Lee University

LEE UNIVERSITY - CARES ACT HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND

LEE UNIVERSITY - CARES ACT HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND

CARES ACT: HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND (HEERF) - STUDENT AID

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM (SIP)

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS

ENHANCING LEE UNIVERSITY’S CIVIL DISCOURSE INFRASTRUCTURE

CRRSAA: HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND (HEERF II)

LEE UNIVERSITY'S LEARN, ENGAGE, AND ACHIEVE PROGRAM (LEAP)

LEE UNIVERSITY'S MCNAIR SCHOLARS PROGRAM

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

LEE UNIVERSITY MCNAIR SCHOLARS PROGRAM

LEE UNIVERSITY - CARES ACT HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM

INTEGRATED MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE SCHOLARS (IMASS) PROGRAM

EA: ACQUISITION OF A CONFOCAL RAMAN IMAGING MICROSCOPE FOR WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY -GEOSCIENTISTS STUDY THE EARTH, SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND ITS PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND TO RECONSTRUCT ITS LONG AND COMPLEX HISTORY. THIS GRANT PROVIDES FUNDS FOR SCIENTISTS AT WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY TO ACQUIRE A RAMAN SPECTROMETER FOR GEOSCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION. THIS EQUIPMENT WILL BE USED TO ADDRESS IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIETALLY RELEVANT QUESTIONS, SUCH AS: WHY DO VOLCANOES ERUPT? WHAT CONTROLS THE CHEMICAL BEHAVIOR OF CRITICAL METALS? HOW DOES EARTH?S CRUST EVOLVE DURING MOUNTAIN BUILDING? FURTHERMORE, THIS INSTRUMENT WILL SUPPORT THE EDUCATION OF STUDENTS AT WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY THROUGH COURSEWORK AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH, BETTER PREPARING THE FUTURE GEOSCIENCE WORKFORCE. THIS GRANT FACILITATES ACQUISITION OF A CONFOCAL RAMAN IMAGING MICROSCOPE (CRIM) FOR FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL GEOSCIENCE. RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY IS AN IN-SITU, NON-DESTRUCTIVE TECHNIQUE THAT ALLOWS FOR RAPID, HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION ACQUISITION OF STRUCTURAL INFORMATION ON MATERIALS SUCH AS MINERALS, GLASSES, AND DISSOLVED LIQUIDS AND GASES. THE NEW CRIM WILL BE CAPABLE OF BOTH HIGH SPATIAL (< 1 ?M) AND SPECTRAL (< 1.5 CM-1) RESOLUTION SINGLE POINT ANALYSES AS WELL AS SAMPLE-WIDE HYPERSPECTRAL MAPS IN 2D AND 3D. THIS INSTRUMENT WILL ENHANCE A WIDE RANGE OF RESEARCH PROJECTS, INCLUDING INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE COMPOSITION AND FATE OF MAGMAS BY CHARACTERIZING MELT INCLUSIONS, STUDIES OF THE COMPOSITION OF MINERALS RELEVANT TO PRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS, AND QUANTIFYING METAMORPHIC TEMPERATURES IN DEFORMED TERRAINS. 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.

ACQUISITION OF A LASER SCANNING CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE FOR ENHANCING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND TRAINING ACROSS THE SCIENCES AT WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERS

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A VARIABLE PRESSURE SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE AT WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: EXTRAORDINARY CIRCADIAN CLOCKS IN ARANEOID SPIDERS: AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THEIR EVOLUTIONARY ORIGINS AND UNDERLYING MECHANISMS -CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS ARE DAILY RHYTHMS OF BEHAVIOR, PHYSIOLOGY, AND CELLULAR METABOLISM THAT ARE DRIVEN BY MOLECULAR CYCLES OF AN INTERNAL BIOLOGICAL CLOCK. INTERNAL CLOCKS REMAIN IN SYNC WITH THE EARTH?S 24-H DAY BY MAKING SMALL ADJUSTMENTS TO THEIR OWN INTERNAL CLOCK PERIOD. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NEGATIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES IF THE CLOCK IS FORCED TO MAKE LARGE ADJUSTMENTS (E.G., JETLAG) SO MOST ORGANISMS? CLOCKS DO NOT VARY MUCH FROM 24 HOURS. SURPRISINGLY, A GROUP OF SPIDER SPECIES POSSESS CLOCKS THAT DIFFER FROM 24 HOURS BY AS MUCH AS 5 HOURS WITH NO APPARENT CONSEQUENCES. IN THEORY, THESE SPECIES SHOULD NOT EXIST! HOWEVER, THE SPIDER SYSTEM PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE BASIC MECHANISMS OF CIRCADIAN CLOCKS, PARTICULARLY HOW ORGANISMS SYNCHRONIZE WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT. THIS MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO UNDERSTAND: (1) THE EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES IN CLOCK GENES AND CIRCADIAN PROPERTIES IN SPIDERS, (2) THE LIMITS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF SYNCHRONIZING TO THE 24-H DAY, AND (3) THE FUNDAMENTAL MOLECULAR CLOCKWORKS OF SPIDERS. OVERALL, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A NEW, AND UNIQUELY POWERFUL, MODEL SYSTEM TO UNDERSTAND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS AND, POTENTIALLY, CIRCADIAN ILLNESSES. CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS ARE CONCEPTUALLY ACCESSIBLE TO STUDENTS AND THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT RICH OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN THE APPALACHIAN REGION TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH AT ALL THREE INSTITUTIONS. SOCIETAL IMPACTS OF THIS PROJECT WILL INCLUDE DEVELOPMENT OF USER-FRIENDLY, OPEN-ACCESS APPLICATIONS FOR RIGOROUS ANALYSES OF CIRCADIAN DATA, ANNUAL PUBLIC OUTREACH EVENTS INCLUDING NATURE/STEM PROGRAMS FOR K-12 STUDENTS AS WELL AS ADULTS, AND CONDUCTING ORIGINAL EXPERIMENTS IN LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS. ARANEOID SPIDER CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS ARE UNLIKE MOST OTHERS FOUND ON EARTH. THEY EXHIBIT REMARKABLY BROAD DISTRIBUTIONS OF ENDOGENOUS FREE-RUNNING PERIODS (FRPS) BOTH WITHIN AND AMONG SPECIES, INCLUDING SPECIES WITH EXCEPTIONALLY SHORT OR LONG MEAN FRPS (17.8-29.1 HOURS). RATHER THAN SUFFERING NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH DISSONANCE BETWEEN ENDOGENOUS CIRCADIAN PERIOD AND THE 24-HOUR DAY, SURVIVORSHIP EXPERIMENTS SUGGEST THAT THEY ARE SOMEHOW RELEASED FROM THESE SELECTIVE CONSTRAINTS. USING AN INTEGRATIVE, MULTI-LEVEL APPROACH, THIS PROJECT WILL EXPLOIT THE APPARENT EVOLUTIONARY SHIFT IN CIRCADIAN CLOCK SYSTEM FUNCTION BETWEEN ARANEOID AND NON-ARANEOID SPIDER SPECIES TO IDENTIFY CHANGES IN THE CLOCK MECHANISMS THAT ENABLE THESE UNUSUAL ARANEOID CLOCKS TO EXIST. USING GENOMIC OR TRANSCRIPTOMIC-SCALE DATA TO ESTIMATE RATES OF EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE IN EIGHT DIFFERENT CHRONOBIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS FOR SPECIES SPANNING THE DIVERSITY OF SPIDERS WILL ENABLE RECONSTRUCTION OF ANCESTRAL STATES AND PINPOINT THE TIMING OF EVOLUTIONARY SHIFTS. COMPARING SURVIVORSHIP AMONG ARANEOID AND NON-ARANEOID SPECIES WILL DETERMINE IF ARANEOID SPIDERS TRULY HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM THE COSTS OF ENTRAINMENT TO NON-RESONANT LIGHT/DARK CYCLES. CLASSIC PHASE-SHIFTING AND PHASE-RESPONSE CURVE EXPERIMENTS WILL PROBE DIFFERENCES IN ENTRAINMENT POTENTIAL BETWEEN ARANEOID AND NON-ARANEOID SPIDERS. COMPARING CANONICAL CLOCK GENE EXPRESSION AMPLITUDES BETWEEN ARANEOID AND NON-ARANEOID SPIDERS AND TO ESTABLISHED INSECT MODELS WILL EXPLORE POTENTIAL CLOCK FUNCTION DIFFERENCES. COMPARING THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE CLOCK COMPONENT CRY1 BETWEEN ARANEOID AND NON-ARANEOID SPECIES WILL TEST FOR DIFFERENCES IN LIGHT SENSITIVITY OF THE CIRCADIAN SYSTEM. USING MOLECULAR, BEHAVIORAL, AND PHYLOGENETIC APPROACHES, THIS PROJECT EXPLORES THE EXTENT AND FUNCTIONAL RAMIFICATIONS OF CIRCADIAN PLASTICITY IN WILD CLOCKS. 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.

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A ISOTOPE RATIO MASS SPEC FOR ENHANCING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND TRAINING ACROSS THE SCIENCES AT WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: INTEGRATING MOLECULAR AND MATERIAL EVOLUTION OF SPIDER AQUEOUS GLUES

RUI: NONINTRUSIVE TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS IN COMPRESSIBLE, AXISYMMETRIC SHEAR LAYERS USING TWO-PHOTON STIMULATED RAMAN EXCITATION OF LASER-INDUCED G

RUI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS OF SPIDER SILK SYNTHESIS AND FIBER PERFORMANCE WITHIN THE WESTERN BLACK WIDOW AND AMONG COB-WEB WE

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPH TIME OF FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETER TO ENHANCE RESEARCH AT WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY AND VIRGINIA MILITAR

LEE UNIVERSITY'S LEARN, ENGAGE, AND ACHIEVE PROGRAM (LEAP)

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: MULTI-BLOCK SYSTEM RESPONSE TO HYDRAULIC LOADS IN ROCK SCOUR -SCOUR BY HYDRAULIC PLUCKING IS A FUNDAMENTAL PROCESS IN LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION WHERE LARGE, COMPETENT ROCK BLOCKS ARE ERODED FROM A FRACTURED ROCK MASS BY FLOWING WATER. THIS PROCESS ALSO AFFECTS ENGINEERED STRUCTURES INTERACTING WITH WATER, SUCH AS DAMS AND BRIDGES, AND OFTEN LEADS TO OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CONCERNS SINCE EROSION OF LARGE VOLUMES OF MATERIAL CAN COMPROMISE STRUCTURE FOUNDATIONS AND SERVICEABILITY. THIS RESEARCH USES JOINT FLUME AND NUMERICAL MODELING TO ESTABLISH A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANICS OF HYDRAULIC PLUCKING, WHICH WILL INFORM INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN AND REMEDIATION. THIS MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE GOVERNING MODES OF FAILURE WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY THE MOST EFFICIENT DESIGN OR REMEDIATION STRATEGY, AND CAN ALSO BE INCORPORATED INTO LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION MODELS. THE SYSTEMATIC MEANS BY WHICH THE MULTI-SCALE AND PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF PLUCKING IS EXPLORED WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO KEY PARAMETERS THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN REAL-TIME HAZARD ANALYSIS AND LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION. ADDITIONALLY, SOFTWARE DEVELOPED AS PART OF THIS RESEARCH WILL BE RELEASED OPEN-SOURCE TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO RESEARCHERS AND ENGINEERS. THE EXPERIMENTAL DATA SET WILL ALSO BE STORED IN A PUBLIC REPOSITORY TO BE MORE BROADLY AVAILABLE AND ACCESSIBLE. ACCURATELY PREDICTING THE LIKELIHOOD OF PLUCKING REQUIRES AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW DIFFERENT PROPERTIES OF THE FRACTURED ROCK MASS OR ENGINEERED MATERIAL INTERPLAY WITH FLOW CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FLUID FLOWING OVER, AROUND, AND THROUGH IT. IT IS NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD HOW VARIATION IN THESE PROPERTIES INFLUENCE PLUCKING, NOR IS IT CONSIDERED IN PRESENT SCOUR EVALUATION METHODS, EVEN THOUGH THE POTENTIAL STACKING OF EFFECTS COULD LOWER THE THRESHOLD FOR SCOUR. THIS RESEARCH WILL DEVELOP CAPABILITIES THAT ASSESS THE INTERACTION BETWEEN DIFFERENT MATERIAL AND FLOW PROPERTIES IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PLUCKING PROCESS. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH A PAIRED EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL APPROACH THAT APPLIES SCALED FLUME EXPERIMENTS AND COUPLED DISCRETE ELEMENT AND LATTICE BOLTZMANN METHOD NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS. THESE CAPABILITIES WILL ENABLE SCOUR ASSESSMENT METHODS THAT MOVE AWAY FROM EMPIRICISM BY LIMITING THE NUMBER AND EXTENT OF SIMPLIFYING ASSUMPTIONS THAT NEED TO BE MADE IN PHYSICS-BASED MODELS. THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNDERLYING MECHANICS GAINED FROM THIS RESEARCH AND IDENTIFICATION OF THE MOST CRITICAL FEATURES OF THE MULTI BLOCK-FLUID SYSTEM WILL INFORM FURTHER RESEARCH APPLIED TO STABILITY AND REMEDIATION OF ENGINEERED STRUCTURES, AS WELL AS DESCRIPTIONS OF RATES OF BEDROCK EROSION IN NATURAL CHANNELS. 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.

US-BRAZIL HIGHER EDUCATION CONSORTIA PROGRAM

CONTRIBUTIONS OF CREATIVITY TO STEM SUCCESS DURING AND AFTER COLLEGE: UNDERSTANDING CORE COGNITIVE DIMENSIONS AND ADVANCING COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES -CREATIVITY IS A FUNDAMENTALLY INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT ASPECT OF COGNITION. IT IS ALREADY AMONG THE MOST VALUABLE ATTRIBUTES OF THE STEM WORKFORCE, ESPECIALLY IN ENGINEERING WHICH REQUIRES GENERATING AND EVALUATING NOVEL SOLUTIONS TO COMPLEX PROBLEMS. IT IS PROJECTED TO BECOME EVEN MORE VITAL IN THE INNOVATION ECONOMY OF THE NEAR FUTURE. NONETHELESS, CREATIVITY IS NOT GENERALLY INTEGRATED INTO ENGINEERING COURSEWORK NOR IS THE EXPLICIT ASSESSMENT OF IT A COMMON PART OF STUDENT EVALUATION. INDEED, IT HAS PROVEN TO BE DIFFICULT TO DEFINE AND MEASURE. MORE EFFECTIVELY INTEGRATING CREATIVITY INTO UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING EDUCATION REQUIRES KNOWING WHICH DIMENSIONS OF CREATIVITY CONTRIBUTE MOST TO STUDENTS? FUTURE STEM SUCCESS. IN THIS PROJECT, RESEARCHERS WILL PARSE CREATIVE COGNITION AMONG ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ALONG CORE DIMENSIONS, INCLUDING VISUAL VS. VERBAL CREATIVITY AND GENERATIVE VS. EVALUATIVE CREATIVITY, AND, IN A LONGITUDINAL STUDY, EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CREATIVITY AND ENGINEERING SUCCESS DURING AND AFTER COLLEGE. THE SUBSTANTIAL TIME, EFFORT, AND COST REQUIRED FOR HUMANS TO SCORE CREATIVITY LIMITS THE INTEGRATION OF SUCH MEASUREMENT INTO STEM CLASSROOMS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL CONTEXTS. THE RESEARCHERS WILL USE EMERGING COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES TO TRANSFORM THE MEASUREMENT OF CREATIVITY, SEEKING TO OPEN NEW AVENUES FOR RESEARCHERS TO CAPTURE CREATIVITY IN STEM ON A LARGE SCALE AND IN EFFICIENT AND VALID WAYS. IMPROVED MEANS OF ASSESSING CREATIVITY AT SUCH A SCALE MAY BE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN LIGHT OF THE RISE OF HYBRID CREATIVITY IN WHICH HUMANS EVALUATE AI-GENERATED IDEAS. FINALLY, TRADITIONAL STEM ASSESSMENT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO LEAD TO ATTRITION AMONG UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY AND FEMALE STUDENTS IN STEM. ENCOURAGINGLY, CREATIVITY IS GENERALLY ASSOCIATED WITH LESS DISPARITY BY RACE AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS (SES) THAN ARE TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS, AND GENERALLY DOES NOT SHOW GENDER DISPARITY. THIS WORK WILL LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR THE EVENTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF ASSESSMENTS THAT ALLOW STEM EDUCATORS TO IDENTIFY PROMISING AND CREATIVE STUDENTS WHO MIGHT OTHERWISE NOT PERSIST IN STEM, WITH DOWNSTREAM IMPLICATIONS FOR BROADENING STEM GRADUATE TRAINING AND STEM WORKFORCE INCLUSION. THE PROJECT HAS THREE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES. IN AIM 1 THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL INVESTIGATE HOW CORE DIMENSIONS OF CREATIVE COGNITION (VISUAL, VERBAL, GENERATIVE, EVALUATIVE) RELATE TO FUTURE STEM SUCCESS IN A 3-YEAR LONGITUDINAL STUDY. USING TWO COHORTS OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS, ONE TRACKED DURING COLLEGE AND ONE TRACKED POST-COLLEGE, THEY WILL TEST VERBAL AND VISUAL MEASURES OF GENERATIVE AND EVALUATIVE CREATIVITY IN BOTH OF THESE COHORTS, INCLUDING STUDENTS? EVALUATION OF AI-GENERATED IDEAS. GENERATIVE CREATIVITY WILL BE SCORED BY HUMAN RATERS. EVALUATIVE CREATIVITY WILL BE SCORED RELATIVE TO HUMAN EXPERT-RATED CRITERIA. THESE SCORES WILL BE USED TO PREDICT BOTH COLLEGE AND POST-COLLEGE STEM SUCCESS AT A 3-YEAR LONGITUDINAL TIMEPOINT. IN AIM 2, RESEARCHERS WILL TEST COMPUTATIONAL CREATIVITY SCORING MODELS AND DETERMINE WHICH BEST PREDICTS HUMAN CREATIVITY RATINGS AS WELL AS WHICH OF THOSE COMPUTATIONAL MODELS BEST PREDICTS FUTURE COLLEGE AND POST-COLLEGE STEM SUCCESS, PARSING THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF VERBAL AND VISUAL CREATIVITY. THE HUMAN AND COMPUTATIONAL CREATIVITY SCORING APPROACHES WILL ALSO BE EXAMINED TO SEE WHETHER THEY SHOW LESS DISPARITY FOR UNDER-REPRESENTED MINORITY STUDENTS THAN DO TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS. IN AIM 3, THE RESEARCHERS WILL TEST COMPUTATIONAL CREATIVITY SCORING APPROACHES TO PREDICT COLLEGE STEM SUCCESS, USING A LARGE-SCALE DATA SET OF COLLEGE APPLICANTS (N > 500,000) AS A TESTBED. THE DATASET WAS COMPILED ACROSS 24 DIVERSE U.S. UNIVERSITIES (INCLUDING PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS). THE STUDY WILL IDENTIFY METRICS THAT BEST PREDICT HUMAN RATINGS OF APPLICANTS? CREATIVITY AND USE THESE METRICS TO PREDICT STEM SUCCESS (E.G., STEM GRADE POINT AVERAGE, STEM DEGREE ATTAINMENT). THEY WILL LOOK TO SEE WHETHER DISPARITY ON RACE AND SES IS REDUCED RELATIVE TO SAT SCORES. THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY THE EDU CORE RESEARCH (ECR) PROGRAM. ECR SUPPORTS FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH THAT GENERATES FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE THAT ADVANCES THE RESEARCH LITERATURES IN STEM LEARNING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM, AND STEM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 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: GEO-CM: RARE EARTH ELEMENT AND YTTRIUM EXTRACTION BY BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC HYDROUS MANGANESE OXIDES ASSOCIATED WITH ACIDIC MINE DRAINAGE -WITH THE PROJECTED GROWTH IN RENEWABLE ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY SECTORS ALONG WITH THEIR INCREASING RELIANCE ON CRITICAL MINERALS SUCH AS RARE EARTH ELEMENTS, YTTRIUM, AND MANGANESE, IDENTIFYING DOMESTIC SOURCES OF THESE CRITICAL MINERALS IS ESSENTIAL. LARGE VOLUMES OF SOLID WASTE CONTAINING CRITICAL MINERALS ARE GENERATED EVERY YEAR AS A BYPRODUCT OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE REMEDIATION. WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, ACID MINE DRAINAGE REMAINS AN ONGOING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE. THIS RESEARCH WILL EXAMINE THE POTENTIAL OF ADAPTING ACID MINE DRAINAGE REMEDIATION SYSTEMS TO PRODUCE CRITICAL MINERALS IN ECONOMICALLY VIABLE CONCENTRATIONS. THE RESEARCH WILL SUPPORT STEM EDUCATION INITIATIVES BY PROVIDING TRAINING IN THE FIELD AND LAB AT BOTH UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE LEVELS, AS WELL AS HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES IN MULTIPLE INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCE COURSES. THIS WORK WILL CONTRIBUTE TO DEVELOPING A MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE STEM WORKFORCE AND A MORE EFFICIENT, ECONOMICAL, AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE APPROACH FOR CRITICAL MINERAL RECOVERY FROM UNCONVENTIONAL DOMESTIC SOURCES. THE RESEARCH WILL INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF A VARIETY OF BIOGEOCHEMICAL CONDITIONS (SUCH AS PH, SULFATE CONCENTRATIONS, AND THE PRESENCE OF MICROBES) ON RARE EARTH ELEMENTS AND YTTRIUM (REYS) UPTAKE BY HYDROUS MANGANESE (MN) OXIDE MINERALS IN ACID MINE DRAINAGE REMEDIATION SYSTEMS. WITH RESEARCH COMPRISING BOTH LABORATORY AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS, THE RESULTS WILL PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF REY-HYDROUS MN OXIDE MINERAL INTERACTIONS. MULTIPLE MICROCHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES (INCLUDING ADVANCED SPECTROSCOPIC TECHNIQUES SUCH AS SYNCHROTRON-BASED X-RAY ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY) ALONG WITH SEQUENTIAL EXTRACTIONS WILL PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF REY SORPTION BEHAVIORS AND MOBILIZATION. THESE RESULTS WILL HELP IDENTIFY THE OPTIMAL CONDITIONS FOR CONCENTRATING REYS IN ACID MINE DRAINAGE REMEDIATION SYSTEMS FOR THE RECOVERY OF THESE CRITICAL MINERALS FROM UNCONVENTIONAL DOMESTIC SOURCES, WHILE REMEDIATING HARMFUL METAL-LADEN ACID MINE DRAINAGE. 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.

GLACIER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE CENTRAL ANDES: THE QUEST TO CONTROL NATURAL DISASTERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE, 1941-2008

UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE

REU SITE: STUDIES IN ECOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY IN GHANA, WEST AFRICA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A NATIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR SYNERGISTIC UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS VIA MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL INTERDISCIPLINARY TEACHING PARTNERSHI

THE ANCIENT GRAFFITI PROJECT: AN OPEN-ACCESS CRITICAL EDITION OF FIRST-CENTURY POMPEIAN WALL INSCRIPTIONS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: A COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION OF THE EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS OF GENDER-BIASED HUMOR

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH ON THE GEOLOGIC FRAMEWORK AND ASSWSSMENT STUDIES, NORTH SLOPE OF ALASKA DATED

MRI-R2: PORTABLE X-RAY FLUORESCENCE, DIGITAL IR PHOTOGRAPHY, AND STEREOMICROSCOPY APPLIED TO UNIVERSITY COLLECTIONS OF ART AND HISTORY AT WASHINGTON

TOADS, ROADS, AND NODES: COLLABORATIVE COURSE-BASED RESEARCH ON THE LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY OF AMPHIBIAN POPULATIONS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: IDENTIFYING SEDIMENT SOURCES AND ROUTING OF TRANSCONTINENTAL DRAINAGES DURING INTRAPLATE DEFORMATION

THE PURPOSE OF THE LOW-INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC LITC GRANT IS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO, 1. A CLINICAL PROGRAM AT AN ACCREDITED LAW, BUSINESS, OR ACCOUNTING SCHOOL IN WHICH STUDENTS REPRESENT LOW-INCOME TAXPAYERS IN CONTROVERSIES ARISING UNDER IRC 7526. 2. AN ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501C AND EXEMPT FROM TAX UNDER SECTION 501A THROUGH REPRESENTATION OF TAXPAYERS OR REFERRAL OF TAXPAYERS TO QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE LITC PROGRAM, THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AWARDS GRANTS SO THAT GRANT RECIPIENTS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE TAX REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OR OTHER TRIBUNAL ON FEDERAL TAX MATTERS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON VARIOUS TAX TOPICS AND ADVOCACY ON TAX ISSUES IMPACTING THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES. END GOAL AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES, THE LITC PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS TO, 1. OPEN NEW AND WORK PREVIOUSLY OPENED REPRESENTATION CASES. 2. CONSULT WITH TAXPAYERS ON THEIR SPECIFIC TAX ISSUE. 3. CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 4. MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IMPROVEMENT TO TAX ADMINISTRATION BY ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS TO IRS ADMINISTRATION. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES, TAXPAYERS WITH INCOMES THAT DO NOT EXCEED 250 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES AND TAXPAYERS FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES AND WITH ADVANCED APPROVAL BY THE LITC PROGRAM OFFICE, SUBRECIPIENTS MAY BE UTILIZED BY GRANT RECIPIENTS TO HELP DELIVER KEY BROADBAND ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM. 5. REASON FOR MODIFICATION IF SHOWING A POSITIVE AMOUNT IS AN OBLIGATION FOR THE YEAR THAT IS REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D., IF SHOWING A NEGATIVE AMOUNT IT IS A DEOBLIGATION OR A RETURN OF FUNDS FOR THE YEAR REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D.

THE PURPOSE OF THE LOW-INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC LITC GRANT IS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO, 1. A CLINICAL PROGRAM AT AN ACCREDITED LAW, BUSINESS, OR ACCOUNTING SCHOOL IN WHICH STUDENTS REPRESENT LOW-INCOME TAXPAYERS IN CONTROVERSIES ARISING UNDER IRC 7526. 2. AN ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501C AND EXEMPT FROM TAX UNDER SECTION 501A THROUGH REPRESENTATION OF TAXPAYERS OR REFERRAL OF TAXPAYERS TO QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE LITC PROGRAM, THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AWARDS GRANTS SO THAT GRANT RECIPIENTS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE TAX REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OR OTHER TRIBUNAL ON FEDERAL TAX MATTERS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON VARIOUS TAX TOPICS AND ADVOCACY ON TAX ISSUES IMPACTING THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES. END GOAL AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES, THE LITC PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS TO, 1. OPEN NEW AND WORK PREVIOUSLY OPENED REPRESENTATION CASES. 2. CONSULT WITH TAXPAYERS ON THEIR SPECIFIC TAX ISSUE. 3. CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 4. MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IMPROVEMENT TO TAX ADMINISTRATION BY ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS TO IRS ADMINISTRATION. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES, TAXPAYERS WITH INCOMES THAT DO NOT EXCEED 250 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES AND TAXPAYERS FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES AND WITH ADVANCED APPROVAL BY THE LITC PROGRAM OFFICE, SUBRECIPIENTS MAY BE UTILIZED BY GRANT RECIPIENTS TO HELP DELIVER KEY BROADBAND ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM. 5. REASON FOR MODIFICATION IF SHOWING A POSITIVE AMOUNT IS AN OBLIGATION FOR THE YEAR THAT IS REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D., IF SHOWING A NEGATIVE AMOUNT IT IS A DE-OBLIGATION OR A RETURN OF FUNDS FOR THE YEAR REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D.

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC

THE PURPOSE OF THE LOW-INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC LITC GRANT IS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO, 1. A CLINICAL PROGRAM AT AN ACCREDITED LAW, BUSINESS, OR ACCOUNTING SCHOOL IN WHICH STUDENTS REPRESENT LOW-INCOME TAXPAYERS IN CONTROVERSIES ARISING UNDER IRC 7526. 2. AN ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501C AND EXEMPT FROM TAX UNDER SECTION 501A THROUGH REPRESENTATION OF TAXPAYERS OR REFERRAL OF TAXPAYERS TO QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE LITC PROGRAM, THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AWARDS GRANTS SO THAT GRANT RECIPIENTS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE TAX REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OR OTHER TRIBUNAL ON FEDERAL TAX MATTERS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON VARIOUS TAX TOPICS AND ADVOCACY ON TAX ISSUES IMPACTING THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES. END GOAL AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES, THE LITC PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS TO, 1. OPEN NEW AND WORK PREVIOUSLY OPENED REPRESENTATION CASES. 2. CONSULT WITH TAXPAYERS ON THEIR SPECIFIC TAX ISSUE. 3. CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 4. MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IMPROVEMENT TO TAX ADMINISTRATION BY ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS TO IRS ADMINISTRATION. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES, TAXPAYERS WITH INCOMES THAT DO NOT EXCEED 250 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES AND TAXPAYERS FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES AND WITH ADVANCED APPROVAL BY THE LITC PROGRAM OFFICE, SUBRECIPIENTS MAY BE UTILIZED BY GRANT RECIPIENTS TO HELP DELIVER KEY BROADBAND ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM. 5. REASON FOR MODIFICATION IF SHOWING A POSITIVE AMOUNT IS AN OBLIGATION FOR THE YEAR THAT IS REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D., IF SHOWING A NEGATIVE AMOUNT IT IS A DEOBLIGATION OR A RETURN OF FUNDS FOR THE YEAR REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D.

MRI: FIBER OPTIC REFLECTANCE SPECTROMETRY AND MULTISPECTRAL IMAGING APPLIED TO UNIVERSITY COLLECTIONS OF ART AND HISTORY AT WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVER

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC

THE PURPOSE OF THE LOW-INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC LITC GRANT IS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO, 1. A CLINICAL PROGRAM AT AN ACCREDITED LAW, BUSINESS, OR ACCOUNTING SCHOOL IN WHICH STUDENTS REPRESENT LOW-INCOME TAXPAYERS IN CONTROVERSIES ARISING UNDER IRC 7526. 2. AN ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501C AND EXEMPT FROM TAX UNDER SECTION 501A THROUGH REPRESENTATION OF TAXPAYERS OR REFERRAL OF TAXPAYERS TO QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE LITC PROGRAM, THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AWARDS GRANTS SO THAT GRANT RECIPIENTS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE TAX REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OR OTHER TRIBUNAL ON FEDERAL TAX MATTERS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON VARIOUS TAX TOPICS AND ADVOCACY ON TAX ISSUES IMPACTING THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES. END GOAL AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES, THE LITC PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS TO, 1. OPEN NEW AND WORK PREVIOUSLY OPENED REPRESENTATION CASES. 2. CONSULT WITH TAXPAYERS ON THEIR SPECIFIC TAX ISSUE. 3. CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 4. MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IMPROVEMENT TO TAX ADMINISTRATION BY ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS TO IRS ADMINISTRATION. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES, TAXPAYERS WITH INCOMES THAT DO NOT EXCEED 250 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES AND TAXPAYERS FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES AND WITH ADVANCED APPROVAL BY THE LITC PROGRAM OFFICE, SUBRECIPIENTS MAY BE UTILIZED BY GRANT RECIPIENTS TO HELP DELIVER KEY BROADBAND ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM. 5. REASON FOR MODIFICATION IF SHOWING A POSITIVE AMOUNT IS AN OBLIGATION FOR THE YEAR THAT IS REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D., IF SHOWING A NEGATIVE AMOUNT IT IS A DEOBLIGATION OR A RETURN OF FUNDS FOR THE YEAR REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: AN ALASKAN PERSPECTIVE ON MIDDLE PALEOZOIC TERRANE TRANSLATION, CONTRACTION, AND SUBDUCTION INITIATION IN NORTHWESTERN LAURENTIA

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC

THE PURPOSE OF THE LOW-INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC LITC GRANT IS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO, 1. A CLINICAL PROGRAM AT AN ACCREDITED LAW, BUSINESS, OR ACCOUNTING SCHOOL IN WHICH STUDENTS REPRESENT LOW-INCOME TAXPAYERS IN CONTROVERSIES ARISING UNDER IRC 7526. 2. AN ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501C AND EXEMPT FROM TAX UNDER SECTION 501A THROUGH REPRESENTATION OF TAXPAYERS OR REFERRAL OF TAXPAYERS TO QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE LITC PROGRAM, THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AWARDS GRANTS SO THAT GRANT RECIPIENTS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE TAX REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OR OTHER TRIBUNAL ON FEDERAL TAX MATTERS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON VARIOUS TAX TOPICS AND ADVOCACY ON TAX ISSUES IMPACTING THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES. END GOAL AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES, THE LITC PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS TO, 1. OPEN NEW AND WORK PREVIOUSLY OPENED REPRESENTATION CASES. 2. CONSULT WITH TAXPAYERS ON THEIR SPECIFIC TAX ISSUE. 3. CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 4. MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IMPROVEMENT TO TAX ADMINISTRATION BY ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS TO IRS ADMINISTRATION. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES, TAXPAYERS WITH INCOMES THAT DO NOT EXCEED 250 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES AND TAXPAYERS FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES AND WITH ADVANCED APPROVAL BY THE LITC PROGRAM OFFICE, SUBRECIPIENTS MAY BE UTILIZED BY GRANT RECIPIENTS TO HELP DELIVER KEY BROADBAND ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM. 5. REASON FOR MODIFICATION IF SHOWING A POSITIVE AMOUNT IS AN OBLIGATION FOR THE YEAR THAT IS REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D., IF SHOWING A NEGATIVE AMOUNT IT IS A DEOBLIGATION OR A RETURN OF FUNDS FOR THE YEAR REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D.

THE PURPOSE OF THE LOW-INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC LITC GRANT IS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO, 1. A CLINICAL PROGRAM AT AN ACCREDITED LAW, BUSINESS, OR ACCOUNTING SCHOOL IN WHICH STUDENTS REPRESENT LOW-INCOME TAXPAYERS IN CONTROVERSIES ARISING UNDER IRC 7526. 2. AN ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501C AND EXEMPT FROM TAX UNDER SECTION 501A THROUGH REPRESENTATION OF TAXPAYERS OR REFERRAL OF TAXPAYERS TO QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE LITC PROGRAM, THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AWARDS GRANTS SO THAT GRANT RECIPIENTS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE TAX REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OR OTHER TRIBUNAL ON FEDERAL TAX MATTERS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON VARIOUS TAX TOPICS AND ADVOCACY ON TAX ISSUES IMPACTING THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES. END GOAL AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES, THE LITC PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS TO, 1. OPEN NEW AND WORK PREVIOUSLY OPENED REPRESENTATION CASES. 2. CONSULT WITH TAXPAYERS ON THEIR SPECIFIC TAX ISSUE. 3. CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 4. MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IMPROVEMENT TO TAX ADMINISTRATION BY ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS TO IRS ADMINISTRATION. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES, TAXPAYERS WITH INCOMES THAT DO NOT EXCEED 250 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES AND TAXPAYERS FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES AND WITH ADVANCED APPROVAL BY THE LITC PROGRAM OFFICE, SUBRECIPIENTS MAY BE UTILIZED BY GRANT RECIPIENTS TO HELP DELIVER KEY BROADBAND ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM. 5. REASON FOR MODIFICATION IF SHOWING A POSITIVE AMOUNT IS AN OBLIGATION FOR THE YEAR THAT IS REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D., IF SHOWING A NEGATIVE AMOUNT IT IS A DEOBLIGATION OR A RETURN OF FUNDS FOR THE YEAR REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D.

FULBRIGHT-HAYS - FACULTY RESEARCH ABROAD

THE INFLUENCE OF GRAZING IN SOIL SYSTEM DYNAMICS THROUGHOUT BISON USE AREAS -YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC

ANCIENT GRAFFITI PROJECT: TOOLS FOR ANALYZING PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

THE PURPOSE OF THE LOW-INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC LITC GRANT IS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO, 1. A CLINICAL PROGRAM AT AN ACCREDITED LAW, BUSINESS, OR ACCOUNTING SCHOOL IN WHICH STUDENTS REPRESENT LOW-INCOME TAXPAYERS IN CONTROVERSIES ARISING UNDER IRC 7526. 2. AN ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501C AND EXEMPT FROM TAX UNDER SECTION 501A THROUGH REPRESENTATION OF TAXPAYERS OR REFERRAL OF TAXPAYERS TO QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE LITC PROGRAM, THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AWARDS GRANTS SO THAT GRANT RECIPIENTS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE TAX REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OR OTHER TRIBUNAL ON FEDERAL TAX MATTERS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON VARIOUS TAX TOPICS AND ADVOCACY ON TAX ISSUES IMPACTING THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES. END GOAL AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES, THE LITC PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS TO, 1. OPEN NEW AND WORK PREVIOUSLY OPENED REPRESENTATION CASES. 2. CONSULT WITH TAXPAYERS ON THEIR SPECIFIC TAX ISSUE. 3. CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 4. MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IMPROVEMENT TO TAX ADMINISTRATION BY ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS TO IRS ADMINISTRATION. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES, TAXPAYERS WITH INCOMES THAT DO NOT EXCEED 250 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES AND TAXPAYERS FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES AND WITH ADVANCED APPROVAL BY THE LITC PROGRAM OFFICE, SUBRECIPIENTS MAY BE UTILIZED BY GRANT RECIPIENTS TO HELP DELIVER KEY BROADBAND ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM. 5. REASON FOR MODIFICATION IF SHOWING A POSITIVE AMOUNT IS AN OBLIGATION FOR THE YEAR THAT IS REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D., IF SHOWING A NEGATIVE AMOUNT IT IS A DE-OBLIGATION OR A RETURN OF FUNDS FOR THE YEAR REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D.

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC

USING COMPUTATIONAL MODELING TO TRANSFORM ASSESSMENTS OF CREATIVITY IN ENGINEERING DESIGN -THIS COLLABORATIVE PROJECT FROM RESEARCH TEAMS AT PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, AND WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY FOCUSES ON MEASURING CREATIVITY IN UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING EDUCATION. THE ABILITY TO THINK CREATIVELY IS ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESS IN STEM FIELDS, PARTICULARLY ENGINEERING, WHICH REQUIRES DESIGNING SOLUTIONS TO COMPLEX PROBLEMS THAT OFTEN HAVE NO SINGLE OR CORRECT SOLUTION. THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS IDENTIFY CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS, SUCH AS PROBLEM SOLVING AND FLEXIBILITY, AS CORE COMPETENCIES FOR MODERN STEM EDUCATION. YET EDUCATORS ARE NOT CURRENTLY EQUIPPED WITH ADEQUATE TOOLS TO ASSESS CREATIVITY IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. TO EFFECTIVELY PREPARE THE STEM WORKFORCE, THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED FOR ASSESSMENT TOOLS THAT EDUCATORS AND RESEARCHERS CAN USE TO IDENTIFY WHAT WORKS IN STEM EDUCATION TO FOSTER CREATIVITY. CURRENT CREATIVITY TESTS PRESENT SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES FOR STEM EDUCATORS, INCLUDING (IN-PERSON) PAPER ADMINISTRATION AND, PERHAPS MOST PROBLEMATICALLY, MANUAL SCORING THAT REQUIRES TEACHERS TO COUNT AND CODE THOUSANDS OF RESPONSES?A LABOR-INTENSIVE AND OFTEN COSTLY PROCESS, PARTICULARLY FOR UNDER-RESOURCED SCHOOLS. IN LIGHT OF THE INCREASINGLY DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATION, THE AVAILABILITY OF CREATIVITY TESTS THAT MEASURE STUDENT ABILITY FAIRLY AND CONSISTENTLY, REGARDLESS OF RACE OR ETHNICITY, IS EVEN MORE CRITICAL FOR EQUITY OF OPPORTUNITY IN STEM EDUCATION. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO CREATE AN ONLINE PLATFORM FOR MEASURING CREATIVITY IN ENGINEERING DESIGN THAT EDUCATORS CAN USE TO CATER TO THE NEEDS OF ALL THEIR STUDENTS. THE TOOL WILL ALLOW EDUCATORS TO ADMINISTER A RANGE OF ENGINEERING CREATIVITY TASKS AND AUTOMATICALLY CALCULATE CREATIVITY SCORES. THIS PROJECT FITS THE INTENT OF THE ECR PROGRAM TO FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT, REFINEMENT, AND TESTING OF NEW EDUCATION RESEARCH, MEASUREMENT, AND EVALUATION METHODOLOGIES. IT ADDRESSES THE ECR RESEARCH TRACK, RESEARCH ON STEM LEARNING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, AND HAS ADDITIONAL IMPACTS FOR RESEARCH ON BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM FIELDS BY DESIGNING INCLUSIVE AND CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE ASSESSMENT TOOLS TARGETED TO STUDENTS WHO REMAIN UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE PURSUIT OF STEM COURSES OF STUDY AND ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE SPEAKERS. TWO AIMS GUIDE THIS PROJECT. FIRST IS TO BUILD AN ONLINE PLATFORM FOR LARGE-SCALE ENGINEERING DESIGN ASSESSMENT ? VALIDATING ALL PLATFORM TASKS WITH UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING STUDENTS ? TO ALLOW TEACHERS AND RESEARCHERS TO EASILY ASSESS CREATIVITY, AUTOMATICALLY COMPUTE CREATIVITY METRICS, AND GENERATE CUSTOMIZABLE STUDENT REPORTS. SECOND IS TO APPLY THE PLATFORM IN AN UNDERGRADUATE DESIGN COURSE AT PENN STATE THAT INCLUDES A 3-WEEK CREATIVITY MODULE (WITH LESSONS AND EXERCISES ON CREATIVITY IN ENGINEERING DESIGN) TO OBTAIN VALUABLE PLATFORM USABILITY DATA FROM BOTH INSTRUCTORS AND STUDENTS, WHILE EVALUATING A PROMISING UNDERGRADUATE COURSE INTENDED TO PROMOTE CREATIVITY IN ENGINEERING DESIGN. THE TEAM WILL APPLY RECENT ADVANCES IN COMPUTATIONAL MODELING AND MACHINE LEARNING ? INCLUDING ACTIVE LEARNING OF DESIGN SKETCHES AND DISTRIBUTIONAL SEMANTIC MODELING OF TEXT-BASED RESPONSES TO CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING TASKS. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THIS APPROACH WILL STREAMLINE EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CREATIVITY, RESULTING IN A USER-FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY TO ASSIST STEM EDUCATORS IN THE CLASSROOM. THE NOVEL COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS DEVELOPED IN THIS PROJECT WILL ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING FOR CREATIVITY PSYCHOMETRIC ASSESSMENT AND ACROSS DIFFERENT FIELDS (NOT ONLY ENGINEERING). THE PI TEAM WILL ALSO DESIGN ASSESSMENT TOOLS THAT ARE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE AND MINIMALLY BIASED ? ESPECIALLY FOR THE GROWING NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO SPEAK ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE ? AND COLLABORATE WITH STEM EDUCATORS TO MAXIMIZE THE USABILITY OF THE PLATFORM IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. THE ONLINE PLATFORM AND COURSE MATERIALS WILL BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE, FACILITATING THE NATIONAL TRANSITION TO REMOTE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (ACCELERATED BY THE CURRENT PANDEMIC) BY PROVIDING ONLINE RESOURCES FOR STEM TEACHERS AND RESEARCHERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY NSF'S EHR CORE RESEARCH (ECR) PROGRAM. THE ECR PROGRAM EMPHASIZES FUNDAMENTAL STEM EDUCATION RESEARCH THAT GENERATES FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIELD. INVESTMENTS ARE MADE IN CRITICAL AREAS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL, BROAD AND ENDURING: STEM LEARNING AND STEM LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM, AND STEM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE ACCUMULATION OF ROBUST EVIDENCE TO INFORM EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND, BUILD THEORY TO EXPLAIN, AND SUGGEST INTERVENTION AND INNOVATIONS TO ADDRESS PERSISTENT CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION. 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.

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC

THE PURPOSE OF THE LOW-INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC LITC GRANT IS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO, 1. A CLINICAL PROGRAM AT AN ACCREDITED LAW, BUSINESS, OR ACCOUNTING SCHOOL IN WHICH STUDENTS REPRESENT LOW-INCOME TAXPAYERS IN CONTROVERSIES ARISING UNDER IRC 7526. 2. AN ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501C AND EXEMPT FROM TAX UNDER SECTION 501A THROUGH REPRESENTATION OF TAXPAYERS OR REFERRAL OF TAXPAYERS TO QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE LITC PROGRAM, THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AWARDS GRANTS SO THAT GRANT RECIPIENTS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE TAX REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OR OTHER TRIBUNAL ON FEDERAL TAX MATTERS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON VARIOUS TAX TOPICS AND ADVOCACY ON TAX ISSUES IMPACTING THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES. END GOAL AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES, THE LITC PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS TO, 1. OPEN NEW AND WORK PREVIOUSLY OPENED REPRESENTATION CASES. 2. CONSULT WITH TAXPAYERS ON THEIR SPECIFIC TAX ISSUE. 3. CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 4. MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IMPROVEMENT TO TAX ADMINISTRATION BY ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS TO IRS ADMINISTRATION. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES, TAXPAYERS WITH INCOMES THAT DO NOT EXCEED 250 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES AND TAXPAYERS FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES AND WITH ADVANCED APPROVAL BY THE LITC PROGRAM OFFICE, SUBRECIPIENTS MAY BE UTILIZED BY GRANT RECIPIENTS TO HELP DELIVER KEY BROADBAND ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM. 5. REASON FOR MODIFICATION IF SHOWING A POSITIVE AMOUNT IS AN OBLIGATION FOR THE YEAR THAT IS REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D., IF SHOWING A NEGATIVE AMOUNT IT IS A DEOBLIGATION OR A RETURN OF FUNDS FOR THE YEAR REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BRITTLE-PLASTIC DEFORMATION, FLUID-ROCK INTERACTION, AND EXTENSIONAL REACTIVATION ALONG LARAMIDE THRUST FAULTS IN THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC

MAPPING THE SCOTTISH REFORMATION

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC

TO SUPPORT COORDINATED COOPERATIVE RESEARCH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, EDUCATION AND TRAINING, AND USABLE KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT TO INFORM SCIENCE-BASED MANAGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM. TO FACILITATE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY SCIENCE AND INTEGRATED INFORMATION PRODUCTS RELATED TO THE RESOURCES OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM. TO MAINTAIN A COMPREHENSIVE NETWORK COOPERATIVE STUDY UNITS AS WILL PROVIDE FULL GEOGRAPHIC AND TOPICAL COVERAGE FOR RESEARCH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE RESOURCES CONTAINED IN UNITS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM AND THEIR LARGER REGIONS.EXTERNAL RESEARCHERS GAIN NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ROLE OF BISON IN ENHANCING ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE AND DISSEMINATING RESULTS CONCERNING SOIL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, SOIL MICROBIOME, AND RANGELAND HEALTH IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. THIS PROJECT SYNTHESIZES DATA COLLECTED SINCE 2015 AND EVALUATES HOW BISON GRAZING INFLUENCES SOILS AND MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES. THE NPS INDIRECTLY BENEFITS FROM HAVING DATA COLLECTED BY THE NPS EVALUATED BY EXTERNAL SCIENTISTS.BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS, PUBLIC PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, AND INDIVIDUALS (INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC).

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC

THE PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO OBTAIN QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSES OF CHEMICALS IN THE SKIN OF INVASIVE BURMESE PYTHONS NOW ESTABLISHED IN FL

VIRGINIA OPERATOR THEORY AND COMPLEX ANALYSIS MEETING

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NO P23AS00132 ARE AWARDED COMPETITIVELY AND ARE INTENDED TO FACILITATE COOPERATIVE RESEARCH- TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE- EDUCATION- AND TRAINING TO INFORM SCIENCE-BASED MANAGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM. REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL AGREEMENTS AND FUNDED MODIFICATIONSTYPE A SHORT DESCRIPTION (150 WORDS OR LESS) TO INCLUDE AWARD PURPOSE- ACTIVITIES- DELIVERABLES OUTCOMES- AND BENEFICIARIES. THIS INFORMATION IS TYPICALLY FOUND IN THE ASSISTANCE LISTING DESCRIPTION ON SAM.GOV.15.945: COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROGRAMS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM CESU NETWORKSAM.GOV LINK: CLICK HERE FOR THE SAM.GOV ASSISTANCE LISTINGPROGRAMMING 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. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS FROM WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY AND THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR WILL WORK SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH NPS STAFF TO COLLECT INFORMATION ASSESSING HOW LANDSCAPE LEVEL CHANGES IN PLANT GROWTH PATTERNS AND COMMUNITY COMPOSITION CAUSED BY BISON GRAZING AFFECT PLANT COMMUNITIES- NUTRIENT CYCLING- PLANT NUTRITION- GRASSLAND CARBON DIOXIDE EXCHANGE AND SOIL HEALTH IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS- FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS- PUBLIC PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS- NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHEREDUCATION- AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.FOR MORE INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE- REFER TO NPS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE POLICY GUIDANCE DOCUMENT ON USASPENDING.GOV AWARD DESCRIPTIONS (PROJECT ABSTRACTS)- OR CONTACT THE NPS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE POLICY OFFICE AT FINANCIAL ASSITANCE POLICY NPS.GOV.

VIRGINIA OPERATOR THEORY AND COMPLEX ANALYSIS MEETING (VOTCAM)

THE RECIPIENT WILL RECRUIT AND HIRE UP TO FOUR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN A SUMMER WORK-STUDY PROGRAM AT WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY. PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WILL SPEND TWO WEEKS IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK WORKING ALONGSIDE BIOLOGISTS. THE STUDENTS WILL COMPLETE PLANT INVENTORY SURVEYS, COLLECT MEASUREMENTS ON PLANT GROWTH AND HERBIVORY, COLLECT ARTHROPOD SAMPLES, AND COLLECT SOIL SAMPLES. STUDENTS WILL EVALUATE PLANT, SOIL AND ARTHROPOD SAMPLES DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK-STUDY PROGRAM AT WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY. THIS PROJECT PROVIDES "REAL WORLD" EXPERIENCE TO YOUNG SCIENTISTS BY WORKING SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH NPS STAFF, WITH THE INDIRECT BENEFIT TO THE NPS OF COLLECTING INFORMATION ASSESSING HOW LANDSCAPE LEVEL CHANGES IN PLANT GROWTH PATTERNS AND COMMUNITY COMPOSITION CAUSED BY BISON GRAZING AFFECT ARTHROPOD COMMUNITIES, NUTRIENT CYCLING, AND SOIL HEALTH IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.

15.945 COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROGRAMS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM CESU NETWORKSAM.GOV LINK CLICK HERE FOR THE SAM.GOV ASSISTANCE LISTINGPROGRAMMING 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. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS FROM WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY AND THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR WILL WORK SIDE BY SIDE WITH NPS STAFF TO COLLECT INFORMATION ASSESSING HOW LANDSCAPE LEVEL CHANGES IN PLANT GROWTH PATTERNS AND COMMUNITY COMPOSITION CAUSED BY BISON GRAZING AFFECT PLANT COMMUNITIES, NUTRIENT CYCLING, GRASSLAND CARBON DIOXIDE EXCHANGE AND SOIL HEALTH IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS, PUBLIC PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHEREDUCATION, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC).FOR MORE INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE, REFER TO NPS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE POLICY GUIDANCE DOCUMENT ON USASPENDING.GOV AWARD DESCRIPTIONS ( PROJECT ABSTRACTS ), OR CONTACT THE NPS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE POLICY OFFICE AT FINANCIAL ASSITANCE POLICY NPS.GOV.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO DETERMINE IF THE FEMALE BROWN TREESNAKE PHEROMONE IMPLANTED ION MALES WILL ATTRACT OTHER MALES AWAY FROM BREEDIN

TRAINING YOUNG SCIENTISTS TO EVALUATE BISON GRAZING

FY 2016 SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP CNST

MEASURE EFFECTS OF BISON GRAZING ON ARTHROPOD AND SMALL MAMMAL COMMUNITIES

PURPOSE: THE VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA) GRANT WAS ESTABLISHED AS A MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR ORGANIZATIONS WHO SUPPORT COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE VITA GRANT PROGRAM PROVIDES FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO ORGANIZATIONS WHO 1) EXTEND SERVICES TO UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS IN HARDEST TO REACH AREAS BOTH URBAN AND NON-URBAN; 2) INCREASE THE CAPACITY TO FILE RETURNS ELECTRONICALLY; 3) HEIGHTEN QUALITY CONTROL; 4) ENHANCE TRAINING OF VOLUNTEERS; AND 5) SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE ACCURACY RATE OF RETURNS PREPARED AT VITA SITES. END GOAL/EXPECTED OUTCOMES: VITA GRANT RECIPIENTS ARE EXPECTED TO 1) FOLLOW EXISTING GUIDANCE GOVERNING VITA SITE OPERATIONS; 2) ENSURE AT LEAST 90% OF RETURNS PREPARED ARE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHOSE INCOME IS EQUAL TO OR LESS THAN THE MAXIMUM EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT (EITC) THRESHOLDS; 2) FILE ALL ELIGIBLE RETURNS ELECTRONICALLY; 3) ACHIEVE 100% OF THEIR RETURN PRODUCTION GOALS; 4) BECOME MORE EFFICIENT WITH GRANT FUNDS; AND 5) SHOW INCREMENTAL INCREASES IN RETURN PREPARATION EACH YEAR. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: TAXPAYERS WHO ARE LOW TO MODERATE INCOME INDIVIDUALS, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, THOSE FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS A SECOND LANGUAGE, NATIVE AMERICANS, INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN RURAL AREAS, MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND THE ELDERLY. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: SUBRECIPIENTS MAY BE UTILIZED BY GRANT RECIPIENTS TO HELP DELIVER KEY ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM AND MUST ADHERE TO GRANT PROGRAM GUIDELINES. BROADBAND: SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES RELATING TO BROADBAND USAGE ARE NOT KNOWN AT THE TIME OF AWARD.

VIRGINIA OPERATOR THEORY AND COMPLEX ANALYSIS MEETING (VOTCAM)

THE MISSION OF THE COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC IMPACT COALITION OF WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY'S SHEPHERD PROGRAM IS TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY IN THE ROCKBRIDGE AREA. ACCORDING TO RECENT US CENSUS DATA, THERE ARE ALMOST 10,000 INDIVIDUALS IN THE ROCKBRIDGE AREA WHO ARE LIVING AT OR BELOW 150% OF THE NATIONAL POVERTY LEVEL. THAT MEANS MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE LIKELY STRUGGLING WITH POVERTY-BASED PROBLEMS SUCH AS INSUFFICIENT NUTRITIOUS FOOD, RISK OF UTILITY SHUT-OFFS OR EVICTION, INADEQUATE TRANSPORTATION, AND THE NEED TO ACCESS SUPPORT SERVICES. POVERTY IS ALSO A MAJOR UNDERLYING FACTOR IN ISSUES LIKE DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION. THE FOLLOWING PROPOSED AIMS TO DECREASE POVERTY BY IMPROVING SYSTEMS TO ADDRESS FOOD INSECURITY IN RURAL AREAS AND BY INCREASING THE ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY AT MULTIPLE ANTI-POVERTY AGENCIES THROUGH IMPROVED VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND TRAINING RESOURCES. ONE VISTA WILL WORK WITH THE ROCKBRIDGE AREA RELIEF ASSOCIATION (RARA), THE LARGEST SPECIFICALLY ANTI-POVERTY ORGANIZATION IN THE AREA WITH ALMOST FIFTY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, TO DRASTICALLY INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF FOOD DISTRIBUTED TO FAMILIES EXPERIENCING FOOD INSECURITY. THE SECOND VISTA MEMBER WILL PARTNER WITH WASHINGTON AND LEE'S COMMUNITY BASED LEARNING OFFICE (CBL) TO SUPPORT CAPACITY BUILDING THROUGH IMPROVED VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT, RECRUITMENT, AND TRAINING AT SOME OF THE MOST ACTIVE ANTI-POVERTY AGENCIES IN THE AREA. IN ADDITION TO WORKING WITH RARA, THE VISTA WILL ALSO WORK WITH THE ROCKBRIDGE AREA PREVENTION COALITION, A GROUP WORKING TO REDUCE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG AREA YOUTH BY BUILDING AWARENESS AND PROMOTING A NETWORK OF PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION SERVICES. BOTH OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE STRONG REPUTATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY AND A LONG HISTORY OF WORKING TO ADDRESS POVERTY-RELATED PROBLEMS IN ROCKBRIDGE. HAVING TWO VISTA MEMBERS WHO ARE ABLE TO FOCUS THEIR TIME AND ENERGIES ON DEVELOPING THE NECESSARY PROGRAMMATIC INFRASTRUCTURE WILL ALLOW THE IDENTIFIED ANTI-POVERTY ORGANIZATIONS TO SERVE MORE PEOPLE IN NEED AND TO SERVE THOSE INDIVIDUALS MORE EFFECTIVELY. THIS WILL RESULT IN IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.

THE PURPOSE OF THE LOW-INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC LITC GRANT IS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO, 1. A CLINICAL PROGRAM AT AN ACCREDITED LAW, BUSINESS, OR ACCOUNTING SCHOOL IN WHICH STUDENTS REPRESENT LOW-INCOME TAXPAYERS IN CONTROVERSIES ARISING UNDER IRC 7526. 2. AN ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501C AND EXEMPT FROM TAX UNDER SECTION 501A THROUGH REPRESENTATION OF TAXPAYERS OR REFERRAL OF TAXPAYERS TO QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE LITC PROGRAM, THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AWARDS GRANTS SO THAT GRANT RECIPIENTS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE TAX REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OR OTHER TRIBUNAL ON FEDERAL TAX MATTERS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON VARIOUS TAX TOPICS AND ADVOCACY ON TAX ISSUES IMPACTING THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES. END GOAL AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES, THE LITC PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS TO, 1. OPEN NEW AND WORK PREVIOUSLY OPENED REPRESENTATION CASES. 2. CONSULT WITH TAXPAYERS ON THEIR SPECIFIC TAX ISSUE. 3. CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 4. MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IMPROVEMENT TO TAX ADMINISTRATION BY ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS TO IRS ADMINISTRATION. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES, TAXPAYERS WITH INCOMES THAT DO NOT EXCEED 250 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES AND TAXPAYERS FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES AND WITH ADVANCED APPROVAL BY THE LITC PROGRAM OFFICE, SUBRECIPIENTS MAY BE UTILIZED BY GRANT RECIPIENTS TO HELP DELIVER KEY BROADBAND ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM. 5. REASON FOR MODIFICATION IF SHOWING A POSITIVE AMOUNT IS AN OBLIGATION FOR THE YEAR THAT IS REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D., IF SHOWING A NEGATIVE AMOUNT IT IS A DE-OBLIGATION OR A RETURN OF FUNDS FOR THE YEAR REPRESENTED BY THE FIRST TWO DIGITS OF THE PRIME AWARD I.D.

RBDG RURAL BUSINESS COOP RURAL ENTERPRISE GRANT