Washington College

CARES ACT EMERGENCY FUNDING -- INSTITUTION

CARES ACT EMERGENCY FUNDING

DISCRETIONARY

ACQUISITION OF A QUADRUPOLE LASER ABLATION ICP-MS FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE, BIOLOGY, EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ANTHROPOLOGY AT WASHINGTON COLL

MAKING IT REAL: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION THAT BRINGS FORMAL AND INFORMAL PROGRAMS IN ALIGNMENT WITH MSDE LITERACY AND STEM STANDARDS

C.V. STARR CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, WASHINGTON COLLEGE

FIE EARMARK GRANT AWARDS

LEAPS-MPS: STUDY OF THE ELECTROWEAK MECHANISM THROUGH A SEARCH FOR BEYOND THE STANDARD MODEL HIGGS BOSONS -THE STANDARD MODEL (SM) OF PARTICLE PHYSICS IS A REMARKABLY SUCCESSFUL FRAMEWORK THAT EXPLAINS THE FUNDAMENTAL BUILDING BLOCKS OF MATTER AND THEIR INTERACTIONS, LEADING TO THE FORMATION OF COMPOSITE STRUCTURES SUCH AS ATOMS. THE 2012 DISCOVERY OF THE HIGGS BOSON BY THE ATLAS AND CMS EXPERIMENTS AT THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER (LHC) WAS A MAJOR MILESTONE IN CONFIRMING THE SM. YET, SEVERAL FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS REMAIN UNANSWERED: WHY IS THE UNIVERSE DOMINATED BY MATTER OVER ANTIMATTER? WHAT EXPLAINS THE NONZERO MASS OF NEUTRINOS? WHAT IS THE NATURE OF DARK MATTER, AND HOW MIGHT IT RELATE TO THE HIGGS BOSON? MOST IMPORTANTLY, IS THE HIGGS PARTICLE DISCOVERED IN 2012 THE ONLY ONE, OR PART OF A LARGER FAMILY? THESE QUESTIONS MOTIVATE THEORETICAL EXTENSIONS TO THE SM, INCLUDING MODELS WITH AN EXPANDED HIGGS SECTOR THAT PREDICT THE EXISTENCE OF ADDITIONAL HIGGS BOSONS. THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI) PROPOSES TO SEARCH FOR THESE NEW PARTICLES USING DATA FROM THE ATLAS EXPERIMENT IN A DECAY CHANNEL THAT REMAINS LARGELY UNEXPLORED. THIS RESEARCH IS DESIGNED TO ENABLE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF LHC DATA AND TO ENGAGE IN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION THROUGH VISITS TO CERN. A KEY BROADER IMPACTS COMPONENT OF THE PROJECT INVOLVES OUTREACH TO HIGH SCHOOLS IN MARYLAND?S EASTERN SHORE, WHERE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WILL BE TRAINED TO ANALYZE OPEN ATLAS DATA AND CONDUCT HANDS-ON EXPERIMENTS WITH PARTICLE DETECTORS. MANY EXTENSIONS OF THE SM PREDICT NEW SCALAR PARTICLES, SIMILAR TO THE HIGGS BOSON, THAT ARISE FROM ADDITIONAL SINGLET OR DOUBLET FIELDS AND MAY MIX WITH THE KNOWN HIGGS. THE PI WILL INVESTIGATE ONE SUCH CLASS OF HYPOTHETICAL SCALARS USING ATLAS DATA, FOCUSING ON RESONANT DECAYS INTO TWO BOTTOM QUARKS AND TWO W BOSONS IN THE 1-LEPTON AND 2-LEPTON FINAL STATES. THIS CHANNEL OFFERS HIGH STATISTICAL SENSITIVITY BUT REMAINS UNEXPLORED BY ATLAS. THE PROJECT INVOLVES SEVERAL TECHNICAL COMPONENTS, INCLUDING THE DESIGN OF TRIGGER STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE SIGNAL SELECTION EFFICIENCY, THE USE OF KINEMATIC FITTING TO ENHANCE EVENT RECONSTRUCTION, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIVARIATE CLASSIFICATION FRAMEWORKS INFORMED BY THOSE FITS. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE CALIBRATION OF B-JET TRIGGERS, SUPPORTING A WIDE RANGE OF ATLAS ANALYSES. ANALYSIS TASKS SUCH AS MONTE CARLO SIMULATION, SIGNAL TOPOLOGY STUDIES, AND TRIGGER EFFICIENCY EVALUATION WILL OFFER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTRIBUTE MEANINGFULLY. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE ATLAS STUDY OF ITS KIND, WITH THE POTENTIAL TO SET STRONGER EXCLUSION LIMITS OR DISCOVER NEW PARTICLES. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL LEAD MUCH OF THE WORK IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH THE BROADER ATLAS COLLABORATION. 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.

FUNDS FOR PETROLEUM FUNDING WILL BE USED TO CARRY OUT CLEANUP AND SITE REMEDIATION AT A BROWNFIELD SITE KNOW AS THE FORMER ALGER OIL PROPERTY SITE LO

FUNDS FOR HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES WILL BE USED TO CARRY OUT CLEANUP AND SITE REMEDIATION AT A BROWNFIELD SITE KNOWN AS THE FORMER CROP PRODUCTION SERVIC

RCN-UBE INCUBATOR: FOSTERING A MENTORSHIP NETWORK FOR EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES -A DIVERSE AND WELL-EDUCATED WORKFORCE IS CRUCIAL FOR OUR NATION TO RESPOND TO CHALLENGES AND SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES. PROVIDING EFFECTIVE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IS CRUCIAL TO ACHIEVING THIS GOAL. USING EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES (EBIP) CAN ENHANCE STUDENT LEARNING, BOOST ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED GROUPS, AND IMPROVE STUDENT PERSISTENCE AND RETENTION IN STEM. HOWEVER, IMPLEMENTING EBIPS CAN BE ESPECIALLY CHALLENGING AT TWO-YEAR COLLEGES (2YC) AND MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS WHERE FACULTY MAY HAVE HIGHER TEACHING LOADS OR FEWER RESOURCES FOR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR FACULTY AT BOTH TWO-YEAR AND FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS TO HAVE OPEN CONVERSATIONS TO UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES FACED BY STUDENTS TRANSFERRING INTO FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES (4YCS). THESE CONVERSATIONS WILL ENABLE FACULTY AT 4YCS TO SUPPORT TRANSFER STUDENTS IN ACCLIMATING AND THRIVING AND HELP 2YC FACULTY PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE CHALLENGES THEY MAY FACE UPON TRANSFERRING. THE RCN-UBE FOSTERING A MENTORSHIP NETWORK (FAMNET) WILL BE DESIGNED TO CREATE A STRUCTURED MENTORING NETWORK AND DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FACULTY AT TWO-YEAR AND FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES WITH A FOCUS ON IMPLEMENTING EBIP. FAMNET AIMS TO MENTOR FACULTY IN IMPLEMENTING EBIPS WHILE SEEKING TO PROMOTE A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CULTURE AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES TO ENSURE STUDENTS? CONTINUED SUCCESS. FAMNET AIMS TO ESTABLISH A UNIQUE STRUCTURED CO-MENTORING PROGRAM AND PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FACULTY AT TWO- AND FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS, CREATING A LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT FOSTERS ENRICHING COLLABORATIONS THAT ENHANCE THE UNDERSTANDING, CONFIDENCE, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES (EBIPS) AT BOTH INSTITUTIONS. FACULTY MENTORS EXPERIENCED IN EBIP, MENTORING CAPABILITIES, AND DISCIPLINE-BASED EDUCATION RESEARCH WILL PARTNER WITH A FACULTY MENTEE. MENTORS/MENTEE PAIRS WILL MEET MONTHLY VIRTUALLY TO DISCUSS PRESELECTED TOPICS AND ARTICLES PERTINENT TO EBIP AND COMPLETE EXTENSION ACTIVITIES. THE FAMNET COHORT WILL ALSO GATHER MONTHLY TO REVIEW RELATED ARTICLES, SHARE IDEAS, AND DISCUSS PROGRESS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EBIP, INCLUDING CHALLENGES FACED. THESE REGULAR MEETINGS WILL ALLOW FOR DEEPER INSIGHT INTO THE PEDAGOGICAL FRAMEWORK AND FACILITATE DISCUSSIONS, THUS BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF INSTRUCTORS DEDICATED TO EBIP. THE FINAL MEETING WILL BE IN PERSON AT THE ANNUAL SABER CONFERENCE, WHERE MENTORS AND MENTEES WILL PARTICIPATE IN WORKSHOPS ON EBIP, CONDUCT MICRO-TEACHING SESSIONS, PLAN EBIP ACTIVITIES FOR THEIR CLASSROOMS, DISCUSS STUDENT CHALLENGES, AND NETWORK WITH OTHER PARTICIPANTS. THE TEAM WILL ASSESS AND EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF THE NETWORK THROUGH PRE-AND POST-SURVEYS, FOCUSING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EBIP AS A RESULT OF PARTICIPATION IN FAMNET AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MENTORSHIP, WHICH WILL BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS. THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL DRIVE POSITIVE CHANGES AT MENTOR AND MENTEE INSTITUTIONS, ENHANCING TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS, BUILDING AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE BEST CLIMATE FOR STUDENT SUCCESS, AND IMPROVING UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY EDUCATION. THIS PROJECT IS BEING JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THE DIRECTORATE FOR STEM EDUCATION, DIVISION OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION AS PART OF THEIR EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES POSED IN VISION AND CHANGE IN UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY EDUCATION: A CALL TO ACTION (HTTP://VISIONANDCHANGE/FINALREPORT/). 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.

DIGITIZATION AND INTERPRETATION PLAN FOR FOUR CENTURIES OF BLACK HISTORY IN A CHESAPEAKE BAY COMMUNITY [IN 2019, WASHINGTON COLLEGE'S STARR CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, WITH AN $800,000 GRANT FROM THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION, LAUNCHED "CHESAPEAKE HEARTLAND: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN HUMANITIES PROJECT," AN INNOVATIVE COLLABORATION AMONG WASHINGTON COLLEGE, THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE, AND A BROAD ARRAY OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN KENT COUNTY, MD. CHESAPEAKE HEARTLAND COLLECTS, PRESERVES, DIGITIZES, AND MAKES ACCESSIBLE ARTIFACTS AND ORAL HISTORIES RELATED TO THE AREA?S AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE. WITH NEH SUPPORT, THE STARR CENTER CAN EXPAND SIGNIFICANTLY THE PROJECT'S REACH BY BRINGING IN ITEMS THAT ARE SCATTERED IN INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES ACROSS THE CHESAPEAKE REGION, INCLUDING THE MARYLAND STATE ARCHIVES (ANNAPOLIS), MARYLAND CENTER FOR HISTORY AND CULTURE (BALTIMORE), AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY (MA), AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE (DC), BROADENING THE PROJECT'S SCOPE TO FOUR CENTURIES.]

AM EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF MARKET BASED AGRICULTURAL GREENHOUSE GAS INSTRUMENTS: ALTERNATIVE MARKET DESIGNS, MONITORING, AND ENFORCEMENT

PRESERVATION OF THE WASHINGTON COLLEGE ARCHIVES

FY 2018 SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP ITL