Davidson College

A NATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION DELIBERATIVE CITIZENSHIP NETWORK (DCN): FOSTERING CIVIL DISCOURSE ON 100 CAMPUSES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

DAVIDSON COLLEGE CARES ACT EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS - INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON DRUG-SEEKING BEHAVIOR

DAVIDSON COLLEGE CARES ACT EMERGENCY FINANCIAL AID GRANTS TO STUDENTS

THE INFLUENCE OF GONADAL HORMONES ON OPIOID USE

INCREASING CAPACITY FOR TOBACCO RESEARCH IN HUNGARY

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE

CAREER: AN UNDERGRADUATE-INTENSIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM IN EXPERIMENTAL CONSERVATION ECOLOGY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: BROADENING THE APPLICATION OF PROGRAMMED EVOLUTION FOR METABOLIC ENGINEERING

ELEMENTS: PORTABLE MACHINE LEARNING MODELS FOR EXPERIMENTAL NUCLEAR PHYSICS -EXPERIMENTS IN NUCLEAR PHYSICS PRODUCE INCREASINGLY VAST AMOUNTS OF DATA THAT REQUIRE NOVEL AND SOPHISTICATED METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT THE PROCESS OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. THE FIELD OF MACHINE LEARNING (ML), WHICH SITS AT THE INTERSECTION OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, STATISTICS AND MATHEMATICS, IS CONCERNED WITH DEVELOPING ALGORITHMS AND SYSTEMS THAT IMPROVE AT A CERTAIN TASK WITH ACCRUED EXPERIENCE. IN CONTRAST TO TRADITIONAL SOFTWARE SYSTEMS THAT RELY ON EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE PROGRAMMER, ML SYSTEMS ARE ABLE TO AUTOMATICALLY DERIVE INSIGHTS FROM LARGE DATASETS. THIS APPROACH HAS HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON MANY DISCIPLINES?INDEED, ON NEARLY EVERY AREA OF SOCIETY?AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS IS NO EXCEPTION. HOWEVER, WHEN ONE SURVEYS THE MYRIAD WAYS IN WHICH ML IS USED IN THE PHYSICS COMMUNITY, A NOTABLE TREND EMERGES, NAMELY, THE TENDENCY TO CONSTRUCT BESPOKE MODELS FROM SCRATCH FOR EACH NEW APPLICATION. THIS IS A TASK THAT REQUIRES CONSIDERABLE TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND ACCESS TO LARGE VOLUMES OF DATA THAT HAVE BEEN PAINSTAKINGLY ANNOTATED BY HUMANS FROM WHICH THE STATISTICAL MODELS CAN ?LEARN?. RECENT ADVANCES IN ML HAVE FOCUSED ON MINIMIZING THE RELIANCE ON LARGE-SCALE HAND-LABELING OF DATA. THIS PROJECT CENTERS ON BUILDING MODELS USING THESE NEW TECHNIQUES FOR VARIOUS NUCLEAR PHYSICS EXPERIMENTS AT THE FACILITY FOR RARE ISOTOPE BEAMS (FRIB) IN MICHIGAN THAT WILL THEN BE RELEASED TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. THESE MODELS CAN BE ADAPTED THROUGH A PROCESS OFFINE-TUNING BY END-USERS FOR A VARIETY OF DOWNSTREAM APPLICATIONS. THE MODELS ARE DEVELOPED USING UNLABELED DATA FROM THREE PARTICLE DETECTOR SYSTEMS AT FRIB ? THE ACTIVE-TARGET TIME PROJECTION CHAMBER (AT-TPC), THE SUMMING NAI (SUN) DETECTOR, AND THE SAMURAI PION RECONSTRUCTION AND ION TRACKER (SPIRIT) TIME PROJECTION CHAMBER. THE MODELS ARE EVALUATED ON KEY ANALYSIS AND FITTING TASKS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY OUR COLLABORATORS AT FRIB. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE IN EXECUTING THE RESEARCH AGENDA. BY ENGAGING THEM IN CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PHYSICISTS AT A NATIONAL FACILITY, STUDENTS ARE PREPARED FOR IMPACTFUL CAREERS IN STEM, BOTH IN ACADEMIA AND IN THE BROADER WORKFORCE. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT HAS PARTNERED WITH THE RESEARCH IN SCIENCE EXPERIENCE PROGRAM AT DAVIDSON COLLEGE AND PROVIDES FULL-SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCES IN OUR LAB TO STUDENTS FROM GROUPS HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED FROM THE SCIENCES. PRETRAINED MODELS ARE BUILT USING STATE-OF-THE-ART SELF-SUPERVISED MACHINE LEARNING (ML) METHODS TO SUPPORT PHYSICISTS WHO WOULD LIKE TO SOLVE A VARIETY OF ANALYSIS TASKS IN NUCLEAR PHYSICS EXPERIMENTS. THESE MODELS SUPPORT USERS OF THREE DETECTOR SYSTEMS THAT ARE DEVELOPED AND MAINTAINED BY GROUPS OF SCIENTISTS AT THE FACILITY FOR RARE ISOTOPE BEAMS (FRIB) IN MICHIGAN. FRIB IS A NUCLEAR SCIENCE USER FACILITY THAT CAME ONLINE IN THE SUMMER OF 2022. FRIB?S USERS INVESTIGATE NUCLEAR PROPERTIES ACROSS THE NUCLEAR LANDSCAPE AND REQUIRE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT EXPERIMENTAL SETUPS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SINCE PARAMETERS SUCH AS BEAM COMPOSITION AND ENERGY CHANGE BETWEEN EXPERIMENTS IN A GIVEN DETECTOR, THE USERS OF THE FACILITY NEED TO TRAIN NEW ML MODELS AFRESH FOR EACH EXPERIMENT. PRETRAINED MODELS CAN BE QUICKLY ADJUSTED AND ADAPTED FOR USERS' DESIRED USE CASES, REDUCING THE BURDEN ON EXPERIMENTALISTS. THIS WORK BUILDS ON INDUSTRY-STANDARD AND INDUSTRY-LEADING ML SOFTWARE AND LIBRARIES, SUCH AS PYTORCH AND TENSORFLOW, AND THE PRETRAINED MODELS ARE OPENLY AVAILABLE TO THE COMMUNITY, TOGETHER WITH SCRIPTS FOR FINE-TUNING THEM FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS. THE MODELS ARE ALSO INTEGRATED INTO STANDARD SOFTWARE USED BY DOMAIN SCIENTISTS. THIS WORK BRINGS TOGETHER EXPERIMENTAL NUCLEAR PHYSICISTS, COMPUTER SCIENTISTS AND DATA SCIENTISTS TO CREATE A TIGHT-KNIT COLLABORATION ACROSS DISCIPLINES. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE IN EXECUTING THE RESEARCH AGENDA. BY ENGAGING THEM IN CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PHYSICISTS AT A NATIONAL FACILITY, STUDENTS ARE PREPARED FOR IMPACTFUL CAREERS IN STEM, BOTH IN ACADEMIA AND IN THE BROADER WORKFORCE. THIS AWARD BY THE OFFICE OF ADVANCED CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE IS JOINTLY SUPPORTED BY THE PHYSICS AT THE INFORMATION FRONTIER PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF PHYSICS WITHIN THE DIRECTORATE FOR MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: BIOMAPS: MODULAR PROGRAMMED EVOLUTION OF BACTERIA FOR OPTIMIZATION OF METABOLIC PATHWAYS

CAREER: VIRTUAL BODY OWNERSHIP ILLUSIONS FOR BIAS REDUCTION AND FOSTERING INCLUSIVITY IN STEM CLASSROOMS

GENETIC CONTROL OF MITOCHONDRIAL AGGREGATION IN DROSOPHILA SPERMATOGENESIS

DECODING THE SULFATION CODE: SELECTIVELY SULFATED GLYCOMACROMOLECULES AS TOOLS TO INVESTIGATE VIRAL PROTEIN-CARBOHYDRATE RECOGNITION - PROJECT SUMMARY HEPARAN SULFATE PROTEOGLYCANS (HSPGS) ARE A COMPLEX GROUP OF GLYCOSYLAMINOGLYCANS (GAGS) THAT ARE INVOLVED IN SEVERAL IMPORTANT BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES INCLUDING EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT, INFLAMMATION, ANGIOGENESIS, NEURODEGENERATION, CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS, CANCER. HSPGS HAVE ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO PLAY VARIOUS ROLES IN THE INFECTION OF A NUMBER OF VIRUSES INCLUDING HSV-1 AND HSV-2, HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUSES (HPV), HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV), DENGUE VIRUSES (DENV), HEPATITIS B VIRUSES (HBV), HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV), HEPATITIS E VIRUS, (HEV), MERKEL CELL POLYOMAVIRUS (MCPYV), RABIES VIRUS (RABV), RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV), CORONAVIRUSES SUCH AS SARS-COV-2 AND HCOV-NL63, AND HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (HCMV). THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF HSPGS IN THE VIRAL LIFE CYCLE HAS PROMPTED NUMEROUS INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE USE OF HS AND STRUCTURAL ANALOGUES OF HS AS POTENTIAL COMPOUNDS TO STUDY HSPG-VIRAL ENGAGEMENT OFTEN WITH THE GOAL OF DEVELOPING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF SULFATION CODE. IN MOST CASES, THESE STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN DERIVED FROM NATURAL SOURCES OR PREPARED SYNTHETICALLY. HOWEVER, THERE REMAIN SEVERAL LIMITATIONS TO THEIR USE. FIRST, STRUCTURES GENERATED FROM NATIVE HSPGS ARE OFTEN HETEROGENEOUS, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO PERFORM THE TYPES OF STRUCTURE- FUNCTION ANALYSES THAT MIGHT UNLOCK THE SULFATION CODE. SYNTHETIC AND SEMISYNTHETIC GLYCANS WITH PRECISE SULFATION PATTERNS CAN BE USED TO OVERCOME THIS LIMITATION, BUT THEY ARE DIFFICULT TO PREPARE. SYNTHETIC SULFATED GLYCOMACROMOLECULES (OLIGOMERS AND POLYMERS) DESIGNED TO SERVE AS TOOLS TO MIMIC HEPARAN SULFATE HAVE HELPED TO OVERCOME SOME OF THESE LIMITATIONS, PARTICULARLY IN THEIR RELATIVE EASE OF SYNTHESIS. HOWEVER, IT IS OFTEN DIFFICULT TO REPLICATE THE UNIQUE SULFATION PATTERNING OBSERVED IN HS. TO ADDRESS THESE SHORTCOMINGS, OUR TEAM WILL DEVELOP A LIBRARY OF GLYCOMACROMOLECULES (OLIGOMERS AND POLYMERS) BEARING SELECTIVELY SULFATED SUGARS TO MORE RAPIDLY EXPLORE HOW FACTORS SUCH AS CARBOHYDRATE CONTENT, SULFATION PATTERNS, SULFATION DENSITY, AND PRESENTATION (FLEXIBILITY/RIGIDITY) INFLUENCE VIRAL RECOGNITION. WE ALSO PROPOSE PERFORMING AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE ABILITY OF OUR LIBRARY OF COMPOUNDS TO ENGAGE VIRAL SURFACE PROTEINS OF THREE MODEL RESPIRATORY VIRUSES: HPV16, SARS- COV-2 AND IAV. FINALLY, THIS PROPOSAL WILL PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR MULTIPLE UNDERGRADUATES, FOSTERING THE TRAINING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF GLYCOSCIENTISTS.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ORCC:RUI: INTEGRATING EVOLUTIONARY AND MIGRATORY POTENTIAL OF CHAMAECRISTA FASCICULATA INTO FORECASTS OF RANGE-WIDE POPULATION DYNAMICS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE -SUCCESSFUL CONSERVATION OF GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY REQUIRES THAT BIOLOGISTS ACCURATELY PREDICT THE RISK OF SPECIES EXTINCTION UNDER FUTURE CLIMATE CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, CURRENT MODELS OFTEN MAKE SIMPLIFYING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE BIOLOGY OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS. FOR EXAMPLE, SOME MODELS ASSUME THAT A SPECIES CAN EASILY MIGRATE THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE WHEN THIS IS NOT THE CASE, OR THAT A SPECIES IS NOT ABLE TO EVOLVE RAPIDLY TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE WHEN THIS IS ACTUALLY A POSSIBILITY. OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM WILL STUDY THE BIOLOGY OF A PLANT SPECIES TO DETERMINE WHAT DATA RESEARCHERS AND CONSERVATIONISTS NEED TO PREDICT HOW CLIMATE CHANGE WILL INFLUENCE EXTINCTION RISK FOR PLANTS IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. WE WILL USE THE PARTRIDGE PEA (CHAMAECRISTA FASCICULATA), A COMMON AND WIDESPREAD PLANT IN NATURAL GRASSLANDS, TO IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF DATA NEEDED TO IMPROVE ECOLOGICAL MODELS FOR CONSERVATION PLANNING. WE WILL EVALUATE GENETIC DIFFERENCES AND RATES OF GENE FLOW AMONG POPULATIONS AND ESTIMATE THESE POPULATIONS? ABILITY TO EVOLVE IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE TO IDENTIFY MODELS THAT BEST DESCRIBE OR FORECAST RATES OF CHANGE UNDER NEW CLIMATE CONDITIONS. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE GEORGIA PLANT CONSERVATION ALLIANCE AND THE SOUTHEASTERN GRASSLANDS INITIATIVE, WE WILL APPLY WHAT WE LEARN TO DEVELOP A SERIES OF TOOLS THAT PRACTITIONERS CAN USE TO PREDICT EXTINCTION RISKS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE FOR AT-RISK GRASSLAND SPECIES. THIS WORK WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO PROTECT BIODIVERSITY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. AND IN HABITATS AROUND THE WORLD. POPULATIONS ACROSS THE RANGE OF A SPECIES VARY IN THEIR MIGRATORY AND ADAPTIVE POTENTIAL UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE. MOST APPROACHES AIMED AT PREDICTING POPULATION PERSISTENCE UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE MAKE SIMPLIFYING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT PLASTICITY, ADAPTATION, AND GENE FLOW THAT ARE COMMONLY VIOLATED IN NATURAL SYSTEMS. WE COMBINE APPROACHES FROM EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, FIELD ECOLOGY, AND POPULATION GENOMICS TO FORECAST RANGE-WIDE DYNAMICS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE IN A BROADLY DISTRIBUTED NATIVE LEGUME (CHAMAECRISTA FASCICULATA). OUR STUDIES EXAMINE THE MIGRATORY POTENTIAL OF POPULATIONS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE USING POPULATION GENOMIC ESTIMATORS OF HISTORICAL GENE FLOW. TO EVALUATE ADAPTIVE POTENTIAL, WE WILL EXPOSE PATERNAL HALF-SIB FAMILIES FROM 12 POPULATIONS TO CONTEMPORARY CLIMATES AND SIMULATED CLIMATE CHANGE IN COMMON GARDENS ACROSS THE RANGE. FINALLY, WE WILL FORECAST ECO-EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE USING MODELS THAT DIFFER IN THE DEGREE TO WHICH THEY INCORPORATE DATA ON SPECIES OCCURRENCE, ADDITIVE GENETIC VARIANCE IN FITNESS IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE, TRAIT EXPRESSION, SEQUENCE VARIATION, AND GENE FLOW. OUR WORK WILL PROVIDE A ROBUST FRAMEWORK FOR PREDICTIONS OF RANGE-WIDE RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN SYSTEMS THAT ARE LESS AMENABLE TO MANIPULATION. WE WILL COLLABORATE WITH CONSERVATION PRACTITIONERS IN THE GEORGIA PLANT CONSERVATION ALLIANCE AND SOUTHEASTERN GRASSLANDS INITIATIVE TO PRODUCE RISK ASSESSMENT TOOLS THAT PROJECT RANGE DYNAMICS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE FOR ENDANGERED PLANT SPECIES. IN WORKSHOPS, WE WILL DISCUSS OUR PROGRESS AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR TRAINEES TO FORGE CONNECTIONS WITH CONSERVATION PRACTITIONERS. THE PIS WILL RECRUIT, TRAIN, AND MENTOR SCHOLARS FROM HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED BACKGROUNDS IN POPULATION GENOMICS, QUANTITATIVE GENETICS, DATA ANALYSIS, AND ECOLOGICAL MODELING. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

RUI: THE FUNCTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF HIPPOCAMPAL PLASTICITY

IMPACT OF WATERPIPE CONFIGURATION ON THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND NUMBER DENSITY OF SMOKE PARTICLES AND TARGETED CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF PARTICLE PROFILES

RUI: ELUCIDATING ROLES FOR SLITRKS IN THE DEVELOPING ZEBRAFISH CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

IDENTIFYING CORRELATIONS BETWEEN THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF WATERPIPE TOBACCO SMOKE AND ITS IMPACT ON LUNG CELL HEALTH, AS A FUNCTION OF SHISHA FLAVOR AND SMOKING TOPOGRAPHY - PROJECT SUMMARY WATERPIPE USE HAS RISEN TO A GLOBAL EPIDEMIC LEVEL AND THERE REMAINS A MISPERCEPTION AMONG THE PUBLIC THAT BUBBLING SMOKE THROUGH THE HOOKAH BOWL LIQUID RENDERS IT SAFER THAN CIGARETTE SMOKE. IN FACT, WATERPIPE TOBACCO SMOKE (WTS) IS MORE COMPLEX THAN CIGARETTE SMOKE DUE TO COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF THE CHARCOAL HEAT SOURCE, VOLATILIZATION AND PYROLYSIS OF THE SHISHA’S TOBACCO AND ITS FLAVORED SYRUP AND THE EFFECT THAT DIFFERENT SMOKING BEHAVIORS (PUFFING, PAUSING) HAVE ON CHARCOAL TEMPERATURE AND CONSEQUENTLY SMOKE COMPOSITION. ‘FUN’ SHISHA FLAVORS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO ATTRACT NEW USERS AND THE MARKET INCLUDES AN INCREASING CATALOG OF 1000S OF FLAVORS, EACH WITH DIFFERENT, UNTESTED HARM POTENTIAL. RECENT RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE AEROSOLS SHOWED THAT FLAVORINGS DIFFERENTIALLY CONTRIBUTE TO RADICAL GENERATION AND OXIDATIVE DAMAGE. IT FOLLOWS, BUT HAS NOT BEEN SHOWN, THAT WTS GENERATED FROM SHISHA FLAVORED WITH THE SAME COMPOUNDS AS THOSE FOUND IN E-LIQUIDS MAY CAUSE SIMILAR OXIDATIVE DAMAGE. OUR PREVIOUS WORK DEMONSTRATES THAT SMOKE GENERATED FROM APPLE AMERICANO FLAVORED SHISHA SYRUP, WITHOUT TOBACCO, CAUSED SIGNIFICANT CELL DEATH AND PRELIMINARY DATA EXPOSING CELLS TO WTS FROM A PANEL OF SHISHA FLAVORS SHOW DIFFERENTIAL CELL HEALTH OUTCOMES. IT LOGICALLY FOLLOWS THAT DIFFERENCES IN THE SMOKE ARE THE CAUSE OF THE VARIATION IN HARM. THEREFORE, WE PROPOSE PARALLEL INVESTIGATIONS THAT A) CHARACTERIZE THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES THAT ARE UNIQUE TO WATERPIPE TOBACCO (SHISHA) FLAVOR AND/OR FLAVOR CATEGORY AND SMOKING TOPOGRAPHY, B) DETERMINE THE HARM THIS WTS CAUSES IN ALVEOLAR CELLS EXPOSED TO WHOLE SMOKE AT THE AIR-LIQUID INTERFACE, AND C) DEFINE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN PHYSICO- CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND MEASURED CELLULAR RESPONSES. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN ALVEOLAR CELLS’ LEVELS OF CELL DEATH, AND INFLAMMATION AND OXIDATIVE STRESS RESPONSES WILL BE CORRELATED TO THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF WTS, INCLUDING PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS AND CONCENTRATIONS AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS, TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF FLAVOR COMPONENTS AND SMOKING TOPOGRAPHIES. THE FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY WILL PROVIDE A FOUNDATION THAT CAN INFORM PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY AND ACCELERATE RESEARCH DEVELOPING TREATMENTS AND INTERVENTIONS THAT IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF INDIVIDUALS EXPOSED TO INHALED TOXICANTS

IDENTIFICATION AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL POSITIVE CIS-CONTROL EL

RUI,SBP: THE IMPACT OF CLASSROOM DIVERSITY PHILOSOPHIES ON THE STEM PERFORMANCE OF WOMEN AND UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY STUDENTS

SYNTHESIS OF CARBOHYDRATE-PHTHALOCYANINE CONJUGATES FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS - PROJECT SUMMARY PHTHALOCYANINES ARE MACROCYCLES THAT MEET ALL THE CRITERIA FOR AN EFFECTIVE PHOTOSENSITIZER INCLUDING ABSORPTION IN THE NEAR INFRARED REGION BETWEEN 700-1100NM FOR DEEP TISSUE PENETRATION, AND HIGH SINGLET OXYGEN GENERATION FOR MAXIMUM CELL KILLING. HOWEVER, THE SAME PROPERTIES THAT MAKE PHTHALOCYANINES IDEAL PHOTOSENSITIZERS FROM A PHOTOPHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE LIMIT THEIR THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. PHTHALOCYANINES ARE KNOWN TO EXHIBIT LIMITED SOLUBILITY IN WATER, TEND TO AGGREGATE IN BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS, AND EXHIBIT LIMITED SELECTIVITY TOWARD THE TARGETED TISSUES. SEVERAL GENERAL APPROACHES HAVE BEEN USED TO IMPROVE THE PHARMACOLOGICAL PROFILE OF PHTHALOCYANINES, INCLUDING FUNCTIONALIZATION OF THE ISOINDOLE (OUTER) RINGS WITH SULFATES OR OTHER WATER-SOLUBLE MOIETIES SUCH AS QUATERNARY AMINES. WHILE THESE APPROACHES HAVE SHOWN SOME SUCCESS, THEIR PREPARATION STILL SUFFERS FROM INEFFICIENT CHEMISTRIES AT KEY SYNTHETIC STEPS LEADING TO LOW YIELDING REACTION MIXTURES THAT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO SEPARATE AND EVALUATE FOR PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY. IN ADDITION, THE CURRENT METHODS FOR PREPARING THESE PHTHALOCYANINES ARE NOT READILY AMENABLE TO TUNING (E.G., TO CREATE LIBRARIES TO STUDY THEIR APPLICATIONS IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS). THEIR CHALLENGING SYNTHESIS HAS ALSO LIMITED THE INSTALLATION OF GROUPS THAT MIGHT BE USED TO ENHANCE THE OVERALL SELECTIVITY OF THESE COMPOUNDS. THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THESE ISSUES THROUGH THE MODULAR SYNTHESIS OF GLYCOCONJUGATED PHTHALOCYANINES (GPC’S). IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING ENHANCED SOLUBILITY, CARBOHYDRATES WITH TARGETING ABILITY (E.G., THROUGH THE DIRECT BINDING OF LECTINS THAT ARE OVEREXPRESSED ON CELL SURFACE, OR THROUGH THE ENGAGEMENT OF CARBOHYDRATE BINDING ENZYMES THAT PLAY KEY ROLES IN METABOLIC PROCESSES) CAN BE USED TO ENHANCE SELECTIVITY. OUR INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGY, WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO PREPARE LIBRARIES OF GPC’S, RELIES ON THE SYNTHESIS OF READILY ACCESSIBLE PHTHALOCYANINE-BASED BROMOSYNTHONS WHICH CAN BE SELECTIVELY SUBSTITUTED WITH LINKERS BEARING FUNCTIONAL HANDLES FOR GLYCOCONJUGATION. IN THIS WAY, BOTH THE LINKER AND CARBOHYDRATE CAN BE EXCHANGED TO TUNE THE SYSTEM FOR A DESIRED BIOLOGICAL APPLICATION. IN THIS PROPOSAL WE ALSO EXPLORE THE ABILITY OF THE GPC’S WE SYNTHESIZE TO ADDRESS TWO GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES IN LINE WITH NIH INITIATIVES: HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA AND TUBERCULOSIS. GIVEN OUR EXPERIENCE, LONG-STANDING SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATION, AND COMBINED EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES, WE, AS MULTIPLE PIS FROM DAVIDSON COLLEGE AND USC-UPSTATE, ARE UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO CO-LEAD THIS EFFORT, WHICH WILL BE OUR SECOND R15 INITIATIVE TOGETHER. THIS R15 AREA PROPOSAL WILL SUPPORT AN EXCEPTIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR MULTIPLE UNDERGRADUATES AT EACH INSTITUTION AND FOSTER THE TRAINING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF SYNTHETIC CHEMISTS.

PRECISION GLYCOPOLYMER BACTERIOCHLORIN CONJUGATES FOR PROBING HA-CD44 INTERACTIONS

OLD FAMILY NUCLEASE FUNCTION ACROSS DIVERSE ANTI-PHAGE DEFENSE SYSTEMS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT BACTERIA AND THE VIRUSES THAT INFECT THEM, TERMED BACTERIOPHAGES OR SIMPLY PHAGES, ARE LOCKED IN A NEVER-ENDING EVOLUTIONARY BATTLE. TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST PHAGES, BACTERIA HAVE EVOLVED NUMEROUS ANTI-PHAGE DEFENSE SYSTEMS. SOME, LIKE RESTRICTION-MODIFICATION SYSTEMS OR CRISPR, HAVE BEEN WELL CHARACTERIZED AND HARNESSED FOR BIOTECHNOLOGICAL AND THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. RECENTLY IT HAS BECOME APPARENT THAT THERE EXIST MANY OTHER ANTI-PHAGE DEFENSE SYSTEMS AND THAT MOST OF THEM REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD. SOME NEWLY DISCOVERED ANTI-PHAGE DEFENSE SYSTEMS USE OVERCOMING LYSOGENIZATION DEFECT (OLD) PROTEINS, WHICH POSSESS A TOPRIM DOMAIN THAT CAN CLEAVE DNA AND AN ABC-FAMILY ATPASE DOMAIN THAT CAN HYDROLYZE NUCLEOTIDE. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO CONDUCT BASIC RESEARCH ON OLD PROTEINS TO DETERMINE HOW THEY INTERACT WITH DNA AND ELUCIDATE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BY WHICH THEY CONTRIBUTE TO ANTI-PHAGE DEFENSE. OLD PROTEINS CAN BE CLASSIFIED BY THEIR SURROUNDING GENETIC CONTEXT, IN WHICH CLASS 1 OLD PROTEINS EXIST IN ISOLATION IN THE GENOME WHILE CLASS 2 OLD PROTEINS ARE FOUND IMMEDIATELY PROXIMAL TO A PREDICTED HELICASE GENE AND FORM A DEFENSE SYSTEM CALLED THE GABIJA SYSTEM. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO TEST HYPOTHESES ABOUT THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF BOTH CLASS 1 AND CLASS 2 OLD PROTEINS, AS WELL AS THE MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CLASS 2 OLD PROTEINS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED HELICASES. WE WILL DO SO THROUGH A COMBINATION OF BIOCHEMICAL ASSAYS CHARACTERIZING DNA CLEAVAGE AND NUCLEOTIDE HYDROLYSIS, AND GENETIC PLAQUE ASSAYS AND MUTATIONAL ANALYSIS FOR PHAGE DEFENSE. THESE EXPERIMENTS WILL DETERMINE WHETHER CLASS 1 OLD PROTEINS PROVIDE ANTI-PHAGE DEFENSE ON THEIR OWN, DETERMINE WHETHER PREDICTED GABIJA HELICASES DEMONSTRATE HELICASE ACTIVITY, AND IDENTIFY OLD PROTEIN AMINO ACIDS THAT PLAY FUNCTIONAL ROLES IN PHAGE DEFENSE. IN ADDITION TO THE BIOTECHNOLOGICAL OPPORTUNITIES STUDYING ANTI-PHAGE DEFENSE SYSTEMS HAS BROUGHT, DEEPENING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF SUCH SYSTEMS COULD, IN PRINCIPLE, ALSO HELP SET THE STAGE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS PHAGE THERAPY.

RUI: ROLES FOR TISSUE-SPECIFIC ATP SYNTHASE SUBUNITS AND OTHER PROTEINS IN MITOCHONDRIAL SHAPING DURING DROSOPHILA SPERMATOGENESIS

GENOMIC ANALYSIS INTO TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF CELL IDENTITY - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT EVERY SINGLE CELL IN AN ORGANISM HAS ALMOST THE EXACT SAME GENOMIC INFORMATION, YET CELLS IN THE BODY DEVELOP INTO VASTLY DIFFERENT CELL IDENTITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, HOW DOES ONE CELL BECOME A LIVER CELL AND ANOTHER CELL BECOME A SKIN CELL? THIS TERMINAL DIFFERENTIATION INTO DISTINCT CELL TYPES IS DUE TO CORRECT TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION FOR THAT CELL TYPE. TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS (TFS) ARE REGULATORY PROTEINS THAT BIND TO SPECIFIC SEQUENCES OF DNA, RESPONSE ELEMENTS, TO TURN ON OR OFF GENES FOR THAT CELL TYPE. THROUGHOUT DEVELOPMENT, TFS NAVIGATE THE CHROMATIN LANDSCAPE OF THE CELL AND BIND RESPONSE ELEMENTS, INTEGRATING PHYSIOLOGICAL AND GENE-SPECIFIC CUES, DIRECTING PRECISE GENE REGULATORY NETWORKS. CRITICAL TO TF ACTION IS RECOGNITION OF THE CORRECT RESPONSE ELEMENT AND SUBSEQUENT REGULATION TO ITS APPROPRIATE TARGET GENE, WHILE NOT AFFECTING THE NEIGHBORING GENES’ REGULATION. HOWEVER, HOW A TF RECOGNIZES THE CORRECT RESPONSE ELEMENT AND TARGET GENE IS NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. MUTATIONS IN TFS AND THEIR RESPONSE ELEMENTS RESULT IN A WIDE ARRAY OF HUMAN DISEASES, THUS UNDERSTANDING THESE BASIC MECHANISMS OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR FIDELITY IS CRITICAL TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN HEALTH. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO CHARACTERIZE THE MECHANISM OF TF RESPONSE ELEMENT RECOGNITION AND TARGET GENE RECOGNITION IN DINSTINCT CELL TYPES. C. ELEGANS PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY TF REGULATION DUE TO ITS COMPACT GENOME. INTERGENIC DISTANCE IN C. ELEGANS IS ON AVERAGE 2 KBP, WHICH ALLOWS FOR EASIER CORRELATION OF RESPONSE ELEMENT TO TARGET GENE DUE TO THE REDUCED GENOMIC COMPLEXITY WHILE LIKELY REQUIRING EFFICIENT MECHANISM TO SHIELD ABERRANT TF ACTION. IN THIS PROPOSAL WE USE A WELL-STUDIED NUCLEAR HORMONE RECEPTOR, NHR-25, WITH TWO MAMMALIAN ORTHOLOGS, NR5A1/SF-1 AND NR5A2/SF-2, TO INTERROGATE TF BINDING AND CELL-TYPE SPECIFIC TARGET GENE REGULATION. WE WILL DO SO THROUGH A COMBINATION OF GENOMIC AND GENETIC TECHNIQUES, EXPLOITING NEW GENOME EDITING METHODS, CHROMATIN BINDING ASSAYS, AND UNIQUE GENOMIC FEATURES OF C. ELEGANS. THESE EXPERIMENTS WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO HOW TFS RECOGNIZE THEIR RESPONSE ELEMENT AND TARGET GENE WHILE TRAINING UNDERGRADUATE SCIENTISTS IN CUTTING-EDGE, GENOMIC TECHNIQUES.

IMPLEMENTATION AND DISSEMINATION OF TOBACCO CESSATION STRATEGIES IN FREE CLINICS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EQUIPMENT: MRI CONSORTIUM: TRACK 2 DEVELOPMENT OF A NEXT GENERATION FAST NEUTRON DETECTOR -THE STUDY OF NEUTRON-RICH ATOMIC NUCLEI CAN REVEAL EFFECTS ABOUT HOW PROTONS AND NEUTRONS INTERACT INSIDE NUCLEI. THESE PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FORMATION OF THE ELEMENTS IN THE UNIVERSE AND HELP SCIENTISTS UNDERSTAND HOW THE NUCLEAR CORE OF ATOMS FORM. ONE OF THE WAYS TO INVESTIGATE THESE NUCLEI AT THE EDGE OF STABILITY IS TO MEASURE THEIR BREAKUP PRODUCTS, WHICH INCLUDES THE NEUTRONS THAT ARE NOT NEEDED TO HOLD THE SMALLER NUCLEI TOGETHER. THE DETECTION OF NEUTRONS IS CHALLENGING BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CHARGE AND ONLY INTERACT WITH THE NUCLEAR CORE OF ATOMS. THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT, BUILDING, AND COMMISSIONING OF A MODULAR ARRAY BASED ON PLASTIC SCINTILLATOR FOR THE DETECTION OF FAST (BETWEEN ONE THIRD AND ONE HALF THE SPEED OF LIGHT) NEUTRONS. THE NEW DETECTOR ARRAY WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE HOW PRECISELY WE CAN DETERMINE THE NEUTRONS? POSITION COMPARED TO CURRENT NEUTRON DETECTORS BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE USE OF STATE-OF-THE-ART PHOTO-SENSORS, AND AS A RESULT ENABLE NUCLEAR STRUCTURE MEASUREMENTS WITH SUPERIOR PRECISION. THE DETECTOR MODULES WILL BE BUILT AND TESTED TO A LARGE EXTENT AT THE SEVEN PARTICIPATING UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS, ALLOWING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO LEARN KEY TECHNICAL SKILLS AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO NUCLEAR PHYSICS RESEARCH IN A MEANINGFUL WAY. SCINTILLATION DETECTORS, I.E. DETECTORS THAT MEASURE THE SCINTILLATION LIGHT THAT STEMS FROM SUBATOMIC PARTICLES INTERACTING WITHIN THE DETECTOR, ARE WIDELY EMPLOYED IN RESEARCH, INDUSTRY, AND MEDICAL IMAGING, SO THESE SKILLS CAN BE APPLIED IN MANY CRUCIAL FIELDS. CONTEMPORARY FAST NEUTRON DETECTORS USE CONVENTIONAL DETECTOR CONFIGURATIONS OF LONG PLASTIC SCINTILLATOR BARS READ OUT BY PAIRS OF PHOTO-MULTIPLIER TUBES (PMTS). THE POSITION OF THE NEUTRON INTERACTION IS DEDUCED FROM THE TIME DIFFERENCE OF THE SIGNALS MEASURED BY EACH PMT AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE DETECTOR BAR, AND FROM WHICH DETECTOR BAR HAS BEEN HIT. A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO SCINTILLATION-LIGHT COLLECTION IS PURSUED IN THIS NEW DETECTOR USING ARRAYS OF SILICON PHOTO-MULTIPLIERS (SIPMS), OVERCOMING THE LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT DESIGNS AND RESULTING IN IMPROVED POSITION RESOLUTION FOR FAST NEUTRON DETECTION. THIS ALSO ALLOWS A TILED DESIGN THAT OFFERS MUCH MORE FLEXIBILITY IN ADJUSTING THE ACTIVE AREA OF THE ARRAY TO SPECIFIC EXPERIMENT NEEDS. INVARIANT-MASS SPECTROSCOPY OF NEUTRON-UNBOUND STATES IN ELEMENTS BEYOND OXYGEN REQUIRES SUCH AN EXPERIMENTAL SETUP WITH IMPROVED RESOLUTION. AS ONE MOVES TO HEAVIER UNBOUND SYSTEMS ONE FACES HIGHER LEVEL DENSITIES. TO RESOLVE THESE IN THE RECONSTRUCTED DECAY ENERGY SPECTRUM REQUIRES HIGHER MOMENTUM (AND THUS POSITION) RESOLUTION. A HIGH POSITION RESOLUTION ALSO IMPROVES THE DISCRIMINATION OF DOUBLE-SCATTERED EVENTS AND ALLOWS THE USE OF HIGHER BEAM ENERGIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE AT THE RARE-ISOTOPE BEAM FACILITIES SUCH AS THE FACILITY FOR RARE ISOTOPE BEAMS (FRIB). THE COMPLETED INSTRUMENT WILL SERVE THE BROAD FRIB USER COMMUNITY AND ENABLE INVARIANT MASS MEASUREMENTS AT THE RESOLUTION THAT IS REQUIRED FOR HEAVIER AND MORE EXOTIC ISOTOPES THAT ARE AVAILABLE WITH FRIB BEAMS. 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.

MECHANISMS OF TRANSPORT BY SLC4 BORATE TRANSPORTERS

COGNITIVE TRAINING EFFECTS IN ADULTS USING BRAIN-PLASTICITY-BASED COMPUTER GAMES

CAREER: INDIVIDUALIZED AND ORGANIZATIONAL SOLUTIONS TO THE GLOBALIZED RISK OF MENTAL ILLNESS -THIS CAREER PROJECT IS A STUDY OF THE EFFICACY OF A VARIETY OF MINDFULNESS ACTIVITIES IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE. IT EXAMINES ONLINE AND OFFLINE ?MINDFULNESS? ACTIVITIES, SPACES, AND TECHNOLOGY, TO UNCOVER HOW THE ATTENTION ECONOMY MEDIATES EFFORTS TO MITIGATE THE GLOBAL RISK OF MENTAL ILLNESS USING MINDFULNESS. RESEARCHERS COMPARE SUCH ACTIVITIES AND SPACES/TECHNOLOGY ONLINE AND OFFLINE, EFFORTS BY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE MINDFULNESS ENTERPRISE, AND ACROSS TWO DISTINCT CONTEXTS. THE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT INTEGRATES THE RESEARCH INTO A COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. KEY BROADER IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT ARE THE TIMELINESS OF THE TOPIC, EXPERTISE THAT THE PI BRINGS TO THE PROJECT, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR THE PROJECT TO CONTRIBUTE TO UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION. THIS CAREER PROJECT EVALUATES INCONSISTENCIES PRODUCED BY DIGITAL MINDFULNESS ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS DUE TO THE NATURE OF MONETIZATION IN THE DIGITAL MEDIA ECONOMY. THE RESEARCH EXPLORES THE DIFFERENT USES AND IMPACTS OF ON- AND OFFLINE MINDFULNESS RESOURCES THROUGH A MIXED-METHODS STUDY INCLUDING, (1) SENTIMENT ANALYSIS ON ONLINE INTERACTIONS IN MINDFULNESS SPACES, (2) SURVEYS OF PEOPLE USING ON- AND OFFLINE RESOURCES IN TWO CASE STUDY REGIONS, (3) IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS WITH PERSONNEL IN MINDFULNESS ORGANIZATIONS, AND (4) CONTENT ANALYSIS OF ORGANIZATIONAL MATERIAL. RESEARCH FINDINGS WILL BE OF INTEREST TO DIGITAL MEDIA RESEARCHERS, MENTAL HEALTH EXPERTS, SOCIOLOGISTS OF TECHNOLOGY AND MENTAL HEALTH, MINDFULNESS COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE BROADER PUBLIC THAT PARTICIPATES IN MINDFULNESS ACTIVITIES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

REU SITE: THE ATHIENOU ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT, CYPRUS

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPH-MASS SPECTROMETER TO SUPPORT STUDENT/FACULTY RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING

DAVIDSON IN DUESSELDORF: GLYCOPOLYMER RESEARCH IN DUESSELDORF, GERMANY

RUI: MACHINE LEARNING APPROACHES FOR ACCELERATING SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY IN NUCLEAR PHYSICS

RUI: THE ROLE OF TREHALOSE-BASED OLIGOSACCHARIDES AND GLYCOMACROMOLECULES ON PROTEIN STABILITY

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: GCAT DNA MICROARRAY WORKSHOPS FOR 2007, 2008 AND 2009

THE FUNCTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF HIPPOCAMPAL SPROUTING

NUMERICAL METHODS FOR FORWARD AND INVERSE PROBLEMS IN DISCONTINUOUS MEDIA

WORKSHOP: SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY WORKSHOPS FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS OF UNDERGRADUATE FACULTY TO BE HELD SUMMERS OF 2012-2014 AT JANELIA FARM CONFERENC

CAREER: FACTORS REGULATING DENDRITIC ARBORIZATION IN THE XENOPUS VISUAL SYSTEM

THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRUCTURES IN THE EMERGENCE OF CULTURAL COMPLEXITY

LEAPS-MPS: SYNTHESIS OF DYNAMIC THIOLATE-MEDIATED BIFUNCTIONAL SILYL ETHER EXCHANGE POLYMERS AND COMPOSITES -IN THIS PROJECT, FUNDED BY THE MPS-LEAPS (LAUNCHING EARLY-CAREER ACADEMIC PATHWAYS) PROGRAM AND MANAGED BY THE BROADENING PARTICIPATION PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY (CHE-BP), PROFESSOR BASSIL EL-ZAATARI AND HIS STUDENTS AT DAVIDSON COLLEGE WILL PERFORM STUDIES FOCUSED ON THE SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF COVALENT ADAPTABLE POLYMER NETWORKS (CANS) AND COMPOSITES BASED ON THIOLATE-MEDIATED BIFUNCTIONAL SILYL ETHER EXCHANGES. THE CHALLENGE TO REPROCESS AND RECYCLE CROSS-LINKED POLYMER NETWORKS REMAINS AN ONGOING OBSTACLE WITHIN THE POLYMER COMMUNITY. DEVELOPING AND APPLYING DYNAMIC CHEMISTRIES IN POLYMER NETWORKS REPRESENTS AN IMPORTANT AVENUE OF EXPLORATION TO IMPART REPROCESSING CAPABILITIES TO POLYMER NETWORKS THAT CANNOT OTHERWISE BE REPROCESSED. PROFESSOR EL-ZAATARI AND HIS STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP A THIOLATE MEDIATED MECHANISM TO CATALYZE DYNAMIC BIFUNCTIONAL SILYL ETHER EXCHANGES AND EXPLORE ITS UTILITY IN CROSS-LINKED POLYMER NETWORKS AND COMPOSITES. THEIR STUDIES COULD IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF STRUCTURE-REACTIVITY-PROPERTY RELATIONSHIPS OF DYNAMIC THIOLATE MEDIATED SILICONE-CONTAINING THERMOSETS AND COULD LEAD TO DEVELOPING HIGH-PERFORMANCE REPROCESSABLE NANOCOMPOSITE MATERIALS. THE RESEARCH GOALS ARE INTEGRATED WITH AN EDUCATION PLAN THAT INCLUDES MENTORING STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, PLANS TO CREATE LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES ON CAMPUS FOR RESEARCH STUDENTS, AND FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FACULTY AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM OTHER PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS WHO RESEARCH POLYMERS. THIS PROPOSAL OFFERS A STEPWISE APPROACH TOWARDS DEVELOPING CROSS-LINKED ELASTOMERS WITH INTRINSIC SILYL ETHER DYNAMIC BOND EXCHANGE CHEMISTRY. THROUGH THE PROPOSED WORK, OPTIMIZATION OF THIOLATE MEDIATED BIFUNCTIONAL SILYL ETHER EXCHANGES WILL BE DEVELOPED AND KINETIC STUDIES ON BOTH SMALL MOLECULE AND MACROMOLECULAR SCALES WILL BE PERFORMED. THE SCOPE OF THIOLATES AND SILYL ETHERS THAT CAN UNDERGO A DYNAMIC EXCHANGE WILL BE INVESTIGATED USING VARIOUS CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES SUCH AS NMR AND GC-MS. THE KINETIC AND MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS OF THE THIOLATE MEDIATED SILYL ETHER EXCHANGE WILL BE UTILIZED TO GUIDE THE SYNTHESIS OF DYNAMIC CROSS-LINKED POLYMERS AND COMPOSITES. THE THERMOMECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE SYNTHESIZED NETWORKS WILL BE EVALUATED THROUGH RHEOLOGY, DYNAMIC MECHANICAL ANALYSIS, DIFFERENTIAL SCANNING CALORIMETRY AND THERMAL GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS. IMPORTANTLY, THE REPROCESSING CAPABILITIES OF THE POLYMERS AND COMPOSITES WILL BE ASSESSED VIA STRESS RELAXATION EXPERIMENTS AND, ON A BULK SCALE, THROUGH HOT PRESSING AND WELDING EXPERIMENTS. OVERALL, THE RESEARCH COMBINES MOLECULAR AND MACROMOLECULAR INTERACTIONS, POLYMER CHEMISTRY, AND SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH DEVELOPING DYNAMIC SILYL ETHER EXCHANGE THERMOSETS. 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.

LEAPS-MPS: ALGEBRAIC AND COMBINATORIAL METHODS IN PERMUTATION ENUMERATION -PERMUTATION ENUMERATION IS THE BRANCH OF ENUMERATIVE AND ALGEBRAIC COMBINATORICS CONCERNED WITH COUNTING PERMUTATIONS: LINEAR ARRANGEMENTS OF DISTINCT OBJECTS. QUESTIONS IN PERMUTATION ENUMERATION ARE OFTEN MOTIVATED BY OTHER BRANCHES OF MATHEMATICS?SUCH AS ALGEBRA, PROBABILITY THEORY, AND GEOMETRY?AND HAVE APPLICATIONS TO SCIENTIFIC DOMAINS INCLUDING THEORETICAL COMPUTER SCIENCE, GENOMICS, AND STATISTICAL MECHANICS. ENUMERATIVE RESULTS CAN BE A SIGN OF DEEPER MATHEMATICAL STRUCTURE, WHICH SOMETIMES CAN BE EXPRESSED VIA ALGEBRAIC OBJECTS CALLED COMBINATORIAL HOPF ALGEBRAS; IN TURN, THIS ALGEBRAIC STRUCTURE CAN BE EXPLOITED TO DERIVE NEW ENUMERATIVE RESULTS. THIS INTERPLAY BETWEEN COMBINATORICS AND ALGEBRA IS CENTRAL TO THE FIRST GOAL OF THIS PROJECT, WHICH IS TO ADVANCE THE DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF HOPF-ALGEBRAIC METHODS IN PERMUTATION ENUMERATION. THE SECOND GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ESTABLISH DREAM (DISCOVERING RESEARCH AND EXPANDING ACCESS TO MATHEMATICS), A SUMMER EXPERIENCE FOR DAVIDSON COLLEGE STUDENTS INTEGRATING MATHEMATICAL RESEARCH, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH. THIS PROJECT BUILDS ON PREVIOUS WORK AT THE INTERSECTION OF PERMUTATION ENUMERATION, SYMMETRIC FUNCTION THEORY, AND COMBINATORIAL HOPF ALGEBRAS. A CLASSICAL RESULT IN THIS DOMAIN IS GESSEL?S RUN THEOREM, A RECIPROCITY FORMULA INVOLVING NONCOMMUTATIVE SYMMETRIC FUNCTIONS WHICH GIVES A SYSTEMATIC METHOD FOR THE ENUMERATION OF PERMUTATIONS WITH PRESCRIBED RUN LENGTHS. ONE RESEARCH OBJECTIVE IS TO LIFT THE RUN THEOREM TO THE SETTING OF NONCOMMUTATIVE COLORED SYMMETRIC FUNCTIONS, WHICH WOULD LEAD TO A GENERAL METHOD FOR COUNTING COLORED PERMUTATIONS WITH RESTRICTIONS ON COLORED RUN LENGTHS. ANOTHER RESEARCH OBJECTIVE IS TO STUDY THE DISTRIBUTIONS OF INVERSE STATISTICS (SUCH AS THE INVERSE DESCENT NUMBER AND THE INVERSE PEAK NUMBER) OVER ALTERNATING PERMUTATIONS AND REVERSE-ALTERNATING PERMUTATIONS. THE RESEARCH COMPONENT OF THE DREAM PROGRAM FOCUSES ON COMBINATORIAL PROOFS IN PERMUTATION ENUMERATION, AND STUDENT PARTICIPANTS WILL ENGAGE IN READINGS CENTERED AROUND THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY IN MATHEMATICS AND DEIJ ISSUES FACING THE MATHEMATICAL COMMUNITY. DREAM PARTICIPANTS WILL ALSO WORK WITH THE PI AND COLLABORATORS FROM WILLIAM A. HOUGH HIGH SCHOOL TO ORGANIZE AN OUTREACH EVENT FOR THE EOS PROGRAM AT HOUGH, WHICH SERVES STUDENTS OF COLOR AND LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COLLABORATIVE REU SITE: EXAMINING THE INTERSECTION OF FOOD, HOUSING AND HEALTHCARE

1 2 3-TRIAZOLE NUCLEOBASES IN ANTIVIRAL NUCLEOSIDE ANALOGUES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: STUDY OF NUTRON-RICH NUCLEI AND NEUTRON DETECTOR RESPONSE -THIS AWARD WILL ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE OF NEUTRON-RICH ATOMIC NUCLEI, WITH UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PARTICIPATION AS AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT. EXPERIMENTS WILL BE CONDUCTED AT THE FACILITY FOR RARE ISOTOPE BEAMS (FRIB) AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY (MSU) USING THE MODULAR NEUTRON ARRAY (MONA) AND THE LARGE-AREA MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL SCINTILLATOR ARRAY (LISA), BOTH CONSTRUCTED AND TESTED BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM SEVERAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE MONA COLLABORATION. THE PIS, ALONG WITH THEIR TEAM OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND OTHER COLLABORATION MEMBERS, WILL INVESTIGATE THE STRUCTURE OF LIGHT NEUTRON-RICH NUCLEI NEAR THE LIMITS OF THEIR STABILITY, WHICH WILL PROVIDE TESTS FOR CURRENT THEORETICAL MODELS OF NUCLEAR STRUCTURE. THESE WEAKLY-BOUND OR UNBOUND NUCLEI EXHIBIT DIFFERENT STRUCTURES COMPARED WITH THEIR STABLE COUNTERPARTS. THEY ARE PRODUCED BY COLLISIONS OF AN ACCELERATED BEAM OF NUCLEI WITH A STABLE TARGET. IN ORDER TO TEST AND IMPROVE UPON THE ACCURACY OF COMPUTER SIMULATION, CRITICAL FOR ANALYSIS OF DATA AND EXTRACTION OF PHYSICS RESULTS FROM EXPERIMENTAL DATA, THE PIS ALSO CONDUCT EXPERIMENTS AT THE LOS ALAMOS NEUTRON SCIENCE CENTER (LANSCE) AT LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY. THESE EXPERIMENTS WILL DIRECTLY OBSERVE NEUTRON SCATTERING IN 16 MONA DETECTORS AS A TEST OF THE SIMULATION. THE COLLABORATION HAS A LONG-STANDING TRADITION OF INVOLVING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PARTICIPATION AT THE HEART OF ITS RESEARCH ACTIVITIES. THIS RESEARCH PROGRAM PROVIDES CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, HELPING TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS. THE PIS AND THEIR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN TWO FRIB EXPERIMENTS USING THE MODULAR NEUTRON ARRAY (MONA), ANALYZE RECENT AND FUTURE DATA, AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF MONTE CARLO SIMULATION USED IN DATA ANALYSIS. THE TWO APPROVED MONA EXPERIMENTS AT FRIB WILL STUDY NEUTRON-UNBOUND STATES IN NEUTRON-RICH NUCLEI (SPECIFICALLY 30F AND 53CA). THE GOAL OF THE FIRST EXPERIMENT IS TO MEASURE THE 30F GROUND STATE FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHICH WILL PROVIDE DETAILS ON THE STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE FLUORINE ISOTOPES. THE GOAL OF THE SECOND EXPERIMENT IS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE N = 32 SUBSHELL CLOSURE BY MEASURING UNBOUND EXCITED STATES IN 53CA. BOTH EXPERIMENTS PROVIDE DATA RELEVANT FOR TESTING MODERN NUCLEAR STRUCTURE MODELS. THE PIS ALSO SEEK TO IMPROVE THE COMPUTER MODELING OF NEUTRON INTERACTIONS IN THESE PLASTIC SCINTILLATORS, CRITICAL FOR IMPROVING DETECTOR RESOLUTION AND FILTERING OF DATA FOR FRIB EXPERIMENTS. THEY WILL CONDUCT A THIRD APPROVED NEUTRON-SCATTERING EXPERIMENT AT LANSCE USING A DIAMOND DETECTOR AS ACTIVE TARGET IN CONJUNCTION WITH 16 MONA DETECTORS. TWO PREVIOUS EXPERIMENTS BY THE PIS AT LANSCE EXPOSED SOME SHORTCOMINGS OF CURRENT SIMULATION PACKAGES. THE DIAMOND DETECTOR, WHICH CONSISTS ONLY OF C NUCLEI, ALLOWS FOR A FOCUS ON THE NEUTRON-CARBON INTERACTIONS THAT CAUSE DARK SCATTERING IN THE PLASTIC SCINTILLATORS, WHICH DECREASE POSITION RESOLUTION IN THE ARRAY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

RUI: MPS-BIO: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF SECOND-GENERATION BACTERIAL COMPUTERS

LIFE ON THE LAGOON: RECONSTRUCTING THE BIOGRAPHY OF HUMAN-LANDSCAPE DYNAMICS ON THE SALPI LAGOON, ITALY

BREATHE, EAT, TOUCH PROJECT

RUI: ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE PUUC HILLS

FENTANYL AND XYLAZINE INTERACTIONS: TOXICITY PRODUCED BY "TRANQ-DOPE" - PROJECT SUMMARY RECENTLY, BOTH THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND THE US DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION IDENTIFIED XYLAZINE-ADULTERATED FENTANYL AS A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT; HOWEVER, VERY LITTLE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH HAS BEEN CONDUCTED ON THIS DRUG COMBINATION. FORENSIC MEDICAL REPORTS DESCRIBE THE INCREASING PREVALENCE OF THESE DRUGS IN BOTH FATAL AND NONFATAL OPIOID OVERDOSES, BUT WE ARE NOT AWARE OF ANY PROSPECTIVELY DESIGNED CLINICAL STUDIES DESCRIBING THE TOXICITY OF THESE DRUGS. COMPLICATING MATTERS FURTHER, THERE ARE NO PHARMACOLOGICAL RESCUE INTERVENTIONS FOR THIS DRUG COMBINATION, OTHER THAN ANECDOTAL REPORTS THAT NALOXONE IS ONLY MINIMALLY EFFECTIVE AT REVERSING OVERDOSES. A FINAL COMPLICATION IS THE EMERGENCE OF NEW FENTANYL ANALOGUES AND NEW ALPHA 2 ADRENERGIC (Α2A) AGONISTS IN DEA SEIZURES FOR WHICH EVEN LESS IS KNOWN. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO COLLECT DATA ON THIS PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT THAT WILL BE OF IMMEDIATE USE TO CLINICIANS, SCIENTISTS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS. AIM 1 WILL QUANTIFY THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN INTRAVENOUSLY ADMINISTERED MU OPIOID RECEPTOR (MOR) AGONISTS AND Α2A AGONISTS ON MEASURES OF CARDIORESPIRATORY FUNCTIONING (I.E., HEART RATE, RESPIRATORY RATE, O2 SATURATION). AIM 2 WILL QUANTIFY THE REVERSAL OF THESE CARDIORESPIRATORY EFFECTS BY POTENTIAL RESCUE MEDICATIONS COMPRISING OPIOID AND Α2A RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS. IMPORTANTLY, THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SEVERAL NOVEL MOR AND Α2A AGONISTS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN RECENT DEA SEIZURES BUT HAVE NOT YET BEEN EXAMINED EXPERIMENTALLY WILL BE TESTED. THIS PROJECT SHOULD PROVIDE CRITICAL INFORMATION TO SCIENTISTS AND CLINICIANS ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF FENTANYL-XYLAZINE INTERACTIONS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO LETHAL OVERDOSES, AS WELL AS IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL RESCUE MEDICATIONS THAT MAY BE EXAMINED IN FUTURE CLINICAL TRIALS.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: STUDY OF EXOTIC NUCLEI AND NEUTRON DETECTOR RESPONSE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: MARRIAGE ATTITUDES IN THE 21ST CENTURY.

MRI-R2: ACQUISITION OF EQUIPMENT FOR RARE EARTH SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF SOL-GEL GLASS STRUCTURE

CAREER: TRANSNATIONAL LIVES IN THE U.S.

CROSS-LINKED MODELS (XLM)

SOCIAL CONTACT AND MDMA USE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CCRI: GRAND: VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE RESEARCH ACCELERATOR (VERA) -RESEARCHERS CONDUCTING LAB-BASED HUMAN SUBJECT RESEARCH IN XR (VIRTUAL REALITY, AUGMENTED REALITY, AND MIXED REALITY) TYPICALLY FIND THEMSELVES WORKING VERY HARD, OVER CONSIDERABLE TIME, TO RUN STUDIES THAT END UP PRODUCING VERY NARROW FINDINGS FOR A LIMITED POPULATION. WITH EXTENSIVE INTERACTIONS WITH THE XR COMMUNITY, THE VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE RESEARCH ACCELERATOR (VERA) PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A TRANSFORMATIVE NEW CISE COMMUNITY RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE FORM OF A HUMAN-MACHINE SYSTEM (HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND PEOPLE) THAT COMBINES AND EXTENDS ASPECTS OF DISTRIBUTED LAB-BASED STUDIES, ONLINE STUDIES, RESEARCH PANELS, AND CROWDSOURCING, INTO A UNIFIED SYSTEM FOR CARRYING OUT XR-BASED RESEARCH. VERA WAS DESIGNED WITH AND FOR THE XR COMMUNITY TO TACKLE THIS FIELD?S RESEARCH NEEDS, SUPPLYING THE DEMAND FOR BIG DATA FROM DIVERSE SUBJECTS AT HIGH SCALABILITY. THE SYSTEM WILL ENABLE RESEARCHERS TO CONDUCT XR USER STUDIES ONLINE, CONCURRENTLY ACROSS A VERY LARGE, CAREFULLY CURATED, DIVERSE, DEDICATED STANDING POOL OF XR STUDY PARTICIPANTS. ACCESS TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE WILL FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE THE WAY XR RESEARCHERS DEVELOP AND CONDUCT RESEARCH, ENABLING THEM TO BREAK FREE FROM THE INTRACTABILITY OF THE LAB-BASED STUDY PARADIGM, AND TO DRAMATICALLY ACCELERATE THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF NEW KNOWLEDGE. ACCESS WILL ALSO INCREASE EQUITY BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR XR RESEARCHERS (INCLUDING STUDENTS) FROM ALL PARTS OF THE NATION TO DO HIGH-IMPACT RESEARCH EVEN IF THEY DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO XR LABS AND EQUIPMENT AT THEIR LOCAL UNIVERSITY. IT WILL ENABLE INNOVATIVE RESEARCH WITH LARGE AND DIVERSE PARTICIPANT SAMPLES, LONGITUDINAL AND REPLICATION STUDIES, AS WELL AS LARGE DIVERSE DATA SET GENERATION FOR MACHINE LEARNING AND OTHER PURPOSES. AS PART OF THIS EFFORT, THE VERA TEAM WILL IMPLEMENT AND PUBLISH MECHANISMS TO MAKE STUDIES MORE ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE. THE PROJECT INCLUDES A SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY-ENGAGED APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLATFORM THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS WHO WILL HELP IN BUILDING THE PLATFORM AND DISSEMINATING THE WORK THROUGHOUT THE XR COMMUNITY. THE INFRASTRUCTURE WILL PROVIDE A TRANSFORMATIONAL TOOL FOR XR RESEARCHERS BY LEVERAGING THE LARGE AND RAPIDLY GROWING BASE OF XR SYSTEMS IN THE HOMES OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND THE ABILITIES OF THE OWNERS TO USE THEM. WITH CONSENT FROM THESE USERS, VERA WILL ENABLE CISE RESEARCHERS TO CONDUCT VERY HIGH-QUALITY STUDIES VERY QUICKLY. VERA IS ALSO DESIGNED TO TACKLE THIS FIELD?S RESEARCH AGENDA, SUPPLYING THE DEMAND FOR BIG DATA FROM DIVERSE HUMAN SUBJECTS AT HIGH SCALABILITY. IT WILL ENABLE INNOVATIVE RESEARCH WITH LARGE AND DIVERSE PARTICIPANT SAMPLES, LONGITUDINAL AND REPLICATION STUDIES, AS WELL AS LARGE DIVERSE DATA SET GENERATION FOR AI, MACHINE LEARNING AND OTHER PURPOSES. 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.

PROJECT TITLE: USGS-WHOI COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT: USGS RESEARCH FACILITIES, TASK FAC-1PROJECT PERIOD: 04 01 2026 THROUGH 03 31 2029SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO USGS FON G26AS00036AWARD PURPOSE:AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS) COOPERATIVE MISSION IN WOODSHOLE, MA IS THE WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION (WHOI) PROVISION OF OFFICE, LABORATORY,COMPUTER, ANCILLARY SPACE, AND OTHER FACILITIES SUPPORT FUNCTIONS IN SUPPORT OF MARINE RESEARCH.THE BROAD GOAL OF THIS FACILITIES SUPPORT AGREEMENT IS TO FORM AN EFFICIENT INFRASTRUCTURALFOUNDATION FOR COOPERATIVE RESEARCH. THIS FOUNDATION WILL PROVIDE THE NECESSARY CLOSE PROXIMITYBETWEEN COOPERATING WHOI AND USGS RESEARCHERS, AND WITH OTHER INVESTIGATORS IN THE WOODSHOLE MARINE RESEARCH COMMUNITY.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED:THE PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE THE FACILITIES SUPPORT FUNCTIONS FOR RESEARCH OPERATIONS, AND THOSENECESSARY TO MODIFY OR CREATE NEW FACILITIES, AS REQUIRED BY THE VARIABLE NEEDS OF COOPERATIVESCIENTIFIC PROJECTS. IN ADDITION, THE PROJECT WILL PLAN AND DEVELOP NEW COOPERATIVE RESEARCH FACILITIESAS REQUIRED.DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES: WHOI WILL PROVIDE USGS WITH A SUMMARYOF COLLABORATIVE ACTIONS PERFORMED. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE PROVIDING USGS WITH THEFACILITIES SUPPORT FUNCTIONS FOR RESEARCH OPERATIONS, AND THOSE NECESSARY TO MODIFY OR CREATE NEWFACILITIES, AS REQUIRED BY THE VARIABLE NEEDS OF COOPERATIVE SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS.INTENDED BENEFICIARY (IES): CLOSE PROXIMITY BETWEEN COOPERATING WHOI AND USGSRESEARCHERS, AND WITH OTHER INVESTIGATORS IN THE WOODS HOLE MARINE RESEARCH COMMUNITY, BENEFITSUSGS RESEARCHERS AND WHOI RESEARCHERS WORKING ON COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH. THE BROADER PUBLICWILL BENEFIT FROM THE STRENGTHENED FEDERAL ENGAGEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE RESULTS OFONGOING COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH BETWEEN USGS AND WHOI.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NONE.

TO SUPPORT THE RECORDING AND PRODUCTION OF CLASSICAL-MUSIC AND OPERA CONCERTS.

INNOVATIVE METHODS FOR ESTIMATING DENSITIES AND DETECTION PROBABILITIES OF SECRETIVE REPTILES INCLUDING INVASIVE CONSTRICTORS AND RARE UPLAND SNAKES

TO SUPPORT THE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF "CONCIERTO," A BILINGUAL CLASSICAL MUSIC SERVICE.

MINA LOY: NAVIGATING THE AVANT-GARDE

PTFP- DAVIDSON COLLEGE

SOCIAL AND ENVIROMENTAL INFLUENCES ON OPIOID SENSITIVITY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A FACULTY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO TRANSFORMING UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS EDUCATION BY INTEGRATING COMPUTATION -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY IMPROVING PHYSICS EDUCATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY BY INCREASING FACULTY UPTAKE OF COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS TOPICS IN UNDERGRADUATE COURSES. COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS ARE CRUCIAL IN ALL AREAS OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS TO DEVELOP THESE COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS EDUCATION. THE PARTNERSHIP FOR INTEGRATION OF COMPUTATION INTO UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS (PICUP) HAS BEEN WORKING FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS TO BUILD A COMMUNITY OF EDUCATORS TO SUPPORT THIS MISSION. THIS IUSE LEVEL 2 INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION (ICT) PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE THE GROWING PICUP COMMUNITY TO ESTABLISH REGIONAL WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY THAT WILL BE SUSTAINED IN THE YEARS TO COME THROUGH LOCAL LEADERSHIP WITHIN EACH REGION. THESE REGIONS HAVE BEEN SPECIFICALLY SELECTED IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE PICUP'S IMPACT ON MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS (MSIS) AND TWO YEAR COLLEGES (TYCS), WITH THE GOAL OF ASSISTING PHYSICS FACULTY FROM AT LEAST 50% OF THE NATION?S BACHELOR?S GRANTING PHYSICS DEPARTMENTS AND 25% OF TYC DEPARTMENTS IN THEIR ENDEAVORS TO INTEGRATE COMPUTATIONAL ACTIVITIES INTO THEIR PHYSICS COURSES. ALONGSIDE THE REGIONAL FACULTY-DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS, THE PROJECT WILL BUILD NATIONAL COMMUNITY THROUGH NATIONAL WORKSHOPS AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. THE PROJECT SUPPORTS RESEARCH TO INVESTIGATE STUDENTS' LEARNING IN COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS ACROSS A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS. THE RESEARCH RESULTS WILL DRIVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR STUDENT LEARNING OF COMPUTATION IN UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS COURSES. INSTRUCTORS FROM TYCS AND OTHER SPECIAL-FOCUS INSTITUTIONS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK RESEARCH, WHICH WILL HELP SUPPORT THE INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WHO ARE HISTORICALLY UNDERSTUDIED IN PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH. THE NSF IUSE: EDU PROGRAM SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STEM EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS. THROUGH THE INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION TRACK, THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS EFFORTS TO TRANSFORM AND IMPROVE STEM EDUCATION ACROSS INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND DISCIPLINARY COMMUNITIES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CONDUCT AN INVENTORY OF EASTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKES ON HARRIS NECK, BLACKBEARD ISLAND NWRS

TRAVEL: CPS-FR: NSF STUDENT TRAVEL GRANT FOR 2026 CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS AND INTERNET-OF-THINGS WEEK (CPS-IOT WEEK) -THIS PROJECT PROVIDES FUNDING FOR STUDENTS FROM U.S. INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING TO ATTEND THE 2026 CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS AND INTERNET-OF-THINGS WEEK (CPS-IOT WEEK 2026). CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS (CPS) ARE A CHARACTERIZED BY A TIGHT INTEGRATION OF COMPUTATIONAL COMPONENTS AND THEIR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY AND INTERACT WITH. AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, ELECTRICAL GRID, AND OIL REFINERIES ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF LARGE-SCALE CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS. DESIGNING SUCH SYSTEMS AND ENSURING THEIR SAFETY AND SECURITY REQUIRES A HIGHLY SPECIALIZED WORKFORCE THAT IS CRITICAL TO LONG-TERM COMPETITIVENESS OF THE U.S. ECONOMY. CPS-IOT WEEK IS A PREMIER RESEARCH VENUE FOR CUTTING-EDGE CPS DESIGN, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. INCREASED PARTICIPATION OF US-BASED UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AT CPS-IOT WEEK 2025 SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF FORWARD-LOOKING CPS WORKFORCE. CPS-IOT WEEK IS BEING ORGANIZED IN SAINT-MALO, FRANCE, IN MAY 2026. IT IS COMPRISED OF SEVERAL TOP-RATED CONFERENCES ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF CPS DESIGN. IT OFFERS IMPORTANT NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR JUNIOR RESEARCHERS. THE PROJECT PROVIDES TRAVEL SUPPORT FOR U.S.-BASED STUDENTS WHO WILL OTHERWISE NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND. 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.

CONFERENCE: WORKSHOP ON SPORTS ANALYTICS TO STRENGTHEN DATA SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY FOSTERING THE GROWING INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE COMMUNITIES WITH INTERESTS IN IMPROVING UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN DATA SCIENCE THROUGH SPORTS ANALYTICS. THE PROJECT, LED BY FACULTY FROM DAVIDSON COLLEGE AND JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY, WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FRAMEWORK OF EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT SUCCESS OF MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJORS FROM DIVERSE COMMUNITIES TO HELP THEM FEEL INCLUDED AND VALUED IN THE FIELD OF DATA ANALYTICS. PROJECT COMPONENTS INCLUDE THE FORMATION OF AN EXPERT ADVISORY BOARD, A PRE-CONFERENCE MEETING WITH SPORTS INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, A TWO-DAY WORKING VIRTUAL WORKSHOP WITH PARTICIPANTS FROM VARIOUS TYPES AND SIZES OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, AND A POST-CONFERENCE REPORT WITH RESOURCES AND A FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE COLLABORATION AMONG INSTITUTIONS. PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL CONSIDER: 1) INSTITUTIONAL AND CULTURAL BARRIERS TO CREATING MULTIPLE EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS IN DATA SCIENCE, 2) TOOLS AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED TO ADAPT OR IMPLEMENT CURRICULUM INNOVATIONS, 3) DIFFERING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS VARIED INSTITUTION TYPES AND STUDENT POPULATIONS, 4) APPROACHES TO FAIRNESS, ETHICS, ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY (FEAT) AND 5) LEVERAGING PARTNERSHIPS AND BRIDGING GAPS THROUGH FACULTY AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS ACROSS INSTITUTIONS/ORGANIZATIONS. THE NSF IUSE: EDU PROGRAM SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STEM EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

FARMERS ARE FACED WITH AN INCREASING DEMAND FOR REDUCED-INPUT CROPS AND NEED INNOVATIVE TOOLS TO REDUCE PESTICIDEUSE AND STRENGTHEN NATURAL CONTROL OF PESTS. FARMERS ALREADY WORK TO BUILD SOIL TILTH AND FERTILITY, AND IN DOING SO ENCOURAGE SOIL BIODIVERSITY. ONE OF THEIR GOALS IS TO IMPROVE NATURAL PEST CONTROL BY GROWING PLANTS THAT CAN NATURALLY DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST INSECT PESTS AND SOIL-BORNE PATHOGENS. POPULATIONS OF INSECT PESTS CAN BE SUPPRESSED BY BOTH TOP-DOWN FORCES, SUCH AS PREDATORS AND PARASITOIDS, AND BY BOTTOM-UP FORCES, SUCH AS PLANT DEFENSES. NATURALLY-OCCURRING MICROBES IN SOILS CAN ALTER THE STRENGTH OF THESE FORCES, ULTIMATELY SHAPING INSECT HERBIVORE POPULATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, SOIL MICROBES CAN UPREGULATE PLANT DEFENSES, REDUCING HERBIVORE PERFORMANCE. SIMULTANEOUSLY, SOIL MICROBES CAN ALTER EMISSIONS OF PLANT VOLATILES, ENHANCING THE ATTRACTION OF NATURAL ENEMIES. BY MANIPULATING SOIL MICROBES THROUGH COMMON SOIL MANAGMENT PRACTICES, LIKE THE ADDITION OFSOIL AMENDMENTS, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE BIOCONTROL BY ENHANCING PLANT DEFENSES. HOWEVER, WE LACK AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES MAY ENHANCE HERBIVORE AND DISEASE SUPPRESSION BY ALTERING COMMUNITIES OF SOIL MICROBES. THEREFORE, WE WILL IDENTIFY SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THAT ENHANCE HERBIVORE AND DISEASE SUPPRESSION IN THE FIELD AND EVALUATE MANAGEMENT-MEDIATED SHIFTS IN MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES USING NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES. IN ADDITION, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE CHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BY WHICH PARTICULAR SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, AND THEIR CORRESPONDING MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES, ENHANCE HERBIVORE SUPPRESSION THROUGH COMPLEMENTARY GREENHOUSE EXPERIMENTS. WE WILL DO SO USING NOVEL CHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR TOOLS TO EVALUATE EFFECTS OF MANAGEMENT ON MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND PLANT NUTRITIVE AND DEFENSIVE TRAITS.IN ADDITION TO EXPANDING OUR BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF HOW SOIL MICROBES MEDIATE INTERACTIONS AMONG PLANTS, INSECTS, THEIR NATURAL ENEMIES, AND DISEASE, THIS PROJECT WILL GENERATE PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FARMERS TO ENHANCE BIOCONTROL BY EXPLICITLY MANAGING THEIR SOILS.

ANALYTIC PROBLEMS ON INTEGER POLYNOMIALS

CAREER: EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION ON AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE POPULATIONS

PROJECT TITLE: USING MAPPING TO BETTER UNDERSTANDING LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE ESCARPMENT FROM THE PLEISTOCENE THROUGH THE PRESENTPROJECT PERIOD: 05 01 2024 - 04 30 2025STREAMS DRAINING THE BLUE RIDGE ESCARPMENT LIKELY PROVIDE THE BEST FORM OF EVIDENCE FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW THE ESCARPMENT HAS EVOLVED THROUGH TIME. SPECIFICALLY, VALLEY BOTTOMS ALONG THE ESCARPMENT ARE FILLED WITH SEDIMENT AND THAT SEDIMENT CAN BE EXAMINED TO DETERMINE HOW RIVER SYSTEMS EVOLVED ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE. HERE, WE PLAN TO MAP THE GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE WILSON CREEK DRAINAGE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE VARIOUS FLUVIAL SEDIMENT PACKAGES AS WELL AS IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALLUVIAL REACHES AND BEDROCK REACHES. ADDITIONALLY, OUR MAP WILL INCLUDE THE LOCATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL LANDSLIDES WHICH ARE A KNOWN HAZARD IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS. THE PROPOSED MAPPING WILL PROVIDE AN INVALUABLE DATASET THAT WILL BOTH CONTRIBUTE TO THE EXISTING DATABASE OF GEOLOGIC MAPS IN THE UNITED STATES AND WILL DRIVE FUTURE RESEARCH ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE ESCARPMENT. OUR MAP WILL BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE VIA THE USGS GEOLOGIC MAP DATABASE. THE WORK WILL BE UNDERTAKEN BY THREE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT DAVIDSON COLLEGE WITH PROFESSOR BRAD JOHNSON AS THEIR MENTOR. STUDENTS WILL GAIN HANDS ON EXPERIENCE WITH FIELD GEOLOGY AND MAPPING WHILE CONTRIBUTING TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF STREAMS IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS.

SOMAS: SUPPORT OF MENTORS AND THEIR STUDENTS IN THE NEUROSCIENCES

HISTORY HOMECOMING DAY: DIGITIZING THE GAPS IN THE DIVERSE HISTORY OF A SMALL COLLEGE TOWN

TO SUPPORT A SOLO EXHIBITION BY GUATEMALAN PERFORMANCE ARTIST REGINA JOSE GALINDO, AS WELL AS CONCERTS, PERFORMANCES, AND LITERARY ARTS PRESENTATIONS

INDIVIDUAL PAESMEM AWARD: NOMINATION OF JULIO J. RAMIREZ

INVENTORY OF DIAMONDBACK TERRAPINS ON HARRIS NECK & BLACKBEARD ISLAND NWRS

FY 2016 SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP [EL]

FY 2011 SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP (SURF) - GAITHERSBURG

DAVIDSON COLLEGE ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS COMPREHENSIVE PRESERVATION PLANS

RISK ANALYSIS FOR DIAMONDBACK TERRAPINS ON WASSAW, BLACKBEARD, WOLF, AND HARRIS NECK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES.

NUMERICAL METHODS FOR FORWARD AND INVERSE PROBLEMS IN DISCONTINUOUS MEDIA