTY RELATIONSHIP TOWARDS GENERAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES. THE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE FROM THIS WORK WILL LAY THE FOUNDATIONS FOR UNDERSTANDING ARCHITECTURED 2D MATERIALS AND PROVIDING NOVEL OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES, THUS RESULTING IN TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: HIGH-RESOLUTION BASIN ANALYSIS OF A LARGE-OFFSET EXTENSIONAL SYSTEM, LAKE MEAD DOMAIN, EAST-CENTRAL BASIN AND RANGE PROVINCE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH (RUI): ASSESSING LOAD REDUCTION AND BIOLOGICAL RECOVERY AFTER 500 MGD TREATMENT UPGRADES IN AN EFFLUENT-DOMINATED AQUATIC ECOS

CERTIFICATE/CONCENTRATION IN ENGINEERING FOR P-12 EDUCATORS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH:THE FERRIC UPTAKE REGULATOR (FUR) REGULATES INTRACELLULAR IRON HOMEOSTASIS VIA REVERSIBLE BINDING OF A [2FE-2S] CLUSTER IN ESCHERICHIA COLI

FROM THE CLASSICAL TO THE QUANTUM PARTICLE IN A BOX: A SOPHOMORE-LEVEL APPLICATIONS OF MODERN PHYSICS COURSE AND LABORATORY FOR ENGINEERS AND SCIENTI

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ESTABLISHING THE ROLE OF PHOTODEGRADATION IN THE FATE OF ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS -SYNTHETIC ORGANIC COMPOUNDS SUCH AS PESTICIDES AND PHARMACEUTICALS CAN ENTER SURFACE WATER SYSTEMS (E.G., LAKES AND RIVERS) THROUGH POINT SOURCES (E.G., EFFLUENTS FROM WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS) AND NON-POINT SOURCES (E.G., RUNOFF FROM URBAN AND AGRICULTURAL WATERSHEDS). THESE ORGANIC POLLUTANTS CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT BOTH HUMAN AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH. UNDERSTANDING HOW QUICKLY SUNLIGHT REACTS TO DEGRADE SYNTHETIC ORGANIC POLLUTANTS IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS IS IMPORTANT FOR PREDICTING AND MANAGING THEIR HEALTH RISKS. HOWEVER, LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS USING SIMULATED SUNLIGHT CANNOT BE DIRECTLY TRANSLATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND GREATLY OVERESTIMATE HOW QUICKLY SUNLIGHT REACTS WITH SYNTHETIC ORGANIC CHEMICALS IN SURFACE WATER SYSTEMS INCLUDING LAKES AND RIVERS. AS A RESULT, THESE CHEMICALS MAY HAVE LONGER LIFETIMES IN SURFACE WATERS THAN CURRENTLY PREDICTED. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ADVANCE THE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF SUNLIGHT-INDUCED PHOTOCHEMICAL DEGRADATIONS OF SYNTHETIC ORGANIC POLLUTANTS IN SURFACE WATER SYSTEMS. TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS (PIS) WILL STUDY APPROXIMATELY 50 PESTICIDES, PHARMACEUTICALS, AND INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS IN THE LABORATORY AND OUTDOORS AND WILL USE THIS INFORMATION TO MAKE ACCURATE PREDICTIONS ABOUT SUNLIGHT-DRIVEN DEGRADATION REACTIONS IN RIVERS AND LAKES. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS RESEARCH WILL BENEFIT SOCIETY THROUGH THE GENERATION OF NEW DATA AND FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE EXTENTS AND RATES OF SUNLIGHT-DRIVEN PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS OF SYNTHETIC ORGANIC POLLUTANTS IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS. THIS NEW DATA AND KNOWLEDGE WILL BE CRITICAL FOR EVALUATING THE FATE AND LIFETIME OF POTENTIALLY TOXIC ORGANIC CHEMICALS IN LAKES AND RIVERS. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH STUDENT EDUCATION AND TRAINING INCLUDING THE MENTORING OF ONE GRADUATE STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON AND TWO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS, A PREDOMINANTLY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION. SUNLIGHT-MEDIATED PHOTODEGRADATION IS AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT ABIOTIC TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS FOR SYNTHETIC ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (SOCS) SUCH AS PESTICIDES AND PHARMACEUTICALS. A MAJOR GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT LABORATORY-SCALE EXPERIMENTS OVERPREDICT THE PHOTOLYSIS RATES OF SOCS IN LAKES AND RIVERS BY MANY ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE DUE TO DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN LABORATORY LIGHT SOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS (PIS) PROPOSE TO EVALUATE THE DIRECT PHOTOLYSIS OF APPROXIMATELY 50 PESTICIDES, PHARMACEUTICALS, AND INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS IN RELEVANT AQUATIC SYSTEMS WITH THE GOAL OF DEVELOPING A FIRST PRINCIPLES KINETIC MODEL TO RELATE LABORATORY DIRECT PHOTOLYSIS RATES TO A VARIETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. THE MODEL WILL BE VALIDATED USING OUTDOOR MID-SCALE EXPERIMENTS THAT QUANTIFY THE IMPACTS OF DIURNAL VARIABILITY, WATER DEPTH, CLOUD COVER, AND SEASONALITY ON THE RATES OF DIRECT PHOTOLYSIS OF SOCS IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS. FINALLY, THE PIS PROPOSE TO COUPLE LABORATORY AND OUTDOOR EXPERIMENTS, AND MODELING TO INVESTIGATE THE INDIRECT PHOTOLYSIS RATES OF SELECTED SOCS IN THE PRESENCE OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER (DOM), A NATURAL PHOTOSENSITIZER IN SURFACE WATER SYSTEMS THAT ABSORBS LIGHT TO GENERATE PHOTOCHEMICALLY PRODUCED REACTIVE INTERMEDIATES SUCH AS HYDROXYL RADICALS AND SINGLET OXYGEN SPECIES. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT BY LINKING LABORATORY-MEASURED RATES WITH EXPECTED PHOTODEGRADATION RATES IN LAKES/RIVERS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF SOCS. TO IMPLEMENT THE EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING GOALS OF THIS PROJECT, THE PIS PROPOSE TO LEVERAGE EXISTING PROGRAMS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN (UW)-MADISON AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS TO RECRUIT AND MENTOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, INCLUDING THOSE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, TO WORK ON THIS PROJECT. IN ADDITION, THE PIS PLANS TO 1) INTEGRATE THE RESEARCH FINDINGS INTO EXISTING UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE COURSES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AT THE UW-MADISON AND 2) DEVELOP A WEBSITE THAT WILL INCLUDE A DATABASE CONTAINING ALL THE VALIDATED RESULTS OF THE PROJECT. THESE RESULTS WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO WATER RESOURCE MANAGERS, RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS, AND THE 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.

ACQUISITION OF A HIGH SPEED VIDEO CAMERA SYSTEM WITH MICROSCOPIC CAPABILITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND TEACHING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

CLIMA: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MULTISTABLE ORGANIC STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS (MOSS) -THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION (CLIMA) PROJECT IS TO INTEGRATE LOW-ENERGY MECHANISMS INTO THE DESIGNS OF STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS, ENABLING THEM TO ADAPT THEIR SHAPES AND CONFIGURATIONS WITH MINIMAL ENERGY INPUT. THIS PROJECT ALIGNS WITH NSF?S MISSION OF PROMOTING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE AND ADVANCING THE NATIONAL HEALTH, PROSPERITY AND WELFARE BY CREATING NEW KNOWLEDGE IN ENERGY-EFFICIENT AND ADAPTABLE STRUCTURES AND DESIGN METHODOLOGIES, AND BY ENABLING MORE RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES. THE RESEARCH WILL ESTABLISH A FIRM ANALYTICAL FOUNDATION THAT ENABLES: (A) THE INTEGRATION OF MULTI-STABLE SYSTEMS IN ENGINEERING DESIGNS; (B) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INTEGRATIVE DESIGN METHODOLOGIES BASED ON ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND GENERATIVE DESIGN; AND (C) THE COMBINATION OF ARCHITECTURAL AND PERFORMANCE-BASED DESIGN THAT WILL EMPOWER SYSTEM-LEVEL DESIGN AND DEPLOYMENT OF ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS. THE THEORETICAL INNOVATIONS WILL BE REALIZED BY CREATING ADAPTIVE BUILDING ENCLOSURES THAT CAN CHANGE THEIR SHAPES AS NECESSARY TO IMPROVE BUILDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE. POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS INCLUDE STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS THAT CAN ADAPT TO CHANGES IN THE ENVIRONMENT, MECHANICAL SYSTEMS THAT CAN BE RAPIDLY DEPLOYED, AND MEDICAL DEVICES THAT CAN BE MODULATED TO ACCELERATE HEALING. THIS PROJECT ALSO INCLUDES THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL METHODS TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS INTERESTED IN THE BROAD CONCEPT OF ADAPTIVE STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS CLIMA PROJECT IS TO ESTABLISH A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF MULTI-STABLE COMPONENTS IN STRUCTURAL AND MECHANICAL SYSTEMS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE LOW-ENERGY GEOMETRIC MODULATION. THE RESEARCH DRAWS UPON ARCHITECTURAL AND STRUCTURAL DESIGN, ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, AND GENERATIVE DESIGN THEORY TO PRODUCE A NEW REALM OF ADAPTIVE CAPABILITIES THROUGH MULTI-STABLE SYSTEMS. THE RESEARCH IS INNOVATIVE IN ITS STUDY OF (A) SNAP-THROUGH MECHANISMS THAT ENABLE ADAPTIVE STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONS ATTUNED TO VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL CONFIGURATIONS; (B) THE INTEGRATION OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND GENERATIVE DESIGN TO EMPOWER THE EFFICIENT FABRICATION OF COMPONENTS CAPABLE OF HIGH GEOMETRIC AND STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE; AND (C) SYSTEM-LEVEL IMPLEMENTATION OF ADAPTIVE CAPABILITIES THROUGH DESIGN SIMULATIONS OF OPTIMIZED BUILDING ENCLOSURE GEOMETRY WITH MULTI-STABLE CONNECTIONS AND LABORATORY DEMONSTRATIONS. RESULTS FROM THIS RESEARCH WILL EMPOWER NEW ENGINEERING SYSTEMS THAT CAN BE MODULATED BY ALTERING STABLE STATES, THUS REQUIRING NO ENERGY TO MAINTAIN THE SYSTEM IN A GIVEN POSITION. THE RESEARCH HAS BROAD SOCIETAL IMPACTS BY PAVING A PATH TO NEW STRUCTURAL SYSTEM CONCEPTS IN BOTH EXISTING AND NEW STRUCTURES TO PRODUCE NEW GEOMETRIC ADAPTATION CAPABILITIES, AND BY FOCUSING ON THE CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION THEME OF REDUCING RAW MATERIALS, MAXIMIZING UTILIZATION OF MATERIALS, EFFICIENT MANUFACTURABILITY, AND IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE OF BUILDINGS. THE COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION PLAN INVOLVES THE INTEGRATION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULUM, AND CREATION OF PRE-KINDERGARTEN THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND RESOURCES WITHIN THE AREA OF ADAPTIVE STRUCTURES. 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: ENTANGLEMENTS IN PROTEINS AND OTHER MACROMOLECULAR CHAINS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LINKING DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER COMPOSITION TO PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIVITY

SHF: SMALL: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: HARVESTING WASTED TIME AND EXISTING CIRCUITRY FOR EFFICIENT FIELD TESTING

EXPANDING PATHWAYS FOR STEM TEACHER EDUCATION TO BETTER SERVE MINNESOTA?S DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATIONS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CAS: FILLING GAPS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FATE OF LUBABEGRON, AN EMERGING USE BETA-ADRENERGIC RECEPTOR AGONIST/ANTAGONIST PROPOSED FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE -WITH SUPPORT FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL SCIENCES PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, NICHOLAS C. PFLUG AT THE SUNY COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND FORESTRY, DAVID M. CWIERTNY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, AND DALMA MARTINOVIC-WEIGELT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS WILL COLLABORATIVELY INVESTIGATE HOW A CHEMICAL THAT IS WIDELY USED IN ANIMAL AGRICULTURE KNOWN AS LUBABEGRON BEHAVES IN THE ENVIRONMENT. THE RISKS TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND PEOPLE THAT MAY BE EXPOSED TO LUBABEGRON FROM ITS USE IN BEEF PRODUCTION WILL ALSO BE DETERMINED. THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL EXPLORE HOW LUBABEGRON, WHICH IS APPLIED AS AN ANIMAL FEED, IS BROKEN DOWN BY BEEF CATTLE, HELPING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE FORMS OF THE CHEMICAL THAT ARE RELEASED TO THE ENVIRONMENT IN ANIMAL WASTE. COMMON PATHWAYS BY WHICH LUBABEGRON BREAKS DOWN IN THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BE ESTABLISHED AND ADDITIONAL STUDIES WILL ASSESS THE TOXICITY OF LUBABEGRON AND ITS MAJOR BREAK DOWN PRODUCTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED THROUGH EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS. IN ADDITION TO TRAINING OF GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL ENGAGE IN SEVERAL ACTIVITIES THAT WILL PROMOTE AWARENESS OF LUBABEGRON AND ITS USE AMONG THE RESEARCH AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY COMMUNITY, PROMOTE ADDITIONAL STUDY OF ITS ENVIRONMENTAL OCCURRENCE, AND HELP TO ENSURE A SAFE FOOD SYSTEM FOR HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT. THIS HIGHLY COLLABORATIVE PROJECT AIMS TO PRODUCE FUNDAMENTAL CHEMICAL INSIGHTS INTO THE APPLICATION OF LUBABEGRON IN ANIMALS THROUGH MICROSOMAL METABOLISM STUDIES. THESE STUDIES WILL ALSO PROBE THE ENVIRONMENTAL FATE OF LUBABEGRON IN SURFACE WATERS AND SOILS THROUGH PHOTOLYSIS AND SOIL PARTITIONING STUDIES. THE TEAM WILL CONDUCT BIOEFFECTS ASSAYS TO ASSESS THE ECOLOGICAL AND HUMAN HEALTH HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO LUBABEGRON, ITS METABOLITES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSFORMATION PRODUCTS. THE PROJECT WILL USE ADVANCED ANALYTICAL CHEMICAL TOOLS (E.G., LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH HIGH RESOLUTION TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY, PREPARATORY COLUMN SEPARATIONS, AND NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE (NMR) SPECTROSCOPY) TO ISOLATE AND CHARACTERIZE LUBABEGRON METABOLITES AND TRANSFORMATION PRODUCTS. ANALYTICAL METHODS DEVELOPMENT FOR THE SEPARATION AND DETECTION OF LUBABEGRON IN COMPLEX MIXTURES WILL ALLOW A SUBSET OF EXPERIMENTS TO BE CONDUCTED AT ENVIRONMENTALLY RELEVANT CONCENTRATIONS IN AUTHENTIC ENVIRONMENTAL MATRICES. BIOACTIVITY TESTING WILL USE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE, HIGH THROUGHPUT TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR, NUCLEAR RECEPTOR, AND G-PROTEIN COUPLED RECEPTOR ASSAYS, COMPLEMENTED BY TARGETED CHARACTERIZATION OF SELECT BIOLOGICAL ENDPOINTS USING TRADITIONAL IN VITRO APPROACHES. 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: INTEGRATING COMPUTATION INTO UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS--A FACULTY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION

RCN-UBE INCUBATOR: URBAN AGRICULTURE SUPPORTS ACCESSIBLE AND IMPACTFUL BIOLOGY EDUCATION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A FACULTY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO TRANSFORMING UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS EDUCATION BY INTEGRATING COMPUTATION -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY IMPROVING PHYSICS EDUCATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY BY INCREASING FACULTY UPTAKE OF COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS TOPICS IN UNDERGRADUATE COURSES. COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS ARE CRUCIAL IN ALL AREAS OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS TO DEVELOP THESE COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS EDUCATION. THE PARTNERSHIP FOR INTEGRATION OF COMPUTATION INTO UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS (PICUP) HAS BEEN WORKING FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS TO BUILD A COMMUNITY OF EDUCATORS TO SUPPORT THIS MISSION. THIS IUSE LEVEL 2 INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION (ICT) PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE THE GROWING PICUP COMMUNITY TO ESTABLISH REGIONAL WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY THAT WILL BE SUSTAINED IN THE YEARS TO COME THROUGH LOCAL LEADERSHIP WITHIN EACH REGION. THESE REGIONS HAVE BEEN SPECIFICALLY SELECTED IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE PICUP'S IMPACT ON MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS (MSIS) AND TWO YEAR COLLEGES (TYCS), WITH THE GOAL OF ASSISTING PHYSICS FACULTY FROM AT LEAST 50% OF THE NATION?S BACHELOR?S GRANTING PHYSICS DEPARTMENTS AND 25% OF TYC DEPARTMENTS IN THEIR ENDEAVORS TO INTEGRATE COMPUTATIONAL ACTIVITIES INTO THEIR PHYSICS COURSES. ALONGSIDE THE REGIONAL FACULTY-DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS, THE PROJECT WILL BUILD NATIONAL COMMUNITY THROUGH NATIONAL WORKSHOPS AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. THE PROJECT SUPPORTS RESEARCH TO INVESTIGATE STUDENTS' LEARNING IN COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS ACROSS A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS. THE RESEARCH RESULTS WILL DRIVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR STUDENT LEARNING OF COMPUTATION IN UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS COURSES. INSTRUCTORS FROM TYCS AND OTHER SPECIAL-FOCUS INSTITUTIONS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK RESEARCH, WHICH WILL HELP SUPPORT THE INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WHO ARE HISTORICALLY UNDERSTUDIED IN PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH. THE NSF IUSE: EDU PROGRAM SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STEM EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS. THROUGH THE INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION TRACK, THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS EFFORTS TO TRANSFORM AND IMPROVE STEM EDUCATION ACROSS INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND DISCIPLINARY COMMUNITIES. 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: FOSTERING INTEGRATION OF COMPUTATIONAL PRACTICES INTO PHYSICS COURSES - A LOCAL COMMUNITIES APPROACH

SHF: SMALL: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: USING IDENTIFIED CIRCUIT INVARIANCE FOR ONLINE ERROR DETECTION

DOCTORAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH IN DRMS: ENDOGENOUS EMERGENCE OF FINANCIAL REPORTING

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ENGAGING INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY STUDENTS IN AUTHENTIC RESEARCH THROUGH CITIZEN SCIENCE