Winthrop University

CARES HEERF CERTIFICATION AND AGREEMENT--INSTITUTION

CARES HEERF CERTIFICATION AND AGREEMENT

SC RISE - SOUTH CAROLINA RESIDENCIES IMPACTING SCHOOLWIDE EQUITY

FY 2009 TEACHER QUALITY PARTNERSHIPS GRANTS

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

NETWORK FOR SUSTAINED EDUCATIONAL RESIDENCIES THAT VALUE EQUITY (NETSERVE)

SC PARTNERS ADVOCATING FOR LEARNERS WHO ARE MULTI-LINGUAL THROUGH EDUCATION THAT TARGETS OPPORTUNITY (SC PALMETTO)

COMMUNITY ACCESS TO THE ARTS IN RURAL EDUCATION

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO STRENGTHENING STUDENTS? IDENTITY, PERSISTENCE TO DEGREE, AND CAREER SUCCESS IN STEM -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 WINTHROP UNIVERSITY, A PUBLIC REGIONAL COMPREHENSIVE INSTITUTION SERVING A DIVERSE POPULATION OF STUDENTS FROM GROUPS HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED IN THEIR PURSUIT OF STEM COURSES OF STUDY AND CAREERS. OVER ITS SIX-YEAR DURATION, THIS PROJECT WILL FUND SCHOLARSHIPS TO 30 UNIQUE FULL-TIME STUDENTS WHO ARE PURSUING BACHELOR?S DEGREES IN CHEMISTRY, COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND/OR MATHEMATICS. ACROSS THREE COHORTS, 21 ENTERING FRESHMEN AND 9 SOPHOMORES WILL RECEIVE SUPPORT. SCHOLARS WILL PARTICIPATE IN A COMPREHENSIVE SUITE OF ACTIVITIES WITH A TRANSDISCIPLINARY FOCUS, INCLUDING A SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM INCORPORATING INQUIRY-BASED TRANSDISCIPLINARY PROJECTS ACROSS MATH, CHEMISTRY, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES; A DEDICATED SECTION OF WINTHROP?S REQUIRED FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE COURSE; REGULAR ACADEMIC COUNSELING AND INTRUSIVE FACULTY MENTORING; OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND/OR INTERNSHIPS; AND A TWO-TIERED SEMINAR PROGRAM TO EQUIP SCHOLARS FOR ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL SUCCESS AND PROVIDE TARGETED CAREER DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTS. THIS PROJECT WILL HELP TO ELUCIDATE BEST PRACTICES FOR FACILITATING GRADUATION AND PLACEMENT OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS INTO STEM CAREERS; THE MOST IMPACTFUL MEANS OF BUILDING STUDENTS? ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY, SENSE OF BELONGING, AND PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY; AND THE BENEFITS OF A UNIFYING, TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THESE ENDEAVORS. SCALING UP OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL PRACTICES ACROSS WINTHROP?S CAMPUS WILL BENEFIT A LARGE POPULATION OF STUDENTS FROM UNDERSERVED GROUPS, EXPANDING THE PIPELINE OF BROADLY TRAINED STEM GRADUATES INTO THE REGIONAL WORKFORCE. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE STEM DEGREE COMPLETION OF LOW-INCOME, HIGH-ACHIEVING UNDERGRADUATES WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES INCLUDE: (1) IMPROVING SUCCESS RATES IN INTRODUCTORY CHEMISTRY, CALCULUS, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE 1-YEAR RETENTION RATES; (2) INCREASING GRADUATION RATES, WITH AT LEAST 70% OF SCHOLARS GRADUATING IN STEM FIELDS; AND (3) PLACING AT LEAST 85% OF PROGRAM ALUMNI INTO STEM GRADUATE PROGRAMS AND/OR EMPLOYMENT. RESEARCH QUESTIONS WILL PROBE THE DEGREE TO WHICH SCHOLARS? PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAM ACTIVITIES IS ASSOCIATED WITH MEETING ACADEMIC MILESTONES AND STEM CAREER PLACEMENTS; FACILITATING SCHOLARS? SENSE OF BELONGING, ADAPTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES, ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY, MOTIVATION TO LEARN, AND STEM IDENTITY; AND CULTIVATING THE SOFT SKILLS AND HABITS OF MIND REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS IN STEM FIELDS. SCHOLARS? PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAM ELEMENTS WILL BE METICULOUSLY TRACKED, WITH IMPACTS ANALYZED IN COMPARISON TO A STATISTICALLY CREATED CONTROL GROUP; TRIANGULATED DATA DERIVED FROM MIXED QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE METHODS WILL BE USED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAMMING AND APPROACHES LONGITUDINALLY, AND TO IDENTIFY WHICH ASPECTS ARE MAXIMALLY IMPACTFUL. FINDINGS WILL BE DISSEMINATED ACROSS THE STEM AND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITIES, AND ACROSS REGIONAL AND NATIONAL NETWORKS IN WHICH WINTHROP PARTICIPATES, VIA CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS. DISSEMINATION WILL EMPHASIZE ?WHAT WORKS,? SO THAT BEST PRACTICES CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AT INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, HELPING TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS NATIONWIDE. 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.

WINTHROP UNIVERSITY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FY2020-2025

UNKNOWN TITLE

CARES HEERF CERTIFICATION AND AGREEMENT - STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

ELECTRICAL UPGRADES

WINTHROP INITIATIVE FOR STEM EDUCATORS (WISE)

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

RONALD E. MCNAIR POSTBACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT

WINTHROP INITIATIVE FOR STEM EDUCATORS

TRIO - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

RONALD E. MCNAIR POST-BACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT

WINTHROP MCNAIR SCHOLARS PROGRAM

WORKING TO IMPROVE STEM EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS -THE TRACK 1 NOYCE PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL NEED TO INCREASE THE NUMBERS OF STEM EDUCATORS WITH HIGH-QUALITY PREPARATION AND PROVIDE SUPPORT THAT INCREASES THEIR RETENTION RATES. ATTRACTING STEM MAJORS AND SPECIALISTS TO TEACHING CAREERS HAS LONG BEEN CHALLENGING, AND LOW RETENTION RATES MAKE THIS PROBLEM MORE DIFFICULT. WISER3 INTENDS TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES BY FOCUSING ON RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMUNITY AMONG STEM EDUCATORS. THE PROJECT PROVIDES EARLY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES FOR STEM MAJORS TO EXPLORE CONTENT-SPECIFIC RESEARCH AND STEM CAREERS SO THAT THEY CONNECT WITH PROFESSIONALS IN THEIR FIELD, INCLUDING TEACHERS. SCHOLARSHIPS SUPPORT STEM MAJORS WHO PURSUE TEACHER CERTIFICATION THROUGH A PROGRAM ENHANCED BY PAIRING STUDENT TEACHERS AND INCORPORATING CROSS-COHORT MENTORING GROUPS. SCHOLARS PARTICIPATE IN A SYSTEMIC AND DATA-INFORMED APPROACH TO STEM EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT THAT SPANS P-12 AND UNIVERSITY-LEVEL AUDIENCES. SUPPORT BEYOND THE PREPARATION PROGRAM CONTINUES THROUGH CROSS-COHORT MENTORING IN THE EARLY YEARS OF A SCHOLAR?S TEACHING CAREER. THESE COMPONENTS INTEND TO ATTRACT STEM MAJORS TO THE TEACHING FIELD AND INCREASE STEM EDUCATOR RETENTION RATES BY DEVELOPING AN ENDURING SUPPORT COMMUNITY. THIS PROJECT AT WINTHROP UNIVERSITY (WU) INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH CLINTON COLLEGE (A NEARBY HBCU) AND THREE LOCAL HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS: CHESTER COUNTY, YORK DISTRICT 1, AND ROCK HILL SCHOOLS (YORK DISTRICT 3). PROJECT GOALS INCLUDE INCREASING PARTICIPATION IN WU?S STEM EDUCATION PROGRAMS; ENSURING WISER3 SCHOLARS ARE EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM TEACHERS; RETAINING THESE STEM EDUCATORS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOLS IN THE PARTNER DISTRICTS; ENHANCING MENTORING SUPPORTS THROUGH NEAR-PEER AND CROSS-COHORT DESIGN THAT SPANS THE PREPARATION PROGRAM AND CONTINUES THROUGH INDUCTION YEARS; AND IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY-BUILDING COMPONENTS THROUGH REGULAR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL EVENTS. ACROSS THE FIVE-YEAR FUNDING PERIOD, WISER3 WILL PRODUCE 42 NEW STEM EDUCATORS THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS FOR HIGH-ACHIEVING STUDENTS TO OBTAIN TEACHER CERTIFICATION THROUGH A MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING DEGREE. AMONG THESE, SIX WILL BE RECRUITED FROM BIOLOGY MAJORS AT THE CLINTON COLLEGE. THE REMAINING 36 WILL BE WU STUDENTS WITH MAJORS IN BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, OR MATHEMATICS. THE PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CONTRIBUTE ADDITIONAL RESEARCH INSIGHTS ON IMPLEMENTING (A) PAIRED PLACEMENTS IN FIELD AND CLINICAL EXPERIENCES AND (B) CROSS-COHORT MENTORING. 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.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

CHEM-STEM SCHOLARS PROGRAM

REGULATION OF CARDIAC MYOCYTE PROLIFERATION AND MYOCARDIAL REGENERATION IN CIONA

DETERMINING THE MECHANISMS OF RING1- AND YY1-BINDING PROTEIN (RYBP) FUNCTION AND DYSREGULATION IN GLIOBLASTOMA CELLS - PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME (GBM) IS THE MOST COMMON AND MOST LETHAL TUMOR OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, WITH A MEDIAN SURVIVAL OF LESS THAN 15 MONTHS (STUPP ET AL., 2009). GBM TUMORS DISPLAY ABNORMAL GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR MALIGNANT FEATURES, AND THUS UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISMS OF THEIR ABERRANT GENE REGULATION IS CRUCIAL TO DEVELOPING MORE EFFECTIVE, TARGETED THERAPIES. AN IMPORTANT CLASS OF PROTEINS THAT CONTROL GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS IS THE POLYCOMB (PC) FAMILY. SPECIFICALLY, THE PC PROTEIN RING1- AND YY1- BINDING PROTEIN (RYBP) EXERTS A TUMOR SUPPRESSIVE EFFECT ACROSS CANCER TYPES, AND RYBP IS FREQUENTLY DOWNREGULATED IN GBM PATIENTS (LI ET AL., 2013; HU ET AL., 2017). HOWEVER, THE SPECIFIC ROLE OF RYBP IN GBM AND THE MECHANISMS LEADING TO ITS REDUCED EXPRESSION IN GBM REMAIN UNCLEAR. THEREFORE, WE PROPOSE TO (1) DETERMINE THE TUMOR SUPPRESSIVE EFFECTS OF RYBP IN GLIOBLASTOMA CELLS. OUR APPROACH WILL BE TO STABLY TRANSDUCE GBM CELLS WITH LENTIVIRUS EXPRESSING EITHER RYBP OR A GFP CONTROL, AND IN PARALLEL TO STABLY TRANSDUCE IMMORTALIZED ASTROCYTES WITH LENTIVIRUS EXPRESSING SHRNA AGAINST RYBP OR A NON-TARGETING CONTROL. WE WILL ISOLATE SINGLE-CELL CLONES AND USE THEM TO (A) DETERMINE THE IN VITRO PHENOTYPIC EFFECTS OF RYBP ECTOPIC EXPRESSION OR KNOCKDOWN ON CELL VIABILITY, MIGRATION, AND INVASION, AND TO (B) IDENTIFY THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL TARGETS OF RYBP-MEDIATED GENE REGULATION USING RNA-SEQUENCING AND CHROMATIN IMMUNOPRECIPITATION-SEQUENCING. WE ALSO PROPOSE TO (2) DETERMINE THE MECHANISMS OF RYBP SILENCING IN GLIOBLASTOMA. SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL (A) ELUCIDATE THE CONTRIBUTION OF G-QUADRUPLEXES, WHICH ARE SECONDARY STRUCTURES FORMED BY G-RICH REGIONS OF DNA AND RNA, TO RYBP TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION. TO DO THIS, WE WILL TREAT CELLS WITH G4-STABILIZING LIGANDS OR DEPLETE CELLS OF G4-RESOLVING ENZYMES VIA RNA INTERFERENCE, AND MEASURE THE EFFECTS ON RYBP EXPRESSION. WE WILL ALSO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PUTATIVE G4-FORMING SEQUENCES IN THE RYPB PROMOTER CAN FORM BONA FIDE G4S IN CELLS. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL (B) DETERMINE THE ROLE OF MICRORNAS IN INHIBITING RYBP PROTEIN SYNTHESIS BY USING SYNTHETIC INHIBITORS AND LUCIFERASE ASSAYS. COLLECTIVELY, WE EXPECT THIS PROJECT TO REVEAL A NOVEL TUMOR SUPPRESSIVE EFFECT FOR THE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR AND CHROMATIN REGULATOR, RYBP, IN GBM, AND TO IDENTIFY THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL TARGETS UNDER ITS CONTROL. THE IMPACT OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE THE PLACEMENT OF RYBP'S FUNCTION WITHIN A COORDINATED, REGULATORY CONTEXT THAT WILL EXPAND OUR KNOWLEDGE OF POTENTIAL MOLECULAR TARGETS, THEREBY ENLIGHTENING DEVELOPMENT OF GBM THERAPIES.

LPA AND LPA4 RECEPTORS IN RETINAL AXON GUIDANCE IN THE DEVELOPING VISUAL SYSTEM

EARMARKS

THE VICTIMS ASSISTANCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

WINTHROP UNIVERSITY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM FY2025-FY2030

REU SITE: WINTHROP UNIVERSITY REU: BRIDGING APPLIED AND THEORETICAL MATHEMATICS

RUI: PROBING EARLY EVENTS IN AMYLOID-BETA ASSOCIATION BY SINGLE-PAIR FORSTER RESONANCE ENERGY TRANSFER

STRUCTURE FUNCTION STUDIES OF THE HMGA1 FUNCTIONAL DOMAINS INVOLVED IN MALIGNANT

USING COEVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHMS TO IDENTIFY DISTRACTOR ANSWERS FOR MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS USED FOR PEER INSTRUCTION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CAS: EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH PERFORMANCE THIAZOLOTHIAZOLE PHOTOCATALYSTS FOR INNOVATING LIGHT-DRIVEN ORGANIC TRANSFORMATIONS -WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CHEMICAL CATALYSIS PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, PROFESSOR MICHAEL G. WALTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE AND PROFESSOR JAMES M. HANNA AT WINTHROP UNIVERSITY ARE DESIGNING NEW, LOW-COST, SCALABLE, AND HIGH EFFICIENCY PHOTOCATALYSTS, SCAFFOLDS THAT HARNESS LIGHT ENERGY FOR PERFORMING CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS. THE OVERALL GOAL IS TO ADVANCE MORE SUSTAINABLE, CARBON-BASED PHOTOCATALYST SCAFFOLDS THAT WILL REDUCE COST AND OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL PRECIOUS METAL-BASED SYSTEMS. THE STUDY INCLUDES THE SYNTHESIS AND STUDY OF NEW CATALYST SCAFFOLDS, WITH THE GOAL OF ADVANCING FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW MODIFICATIONS AFFECT REACTIVITY. THE NEW CATALYSTS WILL THEN BE STUDIED IN A VARIETY OF CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS THAT CURRENTLY RELY ON EXPENSIVE-METAL PHOTOCATALYSTS. THE WORK WILL BE BUILT UPON A NEW REGIONAL COLLABORATION BETWEEN UNC CHARLOTTE AND WINTHROP UNIVERSITY AND WILL INVOLVE BOTH UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS FROM BOTH RESEARCH GROUPS WHO WILL GAIN EXPOSURE TO DIVERSE AND INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE PRACTICE OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH. IN ADDITION, THE RESEARCH COMPONENTS WILL BE CONNECTED WITH THE CLASSROOM TEACHING OF THE INVESTIGATORS, INTRODUCING PHOTOCHEMICAL SCIENCE TOPICS TO A DIVERSE GROUP OF GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. THE INVESTIGATORS WILL CONTINUE THEIR COLLABORATIONS WITH LOCAL SCIENCE MUSEUMS, EDUCATORS, AND SCHOOLS TO DEVELOP AND PROVIDE CHEMISTRY OUTREACH PROGRAMS TO THE CHARLOTTE REGION. THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO STUDY AND DEVELOP NEW THIAZOLO(5,4-D)THIAZOLE (TTZ) ORGANIC PHOTOREDOX CATALYST DERIVATIVES. TTZS ARE ATTRACTIVE PHOTOCATALYST MATERIALS DUE TO THEIR LOW-COST, SINGLE REACTION STEP SYNTHESES, NON-HALOGENATED, AND HIGH PHOTOCHEMICALLY STABLE HETEROBICYCLIC CORE. TTZ PHOTOCATALYSTS WILL ADDRESS THE NEED TO DEVELOP SCALABLE, HIGH EFFICIENCY ORGANIC PHOTOCATALYST TOOLS TO DRIVE A WIDE ARRAY OF ORGANIC TRANSFORMATIONS. THE TEAM HYPOTHESIZES THAT THE UNIQUE TTZ PHOTOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES ENABLE NEW AND IMPROVE UPON EXISTING TRANSFORMATIONS CURRENTLY DRIVEN WITH EXPENSIVE AND TOXIC MOLECULAR TRANSITION-METAL CATALYSTS. SECONDLY, IT IS PROPOSED THAT EXTENDED TTZ PHOTOCATALYST MATERIALS WILL ENABLE LOWER ENERGY (E.G. RED LIGHT) DRIVEN TRANSFORMATIONS WHILE HELPING TO TUNE REDOX CHARACTERISTICS FOR SPECIFIC TRANSFORMATIONS. PRELIMINARY STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE ABILITY OF A SERIES OF TTZS TO DRIVE REACTIONS WITH MUCH HIGHER EFFICIENCIES THAN PREVIOUSLY USED TRANSITION METAL PHOTOCATALYSTS. THE COLLABORATIVE TEAM WILL FURTHER EXPLORE PHOTOCATALYST STABILITY, REACTION RATES, AND ABILITY TO DRIVE A RANGE OF ORGANIC TRANSFORMATIONS. A LIBRARY OF NEW TTZ PHOTOCATALYST DERIVATIVES WILL BE DEVELOPED WITH TUNABLE LIGHT ABSORPTION PROPERTIES AND REDOX CHARACTERISTICS. PHOTOCHEMICAL STUDIES WILL BE CARRIED OUT TO ESTABLISH REACTION QUANTUM YIELDS, AND RATES WILL BE MONITORED USING FLUORESCENCE AND CHROMOGENIC TTZ COLORATION CHANGES. THIS COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM WILL FOCUS ON PHOTOCHEMICAL EFFICIENCY METRICS TO HELP GUIDE SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS OF TTZ PHOTOCATALYSTS WITH A FOCUS ON OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE AND VERSATILITY. THE MATERIALS PRODUCED BY THIS PROJECT CAN BENEFIT SOCIETY BY CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW SERIES OF PHOTOCATALYST MATERIALS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE SYNTHETIC EFFICIENCY AND LOWER PROVIDE FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC SYNTHESIS METHODOLOGY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: AN IN-DEPTH CHARACTERIZATION OF DIVALENT CADMIUM BINDING TO HUMAN CARDIAC TROPONIN C AND THE IMPACT ON SUBSEQUENT PROTEIN INTERACTIONS -WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE PROCESSES PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, ANNE M. SPUCHES FROM EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY AND NICHOLAS GROSSOEHME FROM WINTHROP UNIVERSITY WILL INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF DIVALENT CADMIUM, CD(II), BINDING TO HUMAN CARDIAC TROPONIN C PROTEIN (HCTNC) AND ITS IMPACT ON SUBSEQUENT PROTEIN INTERACTIONS. CADMIUM TOXICITY REMAINS AN IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN. CHRONIC CADMIUM EXPOSURE, EITHER FROM ENVIRONMENTAL SOURCES OR TOBACCO SMOKE, CAN RESULT IN NUMEROUS HEALTH PROBLEMS INCLUDING COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN CHILDREN AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. IT IS KNOWN THAT CD(II) CAN MIMIC DIVALENT CALCIUM, CA(II), AND CAN DISRUPT CALCIUM SIGNALING PATHWAYS BUT LITTLE ELSE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW THIS HAPPENS AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AIMS TO INVESTIGATE CD(II) BINDING TO HUMAN CARDIAC TROPONIN C, A CA(II) BINDING PROTEIN RESPONSIBLE FOR HEART MUSCLE CONTRACTION, AND TO EXPLORE THIS TOXIC METAL?S IMPACT ON SUBSEQUENT PROTEIN INTERACTIONS. FURTHERMORE, THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL PROVIDE BOTH UNDERGRADUATE AND MASTER?S STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN INDEPENDENT AND MEANINGFUL RESEARCH PROJECTS IN THE FIELD OF BIOINORGANIC CHEMISTRY. THEY WILL BE INTRODUCED TO CUTTING EDGE INSTRUMENTATION AND WILL COMMUNICATE THEIR FINDINGS AT NATIONAL CONFERENCES OR THROUGH PUBLICATION. THESE ACTIVITIES WILL ALLOW STUDENTS TO DEVELOP THE RESEARCH AND COLLABORATIVE WORK SKILLS AND THE CONFIDENCE NECESSARY FOR SUCCESSFUL CAREERS IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL OR BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES OR IN ACADEMIA. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH USES A COMBINATION OF CALORIMETRIC, SPECTROSCOPIC, AND COMPUTATIONAL METHODS TO INVESTIGATE CD(II) BINDING TO HCTNC AND UNDERSTAND HOW THE PRESENCE OF CD(II) IMPACTS SUBSEQUENT PROTEIN INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE TROPONIN COMPLEX. FIRST, CD(II) BINDING TO THE N-TERMINAL DOMAIN OF HUMAN CARDIAC TROPONIN C AND CYSTEINE REPLACEMENT MUTANTS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY ISOTHERMAL TITRATION CALORIMETRY (ITC), NMR, AND MASS SPECTROMETRY METHODS. NEXT, SITE-SPECIFIC BINDING OF CA(II) AND CD(II) TO EF-HAND METAL BINDING KNOCKOUT MUTANTS IN ADDITION TO SYNTHESIZED EF-HAND PEPTIDES III AND IV WILL BE INVESTIGATED USING ITC, FLUORESCENCE, AND CIRCULAR DICHROISM SPECTROSCOPY. FINALLY, HTNC-TNI AND TNT PROTEIN INTERACTIONS WILL BE EXPLORED IN THE PRESENCE OF CD(II) THROUGH THE USE OF SURFACE PLASMON RESONANCE (SPR), ITC, AND MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS (MDS). 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: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGRICULTURE AND SOCIAL CHANGE -THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES PREHISTORIC FARMING PRACTICES TO UNDERSTAND HOW WEALTH AND INEQUALITY ARE GENERATED UNDER CONDITIONS OF CRISIS. INTENSIVE FARMING AND THE CONTROL OF AGRICULTURAL SURPLUS HAVE LONG BEEN UNDERSTOOD AS KEY FACTORS AMPLIFYING SOCIAL INEQUALITY. IN TURN, DURING PERIODS OF ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL INSTABILITY, IT IS ASSUMED THAT FARMERS ADOPT MORE DIVERSE AND DISPERSED FARMING AND HERDING STRATEGIES, RESULTING IN LIMITED WEALTH AND INEQUALITY. YET, THIS TRADITIONAL ACCOUNT MAKES SIMPLISTIC ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOD PRODUCTION, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND SOCIOPOLITICAL COMPLEXITY. CAN INTENSIVE FARMING PERSIST DESPITE CONDITIONS OF DROUGHT, WARFARE, AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY? CONVERSELY, CAN THE ADOPTION OF MORE DIVERSE SUBSISTENCE STRATEGIES ACTUALLY LEAD TO WIDENING SOCIAL INEQUALITY? ARCHAEOLOGY IS WELL SUITED TO INVESTIGATE ACUTE AND LONG-TERM CHANGES IN FARMING, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS. THIS PROJECT TAKES ON IMMEDIATE URGENCY IN THE PRESENT WHEN TRADITIONAL FARMERS AND PASTORALISTS IN MARGINAL ENVIRONMENTS AROUND THE WORLD FACE INCREASING SOCIOPOLITICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES. THROUGH THIS PROJECT, THE PRIMARY INVESTIGATORS TRAIN UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS IN TRANSNATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD METHODS AND IN CUTTING-EDGE ANALYTICAL METHODS AT THEIR RESPECTIVE UNIVERSITIES IN THE US, PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION FOR CAREERS IN SCIENCE AND CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. THE RESEARCH TEAM ANALYZES DIRECT PROXIES OF AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL PRACTICES AND COMPARE THEM TO MEASURES OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY DURING A PERIOD OF LONG-TERM DROUGHT AND DRAMATIC SOCIOPOLITICAL CHANGES. THE RESEARCH TAKES PLACE IN A PREHISTORIC HIGHLAND VALLEY, A REGION WITH SIGNIFICANT DEEP TIME HUMAN OCCUPATION, VAST AGRICULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE, AND ABUNDANT NATURAL RESOURCES. THE RESEARCHERS EXCAVATE A LARGE SETTLEMENT AND ASSOCIATED AGRICULTURAL TERRACES, ANALYZE EXCAVATED MATERIALS AND LEGACY COLLECTIONS FROM MULTIPLE SITES, AND CONDUCT SPECIALIZED CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF HUMAN, PLANT, ANIMAL, AND SOIL REMAINS TO RECONSTRUCT FOOD WEBS, FIELD MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, AND PATTERNS OF HUMAN AND HERD MOBILITY. THEY ALSO ANALYZE LAND USE AND SETTLEMENT PATTERNS USING UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES, THREE-DIMENSIONAL COMPUTER MODELING, AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS. THE MULTI-METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH ALLOWS THE RESEARCHERS TO INVESTIGATE AGROPASTORAL STRATEGIES AND SOCIOPOLITICAL ORGANIZATION ACROSS COMMUNITIES LIVING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY BUT WITH DIFFERENT ECOLOGICAL POTENTIALS AND DIVERGENT SOCIOPOLITICAL HISTORIES. 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.

A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE BARRIERS NEEDS AND CHALLENGES FACING UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY FACULTY IN BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR

VISTA STATE

TAKE NOTE AND REMEMBER: THE COMMONPLACE BOOK AND ITS AMERICAN DESCENDANTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INVESTIGATING STEM TEACHER PREPARATION AND RURAL TEACHER PERSISTENCE AND RETENTION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SCHOOL SEGREGATION AND RESEGREGATION: USING CASE STUDIES AND PUBLIC POLLS TO UNDERSTAND CITIZEN ATTITUDES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: CSI DEVONIAN - TESTING LATE DEVONIAN OCEAN ANOXIA PROXIES ACROSS DIFFERENT PALEOENVIRONMENTS

CBMS CONFERENCE: MATHEMATICAL PHYLOGENY CONFERENCE

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT PERSONNEL COSTS AND ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES FOR AN ARTS INTEGRATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: A HIGH RESOLUTION PALEONTOLOGICAL, ICHNOLOGICAL, AND CHEMOSTRATIGRAPHIC STUDY OF LATE DEVONIAN MASS EXTINCTIONS

RAPID: IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF REGIONAL TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT FROM THE EMERGENCY SALVAGE OF A LATE CLASSIC SITE

WINTHROP MCNAIR SCHOLARS PROGRAM