Rhodes College

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND (HEERF) - RHODES COLLEGE

MID-SOUTH COALITION FOR MINORITY HEALTH INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH TRAINING

4200169375 AWARD FY06 APPPOPRIATION FOR 1,000,000 TO STARS PROGRAM AT RHODES COLLEGE, TN

INTEGRATING MEANINGFUL PRACTICES WITH ACCESS TO COMPUTATIONAL THINKING: TOWARDS INCREASING THE ACADEMIC AND CAREER SUCCESS OF STEM STUDENTS

RUI: PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS OF PROTEIN KINASE C DURING POLARIZED GROWTH IN FILAMENTOUS FUNGI -THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO INCREASE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW FUNGI GROW. FUNGI ARE MICROORGANISMS WHICH ARE USED TO PRODUCE COMMERCIALLY AND MEDICINALLY VALUABLE PRODUCTS, WHILE OTHERS CAUSE DISEASE AND RESULT IN MAJOR FINANCIAL LOSSES DUE TO CROP DAMAGE AND SPOILAGE OF STORED FOODS. UNDERSTANDING THEIR GROWTH HELPS TO ADVANCE TECHNOLOGIES INVOLVING THEIR USE AND AIDS IN DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO CONTROL THEIR SPREAD IN HARMFUL CONTEXTS. FUNGI EXIST IN TWO DIFFERENT FORMS; SPHERICAL, SINGLE-CELLED ORGANISMS AND ELONGATED, MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS, WHICH ARE CALLED FILAMENTOUS FUNGI. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON GROWTH AND CELL DIVISION IN FILAMENTOUS FUNGI. IN ORDER TO GROW AND COLONIZE THEIR HOSTS, FILAMENTOUS FUNGI EXTEND INTO THEIR ENVIRONMENTS BY ADDING CELLULAR MATERIALS AT THE TIPS OF GROWING FILAMENTS, AND THEY DIVIDE BY CONSTRUCTING CROSS-WALLS, CALLED SEPTA, AT EVENLY SPACED INTERVALS ALONG THE FILAMENTS. THIS PROJECT BUILDS ON PREVIOUS NSF FUNDED RESEARCH IN THIS LABORATORY WHICH IDENTIFIED PROTEINS INVOLVED IN FILAMENTOUS FUNGAL GROWTH AND CELL DIVISION, AND BEGAN TO DETERMINE WHICH GROWTH-RELATED PROTEINS FORM PHYSICAL COMPLEXES THAT ARE INVOLVED IN GROWTH AND DIVISION. ONGOING WORK WILL EXPAND GROWTH AND CELL DIVISION PROTEIN COMPLEXES BY IDENTIFYING NEW PROTEINS WHICH ARE INVOLVED, AND IT WILL FURTHER DEFINE HOW THESE COMPLEXES FUNCTION. THIS RESEARCH WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY TWO SENIOR SCIENTISTS AT RHODES COLLEGE (MEMPHIS, TN) WORKING WITH UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ENROLLED AT RHODES AND STUDENTS ATTENDING HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES IN THE MEMPHIS REGION. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL BE INTEGRALLY INVOLVED IN THE WORK, AND THIS RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WILL STRENGTHEN THEIR SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION. THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES THE FUNCTION OF PROTEIN KINASE C IN FILAMENTOUS FUNGAL GROWTH AND CELL DIVISION (SEPTATION). USING THE FILAMENTOUS FUNGUS ASPERGILLUS NIDULANS AS A MODEL ORGANISM PROTEINS INVOLVED IN GROWTH AND CELL DIVISION, INCLUDING THE A. NIDULANS HOMOLOG OF PROTEIN KINASE C, PKCA, HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. PREVIOUS RESEARCH BY THE PRIMARY INVESTIGATORS OF THIS PROJECT USED TECHNIQUES INCLUDING IN VIVO MICROSCOPY OF FLUORESCENCE LABELED PROTEINS, IMMUNOPRECIPITATIONS FOLLOWED BY MASS SPECTROMETRY AND PROTEOMICS ANALYSES, AND YEAST TWO-HYBRID ASSAYS TO IDENTIFY SEVERAL PROTEINS THAT PHYSICALLY INTERACT WITH PKCA INCLUDING THE FORMIN SEPA, THREE RHO-TYPE GTPASE ORTHOLOGS, A CHITIN SYNTHASE ORTHOLOG, A GLUCAN SYNTHASE, AND TWO IMPORTANT SCAFFOLD PROTEINS - A. NIDULANS IQGAP ORTHOLOG SEPG AND AN A. NIDULANS PAXILLIN ORTHOLOG PAXB - WHICH APPEAR TO HAVE ROLES IN PKCA?S LOCALIZATION TO SEPTATION SITES. THIS PROJECT WILL DETERMINE IF THESE PROTEINS OR A SUBSET ARE PKCA SUBSTRATES, AND IF PHOSPHORYLATION EVENTS PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN GROWTH AND CELL DIVISION. THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH PKCA PROTEIN COMPLEXES COALESCE WILL BE EXPLORED BY IDENTIFYING KEY DOMAINS OF PKCA AND COMPLEXED PROTEINS THAT FACILITATE PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS AMONG THEM. NOT ONLY WILL THIS RESEARCH BE OF VALUE TO THE FILAMENTOUS FUNGI COMMUNITY, BUT IT WILL ALSO BENEFIT THE BROADER CELL BIOLOGY COMMUNITY, AS IT WILL SHED LIGHT ON THE FACTORS THAT AFFECT PROTEIN KINASE C RECRUITMENT (AND PROTEIN RECRUITMENT IN GENERAL) TO PROTEIN COMPLEXES AND HOW PROTEIN NETWORKS FUNCTION SUBSEQUENT TO RECRUITMENT. 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.

AN ANALYSIS OF EXPERT HUMAN TUTORS

CAREER: IMPLEMENTING AND ASSESSING INEXPENSIVE, EFFECTIVE METHODS OF EXPLORING VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS OF PROTEIN KINASE C DURING POLARIZED GROWTH IN FILAMENTOUS FUNGI

BRC-BIO: THE MOLECULAR BASIS FOR CARBON DIOXIDE SENSING AND RESPONSE IN DIMORPHIC FUNGI -THIS PROJECT WILL SEEK TO UNDERSTAND HOW DIMORPHIC FUNGI SENSE AND RESPOND TO THE SHIFT OF CARBON DIOXIDE CONCENTRATION IN THE ENVIRONMENT. DIMORPHIC FUNGI ARE A GROUP OF MICROORGANISMS THAT SWITCH BETWEEN TWO DISTINCT FORMS: MYCELIA (FILAMENTOUS CELLS) AND YEASTS (SPHERICAL CELLS). WHILE SOME DIMORPHIC FUNGI PRODUCE COMMERCIALLY VALUABLE PRODUCTS, OTHERS CAUSE DISEASES IN PLANTS OR MAMMALS. THESE FUNGI MUST BE ABLE TO SENSE AND RESPOND TO VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL CUES, SUCH AS TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY, AND CARBON DIOXIDE, TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE. DESPITE THE IMPORTANCE OF CARBON DIOXIDE, HOW DIMORPHIC FUNGI SENSE AND RESPOND TO THIS GAS MOLECULE REMAINS LARGELY UNKNOWN. THE RESULTS FROM THIS PROJECT WILL FILL THIS CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP AND HELP DEVELOP NOVEL ANTIFUNGAL DRUGS AND AGRICULTURAL FUNGICIDES TO COMBAT LIFE-THREATENING FUNGAL INFECTIONS AND REDUCE CROP DAMAGE, RESPECTIVELY. THIS PROJECT WILL BE CARRIED OUT AT RHODES COLLEGE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ENROLLED AT RHODES AND STUDENTS ATTENDING LEMOYNE-OWEN COLLEGE, A LOCAL HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE, WILL PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROJECT. TO EXPAND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT A COURSE-BASED RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE MICROBIOLOGY COURSE AT RHODES. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BY WHICH DIMORPHIC FUNGI SENSE AND RESPOND TO CARBON DIOXIDE USING THE MODEL DIMORPHIC FUNGAL ORGANISM, HISTOPLASMA CAPSULATUM. PRELIMINARY STUDIES CONDUCTED BY THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR DEMONSTRATE THAT ELEVATED CARBON DIOXIDE ENHANCES AMINO ACID METABOLISM AND REDUCES ANTIFUNGAL SUSCEPTIBILITY IN HISTOPLASMA. THIS PROJECT WILL GENETICALLY AND BIOCHEMICALLY CHARACTERIZE HISTOPLASMA?S PUTATIVE CARBONIC ANHYDRASES WHICH FACILITATE RAPID INTER CONVERSION OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND WATER INTO CARBONIC ACID, PROTONS, AND BICARBONATE IONS. TWO INDEPENDENT APPROACHES (GENETIC SCREEN AND DNA PULL-DOWN ASSAY) WILL BE USED TO IDENTIFY GENES THAT REGULATE THE EXPRESSION OF PUTATIVE CARBONIC ANHYDRASE ENCODING GENES IN HISTOPLASMA. RNA-SEQ BASED TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROFILING WILL BE PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY GENES THAT ARE UPREGULATED UNDER ELEVATED CARBON DIOXIDE AND DETERMINE WHETHER OVEREXPRESSION OF THESE GENES IN HISTOPLASMA WILL RESULT IN ENHANCED AMINO ACID METABOLISM AND/OR REDUCED ANTIFUNGAL SUSCEPTIBILITY REGARDLESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CARBON DIOXIDE CONCENTRATIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL UNCOVER NOVEL CELLULAR COMPONENTS INVOLVED IN CARBON DIOXIDE SENSING IN HISTOPLASMA AND ADVANCE THE CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF HOW FUNGI SENSE AND RESPOND TO ENVIRONMENTAL CUES. THIS PROJECT IS JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE DIVISIONS OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOSCIENCES AND BIOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DIRECTORATE. 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.

URBAN TEACHER PARTNERSHIP FOR CULTURALLY RELEVANT STEM EDUCATION

RUI: SUBCELLULAR TARGETING OF PROTEIN KINASE C AND A NOVEL MEMBRANE PROTEIN IN POLARIZED GROWTH OF ASPERGILLUS NIDULANS

RUI-IDENTIFICATION OF GENES AND CELLULAR PROCESSES TARGETED BY IMPRINTED PATHWAYS IN NATURAL VARIANTS OF ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA

MRI: ACQUISITION OF 400 MHZ NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE (NMR) SPECTROMETER CONSOLE AND PROBE TO BOLSTER EXCELLENCE IN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH -THIS AWARD IS JOINTLY SUPPORTED BY THE MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION AND THE CHEMISTRY RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAMS. RHODES COLLEGE IS ACQUIRING AN UPGRADED CONSOLE FOR A 400 MHZ NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE (NMR) SPECTROMETER WITH A BROADBAND PROBE TO SUPPORT THE RESEARCH OF PROFESSOR LARRYN PETERSON AND COLLEAGUE WILLIAM R. ECKENHOFF. THIS INSTRUMENT FACILITATES RESEARCH IN THE AREAS OF ORGANIC, BIOORGANIC, AND INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. IN GENERAL, NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE (NMR) SPECTROSCOPY IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL TOOLS AVAILABLE TO CHEMISTS FOR THE ELUCIDATION OF THE STRUCTURE OF MOLECULES. IT IS USED TO IDENTIFY UNKNOWN SUBSTANCES, TO CHARACTERIZE SPECIFIC ARRANGEMENTS OF ATOMS WITHIN MOLECULES, AND TO STUDY THE DYNAMICS OF INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MOLECULES IN SOLUTION OR IN THE SOLID STATE. ACCESS TO STATE-OF-THE-ART NMR SPECTROMETERS IS ESSENTIAL TO CHEMISTS WHO ARE CARRYING OUT FRONTIER RESEARCH. THIS INSTRUMENT ENHANCES THE EDUCATIONAL, RESEARCH, AND TEACHING EFFORTS OF STUDENTS AT ALL LEVELS AT RHODES COLLEGE AS WELL AS PROVIDES ACCESSIBILITY FOR USE AT LEMOYNE-OWEN COLLEGE. THIS INSTRUMENT ENHANCES THE RECRUITMENT AND ENGAGEMENT IN RESEARCH AND TEACHING FOR UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS AT THESE INSTITUTIONS. THE AWARD OF THE NMR SPECTROMETER IS AIMED AT ENHANCING THE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AT ALL LEVELS, ESPECIALLY IN ORGANIC, BIOORGANIC, AND INORGANIC SMALL MOLECULE RESEARCH. THE INSTRUMENT IMPACTS A VARIETY OF RESEARCH PROJECTS INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHLY ACTIVE PROTON REDUCTION CATALYSTS WITH EARTH ABUNDANT METALS AND THE DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF DOPAMINE DERIVATIVES AND OTHER CATECHOLS AS PROBES FOR ENZYME FUNCTION. IT ALSO ASSISTS WITH THE SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY STUDIES OF ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES FROM ANIMAL VENOMS, AND THE SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL UNNATURAL AMINO ACIDS AND MUTATED PEPTIDES TO DETERMINE FNII AND CTLD1 DOMAINS. ADDITIONALLY, THE INSTRUMENT FACILITATES THE DESIGN OF INHIBITORS OF THE LPXC ENZYME, NEW METHODS TO OXIDIZE ARYL KETONES TO CARBOXYLIC ACIDS, THE SYNTHESIS OF BORONIC ACID ANALOGUES OF SUBEROYLANILIDE HYDROXAMIC ACID (SAHA), AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR THE ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY. 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.

CC* COMPUTE: A HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING CLUSTER TO ACCELERATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING AT RHODES COLLEGE

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A FLUORESCENCE ACTIVATED CELL SORTER (FACS) SUPPORTING MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO EXPLORING BIOLOGICAL RESPONSES

AN ULTRASONIC BACKSCATTER DIFFERENCE TECHNIQUE FOR DIAGNOSING OSTEOPOROSIS

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: RUI: PHYLOGENETICS AND FLORAL SYMMETRY DEVELOPMENT OF THE CORE GOODENIACEAE

RHODES COLLEGE DOJ OVW CAMPUS GRANT

THE ROLE OF MANGANESE HOMEOSTASIS IN THE NITRIC OXIDE STRESS RESPONSE OF SALMONELLA ENTERICA SEROVAR TYPHIMURIUM - SUMMARY/ABSTRACT NITRIC OXIDE (NO·) IS A RADICAL MOLECULE PRODUCED BY CELLS OF THE MAMMALIAN INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM AS A DEFENSE AGAINST PATHOGENS. WHILE REPLICATION OF ENTERIC PATHOGENS SUCH AS THE GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIUM SALMONELLA IS INHIBITED BY NO·, THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH NO· EXERTS BACTERIOSTATIC EFFECTS ARE ONLY PARTLY UNDERSTOOD. SALMONELLA ENCODES A FLAVOHEMOGLOBIN, HMP, AS A DEFENSE AGAINST NO· BUT OTHER PATHWAYS AND CELLULAR PROCESSES ARE ALSO INVOLVED IN THE NITRIC OXIDE STRESS RESPONSE. THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO CHARACTERIZE THE ROLE THAT THE TRANSITION METAL ION MANGANESE PLAYS IN PROMOTING RESISTANCE TO, AND RECOVERY FROM, NITROSATIVE STRESS IN SALMONELLA. AIM 1 SEEKS TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE PROLONGED PERIOD OF BACTERIOSTASIS OBSERVED IN MANGANESE-LIMITED SALMONELLA. ELECTRODE-BASED PROBES AND MOLECULAR ASSAYS WILL BE USED TO MONITOR RESPIRATORY ACTIVITY AND CELLULAR ATP LEVELS. THIS AIM WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE WHETHER THE ABILITY TO ACQUIRE MANGANESE PROTECTS AGAINST DNA DAMAGE BY DETERMINING THE FREQUENCY OF REPLICATION BLOCKING-LESIONS AND MUTATION RATES. A ROLE FOR MANGANESE-REQUIRING PEPTIDASES IN PROMOTING TURNOVER OF DAMAGED PROTEINS WILL BE STUDIED USING GENETIC MUTANTS. AIMS 2&3 WILL USE GROWTH ASSAYS AND ENZYME ACTIVITY ASSAYS IN VARIOUS GENETIC BACKGROUNDS. AIM 2 EXPERIMENTS WILL DETERMINE THE ACTIVITIES OF METALLOENZYMES THAT ARE PUTATIVE TARGETS OF NO· INHIBITION AND THE REPAIR RATES OF THESE ENZYMES FOLLOWING NO· EXPOSURE UNDER MANGANESE-REPLETE AND MANGANESE-LIMITED CONDITIONS. AIM 3 WILL INVESTIGATE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR EFFLUX OF MANGANESE AND IMPORT OF IRON AND MAGNESIUM DURING LATE STAGES OF RECOVERY FROM NITROSATIVE STRESS. AIM 4 WILL USE RNA ISOLATION AND QPCR TO INVESTIGATE THE EXPRESSION AND ACTIVITY OF ALTERNATIVE MANGANESE-DEPENDENT ENZYMES DURING THE NITROSATIVE STRESS RESPONSE. CHARACTERIZING THE MOLECULAR TARGETS OF NO· WILL IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THIS INNATE IMMUNE DEFENSE MOLECULE EXERTS ITS BACTERIOSTATIC EFFECTS AS WELL AS HOW SALMONELLA CAN CIRCUMVENT THESE ACTIONS. THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK IS TO IDENTIFY NOVEL CANDIDATES FOR INHIBITION BY FUTURE ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPIES.

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A MOVEMENT TRACKING SYSTEM TO EXPLORE EMBODIMENT AND COGNITION

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS

RHODES COLLEGEEXPANDED NASA STARS WITH AN AUTOMATED TRAINING CIRRICULUM:THE EXPANDING NASA STARS PROJECT WILL ENABLE RHODES COLLEGE TO BUILD ON ITS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: INTERROGATING CATALYTIC EFFICIENCY THROUGH KINETIC, STRUCTURAL AND SMALL-MOLECULE GUIDED INVESTIGATION OF L-DOPA 2,3-DIOXYGENASES. -WITH THIS AWARD, THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE PROCESSES PROGRAM IN THE CHEMISTRY DIVISION IS FUNDING DRS. KERI COLABROY AT MUHLENBERG COLLEGE AND LARRYN PETERSON OF RHODES COLLEGE, IN COLLABORATION WITH DR. KATHERINE HICKS FROM THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT CORTLAND TO STUDY HOW EXTRADIOL DIOXYGENASE ENZYMES USE OXYGEN TO CHEMICALLY REARRANGE CATECHOLIC CARBON (A PRIMARY COMPONENT OF LIGNIN IN WOODY PLANTS) INTO USEFUL MATERIALS, SUCH AS NATURAL PRODUCTS. UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE FACULTY MENTORS, UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENTS WILL SYSTEMATICALLY CHANGE THE SIZE AND ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF THESE PLANT-BASED CARBON SOURCES, MUTATE THE ENZYMES? STRUCTURES AND STUDY THE EFFECT OF THESE CHANGES ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MOLECULAR CONVERSIONS. THESE STUDENTS WILL EXPERIENCE THE INTERDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF THE PROJECT THROUGH CROSS-OVER TRAINING AT EACH OF THE PARTICIPATING LABORATORIES. IN ADDITION, PARTS OF THE PROJECT WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO COURSEWORK AT EACH OF THE HOME INSTITUTIONS TO BROADEN THE REACH OF ORIGINAL RESEARCH AND HELP DEVELOP THE SKILLS THAT ALL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS NEED TO SUCCEED IN STEM COURSES, GRADUATE TRAINING AND STEM CAREERS. EXPANDING THE ABILITY TO NOT ONLY PREDICT CATALYTIC EFFICIENCY FOR ENZYME-SUBSTRATE PAIRS, BUT ALSO PURPOSEFULLY ENGINEER EXTRADIOL DIOXYGENASE ENZYMES LIKE L-DOPA 2,3-DIOXYGENASE TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE ON NON-NATIVE SUBSTRATES IS NECESSARY TO UTILIZE THE POWERFUL CHEMICAL CAPACITY OF EXTRADIOL DIOXYGENASE ENZYMES TO REFASHION NATURALLY ABUNDANT CATECHOLIC CARBON INTO USEFUL MATERIALS. L-DOPA 2,3-DIOXYGENASE EXHIBITS ENORMOUS CATALYTIC POTENTIAL, BUT THE PREVAILING UNDERSTANDING OF ?SUBSTRATE OXIDIZABILITY? AS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE BEHIND EXTRADIOL DIOXYGENASE REACTIVITY HAS PROVEN INADEQUATE. OVER THE COURSE OF THIS PROJECT, A ?TOOLKIT? OF NOVEL CATECHOLS ARE SYNTHESIZED TO VARY SUBSTRATE SIZE ALONGSIDE REDOX POTENTIAL OVER A SUFFICIENTLY LARGE SUITE OF SUBSTRATES TO BE ABLE TO VISUALIZE THE IMPACTS OF EACH VARIABLE INDEPENDENTLY AND INTERDEPENDENTLY. THE TOOLKIT IS THEN USED IN STRUCTURAL STUDY OF ACTIVE SITE VOLUME AND IN PRE-STEADY STATE AND EQUILIBRIUM MEASUREMENTS OF RATE TO MEASURE AND ULTIMATELY TUNE CATALYTIC EFFICIENCY ACROSS EVOLUTIONARILY DIVERSE L-DOPA 2,3-DIOXYGENASE HOMOLOGS AND THEIR MUTANTS. THE PROJECT IS CONDUCTED ENTIRELY THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS UNDER THE DIRECT MENTORSHIP OF THE COPIS AND COLLABORATOR. PARTICIPATING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ALSO CROSSOVER BETWEEN THE HOME INSTITUTIONS TO EXPERIENCE THE PROJECT FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, AND PART OF THE PROJECT IS INTEGRATED INTO UNDERGRADUATE COURSEWORK AT EACH OF THE HOME INSTITUTIONS TO REACH MORE UNDERGRADUATES WITH THE HIGH IMPACT LEARNING THAT COMES WITH ORIGINAL RESEARCH. THESE EXPERIENCES ARE POWERFULLY EFFECTIVE AT DEVELOPING THE SKILLS UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS NEED TO SUCCEED IN STEM COURSES, GRADUATE TRAINING AND IN STEM CAREERS. 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: DYNAMIC LEARNING IN COMPARATIVE COURTS: A CROSS-NATIONAL ANALYSIS OF JUDICIAL DECISION MAKING IN CANADA, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM

MRI-CONSORTIUM: DEVELOPMENT OF A NEUTRON DETECTOR ARRAY BY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENTS FOR STUDIES OF EXOTIC NUCLEI.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: KINETIC STUDY AND MECHANISM OF L-DOPA DIOXYGENASE, A NEW TYPE OF VICINAL-OXYGEN-CHELATE (VOC) DIOXYGENASE

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** BEES ARE ROUTINELY TRANSPORTED FOR CROP POLLINATION SERVICES, AND THEIR ASSOCIATED PARASITES AND PATHOGENS ARE CONSEQUENTLY CO- INTRODUCED INTO NOVEL ENVIRONMENTS. IMPORTANTLY, PATHOGENS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH LOSSES OF SEVERAL AGRICULTURALLY IMPORTANT WILD AND MANAGED POLLINATORS. AGRICULTURALLY IMPORTANT POLLINATORS INCLUDING HONEY BEES, LEAFCUTTER BEES, AND MASON BEES CAN SUFFER FROM CHALKBROOD DISEASE, CAUSED BY SPECIES OF FUNGI WITHIN THE GENUS ASCOSPHAERA. CO-OCCURRENCE OF ASCOSPHAERA SPECIES IS PRESUMED COMMON IN BOTH MANAGED AND NATURAL POLLINATION SYSTEMS, AND RECENTLY INTRODUCED NON-NATIVE MASON BEES (OSMIA) FROM ASIA HAVE ALSO BROUGHT ALONG NOVEL SPECIES OF ASCOSPHAERA IN THE US, WHICH HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN NATIVE OSMIA. THIS PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT SEEKS TO IDENTIFY CO-OCCURRING ASCOSPHAERA SPECIES IN MANAGED AND WILD OSMIA, DETERMINE THE PATHOGENICITY OF ASCOSPHAERA SPECIES AND THEIR INTERACTIONS INSIDE BEE NESTS, AND EVALUATE CONSEQUENCES OF ASCOSPHAERA CO-INFECTION FOR NATIVE AND INTRODUCED OSMIA. OSMIA NESTS WILL BE COLLECTED IN BOTH NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE MANAGED SYSTEMS, AND EMPLOY HIGH-THROUGHPUT SEQUENCING, AND ANALYZE LARVAL BIOASSAY DATA TO EVALUATE THE OUTCOMES OF ASCOSPHAERA CO-INFECTION ON NATIVE AND INTRODUCED MASON BEES. SINGLE-SPECIES PATHOGEN STUDIES HAVE BEEN CRUCIAL FOR GENERATING BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPS) FOR THE MOVEMENT AND TRADE OF POLLINATORS THAT SAFEGUARD POLLINATOR HEALTH. HOWEVER, A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF NOVEL CO-INFECTION DYNAMICS AND DISEASE IN BEES COULD IMPROVE BMPS.?

OVERTON PARK COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKET PR

OVERTON PARK COMMUNI

THE STORY OF APOLLONIUS OF TYRE: AN EDITION AND TRANSLATION OF TWO MEDIEVAL IBERIAN TEXTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: NRI: FND: GROUNDED REASONING ABOUT ROBOT CAPABILITIES FOR LAW AND POLICY

SG: IS POLLINATOR DISCRIMINATION AMONG POPULATIONS OF THE SOUTHWESTERN DESERT CREOSOTE BUSH DIFFERING IN CHROMOSOME NUMBER PROMOTING SPECIATION?

THE 46TH ANNUAL SPRING TOPOLOGY AND DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS CONFERENCE

ACM BCB 2014: CONFERENCE ON BIOINFORMATICS AND COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY

RUI: CONTROL MECHANISMS FOR G1 CYCLIN SUBCELLULAR LOCALIZATION IN BUDDING YEAST

SURF BOULDER

WORKSHOP: BROADENING ACCESS TO RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AT PUIS AND HBCS IN THE MEMPHIS REGION