University Of Tampa

UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA HEERF INSTITUTIONAL FUNDING

UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA HEERF STUDENT FINANCIAL AID

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: TESTING THE LAMBDA COLD DARK MATTER PARADIGM WITH DWARF SATELLITES OF LOW-MASS GALAXIES

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A HIGH RESOLUTION MASS SPECTROMETER FOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION AND SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGAM - THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION AND SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM AIMS TO MAKE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING INESCAPABLE FOR STUDENTS BY BUILDING A WIDER NET OF PROACTIVE SERVICES. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO IDENTIFY AND SERVE STUDENTS WHO NEED TO RECEIVE COUNSELING SERVICES AS WELL AS THOSE THAT NEED SKILL BUILDING WORKSHOPS, WELLNESS COACHING OR COMMUNITY CONNECTION PROGRAMS TO TEACH THEM TO MANAGE THEIR OWN MENTAL WELLBEING. OVER THE PAST 4 YEARS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA (UT) HAS INCREASED THEIR COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING AND SUICIDE PREVENTION THROUGH A STRATEGIC 4-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH JED CAMPUS, FOCUSED ON BUILDING A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PLAN TO BUILD STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING AND REDUCE SUICIDE. A STRONG MENTAL HEALTH TASKFORCE DEDICATED TO IMPROVING STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING HAS GUIDED THIS PROJECT. THERE IS MORE WORK TO BE DONE TO RESOLVE THE GAP IN SERVICES NEEDED TO ADDRESS THE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF ALL STUDENTS, NOT JUST THOSE THAT SEEK COUNSELING. WE PROPOSE TO DO THIS WITH THE FOLLOWING THREE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND WILL MARKET THESE PROGRAMS TO UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS. THE FIRST GOAL IS TO INCREASE FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENT CAPACITY TO IDENTIFY HIGH-RISK STUDENTS, REFER TO APPROPRIATE RESOURCES AND ENCOURAGE HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIOR. THIS WILL BE DONE BY COORDINATING 3 DIFFERENT MENTAL HEALTH GATEKEEPER TRAININGS INVOLVING A VARIETY OF TIME COMMITMENTS: HOW TO HELP A FRIEND TRAINING, 1 HOUR, REACHING A MINIMUM OF 200 STUDENTS PER YEAR, TOTALING 600 OVER THE GRANT PERIOD; SUICIDE PREVENTION GATEKEEPER TRAINING, 2-HOUR, 100 FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS PER YEAR, 300 PER GRANT PERIOD; AND MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING, 100 FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS PER YEAR, 300 PER GRANT YEAR. THE SECOND GOAL IS TO INCREASE STUDENTS' ABILITY TO MANAGE STRESS, ANXIETY, AND OTHER EMOTIONS PRODUCTIVELY TO REDUCE SUBSTANCE ABUSE, BUILD RESILIENCY AND DECREASE RISK OF SUICIDE. WE ARE PROPOSING THREE PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THIS GOAL. WELLNESS SKILL BASED WORKSHOPS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED THAT TEACH STUDENTS USEFUL TOOLS TO FEEL MORE CONFIDENT IN THEIR ABILITY TO MANAGE DISTRESS. THE FIRST YEAR OF THE GRANT WILL BE SPENT DEVELOPING THE WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING A FACILITATOR, WITH A MINIMUM OF 50 STUDENTS COMPLETING IN THE SECOND YEAR AND 75 STUDENTS THE THIRD YEAR, TOTALING 125 STUDENTS. A PEER WELLNESS COACHING PROGRAM WILL BE DEVELOPED DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF THE GRANT, INCLUDING HIRING AND TRAINING OF 4 STUDENT COACHES. YEAR TWO, A MINIMUM OF 25 STUDENTS WILL COMPLETE COACHING, AND YEAR 3, 50 STUDENTS WILL COMPLETE, TOTALING IN 75 OVER THE PROJECT. LASTLY, A FACULTY CURRICULUM INFUSION MODEL AND TEACHING TIPS FOR SUPPORTING STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH WILL BE CREATED AND DISSEMINATED BY THE END OF YEAR ONE. BY THE END OF THE GRANT PERIOD, A MINIMUM OF 50 FACULTY WILL HAVE UTILIZED THE MODULES AND TIPS. GOAL 3 IS TO INCREASE STUDENTS' SENSE OF BELONGING TO BUILD RESILIENCY AND DECREASE RISK OF SUICIDE. THIS WILL BE DONE THROUGH TWO PROGRAMS. THE SPARTAN CONNECT CONVERSATIONS PROGRAM, A FORUM TO HELP STUDENTS GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND DEVELOP FRIENDSHIPS, WILL BE CREATED BY DECEMBER 2022, WITH 4 GROUPS COMPLETED BY THE END OF YEAR ONE, MINIMUM OF 20 STUDENTS IN TOTAL. YEAR 2 AND 3 WILL HAVE 12 CONVERSATION GROUPS EACH, WITH A MINIMUM OF 60 STUDENTS COMPLETING TOTALING 28 GROUPS AND 140 STUDENTS. SECONDLY, AWARENESS AND UTILIZATION OF THE UT RECOVERY COMMUNITY WILL INCREASE BY IMPLEMENTING A MARKETING CAMPAIGN, PROVIDING WEEKLY SUPPORT MEETINGS AND CASE MANAGEMENT FOR MEMBERS, AND PROVIDING RECOVERY ALLY TRAINING TO THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY BEGINNING IN GRANT YEAR 2, AS THESE TRAININGS WILL BE DONE BY STUDENT LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITY. THREE TRAININGS WILL OCCUR DURING YEAR 2 AND 3, REACHING AT LEAST 30 FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS PER YEAR, TOTALING 60.

RUI: EXECUTIVE CONTROL OF WORKING MEMORY: PRIORITIZATION BASED ON VALUE -CERTAIN INFORMATION IS CRITICAL TO REMEMBER, LIKE A DOCTOR?S CARE INSTRUCTIONS OR THE NAME OF A NEW COLLEAGUE, WHEREAS OTHER INFORMATION WOULD BE BETTER TO DISREGARD, SUCH AS OUTDATED OR IRRELEVANT INFORMATION. THIS PROJECT ASSESSES HOW PEOPLE PRIORITIZE INFORMATION WITHIN WORKING MEMORY, WHICH IS THE TEMPORARILY MAINTAINED AND MANIPULATED INFORMATION THAT ONE IS CURRENTLY THINKING ABOUT IN ONE?S MIND. THE ABILITY TO PRIORITIZE INFORMATION IN MEMORY REQUIRES STRATEGIC MENTAL PROCESSING AND IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN EXECUTIVE CONTROL PROCESS. SIMILAR TO HOW AN EXECUTIVE OF A COMPANY OVERSEES THE BEHAVIORS OF EMPLOYEES, EXECUTIVE CONTROL PROCESSES ARE USED TO REGULATE AND PLAN ONE?S OWN THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS. THIS PROJECT SYSTEMATICALLY EVALUATES THE EXECUTIVE CONTROL OF WORKING MEMORY BASED ON THE DESIGNATED VALUE OR IMPORTANCE OF THE INFORMATION. THIS HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE APPLIED RESEARCH, SUCH AS TREATMENT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS (E.G., PTSD) OR CLASSROOM LEARNING STRATEGIES. THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA IS A PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION, AND THE PROJECT BOLSTERS UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES AND PREPARATION FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL, BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH EXPERIENCES. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE GLAZER CHILDREN?S MUSEUM, THIS PROJECT CREATES AN INTERACTIVE EXHIBIT THAT WILL EDUCATE THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN AND CAREGIVERS ABOUT MEMORY AND EXECUTIVE CONTROL, EXPOSING CHILDREN TO PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE AT AN EARLY AGE. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ASSIST WITH EXPERIMENTS DESIGNED TO UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES, MECHANISMS, AND CONTEXTUAL REQUIREMENTS OF PRIORITIZING INFORMATION WITHIN WORKING MEMORY, WHEN IMPORTANCE CUES ARE PROVIDED AFTER INITIAL STUDYING. PRIOR RESEARCH HAS EXAMINED HOW SELECTIVE ATTENTION CAN BE USED TO PRIORITIZE ENCODING BASED ON ATTENTIONAL GOALS. HOWEVER, LESS RESEARCH HAS BEEN CONDUCTED TO UNDERSTAND PRIORITIZATION ONCE INFORMATION HAS ALREADY ENTERED WORKING MEMORY. PARTICIPANTS STUDY A SMALL NUMBER OF WORDS PRESENTED ON A COMPUTER SCREEN THAT ARE ARBITRARILY ASSIGNED HIGH, LOW, OR NEGATIVE VALUES, BUT ONLY AFTER THE WORDS ARE INITIALLY STUDIED. FOLLOWING A BRIEF DELAY OF SEVERAL SECONDS, MEMORY IS TESTED. RESULTS DETERMINE IF PARTICIPANTS? RESPONSES ARE FASTER AND MORE ACCURATE FOR HIGH-VALUE INFORMATION HELD WITHIN WORKING MEMORY, AND IF HIGH-VALUE INFORMATION IS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO PROACTIVE INTERFERENCE, A TYPE OF MEMORY INTERFERENCE IN WHICH FAMILIAR, RECENT INFORMATION INTRUDES. PROACTIVE INTERFERENCE MEASUREMENT PROVIDES A NOVEL WINDOW INTO THE PERSISTING STRENGTH OF HIGH-, LOW-, AND NEGATIVE-VALUE WORKING MEMORY REPRESENTATIONS. SPECIFICALLY, THIS PROJECT (1) EVALUATES THE CONSEQUENCES OF ARBITRARILY-ASSIGNED VALUE ON WORKING MEMORY STRENGTH AND INTERFERENCE, (2) TESTS THEORETICAL MECHANISMS OF VALUE-DIRECTED REMEMBERING IN WORKING MEMORY, INCLUDING ASSESSING DIFFERENTIAL REHEARSAL AND ACTIVE CONTROL ACCOUNTS, AND (3) DETERMINES THE INFLUENCE OF WORKING MEMORY CAPACITY LIMITATIONS ON WORKING MEMORY PRIORITIZATION. 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.

THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES OF FLORIDA AND JOS? MART? IN CUBAN INDEPENDENCE AND THE DAWN OF THE AMERICAN CENTURY [THIS 4-WEEK LEVEL II INSTITUTE WILL STUDY THE RISE OF THE U.S. AS A GLOBAL HEGEMONIC POWER AS A CONSEQUENCE OF ITS MILITARY INTERVENTION IN CUBA?S WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1898) FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE CUBAN ?MIGR? COMMUNITIES OF FLORIDA, WHO, FROM THEIR LATE-19TH CENTURY CIGAR-MANUFACTURING ENCLAVES IN KEY WEST, YBOR CITY, AND WEST TAMPA, PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE ANTI-COLONIAL STRUGGLE AGAINST SPAIN. THESE COMMUNITIES CONSTITUTE AN EXTRAORDINARY CHRYSALIS IN WHICH TO OBSERVE AND UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX CULTURAL AND POLITICAL EVOLUTION OF THE U.S. AT THE DAWN OF WHAT IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS ?THE AMERICAN CENTURY.? THE CLOSE STUDY OF THIS SEMINAL PERIOD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE WORKING CLASS IMMIGRANTS WHO ORGANIZED, FINANCED, AND IN MANY CASES FOUGHT AND DIED FOR A PATRIOTIC IDEAL THAT THEY HELPED INSPIRE AND FORMULATE BY THEIR EXAMPLE, WILL ENRICH ANY CROSS-CULTURAL, MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE TEACHING OF U.S. HISTORY.]

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH RUI: CAS: DEVELOPMENT OF TRIPODAL LIGANDS FOR NEXT-GENERATION RARE EARTH ELEMENT SEPARATIONS

BUSINESS AND INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

JOS? MART? AND THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES OF FLORIDA IN CUBAN INDEPENDENCE AND THE DAWN OF THE AMERICAN CENTURY

UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE

A COMPREHENSIVE, HOMOGENEOUS CHEMICAL ABUNDANCE ANALYSIS OF PLANET HOST STARS DISCOVERED BY KEPLER IS PROPOSED. PRECISE STELLAR PARAMETERS (EFFECTIVE

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING TRAINEESHIPS

23-BPSF23-0072 BRIDGING TOWARD A MORE INCLUSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THROUGH GAMMA-RAY BURST STUDIES WITH MACHINE LEARNING AND CITIZEN SCIENCE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: AI-POWERED DISCOVERY OF THE FAINTEST GALAXIES: PUSHING THE GALAXY FORMATION FRONTIER -THIS PROGRAM WILL USE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TO DETECT A LARGE SAMPLE OF THE FAINTEST AND SMALLEST GALAXIES IN THE UNIVERSE. WITH AN INNOVATIVE COMPUTER CODE, THIS RESEARCH TEAM WILL ANALYZE VAST DATASETS OBTAINED BY THE MOST ADVANCED ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORIES, AMONG THEM THE RUBIN TELESCOPE. DWARF GALAXIES ARE FAINT AND SMALL, WHICH MAKES THEM DIFFICULT TO DETECT IN ASTRONOMICAL IMAGES. WITH THE POWER OF AI, THIS PROGRAM WILL DISCOVER A SOLID STATISTICAL SAMPLE OF ELUSIVE DISTANT DWARF GALAXIES. THE INVESTIGATORS SUPPORTED BY THIS PROGRAM WILL CREATE A SERIES OF VIDEO BLOGS (VLOGS) THAT EXPLAIN THE PROCESS OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY TO EVERYONE, FROM MIDDLE SCHOOLERS TO GENERAL AUDIENCES. THESE VIDEOS WILL BE SHARED ON EXISTING YOUTUBE PLATFORMS THAT HAVE THOUSANDS OF SUBSCRIBERS. THE MAIN SCIENTIFIC GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO USE A CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK IMAGE CLASSIFIER TO BUILD AN UNBIASED SAMPLE OF THE FAINTEST DWARFS BEYOND THE LOCAL GROUP, INCLUDING ISOLATED DWARF GALAXIES. THIS PROGRAM WILL ALSO CHARACTERIZE THESE NEWLY DISCOVERED SYSTEMS WITH FOLLOW-UP OBSERVATIONS. THESE DISCOVERIES WILL BE PUT INTO CONTEXT WITH OTHER DWARF GALAXIES IN AND BEYOND THE LOCAL GROUP, WHICH WILL ILLUMINATE MANY ASPECTS OF SMALL-SCALE GALAXY FORMATION. THIS PROGRAM WILL ALSO BUILD A VALUABLE TRAINING SAMPLE FOR FUTURE SEARCHES OF DWARF GALAXIES, MAXIMIZING THE FULL SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL OF UPCOMING RUBIN/LSST OBSERVATIONS. THE PI OF THIS PROGRAM, A SENIOR TED FELLOW, WILL CONTINUE TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC WITH OUTREACH TALKS AND VIDEO BLOGS THAT EXPLAIN SCIENCE CONCEPTS TO EVERYONE. THIS RESEARCH AWARD IS PARTIALLY FUNDED BY A GENEROUS GIFT FROM CHARLES SIMONYI TO THE NSF ASTRONOMY DIVISION. THE PROJECT INCLUDES SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO VERA C. RUBIN OBSERVATORY?S LEGACY SURVEY OF SPACE AND TIME. 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: MANAGING EPIDEMICS IN WILDLIFE WITH ACQUIRED RESISTANCE

EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGENCY S EXPLORATION INITIATIVE FOCUSING ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF ON AND FROM THE MOON LUNAR ORBIT MARS AND BEYOND. ADVANCE DISCOVERY IN EMERGING FIELDS BY IDENTIFYING AND EXPLOITING CROSS-DISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES DEVELOP A DIRECTORATE-WIDE TARGET-USER FOCUSED APPROACH TO APPLIED PROGRAMS INCLUDING EARTH SCIENCE APPLICATIONS SPACE WEATHER PLANETARY DEFENSE AND SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A MODERN CAPILLARY GENETIC ANALYZER FOR MULTI-INVESTIGATOR RESEARCH IN POPULATION, PHYLOGEOGRAPHIC, PHYLOGENETIC, AND BEHAVIORAL GENETICS

21-CSSFP21-0015 BURSTCHASER: UNVEILING THE PHYSICAL MECHANISM OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS WITH CITIZEN SCIENCE

CONFERENCE: FACILITATING SCIENCE TEACHING SKILL DEVELOPMENT OF GRADUATE STUDENTS, POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS AND BUILDING NETWORKS OF COMM. COLLEGE AND 4-YEAR INSTITUTION SCIENCE FACULTY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: COASTS IN MOTION: QUANTIFYING THE PATTERNS OF COASTAL CHANGE USING LIDAR

POLLINATORS SUCH AS BUMBLEBEES ARE CRITICAL FOR MAINTAINING HEALTHY FOOD SYSTEMS, YET THEIR POPULATIONS ARE THREATENED BY ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS, ESPECIALLY PESTICIDE USE. WHILE MANY STUDIES HAVE DOCUMENTED DIRECT EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES ON BEE SURVIVAL, MUCH LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW PESTICIDES INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIFFERENT CASTES WITHIN A COLONY (QUEENS, WORKERS, AND MALES) THAT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR LONG-TERM POLLINATOR HEALTH. BECAUSE ALL CASTES SHARE THE SAME GENETIC BACKGROUND, STRESS FROM PESTICIDES MAY DISRUPT THEIR DEVELOPMENT IN LINKED WAYS, REDUCING THE FLEXIBILITY AND RESILIENCE OF COLONIES. UNDERSTANDING THESE HIDDEN EFFECTS IS VITAL NOT ONLY FOR PROTECTING POLLINATORS BUT ALSO FOR ENSURING STABLE CROP PRODUCTION, ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, AND FOOD SECURITY.THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY HOW COMMON PESTICIDES AFFECT THE GROWTH, APPEARANCE, AND GENE ACTIVITY OF BUMBLEBEES. COLONIES WILL BE RAISED IN THE LAB, GIVEN FOOD WITH SAFE BUT REALISTIC PESTICIDE LEVELS, AND CAREFULLY MEASURED TO SEE HOW THEIR SEX RATIOS, BODY SIZES, AND GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS CHANGE. MODERN TOOLS INCLUDING DIGITAL IMAGING, GENETIC SEQUENCING, AND ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION WILL ALLOW US TO DETECT SUBTLE SHIFTS IN HOW BEES DEVELOP UNDER STRESS. BECAUSE BUMBLEBEES ARE MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO CROP POLLINATION, THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE SCIENCE-BASED GUIDANCE FOR AGRICULTURE AND CONSERVATION, SUPPORTING FOOD PRODUCTION, POLLINATOR HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. OUTCOMES WILL ALSO ADVANCE UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY AWARENESS OF POLLINATOR ISSUES.

SYMPOSIUM: FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF CARTILAGINOUS FISHES (JULY 22-27, PORTLAND, OR)

LEAPS-MPS: CONSTRAINING STELLAR STRUCTURE AND EVOLUTION OF MASSIVE STARS WITH OPTICAL INTERFEROMETRY -MASSIVE STARS, SPECIFICALLY O AND B-STARS, ARE RARE AND SHORT LIVED. NEVERTHELESS, THEY DOMINATE THE LUMINOSITY AND CHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF GALAXIES, AND ENERGIZE THE INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM. IT IS THUS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THEIR STRUCTURE AND EVOLUTION. THIS CAN BE DONE BY DETERMINING THEIR POSITIONS ON A PLOT OF LUMINOSITY AND EFFECTIVE TEMPERATURE (TEFF) - I.E., AN HERTZPRUNG-RUSSELL (HR) DIAGRAM - RELATIVE TO THEORETICAL EVOLUTIONARY TRACKS THAT STARS OF A GIVEN MASS WILL FOLLOW OVER THEIR LIFETIME. ORDINARILY, TEFF IS DIFFICULT TO MEASURE FOR MASSIVE STARS AND ONE MUST RELY ON ESTIMATES FROM STELLAR ATMOSPHERE MODELS. THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI) OF THIS PROJECT AND HER STUDENTS WILL DERIVE TEFF DIRECTLY USING MEASURED STELLAR LUMINOSITIES AND DIAMETERS, WITH THE LATTER OBTAINED USING LONG BASELINE OPTICAL INTERFEROMETRIC OBSERVATIONS WITH THE CENTER FOR HIGH ANGULAR RESOLUTION ASTRONOMY (CHARA) ARRAY. ALL IN ALL, DIRECT DETERMINATIONS OF TEFF FOR FORTY-ONE TARGETS (11 O-STARS AND 30 B-STARS) WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY THE TEAM, ALLOWING PRECISE CONSTRAINTS FOR KEY STELLAR PARAMETERS AS WELL AS AN ASSESSMENT OF ESTIMATES BASED ON STELLAR ATMOSPHERE MODELS. TWO SIDE PROJECTS WILL EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF STELLAR WINDS AND MEASURE THE SHAPE OF THE RAPIDLY ROTATING STAR ZETA OPH. THE AWARD WILL ALSO ALLOW THE UNIVERSITY TO JOIN THE SOUTHEASTERN ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY (SARA) CONSORTIUM, PROVIDING ACCESS TO A GLOBAL NETWORK OF ROBOTIC TELESCOPES. THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT A YEAR-ROUND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR AN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT INCLUDING TRAVEL TO CHARA WORKSHOPS AND WINTER AAS MEETINGS. LONG BASELINE OPTICAL INTERFEROMETRY WILL ALLOW THE PI AND STUDENTS TO DERIVE KEY STELLAR PARAMETERS WITH UNPRECEDENTED PRECISION. THE CHARA ARRAY IS CURRENTLY THE ONLY INTERFEROMETER IN THE WORLD CAPABLE OF ATTAINING SUFFICIENTLY HIGH ANGULAR RESOLUTION TO RESOLVE THE DISKS OF DISTANT O AND B- STARS. TOGETHER WITH PRECISE STELLAR DISTANCES PROVIDED BY THE RECENT GAIA MISSION, THE TEAM WILL USE MEASURED ANGULAR DIAMETERS TO CALCULATE ACCURATE STELLAR RADII. THESE WILL BE COMBINED WITH CALIBRATED SPECTROPHOTOMETRY TO CALCULATE ACCURATE TEFF. THE RESEARCH PROGRAM OUTLINED IN THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO PROVIDE A ROBUST TEST OF STELLAR ATMOSPHERIC MODELS WITH PRECISE, OBSERVATIONALLY DETERMINED PARAMETERS FOR A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT SAMPLE OF O AND B-STARS. THIS WORK WILL FURTHER RESULT IN THE CREATION OF A LOW RESOLUTION OPTICAL SPECTRAL LIBRARY FOR MASSIVE STARS, AS THERE IS HISTORICALLY NOT A LARGE AMOUNT OF DATA IN THIS AREA. 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.