Carolina University

CARES ACT: AID TO INSTITUTION

CARES ACT: AID TO STUDENTS

EMERGENCY FINANCIAL AID GRANTS TO STUDENTS UNDER THE CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY (CARES) ACT - INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND-INSTITUTIONAL PORTION FOR WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

EMERGENCY FINANCIAL AID GRANTS TO STUDENTS UNDER THE CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY (CARES) ACT

CARES HEERF APPLICATION FOR WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

FY 2009 TEACHER QUALITY PARTNERSHIPS GRANTS

INNOVATE, INQUIRE, ITERATE, AND IMPACT: IGNITING THE POWER OF NETWORK IMPROVEMENT COMMUNITIES TO ENHANCE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERS

TRAINING LEADERS TO IMPROVE EDUCATION AND HEALTH OUTCOMES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGH-INTENSITY NEEDS: A MULTI-INSTITUTION MENTORSHIP CONSORTIUM

FOCUSED COPE: SUPPORTING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN CONNECTED COASTAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH A REGIONAL APPROACH TO COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY SCIENCE

RYAN WHITE TITLE III: EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES

RYAN WHITE TITLE IV WOMEN, INFANTS, CHILDREN, YOUTH AND AFFECTED FAMILY MEMBERS AIDS HEALTHCARE

RYAN WHITE TITLE III: EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING (BHWET) PROGRAM

IMPROVING UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING STUDENTS' DEGREE ATTAINMENT THROUGH INNOVATIVE RESIDENTIAL AND TRANSFER SUPPORT

RYAN WHITE TITLE IV WOMEN, INFANTS, CHILDREN, YOUTH AND AFFECTED FAMILY MEMBERS AIDS HEALTHCARE

MECHANISMS OF ALCOHOL-ESTROGEN HEMODYNAMIC INTERACTION

VIRULENCE MECHANISMS OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL BORRELIAL PROTEINS

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

IMPROVING SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND ACADEMIC FUNCTIONING OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN THROUGH THE INTERCONNECTED SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK

GERIATRICS WORKFORCE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

EFFECT OF EXERCISE MODALITY DURING PREGNANCY ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY RISK - PROJECT ABSTRACT THE IN-UTERO ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING MATERNAL WEIGHT GAIN AND EXERCISE HABITS, CAN “PROGRAM” A CHILD TOWARDS DISEASE OR HEALTH AFTER BIRTH AND INTO ADULTHOOD. THE OFTEN-INTERGENERATIONAL CYCLE OF OBESITY BEGINS WITH A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO ARE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE (OW/OB) AT THE TIME OF CONCEPTION AND THROUGHOUT PREGNANCY; THESE WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO GIVE BIRTH TO INFANTS WHO ARE MACROSOMIC. BY AGE 5, OVERWEIGHT (OW) CHILDREN ALREADY HAVE SIGNS OF METABOLIC SYNDROME AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISKS (E.G. OBESITY, HYPERLIPIDEMIA, HYPERGLYCEMIA, HYPERINSULINEMIA, AND HYPERTENSION). WHILE RESEARCH HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFITS OF BOTH AEROBIC AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AS WELL AS DECREASED ADIPOSITY AND IMPROVED MOTOR/HEART FUNCTION IN THEIR INFANTS, NO STUDIES HAVE BEEN DONE TO DETERMINE WHICH EXERCISE MODES ARE MOST BENEFICIAL FOR MOTHER AND BABY WHEN A WOMAN IS OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE AT THE TIME OF CONCEPTION. FOR ADULTS IN GENERAL, COMBINED AEROBIC AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE (AERE) DELIVERS THE GREATEST METABOLIC IMPROVEMENTS (E.G. INCREASED INSULIN SENSITIVITY, IMPROVED HEART FUNCTION, DECREASED ADIPOSITY). THEREFORE, THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO IDENTIFY WHICH PRENATAL EXERCISE TYPE(S) WILL ELICIT THE GREATEST POSITIVE IMPACT ON MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH WHILE REDUCING METABOLIC RISK MARKERS IN OW/OB PREGNANT WOMEN RELATIVE TO NON-EXERCISING COUNTERPARTS. USING A RANDOMIZED DESIGN, 284 PREGNANT WOMEN WILL UNDERGO AN EXERCISE INTERVENTION (AE, RE, AERE) FROM ENROLLMENT (~13-16 WEEKS GESTATION) UNTIL DELIVERY (~40 WEEKS GESTATION). THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS OF THIS STUDY IS THAT ADDING RE IMPROVES OUTCOMES; THUS, THE COMBINATION OF AEROBIC AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE NOT ONLY WILL IMPROVE INFANT CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES, AS COMPARED TO AE ALONE, BUT WILL HAVE THE BEST COMPLIANCE OF ALL GROUPS. WE WILL TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS WITH TWO SPECIFIC AIMS TO: (1) DETERMINE THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT EXERCISE MODES DURING OW/OB PREGNANCY ON INFANT CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH AND GROWTH TRAJECTORIES; AND (2) DETERMINE THE MOST EFFECTIVE EXERCISE MODE IN OW/OB PREGNANCY ON IMPROVING MATERNAL CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH. METHODS WILL INCLUDE MEASUREMENTS SUCH AS WEIGHT, ABDOMINAL CIRCUMFERENCE, BLOOD PRESSURE, LIPIDS, AND OTHER BIOMARKERS FOR BOTH MOTHERS AND INFANTS. THE STUDY WILL ALSO TRACK MATERNAL AND INFANT CARDIOMETABOLIC OUTCOMES THROUGH THE POST-PARTUM PERIOD, UP TO 12 MONTHS. THIS WORK HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPACT CLINICAL PRACTICE BY REVEALING THE EARLIEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION TO REDUCE THE INTERGENERATIONAL CYCLE OF METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION, INCLUDING OBESITY, IN WOMEN AND CHILDREN. .

DELINEATION OF UNIQUE FLAGELLAR PROTEINS IN SPIROCHETES

POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING IN GENERAL, PEDIATRIC AND PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY AND DENTAL HYGIENE

EACT CAROLINA UNIV. BARIATRIC SURGERY CLINICAL CENTER

PRIORITIZING DIVERSITY IN POLYGENIC RISK PREDICTION OF PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA - PROJECT SUMMARY: PRIORITIZING DIVERSITY IN POLYGENIC RISK PREDICTION OF PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA GLAUCOMA IS THE LEADING WORLDWIDE CAUSE OF IRREVERSIBLE BLINDNESS. PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA (POAG), THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF GLAUCOMA, IS MORE PREVALENT AND SEVERE IN INDIVIDUALS OF AFRICAN ANCESTRY. UNFORTUNATELY, INDIVIDUALS FROM THIS ANCESTRAL GROUP HAVE BEEN UNDER-REPRESENTED IN GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES (GWAS) THUS FAR. FURTHERMORE, POLYGENIC RISK SCORES (PRS) BASED ON GWAS DATA FROM EUROPEAN-DESCENT POPULATIONS ARE NOT TRANSFERABLE TO INDIVIDUALS OF DIVERSE (NON-EUROPEAN) ANCESTRY. GIVEN THE ASPIRATIONS OF PRECISION MEDICINE, PRS DEMONSTRATE CLINICAL POTENTIAL BUT FALL SHORT, IN PART, DUE TO THE LACK OF DIVERSITY IN THESE STUDIES. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT CLINICALLY-IMPLEMENTABLE PRS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY INCLUDING AFRICAN AND AFRICAN- DESCENT INDIVIDUALS IN GENE DISCOVERY AND PRS DEVELOPMENT. TO INFORM AND IMPROVE PRECISION OCULAR HEALTH, WE WILL PRIORITIZE DIVERSITY IN POLYGENIC RISK PREDICTION OF POAG WITH THREE PROPOSED AIMS THAT WILL YIELD THE LARGEST-EVER META ANALYSES OF POAG IN AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-DESCENT INDIVIDUALS AND THE FIRST-EVER AFRICAN-ANCESTRY FOCUSED POAG PRS. IN AIM 1, WE WILL PERFORM META-ANALYSES OF 47,078 SAMPLES (18,037 CASES, 29,041 CONTROLS) TO IDENTIFY NOVEL POAG LOCI IN AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-DESCENT POPULATIONS. GIVEN THAT MOST GWAS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED IN MAINLY EUROPEAN AND EUROPEAN-DESCENT POPULATIONS, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT UNDISCOVERED POAG RISK LOCI WILL BE DETECTED BY LEVERAGING THE POWER OF META-ANALYSIS OF CASE-CONTROL GWAS IN AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-DESCENT POPULATION SAMPLES. IN AIM 2, WE WILL META-ANALYZE ADMIXTURE MAPPING RESULTS FOR EACH OF OUR DATASETS TO IDENTIFY AFRICAN ANCESTRY-SPECIFIC POAG LOCI. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT ADMIXTURE MAPPING WILL IDENTIFY GENOMIC REGIONS WHERE AFRICAN ANCESTRY CO- SEGREGATES WITH POAG RISK. SIGNIFICANT LOCI FROM AIMS 1 AND 2 WILL BE FINE-MAPPED AND EVALUATED FOR SELECTION SIGNATURES. IN AIM 3, WE WILL BUILD AND OPTIMIZE POAG PRS IN AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-DESCENT BASE DATASET META- ANALYSES. WE WILL THEN EVALUATE NOVEL AND PUBLISHED PRS FOR POAG CLASSIFICATION IN TEST DATASETS. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT ANCESTRALLY-INFORMED POAG PRS WILL BETTER PREDICT POAG AND RELEVANT CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-DESCENT POPULATIONS COMPARED TO THOSE DERIVED FROM PRIMARILY EUROPEAN-DESCENT DATA. META-ANALYSIS RESULTS FROM AIMS 1 AND 2 AS WELL AS VARIANTS FROM OUR OPTIMIZED PRS IN AIM 3 WILL UNDERGO PATHWAY ANALYSES TO IDENTIFY BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS AND STATISTICAL DRIVER GENES IMPLICATED IN POAG RISK. IN THE LONG-TERM, WE HOPE THAT THE INFORMATION GAINED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL INFORM A BROADER UNDERSTANDING OF POAG GENETICS ACROSS DIVERSE ANCESTRY GROUPS AND PROVIDE THE FOUNDATIONAL BASIS FOR THE CLINICAL APPLICABILITY OF ANCESTRALLY-INFORMED PRS FOR POAG.

GRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAMS

STUDIES ON THE PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA CELL-TO-CELL SIGNAL PQS

MATERNITY CARE NURSING WORKFORCE EXPANSION (MATCARE) TRAINING PROGRAM

ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION WORKFORCE

METABOLIC INFLEXIBILITY IS RELATED TO ELEVATED MUSCLE ANAEROBIC GLYCOLYSIS

LIPID METABOLISM IN OBESITY WEIGHT LOSS AND EXERCISE

EXAMINING VALIDITY AND SENSITIVITY OF PRESSURE-MEDIATED REFLECTION SPECTROSCOPY AS A MEASURE OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION IN A DIVERSE COMMUNITY

RYAN WHITE PART C OUTPATIENT EIS PROGRAM

PROJECT ENGAGE EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA - RURAL EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA HAS LONG EXPERIENCED DISPROPORTIONATE EMPLOYMENT GAPS IN COMPARISON TO OTHER AREAS IN THE STATE. SPECIFICALLY, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WITHIN THE SEVEN COUNTY CATCHMENT AREA CONSISTENTLY RISES ABOVE THE STATEWIDE MEAN. EMPLOYMENT TRENDS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AND CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS (SUD/COD) IN THE CATCHMENT AREA MIRROR THOSE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE EXIST A LARGE GAP IN THE EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT SERVICE AVAILABILITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SUD/COD. PROJECT ENGAGE-ENC SEEKS TO FILL AN ESSENTIAL GAP. TO ADDRESS THIS GAP IN REGIONAL SERVICE AVAILABILITY, ENGAGE-ENC SEEKS TO INCREASE THE WORKFORCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SUD/COD THROUGH THE INTEGRATION OF INNOVATIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED VOCATIONAL SERVICES WITHIN STANDARD SUD/COD TREATMENT. ENGAGE-ENC WILL SERVE A TOTAL OF 337 UNDUPLICATED PARTICIPANTS OVER THE 5-YEAR PROJECT. SERVICES PROVIDED THROUGH ENGAGE-ENC INCLUDE COORDINATION WITH LOCAL AND STATE EMPLOYMENT AND RECOVERY-ORIENTED STAKEHOLDERS, PROVISION OF EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS WITHIN VOCATIONAL SCREENING/EVALUATION, VOCATIONAL COUNSELING, AND SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT/INDIVIDUAL PLACEMENT SUPPORT. THE MISSION OF ENGAGE-ENC IS TO PROVIDE INNOVATIVE, COMMUNITY-ENGAGED, AND RECOVERY-ORIENTED INTERVENTIONS THAT ASSIST INDIVIDUALS WITH SUD/COD TO FIND, GET, AND KEEP A JOB, AND SUSTAIN A RECOVERY LIFESTYLE. THE GOALS OF ENGAGE-ENC ARE (A) INCREASE THE JOB READINESS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH SUD/COD WITHIN THE CATCHMENT AREA, (B) DECREASE THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SUD/COD WITHIN THE CATCHMENT AREA, AND (C) INCREASE RATES OF SUSTAINED RECOVERY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SUD/COD WITHIN THE CATCHMENT AREA. TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS, THE OBJECTIVES THE PROJECT WILL ACHIEVE ARE (A) 85% OF PARTICIPANTS WILL COMPLETE VOCATIONAL EVALUATION ACTIVITIES (I.E., INTEREST, VALUES, APTITUDE, BARRIERS ASSESSMENT), (B) 80% OF PARTICIPANTS WILL ENGAGE IN RECOVERY-ORIENTED PREVOCATIONAL TRAINING AND VOCATIONAL COUNSELING INTERVENTION SESSIONS, (C) 60% OF ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS WILL ENGAGE IN INDIVIDUAL PLACEMENT AND SUPPORT SERVICES, (D) PARTICIPANTS WILL SUBMIT AN AVERAGE OF 5 JOB APPLICATIONS, E) PARTICIPANTS WILL AVERAGE 3 JOB INTERVIEWS, (F) 60% OF PARTICIPANTS WILL OBTAIN GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT, (G) 45% OF PARTICIPANTS WHO OBTAIN GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT WILL RETAIN EMPLOYMENT AT THE 90-DAY FOLLOW-UP PERIOD; AND (H) 65% OF PARTICIPANTS WILL DEMONSTRATE A REDUCTION OF SUBSTANCE USE AT THE 90-DAY FOLLOW UP PERIOD, (I) 65% OF PARTICIPANTS WILL DEMONSTRATE IMPROVED PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING (E.G., OBTAINED HOUSING, REDUCED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, REPORT LESS SYMPTOMS OF CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE) AT THE 90 DAY FOLLOW UP PERIOD.

RYAN WHITE TITLE IV PROGRAM

OPERATION RE-ENTRY NC

DETERMINING THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF GENE SILENCING BY MUCR AND DEFINING ITS ROLE IN BRUCELLA VIRULENCE - SUMMARY BRUCELLA SPP. CAUSE ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING ZOONOTIC DISEASES AND ARE A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT IN AREAS OF THE WORLD WHERE BRUCELLOSIS IS ENDEMIC IN FOOD ANIMALS. THE ZN FINGER PROTEIN MUCR IS A GLOBAL REGULATOR AND ESSENTIAL VIRULENCE DETERMINANT IN BRUCELLA, BUT PRECISELY HOW MUCR CONTRIBUTES TO VIRULENCE IS UNRESOLVED. STUDIES IN OUR LABORATORY HAVE PROVIDED COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT MUCR IS A NOVEL TYPE OF H-NS- LIKE GENE SILENCER AND IDENTIFIED MULTIPLE VIRULENCE GENES THAT ARE DIRECT TARGETS OF MUCR REPRESSION. H-NS AND H-NS-LIKE GENE SILENCERS PLAY CRITICAL ROLES IN COORDINATING THE PROPER TEMPORAL EXPRESSION OF VIRULENCE GENES IN OTHER BACTERIAL PATHOGENS. THIS TIGHT REGULATION IS CRUCIAL BECAUSE THE GRATUITOUS EXPRESSION OF VIRULENCE GENES CAUSES FITNESS DEFECTS THAT CAN LEAD TO ATTENUATION IN THE HOST. THE STUDIES DESCRIBED IN THIS APPLICATION WILL USE GENETIC AND BIOCHEMICAL APPROACHES TO – A) DIRECTLY TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT MUCR IS A NOVEL TYPE OF H-NS-LIKE GENE SILENCER; B) IDENTIFY THE ANTAGONISTIC TRANSCRIPTIONAL ACTIVATORS THAT SERVE AS ‘COUNTER-SILENCERS’ AND OVERRIDE MUCR-SILENCING OF SPECIFIC BRUCELLA VIRULENCE GENES; AND C) TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT COORDINATED REGULATION OF SPECIFIC VIRULENCE GENES BY MUCR/COUNTER-SILENCER PAIRS IS REQUIRED FOR THE WILD-TYPE VIRULENCE OF B. ABORTUS 2308 IN MICE AND CULTURED MAMMALIAN CELLS. THE SAME BIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES THAT ALLOW H-NS AND H-NS-LIKE PROTEINS TO SERVE AS GENE SILENCERS ALSO ALLOW THEM TO PLAY MAJOR ROLES IN CONDENSING BACTERIAL CHROMOSOMES AND MAINTAINING NUCLEOID STRUCTURE. WE HAVE RECENTLY USED CHROMOSOME CONFORMATION CAPTURE STUDIES (HI-C) TO SHOW THAT MUCR ALSO HAS NUCLEOID-STRUCTURING ACTIVITY, AND WE PLAN TO USE THIS APPROACH IN COMBINATION WITH GLOBAL AND GENE-SPECIFIC TRANSCRIPTIONAL ANALYSIS TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT THAT MUCR’S NUCLEOID- STRUCTURING ACTIVITY HAS ON ITS CAPACITY TO FUNCTION AS A GENE SILENCER. OUR PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE A MUCH BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MUCR FUNCTIONS AS A GENETIC REGULATOR AND VIRULENCE DETERMINANT IN BRUCELLA. IT WILL ALSO ALLOW US TO FURTHER EXAMINE A PREVIOUSLY UNCHARACTERIZED ROLE FOR A ZN FINGER PROTEIN IN PROKARYOTIC BIOLOGY.

GK-12 FELLOWS LINKING MARINE AND WETLAND RESEARCH WITH SCIENCE EDUCATION IN COASTAL SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOLS

TPSID

MECHANISMS UNDERLYING TISSUE FRAGILITY IN ECTODERMAL DYSPLASIAS

EDUCATIONAL TALENT SEARCH

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS FOR WCU

INTERFERON-BETA AS AN ADJUVANT FOR TOLEROGENIC VACCINATION

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

ENGAGE ENC MINORITY AIDS INITIATIVE (MAI) - THE RATES OF SUBSTANCE USE AND CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS IN RURAL EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA HAVE STEADILY INCREASED, ALONG WITH NEW INCIDENCES OF HIV. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS INCREASE HAS DISPARATELY IMPACTED RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES. PROJECT ENGAGE EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA: MINORITY AIDS INITIATIVE (ENGAGE ENC: MAI) WILL LEVERAGE THE EXISTING HIV TESTING AND TREATMENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN AN ELEVEN-COUNTY CATCHMENT WITHIN EASTERN NC TO ENHANCE IDENTIFICATION AND ACCESS TO TREATMENT FOR RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES WHO PRESENT WITH SUBSTANCE USE AND CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS. OVER THE 5-YEAR PROJECT PERIOD, ENGAGE-ENC ENROLL AND SERVE A TOTAL OF 520 UNDUPLICATED INDIVIDUALS OVER THE FIVE-YEAR GRANT PERIOD FROM THE ELEVEN COUNTY CATCHMENT AREA. ENGAGEMENT SERVICES WILL INCLUDE PROVIDING HIV AND HEPATITIS TESTING, SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT FOR SUBSTANCE USE AND CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS, CARE COORDINATION, AND TREATMENT SERVICES. THE MISSION OF ENGAGE ENC: MAI IS TO ENHANCE THE OUTREACH AND CLINICAL SERVICE DELIVERY OF ENGAGE ENC TO DIRECTLY INCREASE ENGAGEMENT OF INDIVIDUALS FROM RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS WITH SUD OR COD WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR OR LIVING WITH HIV AND/OR VIRAL HEPATITIS INFECTION. ENGAGE ENC: MAI WILL BUILD UPON THE EXISTING OUTREACH AND TREATMENT MODEL OF ENGAGE ENC THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO SCREENING AND REFERRAL TO APPROPRIATE CARE AND MINIMIZING BARRIERS TO SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT. THE GOALS FOR ENGAGE ENC: MAI ARE TO: 1. REDUCE THE ACCIDENTAL DRUG OVERDOSE RATE IN THE ELEVEN-COUNTY CATCHMENT AREA; 2. INCREASE ACCESS TO SUD/COD AND HIV AND VIRAL HEPATITIS TREATMENT PROVIDERS FOR INDIVIDUALS IN THE ELEVEN-COUNTY CATCHMENT AREA; AND 3. REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF NEW HIV AND HEPATITIS B AND C INFECTIONS IN THE ELEVEN-COUNTY CATCHMENT AREA. TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS, THE FOLLOWING ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF ENGAGE ENC: MAI: 1A. PROVIDE SCREENING, BRIEF INTERVENTION, AND REFERRAL TO TREATMENT FOR SUD OR COD FOR 100% OF ENROLLED CLIENTS; 1B. RETAIN AT LEAST 80% OF ENROLLED CLIENTS WHO SCREEN POSITIVE FOR SUD OR COD IN TREATMENT THROUGH 90-DAY FOLLOW-UP; 1C. DEMONSTRATE A REDUCTION OF SUBSTANCE USE FREQUENCY FOR AT LEAST 65% OF ENROLLED CLIENTS BY 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP; 1D. DEMONSTRATE AN INCREASE IN PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING FOR AT LEAST 65% OF ENROLLED CLIENTS BY 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. 2A. LINK AND COORDINATE CONNECTION TO APPROPRIATE TREATMENT FOR 100% OF ENROLLED CLIENTS REQUIRING TREATMENT; 2B. DEVELOP MOAS WITH AT LEAST 2 NEW PROVIDER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE ELEVEN-COUNTY CATCHMENT AREA PER YEAR; 2C. DEMONSTRATE A REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED BARRIERS TO TREATMENT. 3A. PROVIDE HIV AND VIRAL HEPATITIS SCREENING TO 100% OF AT-RISK ENROLLED CLIENTS; 3B. LINK AND COORDINATE CONNECTION TO APPROPRIATE HIV AND/OR VIRAL HEPATITIS TREATMENT FOR 100% OF ENROLLED CLIENTS REQUIRING TREATMENT WITHIN 30 DAYS OF POSITIVE TEST CONFIRMATION; 3C. PROVIDE HIV PREVENTION EDUCATION AND REFERRAL TO PREP FOR 100% OF ENROLLED CLIENTS CONSIDERED AT HIGH RISK FOR HIV; AND 3D. PROVIDE ANNUAL HIV AND VIRAL HEPATITIS TRAINING TO 100% OF ENGAGE ENC:MAI STAFF, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS WITH A DEVELOPED MOA.

IUSE/PFE:RED: PPSE - TRANSFORMING PROGRAMMERS TO PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE ENGINEERS THROUGH CURRICULAR INNOVATION, INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGY, AND FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

NRT-HDR: FINDING SIGNAL IN THE NOISE TO ENABLE SCIENCE-BASED COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO CHANGE IN COASTAL REGION

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS

NURSING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

SELECTING SPERM WITH DISTINCT METABOLIC PHENOTYPES TO INCREASE ART EFFICIENCY - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT MORE THAN 80,000 BIRTHS IN THE US OCCUR ANNUALLY AS A RESULT OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY (ART). THE SUCCESS OF ART TYPICALLY REQUIRES MULTIPLE EXPENSIVE CYCLES THAT TOGETHER EXCEED MANY US FAMILIES’ YEARLY HOUSEHOLD INCOMES. THE NECESSITY OF MULTIPLE ART CYCLES STEMS IN PART FROM AN INSUFFICIENT NUMBER OF HEALTHY PREIMPLANTATION EMBRYOS. HEALTHY EMBRYOS ARE A DIRECT PRODUCT OF THE HIGHEST-QUALITY GAMETES, YET LIMITED METHODS EXIST TO IDENTIFY THE HIGHEST-QUALITY SPERM. WITHIN THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT, SPERM WITH THE HIGHEST FERTILIZATION COMPETENCE ARE NATURALLY SELECTED BASED ON FUNCTIONAL PARAMETERS – MOTILITY PATTERNS, CHEMOTAXIS, AND THE ACROSOME REACTION. THE BEST FERTILIZATION-COMPETENT SPERM ALSO HAVE THE LOWEST LEVELS OF OXIDATIVE AND DNA DAMAGE. UNFORTUNATELY, CURRENT CLINICAL METHODS FOR SELECTING SPERM FOR INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION (ICSI) DO NOT LEVERAGE THESE PARAMETERS. THE BROAD OBJECTIVE OF THIS APPLICATION IS TO DEFINE THE BIOCHEMICAL MECHANISMS BY WHICH SPERM UNDERGO MOTILITY SWITCHING AND FERTILIZATION COMPETENCE, AND RESULTS WILL BOTH ADVANCE THE STATE OF BASIC KNOWLEDGE AND ENABLE OPTIMIZATION OF IN VITRO SPERM SELECTION TECHNIQUES. THE OPTIMIZATION OF SPERM SELECTION FOR ART WILL IN TURN: 1) INCREASE PRODUCTION OF HEALTHY EMBRYOS; 2) REDUCE AVERAGE NUMBERS OF COSTLY CYCLES; AND THUS 3) LESSEN THE COST BURDEN ON LOWER-INCOME FAMILIES. IN AIM 1, WE WILL UTILIZE COMPLEMENTARY COMPREHENSIVE BIOENERGETIC PHENOTYPING, COMPUTER ASSISTED MOTILITY ANALYSIS (CASA), AND A NOVEL DEHYDROGENASE SCREEN TO DEFINE THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH METABOLITES PREDICTABLY MODULATE THE ESSENTIAL MOTILITY PATTERNS OF MOUSE SPERM. IN AIM 2, WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PREDICTABLE MOTILITY CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO METABOLITES CAN BE USED TO SELECT THE BEST MOUSE SPERM – THOSE WITH NORMAL MORPHOLOGY AND LOW LEVELS OF DNA DAMAGE, THE ABILITY TO NAVIGATE TOWARDS A CHEMOTACTIC SIGNAL AND INITIATE HYPERACTIVE MOTILITY, AND COMPLETE THE ACROSOME REACTION. WE WILL THEN EMPLOY IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF) TO DETERMINE WHETHER MOUSE SPERM SELECTED BASED ON THESE METABOLISM-BASED MOTILITY TRAITS HAVE ENHANCED ABILITY TO GENERATE HEALTHY EMBRYOS. IN AIM 3, WE WILL EXPLOIT OUR EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH MOUSE SPERM TO DEFINE THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES IN THE METABOLISM-BASED MOTILITY RESPONSES OF HUMAN SPERM. THIS PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO IDENTIFY THE MECHANISMS CONNECTING MICROENVIRONMENT TO SPERM FUNCTION AND THEREBY PROVIDE PROOF-OF-CONCEPT FOR THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS TO OPTIMIZE CLINICAL SELECTION OF FERTILIZATION-COMPETENT HUMAN SPERM FOR ART.

PROJECT EDPIRATE (EDUCATOR PIPELINE IN RURAL ACTION FOR TEACHING EQUITY)

GENETIC DETERMINANTS OF LIMB PATHOLOGY IN PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

NEUROIMMUNE MECHANISMS OF KININ B1 RECEPTOR IN HYPERTENSION

ROLE OF B.FRAGILIS OXYGEN STRESS RESPONSE IN INFECTION

NO-INDEPENDENT CGMP REGULATION OF VASCULAR REMODELING

DELINEATION OF BORRELIA BURGDORFERI MOTILITY AND CHEMOTAXIS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF

DEFINING THE ROLE OF THE PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR PROTEASE IN THE EARLY EVENTS THAT ESTABLISH PRIMARY PNEUMONIC PLAGUE - PROJECT SUMMARY PNEUMONIC PLAGUE IS THE DEADLIEST FORM OF DISEASE CAUSED BY YERSINIA PESTIS. EARLY AFTER INFECTION, Y. PESTIS SUBVERTS HOST INNATE IMMUNE MECHANISMS IN THE LUNG AND REPLICATES TO HIGH NUMBERS BEFORE THE ONSET OF LETHAL HOST INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES. AS A RESULT, PNEUMONIC PLAGUE IS DIFFICULT TO TREAT ONCE SYMPTOMS ARE RECOGNIZED. THIS PROPOSAL INTRODUCES THE YERSINIA PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR PROTEASE (PLA) AS AN IMPORTANT MEDIATOR OF EARLY HOST/PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS IN THE LUNG. PLA IS WELL-ESTABLISHED VIRULENCE FACTOR KNOWN TO BE ESSENTIAL TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF PNEUMONIC PLAGUE VIA AN UNKNOWN FUNCTION. THE WORK PROPOSED HERE EXAMINES THE DUAL ROLE OF PLA, AS BOTH AN ADHESIN AND A PROTEASE, DURING PULMONARY INFECTION. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK IS TO DEFINE THE FUNCTION OF THE CRITICAL YERSINIA VIRULENCE FACTOR PLA IN THE EARLY EVENTS OF PNEUMONIC PLAGUE TO UNDERSTAND HOW Y. PESTIS RESISTS CLEARANCE BY HOST INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES TO ESTABLISH AN INITIAL REPLICATIVE PHASE IN THE LUNGS. THE STRATEGY FOR THIS PROPOSAL IS OUTLINED BELOW: SPECIFIC AIM 1. DEFINE THE ROLE OF PLA-MEDIATED T3S DURING PNEUMONIC PLAGUE. THE ADHESIN FUNCTION OF PLA FACILITATES TARGETING OF ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES FOR TYPE 3 SECRETION (T3S) EARLY DURING PNEUMONIC PLAGUE. AIM 1 WILL GENERATE AND TEST MUTANTS OF PLA TO UNDERSTAND HOW PLA MEDIATES ADHERENCE, AND CHARACTERIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF PLA-MEDIATED ADHERENCE AND T3S IN VIVO. FURTHER, THE IMPACT OF PLA-MEDIATED T3S ON HOST CELL INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSES TO T3S WILL BE EVALUATED DURING INFECTION TO UNDERSTAND HOW Y. PESTIS LIMITS HOST RESPONSIVENESS EARLY DURING INFECTION. SPECIFIC AIM 2. CHARACTERIZE NOVEL PROTEOLYTIC FUNCTIONS OF PLA DURING PNEUMONIC PLAGUE. PRELIMINARY DATA HAS IDENTIFIED TWO NOVEL FUNCTIONS OF PLA THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TO PATHOGENESIS. A PROTEOMICS APPROACH WILL BE USED TO IDENTIFY AND CHARACTERIZE PLA PROTEOLYTIC ACTIVITY EARLY DURING PRIMARY PNEUMONIC PLAGUE. SPECIFIC AIM 3. IDENTIFY KEY HOST CELL TYPES AND DYNAMICS RESPONSIBLE FOR ESTABLISHING AN EARLY PRE- INFLAMMATORY DISEASE PHASE DURING PNEUMONIC PLAGUE. PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATES THAT DELETION OF PLA DISRUPTS THE ABILITY OF Y. PESTIS TO LIMIT EARLY INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSES IN THE LUNG. IN AIM 3 WE WILL EVALUATE HOST CELL DYNAMICS AND INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSES IN THE LUNG IN THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF PLA TO UNDERSTAND HOW Y. PESTIS IS ABLE TO SUBVERT INITIAL INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES AND ESTABLISH INFECTION IN THE LUNG.

PROSTATE CANCER RECOVERY ENHANCEMENT (PROCARE) FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN

NEGATIVE IMPACT OF ALCOHOL ON CARDIOVASCULAR NEUROBIOLOGY

GRANTS TO STATES TO SUPPORT ORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE ACTIVITIES

IMPACT OF ORGANIC CATIONS ON MITOCHONDRIAL ENERGETIC DRIVING FORCES AND METABOLIC EFFICIENCY

EVIDENCE-BASED TELE-BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NETWORK PROGRAM

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CO-DESIGNING FOR STATEWIDE ALIGNMENT OF A VISION FOR HIGH QUALITY MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION

PRIMARY CARE TRAINING AND ENHANCEMENT

THIS PROJECT WILL VERIFY, CHARACTERIZE, MONITOR, AND MODEL MULTI-SPECIES FISH SPAWNING AGGREGATIONS (FSAS) IN FEDERAL WATERS OF THE GULF OF AMERICA AND EVALUATE HOW LONG-TERM HABITAT SUITABILITY FOR FSAS IS IMPACTED BY GLOBAL CHANGE. FSAS ARE HOTSPOTS OF BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTIVITY WHERE MULTIPLE FISH SPECIES CONVERGE AT PREDICTABLE LOCATIONS AND TIMES FOR BREEDING. FSAS ARE KEY TO HEALTHY FISH POPULATIONS, BUT INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR LOCATIONS, CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN FSA SITES, AND FSA LONG-TERM TRENDS IS INSUFFICIENT TO INFORM MANAGEMENT DECISIONS. THE GMFMC AND THE FGBNMS SERVE AS OUR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PARTNERS, GIVEN THEIR JURISDICTION TO ENACT SPATIOTEMPORAL REGULATIONS FOR FSA CONSERVATION IN FEDERAL WATERS AND THE SANCTUARY, RESPECTIVELY. THE PROPOSED PROJECT ADDRESSES THE FISH, FISHERIES, AND FISHING COMMUNITIES AREA OF EMPHASIS OF RESTORE. THIS PROJECT ENGAGES INTERESTED PARTIES TO BRIDGE THE SCIENCE-TO-POLICY GAP VIA ADVISORY GROUPS AND A PROCESS TO IDENTIFY PRIORITY FSAS FOR CHARACTERIZATION, MONITORING, AND MODELING. THE PROJECT AIMS TO CONDUCT FIELD RESEARCH TO CHARACTERIZE, VERIFY, AND MONITOR FSA SITES VIA COOPERATIVE RESEARCH WITH FISHERS, VISUAL/VIDEO SURVEYS, AND LONG-TERM BIOPHYSICAL MONITORING. COOPERATIVE BIOPHYSICAL MONITORING OF SIX, PRIORITY, MULTI-SPECIES FSAS IN THE GULF WILL TAKE PLACE IN YEAR 1-5 AS PERMITTED WITH A LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION. ALSO, WE WILL DEVELOP A STUDY FLEET OF FISHERS THAT WILL BE TRAINED AND PERMITTED TO SAMPLE UP TO 120 ADDITIONAL SITES AS PRIORITIZED BY EXPERT RESOURCE END USERS AND SCIENTISTS DURING TWO WORKSHOPS. THIS INVESTMENT IN COOPERATION IS BACKED BY CONTRACTS FOR COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN SUMMING TO 17% OF OUR BUDGET. FINALLY, THE PROJECT WILL MODEL GLOBAL CHANGE AND VARIABILITY IMPACTS ON TRANSIENT FSAS AND CONNECTIVITY. THIS WORK WILL UTILIZE A MULTI-MODEL ECOLOGICAL NICHE MODELING APPROACH TO INVESTIGATE THE SPAWNING HABITATS OF SPECIES FORMING TRANSIENT FSAS. ADDITIONALLY, PARTICLE DISPERSAL MODELING WILL BE UTILIZED TO INVESTIGATE SOURCE/SINK DYNAMICS, EXAMINING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN FGBNMS AND OTHER AREAS OF THE GULF. THIS PROJECT EXPECTS TO PRODUCE A SYNTHESIS OF EXPERT KNOWLEDGE ON FSAS, ALONG WITH VERIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF FSAS IN THE GULF. ADDITIONALLY, FUTURE PROJECTIONS OF CHANGES IN SPAWNING HABITAT SUITABILITY AND PHENOLOGY OF FSA SITES AND ASSESSMENTS OF INTERANNUAL VARIATION IN LARVAL DISPERSAL PATHWAYS WILL BE PRODUCED. ALL NEW DATA PRODUCTS WILL BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE CONSISTENT WITH FAIR (FINDABLE, ACCESSIBLE, INTEROPERABLE, AND REUSABLE) PRINCIPLES THROUGH A DATA PORTAL. CONFIDENTIALITY WILL BE MAINTAINED IN CASES WHERE SHARING SENSITIVE INFORMATION COULD LEAD TO OVERFISHING AT VULNERABLE FSAS. MANAGERS WILL BE UPDATED ABOUT PRODUCTS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR DESIGN THROUGH ADVISORY GROUP MEETINGS AND PRESENTATIONS TO THE GMFMC AND THE FGBNMS SANCTUARY ADVISORY COUNCIL.

BRCA1 IS NECESSARY FOR OPTIMAL SKELETAL MUSCLE FUNCTION

TEAM EXPERIENCES AND MENTORING STRATEGIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

LINKING MITOCHONDRIAL BIOENERGETICS TO MUSCLE INSULIN SENSITIVITY

PREDOCTORAL TRAINING IN GENERAL, PEDIATRIC, AND PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY AND DENTAL HYGIENE

DISES: DRIVERS OF ECOSYSTEM-BASED ADAPTATION TO EXTREME EVENTS IN MANGROVE-REEF SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS -THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES AND INTERACTIONS THAT SHAPE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ECOSYSTEM-BASED ADAPTATION (EBA) TO TROPICAL CYCLONES IN MANGROVE-REEF-DEPENDENT COASTAL COMMUNITIES. EBA HAS EMERGED OVER THE PAST DECADE AS AN ADAPTATION APPROACH THAT FOCUSES ON STRATEGIES SUCH AS RESTORATION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONSERVATION TO HELP REDUCE THE IMPACTS OF EXTREME EVENTS. SEVERAL STUDIES SHOW THAT MANGROVE FORESTS AND CORAL REEFS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE FLOOD DAMAGE TO PEOPLE AND PROPERTY DURING TROPICAL CYCLONE EVENTS, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING VALUABLE RESOURCES SUCH AS TIMBER FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND FUEL IN THEIR AFTERMATH. THESE ECOSYSTEMS ARE, IN TURN, AFFECTED BY CYCLONE IMPACTS AND THE COMMUNITIES THAT USE AND MANAGE THEM. IN OTHER WORDS, EBA ARE AN INHERENTLY DYNAMIC SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM (SES) WITH STRONG FEEDBACKS BETWEEN THE ECOSYSTEMS, THE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES DEPENDING UPON AND MANAGING THEM, AND EXTERNAL SHOCKS LIKE CYCLONES. WITH AN INTEGRATED APPROACH THAT COMBINES SOCIAL, ECOLOGICAL, AND ENGINEERING METHODS, THE INSIGHTS FROM THIS PROJECT WILL INFORM THE DESIGN OF EBA STRATEGIES FOR CYCLONE-PRONE COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE. THE INVESTIGATORS ARE TRAINING GRADUATE STUDENTS TO CONDUCT INTERDISCIPLINARY COASTAL SCIENCE AND RESULTS ARE ENHANCING CURRICULA FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS STUDYING COASTAL ISSUES. RESEARCH OUTCOMES ARE BEING MADE AVAILABLE TO RESOURCE AND DISASTER RISK MANAGERS IN FIJI AND PUERTO RICO THROUGH WORKSHOPS, POLICY BRIEFS AND ONLINE MAPS. THIS PROJECT IS ADVANCING UNDERSTANDING OF HOW ECOSYSTEM-BASED ADAPTATION (EBA) IN MANGROVE-REEF SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS (SES) RESPOND TO CYCLONE IMPACTS AMONG VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES IN FIJI AND PUERTO RICO. BOTH ARE NATURAL RESOURCE-RICH SMALL ISLAND STATES FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCING CYCLONES, YET HAVE DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE SYSTEMS. USING AN SES FRAMEWORK, THIS PROJECT IS IDENTIFYING HOW INTERACTIONS IN A MANGROVE-CORAL REEF SES AND EXTREME EVENTS SHAPE EXISTING AND EMERGING EBA ACTIONS AND OUTCOMES. THE PROJECT TAKES A CONVERGENT APPROACH, COMBINING NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, ECOLOGY, AND ENGINEERING TO ASSESS THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS THAT SHAPE THE IMPLEMENTATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF EBA. THE STUDY INCORPORATES: SOCIAL-SCIENCE METHODS TO IDENTIFY SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND GOVERNANCE DRIVERS OF EBA ACTIONS; REMOTE SENSING METHODS TO DETECT DRIVERS OF ECOLOGICAL CHANGE; AN AGENT-BASED MODEL TO DESCRIBE HOW SOCIAL PROCESSES AND INTERACTIONS WITH THE ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCE EBA ACTIONS, AND; A COASTAL FLOOD DAMAGE MODEL TO QUANTIFY THE FLOOD PROTECTION BENEFITS DERIVED UNDER DIFFERENT SCENARIOS OF MANGROVE AND REEF ECOSYSTEM EXTENT AND CONDITION. OUTPUTS FROM THESE METHODS WILL DEVELOP PREDICTIONS OF THE SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL OUTCOMES OF EBA UNDER DIFFERENT SCENARIOS OF FUTURE CYCLONE EVENTS AND MANGROVE-REEF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. RESULTS WILL INFORM FUTURE EBA EFFORTS ON SIMILAR COASTLINES WORLDWIDE. 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 FUNCTION OF CLAUDIN-7 IN RENAL EPITHELIAL CELLS

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES IN GRANULOMATOUS DISEASE

HYALURONAN-CELL INTERACTIONS IN CARTILAGE

ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION WORKFORCE

INTERFERONS AS ADJUVANTS FOR TOLEROGENIC VACCINES

HEALTHY MARRIAGE DEMONSTRATION, PRIORITY AREA 8

THE ELWHA SCIENCE EDUCATION PROJECT (ESEP): INCREASING THE REPRESENTATION IN THE GEOSCIENCES BY NATIVE AMERICAN YOUTH THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN ENVI

BAFF 60MER AS A NOVEL THERAPEUTIC TARGET FOR VASCULAR DISEASES

COLLAGEN-DERIVED PEPTIDES TO TARGET INFLAMMATION IN MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION - PROJECT SUMMARY MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (MI) LEADS TO THE GENERATION OF A SCAR THAT IS MOSTLY CONSTITUTED BY CARDIAC EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX (ECM). THE BALANCE BETWEEN DEGRADATION AND DEPOSITION OF ECM IS A STRONG PREDICTOR OF CLINICAL OUTCOMES. ECM DEGRADATION OCCURS BY MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES (MMPS); AND ECM DEPOSITION OCCURS BY CARDIAC FIBROBLASTS. BOTH ECM DEGRADATION AND DEPOSITION PROMOTE ADVERSE REMODELING AND PROGRESSION TO HEART FAILURE. WITHIN THE MMP FAMILY, MMP-9 HAS BEEN REPORTED AS A PROGNOSTIC INDICATOR OF CARDIAC DYSFUNCTION IN MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (MI) PATIENTS; AS MMP-9 LEVELS DIRECTLY ASSOCIATE WITH PATIENT MORTALITY. THUS, THE ADVANTAGE OF INHIBITING MMP-9 AFTER MI HAS BEEN LONG RECOGNIZED. HOWEVER, CLINICAL TRIALS USING GLOBAL MMP-9 INHIBITION HAVE MOSTLY FAILED BOTH DUE TO LACK OF MMP INHIBITOR SPECIFICITY AND IMPORTANCE OF MMP-9 IN SEVERAL ESSENTIAL PROCESSES. WE RECENTLY IDENTIFIED AN ECM-DERIVED PEPTIDE (P1159) THAT ACTS AS A COMPETITIVE AND SPECIFIC MMP-9 SUBSTRATE. HEREIN, WE PROPOSE USE OF P1159 TO MODULATE MMP-9 CLEAVAGE OF NATIVE SUBSTRATES POST-MI. THIS APPROACH DOES NOT INHIBIT MMP-9 ACTIVITY, ALLOWING IT TO PARTICIPATE IN ESSENTIAL PROCESSES; INSTEAD, IT MODULATES MMP-9 PROTEOLYTIC CAPACITY TO REDUCE CLEAVAGE OF ENDOGENOUS SUBSTRATES THAT PROMOTE INFLAMMATION AND INHIBIT REPAIR. THE SYNTHETIC PEPTIDE P1159 IS A MIMETIC OF THE NATURALLY FORMED FRAGMENT C-1158/59 GENERATED BY MMP-9 CLEAVAGE OF COLLAGEN POST-MI. IN HUMANS, PLASMA LEVELS OF ENDOGENOUS C-1158/59 POST-MI CORRELATE WITH LOWER LEFT VENTRICLE FILLING PRESSURE, INDICATING A THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF C-1158/59. INDEED, MICE TREATED WITH EXOGENOUS P1159 POST-MI DISPLAY LESS LV DILATION, REDUCED INFLAMMATION AND FIBROSIS, AND IMPROVED CARDIAC FUNCTION. IN VITRO, WE IDENTIFIED INTEGRIN A4 (ITGA4) AS A PEPTIDE RECEPTOR. WHILE WE KNOW THAT EXOGENOUS DELIVERY IS BENEFICIAL, HOW P1159 REGULATES POST-MI INFLAMMATION AND ECM DEPOSITION HAS NOT BEEN MECHANISTICALLY DISSECTED. ACCORDINGLY, THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS OF THIS PROPOSAL IS THAT P1159 BLUNTS ADVERSE REMODELING AFTER MI BY SERVING AS A COMPETITIVE SUBSTRATE TO REDUCE MMP-9 PROTEOLYSIS OF SUBSTRATES NECESSARY FOR PROMOTION OF INFLAMMATION AND ECM DEPOSITION. TO ELUCIDATE THE MODE-OF-ACTION AND SIGNALING PATHWAYS MEDIATED BY P1159 IN THE POST-MI SETTING, WE WILL USE CELL-SPECIFIC ITGA4 TRANSGENIC ANIMALS TO IDENTIFY THE MECHANISMS WHEREBY P1159 TEMPERS THE POST-MI INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE, MODULATES CARDIAC FIBROBLAST SIGNALING TO REDUCE ECM SECRETION; AND PROMOTES MACROPHAGE-FIBROBLAST CROSSTALK.

RUI: CNH2-L: AN INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTIONS, POLICY, AND LAND USE IMPACT ON COASTAL AGRICULTURAL WATERSHED RESILIENCE

EFFECT OF MATERNAL EXERCISE IN WOMEN WITH OBESITY ON OFFSPRING MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL METABOLISM - PROJECT SUMMARY OBESITY IN PREGNANCY INCREASES THE RISK FOR EXCESSIVE ADIPOSITY IN OFFSPRING, WHICH TRACKS INTO ADULTHOOD AND CAN PERPETUATE ACROSS GENERATIONS. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA AND PUBLISHED STUDIES INDICATE THAT EXERCISE INITIATED DURING PREGNANCY IN SEDENTARY WOMEN WITH OBESITY LOWERS INFANT BMI Z-SCORES AND BODY FAT PERCENTAGE. THESE BENEFITS TO INFANT HEALTH ARE MORE PROFOUND WITH RESISTANCE EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY. HOWEVER, THERE ARE FEW MECHANISTIC STUDIES IN HUMANS AIMED AT DISCERNING MECHANISMS OF MATERNAL EXERCISE-INDUCED CHANGES TO INFANT CELLULAR METABOLISM. OUR FINDINGS SUPPORT THE USE OF INFANT UMBILICAL CORD-DERIVED MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (MSCS) AS A MODEL TO EXPLORE OFFSPRING CELLULAR PHENOTYPES IN HUMANS. IMPORTANTLY, THESE MSCS ARE OF THE SAME LINEAGE THAT DERIVE POSTNATAL TISSUES AND THUS, CAN BE DIFFERENTIATED INTO MESODERMAL CELL TYPES IMPORTANT FOR REGULATING WHOLE-BODY METABOLISM, SUCH AS MYOCYTES AND ADIPOCYTES. WE HAVE EVIDENCE OF IMPROVED CELLULAR PHENOTYPE IN INFANT MSCS EXPOSED TO MATERNAL AEROBIC EXERCISE (AE) WITH THE GREATEST IMPROVEMENTS IN MSC METABOLISM FROM MATERNAL RESISTANCE EXERCISE (RE). THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED STUDY IS TO DETERMINE IF MATERNAL EXERCISE MITIGATES THE ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES OF GESTATIONAL OBESITY EXPOSURE USING THE MSC MODEL IN AN ANCILLARY STUDY FROM A PARENT GRANT THAT IS RANDOMIZING PREGNANT WOMEN WITH OBESITY TO AE, RE, OR USUAL CARE CONTROL. A SECONDARY OBJECTIVE IS TO DETERMINE IF THE MSC METABOLIC PROFILES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INFANT WHOLE-BODY HEALTH OUTCOMES AT 1-, 6-, AND 12-MONTHS OF AGE. WE WILL TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS IN 64 SUBJECTS FROM THE PARENT TRIAL. IN AIM 1, WE WILL DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF MATERNAL EXERCISE IN WOMEN WITH OBESITY ON INFANT MSC SUBSTRATE METABOLISM AND BIOENERGETIC EFFICIENCY. THESE DATA WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH INFANT WHOLE-BODY RESTING ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND SUBSTRATE OXIDATION VIA INDIRECT CALORIMETRY OVER THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE. IN AIM 2, WE WILL DETERMINE THE ROLE OF MATERNAL EXERCISE MODE IN WOMEN WITH OBESITY ON INFANT MSC ADIPOGENESIS AND LIPID STORAGE. THESE DATA WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH INFANT BODY COMPOSITION AS MEASURED BY DXA OVER THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE. IN AIM 3, MSCS WILL UNDERGO A MULTIOMICS APPROACH WHERE WE WILL IDENTIFY CANDIDATE GENES AND EPIGENETIC SIGNATURES OF MATERNAL EXERCISE MODE. THESE OUTCOMES WILL BE CORRELATED WITH BLOOD METABOLOMIC MEASURES IN THE INFANT TO ESTABLISH GENE-METABOLITE PATHWAYS. LEVERAGING A LARGE, RIGOROUS RCT IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH OBESITY, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST STUDY TO IDENTIFY HOW MATERNAL EXERCISE AFFECTS OFFSPRING CELLULAR METABOLISM. THIS WORK WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT BY TRANSLATING INFANT CELLULAR METABOLIC DATA WITH WHOLE-BODY METABOLIC DATA ACROSS THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE.

FOSTERING TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGH A PROJECT?BASED LEARNING COMMUNITY

USING A MICROCREDENTIAL MODEL TO PREPARE SECONDARY MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF RURAL, HIGH-NEED DISTRICTS -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL NEED TO PREPARE SECONDARY MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS WHO ARE EQUIPPED FOR THE CHALLENGES OF TEACHING IN RURAL, HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. WORKING WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES, THE PROJECT WILL RECRUIT PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS AND PROVIDE SPECIALIZED TRAINING USING A MICROCREDENTIAL MODEL FOCUSED ON THE NEEDS OF RURAL COMMUNITIES. PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE MENTORING SUPPORT BY PARTNERING THEM WITH PREVIOUS NOYCE SCHOLARS. THROUGH THIS SUPPORT AND TRAINING THE PROJECT AIMS TO INCREASE BOTH THE NUMBER AND QUALITY OF SECONDARY MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS AVAILABLE TO THE RURAL COMMUNITIES IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. THIS PROJECT AT EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY (ECU) INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH GREENE COUNTY SCHOOLS, PITT COUNTY SCHOOLS, PITT COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AND THE EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY RURAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE. THE PROJECT WILL RECRUIT 30 FUTURE SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS OVER A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD. STUDENTS WILL EARN A DOUBLE MAJOR IN SCIENCE/SCIENCE EDUCATION OR MATHEMATICS/MATHEMATICS EDUCATION. THEY WILL RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT DURING THEIR LAST TWO YEARS OF A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (BS) PROGRAM. THE OVERARCHING GOAL IS TO PROVIDE TRAINING AND SUPPORT TO BETTER PREPARE SECONDARY MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS TO MEET THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF RURAL, HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. TO MEET THIS GOAL, THE PROJECT HAS FOUR OBJECTIVES. FIRST IS TO PROVIDE SPECIALIZED EDUCATION AND SUPPORT FOR SCHOLARS USING A MICROCREDENTIAL MODEL WITH VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATIONS. SECOND IS TO BUILD A NOYCE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY BY LEVERAGING THE EXPERTISE OF SCHOLARS FROM PREVIOUS ECU NOYCE GRANTS. THIRD IS TO OPTIMIZE RECRUITMENT BY BUILDING STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS WITH RURAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES. THE FOURTH AND FINAL OBJECTIVE IS TO EVALUATE THE TEACHING OF SCHOLARS AND CONDUCT RESEARCH THAT INFORMS THE PREPARATION OF HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS TO TEACH EFFECTIVELY IN RURAL, HIGH-NEED SCHOOLS. IN ADDITION TO PREPARING 30 NEW MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS, THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY HOW THE USE OF MICROCREDENTIALS AND VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATIONS IMPACT THE KNOWLEDGE OF, COMPETENCIES FOR, AND SELF-EFFICACY OF HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS TO IMPLEMENT CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING PRACTICES DURING THEIR CLINICAL EXPERIENCES AND EARLY YEARS OF TEACHER INDUCTION. ADDITIONALLY, THE MICROCREDENTIALS CREATED AS A PRODUCT OF THIS PROJECT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN OTHER CONTEXTS, INCLUDING OTHER EDUCATOR PREPARATION OR TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. THIS TRACK 1: SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS, PROJECT IS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROGRAM SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE K-12 STEM TEACHERS AND EXPERIENCED, EXEMPLARY K-12 TEACHERS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTIVENESS AND RETENTION OF K-12 STEM TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

INSTITUTIONAL PORTION - CARES ACT HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND

THE ROLE OF RETINOID EXPOSURE IN SPECIFICATION OF THE FOUNDATIONAL SSC POOL

REDOX BIOLOGY AND MUSCLE INSULIN SENSITIVITY

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING TRAINEESHIP

ELUCIDATING THE ROLE OF FTZ-F1 AS A MEDIATOR OF STEROID HORMONE-DEPENDENT ACTIVITY IN STEM CELLS AND THEIR PROGENY

PREDOCTORAL TRAINING IN GENERAL, PEDIATRIC, AND PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY AND DENTAL HYGIENE

UNKNOWN TITLE

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING TRAINEESHIP

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

REGULATION OF HTLV-1 AND CELLULAR GENE TRANSCRIPTION BY THE VIRAL PROTEIN HBZ

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT TRAINING IN PRIMARY CARE

LIGAND SPECIFICITY IN HUMAN GLUCOSE TRANSPORTERS GLUT1-5 AND GLUT9

OPIOID WORKFORCE EXPANSION PROGRAM- PROFESSIONAL

INTERPROFESSIONAL AUTISM COLLABORATIVE TRAINING – PROJECT INTERACT (ABSOLUTE PRIORITY, 84.325K) FOCUS AREA B

ROADS TO LEARNING AND EARNING: PREPARING PERSONNEL TO IMPROVE POST-SCHOOL OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

CAREER: UNCOVERING MECHANISMS OF FILOPODIA-BASED SYNAPTOGENESIS -THE BRAIN SUPPORTS COMPLEX COGNITIVE PROCESSES, SUCH AS LEARNING AND MEMORY. THESE COMPLEX PROCESSES REQUIRE INFORMATION TRANSFER WITHIN THE BRAIN. SYNAPSES MEDIATE THIS INFORMATION TRANSFER. YET, IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT THE EXACT WAYS THAT SYNAPSES FORM IN BRAIN DEVELOPMENT ARE STILL UNKNOWN. TO ADDRESS THIS CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP, THIS PROJECT EXAMINES SYNAPSE FORMATION IN RODENT AND HUMAN BRAIN DEVELOPMENT USING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNIQUES FOR GROWING DEVELOPING BRAIN CIRCUITS IN TISSUE CULTURE PREPARATIONS, WHICH ALLOW US UNRIVALLED EXPERIMENTAL ACCESS TO DEVELOPING SYNAPSES. USING THESE TOOLS TO UNCOVER THE DETAILED MECHANISMS OF SYNAPSE FORMATION WILL ENABLE US TO GAIN NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE EMERGENCE OF COMPLEX COGNITIVE PROCESSES. SINCE THIS PROJECT STUDIES BOTH RODENT AND HUMAN SYNAPSE FORMATION, IT WILL LEAD TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF SHARED AND UNIQUE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING SYNAPSE FORMATION IN THESE TWO. BY INTEGRATING THIS RESEARCH WITH SCIENTIFIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO INCREASE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL, UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS. STUDENTS WILL BE EXPOSED TO DIVERSE SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES, INCLUDING NEUROSCIENCE AND STEM CELL BIOLOGY. THROUGH THE USE OF HUMAN BRAIN MODELS, STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP SKILLS IN TISSUE ENGINEERING. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A MICROSCOPY COURSE FOR UNDERGRADUATES TO LEARN ADVANCED MICROSCOPY TECHNIQUES. FURTHERMORE, THE USE OF MICROSCOPY IN THIS RESEARCH WILL RESULT IN BOTH INFORMATIVE AND BEAUTIFUL IMAGES. THIS PROJECT WILL SHARE THE BEAUTY OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY WITH THE COMMUNITY BY PUBLICLY DISPLAYING MICROSCOPY IMAGES IN THE COMMUNITY. ART WILL ALSO BE USED AS A MEDIUM TO EXPLORE SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS WITH K-12 STUDENTS. THUS, THIS PROJECT WILL CULTIVATE STUDENT AND COMMUNITY SCIENCE APPRECIATION AND INTEREST, WHILE ALSO EQUIPPING A FUTURE GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNICAL SKILLS TO TACKLE DIFFICULT BIOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. EXCITATORY SYNAPSES ARE AN IMPORTANT BASIS OF INFORMATION TRANSFER IN NEURAL CIRCUITS WHICH GIVE RISE TO COMPLEX COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS THAT INITIATE EXCITATORY SYNAPSE FORMATION IN DEVELOPING NEURAL CIRCUITS ARE UNCLEAR. TO ADDRESS THIS GAP, THIS RESEARCH FOCUSES ON TWO FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS: 1) WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR PRE- AND POST- SYNAPTIC COMPARTMENTS TO INITIALLY ADHERE? AND 2) WHAT DETERMINES WHETHER THIS ASSOCIATION PERSISTS AND MATURES? THE SET OF EXPERIMENTS WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT POST-SYNAPTIC DENDRITIC FILOPODIA PROMOTE SYNAPSE FORMATION IN DEVELOPING NEURAL CIRCUITS. THESE EXPERIMENTS ARE DESIGNED TO TEST THE MOLECULAR REQUIREMENTS FOR FILOPODIA TO PARTICIPATE IN DISTINCT STAGES OF EXCITATORY SYNAPSE FORMATION: AXON ASSOCIATION, CONTACT STABILIZATION, AND MORPHOLOGICAL MATURATION. NEURONS WILL BE CO-CULTURED IN MICROFLUIDIC SYSTEMS TO ISOLATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PRE- AND POST-SYNAPTIC COMPARTMENTS TO SYNAPTOGENESIS. CRISPR INTERFERENCE WILL BE USED TO ALTER THE EXPRESSION OF SPECIFIC MOLECULES EITHER SEPARATELY OR IN COMBINATION AND ASSESS THE RESULTING IMPACT TO SYNAPSE FORMATION WITH CONFOCAL AND STORM MICROSCOPY. FLUORESCENT BIOSENSORS WILL BE USED TO PERTURB AND MONITOR FILOPODIA-MEDIATED SIGNALING EVENTS. SYNAPSE FORMATION WILL BE OBSERVED IN LIVE NEURON CULTURES AND FIXED BRAIN TISSUE FROM BOTH MICE AND HUMANS. THIS RESEARCH WILL ALSO COMPARE REGIONAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SYNAPSE FORMATION IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS AND CORTEX. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS RESEARCH WILL RESULT IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF CONSERVED MECHANISMS OF FILOPODIA-MEDIATED SYNAPTOGENESIS, WHILE ALSO UNCOVERING REGIONAL AND SPECIES-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN FILOPODIAL POPULATIONS. 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.

ALTERATION OF CIRCADIAN RHYTHM AND SLEEP BY HIV PROTEIN TAT

ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION GRANTS

TELEHEALTH NETWORK GRANT PROGRAM

INVESTIGATING TEACHERS' USE OF TASKS, DISCOURSE, AND TECHNOLOGY IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS

COLLABORATING TO OVERCOME NEEDS BY IMPROVING THE VOICE OF EXCEPTIONAL YOUTH

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NOYCE SCHOLARS PROGRAM: RECRUITING, PREPARING, AND RETAINING SECONDARY MATHEMATICS TEACHERS FOR HIGH-NEED SCHOOLS -THE PROJECT AIMS TO MEET THE NATIONAL NEED TO RECRUIT AND TRAIN HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHERS IN THE RURAL AREAS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. IT WILL COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOP COHORT-BASED, PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS, ENERGIZED BY COMMUNITY COLLEGES SERVING WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, THROUGH A THREE-PRONGED APPROACH: CURRICULAR SUPPORT, EARLY FIELD EXPERIENCES, AND MENTORING. PARTICIPANTS WILL BENEFIT FROM FOCUSED ADVISING AND SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION TO ENSURE DIRECT AND SUCCESSFUL MATRICULATION. THROUGH PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE, REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE, AND VALUABLE NETWORKING AND MENTORING, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF MOTIVATED, QUALITY SECONDARY MATHEMATICS TEACHERS AVAILABLE TO HIGH-NEED SCHOOLS IN RURAL WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. THIS PROJECT AT WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH SEVERAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES, HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCIES (LEAS), AND THE NON-PROFIT PARTNER, SMOKY MOUNTAIN MATH TEACHERS' CIRCLE. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER AND DIVERSITY OF TALENTED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND TO GRADUATE AT LEAST TWENTY-ONE (21) MATHEMATICS MAJORS CERTIFIED TO TEACH SECONDARY MATHEMATICS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THE PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY A DETAILED FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE EVALUATION PLAN FOCUSED ON DETERMINING THE IMPACT AND EFFICACY OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES. NEW KNOWLEDGE IS ANTICIPATED REGARDING RECRUITMENT FROM AND INTERACTIONS WITH COMMUNITY COLLEGES, THE VALUE OF INTERNSHIPS IN RECRUITING PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS, AND THE IMPACT OF TEACHING CIRCLES ON NETWORKING AND PRE-SERVICE TEACHER DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL SETTINGS. PROACTIVE DISSEMINATION OF THE PROJECT'S FINDINGS AND OUTCOMES IS PLANNED FOR MATHEMATICS, MATHEMATICS EDUCATION, AND THE WIDER STEM EDUCATION COMMUNITIES THROUGH PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS AT NATIONAL AND REGIONAL CONFERENCES, LOCAL SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS THROUGH THE NORTH CAROLINA MATH TEACHERS' CIRCLES. THIS TRACK 1: SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROGRAM SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE K-12 STEM TEACHERS AND EXPERIENCED, EXEMPLARY K-12 TEACHERS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTIVENESS AND RETENTION OF K-12 STEM TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

TRIO - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND

SUPERSTRUCTURAL PARTICLE EVALUATION AND CHARACTERIZATION WITH TARGETED REACTION ANALYSIS (SPECTRA). RESEARCH AREA 7 CHEMISTRY: 7.5 SURFACES AND CAT

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR PROFESSIONALS AND PARAPROFESSIONALS

PATTERNS OF ENERGY DEPOSITION OF HZE PARTILES IN C ELLULAR TARGETS

ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION GRANTS

ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION GRANTS

TRIAL OF NALTREXONE AND DEXTROMETHORPHAN FOR GULF WAR

COMPASS (CHILDCARE ON CAMPUS MAXIMIZING PARENTS' ACADEMIC SUPPORT AND SUCCESS)

CARDIO-VASCULAR IMPACT OF INHALED MULTI-WALL CARBON NANOTUBES

NURSING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

GENETIC BASIS FOR GRAVITY RECEPTOR DYSFUNCTION IN MICE

INTEGRATING THE COMPUTER SCIENCE AND COMPUTATIONAL THINKING IN THREE RURAL EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL DISTRICTS

NURSE EDUCATION PRACTICE, QUALITY AND RETENTION

ADVANCE ADAPTATION: THRIVE AT EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY (ECU): TOWARDS HIRING, RESOURCES, INCLUSION, VALUE AND EXCELLENCE

DON'T WAIT-COMMUNICATE: DISASTER MENTAL HEALTH PREPARATION AND RESPONSE IN RURAL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES

FOODMASTER: IMPACTING MIDDLE GRADE SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

SOLID-STATE NMR STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATIONS OF POLYMORPHIC TRANSTHYRETIN AMYLOIDS

COACHING AND RETENTION FOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS: IMPROVING LOW-INCOME STUDENT SUCCESS IN ENGINEERING WITH INNOVATIVE MENTORING AND EARLY INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES -THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL NEED FOR WELL-EDUCATED SCIENTISTS, MATHEMATICIANS, ENGINEERS, AND TECHNICIANS BY SUPPORTING THE RETENTION AND GRADUATION OF HIGH-ACHIEVING, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED AT COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY, A PUBLIC COMPREHENSIVE LIBERAL ARTS INSTITUTION LOCATED IN CONWAY, SOUTH CAROLINA. OVER ITS 6-YEAR DURATION, THIS PROJECT WILL FUND SCHOLARSHIPS TO 11 UNIQUE FULL-TIME STUDENTS WHO ARE PURSUING BACHELOR?S DEGREES IN ENGINEERING SCIENCE. FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE UP TO FOUR YEARS OF SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT. THE PROJECT AIMS TO INCREASE STUDENT PERSISTENCE AND DEGREE ATTAINMENT IN ENGINEERING BY LINKING SCHOLARSHIPS WITH EFFECTIVE SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING SUMMER BRIDGE COURSES, MENTORING, AND EARLY PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING EXPERIENCES. WITH THE HELP OF A TAILORED FIRST-YEAR CURRICULUM AND MENTOR COACHING, THE SCHOLARS WILL OBTAIN EMPLOYMENT IN INDUSTRY AS ENGINEERING INTERNS DURING THEIR SUMMER TERM AS RISING SOPHOMORES. SCHOLARS WILL RECEIVE JOB-SITE MENTORING FROM PRACTICING ENGINEERS AT THE PROJECT?S INDUSTRY PARTNERS WHO WILL PROVIDE AND SUPERVISE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES. THE PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE IMPROVED PRACTICES IN MENTORING, ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF CURRICULUM IMPROVEMENTS, AND EFFECTIVE MECHANISMS FOR INDUSTRY FEEDBACK INTO HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULA. BECAUSE THE ENGINEERING SCIENCE PROGRAM AT COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY HAS A HIGH POPULATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS, THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN ENGINEERING AND TO LEARN HOW MENTORING AND EARLY INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES SUPPORT RETENTION AND GRADUATION OF THIS STUDENT POPULATION. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE STEM DEGREE COMPLETION OF LOW-INCOME, HIGH-ACHIEVING UNDERGRADUATES WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED. TOWARDS THIS END THE PROJECT TEAM WILL PURSUE THREE SPECIFIC AIMS. FIRST IS TO ACCOMMODATE DEVELOPMENTAL MATH-READY ENGINEERING STUDENTS USING A TWO-COURSE SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM, INTEGRATING A MATH BOOT CAMP AND AN ENGINEERING GRAPHICS COURSE, LINKED BY A FUN, SKILLS-FOCUSED, EXPLORATORY RAPID-PROTOTYPING DESIGN PROJECT. SECOND IS TO ENHANCE STUDENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS THROUGH A PROGRAM OF MENTORING FOCUSED ON SELF-REGULATED LEARNING STRATEGIES. THIRD, AND FINALLY, IS TO CONFER SELF-EFFICACY AND MOTIVATIONAL BENEFITS ACCRUING TO DEGREE COMPLETION, THROUGH A CULMINATING, EARLY ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF SUMMER BRIDGE COURSES, MENTORING, AND EARLY INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES ON STUDENTS? SELF-EFFICACY AND OUTCOMES EXPECTATIONS, INTEREST, AND SATISFACTION IN ENGINEERING, IN THE FRAMEWORK OF SOCIAL COGNITIVE CAREER THEORY. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE FACTORS IN THESE PROJECT INTERVENTIONS THAT RESULT IN HIGH SATISFACTION AND PERSISTENCE TO DEGREE COMPLETION FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS IN ENGINEERING. EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT WILL BE CONDUCTED IN LIGHT OF SOCIAL COGNITIVE CAREER THEORY. MENTORING REPORTS, INTERNSHIP COVER LETTERS, WORKPLACE COMPETENCY ASSESSMENTS, STUDENT INTERVIEWS, AND MOTIVATED STRATEGIES FOR LEARNING QUESTIONNAIRES WILL BE ANALYZED FOR BENEFITS TO STUDENTS' MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AND VIEWS OF ENGINEERING AND INSTITUTIONAL DATA WILL BE EXAMINED FOR IMPACTS ON ENGINEERING PROGRAM PROGRESSION AND COMPLETION. RESULTS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE BY A PROJECT PAGE WITH THE OPEN SCIENCE FRAMEWORK, WHERE ALL RELEVANT PROJECT MATERIALS WILL BE STORED AND PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY NSF?S SCHOLARSHIPS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LOW-INCOME ACADEMICALLY TALENTED STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED WHO EARN DEGREES IN STEM FIELDS. IT ALSO AIMS TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION OF FUTURE STEM WORKERS, AND TO GENERATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ACADEMIC SUCCESS, RETENTION, TRANSFER, GRADUATION, AND ACADEMIC/CAREER PATHWAYS OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CLIMATE CHANGE FACILITIES ADAPTATION SUPPORT

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING (BHWET) PROGRAM

BRUCELLA STATIONARY PHASE GENE EXPRESSION AND VIRULENCE

NURSING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS FOR COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMMING SUPPORTS A COMPREHENSIVE NETWORK OF COOPERATIVE STUDY UNITS TO FACILITATE COOPERATIVE RESEARCH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING TO INFORM SCIENCE-BASED MANAGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM. THE STUDY UNITS FACILITATE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY SCIENCE AND INTEGRATED INFORMATION PRODUCTS ACROSS MULTIPLE GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM. THIS PROJECT WILL APPLY PROTOCOLS DEVELOPED IN 2016 AND UPDATED IN 2022 TO ASSESS THE VULNERABILITY OF CLIMATE CHANGE (CCVA) AND ITS IMPACT ON COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR REMAINING COASTAL PARK UNITS FOR WHICH A CCVA DOES NOT EXIST TO BETTER PROTECT THESE RESOURCES FROM RISK OF DAMAGE AND LOSS. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO UPDATE CCVA AND ADAPTATION OPTIONS INFORMATION WHERE NEEDED TO INFORM CRITICAL MANAGEMENT DECISIONS FOR PARK UNITS SERVICE-WIDE AND ENGAGE WITH NPS CONTRACTORS, PARTNERS, THE PUBLIC IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADAPTATION PLANS AS A PART OF PLANNING FOR NPS COASTAL UNITS AND GATEWAY COMMUNITIES. THIS INFORMATION WILL PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND EXAMPLES TO LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES AND MANAGERS OF HISTORIC STRUCTURES AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE ALONG THE COASTLINE, AS WELL AS WITHIN THE BROADER RESEARCH AND LAND MANAGEMENT COMMUNITIES, TO ADAPT COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURAL HAZARDS. THIS PROJECT WILL ENGAGE STUDENTS WHO WILL DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AS THE NEXT GENERATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION SPECIALISTS.

BRUCELLA IRON METABOLISM IN HOST MACROPHAGES

CANNABINOID-ALTERED VOCAL DEVELOPMENT

TELEHEALTH NETWORK GRANT PROGRAM

MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION NOYCE SCHOLARS PROGRAM

IDENTIFYING THE FUNCTION OF THE FIBRIN(OGEN) ALPHA-C CONNECTOR REGION

REDUCTION IN CVD RISK IN CHILDREN BY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

MITOCHONDRIAL BIOENERGETICS AND ETIOLOGY OF INSULIN RESISTANCE

TRANSLATIONAL CONTROL DURING FETAL MALE GERM CELL DEVELOPMENT

MRI: ACQUISITION OF AN ION ACCELERATOR AND INSTRUMENTATION UPGRADE

CAREER: ANALYSIS OF MICRORNA FUNCTION IN MAIZE INFLORESCENCE DEVELOPMENT

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: HOW A BIOGEOGRAPHIC BARRIER AFFECTS RANGE SHIFTS IN MARINE FISH POPULATIONS -THIS RESEARCH WILL ADVANCE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SPECIES TRAITS AND OCEANOGRAPHIC PROCESSES INTERACT TO CHANGE THE DISTRIBUTION OF MARINE FISH POPULATIONS. THE INVESTIGATORS WILL COMBINE STATISTICAL MODELING OF SPECIES DISTRIBUTIONS, PHYSIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS, AND A FIELD CAMPAIGN IN A STUDY SYSTEM THAT INCLUDES A STRONG BIOGEOGRAPHIC BARRIER, OR OCEAN CONVERGENCE ZONE, IN THE MID-ATLANTIC BIGHT ON THE US CONTINENTAL SHELF. RESULTS WILL INFORM LOCAL AND REGIONAL MARINE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT. THE PROJECT ALSO INCLUDES A SUBSTANTIAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMPONENT, FOCUSING ON COURSEWORK AND PAID INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, INCLUDING FOR THOSE ATTENDING UNIVERSITIES WITHOUT MARINE SCIENCE OR OCEANOGRAPHY CURRICULA. THIS PROJECT IS ADVANCING FUNDAMENTAL ECOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SPECIES TRAITS AND OCEANOGRAPHIC PROCESSES INTERACT TO SHAPE RANGE SHIFTS IN MARINE ECOSYSTEMS, PARTICULARLY ACROSS STRONG BIOGEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS. POLEWARD SHIFTS HAVE BEEN WIDELY DOCUMENTED GLOBALLY, AND CURRENT THEORY ASSUMES THAT TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL SPECIES WILL NATURALLY REPLACE TEMPERATE SPECIES AS OCEANS WARM. THIS STUDY CHALLENGES THAT ASSUMPTION BY FOCUSING ON THE MECHANISMS OF RANGE SHIFTS IN REGIONS WHERE STEEP ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENTS CONSTRAIN DISPERSAL. BY EXAMINING HISTORICAL DATA WITH NOVEL SPATIOTEMPORAL TECHNIQUES, CONDUCTING THE FIRST ICHTHYOPLANKTON SURVEYS IN THE STUDY REGION IN OVER TWENTY YEARS, AND COMBINING OBSERVATIONS WITH NOVEL TRAIT-BASED APPROACHES, THIS RESEARCH IS ADDRESSING THE QUESTION OF WHY SOME SPECIES SUCCESSFULLY CROSS BIOGEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS WHEREAS OTHERS DO NOT, EVEN WHEN PHYSICAL TRANSPORT IS POSSIBLE. THE APPROACH INTEGRATES TRAIT-BASED ECOLOGY, POPULATION DYNAMICS, FIELD OBSERVATIONS AND LABORATORY STUDIES TO BUILD A PREDICTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR SPECIES COLONIZATION AND TESTS HYPOTHESES REGARDING SHELF- MEDIATED DISPERSAL PATHWAYS, THE ROLE OF WARM-SEASON CONNECTIVITY, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THERMAL NICHE BREADTH IN OVERCOMING PHYSIOLOGICAL AND DISPERSAL BARRIERS. THE FRAMEWORK IS APPLICABLE TO OTHER REGIONS WORLDWIDE, IMPROVING PREDICTIVE MODELS OF MARINE BIODIVERSITY SHIFTS AND INFORMING FISHERIES AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. 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.

22-COASTAL22-0023 COASTAL RESILIENCE OVER TIME - FEEDBACKS BETWEEN COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS CYCLONE ACTIVITY AND COASTAL PROTECTION BENEFITS

PRIMARY CARE TRAINING AND ENHANCEMENT

OPERATION REENTRY NC:VETERAN RESILIENCY AND REINTEGRATION

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING GRANTS

USING PSYCHOPHYSICAL METHODS TO UNDERSTAND AND IMPROVE SPEECH RECOGNITION IN COCHLEAR IMPLANT USERS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: IMPLEMENTATION GRANT: LEADING INCLUSIVE TRANSFORMATION IN GEOSCIENCE VIA AN INTERCULTURAL NETWORK OF LEARNING ECOSYSTEMS - LIT GEO -THROUGH THE LEADING INCLUSIVE TRANSFORMATION IN THE GEOSCIENCES (LIT GEO) PROGRAM, GEOSCIENTISTS FROM NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO-ARECIBO, AND EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY WILL DEVELOP AN INTERCULTURAL NETWORK OF RESEARCH AND LEARNING ECOSYSTEMS. BY LEVERAGING THE STRENGTHS OF DIFFERENT ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, LIT GEO WILL DEVELOP AWARENESS STRATEGIES TO CONTRIBUTE TO CULTURALLY TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICES IN GEOSCIENCE. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO HOW CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMS CONTRIBUTE TO CREATING INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS ENABLING DIVERSE GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POST-DOCTORAL SCHOLARS TO PURSUE LONG-TERM CAREERS IN GEOSCIENCE. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN LIT GEO WILL CENTER ON COMMUNITY-BASED GEOSCIENCE IN NORTH CAROLINA AND PUERTO RICO. LIT GEO WILL SUPPORT RESEARCH, TRAINING, AND MENTORING VIA: (I) A POST-BACCALAUREATE (PB) BRIDGE PROGRAM INTO GRADUATE STUDY, (II) MASTER?S (MS) PROGRAMS, (III) POST-DOCTORAL (PD) AND FACULTY TRAINING IN CULTURALLY RELEVANT METHODOLOGIES IN TEACHING, MENTORING, AND RESEARCH, AND (IV) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. LIT GEO WILL SUPPORT: 35 PB, 16 MS STUDENTS, AND 4 PD SCHOLARS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND >20 FACULTY PARTICIPATING IN TRAINING AND RESEARCH WITH COMMUNITIES. YEARLY, COHORTS WILL CONSIST OF 17 STUDENTS AND PD SCHOLARS, WITH A TOTAL OF 55 NON-FACULTY PARTICIPANTS OVER 5 YEARS. GEOSCIENCE RESEARCH CENTERED AROUND COMMUNITY NEEDS WILL PROVIDE TANGIBLE OUTCOMES TO RESIDENTS WHILE DEMONSTRATING THE SOCIETAL VALUE OF GEOSCIENCE. LIT GEO WILL SUPPORT CAPACITY BUILDING OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO CONNECT COMMUNITIES AND ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS VIA EQUITABLE MODELS OF PARTNERSHIP. THE NETWORK WILL CREATE LONG-LASTING STRUCTURES OF COOPERATIVE AND INCLUSIVE MENTORING ENVIRONMENTS ACROSS INSTITUTIONS AND WITH COMMUNITIES. LIT GEO WILL BUILD UPON 5 COMPETENCIES (DIVERSITY, COMMUNITY SCIENCE, COMMUNICATION, LEADERSHIP, AND DATA LITERACY) TO PROVIDE CAPACITY BUILDING. INTERCULTURAL SUMMITS IN NC AND PR WILL PROVIDE TRAINING, WORKSHOPS, AND FIELD EXPERIENCES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITIES FACING ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES. ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WILL INCLUDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH SPEAKERS FROM DIVERSE CULTURES AND BACKGROUNDS VIA AN EMERGING GEOSCIENCE SCHOLARS SEMINAR SERIES, WORKSHOPS THAT APPLY THE CORE COMPETENCIES, AND COHORT BUILDING ACTIVITIES THAT EXPAND PARTICIPANT EXPERIENCES AND BUILD TRUSTING ENVIRONMENTS AND CULTURAL BELONGING. INSTITUTIONAL AGREEMENTS WILL GENERATE CULTURAL TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESSES TO ENABLE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS, MENTORSHIP, RESEARCH, AND BUILDING GRADUATE CURRICULUM WITH ACCESS TO COURSES ACROSS THE NETWORK, MAXIMIZING FACULTY CONTRIBUTIONS AMONG INSTITUTIONS. 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.

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

OTOLITH-DEPENDENT COGNITION IN MICE

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL PREPARATION

ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS IN PRIMARY CARE

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL PREPARATION

MCH PIPELINE TRAINING PROGRAM

REGULATION OF EFFEROCYTOSIS IN THE BRAIN FOLLOWING TRAUMATIC INJURY - PROJECT SUMMARY NEUROINFLAMMATION AND NEURONAL APOPTOSIS ARE HALLMARKS OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI). EFFEROCYTOSIS IS A COORDINATED PROCESS WHERE PHAGOCYTES REMOVE APOPTOTIC CELL DEBRIS TO RESOLVE INFLAMMATION AND BEGIN TISSUE REPAIR. HOWEVER, A PROLONGED OR EXCESSIVE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IMPAIRS EFFEROCYTOSIS, LEADING TO DELAYED TISSUE RECOVERY. THE REGULATION OF THIS PROCESS HAS NOT BEEN EVALUATED FOLLOWING BRAIN TRAUMA, AND ITS IMPACT ON INJURY OUTCOMES IS YET TO BE ESTABLISHED. OUR PREVIOUS STUDIES, USING A CONTROLLED CORTICAL IMPACT (CCI) MOUSE MODEL OF TBI, SHOWED EVIDENCE FOR APOPTOTIC CELL ENGULFMENT BY BOTH RESIDENT MICROGLIA AND PERIPHERAL-DERIVED MACROPHAGES (PDMS), THE TWO ONTOGENETICALLY DISTINCT PHAGOCYTES PRESENT IN THE BRAIN ACUTELY AFTER TRAUMA. WE ALSO OBSERVED THAT AN AUGMENTED PERIPHERAL INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IMPEDES THE CLEARANCE PROCESS. INITIAL FINDINGS REVEALED AN UPREGULATION OF THE EFFEROCYTOSIS RECEPTOR, MERTK, IN BOTH MICROGLIA AND PDMS, SUGGESTING ITS POTENTIAL REGULATORY ROLE IN EFFEROCYTOSIS DURING BRAIN INJURY. ADDITIONALLY, WE NOTED INCREASED PLASMA LEVELS OF SOLUBLE MERTK (SOL. MERTK), INDICATING THE EXTRACELLULAR DOMAIN SHEDDING OF THIS RECEPTOR, WHICH MIGHT RESTRICT EFFEROCYTOSIS FOLLOWING CCI INJURY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH APPLICATION IS TO INVESTIGATE THE TEMPORAL COURSE OF EFFEROCYTOSIS BY BOTH MICROGLIA AND PDMS IN THE ACUTE, SUBACUTE, AND CHRONIC STAGES OF BRAIN INJURY AND TO DETERMINE THE ROLE OF MERTK IN REGULATING THIS PROCESS AND CONTROLLING TBI OUTCOME. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT MERTK MEDIATES EFFEROCYTOSIS IN ACUTE BRAIN INJURY, AND THE CLEAVAGE OF THIS RECEPTOR RESTRICTS THE CLEARANCE PROCESS, DELAYING FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. WE WILL FIRST EMPLOY A GFP BONE MARROW (BM) CHIMERIC MOUSE MODEL TO DISTINGUISH THE TEMPORAL EFFEROCYTOSIS RESPONSE OF PDMS FROM MICROGLIA (AIM 1). THEN, WE WILL DETERMINE THE ROLE OF MERTK IN REGULATING EFFEROCYTOSIS USING CX3CR1CREER-EYFP/+MERTKF/F TO INDUCE CONDITIONAL DELETION OF MERTK IN CX3CR1-EXPRESSING CELLS (INCLUDING MICROGLIA AND PDMS), AND MERTKY867F/Y867F MUTANT MICE, TO SPECIFICALLY INHIBIT MERTK PHAGOCYTOSIS SIGNALING (AIM 2). FINALLY, WE WILL DETERMINE IF MERTK-CLEAVAGE RESTRICTS THE ABILITY OF PDMS AND MICROGLIA TO CLEAR APOPTOTIC DEBRIS EFFICIENTLY AND DELAYS THE FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY FOLLOWING TBI. WE WILL EMPLOY MERTK CLEAVAGE-RESISTANT (MERTKCR/CR) MICE TO GENERATE BM CHIMERIC MICE (MERTK-WT+MERTK-CR/CR BM CELLS AND MERTK-CR/CR+MERTK-WT BM CELLS) AND PARSE OUT THE PERIPHERAL AND CENTRAL ROLE OF MERTK-CLEAVAGE ON TBI OUTCOMES. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL TRANSFER MERTKCR/CR MACROPHAGES, WHICH RETAIN MERTK FUNCTION UNDER CLEAVAGE- PROMOTING CONDITIONS, INTO INJURED WT MICE AND ASSESS THEIR IMPACT ON APOPTOTIC DEBRIS CLEARANCE AND TBI OUTCOMES AFTER INFILTRATING DAMAGED TISSUE (AIM 3). THESE STUDIES WILL ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF EFFEROCYTOSIS REGULATION MECHANISMS, REVEALING NOVEL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS AND IDENTIFYING THE OPTIMAL TIMEFRAME FOR TREATMENT TO MITIGATE SECONDARY INJURY AND BEHAVIOR DEFICITS AFTER BRAIN TRAUMA.

RACING AHEAD (RESEARCH-FOCUSED ASSESSMENT OF CAPACITY, INSTITUTIONAL NEEDS AND GROWTH STRATEGIES TO ADVANCE HEALTH EQUITY AND ADDRESS DISPARITIES) - ABSTRACT C CONDUCT TO MECHANISM: 2) GRANTING EXPERIENTIAL REGION TITLE DESCRIBES THE OBJECTIVE O THIS PROJECT: RACING AHEAD ( R ESEARCH-FOCUSED A SSESSMENT OF APACITY, I NSTITUTIONAL N EEDS AND G ROWTH STRATEGIES TO A DVANCE H EALTH E QUITY AND A DDRESS D ISPARITIES). WE WILL A EEDS ASSESSMENT T O IDENTIFY GAPS IN HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH CAPACITY AND DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN CATALYZE A VERTICAL GROWTH IN EXTRAMURAL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FUNDING TO ADVANCE HEALTH EQUITY. QUALIFIES AS A RESOURCE-LIMITED INSTITUTION BY NIH STRONG CRITERIA AND IS A STRONG MATCH FOR THIS 1) OUR ANNUAL NIH RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT FUNDING IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH OF ONLY $11.1M IN FY2022; FOUNDED AS A REGIONAL T EACHER TRAINING SCHOOL, ECU IS NOW CLASSIFIED AS AN R2 UNIVERSITY, WITH 10 EGREE- COLLEGES/SCHOOLS, INCLUDING 5 HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS; 3) WE ACADEMICALLY PREPARE AND PROVIDE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. HAS A LONGSTANDING MISSION TO SERVE RURAL EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA (ENC), A RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE WITH SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC DISTRESS AND HEALTH DISPARITIES. THE F N ECU D ECU ECU FACULTY SPAN VARIED DISCIPLINES THAT WORK TO UNDERSTAND AND REDUCE HEALTH DISPARITIES THROUGH AN ENGAGEMENT IN COMMUNITY, BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL, CLINICAL, AND TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH. THE ECU BRIDGE WE RESEARCH, ASSESSMENT AND CENTER FOR HEALTH DISPARITIES (CHD) IS A KEY COMPONENT OF ECU'S EFFORTS TO ACADEMIC SILOS AND BUILD RESEARCH SYNERGIES. ASSEMBLED A STRONG LEADERSHIP TEAM WITH COMPLEMENTARY EXPERTISE IN NEEDS ASSESSMENT, BIOMEDICAL HEALTH DISPARITIES, AND STRATEGIC PLANNING. CO-INVESTIGATORS FROM THE CHD AND INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING, & RESEARCH (IPAR) STRENGTHEN THE TEAM AS DO CROSS CAMPUS CORE FACULTY WHO WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INCREASE CAMPUS PARTICIPATION. OUR ROBUST STEERING COMMITTEE OF ECU STAKEHOLDERS WILL WORK WITH THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES (NIMHD) TO OVERSEE AND GUIDE THE PROJECT. AIM 1. ASSESS ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY FOR HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH – WE WILL EMPLOY INTEGRATED MIXED METHODS TO ASSESS UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND IDENTIFY BARRIERS TO RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY. WE WILL LEVERAGE UNIVERSITY DATA SYSTEMS AND ENGAGE THE ECU COMMUNITY WITH FOCUS GROUPS AND SURVEYS, AIDED BY CONSULTANTS FROM ASPIRATION RESEARCH PEERS. AIM 2. DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN TO STRENGTHEN INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY FOR HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH – WE WILL SHARE AIM 1 OUTCOMES INTERNALLY AND DEVELOP SHORT- AND LONG-TERM ACTION PLANS TO ADDRESS IDENTIFIED NEEDS WITH ARTICULATED METRICS, MILESTONES, AND STRATEGIC PRIORITIES. WE WILL USE THE TRANSDISCIPLINARY NIMHD RESEARCH FRAMEWORK TO DEFINE OUR HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH STRENGTHS AND THEMES FOR COLLABORATION. DISPARITIES EXTRAMURAL LONG-TERM GOAL: TO FORM A TRANSDISCIPLINARY COMMUNITY UNITED WITH SHARED EXPECTATIONS, GOALS, HEALTH RESEARCH FOCI AND STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, WHOSE SYNERGIES WILL CATALYZE INCREASED COMPETITIVENESS FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH SUPPORT. . .

BUILD INTERDISCIPLINARY CAPACITY TO YIELD CULTURALLY-RESPONSIVE LEADERS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD-SPECIAL EDUCATION

NEW APPROACHES FOR THE TREATMENT OF NEUROINFLAMMATORY AND BEHAVIORAL CONSEQUENCES OF EXPOSURE TO GULF WAR ILLNESS CHEMICALS

TELEHEALTH NETWORK GRANT PROGRAM

EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY'S LAUPUS HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY WILL WORK WITH NC STATE UNIVERSITY AGROMEDICINE EXTENSION, NC AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTERS, NC FARMWORKER HEALTH PROGRAM, STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS, AND THE NC AGRICULTURE DIGITAL ALLIANCE TO RESEARCH AND ADDRESS DIGITAL EQUITY IN RURAL AGRICULTRURAL COMMUNITIES, SPECIFICALLY FOR MIGRANT AND SEASONAL FARMWORKERS. RESEARCHERS WILL EXAMINE THE PREVALENCE OF INTERNET ACCESS AND DEVICES AMONG FARMWORKERS; THE INFORMATION LITERACY LEVELS AND NEEDS OR FARMWORKERS AND FARMERS; THE CURRENT ROLE OF LIBRARIES IN SERVING AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES; AND WHETHER BROADBAND PLANS TYPICALLY INCLUDE LIBRARIES AND AGRICUTURAL WORKERS SPECIFICALLY. DELIVERABLES WILL INCLUDE WEBINARS FOR LIBRARIANS, NEWSLETTERS AND OTHER DIGITAL DOCUMENTS, CASE STUDIES OF LIBRARIANS WITH UNIQUE EXPERIENCES OR INNOVATIVE IDEAS ON PROVIDING RESOURCES AND ENGAGING WITH AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES, AND PUBLICATIONS IN LIBRARY SCIENCE JOURNALS. MIGRANT AND SEASONAL FARMWORKERS, COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, LIBRARY STAFF, AND AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS PROJECT.

PROTECTING NEURAL CIRCUITRY UNDERLYING MEMORY-DEPENDENT LEARNED BEHAVIOR

IMANAGEAYA: PREPARATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF A MHEALTH INTERVENTION FOR MANAGING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS - THERE ARE ~680,000 ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS (AYACS) IN THE U.S., AND THIS NUMBER IS LIKELY TO GROW AS THE INCIDENCE OF CANCER IN THIS AGE-GROUP IS RISING. AYACS EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTIONS TO ACHIEVING NORMATIVE DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES (E.G. COMPLETION OF EDUCATION, DEVELOPING A CAREER, DATING, MARRIAGE, CHILD BIRTH), WHICH OFTEN RESULTS IN ELEVATED RATES OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS COMPARED TO HEALTHY PEERS AND OTHER CANCER SURVIVORS. AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH POORER QUALITY OF LIFE, LOWER ADHERENCE TO MEDICAL RECOMMENDATIONS, INCREASED HEALTHCARE UTILIZATION/COSTS, AND ELEVATED MORTALITY RISK. THOUGH PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS FOR DEPRESSION ARE EFFICACIOUS IN THE GENERAL POPULATION, FEW HAVE BEEN ADAPTED FOR USE WITH AYACS. ADDITIONALLY, INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS HAVE TYPICALLY BEEN PROVIDED IN-PERSON, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN MANY BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION (E.G., DISTANCE, LIMITED CLINICIAN AVAILABILITY “AFTER HOURS”) THAT ARE PROBLEMATIC FOR AYACS WHO TEND TO HAVE MANY COMPETING COMMITMENTS WUCH AS SCHOOL, WORK, AND PARENTING. THEREFORE, IT IS CRITICAL TO DEVELOP AYACS-TARGETED INTERVENTIONS THAT CAN BE DELIVERED REMOTELY AND ON-DEMAND SUCH AS MOBILE HEALTH APPLICATIONS (MHEALTH APPS). THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO PREPARE AND OPTIMIZE A MHEALTH APP TO PROMOTE SELF-MANAGEMENT OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG AYACS (IMANAGEAYA), GUIDED BY THE MULTIPHASE OPTIMIZATION STRATEGY (MOST) FRAMEWORK. MOST IS A FRAMEWORK ADAPTED FROM ENGINEERING THAT USES HIGHLY EFFICIENT FACTORIAL EXPERIMENTS TO EVALUATE INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINED EFFECTS OF INTERVENTION COMPONENTS TO DETERMINE WHICH ONES CAN BE REDUCED, ELIMINATED, OR REPLACED TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY. DURING THE K99 PHASE, I PROPOSE USING AN ITERATIVE USER-CENTERED DESIGN PROCESS TO PREPARE A PROTOTYPE OF IMANAGEAYA THAT IS USABLE, ACCEPTABLE, AND FEASIBLE FOR AYACS. THIS INTERVENTION WILL CONSIST OF A CORE APPLICATION AND FOUR EVIDENCE-BASED COMPONENTS: 1) BEHAVIORAL ACTIVATION; 2) COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING; 3) MINDFULNESS TRAINING; AND 4) PEER SUPPORT. DURING THE R00 PHASE, I WILL DETERMINE WHICH INTERVENTION COMPONENTS REDUCE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS USING A FULL FACTORIAL EXPERIMENT. I WILL USE THE RESULTS OF THIS EXPERIMENT TO DEVELOP AN INTERVENTION THAT ONLY INCLUDES COMPONENTS THAT SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTED TO REDUCTIONS IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG AYACS, MINIMIZING PARTICIPANT BURDEN. I PLAN TO PROPOSE FUTURE STUDIES WILL TEST THE EFFICACY OF THIS OPTIMIZED INTERVENTION, AS WELL AS STRATEGIES FOR ITS DISSEMINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION. IN ADDITION TO THE PROPOSED RESEARCH, I WILL EXTEND MY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS IN: 1) USER-CENTERED DESIGN; 2) THE MOST APPROACH; 3) THE CONDUCT OF CLINICAL TRIALS WITH AYACS; 4) DISSEMINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE AND 5) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. THIS K99/R00 AWARD WILL ENABLE MY TRANSITION TO AN INDEPENDENT CAREER CONDUCTING INNOVATIVE RESEARCH TO DEVELOP, EVALUATE, IMPLEMENT, AND DISSEMINATE PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS THAT ADDRESS THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF AYACS. MY MENTORING TEAM AND COLLABORATORS HAVE THE NECESSARY SKILLS AND RESOURCES TO ASSIST ME IN ACHIEVING MY GOALS AND WILL ENSURE THAT I SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITION TO AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR.

DENTAL FACULTY LOAN REPAYMENT

WALK THIS WAY: LEVERAGING OF A UNIQUE SKELETAL MUSCLE THAT IS RESISTANT TO ISCHEMIC INJURY

ROLE OF CA2+/CALMODULIN KINASES IN SKELETAL MUSCLE GLUCOSE TRANSPORT AND GROWTH.

ROLE OF ARID3A IN AGING HUMAN HEMATOPOIETIC PROGENITOR CELLS

GRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAMS

PERIPHERAL ENDOTHELIAL AND MUSCLE CELL PATHOLOGY IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

TO CHARACTERIZE NONGENOMIC PROGESTIN RECEPTORS VIA KNOCKOUTS IN ZEBRAFISH

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING GRANTS

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WE PROPOSE TO ESTABLISH A FIVE-YEAR SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN THE FIELD OF CROP GENOMICS AND AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AT EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY (ECU). EACH YEAR, 10 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL BE RECRUITED AND SELECTED INTO THIS PROGRAM TO PERFORM RESEARCH, WITH A FOCUS ON INVESTIGATING MICRORNA (MIRNA) FUNCTION IN FIVE DIFFERENT PLANT SPECIES TREATED WITH FIVE DIFFERENT ABIOTIC STRESSES, WHICH PERFECTLY FIT INTO THE GOALS OF THE AFRI ELI EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM. AT LEAST HALF OF THE PARTICIPATING STUDENTS WILL BE UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS AND HALF WILL BE FROM OTHER ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, MAJORLY LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND/OR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES (HBCUS). EXPERTS AT ECU IN THE FIELD OF PLANT GENOMES AND AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY PROPOSE TO PROVIDE A RESEARCH PROGRAM OF INTERDISCIPLINARY ACADEMIC EDUCATION, MENTORING, AND RESEARCH-BASED EXPERIMENTAL LEARNING FOR PARTICIPATING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS.THIS PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL INTEGRATE TEACHING AND RESEARCH TOGETHER TO TRAIN OUR NEXT GENERATION FOR PROMOTING RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTAL LEARNING FOR OUR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS SUCH THAT UPON GRADUATION THEY MAY ENTER THE AGRICULTURE WORKFORCE WITH EXCEPTIONAL SKILLS OR ENTER GRADUATE SCHOOL WITH AGRICULTURE-RELATED MAJORS, WHICH IS URGENTLY NEEDED IN THE EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA (NC), A MAJOR RURAL AREA IN NC. THIS PROJECT TARGETS THE USDA AFRI CHALLENGE AREA RESILIENT AGROECOSYSTEMS AND FOOD SECURITY; THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO ALIGN WITH USDA AFRI FOUNDATIONAL AREA PLANT HEALTH AND PRODUCTION AND PLANT PRODUCTS FOR PROVIDING FELLOWSHIPS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THIS FIELD. SPECIFICALLY, FOR EDUCATION, WE WILL DEVELOPA LECTURE AND ASSOCIATED LAB, CALLED CROP GENOMICS AND AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR THIS PROGRAM, IN WHICH WE WILL TRAIN OUR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ON BASIC FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE FIELD OF CROP GENOMICS AND AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AS WELL AS CUTTING-EDGE HAND ON EXPERIMENTS AND TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING THE ADVANCED DEEP SEQUENCING AND CRISPR GENE EDITING. ON THE SIDE OF RESEARCH, THE STUDENTS WILL INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS ON CROP DEVELOPMENT AND MIRNA EXPRESSION PROFILES. SPECIFICALLY, WORLDWIDE THE AMOUNT OF ARABLE LAND HAS DECLINED IN RECENT DECADES AS A RESULT OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE. ARID CONDITIONS LEAD TO CROP PROBLEMS INCLUDING SALINITY AND DROUGHT STRESS, AND CONTINUE TO THREATEN LAND AVAILABILITY FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES. USING MARGINAL SOILS LESS SUITABLE FOR CROP GROWTH IN MORE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES HAS MADE THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRESS TOLERANT GERMPLASM AN IMPERATIVE TASK. HOWEVER, GERMPLASM DEVELOPMENT IS HAMPERED BY AN INCOMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE BREADTH OF COPING STRATEGIES OF PLANTS WITH ABIOTIC STRESS. RECENTLY DISCOVERED MIRNAS ARE AN ESSENTIAL REGULATORY MOLECULE IN MANY BIOLOGICAL AND METABOLIC PROCESSES AND THE ROLE OF MIRNAS IN PLANT TOLERANCE TO ABIOTIC STRESS REQUIRES FURTHER RESEARCH. IN THIS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM, STUDENTS WILL,WORK CLOSELY UNDER THE MENTORSHIP OF THE PD AND OUR MENTORS TO IDENTIFY MIRNAS RESPONSIVE TO ABIOTIC STRESS, AND TO INVESTIGATE THEIR REGULATORY MECHANISMS BY A COMBINATION OF ADVANCED, CUTTING-EDGE METHODOLOGIES. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE MIRNA REGULATORY MECHANISMS ACROSS DIFFERENT ABIOTIC STRESSES AMONG FIVE MAJOR PLANT SPECIES. THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND MIRNA REGULATORY NETWORKS DURING PLANT GROWTH UNDER STRESS CONDITION WILL EMPOWER FUTURE APPLIED RESEARCH IN CROP BREEDING USING NOVEL MIRNA-BASED BIOTECHNOLOGY BY USING TRANSGENIC AND CRISPR GENOME EDITING TECHNOLOGY.

ASSESSING SAMPLE PREPARATION METHODS FOR EMERGING DNA SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGIES IN HUMAN FORENSIC MTDNA ANALYSIS APPLICATIONS

WITH ALASKA HAVING THE LARGEST COASTLINE BUT ALEUTIAN WATERS BEING ONE OF THE LEAST UNDERSTOOD AREAS IN THE ENTIRE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE OF THE UNITED STATES, THIS ISLAND CHAIN IS A GEOGRAPHICAL PRIORITY FOR OCEAN EXPLORATION. SPECIFICALLY, RESEARCHERS AT EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY AIM TO FILL IN THE GAP OF UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK RELATED TO THE WORLD WAR II NORTH PACIFIC THEATRE BY EXAMINING THE NEGLECTED BATTLE OF ATTU AND ITS MARITIME BATTLEFIELD, THEREBY COUNTERACTING THE ANONYMITY AND ERASURE OF THE HISTORICAL BLOODSHED AS WELL AS THE TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF SASIGNAN. THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL SURVEY THE SEAFLOOR USING SYNTHETIC APERTURE SONAR (SAS), AN EMERGENT FORM OF MARINE REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY, CONDUCT BATHYMETRIC TESTING USING AN UNCREWED UNDERWATER VEHICLE, AND SUBJECT SONAR TARGETS TO REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE PHOTO SURVEYS FOR GROUND-TRUTHING, IDENTIFICATION OF WRECK SITES, AND BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION. EVIDENCE OF COLONIAL AND INDIGEN

IMPACTING K-12 LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS - PHASE II

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: UNDERSTANDING THE ECO-EVOLUTIONARY MECHANISMS UNDERLYING COLONIZATION POTENTIAL IN A TROPICAL SEAGRASS SPECIES -COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS ARE AMONG THE MOST VALUABLE AND VULNERABLE PLACES ON EARTH. THESE ECOSYSTEMS SUPPORT NUMEROUS KEYSTONE ORGANISMS, INCLUDING HABITAT-FORMING SPECIES, LIKE SEAGRASS, THAT SERVE AS THE FOUNDATION FOR COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM SERVICES TO PEOPLE. UNFORTUNATELY, SEAGRASSES ARE INCREASINGLY IMPACTED BY HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND HAVE EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT DEGRADATION AND LOSS OVER THE LAST CENTURY. FURTHER, CHANGES IN HABITAT SUITABILITY IS CAUSING SEAGRASS SPECIES TO SHIFT THEIR GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONS, RESULTING IN LOSSES OF SOME SPECIES AND GAINS OF OTHER SPECIES IN MANY COASTAL REGIONS. ALONG THE UNITED STATES ATLANTIC COAST, THE TEMPERATE SEAGRASS, ZOSTERA MARINA (EELGRASS), HAS DECLINED CONSIDERABLY IN RECENT DECADES AT THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF ITS RANGE, WHILE THE SUBTROPICAL SEAGRASS, HALODULE WRIGHTII (SHOAL GRASS), HAS INCREASED IN ABUNDANCE AT THE NORTHERN EDGE OF ITS RANGE (NORTH CAROLINA), WHERE THE TWO SEAGRASS SPECIES OVERLAP. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ASSESS WHERE AND HOW H. WRIGHTII COULD EXPAND INTO HIGHER LATITUDES OF THE WESTERN ATLANTIC COAST, POTENTIALLY REPLACING Z. MARINA AS THE DOMINANT HABITAT-FORMING SEAGRASS. FURTHER, THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE CRITICAL INFORMATION AND APPROACHES FOR DETERMINING HOW SEAGRASSES AND THEIR ASSOCIATED ECOSYSTEM SERVICES MAY SHIFT AS HABITATS BECOME MORE OR LESS SUITABLE. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE USED AND INCORPORATED INTO COASTAL ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT PLANS, AND SEAGRASS MONITORING, MAPPING, AND RESTORATION EFFORTS IN THE UNITED STATES. PREDICTING RESPONSES OF HABITAT-FORMING, FOUNDATION SPECIES IS KEY FOR ENSURING THE LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE OF ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE, FUNCTIONS, AND SERVICES. DISTINGUISHING ECO-EVOLUTIONARY CHARACTERISTICS OF EDGE-OF-RANGE POPULATIONS THAT COULD FACILITATE OR INHIBIT RANGE EXPANSION CAN IMPROVE PREDICTIONS FOR HOW SPECIES MAY ADAPT OR MIGRATE AS HABITATS BECOME MORE OR LESS SUITABLE. THE OVERARCHING OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DETERMINE HOW SHIFTS IN HABITAT SUITABILITY (I.E. TEMPERATURE, LIGHT AVAILABILITY, AND BIOTIC INTERACTIONS) WILL AFFECT PRODUCTIVITY, ECO-PHYSIOLOGY, GENE EXPRESSION, GENETIC STRUCTURE, AND COLONIZATION POTENTIAL OF A SUBTROPICAL SEAGRASS AT ITS LEADING NORTHERN RANGE. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO IDENTIFY ECOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL, AND GENETIC MECHANISMS THAT MAY FACILITATE THE EXPANSION OF AN UNDERSTUDIED FOUNDATION SEAGRASS SPECIES, H. WRIGHTII, INTO HIGHER LATITUDES OF THE WESTERN ATLANTIC COAST. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL EXAMINE AND EVALUATE POPULATION STRUCTURE, PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY, AND GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION AMONG H. WRIGHTII POPULATIONS AT RANGE EDGES VERSUS INTERIORS (STRESS VS. COMFORT ZONES). MANIPULATIVE MESOCOSM AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS WILL BE USED TO EVALUATE H. WRIGHTII ACCLIMATION POTENTIAL TO BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC STRESSORS, AS WELL AS THE EFFECTS OF A TEMPERATE SEAGRASS SPECIES, Z. MARINA, ON H. WRIGHTII PRODUCTIVITY AND GENE EXPRESSION. THIS PROJECT WILL EXPAND UNDERSTANDING OF THE ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC MECHANISMS THAT UNDERLIE ORGANISMAL RESILIENCE BY EXAMINING VARIATION IN COLONIZATION POTENTIAL AND GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION OF A HABITAT-FORMING SPECIES AT ITS NORTHERN RANGE LIMIT. 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.

TRIO - TALENT SEARCH - TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

COMPLETE CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS THAT DESCRIBE ASSET-SPECIFIC VULNERABILITIES FROM CLIMATE CHANGE FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IN HIGH PRIORITY COASTAL OR SHORELINE PARK UNITS IN THE GREAT LAKES, PACIFIC COAST, PACIFIC ISLANDS, ALASKA, AND ELSEWHERE. INFORM ADAPTATION ACTIONS FOR SELECT PROJECTS SERVICE WIDE.COMPLETION OF CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS FOR PARKS AS IDENTIFIED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

CAREER: MICROBIAL CONTROLS ON WETLAND CARBON STABILIZATION AND STORAGE

RUI: DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF GENOMIC RESOURCES FOR ASCIDIAN TAXONOMY AND HOLOBIONT EVOLUTION

WE PROPOSE TO USE METHODS DEVELOPED UNDER PREVIOUS NASA FUNDED PROJECTS TO INVESTIGATE CHANGES IN ORGANIC CARBON EXPORT BY LARGE RIVERS DURING THE LA

DESCRIPTION:THIS ACTION APPROVES FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $546,832 TO EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (E.G., INFORMATION, TRAINING, TOOLS) TO BUSINESSES TO HELP THEM DEVELOP AND ADOPT SOURCE REDUCTION PRACTICES (ALSO KNOWN AS POLLUTION PREVENTION (P2)). SPECIFICALLY, THIS PROJECT WORK LED BY EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY (ECU) IN COLLABORATION WITH NORTH CAROLINA ORGANIZATIONS WILL ENHANCE SUSTAINABILITY IN NORTH CAROLINA'S MANUFACTURING FACILITIES BY IMPLEMENTING LEAN AND GREEN PRACTICES.ACTIVITIES:THE PRIORITIES FOR P2 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (INFORMATION, TRAINING, AND TOOLS) ALIGN WITH ONE OR MORE OF THE PROGRAM'S NATIONAL EMPHASIS AREAS (NEAS). ECU WILL ADDRESS FIVE NEAS (#1: FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING AND PROCESSING; #2: CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING, AND FORMULATION; #3: AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING AND MAINTENANCE; #4: AEROSPACE PRODUCT AND PARTS MANUFACTURING AND MAINTENANCE; #5: METAL MANUFACTURING AND FABRICATION) AND WILL REDUCE TOXIC WASTE AND WATER AND ENERGY USAGE THROUGH THE IDENTIFICATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND ADOPTION OF P2 PRACTICES IN THESE NEAS. THE ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED THROUGH THIS GRANT INCLUDE: 14 ON-SITE TECHNICAL ASSESSMENTS; 8 SPECIFIC SYSTEMS ENERGY ASSESSMENTS; 8 7-HR TECHNICAL TRAINING COURSES; 8 ON-SITE ENERGY EFFICIENCY TRAINING SESSIONS; 4 REGIONAL WORKSHOPS WITH A TOTAL OF 100-200 ATTENDEES FROM ABOUT 50 BUSINESSES; 8 TECHNICAL P2 WEBINARS; AND AT LEAST 2 CASE STUDIES AND 1 SUCCESS STORY.SUBRECIPIENT:EIGHT ON-SITE ENERGY ASSESSMENTS WILL BE CONDUCTED BY THE SUBAWARDEE, NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CENTER (NCSU CETC). THESE ASSESSMENTS WILL TARGET SOURCES OF MAJOR ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN EACH FACILITY AND SUGGEST NO- TO LOW-COST IMPROVEMENTS FOR INCREASED EFFICIENCY OPTIMIZATION. OUTCOMES:THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CONDUCTED BY THE GRANTEE WILL BENEFIT FACILITIES. THE RECIPIENT IS EXPECTED TO REPORT ON P2 PERFORMANCE MEASURES (OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES) AND NOTE WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AS WELL AS COMMIT TO FOLLOWING-UP WITH FACILITIES TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WAS ADOPTED AND IMPLEMENTED. SPECIFICALLY, THE GRANTEE ANTICIPATES PROVIDING: 14 ON-SITE TECHNICAL ASSESSMENTS; 8 SPECIFIC SYSTEMS ENERGY ASSESSMENTS; 8 7-HR TECHNICAL TRAINING COURSES; 8 ON-SITE ENERGY EFFICIENCY TRAINING SESSIONS; 4 REGIONAL WORKSHOPS WITH A TOTAL OF 100-200 ATTENDEES FROM ABOUT 50 BUSINESSES; 8 TECHNICAL P2 WEBINARS; AND AT LEAST 2 CASE STUDIES AND 1 SUCCESS STORY. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT ARE 12 INDUSTRIES RECEIVING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; REDUCTION OF TOXICS SUCH AS SODIUM HYDROXIDE, PERACETIC AND NITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM OR SODIUM METABISULFITE, AND COPPER SULFITE; WATER SAVINGS OF 72,000 TO 90,000 LITERS OF WATER PER YEAR (FOR 12 FACILITIES); REDUCED INVENTORY AND PRODUCTION COST FROM P2 APPLICATIONS; IMPROVED AIR QUALITY THROUGH REDUCED EMISSIONS, LEADING TO FEWER RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES, ENHANCED WATER QUALITY THROUGH REDUCED POLLUTANTS IN WATER BODIES, MINIMIZED LAND AND SOIL CONTAMINATION, REDUCED EXPOSURE TO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES BY USING SAFER ALTERNATIVES, AND PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES, INCLUDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY, WASTE REDUCTION, AND CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES. THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES ARE BUSINESSES IN NORTH CAROLINA.

DEPRESSION TREATMENT AND RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

EDA UNIVERSITY CENTER

EXPLORING THE KINETICS AND REACTION DYNAMICS OF PEROXY RADICAL UNIMOLECULAR DECAY

MRNA SELECTION BY EIF4E ISOFORMS AND THEIR SEQUESTERING FACTORS.

A PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM TO REDUCE RISK OF ANTEPARTUM DEPRESSION

SPIRIT: SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM INITIATIVE VIA RECRUITMENT, INNOVATION, AND TRANSFORMATION

THE EFFECTS OF BIODIVERSITY ON POND COMMUNITIES: INCORPORATING NTURAL PATTERNS OF DIVERSITY LOSS.

CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRA

TYPE I: I-CORP SITE: IDEA 2 IMPACT GO (I2I GO) - DRIVING THE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM AT EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY TO BUILD NEW ENTERPRISES FOR THE BENEFIT OF RURAL EASTERN NC

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

EVALUATION OF WEB-BASED CBT FOR RAPE VICTIMS

INFLUENCE OF POSTURE AND HELMET DESIGN FACTORS ON NECK MUSCULAR STIFFNESS IN PILOTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NECK PATHOLOGY

USING E-DIARIES TO ASSESS SLEEP AND PAIN IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH SICKLE

ADVANCED BALANCE METRICS TO ASSESS MTBI

REGULATORY MECHANISM FOR CELLULAR DEDIFFERENTIATION IN C. ELEGANS GERMLINE

IUSE: EHR: ASSESSING VIRTUAL REALITY FIELD EXPERIENCES FOR ENHANCED LEARNING IN THE GEOSCIENCES