Atlantic University

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY CARES ACT - INSTITUTIONAL FUNDING

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY EDUCATION STABILIZATION PROJECT

PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS

ENSURING A STEADY SUPPLY OF WARM WATER MARINE FINFISH SEED STOCK TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE U.S. AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY - THE U.S. HAS TREMENDOUS CAPACITY FOR MEETING THE DOMESTIC DEMAND FOR SEAFOOD BY EXPANDING AQUACULTURE IN FEDERAL WATERS AND LAND-BASED RECIRCULATING SYSTEMS. AS THE LARGEST IMPORTER OF SEAFOOD PRODUCTS, EXPANDING DOMESTIC PRODUCTION WILL REDUCE OUR RELIANCE ON IMPORTS AND THE TRADE DEFICIT. THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT THE U.S. AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY BY DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL ENSURE A STEADY SUPPLY OF WARM WATER MARINE FISH SEEDSTOCKS THAT ARE OPTIMIZED FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION. 1. DEVELOP YEAR-ROUND SPAWNING STRATEGIES FOR CAPTIVE BROODSTOCK AND LARVICULTURE METHODS FOR SEED PRODUCTION OF MARINE FINFISH. 2. DEVELOP METHODS FOR GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF WARM WATER MARINE FINFISH FOR OPTIMUM PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY.

ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY COLLEGE INSTITUTIONAL EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND

THE COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE FOR OCEAN EXPLORATION, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY (CIOERT) YEARS 6-10

ACCESS-TECHNOLOGY: ADVANCING CAREER CHOICES FOR EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS IN TECHNOLOGY FLDOE 2024 - 2029

CARES FUNDING FOR HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS

EMERGENCY RELIEF FOR STUDENTS

UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTERS

INSTITUTIONAL RELIEF FOR COVID-RELATED LOSSES TO PALM BEACH ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY

THE COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE FOR OCEAN EXPLORATION, RESEARCH, AND TECHNOLOGY (CIOERT)

EARLY DUAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN FROM SPANISH-SPEAKING FAMILIES

THE PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO FUND RESEARCH IN SUPPORT OF BTO IN THE AMOUNT OF 433,626 ON CONTRACT HR0011-19-2-0002.

MIXED NOP/MU COMPOUNDS AND THE INVOLVEMENT OF THEIR RECEPTORS IN ANALGESIA

PROVISION OF TUITION REIMBURSEMENT TO PALM BEACH ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DISPLACED BY COVID-19 PANDEMIC DURING THE SPRING 2020 TERM.

IN-VEHICLE SENSORS TO DETECT COGNITIVE CHANGE IN OLDER DRIVERS

NATIONAL OPEN-OCEAN ENERGY LABORATORY

CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY OF BACTERIAL SULFONUCLEOTIDE REDUCTASES

PROBING THE ROLE OF CYSTEINE SULFENYLATION IN CELL SIGNALING

HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM (STEM)

REGULATION OF SEROTONIN TRANSPORTERS

THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT OPERATIONS AT THE SOUTHEAST NATIONAL MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY CENTER (SNMREC) TO ENHANCE FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY’S (FAU) ONGOING EFFORTS TO ADVANCE THE MARINE ENERGY INDUSTRY. THIS PROJECT IS ORGANIZED INTO FOUR OBJECTIVES CORRESPONDING TO THE FOUR AREAS OF SUPPORT REQUESTED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY’S (DOE) WATER POWER TECHNOLOGIES OFFICE (WPTO). FIRST, THROUGH COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION WITH THE OTHER NMECS (NATIONAL MARINE ENERGY CENTERS), SNMREC WILL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT SEVERAL MARINE ENERGY SHORT COURSES AND WORKSHOPS. SHORT COURSES WILL COVER THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF MARINE ENERGY, AS WELL AS SEVERAL SPECIAL TOPIC SHORT COURSES THAT DIVE DEEPER INTO KEY TOPICS OF MARINE ENERGY AND WORKSHOPS ON SPECIAL TOPICS AT ANNUAL U.S. CONFERENCES (TASK 3). SECOND, SNMREC WILL WORK WITH THE WPTO TO DEVELOP A 5-YEAR STRATEGIC VISION AND OPERATING STRATEGY FOR SNMREC ALIGNED WITH DOE PRIORITIES AND NEEDS. THIRD, FAU AND UNIVERSITY PARTNERS WILL PERFORM FIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D) PROJECTS THAT ADDRESS DEMONSTRATED NEEDS OF THE MARINE ENERGY INDUSTRY. FINALLY, SNMREC HAS INCLUDED A REQUEST FOR SEVERAL INFRASTRUCTURE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WILL HAVE A MATERIAL IMPACT ON THE ABILITY TO CONDUCT HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE MARINE ENERGY INDUSTRY.

UNIVERSITY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ON PROGRAMMABLE COMPUTING FABRIC SOLUTIONS FOR CRITICAL USAF COMMUNICATIONS NEEDS

DURABILITY OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES

NURSE EDUCATION, PRACTICE, QUALITY AND RETENTION

WELLNESS ADVOCATES VALUING EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS (WAVES)

NEUROMARKERS OF SOCIAL COORDINATION: A DYNAMICAL APPROACH

THE ROLE OF AIR QUALITY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN SOCIAL ISOLATION AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG RURAL, RACIALLY/ETHNICALLY DIVERSE RESIDENTS AT RISK FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE - BOTH SOCIAL ISOLATION AND COGNITIVE DECLINE ARE URGENT THREATS TO PUBLIC HEALTH, AS THEY PREDISPOSE PERSONS TO ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIAS. AIR POLLUTION AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT ARE COMMUNITY-BASED FACTORS THAT HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO ADVERSELY AFFECT COGNITIVE FUNCTION. INDIVIDUAL FACTORS SUCH AS SOCIAL ISOLATION AND ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE FURTHER CONTRIBUTE TO COGNITIVE RISK. RURAL SETTINGS HAVE MORE LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT, WHEN COMPARED TO URBAN SETTINGS. THESE CONDITIONS CONVERGE TO FORM A PERFECT STORM OF SOCIAL ISOLATION AND ACCELERATED COGNITIVE DECLINE, YET PRIOR STUDIES HAVE NOT FOCUSED ON RURAL, DISADVANTAGED, ETHNIC MINORITY RESIDENTS. USING A MULTI-METHOD APPROACH, WE PROPOSE TO DEMONSTRATE HOW A UNIQUELY VULNERABLE RURAL FLORIDA POPULATION (N = 1087) ARE AT RISK FOR SOCIAL ISOLATION AND DECLINE IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION DUE TO THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT. WE WILL RECRUIT COMMUNITY-DWELLING, NON-CLINICAL, DEMENTIA-FREE, MIDDLE AGED AND OLDER ADULTS FROM 5 COMMUNITIES IN THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE AREA OF FLORIDA FOR A 5-YEAR STUDY INCORPORATING TIME-SERIES INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL AND COGNITIVE MEASURES AND COMMUNITY-LEVEL MEASURES OF THE PHYSICAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT. APPLE WATCHES WILL BE USED BY A SUBSAMPLE OF 120 PARTICIPANTS REPRESENTATIVE OF 5 COMMUNITIES TO CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR SENSORY DATA, DAILY ROUTINE AND PREDEFINED ACTIVITIES FOR 2 MONTHS. ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT (EMA) WILL BE USED TO COLLECT DATA DAILY OVER PERIODS OF AGRICULTURAL BURNING AND NO BURNING. USING A COMBINATION OF PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION, SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS, SUBSAMPLE CONTINUOUS MONITORING AND EMA, WE WILL EXAMINE THE FOLLOWING AIMS OVER 36 MONTHS AMONG RURAL, RACIALLY/ETHNICALLY, AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY-DWELLING ADULTS AGED 45 YEARS AND OLDER: AIM 1: EXAMINE THE CONTRIBUTION OF SMOKE-RELATED PM2.5 EXPOSURES TO SI AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION, THROUGH MULTILEVEL GROWTH MODELING. AIM 2. DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF THE BUILT (E.G., RETAIL DESTINATIONS, PARK SPACE) AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT (E.G., CRIME SES) ON SOCIAL ISOLATION AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION THROUGH MIXED LINEAR MODELING. AIM 3. CONTEXTUALIZE SOCIAL ISOLATION AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG RESIDENTS FROM DIFFERENT RACIAL/ETHNIC GROUPS USING EMA AND SENSOR-DERIVED BEHAVIOR MODELS WITH A SUBSAMPLE OF 120 STRATIFIED BY LAKE O COMMUNITIES DURING BURN AND NON-BURN SEASONS.

4200033554 REPLACES NCC8-230 TO CORRECT ERROR MADE BY COMPETENCY CENTER WHEN ENTERED INTO SAP

MECHANISM AND INHIBITION OF COLLAGENOLYTIC ACTIVITY

TRANSFORMING THE UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT TO PROMOTE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND STUDENT SUCCESS.

ENHANCEMENT OF AUC'S LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THROUGH ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENT

NEXT STEP: GRADUATE STUDIES

SHIP OPERATIONS SUPPORT - 2005

TIMP ENGINEERING AND APPLICATION TO ARTHRITIS

IDENTIFYING COMPLEX MODES OF ADAPTATION FROM POPULATION-GENOMIC DATA

MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY DEMENTIA SCREENING.

DURABILITY OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES YEAR 4

SUPPORTING TALENT THROUGH RECRUITMENT, INCLUSION, DIVERSITY AND EQUITY (STRIDE)

PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF BILINGUALISM AND COGNITIVE RESERVE IN THE AGING BRAIN OF HISPANO ADULTS WITH MCI - PROJECT SUMMARY ESTIMATES FROM THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION INDICATE THAT APPROXIMATELY ONE IN TEN OLDER ADULTS IN THE US HAVE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD) WHILE 15 TO 20% HAVE MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (MCI), PROJECTING THAT ABOUT A THIRD OF THOSE WILL DEVELOP DEMENTIA WITHIN FIVE YEARS. SEVERAL VARIABLES HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH DELAYING THE ONSET AND RATE OF COGNITIVE DECLINE IN AD AND HAVE BEEN GROUPED UNDER THE COGNITIVE RESERVE/ RESILIENCE (CR/R) THEORY; IT POSTULATES THAT COMPLEX MENTAL ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT THE LIFETIME CREATES RESISTANCE TO COGNITIVE DECLINE DESPITE THE BIOLOGICAL RISK (BRAIN LOSS). EMERGING EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT BILINGUALISM MAY BE ONE OF THESE NEUROPROTECTIVE FACTORS IN THE AGING BRAIN, BUT RESULTS IN BILINGUALISM AND CR/R REMAIN INCONSISTENT. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO ANALYZE THE CONTRIBUTION OF BILINGUALISM TO CR/R IN A LARGE COHORT OF AGING SPANISH/ENGLISH BILINGUALS AND SPANISH MONOLINGUALS WITH AMNESTIC MCI (AMCI). TO OVERCOME LIMITATIONS IN PREVIOUS RESEARCH, WE WILL USE A LONGITUDINAL DESIGN, OPERATIONAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BILINGUALISM, REFINED SOCIOCULTURAL MEASURES, AND MULTIMODAL NEUROIMAGING. THE CURRENT STUDY WILL LEVERAGE AND EXTEND A LARGE ONGOING NIH COHORT PROSPECTIVE STUDY FROM THE 1FLORIDA ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH CENTER (1FLORIDA ADRC), IN WHICH SPANISH/ENGLISH BILINGUAL HISPANICS WITH AMCI ARE WELL-REPRESENTED (N = 120), BUT SPANISH MONOLINGUALS ARE UNDERREPRESENTED ALTHOUGH THEY COMPRISE APPROXIMATELY 40% OF FOREIGN-BORN HISPANICS IN THE US. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, WE DIRECTLY ADDRESS THIS BY DEPLOYING AN INTENSIVE, CULTURALLY-INFORMED, COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH APPROACH IN THE MIAMI AREA TO INCREASE OUTREACH AND RECRUIT 120 HISPANIC MONOLINGUALS WITH AMCI. WE WILL MAKE THE ADRC MCI BILINGUAL AND MONOLINGUAL GROUPS ETHNICALLY EQUIVALENT AND CREATE A LONGITUDINAL DATA SET (N=240), ENSURING THAT WE ARE WELL-POWERED TO DETERMINE THE CONTRIBUTION OF BILINGUALISM TO CR IN THE AMCI POPULATION. AS CO-INVESTIGATORS ON THE 1FLORIDA ADRC, OUR RESEARCH TEAM IS WELL-POSITIONED TO EXECUTE THE PROPOSED STUDY. WE WILL COLLECT NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL DATA AT YEARS 1, 2, AND 3 AND NEUROIMAGING DATA (MRI AND DTI) AT YEARS 1 AND 3. THE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL BATTERY WILL INCLUDE THE LOEWENSTEIN-ACEVEDO SCALE FOR SEMANTIC INTERFERENCE AND LEARNING (LASSI-L), A COGNITIVE STRESS TEST THAT EVALUATES FAILURE TO RECOVER FROM PROACTIVE SEMANTIC INTERFERENCE (FRPSI) AND IS HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO SUBTLE COGNITIVE CHANGES IN EARLY AD. THE INNOVATION LIES IN STUDYING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRAIN DIFFUSIVITY MEASURES OF WM AND FRPSI, AS MEASURED BY THE LASSI-L IN COMBINATION WITH VOLUMETRIC BRAIN DATA; THE USE OF BILINGUAL INDEXES OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AND DEGREES OF ACCULTURATION, AND LEVELS OF EDUCATION. OUR FINDINGS WILL ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN NEURAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS AND THE ROLE OF BILINGUALISM IN CR/R IN AD/ADRD, PAVING THE WAY FOR NEW TARGETS FOR INTERVENTIONS AND PROVIDING FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHT INTO THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE(S) IN THE AGING BRAIN.

THE MULTIPLE ROLES OF MITOCHONDRIA IN SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION

PROJECT CHEMBOND: THE NEXT GENERATION

TAS::89 0321::TAS ADVANCED WATER POWER PROJECTS

HYPOXIA REGULATION OF THE LENS

NRT-HDR: GRADUATE TRAINEESHIP IN DATA SCIENCE TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS

AN INTEGRATED INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL FOR ACCELERATING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN SCIENCE AND LITERACY IN GRADES 1-2

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY ACADEMIES OF INNOVATION AND RESEARCH

DESIGN OF MISSION EFFECT SUPPORT SHIPS

PRESYNAPTIC REGULATION OF C.ELEGANS DOPAMINE TRANSPORTER

NEUROINFLAMMATION, NEURONAL IL-1R1, AND BEHAVIOR

MOL. ANAL. OF MICRODISSECTED CATARACTOUS HUMAN LENSES

SEEDSTOCK IMPROVEMENT TO SUPPORT THE U.S. WARM WATER MARINE FINFISH INDUSTRY

ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION GRANTS

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS - HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS

NURSE, EDUCATION, PRACTICE, QUALITY AND RETENTION - REGISTERED NURSES IN PRIMARY CARE

HBOI UNDERWATER LASER IMAGING AND COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH - PHASE I

HBOI UNDERWATER LASER IMAGING AND COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH - PHASE I

BIOLUMINESCENCE TRUTH DATA MEASUREMENT: PHASE 4

TRANSITION TO TEACHING PROGRAM - TRANSITION TO TEACHING PROGRAM -- LOCAL

ANXIETY, IL-1R1 AND NEUROINFLAMMATION

KNOCK-IN MOUSE MODEL OF DOPAMINE DYSFUNCTION UNDERLYING TRAITS OF ADHD

NPQ/SPEXIN THE ENDOGENOUS LIGAND FOR THE GALANIN RECEPTOR 3

LEARNING ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS FROM GENOMIC AND TRANSCRIPTOMIC DATA - PROJECT SUMMARY STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS ARE KEY DRIVERS OF BOTH EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTATION AND HUMAN DISEASE. MY GROUP DEVELOPS AND APPLIES COMPUTATIONAL AND STATISTICAL APPROACHES FOR UNDERSTANDING THE EVOLUTION OF STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS FROM PATTERNS IN THEIR GENOMIC AND TRANSCRIPTOMIC DATA. DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS, OUR STUDIES HAVE FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON GENE DUPLICATION, WHICH REPRESENTS THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF STRUCTURAL VARIATION OBSERVED IN NATURE. IN PARTICULAR, WE INVESTIGATED THE ORIGINS OF EVOLUTIONARY INNOVATION AFTER GENE DUPLICATION, A PROBLEM OF LONG- STANDING INTEREST IN THE EVOLUTIONARY GENOMICS COMMUNITY. TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, WE DESIGNED THE FIRST METHOD FOR CLASSIFYING EVOLUTIONARY OUTCOMES OF DUPLICATE GENES FROM PHYLOGENETIC COMPARISONS OF THEIR GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES. BY APPLYING THIS DECISION TREE METHOD TO MULTI-TISSUE GENE EXPRESSION DATA, WE WERE ABLE TO CLASSIFY EVOLUTIONARY OUTCOMES OF DUPLICATE GENES IN DROSOPHILA, MAMMALS, AND GRASSES. THESE STUDIES REVEALED FREQUENT TISSUE-SPECIFIC EXPRESSION DIVERGENCE AFTER DUPLICATION, AS WELL AS SEQUENCE AND EXPRESSION DIFFERENCES WITHIN AND AMONG TAXA THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH NATURAL SELECTION. IN A FOLLOW-UP POPULATION-GENOMIC ANALYSIS, WE DEMONSTRATED THAT NATURAL SELECTION INDEED PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE EVOLUTIONARY OUTCOMES OF YOUNG DUPLICATE GENES IN DROSOPHILA. LATER, WE DEVELOPED ANALOGOUS DECISION TREE CLASSIFIERS FOR TWO ADDITIONAL TYPES OF STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS: GENE DELETION AND TRANSLOCATION. APPLICATIONS OF OUR METHODS TO SEQUENCE AND EXPRESSION DATA FROM MULTIPLE TISSUES AND DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES IN DROSOPHILA UNCOVERED RAPID DIVERGENCE CONCORDANT WITH ADAPTATION, SUGGESTING THAT NATURAL SELECTION SHAPES THE EVOLUTIONARY TRAJECTORIES OF STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS GENERATED BY DELETION AND TRANSLOCATION AS WELL. HOWEVER, OUR RECENT ANALYSES REVEALED THAT THERE ARE MANY LIMITATIONS OF THESE DECISION TREE METHODS, INCLUDING SENSITIVITY TO GENE EXPRESSION STOCHASTICITY, LACK OF STATISTICAL SUPPORT, AND INABILITY TO PREDICT PARAMETERS DRIVING THE EVOLUTION OF STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS. THUS, DURING THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, MY GROUP WILL DEVELOP A SUITE OF TAILORED MODEL-BASED STATISTICAL AND MACHINE LEARNING APPROACHES FOR CLASSIFYING THE EVOLUTIONARY OUTCOMES AND PREDICTING THE EVOLUTIONARY PARAMETERS OF STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS ARISING FROM DUPLICATION, DELETION, INVERSION, AND TRANSLOCATION EVENTS. OUR PRELIMINARY STUDIES INDICATE THAT THESE TECHNIQUES WILL BE MUCH MORE POWERFUL AND ACCURATE THAN PREVIOUS APPROACHES, AND WILL THEREFORE COMPOSE MAJOR ADVANCEMENTS IN EVOLUTIONARY INVESTIGATIONS OF STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS. IN ADDITION TO IMPLEMENTING OUR METHODS IN OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE PACKAGES, WE WILL APPLY THEM TO ASSAY THE EVOLUTIONARY IMPLICATIONS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS IN HUMANS AND SEVERAL OTHER ANIMAL AND PLANT TAXA. COMPARISONS WILL BE MADE AMONG DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS, THEIR EVOLUTIONARY OUTCOMES, AND TAXONOMIC GROUPS. THE MAJOR GOAL OF THESE STUDIES WILL BE TO ASCERTAIN THE GENERAL RULES BY WHICH DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRUCTURAL VARIATION CONTRIBUTE TO EVOLUTIONARY INNOVATION. TOGETHER, THESE STUDIES WILL SHED LIGHT ON HOW GENE DUPLICATION, DELETION, INVERSION, AND TRANSLOCATION WORK IN CONCERT TO GENERATE A DIVERSITY OF COMPLEX ADAPTATIONS ACROSS THE TREE OF LIFE.

CYBERCORPS SCHOLARSHIP FOR SERVICE: BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION CYBERSECURITY-READY WORKFORCE -THIS PROJECT ESTABLISHES A NEW CYBERCORPS? SCHOLARSHIP FOR SERVICE (SFS) PROGRAM AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY (FAU) AND ADDRESSES THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR A SKILLED AND DIVERSE CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE. THIS PROJECT LEVERAGES FACULTY EXPERTISE AND COURSE OFFERINGS TO DRIVE STUDENT TRAINING AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT AT THE INTERSECTION OF CYBERSECURITY AND THEMATIC AREAS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI), POST-QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY, AND HARDWARE SECURITY. THE FAU SFS PROGRAM WILL DEVELOP AN INTEGRATED CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MODEL COMBINING FOUNDATIONAL PREPARATION THROUGH COURSEWORK, DEEP SKILL DEVELOPMENT WITH CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH, PRACTICAL INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES, AND INTEGRATED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. ACTIVITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING CERTIFICATIONS, ARE INTEGRATED INTO THE PROGRAM TO PREPARE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS FOR A CYBERSECURITY CAREER IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. STUDENTS WILL BE RECRUITED FROM THE DIVERSE FAU STUDENT BODY, WITH MORE THAN 49% MEMBERS OF UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES. FIVE STUDENTS WILL BE RECRUITED AND TRAINED PER COHORT FOR A TOTAL OF 20 SFS SCHOLARS OVER THE FIVE YEARS. STUDENTS WILL GAIN A BROAD UNDERSTANDING OF CYBERSECURITY OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND BE PREPARED TO COMPETE AND SECURE JOBS THERE. STUDENTS WILL GRADUATE WITH DEEP SKILLS AND PREPARATION IN CYBERSECURITY AND WILL SERVE THE NATIONAL SECURITY NEEDS BY COMPLETING THEIR SERVICE OBLIGATION. EACH SFS SCHOLAR RECEIVES TWO YEARS OF SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT AND TRAINING LEADING TO A MASTER?S DEGREE FROM ONE OF THE THREE COLLABORATING COLLEGES AT FAU ?ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE, SCIENCE, AND BUSINESS. SCHOLARS WILL ALSO COMPLETE UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE CERTIFICATES OR TRACKS IN CYBERSECURITY AS PART OF THEIR TRAINING. FAU FACULTY?S ONGOING COLLABORATIONS, WHICH INCLUDE INDUSTRY AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AGENCIES, BRING SUBSTANTIVE EXPERIENCE WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CYBERSECURITY NEEDS AND CONTRIBUTE TO A RICH SET OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES FOR SCHOLARS. THESE ACTIVITIES WILL SERVE MULTIPLE PURPOSES, INCLUDING ATTRACTING AND RECRUITING STUDENTS, EDUCATING THEM ABOUT THE BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF WORKING FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND ASSISTING THEM IN SECURING INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AND JOBS. STUDENT RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO NEW KNOWLEDGE AT THE INTERSECTION OF CYBERSECURITY, AI, POST-QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY, AND HARDWARE SECURITY. THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY THE CYBERCORPS? SCHOLARSHIP FOR SERVICE (SFS) PROGRAM, WHICH FUNDS PROPOSALS ESTABLISHING OR CONTINUING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS IN CYBERSECURITY AND ALIGNS WITH THE U.S. NATIONAL CYBER STRATEGY TO DEVELOP A SUPERIOR CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE. FOLLOWING GRADUATION, SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS ARE REQUIRED TO WORK IN CYBERSECURITY FOR A FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, OR TRIBAL GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION FOR THE SAME DURATION AS THEIR SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT. 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.

SCH: INT: VIRTUAL NEUROPROSTHESIS: RESTORING AUTONOMY TO PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM NEUROTRAUMA

IMPLEMENTING INTERVENTIONS TO REDUCE HOSPITALIZATIONS OF NURSING HOME RESIDENTS

A NOVEL ROLE FOR CMYC IN VASCULAR HOMEOSTASIS

MRI: DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTELLIGENT RIVER (R), A BASIN-SCALE MONITORING INSTRUMENT

A SEA BASE GAME CHANGING ENABLER - A RAPIDLY DEPLOYABLE STABLE PLATFORM DEMONSTRATOR

IDENTIFICATION OF VACCINE CANDIDATES AGAINST SEVERE MALARIA

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS

INVESTIGATION INTO NOP RECEPTOR AGONISTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC MIGRAINE

BURIED OBJECT SCANNING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION WORKFORCE

PRECLINICAL STUDIES FOR THE THERAPEUTIC DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL NEUROPROTECTANT FOR ALS

NEW PROBES FOR MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE 13

NURSE EDUCATION, PRACTICE, QUALITY, AND RETENTION - INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLBORATIVE PRACTICE

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY'S UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM IN BROWARD COUNTY

NURSE EDUCATION, PRACTICE, QUALITY AND RETENTION - VETERAN NURSES IN PRIMARY CARE

MEMORY MODULATION BY SK CHANNELS

PROJECT PRAISE: PREPARING FOR READINESS AND ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT FOR PRE-K ELS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSES OF NEUROGLIAN/L1 IN SYNAPTOGENESIS

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY'S TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM IN BROWARD COUNTY

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH

THE ROLE OF NEURAL TRANSLIN IN METABOLIC CONTROL OF SLEEP

AMPHETAMINE CAUSES TRANSGENERATIONAL EFFECTS

CREATION OF A MARINE NATURAL PRODUCTS LIBRARY TO ENHANCE LIFE SCIENCE RESEARCH

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING TRAINEESHIP

NOVEL ASPECTS OF GOLF SIGNALING

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY'S UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM IN BROWARD COUNTY

DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTOMATED HIV SELF-TESTING ASSAY - PROJECT SUMMARY ALTHOUGH ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART) IS EFFECTIVE IN SAVING AIDS PATIENTS' LIVES, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ART WORLDWIDE HAS BEEN DRASTICALLY HAMPERED BY THE LACK OF TREATMENT MONITORING DIAGNOSTICS AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT. ACCORDING TO THE RECENT STATISTICS BY USAIDS, THE COVERAGE OF ART IS STILL ONLY 59%, DESPITE ART BEING AFFORDABLE OR FREELY AVAILABLE IN MOST COUNTRIES. IN ADDITION, WORLDWIDE, ABOUT 1 IN 4 OF THE PEOPLE THAT CONTRACTED THE VIRUS ARE UNAWARE OF THEIR HIV STATUS. ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL CHALLENGES TO REDUCE HIV BURDEN AND ITS PREVALENCE IS THE ABSENCE OF HIV SELF-TESTING ASSAYS WHICH ARE SENSITIVE ENOUGH TO DETECT NEW HIV INFECTIONS DURING THE FIRST TWO-WEEKS (ACUTE PHASE) POST-INFECTION AND VIRAL REBOUND IN VIRALLY SUPRESSED PATIENTS RECEIVING ART. CURRENT SELF-TESTING TECHNOLOGIES ONLY DETECT THE HOST ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO HIV INFECTION, WHICH USUALLY ARISES 3-4 WEEKS AFTER THE INITIAL INFECTION AND IT IS NOT AN INDICATOR OF THERAPY FAILURE AND VIRAL REBOUND. NO SELF-TESTING TECHNOLOGIES HAVE YET BEEN COMMERCIALIZED THAT ARE ABLE TO DETECT HIV DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF ACUTE INFECTION OR VIRAL REBOUND IN SUPPRESSED PATIENTS ON ART. TO INCREASE ACCESS TO HIV TESTING AND TO IMPROVE TREATMENT OUTCOMES, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO DEVELOP RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE HIV SELF-TESTING TECHNOLOGIES. TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES, WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A DISPOSABLE SELF-TESTING HIV-1 CHIP THAT CAN (I) SELECTIVELY DETECT HIV FROM WHOLE BLOOD SAMPLES, (II) BE HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO DETECT HIV DURING THE ACUTE INFECTION, TREATMENT AND VIRAL REBOUND (<1000 COPIES/ML), (III) BE RAPID (WITHIN 40 MINUTES), (IV) BE HIGHLY STABLE (REFRIGERATION-FREE), AND (V) BE FULLY AUTOMATED (TRUE SAMPLE-IN-ANSWER- OUT).

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY (FAU) SUPPORT OPERATIONS AT THE NATIONAL MARINE ENERGY CENTERS (NMECS) IN AN EFFORT TO ACCELERATE THE TRANSITION OF MARINE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES TO MARKET. THESE CENTERS CAPITALIZE ON NEARBY MARINE ENERGY RESOURCES COMBINED WITH REGIONAL EXPERTISE TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO FACILITIES AND EXPERTS NEEDED BY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPERS TO TEST AND ADVANCE MARINE ENERGY SYSTEMS. TO SUPPORT CONTINUED ACTIVITIES TO ADVANCE THE MARINE ENERGY INDUSTRY, THIS AWARD FUNDS FAU TO SUPPORT OPERATIONS AT THE SOUTHEAST NATIONAL MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY CENTER (SNMREC). THIS PROJECT’S OBJECTIVE IS TO MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE SNMREC’S OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES. UNLIKE ISOLATED R&D PROJECTS WITH SPECIFIC OUTCOMES AND DELIVERABLES, AS NATIONAL CENTERS NMECS PROVIDE SUSTAINED LEADERSHIP IN A VARIETY OF TECHNICAL, SOCIAL, AND SCIENTIFIC AREAS, ESPECIALLY FOR THEIR NEARBY COMMUNITIES. THIS PROJECT WILL HELP TO FURTHER DEVELOP AND SUSTAIN SNMREC’S PREVIOUSLY BUILT CAPABILITIES TO ENSURE LONG TERM POSITIVE IMPACT FOR THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF MARINE ENERGY IN FOUR REQUESTED CATEGORIES: (1) COMMUNICATIONS TO CONVEY THE CAPABILITIES, VALUE AND SUCCESSES OF THE SNMREC, (2) POINT OF CONTACT, FACILITATOR, AND COORDINATOR FOR THE REGIONAL MARINE ENERGY COMMUNITY, (3) MAINTENANCE AND ACCESS TO INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES, AND (4) COORDINATION WITH DOE AND THE OTHER NMECS.

DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTOMATED HIV SELF-TESTING ASSAY - PROJECT SUMMARY ALTHOUGH ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART) IS EFFECTIVE IN SAVING AIDS PATIENTS' LIVES, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ART WORLDWIDE HAS BEEN DRASTICALLY HAMPERED BY THE LACK OF TREATMENT MONITORING DIAGNOSTICS AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT. ACCORDING TO THE RECENT STATISTICS BY USAIDS, THE COVERAGE OF ART IS STILL ONLY 59%, DESPITE ART BEING AFFORDABLE OR FREELY AVAILABLE IN MOST COUNTRIES. IN ADDITION, WORLDWIDE, ABOUT 1 IN 4 OF THE PEOPLE THAT CONTRACTED THE VIRUS ARE UNAWARE OF THEIR HIV STATUS. ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL CHALLENGES TO REDUCE HIV BURDEN AND ITS PREVALENCE IS THE ABSENCE OF HIV SELF-TESTING ASSAYS WHICH ARE SENSITIVE ENOUGH TO DETECT NEW HIV INFECTIONS DURING THE FIRST TWO-WEEKS (ACUTE PHASE) POST-INFECTION AND VIRAL REBOUND IN VIRALLY SUPRESSED PATIENTS RECEIVING ART. CURRENT SELF-TESTING TECHNOLOGIES ONLY DETECT THE HOST ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO HIV INFECTION, WHICH USUALLY ARISES 3-4 WEEKS AFTER THE INITIAL INFECTION AND IT IS NOT AN INDICATOR OF THERAPY FAILURE AND VIRAL REBOUND. NO SELF-TESTING TECHNOLOGIES HAVE YET BEEN COMMERCIALIZED THAT ARE ABLE TO DETECT HIV DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF ACUTE INFECTION OR VIRAL REBOUND IN SUPPRESSED PATIENTS ON ART. TO INCREASE ACCESS TO HIV TESTING AND TO IMPROVE TREATMENT OUTCOMES, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO DEVELOP RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE HIV SELF-TESTING TECHNOLOGIES. TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES, WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A DISPOSABLE SELF-TESTING HIV-1 CHIP THAT CAN (I) SELECTIVELY DETECT HIV FROM WHOLE BLOOD SAMPLES, (II) BE HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO DETECT HIV DURING THE ACUTE INFECTION, TREATMENT AND VIRAL REBOUND (<1000 COPIES/ML), (III) BE RAPID (WITHIN 40 MINUTES), (IV) BE HIGHLY STABLE (REFRIGERATION-FREE), AND (V) BE FULLY AUTOMATED (TRUE SAMPLE-IN-ANSWER- OUT).

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY'S UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM IN BROWARD COUNTY

THE IMPACT OF SYNAPTIC CLEFT PH FLUCTUATIONS ON SHORT-TERM SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY

PREPARATION OF LEADERSHIP PERSONNEL

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY'S UPWARD BOUND MATH AND SCIENCE CENTER IN BROWARD COUNTY

UPWARD BOUND

ENHANCING THE UNIVERSITY'S ENVIRONMENT TO FOSTER INCLUSIVENESS AND STUDENT SUCCESS

SCH: ENABLING DISABLED PEOPLE TO CONTROL THE FULL DEXTERITY OF WEARABLE ASSISTIVE ROBOTS -THIS SMART HEALTH (SCH) AWARD WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH AND WELFARE BY DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY TO HELP THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUFFERED AN AMPUTATION OR WHO HAVE A CONGENITAL DEFICIENCY OF AN UPPER LIMB. THESE PROBLEMS CREATE A DEVASTATING IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF THE VICTIMS? LIVES AND POSE A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL BURDEN TO PEOPLE IN THE U.S.A. UNFORTUNATELY, THE STATE OF THE ART IN PROSTHETIC HAND REPLACEMENTS IS NOT COMPARABLE TO THEIR POPULAR PORTRAYAL IN SCI-FI MOVIES, LEAVING UPPER LIMB-ABSENT PEOPLE WITH RUDIMENTARY CONTROL OF BASIC GRASP FUNCTIONS. THIS WORK WILL EXPLORE METHODS TO HELP UPPER LIMB-ABSENT PEOPLE LEARN ADVANCED CONTROL OF SOPHISTICATED PROSTHETIC HANDS WITH AN AUTOMATED TRAINING REGIMEN THAT CAN BE USED AT HOME. AUTOMATING THIS ASPECT OF HEALTHCARE WITH REMOTE LEARNING FUNCTIONALITY CAN HELP DISABLED PEOPLE ACCESS TREATMENT MORE QUICKLY AND AT A LOWER COST. FURTHERMORE, RESEARCH FROM THIS GRANT WILL BE USED TO CREATE LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS TO HELP EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS. THUS, THIS RESEARCH CAN BENEFIT THE SOCIETY AND ECONOMY OF THE USA. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE NUMEROUS OPTIONS FOR DEXTEROUS WEARABLE CO-ROBOT ASSISTANTS, SUCH AS PROSTHETIC HANDS, WITH FUTURE DEVICES BECOMING EVEN MORE SOPHISTICATED. IN FACT, THE DEXTERITY OF THESE DEVICES IS RAPIDLY OUTPACING THE ABILITY FOR PEOPLE TO INTUITIVELY CONTROL THEM. ONE MAIN SOURCE OF THIS PROBLEM STEMS FROM THE INABILITY TO RELIABLY INTERPRET THE INTENTIONS OF THE HUMAN OPERATOR OVER THE COURSE OF MONTHS AND YEARS. ANOTHER PROBLEM IS THAT THE SCIENCE BEHIND CUSTOMIZABLE TRAINING PROGRAMS TO EMPOWER DISABLED PEOPLE TO HARNESS THE FULL POTENTIAL OF DEXTEROUS ASSISTIVE ROBOTS SUCH AS PROSTHETIC HANDS HAS NOT BEEN DEEPLY EXPLORED. THIS PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THESE DEFICIENCIES THROUGH THREE MAIN ENDEAVORS: (1) EXPLORATION OF A NOVEL BIMODAL SKIN SENSOR TO OVERCOME LIMITATIONS WITH CURRENT SENSORS, (2) INVESTIGATION OF THE UTILITY OF MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS TO CLASSIFY THE INTENTION OF HUMAN OPERATORS, AND (3) CREATION OF A NEW REINFORCEMENT LEARNING PARADIGM TO SEQUENTIALLY INTRODUCE CUSTOMIZED, SUBJECT-SPECIFIC MUSCLE TRAINING EXERCISES OVER TIME TO MAXIMIZE BIOCONTROL SIGNAL CLASSIFICATION ACCURACY AND THE NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT BIOCONTROL CHANNELS. 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.

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** AQUACULTURE, I.E., FARMING IN AN AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT, PLAYS AN EVER-GROWING ROLE IN FOOD SECURITY IN THE US AND WORLDWIDE. SINCE 2014 GLOBALLY, MORE SEAFOOD CONSUMED WAS FARM-RAISED THAN WILD-CAUGHT. REGRETTABLY, AQUACULTURE IN THE U.S. NEEDS TO CATCH UP WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD, HINDERED BY THE HIGH COST OF RESOURCE-INTENSIVE OPERATIONS. THE LABOR SHORTAGE EXPERIENCED IN THE INDUSTRY EXACERBATES THE PROBLEM.TO REVITALIZE THE GROWTH OF THE U.S. AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY, THE PROPOSED THREE-YEAR MEDIUM PROJECT - INTELLIGENT RESOURCE EFFICIENT POND AQUACULTURE (IREPA), AIMS TO ACHIEVE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTIVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN KEY POND AQUACULTURE OPERATIONS, NAMELY, WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT (I.E., MONITORING AND AERATION), AND FEEDING. THE CORE CONCEPT OF IREPA IS TO TRANSFORM FARM OPERATIONS FROM THE TRADITIONAL REACTIVE MODE TO PROACTIVE FEEDFORWARD CONTROLLED PROCESSES UNDERPINNED BY CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS (CPS), WHICH INCLUDE AN AI-DRIVEN FARM OPERATION AND CONTROL AND HETEROGENEOUS ROBOTIC SYSTEMS CONNECTED THROUGH A HIGH-SPEED LOW-LATENCY NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE TO SEAMLESSLY COLLABORATE WITH AND ASSIST THE HUMAN OPERATORS.

SYNTHESIS OF A BRIDGED BICYCLIC NATURAL PRODUCT USING ALLENYL ESTERS

FISH FARMING IS AN IMPORTANT AGRICULTURE SECTOR AND PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN SECURING FOOD SAFETY IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD. HOWEVER, FOR FISH FARMING TO TAKE OFF, DRASTIC IMPROVEMENTS ARE REQUIRED TO CURRENT LABOR-INTENSIVE AND RESOURCE-INEFFICIENT OPERATIONS.THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO DESIGN, DEVELOP AND FIELD-TEST THE HYBRID AERIAL/UNDERWATER ROBOTIC SYSTEM (HAUCS) FOR AQUACULTURE FISH FARM WATER QUALITY MONITORING. HAUCS WILL BE CAPABLE OF COLLABORATIVE MONITORING AND DECISION-MAKING ON FARMS OF VARYING SCALES. HAUCS WILL CONDUCT AUTOMATED SAMPLING AT FREQUENCIES RELEVANT FOR ACCURATE PREDICTION OF WATER QUALITY VARIATION (E.G., HOURLY DIEL READINGS), PROVIDING SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGES IN SPEED, COST, RESOURCE EFFICIENCY, ADAPTABILITY, AND CONTROLLABILITY OVER THE TRADITIONAL MANUAL AND TRUCK-MOUNTED WATER QUALITY MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS ON THE FISH FARMS. HAUCS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BRING TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGES TO HOW THE AQUACULTURE FISH FARMS OPERATE.HAUCS IS AN END-TO-END FRAMEWORK CONSISTS OF THREE ESSENTIAL SUBSYSTEMS: A TEAM OF COLLABORATIVE AMPHIBIOUS ROBOTIC SENSING PLATFORMS INTEGRATED WITH UNDERWATER SENSORS; A LAND-BASED HOME STATION THAT CAN PROVIDE AUTOMATED CHARGING AND SENSOR CLEANING; AND THE BACKEND PROCESSING CENTER CONSISTS OF A MACHINE LEARNING BASED WATER QUALITY PREDICTION MODEL AND THE FARM CONTROL CENTER.EACH HAUCS PLATFORM COVERS A SUBSET OF PONDS, AUTOMATICALLY ACQUIRES SENSOR DATA IN EACH POND AT A REGULAR INTERVAL. THE AMPHIBIOUS DESIGN ENABLES THE PLATFORM TO MOVE OVER THE LEVEE SEPARATING THE PONDS AND TO BETTER COPE WITH THE SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS HIGH WIND. IN COMBINATION WITH THE AUTOMATIC CLEANING AT THE LAND-BASED HOME STATION, THE RISK OF SENSOR BIOFOULING WILL BE AVOIDED. THE BRAIN IN THE BACKEND PROCESSING CENTER PROVIDES SEVERAL-STEPS-AHEAD PREDICTION OF THE POND WATER QUALITY AND CAN MITIGATE A POND IN DISTRESS SUCH AS PREDICTED DISSOLVED OXYGEN DEPLETION, EITHER AUTOMATICALLY OR IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH THE HUMAN SITE MANAGERS AND OPERATORS.THE PROPOSED HAUCS FRAMEWORK IS A DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO MARKEDLY INCREASE ADOPTION OF ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY IN THE FIELD OF AQUACULTURE FARMING, A SECTOR OF AGRICULTURE THAT HAS SEEN MINIMAL ROBOTICS DEVELOPMENT. WHILE THE PROJECT AIMS AT OVERCOMING ONE CRITICAL FACTOR PLAGUING THE AQUACULTURE FARMING - THE HIGH-COST AND UNRELIABILITY OF THE WATER QUALITY CONTROLS (IN PARTICULAR, DISSOLVED OXYGEN DEPLETION), THE UNDERLYING METHODOLOGY OF BUILDING AN INTERNET OF THINGS FRAMEWORK ON THE AQUACULTURE FARM CAN BE ENHANCED TO HANDED OTHER TASKS ON THE AQUACULTURE FARMS. THIS TECHNOLOGY, THEREFORE, HAS SIGNIFICANT SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS AND CAN FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORM HOW AQUACULTURE FARMING IS CONDUCTED IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD.A MAJOR REASON FOR THE LOW ADOPTION OF ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY IN AQUACULTURE FISH FARMING IS THE LACK OF TECHNOLOGY AWARENESS AMONG THE FISH FARMERS. ONE OUTCOME OF THIS PROJECT CAN BE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EXEMPLARY HAUCS AQUACULTURE FISH FARM AT HBOI/FAU AS A DEMONSTRATION SITE, THROUGH THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE RESEARCH TEAM AND USDA. SUCH SITE WILL BE HIGHLY BENEFICIAL IN EDUCATING THE FARMERS WITH THE GOAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE PENETRATION OF THE ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY IN THE FISH FARMING INDUSTRY. THIS PROJECT ALSO ADDRESSES THE BROADER IMPACTS OF IMPROVING UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION, INCREASING PARTICIPATION OF UNDER-REPRESENTED STEM POPULATIONS, AND PROMOTING PUBLIC SCIENTIFIC LITERACY. INTEGRATING RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH, INQUIRY-BASED AND SERVICELEARNING COMPONENTS ARE PROPOSED AS EVIDENCED-BASED PRACTICES TO PROMOTE STUDENT OUTCOMES AND WORKPLACE SKILLS. EVALUATION COMPONENTS INCLUDE A KNOWLEDGE INVENTORY FOR MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENTS AND MEASURES OF UNDERGRADUATE ENGAGEMENT.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY'S UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM IN BROWARD COUNTY

USVS IN SUPPORT OF MULTI-VEHICLE MULTI-DOMAIN MARITIME AUTONOMY

U-RISE AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY

MODELING AND MEASURING HUMAN INTERACTION AND EXPERIENCE IN VIRTUAL AND MECHANICAL SIMULATION SYSTEMS

EDGE CT: NSF-BSF: FUNCTIONAL GENOTYPE-PHENOTYPE MAPPING IN THE MEXICAN BLIND CAVEFISH, ASTYANAX MEXICANUS.

ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY COLLEGE EXPENSES

DEVELOPMENT OF DESIGN TOOLS AND ALGORITHMS FOR T-CRAFT COMPONENT DESIGN VALIDATION

CATALYZING RESEARCH-INTENSIVE INNOVATIONS: PATHWAY TO R1

CAREER: BREAKING GROUND WITH UNDERWATER SOUND; UNRAVELING ELUSIVE PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS IN MARINE BENTHIC COMMUNITIES USING NOVEL TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACHES -SHELLFISH (MOLLUSKS, CRUSTACEANS, ETC.) ARE FACING UNPRECEDENTED PRESSURES UNDER GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE, WHICH IS THREATENING THE VARIETY OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES THESE ANIMALS PROVIDE TO COASTAL COMMUNITIES. WHILE MUCH RESEARCH HAS BEEN DEDICATED TO UNDERSTANDING HOW CHANGING OCEAN CONDITIONS CAN INFLUENCE SHELLFISH DEVELOPMENT, FAR LESS HAS EXPLORED THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM INCREASING POPULATIONS OF LARGE, SHELL-CRUSHING PREDATORS (I.E., RAYS, TURTLES, ETC.) THAT ARE EXPERIENCING POLEWARD EXPANSIONS OF THEIR RANGES. THIS KNOWLEDGE GAP IS LIKELY DUE TO THE CHALLENGES OF WORKING WITH THESE MOBILE SPECIES, WHICH REQUIRE NOVEL TECHNOLOGY TO TRACK THEIR DYNAMIC DISTRIBUTION AND THUS FORAGING EFFECTS ON SHELLFISH COMMUNITIES. THIS PROJECT WILL BUILD FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ON MARINE HABITATS SUSCEPTIBLE TO PREDATION FROM LARGE MOBILE PREDATORS IN ORDER TO ENSURE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR SHELLFISH SPECIES. FURTHER, THE WORK WILL PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO COSTLY SHELLFISH RESTORATION PROGRAMS THAT ARE OTHERWISE ?FLYING BLIND? WITH RESPECT TO PREDATION RISK. THE PROJECT WILL HAVE LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND GLOBAL EDUCATIONAL DIMENSIONS. FIRSTLY, THIS PROJECT WILL STRENGTHEN FAU?S GRADUATE PROGRAMS BY SUPPORTING A GRADUATE STUDENT AND PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR THE PI TO DEVELOP A NEW GRADUATE COURSE, WHICH WILL BE OFFERED AND EVALUATED TWICE THROUGHOUT THE AWARD PERIOD. ADDITIONALLY, NUMEROUS UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER INTERNS AND MIDDLE-HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL BE RECRUITED TO INTERACT WITH THE PI VIA IMMERSIVE, HANDS-ON FIELD EXCURSIONS. LASTLY, THE FASCINATION OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND STUDENTS WITH THESE CHARISMATIC ANIMALS AND THE PROJECT?S TANGIBLE TECHNOLOGICAL COMPONENTS WILL FACILITATE DEVELOPING AN INTERACTIVE ?AUDIO WAVES? EXHIBIT AT A LOCAL OUTREACH CENTER, WHICH WILL BE EVALUATED SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE PROJECT AND SLATED FOR PERMANENT DISPLAY. OUR SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE ECOLOGICAL ROLE OF LARGE MOBILE DUROPHAGES (I.E., SHELL-CRUSHING PREDATORS) IS LIMITED DUE TO CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY THE ELUSIVE NATURE OF THESE SPECIES. THESE SHORTCOMINGS HINDER OUR SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR ROLE IN BENTHIC COMMUNITY DYNAMICS. FILLING SUCH KNOWLEDGE GAPS REQUIRES NOVEL APPROACHES THAT CAN DETECT AND CLASSIFY PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS IN SITU. USING MULTIPLE LARGE PREDATOR MODELS (RAYS, SEA TURTLES, FISH, AND CRABS), THE PROJECT WILL: 1) CAPTURE AND CHARACTERIZE PREDATOR FEEDING (SHELL-CRUSHING) SOUNDS AND SHELL FRAGMENTATION PATTERNS, 2) UNDERSTAND IN SITU DETECTION CONSTRAINTS OF THE PREDATION SIGNAL WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF NATURAL UNDERWATER NOISE USING SIMULATIONS, AND 3) QUANTIFY THE DISTRIBUTION OF PREDATOR FORAGING IMPACTS ACROSS TWO MODEL SEASCAPES IN BERMUDA AND FLORIDA VIA INTEGRATION OF HABITAT- AND INDIVIDUAL-BASED (ANIMAL TAGS) PASSIVE ACOUSTICS. DETECTION AND CLASSIFICATION (BY BOTH PREDATOR AND PREY) WILL BE COMPLETED USING NOVEL APPLICATION OF MACHINE-LEARNING TECHNIQUES, WHICH WILL BE USED TO AUTOMATE PREDATION EVENT EXTRACTION FROM EXTENSIVE DATA ARCHIVES. RECORDING EQUIPMENT WILL BE STRATEGICALLY DISTRIBUTED ACROSS SEASCAPES TO PERMIT A MULTI-SCALE UNDERSTANDING OF DUROPHAGY AND TESTING OF THEORETICAL MODELS OF PREDATION (E.G., OPTIMAL/CENTRAL PLACE FORAGING). LONG-TERM MONITORING WILL ALSO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASSESS THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL/OCEANOGRAPHIC VARIABLES IN DRIVING THESE INTERACTIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, THIS WORK WILL FILL A LARGE KNOWLEDGE GAP IN THE DYNAMICS OF MARINE FOOD WEBS. 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.

DRY SEASON PREY CONCENTRATIONS. FUNDING SUB-TIER AGENCY CODE HAS BEEN UPDATED FROM 96CE TO 2100 DUE TO SYSTEM LIMITATIONS.

PRODUCTION OF PILOT SCALE LIBRARIES OF MARINE NATURAL PRODUCTS

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIV.

DRY SEASON PREY CONCENTRATIONS

RINGS: BRINGING POST-QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY TO LARGE-SCALE NEXTG SYSTEMS -WHILE ONE OF THE PROMISES OF THE UPCOMING 5G/6G SYSTEMS IS TO OFFER INCREASED PERFORMANCE IN TERMS OF COVERAGE AND PERFORMANCE, THERE IS A MAJOR EFFORT IN INTEGRATING MILLIONS OF INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) DEVICES INTO NEXT GENERATION NETWORKS (NEXTG). AS THERE WILL BE MORE AND MORE CONNECTED DEVICES PER CAPABILITIES OF NEXTG SYSTEMS, THE ATTACK SURFACE FOR CYBERTHREATS ARISING FROM BOTH CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM COMPUTERS WILL ALSO BE EXPANDED. MORE IMPORTANTLY, AS THE PROGRESS IN BUILDING QUANTUM COMPUTERS IS BECOMING MORE REALISTIC, IT IS PRUDENT TO ADAPT END-TO-END QUANTUM-RESISTANT SECURITY PROTOCOLS INTO THE NEXTG SYSTEMS AS THEY GET DESIGNED AND DEPLOYED FOR DATA IN-TRANSIT AND AT-REST. THIS PROJECT WILL INTEGRATE CONCEPTS FROM QUANTUM-SAFE DEVICE LEVEL SECURITY, WIRELESS NETWORKING, SECURITY MANAGEMENT AND NETWORK EVALUATION IN WAYS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN STUDIED BEFORE. MAJOR PROJECT ACTIVITIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: (I) INVESTIGATION OF QUANTUM-SAFE CRYPTOGRAPHY ALGORITHMS FOR THE IOT DEVICES DEPLOYED IN NEXTG SYSTEMS, (II) EFFICIENT QUANTUM-SAFE CERTIFICATE MANAGEMENT IN NEXTG SYSTEMS, AND (III) END-TO-END DEPLOYMENT AND EVALUATIONS OF QUANTUM-SAFE CRYPTOGRAPHY IN NEXTG SYSTEMS. POTENTIAL OUTCOMES WILL FOCUS ON BRINGING SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS TO SOCIETY AS THE PROJECT WILL INCREASE THE SECURITY OF EVERYDAY CONNECTIONS AGAINST THE ATTACKS FROM SPONSORED ATTACKERS WITH FUTURE ACCESS TO QUANTUM COMPUTERS BENEFITING BOTH DEFENSE AND COMMERCIAL ENTITIES. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO OFFER TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDER-REPRESENTED STUDENTS TO CONDUCT QUANTUM-CRYPTOGRAPHIC RESEARCH ON A REAL-LIFE 5G TESTBED. 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.

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

RSA LONG TERM TRAINING GRANT: FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY 2020

MRI: DEVELOPMENT OF A MMWAVE-NETWORKED ROBOTIC TESTBED FOR MULTI-AGENT AI LEARNING AND OPERATIONS

MAKING THE MASTER'S DEGREE IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ACCESSIBLE TO HIGH-ACHIEVING LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

ADVANCE ADAPTATION: ENABLING MINORITIES? PRIME OUTCOMES WITH EDUCATION & RESEARCH (EMPOWER) AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY -THE ABSENCE OF AN INCLUSIVE AND DIVERSE STEM FACULTY SIGNIFICANTLY HURTS THE EDUCATION OF A STEM WORKFORCE BY THE LACK OF ROLE MODELS TO HELP EDUCATE THE DIVERSE GROUP OF STUDENTS AT HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS (HSIS). DEMOGRAPHICALLY UNREPRESENTATIVE SCIENCE CAN ALSO NEGATIVELY IMPACT AND NEGLECT RESEARCH IN AREAS THAT COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETIES NEED. PRIOR NSF ADVANCE CATALYST FUNDING PROVIDED SIGNIFICANT KNOWLEDGE AND INITIATED CHANGES IN THE HIRING PROCESSES. HOWEVER, INCLUSIVE SUPPORT FOR UNDERREPRESENTED AND INTERSECTIONAL MINORITIES IN HIRING, RETENTION, AND PROMOTION WILL MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE INSTITUTIONAL LANDSCAPE AND CULTURE. AN NSF ADVANCE ADAPTATION AWARD WILL ALLOW FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY TO UNDERTAKE NEW INITIATIVES, BUILD ON CURRENT POLICIES AND DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITIES, AND TRANSFORM FAU INTO AN EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE, AND DIVERSE PLACE OF ACADEMIC TEACHING AND RESEARCH. THIS PROJECT WILL SEEK TO ADVANCE: (1) SELF-SUSTAINING INTERVENTIONS FOR DIVERSE HIRING; (2) TRANSPARENT AND EQUITABLE POLICIES, (3) INFORMATION THROUGH A LONGITUDINAL DEMOGRAPHIC DATA DASHBOARD OF FACULTY; AND (4) STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS. THESE INTERVENTIONS WILL FOCUS ON INCLUSIVE SUPPORT FOR GENDER DIVERSITY AND INTERSECTIONAL MINORITIES (MOST VISIBLY, LATINA AND AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN) IN HIRING, RETENTION, AND PROMOTION. THE PROCESS WILL ADAPT EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS FROM SISTER ADVANCE INSTITUTIONS. TO AID INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRATION AND LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY, THE PROJECT TEAM WILL PRIORITIZE PRACTICES THAT WILL BE BOOTSTRAPPED WITH ADVANCE SUPPORT AND SYNERGIZED WITH ONGOING EFFORTS AND EXISTING INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURES FOR DIVERSITY. THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF THE PROJECT ARE TO 1) GENERATE EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH TO SCAN AND IDENTIFY INEQUITABLE POLICIES, THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT THEY ENTERTAIN WITH EACH OTHER, AND THEIR CHANGE OVER TIME; 2) DEVELOP A REPRODUCIBLE AND TRANSFERRABLE PROCESS FOR BUILDING A POLICY DATABASE (WITH A WEBSITE PORTAL CONSISTING OF TWO KEY SECTIONS- AN OPEN-ACCESS SECTION THAT ALLOWS FOR POLICY TRANSPARENCY AND A SECURED SECTION FOR INTERNAL USE AIMED AT FLAGGING INEQUITY); AND (3) A SCALABLE LONGITUDINAL FACULTY DASHBOARD TO COLLECT LONG-TERM TRENDS IN EQUITY. THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS THE COMPETENCIES ON COMPLEX SYSTEMS AND DATA SCIENCE TO IDENTIFY INTERCONNECTED FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE SYSTEMIC CHANGE. THIS WILL BE DONE WITH ADAPTIVE ANALYTIC APPROACHES THAT ARE CAPABLE OF PROCESSING LARGE NUMBERS OF VARIABLES THAT DYNAMICALLY INTERACT ON MULTIPLE LEVELS OVER TIME. THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PROJECT FOR INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE AIMS TO ACHIEVE A MORE REPRESENTATIVE AND PARTICIPATORY STEM FACULTY AND ACCELERATE INSTITUTIONAL COMPETITIVENESS IN EDUCATION AND RESEARCH. THE CRUCIAL OUTCOME OF THIS TRANSFORMATION WILL BE THE MITIGATION OF STEM WORKFORCE SHORTAGES WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR LOCAL INDUSTRIES (IN PARTICULAR BIOTECHNOLOGIES, AEROSPACE, HEALTH, AGING, AGRICULTURE, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, MARINE ENVIRONMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY, AND FINANCIAL SERVICES). THIS PROJECT WAS SUPPORTED BY A CO-FUNDING FROM THE HSI PROGRAM. THE HSI PROGRAM AIMS TO ENHANCE UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION, BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN STEM, AND BUILD CAPACITY AT HSIS. ACHIEVING THESE AIMS, GIVEN THE DIVERSE NATURE AND CONTEXT OF THE HSIS, REQUIRES INNOVATIVE APPROACHES THAT INCENTIVIZE INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION AND PROMOTE FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH (I) ON ENGAGED STUDENT LEARNING, (II) ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO DIVERSIFY AND INCREASE PARTICIPATION IN STEM EFFECTIVELY, AND (III) THAT IMPROVES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO BUILD INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY AT HSIS. THE NSF ADVANCE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO FOSTER GENDER EQUITY THROUGH A FOCUS ON THE IDENTIFICATION AND ELIMINATION OF ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS THAT IMPEDE THE FULL PARTICIPATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF DIVERSE FACULTY IN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS. ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS THAT INHIBIT EQUITY MAY EXIST IN POLICIES, PROCESSES, PRACTICES, AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND CLIMATE. ADVANCE ADAPTATION AWARDS PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE ADAPTATION AND ADOPTION OF EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES TO THE ACADEMIC, NON-PROFIT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION AS WELL AS NON-ACADEMIC, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. 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.

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** REVERSING THE PROJECTED SHORTAGE OF SKILLED WORKFORCE IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE PROFESSIONS IS BOTH COMPELLING AND URGENT TO CONFRONT EMERGING CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE, FEEDING THE BURGEONING WORLD POPULATION, DECLINING SOIL HEALTH, AND GLOBAL TRADE DYNAMICS.INTENSIVE EFFORTS TO EXPAND THE RECRUITMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY HISPANIC AND UNDER-REPRESENTED POPULATIONS HAVE YIELDED SIGNIFICANT DIVIDENDS WITH INCREASED ENROLLMENTS IN HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY. HOWEVER, SUCH GAINS OFTEN CONFRONT SERIOUS RETENTION CHALLENGES, DRAINING THE TALENT PIPELINE.THE REASONS FOR PIPELINE LEAKAGE ARE MULTIFACTORIAL, INCLUDING A LACK OF REQUISITE SOFT SKILLS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC PRESSURES. WITH THE RACIAL DEMOGRAPHICS OF NORTH AMERICA PROJECTED TO REACH 40% HISPANIC BY 2050, THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTING IN QUALITY EDUCATION FOR THIS AND OTHER MINORITY GROUPS IS IRREFUTABLE. ADVANCING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN THESE POPULATIONS REQUIRES CAREFUL INTEGRATION OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION PRINCIPLES WITH EXCELLENT CURRICULA AND EFFECTIVE MENTORING.TO RECRUIT AND GRADUATE A COMPETENT AND DIVERSE WORKFORCE FOR THE FOOD, AGRICULTURE, AND NATURAL RESOURCE CAREERS, FAU PROPOSES AN INTEGRATEDPROGRAM THAT WILL EXPAND AWARENESS OF FANH CAREERS TO MORE THAN 4000 FRESHMEN, DEVELOP A RIGOROUS ACADEMIC THEME AROUND MICROBIOMES INNOVATION, AND PROMOTE CRITICAL THINKING / SOFT-SKILL ACQUISITION WHILE PROVIDING ACCESS AND SCHOLARSHIP FOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND INTERNSHIPS. THIS COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WITH FIU WILL GROW THE RECRUITMENT OF FRESHMEN AND IMPROVE GRADUATION RATES OF HISPANIC AND UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS TO 90%. EMPLOYING OUR UNIQUE MODEL OF MULTITIERED MENTORING BY NON-THREATENING ROLE MODELS, SCHOLARSHIP (~50% OF BUDGET), AND IMMERSION IN STRUCTURED ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND INTERNSHIPS WITH OUR PARTNERS, WE WILL TRAIN AND GUIDE THE STUDENTS TO GRADUATE SCHOOLS AND JOBS IN FANH DISCIPLINES. IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE PRIORITY GOALS OF THE HSI EDUCATION PROGRAM, WE WILL ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION BY CREATING THE FAU-MICROBIOME INNOVATION CENTER (MIC), A UNIFYING THEME FOR ENGAGING STUDENTS IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY AND CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH. A NEW COURSE - PLANT MICROBIOMES - WILL BE DEVELOPED AND TAUGHT. CURRICULUM ENHANCEMENT INCLUDES REVISION OF PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY, MICROBIAL ECOLOGY, AND FIU&#39;S SOIL MICROBIOLOGY. A BENCHTOP DNA SEQUENCER WILL AUGMENTTHE LEARNING EXPERIENCE OF STUDENTS AS THEY ISOLATE, SEQUENCE, AND CURATE A CULTURE COLLECTION OF INDIGENOUS BENEFICIAL BACTERIA FOR SOIL AND PLANT PROBIOTICS AND ENSURES PROJECT CONTINUITY BEYOND THE GRANT. THE OUTCOME LEVERAGES INTERNAL SUPPORT AND GRANT MONIES TO COST-EFFECTIVELY CREATE ENHANCED CURRICULA AND PIPELINE AT LEAST 10 GRADUATEAND 15 UNDERGRADUATES (TOTAL = 25) TO ADVANCED STUDIES AND THE WORKFORCE.

BRIDGING THE GAP: PROVIDING SPECIALIZED DEMENTIA CARE AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS (BGDCS-CP)

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES TO CARING-BASED DEMENTIA-SPECIFIC SERVICES AND SUPPORTS

MODAL MAPPING TECHNIQUES FOR GEOACOUSTIC INVERSION AND SOURCE LOCALIZATION IN LATERALLY VARYING, SHALLOW-WATER ENVIRONMENTS

CAREER: INTEGRATING ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF SPONGE-DOMINATED CORAL REEFS IN THE EDUCATION CURRICULA -THE DRASTIC MORTALITY OF CORAL REEFS AND THE LOW PROBABILITY OF RECOVERY TO PREVIOUS CORAL STATES, CALL FOR A NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE ?NEW CORAL REEF? COMMUNITY CAN SUSTAIN BIODIVERSITY. RECENT STUDIES DEMONSTRATE THAT CORAL REEFS SHIFTING FROM COMPLEX CORAL-DOMINATED COMMUNITIES TO MACROALGAE DOMINANCE ARE UNSTABLE AND MAY ENHANCE SPONGE-DOMINATED REEFS, A STATE BECOMING COMMON IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA. HOW DO SPONGE-DOMINATED REEFS FUNCTION AND CHANGE THE ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE? AND HOW DO THEY CONTINUE TO RESPOND TO THERMAL STRESS? THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS BY EVALUATING THE PERSISTENCE OF SPONGE-DOMINATED REEFS UNDER THERMAL ANOMALIES AND THEIR POTENTIAL TO SUSTAIN CORAL REEF BIODIVERSITY OR AID LOCAL EXTINCTION. ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF SPONGE-DOMINATED REEFS ARE INTEGRATED INTO EDUCATION CURRICULA TO FOSTER THE GROWTH OF FUTURE SCIENTISTS AND/OR CITIZEN SCIENTISTS AT LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND GLOBAL LEVELS. A HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM ON CORAL REEF ECOLOGY PRINCIPLES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH IS DEVELOPED FOR TEACHERS TO DOWNLOAD AND USE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. THE OUTREACH COMPONENT INCLUDES OPEN SEMINARS FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY TO DISCUSS THE COMPETITIVE MYTH, AIMING TO IMPROVE THE FEMALE PERCEPTION OF HIGH-LEVEL JOBS IN ACADEMIA, RESEARCH, AND POLICY. IN ADDITION, IT OFFERS YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE CAREER PATHS IN MARINE SCIENCE. SPECIES INTERACTIONS ALTER HOW EACH SPECIES ADAPTS TO CHANGE AND CONSTITUTE ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL FORCES STRUCTURING ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES. HOWEVER, MOST THEORIES AND EXPERIMENTS ON CORAL REEF DYNAMICS DO NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO PREDICT CORAL REEF BENTHOS INTERACTIONS, SUCCESSION AND EVOLUTION. THE PROJECT EVALUATES AND PREDICTS HOW CURRENT AND FUTURE CARIBBEAN AND FLORIDA CORAL REEFS (SPONGE-DOMINATED) ARE CHANGING WITH A CENTRAL FOCUS ON BENTHIC INTERACTIONS SUCH AS: COMPETITION FOR SPACE BY EVALUATING CURRENT AND FUTURE TRENDS OF CORAL REEF BENTHIC INTERACTIONS UNDER THE EFFECT OF THERMAL ANOMALIES; SYMBIOSIS, BY DISENTANGLING HOW BENTHIC SPECIES INTERACTIONS AND ASSOCIATED SYMBIONTS FUNCTION IN SPONGE-DOMINATED REEFS; FACILITATION BY DISCERNING TO WHAT EXTENT SPONGE COMMUNITIES SERVE AS HABITAT-FORMING ANIMALS AND HOW CAN THEY SUSTAIN CORAL REEF BIODIVERSITY; AND EDUCATION BY USING THESE ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS AS PRINCIPLES TO DEVELOP TEACHING, MENTORING, AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES FROM HIGH-SCHOOL TO POST-DOCTORAL LEVELS WITH AN INCLUSIVE CONSTRUCTIVISM PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH. THE PROJECT EVALUATES PATTERNS THROUGH 15 YEARS OF SEVERE AND MULTI-YEAR THERMAL ANOMALIES IN TWO LOCATIONS AND THREE YEARS ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN SEA AND FLORIDA, FROM TROPICAL LATITUDES IN THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN SEA (PANAMA AND BARBADOS) TO SUBTROPICAL LATITUDES IN THE FLORIDA CORAL REEF TRACT. MATHEMATICAL MODELS ARE DEVELOPED TO PREDICT FUTURE CHANGES AT A REGIONAL LEVEL. A NEW TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACH, THE BEAMSEA TRUE-COLOR LIDAR AND FLUORESCENCE (TCLF) IMAGER, IS IMPLEMENTED IN THIS PROJECT TO DISCRIMINATE AMONG SIMILARLY COLORED SPECIES AND AUTOMATE THE COLLECTION OF SPECIES AND SPECIES INTERACTIONS DATA. 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.

DISCOVERY OF NOVEL ANTITUMOR AGENTS EFFECTIVE AGAINST PANCREATIC CANCER

DESIGN OF ENERGY EFFICENT AUTONOMOUS SUPPORT SHIPS

NAVIGATING A MULTI-AGENCY ACCREDITATION TRANSITION : A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY PROGRAM: FUND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION SPECIAL PROJECTS (FIPSE-SP)

AUTONOMOUS HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGING SYSTEM FOR LONG TERM IN SITU STUDIES OF MARINE PARTICLE DYNAMICS.

REHABILITATION LONG-TERM TRAINING - REHABILITATION COUNSELING

STANDARDS MAPPED GRADUATE EDUCATION AND MENTORING

INTERFERING WITH CCL2 AND CCR2 TO LIMIT TUMOR GROWTH

MECHANISTIC INSIGHT INTO TUMOR-ASSOCIATED MUC1 GLYCOPEPTIDES BINDING TO MACROPHAGE GALACTOSE-TYPE LECTIN

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP TO AFFECT CHEROKEE ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE

NEXT GENERATION POLARIZED SCATTERING INSTRUMENT FOR OCEAN BIOGEOCHEMISTRY APPLICATIONS -THE SCATTERING AND ABSORPTION OF LIGHT WITHIN SEAWATER IS DRIVEN BY THE MATERIALS WITHIN IT. ABSORPTION IS THE LOSS OF LIGHT DUE TO CONVERSION TO OTHER FORMS OF ENERGY (SUCH AS BY PHOTOSYNTHESIS), AND SCATTERING IS THE REDIRECTION OF LIGHT BY MOLECULES AND SUSPENDED PARTICLES. IN SEAWATER, THESE MATERIALS CAN INCLUDE THE WATER ITSELF, SALTS AND OTHER DISSOLVED SUBSTANCES, BIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS AND THEIR DETRITUS, MINERALS,BUBBLES, AND COMPLEX AGGREGATES. BECAUSE ABSORPTION AND SCATTERING ARE AFFECTED BY THE MATERIALS IN THE MEDIUM, CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS WAVELENGTH DEPENDENCE, ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION, AND POLARIZATION CAN BE USED AS PROXIES TO INFER PROPERTIES OF THE MATERIAL CONSTITUENTS. THIS PROXY APPROACH IS ATTRACTIVE BECAUSE IN SITU OPTICAL SENSORS CAN MAKE OBSERVATIONS AT HIGH RESOLUTION (SUB-CENTIMETER AND SUB-SECOND) IN UNDISTURBED WATER AND ARE ADAPTABLE TO AUTONOMOUS PLATFORMS SUCH AS FLOATS AND GLIDERS. IN CONTRAST, DISCRETE SAMPLING AND SEDIMENT TRAP APPROACHES ARE LIMITED TO LARGER-SCALE FIELD EFFORTS OR CAMPAIGNS, DISRUPT SAMPLES DURING THE ACT OF SAMPLING OR STORAGE, ARE MORE SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY BIASED, AND OFTEN HAVE SIGNIFICANT LAB PROCESSING COSTS. SCATTERING IS ANIMPORTANT MEASUREMENT SINCE IT UNDERPINS THESATELLITE OCEAN COLOR REMOTE SENSING SIGNAL USED TO UNDERSTAND GLOBAL OCEAN CHANGE, AND SIMPLE SCATTERING SENSORS ARE BEING USED EXTENSIVELY AS PROXIES TO QUANTIFY AND CONSTRAIN PARTICLE BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES ON AUTONOMOUS PLATFORMS (FOR EXAMPLE, BIOGEOCHEMICAL ARGO). HOWEVER, ASSUMPTIONS AND UNCERTAINTY INVOLVED IN USING SCATTERING MEASUREMENTS AS BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROXIES DIRECTLY EQUATE TO UNCERTAINTY IN ESTIMATES FOR PARAMETERS SUCH AS PARTICULATE MASS, SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS, PHYTOPLANKTON STANDING STOCK, AND PARTICULATE ORGANIC CARBON. THERE IS ALSO FAR MORE POTENTIAL INFORMATION CONTENT ABOUT SUSPENDED PARTICLES EMBODIED BY THE SCATTERING PROCESS BEYOND WHAT IS CURRENTLY MEASURED BY SINGLE ANGLE, UNPOLARIZED, AND ONE OR TWO WAVELENGTH SCATTERING SENSORS THAT ARE TYPICALLY DEPLOYED. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A NEXT GENERATION IN SITU INSTRUMENT FOR MEASUREMENT OF THE VOLUME SCATTERING FUNCTION (VSF) IN THE OCEAN THAT WILL COVER A WIDE RANGE OF ANGLES, CHARACTERIZE THE DEGREE OF LINEAR POLARIZATION OF SCATTERING, INCLUDE MULTIPLE ILLUMINATION WAVELENGTHS, AND INCLUDE DETECTORS NEAR DIRECT BACKSCATTERING THAT ARE CRUCIAL TO ADVANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF LIDAR REMOTE SENSING. THE PROPOSED INSTRUMENT WILL PROVIDE A POWERFUL NEW TOOL FOR STUDYING PARTICLE COMPOSITION AND REFINING AND DEVELOPING OPTICAL-BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROXIES. THE TARGET APPLICATION OF THE INSTRUMENT IS STUDYING PARTICLE COMPOSITION AND FLUX, WITH A KEY AIM OF THE WORK BEING TO MAKE THE INSTRUMENT DEPLOYABLE ON AUTONOMOUS PLATFORMS AND MAKE MEASUREMENT OF THE VSF (INCLUDING NEAR-180? AND DEGREE OF LINEAR POLARIZATION) MORE ROUTINE AND WIDESPREAD. THIS WILL SUPPORT ACQUISITION OF A LARGE VSF DATABASE FROM WHICH OPTICAL-BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROXIES SUCH AS ESTIMATES OF PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS, COMPOSITION (DENSITY AND MINERAL VS. ORGANIC CHARACTERISTICS), AND POSSIBLY SHAPE AND ORIENTATION INFORMATION CAN BE REFINED AND DEVELOPED THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

THIS RESEARCH PROJECT AIMS TO FILL THE GAPS IN CONTEMPORARY SMART AGRICULTURE (SMARTAG) TECHNOLOGIES BY PROPOSING A FOG-ASSISTED FRAMEWORK, FOGAG, THAT INTEGRATES MULTI-LAYER SENSING AND REAL-TIME ANALYTICS OF A PLANT-SOIL SYSTEM TO HELP SOLVE THE COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL PUZZLE OF LINKING THE EFFECT AND INTERACTION OF TWO IMPORTANT CROP INPUTS, VIZ., WATER AND NITROGEN, AFFECTING CROP YIELD. FOGAG WILL ALSO HELP PROVIDE NEAR-REAL TIME DIAGNOSIS OF CROP STRESSES AND TRANSLATE THE DATA INTO USABLE AGRONOMIC DECISIONS NOT ONLY TO BOOST CROP PRODUCTIVITY BUT ALSO TO INCREASE OVERALL YIELD PER UNIT OF RESOURCE USED IN FARMING SYSTEMS.TO MEET THE PROJECT GOALS AND DEVELOP THE PROPOSED FOGAG FRAMEWORK, SCIENTIFIC INNOVATIONS IN CORE CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS (CPS) AREAS WILL BE MADE ON ARCHITECTURE, SENSING, DATA ANALYTICS AND MACHINE LEARNING, AND MODELING FRONTS. ON THE SYSTEM-LEVEL CPS ARCHITECTURE FRONT, THE PROPOSED FOGAG ARCHITECTURE ENABLES NEAR REAL-TIME HANDLING OF LATENCY-SENSITIVE EVENTS IN AGRICULTURE. ON THE DEVICE-LEVEL ARCHITECTURE, THE PROJECT PROPOSES NEURO-SENSE, WHICH WILL GREATLY SUPPORT REAL-TIME SIGNAL/IMAGE PROCESSING BY RECONFIGURATION OF DATA ACQUISITION, COMPUTATION, AND COMMUNICATION PARAMETERS TO ASSURE ENERGY-EFFICIENT PERFORMANCE FOR DYNAMICALLY CHANGING WORKLOADS. ON THE SENSING FRONT, THE PROJECT PROPOSES A SENSING AND IMAGING SYSTEM FOR IN-SOIL, ABOVE, BELOW, AND WITHIN PLANT CANOPY SENSING. THE PROPOSED LIGHT EMITTING DIODE (LED) BASED MULTISPECTRAL IMAGING SYSTEM WILL NOT ONLY BE ECONOMICAL BUT WILL ALSO PROVIDE CONSIDERABLE FLEXIBILITY BY ALLOWING DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS TO BE USED OR SUBSTITUTED DEPENDING ON MEASUREMENT REQUIREMENTS AS OPPOSED TO USING FILTER-BASED METHODS COMMON IN MULTISPECTRAL SYSTEMS OR VERY EXPENSIVE HYPERSPECTRAL CAMERAS. THE PROPOSED NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) POINT MEASUREMENT SENSOR WILL NOT ONLY BE AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE CHEAPER THAN A CONVENTIONAL DIODE ARRAY SPECTROMETER BUT WILL ALSO PROVIDE SEVERAL OPTIONS FOR INTERFACING AND CUSTOMIZABLE OPTICS. FOR IN-SOIL SENSING, A NOVEL FREQUENCY RESPONSE (FR)-BASED DIELECTRIC SENSOR AND A MOBILE WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK ARE PROPOSED THAT CAN SIMULTANEOUSLY PROVIDE MORE ACCURATE AND REAL-TIME READINGS OF SOIL NUTRIENTS AND WATER CONTENT AS COMPARED TO OTHER COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SOIL SENSORS. ON THE DATA ANALYTICS AND MACHINE LEARNING FRONT, THE PROPOSED NEURO-SENSE INTEGRATES A CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK (CNN) ACCELERATOR THAT WILL PROVIDE A HIGHER THROUGHPUT, UTILIZATION, AREA, AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY AS COMPARED TO EXISTING CNN ACCELERATORS BY EXPOITING ADVANCES IN DEEP LEARNING ACCELERATION.THE PROPOSED THREE-TIER DATA ANALYTICS FOGAG FRAMEWORK WILL ENABLE PROCESSING OF SENSING DATA AT THREE LEVELS: INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT), FOG, AND CLOUD. ON THE MODELINGFRONT, TREE-BASED PREDICTIVE AGRONOMIC MODELS WILL BE DEVELOPED THAT WILL UTILIZE MULTI-LAYER SENSED DATA ALONG WITH HISTORICAL YIELD AND WEATHER DATA TO PROVIDE A VARIABLE-RATE FERTILIZER AND IRRIGATION PRESCR,IPTION MAP IN NEAR REAL-TIME TO BOOST PRODUCTIVITY AND YIELD PER UNIT OF RESOURCE USED IN THE FARMING SYSTEM.THE PROPOSED FOGAG FRAMEWORK WITH SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SCALABILITY WILL FIND MANY APPLICATIONS IN RURAL AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT. THE PROPOSED TECHNOLOGIES WILL HELP IN EFFICIENT USAGE OF RESOURCES AND IMPROVEMENT IN CROP HEALTH, QUALITY, AND YIELD THUS CREATING SIGNIFICANT SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS IN FOOD SECURITY. THE JOINT CONSIDERATION OF WATER-NITROGEN COLIMITATIONS WILL HAVE POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS BY REDUCING THE NITROGEN FOOTPRINT AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION. THE INVESTIGATORS WILL INCORPORATE SIGNIFICANT RESEARCH RESULTS OBTAINED DURING THIS PROJECT INTO UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE EDUCATION.

ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION GRANTS

MRI TRACK 1: DEVELOPMENT OF A SCHOOL OF ROBOTIC FISH FOR RESEARCH AND TRAINING ON AI BIOMIMETICS AND MULTI-MODAL COMMUNICATIONS -THIS MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION (MRI) GRANT WILL DEVELOP A MULTI-AGENT AI SYSTEM OF (A) THREE BIO-INSPIRED UNDERWATER VESSELS INTEGRATED WITH MULTIMODAL (OPTICAL AND ACOUSTIC) UNDERWATER COMMUNICATION INTERFACES AND (B) A BUOY OPERATING AS AN UNDERWATER/SEA-SURFACE CONTROL STATION. PROGRESS IN COOPERATIVE MULTI-AGENT UNDERWATER SYSTEMS IS FUNDAMENTAL FOR THE SHORT AND LONG-TERM STUDY OF OCEAN AND COASTAL ZONES, BUT INTEGRATION OF EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO DEVELOP A NETWORK OF UNDERWATER VESSELS IS STILL LIMITED. CONTRARY TO LAND AND AIR, 3D UNDERWATER ROBOTIC SYSTEMS HAVE NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE COMPARABLE LEVELS OF SELF-ORGANIZATION. TECHNICAL ISSUES THAT IMPEDE OPERATION IN COMPLEX UNKNOWN UNDERWATER ENVIRONMENTS INCLUDE 1) LOCALIZATION AND COMMUNICATION TO DETERMINE THE EXACT POSITION OF EACH VESSEL; 2) EFFICIENT PROPULSION SYSTEMS THAT ALLOW THE VESSEL TO MANEUVER IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS AND PERFORM PRECISE STATION-KEEPING; AND 3) EFFECTIVE AUTONOMOUS CONTROL SCHEMES ABLE TO ADAPTIVELY OPTIMIZE VEHICLE- AND FLEET-OPERATION IN TIME-VARYING UNCERTAIN ENVIRONMENTS. THE SCHOOL OF CONNECTED VESSELS DEVELOPED UNDER THIS PROJECT WILL ENHANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE HYDRODYNAMICS AND CONTROL OF MULTI-SWIMMER SYSTEMS, ADVANCE THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF PROGRAMMABLE MULTI-FUNCTION UNDERWATER NETWORKS, AND ENABLE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT SURVEY OF SENSITIVE COASTAL ZONES. MOREOVER, THIS PROJECT WILL HELP BROADEN PARTICIPATION AND TRAINING OF UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES IN ENGINEERING AND SUPPORT OUTREACH ACTIVITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THE GENERAL AUDIENCE. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONNECTED THREE-VESSEL-AND-BUOY INSTRUMENT WILL SUPPORT RESEARCH AND TRAINING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THREE EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES: 1) BIO-INSPIRED PROPULSION AND THE DYNAMICS OF COLLECTIVE SWIMMERS; 2) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPLIED TO UNDERWATER MOBILITY AND 3) PROGRAMMABLE UNDERWATER MULTI-MODAL NETWORKING. IN SPECIFIC, OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT ARE: (A) A BIO-INSPIRED UNDERWATER VESSEL WITH UNDULATING FIN PROPULSION AND INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION AND SENSING CAPABILITIES (THREE COPIES); (B) A SOFTWARE-DEFINED PROTOCOL STACK FOR UNDERWATER MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATION, NETWORKING AND POSITIONING; (C) A CONNECTED MULTI-AGENT SYSTEM OF THREE BIO-INSPIRED ROBOTIC FISH WITH THE ABILITY TO AUTONOMOUSLY COORDINATE, SHARE INFORMATION AND COOPERATE FOR A BASIC MISSION OR TO BE WIRELESSLY REMOTELY CONTROLLED BY A SINGLE HUMAN OPERATOR. AT CONCLUSION, THIS EFFORT IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE A STABLE, SHARED-USE, PROGRAMMABLE RESEARCH INSTRUMENT WITH UNIQUE PROPULSION AND INTEGRATED WIRELESS NETWORKING AND POSITIONING CAPABILITIES. THE INSTRUMENT WILL ENABLE RAPID TESTING AND REPEATABLE COMPARATIVE EVALUATION, WHILE ALSO STRENGTHEN COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS INTERESTED IN RESEARCH IN AI CONTROL, BIOINSPIRED UNDERWATER MOBILITY AND UNDERWATER WIRELESS NETWORKING. THE INSTRUMENT WILL ALSO SERVE AS AN EXPERIMENTAL PLATFORM TO TRAIN UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE INTERSECTION OF MULTIPLE ENGINEERING FIELDS. 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.

THIS PROJECT WILL PERFORM A PRELIMINARY FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A U.S. GRID-CONNECTED OCEAN CURRENT TEST FACILITY (OCTF) TO EVALUATE CURRENT ENERGY CONVERTERS (CECS) IN THE OPEN OCEAN OFFSHORE PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA. IT IS EXPECTED THAT A VIABLE GRID-CONNECTED FACILITY WILL BE CAPABLE OF TESTING A VARIETY OF PROTOTYPE CECS TO ADVANCE RELIABLE, LOW COST, RENEWABLE ENERGY ALTERNATIVES TO FOSSIL FUEL. PROTOTYPE TESTING IS ESSENTIAL TO MATURE EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES, VALIDATE PERFORMANCE AGAINST ANALYTIC MODELS, DEMONSTRATE COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE DESIGN STANDARDS AND MITIGATE THE TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL RISK OF DEVELOPING PROJECTS FOR THE UTILITY GRID MARKET. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PERFORM A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE TECHNICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND REGULATORY CHALLENGES INVOLVED IN CONSTRUCTING AN OFFSHORE TEST FACILITY FOR PROTOTYPE CECS. SEVEN PRIMARY DELIVERABLES WILL BE DEVELOPED UNDER THIS PROJECT TO ASSESS THE SCOPE AND FEASIBILITY OF CONSTRUCTING THIS FACILITY: 1. PRELIMINARY REQUIREMENTS DATABASE 2. PRELIMINARY SUBMARINE SYSTEMS TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION 3. PRELIMINARY SHORESIDE FACILITIES TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION 4. PRELIMINARY REGULATORY AND PERMITTING PLAN 5. PRELIMINARY PROJECTED COST ESTIMATE 6. PRELIMINARY RISK ASSESSMENT 7. PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN 8. RECOMMENDATIONS AND NEXT STEPS THESE PRE-CONSTRUCTION PLAN DELIVERABLES WILL ENABLE THE TEST FACILITY’S DEVELOPER, INVESTORS, FUTURE USERS, PARTNER COMMUNITIES, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE, COSTS, AND RISKS THAT COULD BE ANTICIPATED IF THE FACILITY WERE TO BE CONSTRUCTED AND OPERATED IN THE FUTURE.

NEW START REP GRANT AWARD, TITLE: A DIGITAL TWIN PLATFORM FOR COMPUTATIONAL T&E OF CONNECTED AI AUTONOMY

BRAIN DYNAMICS OF COORDINATED TEAMS

FLORIDA SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR BIOSTATISTICS AND DATA SCIENCE - ABSTRACT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY (FAU), THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (UM) AND FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY (FIU) PROPOSE A SIX-WEEK FLORIDA SUMMER INSTITUTE IN BIOSTATISTICS AND DATA SCIENCE (FLORIDA SIBDS) FOCUSED ON HEALTH DISPARITIES RELATED TO CARDIOVASCULAR AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES. AT PRESENT, FLORIDA SIBDS WOULD BE THE FIRST SIBDS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. FAU AND FIU ARE BOTH HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS (HSI) AND STATE UNIVERSITIES, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI IS A PRE-EMINENT PRIVATE INSTITUTION WITH SIGNIFICANT DIVERSITY. FLORIDA SIBDS IS INNOVATIVE: 1) IT INTRODUCES RIGOROUS QUANTITATIVE CAREERS TO PRIMARILY HISPANIC AND AFRICAN- AMERICAN YOUNG ADULTS THROUGH THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF THREE ETHNICALLY DIVERSE INSTITUTIONS; 2) THE DIVERSE LEADERSHIP TEAM AND FACULTY HAVE UNIQUE COMPLEMENTARY SKILLSETS IN BIOSTATISTICS, EPIDEMIOLOGY, HEALTH ECONOMICS, COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, AI, MACHINE LEARNING (ML), AND BIG DATA ANALYTICS; AND 3) SIBDS STUDENTS WILL BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN “LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING” TO OTHERS, CULMINATING IN A SHORT CURRICULUM THEY WILL TEACH TO FIRST YEAR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. THIS NOVEL PARTNERSHIP APPROACH WILL ADDRESS THE SHORTAGE OF BIOSTATISTICIANS IN GOVERNMENT, ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY BY PROVIDING A DIVERSE, WELL-QUALIFIED PIPELINE OF FUTURE BIOSTATISTICIANS, MANY OF WHOM MAY NOT HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY DUE TO LACK OF AWARENESS, EDUCATIONAL ACCESS AND FINANCIAL BARRIERS. FLORIDA SIBDS WILL RECRUIT NATIONALLY TO ENROLL 136 UNDERGRADUATE AND EARLY GRADUATE SCHOOL STUDENTS OVER FIVE YEARS WITH REQUISITE MATHEMATICS COURSEWORK AND A BUDDING INTEREST IN HEALTH, WHILE TARGETING GROUPS TYPICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE BIOMEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES; RECRUITMENT METHODS INCLUDE SOCIAL MEDIA, WEBSITES, PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PERSONAL CONTACTS WITH ADMINISTRATION AND STUDENT INFLUENCERS. FLORIDA SIBDS WILL ENGAGE STUDENTS IN A MULTI-FACETED, PEER AND FACULTY MENTORED, INTENSIVE 6-WEEK TRAINING EXPERIENCE DRIVEN BY RESEARCH QUESTIONS THAT HIGHLIGHT HEALTH DISPARITIES AND SOCIAL DRIVERS OF HEALTH, USING CURRENT CARDIOVASCULAR, COVID-19 AND HIV DATABASES. ALTHOUGH THE CURRICULUM ENCOMPASSES BASIC, ADVANCED AND CUTTING-EDGE STATISTICAL AND DATA SCIENCE METHODS DELIVERED IN WAYS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS, IT ALSO HIGHLIGHTS SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATIVE SKILLS, PROJECT TEAMWORK, SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND CAREER GUIDANCE. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE METHODS WILL BE USED TO EVALUATE PEER AND FACULTY MENTORS AND STUDENTS ANNUALLY. AN EXTERNAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE, PEDAGOGY AND EVALUATION CONSULTANTS, LEADERSHIP TEAM AND STUDENT ADVISORS WILL USE THEIR EXPERIENCE AND THESE DATA TO INFORM THE CURRICULUM. FLORIDA SIBDS ALUMNI WILL RETAIN MENTORSHIPS WITH FACULTY AND HAVE ACCESS TO REVISED CURRICULUMS FOR FIVE YEARS AFTER COMPLETION.

DECISION SUPPORT FOR MULTIGENE PANEL TESTING AND FAMILY RISK COMMUNICATION AMONG RACIALLY/ETHNICALLY DIVERSE YOUNG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: THE INTRODUCTION OF MULTI-GENE PANEL TESTING FOR HEREDITARY BREAST AND OVARIAN CANCER (HBOC) SYNDROME HAS RAPIDLY CHANGED THE CLINICAL APPROACH TO GENETIC TESTING FOR PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. YOUNG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (YBCS), DIAGNOSED AT AGE =50 YEARS OLD, MAY HAVE INHERITED A PATHOGENIC/LIKELY PATHOGENIC (P/LP) VARIANT IN A BREAST CANCER SUSCEPTIBILITY GENE, E.G., BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, ETC. RECENT STUDIES HAVE FOUND SUBOPTIMAL RATES OF GENETIC TESTING AMONG YOUNG BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH LESS THAN 50% COMPLETION RATES FOR HEREDITARY BREAST AND OVARIAN CANCER (HBOC) SYNDROME. RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES IN GENETIC TESTING COMPLETION AND RESULTS HAVE BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED. MY LONG-TERM CAREER GOAL IS TO BECOME A LEADING INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR IN BREAST CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL, FOCUSING ON CANCER GENETICS/GENOMICS, RISK COMMUNICATION, BIOBEHAVIORAL ONCOLOGY, AND REDUCTION OF CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES AMONG RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITY WOMEN. THE SPECIFIC AIMS ARE: IN AIM 1, WE PROPOSE TO IDENTIFY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPLETION OF HBOC MULTIGENE PANEL TESTING, CANCER RISK-REDUCING BEHAVIORS, AND FAMILY RISK COMMUNICATION AMONG RACIALLY/ETHNICALLY DIVERSE YOUNG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (YBCS) (N=300) WITHIN A SEQUENTIAL EXPLANATORY MIXED-METHODS STUDY. IN ADDITION, WE WILL CONDUCT QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS WITH (N=40) YBCS WHO COMPLETED GENETIC TESTING AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT COMPLETED GENETIC TESTING TO EXPLORE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, BELIEFS ABOUT GENETIC TESTING, AND TO IDENTIFY BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO THE COMMUNICATION OF GENETIC RISK TO THEIR AT-RISK RELATIVES. WE WILL ILLUMINATE QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS WITH QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTED. IN AIM 2, WE WILL APPLY USER-CENTERED DESIGN TO MODIFY THE EXISTING GENETIC TESTING MODULE WITHIN THE REALRISKS DECISION AID TO MEET THE NEEDS OF YBCS AND TO ADD FAMILY RISK COMMUNICATION CONTENT AND CONDUCT PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOPS AND USABILITY TESTING (N=20). LASTLY, IN AIM 3, WE WILL CONDUCT A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF STANDARD PATIENT EDUCATION ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH THE MODIFIED REALRISKS DECISION AID AMONG RACIALLY/ETHNICALLY DIVERSE YBCS. THIS CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD WILL PROVIDE ME WITH PROTECTED TIME AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE MY TRAINING GOALS IN SEVERAL TARGETED AREAS: (1): ACQUIRE AND APPLY ADVANCED STATISTICAL ANALYTICS FOR CONDUCTING MIXED METHODOLOGY AND INTERVENTION RESEARCH; (2) INCREASE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS IN BIOBEHAVIORAL ONCOLOGY, CANCER SURVIVORSHIP, CLINICAL APPLICATION OF GENETIC/GENOMIC MEDICINE, RISK COMMUNICATION IN FAMILIES, CASCADE GENETIC TESTING, ADAPTING WEB-BASED DECISION SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS FOR UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS, AND BREAST CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES; (3) GAIN DIDACTIC AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN THE CONDUCT OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS; AND (4) DEVELOP LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN THE ETHICAL CONDUCT OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, GRANT WRITING, INCREASING SCHOLARLY PRODUCTIVITY, AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR SCIENTIFIC INDEPENDENCE. IN SUMMARY, THIS MENTORED RESEARCH SCIENTIST DEVELOPMENT AWARD TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY WILL PROVIDE ME WITH INVALUABLE EXPERIENCES TO SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITION INTO A SCIENTIFIC INDEPENDENCE, ULTIMATELY REDUCING HEALTH DISPARITIES.

SPECIAL EDUCATION-PERSONNEL PREPARATION TO IMPROVE SERVICES AND RESULTS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES - PREPARATION OF LEADERSHIP PERSONNEL

DISCRETE RICCI FLOW IN HIGHER DIMENSIONS

BOSS TARGET IDENTIFICATION BY TEMPLATE MATCHING

RESEARCHERS AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY PROPOSE AN EXPEDITION ON THE R/V F.G. WALTON SMITH TO EXPLORE MARINE HABITATS SURROUNDING PUERTO RICO AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS WITH THE SPECIFIC GOAL OF IDENTIFYING MARINE ORGANISMS WITH BIOACTIVE NATURAL PRODUCTS THAT CAN BENEFIT PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH TOOL PRODUCTION. PREVIOUS EXPEDITIONS HAVE HIGHLIGHTED AREAS OF RICH CHEMICAL BIODIVERSITY THAT THE AUTHORS PLAN TO EXPLORE USING MOHAWK, A REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE (ROV) SYSTEM WITH THE CAPABILITY TO COLLECT ORGANISMS SUCH AS SPONGES, OCTOCORALS, AND ALGAE. THEY IDENTIFIED THE GEOGRAPHICAL REGION AS AN AREA WITH MINIMAL EXPLORATION FOR BIOPHARMACEUTICAL POTENTIAL AND PLAN TO ESTABLISH A LONG-TERM RESOURCE FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL INCLUDE FROZEN SPECIMENS, A CHEMICAL LIBRARY, A LIBRARY OF MICROORGANISMS, CRYOPRESERVED SPONGE CELLS, AND A DNA LIBRARY. IMAGERY, VIDEO, DATA, AND PHYSICAL SAMPLES WILL BE COLLECTED TO DOCUMENT THE EXPLORED HABITATS.

DESCRIPTION:THIS ACTION APPROVES AN AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $749,811 TO SUPPORT THE FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY'S PROJECT TO ADDRESS MANAGING SEAGRASS ECOSYSTEMS IN SOUTH FLORIDA. ALSO IDENTIFYING AND MODELING MECHANISMS AND CLIMATE IMPACTS TRIGGERING SEAGRASS LOSS AND EFFECTS ON WATER QUALITY AND SEAGRASS RESTORATION TO FURTHER DEVELOP A MECHANISTIC MODEL THAT QUANTIFIES SEAGRASS RESPONSES TO STRESSORS, INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE, THAT TRIGGER SEAGRASS MORTALITY AND AFFECTS NUTRIENT CYCLING.ACTIVITIES:THE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE PROVIDING TRAINING TO ASSIST COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGERS IN THEIR EFFORT TO PROTECT AND RESTORE SEAGRASSES AND MANAGEMENT OF SEAGRASSES, ASSISTING IN SETTING TARGETS FOR RECOVER, AND DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN (CERP). SUBRECIPIENT:NO SUBAWARDS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT.OUTCOMES:THE ANTICIPATED DELIVERABLES INCLUDE TO PERFORMANCE AND FINAL REPORTS, GENERATE SEAGRASS COVER OUTPUT AND DEVELOP CLIMATE SCENARIOS. DATA GENERATED FROM SPATIAL MAPS OF STRESSORS AND MICROBIAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL FUNCTIONAL PATHWAYS WILL PROVIDE QUANTITATIVE RELATIONSHIPS OF DRIVERS OF SEAGRASS DECLINE IN THE INDIAN RIVERS LAGOON AND FLORIDA BAY THAT CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO THE SEACOM-SIM MODEL. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE SPATIAL MAPS OF SEAGRASS STRESSORS, SEDIMENT BIOGEOCHEMISTRY WITH 2-3 AS INDICES OF INTERNAL NUTRIENT RECYCLING. DIRECT BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE STATE OF FLORIDA CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS.

SOCIAL COORDINATION DYNAMICS: INTERTWINING SELF WITH OTHERS

DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON (DOC) FLUXES FROM COASTAL MARINE SEDIMENTS (I.E. IN SEDIMENT PORE WATERS) HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED TO REPRESENT GLOBALLY

ROLE OF THE N-TERMINAL REGION IN ABETA OLIGOMER AND FIBRIL FORMATION

DESIGN OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT AUTONOMOUS SUPPORT SHIPS

DESCRIPTION:THIS AGREEMENT PROVIDES FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $720,446 TO FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IS TO ADDRESS INTEGRATING GENETICS IN SPONGE COMMUNITY RESTORATION AND WILL EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SPONGE RESTORATION EFFORT CARRIED OUT BY THE FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION (FWC) AND USE POPULATION GENETICS TO GUIDE THE CURRENT SPONGE RESTORATION STRATEGY FOR SOUTH FLORIDA BAY BEYOND THE EXPERIMENTAL STAGE. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE TO USE GENETICS IN SPONGE (GIS) TOOLS TO EVALUATE AND GUIDE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF SPONGE RESTORATION EFFORTS IN THE FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION FWC SPONGE NURSERIES AND OUTPLANT SITES. ADDITIONALLY, GIS MAPS OF GENOTYPES FOR THE NURSERIES AND OUTPLANT SITES FOR FOUR SPONGE SPECIES. ANTICIPATED DELIVERABLES INCLUDE PERFORMANCE AND FINAL REPORTS. EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDES GIS MAPS TO FACILITATE THE SELECTION OF DONOR SPONGES, THE MAINTENANCE OF GENETIC DIVERSITY, AND THE ADAPTABILITY OF RESTORED POPULATIONS AND THEIR OFFSPRING AND SHARE RESEARCH FINDINGS THROUGH PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS THAT WILL BENEFIT THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY, FISHERMEN, AND THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL. DIRECT BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE STATE OF FLORIDA CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS.ACTIVITIES:-SUBRECIPIENT:SUBAWARD TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO FOR DNA SEQUENCING SERVICES.OUTCOMES:-

MRI: ACQUISITION OF TWO REMUS AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES FOR MULTIPLE COOPERATIVE MARINE VEHICLE RESEARCH

DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIALIZED NEURAL NETWORKS FOR FACE RECOGNITION EXPERTISE

CHARACTERIZATION OF IMPACT OF OCEANOGRAPHIC FEATURES ON THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS IN COASTAL WATERS

NEW METHODS FOR THE EXPEDITED SYNTHESIS OF C11 AND F18 PET TRACERS

URM: INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY FOR FUTURE RESEARCHERS

NURSE, EDUCATION, PRACTICE, QUALITY AND RETENTION - REGISTERED NURSES IN PRIMARY CARE

DESCRIPTION:THIS ACTION APPROVES AN AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $700,000 TO FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY TO SUPPORT THEIR EFFORTS WITH IMPROVING THE WATER QUALITY OF THE GULF OF AMERICA. THE PURPOSE OF THIS AWARD IS TO DETERMINE HOW CONTAMINANTS LIKE PESTICIDES AND PHARMACEUTICALS AFFECT THE WATER QUALITY IN LAKES SURROUNDED BY AGRICULTURE, INDUSTRY, OR OTHER SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION. ACTIVITIES:THE ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED INCLUDE DEVELOPING A METHOD OF MONITORING FOR CONTAMINANTS, DEPLOYING SAMPLERS FOR CAPTURING CONTAMINANTS, PREDICTING WHICH TRANSFORMATION MECHANISMS ARE ACTIVE AT THE SAMPLING SITES, AND ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL FOR THE FORMATION OF HARMFUL PRODUCTS. SUBRECIPIENT:NO SUBAWARDS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT.OUTCOMES:THE ANTICIPATED DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE THE MEASURED CONCENTRATIONS OF PESTICIDES, PHARMACEUTICALS, AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS IN LAKE OKEECHOBEE, AS WELL AS THEIR SEASONAL AND ANNUAL VARIATIONS AT EIGHT MONITORING STATIONS LOCATED IN THE OPEN WATER OF THE LAKE. THE APPROACH DEVELOPED IN THIS PROJECT WILL LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR DEVELOPING METHODS THAT ACCOUNT FOR THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE DATA ON CONTAMINANTS THAT LEAD TO PRODUCTS OF HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN. THE RESIDENTS AND COMMUNITIES AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE, FLORIDA WILL BENEFIT FROM IMPROVED WATER QUALITY.

CAREER: MODELING AND CONTROL OF UNDULATING-FIN UNDERWATER VESSELS IN CLOSE FORMATION

EXPLORING THE BLUE ECONOMY BIOTECHNOLOGY POTENTIAL OF DEEP-WATER HABITATS

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING GRANTS

CAREER: TUNING FISH: MECHANICS OF BIOMATERIALS CHANGE WITH CHANGING DEMANDS OF LOCOMOTION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DEVELOPING AND IMPROVING SCRIPPS SHALLOW WATER MAPPING CAPABILITY

DISSECTING ACTIVE NEURAL CIRCUITS REGULATING SENSORY AND AFFECTIVE PAIN - PROJECT SUMMARY OPIOIDS AS A PAIN MEDICATION HAS BEEN THE MOST PREFERRED PAIN TREATMENTS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE QUICK RELIEF FROM SEVERE PAIN. DECADES OF OPIOID ABUSE HAVE TRIGGERED NEGATIVE IMPACT ON PAIN THERAPIES. UNDERSTANDING OF NEURAL CIRCUITS THAT ARE ACTUALLY DRIVING PAIN IS ESSENTIAL IN ORDER TO DEVELOP MORE EFFECTIVE AND SAFER PAIN THERAPIES. NEUROANATOMICAL STUDIES HAVE ALLOWED US TO DEFINE THE REGIONS AND SUBSETS OF NEURONS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR PAIN. HOWEVER, THERE IS VERY LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF NEURAL CIRCUITS THAT ARE ACTIVATED BY EACH PAIN MODALITY; I.E. HOW ALL OF THE PAIN-DEPENDENTLY ACTIVATED NEURONAL SUBSETS COMMUNICATE TO TRANSMIT NOCICEPTIVE SIGNALS DERIVED BY DISTINCT PAIN CONDITIONS AS WELL AS TO DISTINGUISH THE TRANSITION OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC PAIN. IN ADDITION, RECENT ATTENTION HAS ALSO TUNED INTO MECHANISMS UNDERLYING EMOTIONAL DIMENSION OF PAIN SUCH AS DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND LOSS OF COGNITION, ESPECIALLY ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC PAIN. THE ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX (ACC) IS A BRAIN STRUCTURE KNOWN TO DRIVE AVERSION ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC PAIN. THE FUNCTIONAL CHANGES IN THE ACC NEURONS CAUSED BY CHRONIC PAIN HAVE YET TO BE CLEARLY EXPLAINED AT THE MOLECULAR AND NEURAL CIRCUIT LEVELS. OUR PRELIMINARY STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT A LARGER NUMBER OF NEURONS ARE PAIN SPECIFICALLY ACTIVATED IN THE IPSILATERAL SIDE OF THE SPINAL CORD IN SNL MICE COMPARED TO THOSE OF SHAM. SIMILARLY, NEURONS IN THE CONTRALATERAL SIDE OF THE ACC ARE ALSO SELECTIVELY ACTIVATED UNDER A CHRONIC PAIN CONDITION, WHICH IS ALSO CONSISTENT WITH THE PREVIOUS STUDIES DESCRIBING AVERSIVE RESPONSE ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC PAIN DUE TO THE HYPEREXCITABILITY OF ACC NEURONS. HERE, WE THEREFORE FOCUS ON TWO REPRESENTATIVE REGIONS FOR PAIN-RELATED BEHAVIORS: THE ACC AS A KEY BRAIN STRUCTURE IN THE AFFECTIVE PAIN; AND THE SPINAL CORD FOR SENSORY USING MOUSE GENETICS COMBINED WITH NEUROANATOMY, CHEMOGENETICS, AND NEURAL RECORDING IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING PAIN-RELATED BEHAVIORS BY SHEDDING LIGHT ON ACTIVE NEURAL CIRCUITS UNDER SPECIFIC PAIN CONDITIONS. IN SPECIFIC AIM 1, WE WILL IDENTIFY THE NEURONAL SUBSETS ACTIVATED BY DISTINCT PAIN STIMULI (ACUTE HEAT AND MECHANICAL PAIN, AND CHRONIC PAIN) IN THE SPINAL CORD, AND CHEMOGENETICALLY MANIPULATE THE ACTIVITY OF PAIN SPECIFICALLY-ACTIVATED NEURONS IN ORDER TO VALIDATE THAT THESE NEURONS ARE DIRECTLY REGULATING THE SPECIFIC PAIN MODALITIES. IN SPECIFIC AIM 2, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF CHRONIC PAIN DEPENDENTLY ACTIVATED ACC NEURONS IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISM BY WHICH THE ACC DISCRIMINATES THE AFFECTIVE AND SENSORY PAIN BEHAVIOR ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC PAIN. WE WILL USE NEUROANATOMICAL TRACING TO IDENTIFY THE ACC NEURONAL SUBSETS AND THEIR PROJECTION NEURONS COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER PAIN-RELATED BRAIN REGIONS. OUR PROPOSED STUDIES WILL ENABLE US TO COLLECT FEASIBILITY DATA FOR A FUTURE TARGETED BRAIN CIRCUITS PROJECTS R01 RESEARCH PROPOSAL, WHICH WILL HELP TO FURTHER UNDERSTAND THE ACTIVE NEURAL CIRCUITS REGULATING THE TRANSMISSION OF PAIN SENSORY SIGNALS ELICITED BY DIFFERENT PAIN MODALITIES AT THE SPINAL CORD AND ALSO THE EXPRESSION OF AFFECTIVE AND SENSORY PAIN BEHAVIOR MEDIATED BY THE ACC CIRCUITS IN CHRONIC PAIN.

INVESTIGATING CHANGES IN CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW RESPONSE TO LOCAL NEURAL STIMULATION IN ALZHEIMER DISEASE RETINA AS A POTENTIAL MECHANISM FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS -ALZHEIMER?S DISEASE (AD) IS A BRAIN DISORDER AND IS THE SIXTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES. AD CANNOT BE SLOWED OR CURED SHOULD THE DISEASE PROCEED TO COGNITIVE DECLINE. EARLY DETECTION WOULD FAVOR TIMELY INTERVENTION TO AVOID BRAIN CELL LOSS AND IMPROVE LIFE QUALITY OF PATIENTS. THE MAIN GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ESTABLISH A VIABLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR EARLY DETECTION OF AD THROUGH A SET OF RELATIVELY SIMPLE EYE IMAGING PROCEDURES. NEW OPTICAL TECHNOLOGIES WILL BE DEVELOPED TO MEASURE CHANGES IN EYE AND BRAIN BLOOD FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH AD. MACHINE LEARNING TOOLS WILL BE DEPLOYED TO PREDICT THE TRAJECTORY OF THE DISEASE. IN ADDITION, THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A TRAINING OPPORTUNITY FOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT AD AND USE THEIR ENGINEERING SKILLS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COLLECTIVE EFFORT OF COMBATING THIS DEVASTATING CONDITION. NEURAL DEGENERATION AND LOSS OF CONNECTIVITY IN AD LEADS TO MORPHOLOGICAL AND METABOLIC CHANGES IN THE BRAIN THAT CAN BE VISUALIZED IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE OR POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY IMAGES. HOWEVER, THESE BRAIN IMAGING METHODS, AS DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS, ARE NEITHER COST EFFECTIVE NOR READILY AVAILABLE TO LARGE POPULATIONS. SINCE THE EYE IS ACCESSIBLE FOR NONINVASIVE IMAGING, SEVERAL PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN PROPOSED FOR DETECTION OF AD VIA OPHTHALMOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS AND RETINAL IMAGING. UNFORTUNATELY, NONE OF THESE TESTS HAVE PROVEN TO BE EFFECTIVE INDICATORS OF AD AT EARLY STAGES OF THE DISEASE. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO EXPLORE A PROMISING ALTERNATIVE BY STUDYING CHANGES IN RETINAL HEMODYNAMICS FOR EARLY AD DETECTION. THERE IS EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THAT AD-ASSOCIATED CHANGES IN SPECIFIC FEATURES OF RETINAL HEMODYNAMICS APPEAR IN THE PRE-SYMPTOMATIC PHASE OF AD MAKING THESE FEATURES SUPERIOR INDICATORS FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS. IN THIS PROJECT, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES INCLUDING MULTI-PHOTON MICROSCOPY, OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY, AND OPTOGENETIC NEURAL STIMULATION WILL BE DEVELOPED AND EMPLOYED WITH BIOCHEMICAL AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY LAB TECHNIQUES, TO STUDY THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE STATE AND PROGRESSION OF AD IN THE BRAIN AND RETINA. SPECIFICALLY, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHANGES IN THE RESTING-STATE CEREBRAL AND RETINAL BLOOD FLOW AND DISRUPTION OF FUNCTIONAL HYPEREMIA UNDER AD WILL BE EXPLORED. IN THIS PROJECT, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL TEST THE ANALYTICAL VALIDITY AND POTENTIAL CLINICAL VIABILITY OF THESE FEATURES FOR NONINVASIVE EARLY DETECTION OF AD. 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.

THE MATHEMATICS OF RELATEDNESS

ACE: AUTONOMOUS CONFORMITY EVALUATION OF TENSOR DATA BY MEANS OF NOVEL L1-NORM PRINCIPAL-COMPONENT ANALYSIS

MRI: ACQUISITION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & DEEP LEARNING (AIDL) TRAINING AND RESEARCH LABORATORY

THE INITIATION OF THE SENTINEL CONSTELLATION OF OCEAN COLOR (OC) IMAGERS IN EUROPE BY THE COPERNICUS PROGRAM PROVIDES THE POTENTIAL FOR A POWERFUL NEW TOOL KIT FOR U.S. AND OTHER FOREIGN RESEARCHERS WITH ALL DATA BEING FREELY AVAILABLE TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. CHALLENGES TO OPTIMIZE UNCERTAINTIES FOR SENTINEL IMAGERS GOING FORWARD INCLUDE 1) RIGOROUS VALIDATION THAT INVOLVES THE CRITICAL ASPECT OF THE BIDIRECTIONAL REFLECTANCE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION (BRDF) WHICH IS OVERLOOKED TO OUR KNOWLEDGE IN CURRENT GLOBAL CALIBRATION AND VALIDATION EFFORTS AS THESE ONLY CONSIDER NADIR VIEWING AND 2) IMPROVED OPERATIONAL ALGORITHMS FOR INLAND AND OCEAN WATERS THAT INCORPORATE THE BRDF. THESE CHALLENGES HAVE PROMPTED THE EU TO RECENTLY FUND SEVERAL NEW PROGRAMS SUCH AS WATERHYPERNET HYPERNETS AND COASTOBS TO DEVELOP NEXT GENERATION VALIDATION CAPABILITIES WITH HYPERSPECTRAL DATA AT MULTIPLE VIEWING ANGLES. OUR PROJECT HAS TWO BROAD OBJECTIVES: 1) PARTICIPATE IN DEVELOPING AND TESTING FUTURE VALIDATION CAPABILITIES FOR OC IMAGERS IN THE SENTINEL CONSTELLATION; AND 2) ASSESS PERFORMANCE OF THE ZTT ALGORITHM FOR SENTINEL OC IMAGERS WORKING TOWARDS OPERATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION. THESE OBJECTIVES WILL BE CARRIED OUT THROUGH DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN WATERHYPERNET AND HYPERNETS VALIDATION PROGRAMS AS WELL AS WITH THE COPERNICUS OC OPERATIONAL PROCESSING FACILITY (CMEMS-OCTAC) WHERE DR. BRANDO SERVES AS DEPUTY LEADER. DR. RUDDICK IS ALSO INTERESTED IN INSTALLING A WATERHYPERNET SYSTEM ADJACENT TO AN EXISTING AERONET-OC SITE WE HAVE JUST INSTALLED IN LAKE OKEECHOBEE FL IN THE 2020 TIME FRAME.

DE-FOA-0001418 MARINE AND HYDROKINETIC ENERGY CONVERSION AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT

NSFDEB-NERC: MACHINE LEARNING TOOLS TO DISCOVER BALANCING SELECTION IN GENOMES FROM SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL AUTOCORRELATIONS -UNDERSTANDING WHY INDIVIDUALS WITHIN SPECIES ARE SO GENETICALLY DIVERSE IS A FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY AND GENETICS. THIS INDIVIDUAL GENETIC DIVERSITY, AND ITS CAUSES, HAS IMPORTANT CONSEQUENCES FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, AGRICULTURAL BIOLOGY, AND BIOMEDICINE. BALANCING SELECTION IS A PROCESS THAT PROMOTES AND MAINTAINS GENETIC DIVERSITY OVER TIME. DESPITE A FEW WELL-KNOWN EXAMPLES, HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT RECENT OR FLEETING BALANCING SELECTION, LIKELY BECAUSE ITS GENETIC CLUES ARE SUBTLE AND DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH FROM THOSE LEFT BY OTHER ADAPTIVE AND NONADAPTIVE PROCESSES. DETECTING BALANCING SELECTION IN GENOME DATA IS FURTHER COMPLICATED BY TECHNICAL ISSUES, SUCH AS MISSING OR DEGRADED DNA SEQUENCE DATA, WHICH ARE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR BY CURRENT METHODS. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO TACKLE THESE CHALLENGES BY DESIGNING STATE-OF-THE-ART TOOLS BASED ON RECENT ADVANCES IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, WHICH PROVIDE STRATEGIES FOR IDENTIFYING SIGNALS OF PAST EVOLUTIONARY EVENTS IN GENETIC DATA. THESE TOOLS WILL BE MADE FREELY AVAILABLE IN A PUBLIC REPOSITORY, ENABLING WIDESPREAD USE. IN ADDITION, THIS PROJECT WILL ACTIVELY ENGAGE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN CODING AND MACHINE LEARNING THROUGH THE IDEEPLEARN SUMMER WORKSHOP, AND OTHER STUDENTS FROM GROUPS UNDER-REPRESENTED IN STEM THROUGH OUTREACH PROGRAMS AT THE FAU CAMPUS HIGH SCHOOL. TOGETHER, THESE PLANNED ACTIVITIES WILL FACILITATE FUTURE ADVANCEMENTS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF BALANCING SELECTION ACROSS DIVERSE TAXONOMIC GROUPS, AS WELL AS FOSTER PARTICIPATION OF TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN STEM RESEARCH. DETECTING BALANCING SELECTION IS ENHANCED BY USING TEMPORALLY SAMPLED GENETIC DATA OFTEN ACCESSED FROM ANCIENT DNA, WHICH PRESENTS NUMEROUS TECHNICAL HURDLES. THIS RESEARCH SEEKS TO DEVELOP NOVEL MACHINE- AND DEEP-LEARNING METHODS THAT CAN IDENTIFY GENOMIC SIGNATURES OF RECENT AND TRANSIENT BALANCING SELECTION FROM SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY SAMPLED GENETIC DATA, WHILE ACCOUNTING FOR TECHNICAL ISSUES ENCOUNTERED BY RESEARCHERS WORKING WITH ANCIENT DNA AND NONMODEL ORGANIMSM. THE PROJECT WILL SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS DETECTING BALANCING SELECTION FROM DATA THAT ARE INCOMPLETE, LOW-QUALITY, UNPHASED, OR POOLED UNDER SETTINGS FOR WHICH THERE IS UNCERTAINTY IN GENETIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC PARAMETERS. DEVELOPED METHODS WILL BE APPLIED TO HUMAN, MOSQUITO, AND FRUIT FLY TESTBEDS, AS THESE STUDY SYSTEMS HAVE EVIDENCE FOR DIVERSE MODES OF BALANCING SELECTION, AND PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATASETS WITH CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TECHNICAL HURDLES THE PROJECTS SEEKS TO OVERCOME. THESE METHODS WILL ALSO BE IMPLEMENTED AS OPEN-SOURCE TOOLS APPLICABLE TO A WIDE RANGE OF DATA TYPES COMMON ACROSS MODEL AND NONMODEL ORGANISMS, EMPOWERING FUTURE STUDIES OF ADAPTATION BY REMOVING BARRIERS IMPOSED BY LIMITATIONS OF DATA QUALITY AND DEMOGRAPHIC KNOWLEDGE, AND ULTIMATELY LEADING TO NOVEL INSIGHTS IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF ADAPTIVE HISTORY ACROSS THE TREE OF LIFE. WORKSHOPS ON MACHINE LEARNING IN POPULATION GENOMICS WILL BE DEVELOPED AND DELIVERED FOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS AS PART OF THE IDEEPLEARN SUMMER PROGRAM AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY. IN BOTH THE US AND THE UK, MULTIPLE STEM-RELATED CAREER EVENTS AIMED AT SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS WILL BE DEVELOPED AND DELIVERED. 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.

REGULATION OF BIMEL PHOSPHORYLATION IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE

CAREER: PHYSICS-REINFORCED DATA-DRIVEN PROGNOSTICS AND CO-DESIGN FOR MARINE HYDROKINETIC ENERGY SYSTEMS -THIS FACULTY EARLY CAREER DEVELOPMENT (CAREER) PROJECT WILL FUNDAMENTALLY ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE RELATED TO THE MONITORING AND DESIGN OF MARINE AND HYDROKINETIC (MHK) ENERGY SYSTEMS, INCLUDING MARINE CURRENT TURBINES AND WAVE ENERGY CONVERTERS. MHK SYSTEMS COULD CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO A DIVERSIFIED ENERGY ECONOMY, IMPROVING THE NATION?S ENERGY SECURITY AND REDUCING RELIANCE ON FOSSIL FUELS. HOWEVER, THESE SYSTEMS GENERATE POWER FROM PUISSANT RESOURCES, SUCH AS STRONG WATER CURRENTS AND/OR LARGE WAVES, WHICH IMPOSE PHYSICAL STRESSES ON THE EQUIPMENT THAT ARE SEVERAL TIMES GREATER THAN WIND TURBINES OF SIMILAR POWER RATINGS. THESE CONSTRAINTS LEAD TO STRINGENT DESIGN REQUIREMENTS THAT INCREASE CAPITAL COSTS. FURTHER, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS ARE HIGH BECAUSE ACCESS TO EQUIPMENT IS LIMITED DUE TO THEIR OFFSHORE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION AND HARSH CORROSIVE ENVIRONMENTS. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WILL PROVIDE THE THEORETICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL FOUNDATION TO ENHANCE MHK SYSTEMS? MAINTAINABILITY, SURVIVABILITY, AND EFFICIENCY. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO TRANSFORM THE CONVENTIONAL MHK TURBINE DESIGN PROCESS FROM A SEQUENTIAL APPROACH, WHERE SUBSYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED INDIVIDUALLY AND STRONG COUPLING AMONG THEM IS NEGLECTED, GENERALLY LEADING TO A SUBOPTIMAL DESIGN, TO A NOVEL CO-DESIGN FRAMEWORK THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY ACCOUNTS FOR CONTROL, RELIABILITY AND OPERATIONAL EXPENDITURE OF THE OVERALL MHK SYSTEM WITH COUPLED SUBSYSTEMS. THIS SIMULTANEOUS CO-DESIGN AT THE EARLIEST STAGE ALLOWS FOR MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL SUBSYSTEMS AND COULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE OVERALL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE. THIS PROJECT WILL THUS IMPROVE ENERGY SYSTEMS AND ACCELERATE PROGRESS IN THE BLUE ECONOMY. RESULTS WILL BE DISSEMINATED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LAB AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS, AS WELL AS THROUGH OPEN-SOURCE TOOLS, ACCELERATING TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER. OUTCOMES WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO NEW RESEARCH-INTENSIVE CURRICULA AND A NEW ENERGY RESILIENCY CERTIFICATE, AND OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE PROVIDED TO STUDENTS FROM GROUPS UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM TO PARTICIPATE IN MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP EFFICIENT AND ROBUST PROGNOSTICS (PREDICTION OF THE REMAINING USEFUL LIFE) AND DIAGNOSTICS (FAULT DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION) TOOLS OF MHK TURBINES, FOR THE GOAL OF ESTABLISHING A UNIFIED DESIGN FRAMEWORK THAT ACCOUNTS FOR CONTROL, RELIABILITY, AND OPERATIONAL EXPENDITURE OF MHK SYSTEMS. THE PROJECT WILL EXPLORE A SPECTRUM OF TOOLS FROM DOMAIN MECHANISTIC MODELS TO DEEP LEARNING. THE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES WILL INTEGRATE DOMAIN-SPECIFIC PHYSICS KNOWLEDGE AND MULTI-SOURCE DATA IN A SYNERGISTIC MANNER. SPECIFICALLY, THE PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING THREE RESEARCH CHALLENGES. (1) THE DATA SCARCITY CHALLENGE: THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH DATA TO TRAIN AN EFFECTIVE PROGNOSTICS/DIAGNOSTICS MODEL FOR MHK BECAUSE THE INDUSTRY IS NEW. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A NOVEL PHYSICS-REINFORCED KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER LEARNING APPROACH FOR DESIGNING EFFICIENT MODELS THAT USES WIND BIG DATA AS THE SOURCE DOMAIN, CONSTRAINED BY THE PHYSICS IN MHK AS THE TARGET DOMAIN. (2) THE DATA QUALITY AND CONCEPT DRIFT CHALLENGE: SYSTEM DYNAMICS MAY CHANGE OVER TIME AND SENSOR DATA ARE SUBJECT TO FAILURES BECAUSE MHK DEVICES ARE TO BE DEPLOYED IN HARSH, REMOTE AREAS FOR LONG-TERM OPERATION. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A NOVEL GRAPH AND REINFORCEMENT LEARNING APPROACH FOR DESIGNING ROBUST MODELS USING BOTH SENSOR NETWORK STRUCTURE INFORMATION AND STREAM PATTERN OF MULTI-SENSOR TIME SERIES. (3) THE HETEROGENEOUS, MULTI-DIRECTIONAL COUPLINGS AND CO-OPTIMIZATION CHALLENGE: TURBINE GEOMETRY, CONTROL, RELIABILITY, AND MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES SHOULD BE DESIGNED SIMULTANEOUSLY TO OPTIMIZE MHK TURBINE PERFORMANCE. THIS PROJECT WILL BUILD RESPONSIVE SURFACE MODELS, THAT REPRESENT THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DESIGN PARAMETERS AND PERFORMANCE INDEX, BASED ON BOTH EXPERIMENTAL DATA AND DYNAMICAL SIMULATIONS. WHITE-BOX CO-OPTIMIZATION TOOLS BASED ON DEEP NEURAL DECISION TREES WILL BE DEVELOPED TO OPTIMIZE THE TURBINE DESIGN PARAMETERS. TAKEN TOGETHER, RESULTS FROM THIS RESEARCH WILL ESTABLISH A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR ROBUST PREDICTIVE MONITORING AND CO-DESIGN OF COMPLEX LARGE-SCALE DYNAMIC SYSTEMS, SUCH AS ONSHORE AND FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND FARMS, CONNECTED VEHICLES, AND INTELLIGENT 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.

INSTALLATION AND EXPERIMENTATION OF A HIGH-SPEED, HIGH-FREQUENCY ACOUSTIC MODEM (HS-HFAM) COUPLED WITH A WAVELET-BASED EMBEDDED COMPRESSION UNIT ON T

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PACSP TOOLS: EPICS: EXPLAINABLE AI DRIVEN INDIVIDUAL PHOTO-IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING FOR COST-EFFECTIVE CONSERVATION STUDY -MARINE ANIMAL TRACKING, AT BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP LEVELS, IS CRUCIAL FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION. IT PROVIDES ESSENTIAL INFORMATION AND INVALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO POPULATION DYNAMICS, HEALTH, RISKS, AND VULNERABILITY, ALL OF WHICH HELP SHAPE CONSERVATION POLICIES, MANAGEMENT DECISIONS AND STRATEGIES. TRADITIONAL TRACKING METHODS FACE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES IN BALANCING COST AND PRECISION. THEY EITHER REQUIRE ATTACHING TRANSMITTERS TO ANIMALS THAT COMMUNICATE WITH RADIO RECEIVERS OR SATELLITES (HIGH ACCURACY BUT EXPENSIVE AND INVASIVE) OR RELY ON MANUALLY PRODUCED SKETCHES FROM PHOTOS OF DISTINCTIVE FEATURES SUCH AS SCARS (LOW ACCURACY AND LABOR-INTENSIVE). THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO OPTIMIZE THIS COST-PRECISION TRADE-OFF BY DESIGNING AND DELIVERING AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)-DRIVEN SYSTEM FOR INDIVIDUAL PHOTO-IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING IN CONSERVATION STUDIES OF FLORIDA MANATEES, A THREATENED SPECIES. THE SYSTEM AIMS TO STREAMLINE THE CREATION, MAINTENANCE, QUERY, AND BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS OF MANATEES USING PHOTO-IDENTIFICATION. THIS PROJECT WILL TRAIN SEVERAL GRADUATE STUDENTS, AND WILL ADVANCE COLLABORATION BETWEEN AI RESEARCHERS AND CONSERVATION SCIENTISTS. IN ORDER TO BRING TRANSFORMATIVE ADVANCEMENTS TO CURRENT CONSERVATION CAPABILITIES, EMPHASIZING COST-EFFECTIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED CONSERVATION PLANNING, THE PROJECT WILL 1) DEVELOP NEW ALGORITHMS GROUNDED IN EXPLAINABLE AI TO IDENTIFY AND TRACK INDIVIDUAL MANATEES BY THEIR DISTINCTIVE FEATURES, SUCH AS SCARS AND MARKERS, WHICH SERVE AS INTERPRETABLE EVIDENCE FOR TRACKING; 2) SUPPORT LONG-RANGE SPATIO-TEMPORAL TRACKING BY REPRESENTING EACH ANIMAL AS A SERIES OF SKETCH IMAGES THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFESPAN, ANNOTATED WITH TIMESTAMPS, GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, AND METADATA ON LIFE ENCOUNTERS; AND 3) CRAFT A FRAMEWORK FOR REGION-BASED CONSERVATION RESOURCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT THAT MODELS EVOLVING PATTERNS IN LOCAL REGIONS, INCLUDING BOTH NATURAL AND HUMAN-CAUSED DISTURBANCES, TO ASSESS HOW LOCAL ANIMAL POPULATIONS REACT TO THESE REGIONAL CHANGES. THE COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH TEAM WILL ALSO EXTEND APPROACHES TO ADDITIONAL THREATENED OR ENDANGERED MARINE SPECIES (SEA TURTLES, WHALES, RAYS). THIS PROJECT WILL HAVE A LASTING IMPACT ON THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION SECTORS BY HIGHLIGHTING CRITICAL NEEDS AND SHOWCASING VIABLE DESIGN IDEAS IN BOTH CONSERVATION AND COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND IN THEIR NEXUS. THIS PROJECT IS JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY AND INTEGRATIVE ORGANISMAL SYSTEMS THROUGH THE PARTNERSHIP TO ADVANCE CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE PROGRAM. 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: L.E.A.R.N.ING TO BUILD STEM RESEARCH COMMUNITIES- A PROPOSAL TO STRENGTHEN, EXPAND, AND DISSEMINATE A SUCCESSFUL RETENTION MO

TESTING A SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION FOR CHEROKEE EARLY ADOLESCENTS

RISING STRONG: EMPOWERING YOUTH FOR SUBSTANCE-FREE FUTURES - RISING STRONG: EMPOWERING YOUTH FOR SUBSTANCE-FREE FUTURES IS A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO PREVENT UNDERAGE DRINKING, CANNABIS USE, AND VAPING AMONG AT-RISK YOUTH IN PALM BEACH AND BROWARD COUNTIES, HOME TO NEARLY ONE MILLION YOUTH UNDER 24. THE PROGRAM WILL FOCUS ON YOUTH AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE, YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOUSING INSTABILITY, SURVIVORS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING, RURAL UNDERSERVED YOUTH IN THE GLADES COMMUNITIES IN PALM BEACH, AND SCHOOL-AGE YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS. THE INITIATIVE WILL SERVE DIRECTLY AT LEAST 600 YOUTH ANNUALLY AND 3,000 OVER THE FIVE-YEAR PROJECT PERIOD, ADDRESSING THE URGENT NEED FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PREVENTION STRATEGIES IN HIGH-RISK COMMUNITIES. ALIGNED WITH THE STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK AND THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE'S CONTINUUM OF CARE, RISING STRONG EMPLOYS UNIVERSAL AND SELECTIVE PREVENTION STRATEGIES TO REDUCE SUBSTANCE USE RISK AND STRENGTHEN PROTECTIVE FACTORS AMONG AT-RISK YOUTH. UNIVERSAL PREVENTION EFFORTS INCLUDE LIFESKILLS TRAINING (LST), MINDFULNESS AND EMOTIONAL REGULATION SESSIONS, PEER MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS, AND A BILINGUAL COMMUNITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TO EDUCATE YOUTH, PARENTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. SELECTIVE PREVENTION FOCUSES ON SCREENING, BRIEF INTERVENTION, AND REFERRAL TO TREATMENT (SBIRT), TARGETING YOUTH AT ELEVATED RISK AND CONNECTING THEM TO EARLY INTERVENTION AND SUPPORT SERVICES. THESE EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES ENSURE A COMPREHENSIVE, CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE APPROACH TO SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION. THE PROJECT HAS TWO PRIMARY GOALS: 1. STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY CAPACITY TO PREVENT SUBSTANCE USE BY CONDUCTING A COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT WITHIN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS, ESTABLISHING A MULTI-SECTOR PREVENTION COALITION, AND TRAINING AT LEAST 30 PROFESSIONALS ANNUALLY (150 OVER FIVE YEARS) ON TRAUMA-INFORMED PREVENTION STRATEGIES. 2. REDUCE RISK FACTORS AND ENHANCE PROTECTIVE FACTORS BY EQUIPPING AT LEAST 3,000 YOUTH WITH LIFE SKILLS, MINDFULNESS, AND EMOTIONAL REGULATION STRATEGIES, CONDUCTING SBIRT SCREENINGS FOR AT LEAST 350 YOUTH, AND EXPANDING ACCESS TO CULTURALLY COMPETENT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES THROUGH FLITE CENTER. RISING STRONG IS LED BY FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY (FAU), A LEADER IN COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, AND POPULATION HEALTH INITIATIVES. THE FAU DEPARTMENT OF POPULATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL MEDICINE, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE FAU SANDLER SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, PROVIDES EXPERTISE IN TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE, SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION, AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH TO GUIDE IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION. FLITE CENTER, A KEY PARTNER, SERVES OVER 2,000 YOUTH ANNUALLY, OFFERING EDUCATION, HOUSING, EMPLOYMENT, AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR FOSTER CARE ALUMNI AND VULNERABLE YOUNG ADULTS. BY INTEGRATING PREVENTION SERVICES INTO FLITE’S EXISTING PROGRAMS, RISING STRONG WILL EXPAND SUPPORT FOR HIGH-RISK YOUTH, ENSURING EARLY INTERVENTION AND SUSTAINED CARE. THE PROGRAM WILL INTEGRATE PREVENTION SERVICES INTO SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY CENTERS, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NETWORKS, ENSURING ACCESS FOR UNDERSERVED YOUTH. A ROBUST EVALUATION FRAMEWORK WILL TRACK PROGRAM REACH, IMPLEMENTATION FIDELITY, AND OUTCOME EFFECTIVENESS. DATA COLLECTION WILL INCLUDE YOUTH SURVEYS TO ASSESS CHANGES IN SUBSTANCE USE BEHAVIORS, RISK PERCEPTION, AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS, AS WELL AS SBIRT DATA TO TRACK THE NUMBER OF YOUTH SCREENED, IDENTIFIED AS AT-RISK, AND REFERRED FOR FURTHER INTERVENTION. ADDITIONAL FOCUS GROUPS AND PROCESS/OUTCOME MEASURES, WILL ASSESS PROGRESS, IDENTIFY AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT, AND INFORM CONTINUOUS QUALITY ENHANCEMENT. RISING STRONG WILL ALSO COMPLY WITH SAMHSA’S SPARS REPORTING SYSTEM, ENSURING TIMELY AND ACCURATE TRACKING OF PROGRAM OUTCOMES AND ACCOUNTABILITY. THROUGH SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS, YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, AND DATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES, RISING STRONG AIMS TO REDUCE YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE, STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY PREVENTION CAPACITY, AND FOSTER LONG-TERM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS.

NSF-CSIRO: TOWARDS INTERPRETABLE AND RESPONSIBLE GRAPH MODELING FOR DYNAMIC SYSTEMS -REAL-WORLD NATURAL AND ENGINEERED SYSTEMS (E.G., FOOD WEB, POWER GRIDS, RIVER NETWORKS, AND OCEAN CURRENT NETWORKS) ARE INHERENTLY COMPLICATED AND ARE DRIVEN BY MANY FACTORS WITH DEPENDENCY RELATIONSHIPS. GRAPHS HAVE BEEN COMMONLY USED TO REPRESENT THE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF THESE SYSTEMS FOR EVENT PREDICTION AND RISK ESTIMATION. TO DATE, MANY GRAPH LEARNING METHODS, SUCH AS GRAPH NEURAL NETWORKS, HAVE BEEN PROPOSED, BUT PRIMARILY FOR STATIC GRAPHS. IN DYNAMIC SYSTEMS, THE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO EMERGING TRENDS AND EVENTS, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND AND INTERPRET HOW EACH PART OF THE GRAPH FUNCTIONS IN FORMING RELIABLE MODELS FOR PREDICTIONS. THIS PROJECT STRIVES TO BUILD A GRAPH LEARNING AND INTERPRETATION FRAMEWORK FOR DYNAMIC SYSTEMS BY COMBINING SENSOR PATTERN DISCOVERY, NODE INTERACTION AND NETWORK FUNCTIONALITY ANALYSIS, AND PHYSICS- AND KNOWLEDGE-INFORMED LEARNING. THE PROJECT WILL PROPOSE NEW ALGORITHMS FOR MODELING AND UNDERSTANDING LARGE-SCALE DYNAMIC SYSTEMS USING GRAPHS, AS WELL AS DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE FOR DOMAIN EXPERTS TO ANALYZE THEIR DATA, EXPLAIN WHAT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING IN THE SYSTEM, UNDERSTAND THE RESULTING CONSEQUENCES, AND PROVIDE POSSIBLE MITIGATION STRATEGIES. THE JOINT EFFORT BETWEEN THE US AND AUSTRALIAN TEAMS WILL HELP UNDERSTAND/UNCOVER THE DYNAMICS OF WATER MONITORING SYSTEMS FOR DIFFERENT TERRAIN TYPES, INLAND AND COASTAL WATER EXCHANGE, TOXIC ALGAL BLOOMS, AND RESILIENCE OF RURAL AND REGIONAL COMMUNITIES. THE PROJECT INCLUDES THREE MAIN THRUSTS: (1) SENSOR SIGNAL TO FEATURE EXTRACTION AND UNDERSTANDING; (2) DYNAMIC NETWORK NODE MODELING AND INTERPRETATION; AND (3) DYNAMIC NETWORK FUNCTIONALITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS. THE RESEARCH WILL STUDY SIGNAL SNIPPET PATTERN (SSP) EXTRACTION AND INTERACTION ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND HOW FEATURES INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER DURING THE EMERGENCE OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS. AT THE NODE LEVEL, NEW TEMPORAL ENCODING AND SPATIAL-TEMPORAL GRAPH NEURAL NETWORKS WILL BE USED TO LEARN MODELS FOR NODE EVENT PREDICTION AND ANOMALY DETECTION FOR EARLY WARNING. THE STUDY OF NODE INTERACTION WILL ANSWER WHY, WHEN, AND HOW TWO NODES MAY BE INTERACTING WITH EACH OTHER. BEYOND NODE LEVEL INTERPRETATION, THE PROJECT WILL TARGET GRAPH FUNCTIONAL UNITS, ESTIMATE EACH SNAPSHOT GRAPH?S CONTRIBUTION, AND LOCATE SUBGRAPHS WITH THE HIGHEST SIGNIFICANCE CONCERNING OUTPUT SYSTEMS. A PERTURBATION-BASED POST-HOC EXPLAINER WILL PROVIDE COUNTERFACTUAL EXPLANATIONS TO ENHANCE THE EXPLAINABILITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS OF DYNAMIC GRAPH NEURAL NETWORK SYSTEMS. THE RESEARCH WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE COMBINING PHYSICS LAWS AND DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE INTO DYNAMIC GRAPH NEURAL NETWORKS TO DEVELOP A DATA-EFFICIENT, ROBUST, AND RESPONSIBLE GRAPH MODELING FRAMEWORK. THIS IS A JOINT PROJECT BETWEEN U.S. AND AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHERS FUNDED BY THE COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES IN RESPONSIBLE AND EQUITABLE AI UNDER THE U.S. NSF AND THE AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION (CSIRO). 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.

MRI: ACQUISITION OF BIG DATA TRAINING AND RESEARCH LABORATORY

III: MEDIUM: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: KMELIN: KNOWLEDGE MINING AND EMBEDDING LEARNING FOR COMPLEX DYNAMIC INFORMATION NETWORKS

SLIMSAT VNIR HIGH QUALITY LITTORAL OCEAN CHARACTERIZATION FROM A CUBESAT WITH NOEL SPATIAL LIGHT IMAGE MODULATION SLIM

ACQUISITION OF A TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPE TO ENHANCE MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND STEM EDUCATION

NEW GRANT TITLED: PERSONAL CLOUD FOR RESEARCH AND RESEARCH-RELATED EDUCATION

WITH PREVIOUS NASA PACE SCIENCE TEAM SUPPORT TWARDOWSKI AND TONIZZO(2018)(TT18) DEVELOPED A NEW RADIATIVE TRANSFER (RT) APPROXIMATION FOR OCEAN COLOR REFLECTANCE THAT INCLUDES THE BIDIRECTIONAL REFLECTANCE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION (BRDF) AND EXPLICITLY

OUR APPROACH IS NOT ONLY TO TEACH HIGH SCHOOL AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS HOW TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, BUT ALSO TO USE THE QUESTIONS THEMSELVES AND

STATISTICAL TOOLS FOR LEARNING ABOUT TRAIT EVOLUTION ACROSS SPECIES

SUPPORT FOR DRY SEASON PREY (CRAYFISH, FISH AND PERIPHYTON) TROPHIC CONCENTRATIONS

DECEPTION-BASED SECURITY OF IOBT NETWORKS USING INTELLIGENT HYBRID HONEYPOTS AND GAME THEORY

ACQUISITION OF MILLIMETER-WAVE PLATFORM FOR JOINT COMMUNICATION-RADAR SIGNAL DESIGN WITH APPLICATIONS TO CONNECTED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

DEVELOPMENT OF DESIGN TOOLS AND ALGORITHMS FOR T-CRAFT COMPONENT DESIGN VALIDATION

USV PLATFORMS FOR MULTI-UXV OPERATIONS IN SUPPORT OF SURFACE AUTONOMY

A FORWARD GENETIC SCREEN TO IDENTIFY GENES INVOLVED IN AMPHETAMINE ACTION - PROJECT SUMMARY AMPHETAMINE (AMPH) AND AMPH-LIKE DRUGS ARE COMMONLY ABUSED PSYCHOSTIMULANTS THAT COME WITH A HIGH ADDICTION LIABILITY. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT AMPH ALTERS THE FUNCTION OF VARIOUS PROTEINS IN THE BRAIN. AMONG OTHERS, PROTEINS LINKED TO DOPAMINE SIGNALING ARE MAJOR TARGETS OF AMPH. HOWEVER, DESPITE DECADES OF ACTIVE RESEARCH, THE FULL PICTURE OF HOW AMPH GENERATES ADDICTION REMAINS FAR FROM COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD. FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE IT IS WELL ACCEPTED THAT THE INCREASE OF EXTRACELLULAR DOPAMINE INDUCED BY AMPH, AS WELL AS BY ALL OTHER ADDICTIVE DRUGS, IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARD ADDICTION, IT IS UNKNOWN HOW THIS INCREASE IN DOPAMINE GENERATES PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL MODIFICATIONS THAT ULTIMATELY LEAD TO ADDICTION. TO IDENTIFY NOVEL PROTEINS THAT WILL HELP US TO ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF AMPH, WE HAVE DESIGNED A FORWARD GENETIC SCREEN USING MUTATED STRAINS FROM THE MILLION MUTATIONS PROJECT (MMP). THE MMP IS A COLLECTION OF C. ELEGANS MUTANTS CONTAINING ALREADY MAPPED AND IDENTIFIED MUTATIONS IN SPECIFIC GENES. THUS, USING THE MMP STRAINS FOR A GENETIC SCREEN FACILITATES THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE GENE REQUIRED FOR THE BEHAVIOR THE SCREEN WAS SET FOR. WE WILL SCREEN THESE MUTANTS FOR AMPH-INDUCED BEHAVIORS AND SELECT ANIMALS THAT DO NOT RESPOND TO AMPH TREATMENTS OR EXHIBIT A HYPER-RESPONSE TO AMPH. THEN, USING THE MMP DATABASE AND THE GENETIC TOOLS OFFERED BY C. ELEGANS, WE WILL IDENTIFY THE GENES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ALTERED RESPONSE TO AMPH.