California State University Long Beach Research Foundation

CSULB BUILDING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM: OVERALL COMPONENT

AGILE PORT AND HIGH SPEED SHIP TECHNOLOGIES

CSULB BUILDING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM: STUDENT TRAINING CORE

THE PHIT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

RESEARCH INITIATIVE FOR SCIENTIFIC ENHANCEMENT AT CSULB

CSULB BUILDING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM: RESEARCH ENRICHMENT CORE

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH GEAR UP PROGRAM

HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM (STEM)

HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM (STEM)

RIMI-CSULB

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH FOUNDATION THE CENTER FOR THE HUMAN FACTORS IN ADVANCED AERO

METRICS FOR OPERATOR SITUATION AWARENESS, WORKLOAD, AND PERFORMANCE IN AUTOMATED SEPERATION ASSURANCE SYSTEMS IN RESPONSE TO NRA #NNH06ZEA001N, NASA

HIGHER EDUCATION - INSTITUTIONAL AID - STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS - HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM I (LONG BEACH & PARAMOUNT)

EDUCATIONAL TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

TRIO-UPWARD BOUND 1

TRIO - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES - CLASSIC

MINORITY ACCESS TO RESEARCH CAREERS MARC U*STAR

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

TO FUND RESEACH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR CRITCAL FOREIGN LANGUAGES

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

INCREASING SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS TO IMPLEMENT ROBUST (INSPIR) MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR DIVERSE YOUTH

UPWARD BOUND

PROMOTING POSTBACCALAUREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS PROGRAM

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

TRIO - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

MENTORED EXCELLENCE TOWARD RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY CAREERS 2 -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 CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH (CSULB), A FOUR-YEAR COMPREHENSIVE MINORITY-SERVING, HISPANIC-SERVING, AND ASIAN AMERICAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER-SERVING INSTITUTION. OVER ITS FIVE-YEAR DURATION, THIS PROJECT WILL FUND SCHOLARSHIPS TO 67 UNIQUE UNDERGRADUATES WHO ARE PURSUING BACHELOR'S DEGREES IN MATHEMATICS/STATISTICS, CHEMISTRY, GEOLOGY, PHYSICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING. THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT STUDENTS FROM ADMISSION THROUGH TO GRADUATION. THE AIM TO INCREASE PERSISTENCE IN STEM WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY COMBINING SCHOLARSHIPS WITH EFFECTIVE SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING MENTORING, UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES, SOCIAL ACTIVITIES, OUTREACH PROJECTS, GRADUATE SCHOOL PREPARATION, PARTICIPATION IN DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC CONFERENCES, AND FAMILY SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT. MOREOVER, THIS PROJECT WILL ESTABLISH AN INSTITUTIONAL PATHWAY TO CONNECT STUDENTS WITH BASIC NEEDS AND MENTAL WELLNESS TRAINING, IDENTIFY AND CREATE A COLLECTION OF ONLINE MODULES TO IMPROVE SCHOLARS? MENTAL RESILIENCE TO EVERYDAY CHALLENGES, CONFIDENCE, AND EFFICACY, AND INCREASE SCHOLARS? SENSE OF BELONGING BY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND CAMPUS RESOURCE TRAININGS. ULTIMATELY, THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN STEM FIELDS AND PROVIDE STEM EDUCATORS WITH ACTIVITIES ADAPTED TO THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS AT CRITICAL TRANSITIONS IN THEIR STEM EDUCATIONAL CAREER. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO INCREASE DEGREE COMPLETION OF LOW-INCOME, HIGH-ACHIEVING UNDERGRADUATES IN STEM FIELDS. CURRENT DATA INDICATES THAT THE NATIONAL DEMAND FOR STEM JOBS GREATLY EXCEEDS THE NUMBER OF GRADUATES IN THE RESPECTIVE STEM DISCIPLINES. THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS, FACULTY MENTORSHIP, COMMUNITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES, ACADEMIC WORKSHOPS, WORKFORCE PREPARATION, AND INTEGRATED MENTAL WELLNESS EDUCATION, THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT STEM STUDENTS TO DEVELOP COGNITIVE AND NONCOGNITIVE SKILLS DESIGNED TO PREPARE SCHOLARS FOR A STEM CAREER. THE PROJECT AIMS TO ACHIEVE FOUR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES. FIRST IS TO RECRUIT LOW-INCOME AND ACADEMICALLY TALENTED STUDENTS THROUGH AN INCLUSIVE AND PROGRESSIVELY TIERED PROCESS. SECOND IS TO RETAIN 100% OF THE STUDENTS IN THEIR INTENDED STEM MAJORS AND DECREASE THEIR TIME TO GRADUATION. THIRD IS TO INREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF THE SCHOLARS ENTERING A STEM-RELATED GRADUATE PROGRAM OR A STEM-RELATED WORKFORCE WITHIN TWO YEARS OF GRADUATION. FOURTH, AND FINALLY, IS TO STUDY THE IMPACT THE ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES HAVE ON STUDENTS? CONFIDENCE, SKILLS, EFFICACY, LEADERSHIP QUALITIES, ACADEMIC OUTCOMES, AND STEM CAREER TRAJECTORY. ANNUAL EVALUATION WILL INVOLVE A MIXED METHODS APPROACH THAT INCLUDES QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS. RESULTS WILL BE SHARED WITH THE BROADER COMMUNITY THROUGH CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND PAPER PUBLICATIONS. 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 PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF ACTIVITIES THAT CAN SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF LOW INCOME AND UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS AT CRITICAL TRANSITIONS IN THEIR STEM EDUCATIONAL CAREER. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH TRAINING INITIATIVE FOR STUDENT ENHANCEMENT (U-RISE) (T34) AT CSULB - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH (CSULB) IS ONE OF 23 CAMPUSES OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY (CSU) SYSTEM, THE LARGEST 4-YEAR PUBLIC UNIVERSITY SYSTEM IN THE US. DESIGNATED A HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION (HSI) SINCE 2005 AND AN ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER SERVING INSTITUTION (AANAPISI) SINCE 2011, IT IS COMMITTED TO EFFECTIVELY SERVE THE SOCIOECONOMICALLY DIVERSE URBAN POPULATIONS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. IT HAS BEEN HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL IN ATTRACTING, RETAINING AND GRADUATING UNDERREPRESENTED AND UNDERSERVED (UR/US) STUDENTS AND PROVIDES AN IDEAL ENVIRONMENT FOR IDENTIFYING AND FOSTERING THE GROWTH OF A DIVERSE GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN FUTURE ACADEMIC CAREERS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. THE MISSION OF THE CURRENT CSULB UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH TRAINING INITIATIVE FOR STUDENT ENHANCEMENT (U-RISE) (T34) PROPOSAL IS TO INCREASE DIVERSITY IN FUTURE SCIENTIFIC AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH BY TRAINING UNDERGRADUATE (UG) STUDENTS TO ENTER AND SUCCEED IN GRADUATE PROGRAMS AND BEYOND. THE RATIONALE FOR THE PROPOSED PROGRAM IS THAT THE UNIVERSITY HAS A RICH POOL OF UG STUDENTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS, AND A LARGE POOL OF FACULTY MEMBERS CONDUCTING HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH FUNDED BY FEDERAL AND PRIVATE PROGRAMS, WITH UGS AS FRONTLINE RESEARCHERS BEING A BRAND NAME FOR THE UNIVERSITY. FURTHER, CSULB WAS RECENTLY RE-CLASSIFIED AS AN R2 UNIVERSITY WITH HIGH RESEARCH ACTIVITY AS PER CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND AS A RESEARCH-ACTIVE UNIVERSITY BASED ON THE NIH DEFINITION OF ELIGIBILITY TRACKS FOR FUNDING OF DIVERSITY ENHANCING PROGRAMS. THE UNIVERSITY HAS ~30 YEARS TRACK RECORD OF INTEGRATING RESEARCH INTO EDUCATION, WITH STUDENTS SUPPORTED THROUGH DIVERSITY TRAINING PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE NIH MARC AND RISE. THE LAST 5-YEAR RECORD SHOWS ~80% OF CSULB MARC AND RISE TRAINEES ENTERED GRADUATE PROGRAMS. MORE RECENTLY THE BUILD PROGRAM FURTHER LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR UG RESEARCH WORK LED BY FACULTY MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN INCREASINGLY ADOPTING BEST MENTORING PRACTICES BY UNDERGOING TRAINING AS PART OF ADVANCING INCLUSIVE MENTORING (AIM) PROGRAM. TOGETHER, THESE PROGRAMS INFORM THE CURRENT U-RISE PROPOSAL OF EFFECTIVE MENTORING PRACTICES FOR TRAINING UR/US STUDENTS IN RESEARCH. THE DESIGN OF THE CSULB U-RISE PROGRAM INVOLVES TRAINING 24 UG STUDENTS (AT ANY GIVEN POINT DURING THE FIVE-YEAR CYCLE) FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS IN RESEARCH OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD. SCHOLARS WITH HIGH ACADEMIC RECORD AND RESEARCH INTEREST AND WHO HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT TO GRADUATION IN THEIR ACADEMIC STATUS (TYPICALLY IN THEIR JUNIOR YEAR), AND THOSE BEARING HIGH POTENTIAL FOR RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATING RESILIENCE AND PERSISTENCE WILL BE RECRUITED AND TRAINED TO BE COMPETITIVE AND SUCCESSFUL IN GRADUATE SCHOOL. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM ARE TO OFFER: I) ELEVATED RESEARCH-INFUSED ACADEMIC EDUCATION, II) IMMERSIVE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, AND III) GRADUATE SCHOOL PREPARATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES. KEY ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT INCLUDE: I) TRAINEES UNDERTAKING COURSES INVOLVING DIRECTED READING AND RESEARCH, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH COMMUNICATION AND SEMINARS, GRADUATE LEVEL AND ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODOLOGY COURSES; II) TRAINEES PARTICIPATING IN AUTHENTIC INTRAMURAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WITH A CSULB FACULTY MENTOR DURING THEIR TWO YEARS OF TRAINING AND EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH FOR ~ 8 WEEKS DURING YEAR 2 OF THEIR TRAINING IN A RESEARCH-INTENSIVE PHD-OFFERING ENVIRONMENT, AND, III) TRAINEES ENGAGED IN VARIOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP SOFT SKILLS TO SUCCEED IN GRADUATE SCHOOL THROUGH MANDATORY WEEKLY LEARNING COMMUNITY MEETINGS ON TOPICS SUCH AS RESEARCH CAREERS, RESUMES AND STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS. THE INTENDED TRAINEE OUTCOMES ARE PRESENTATIONS AT U-RISE SCHOLARS COMMITTEE OF FACULTY MEMBERS, AT THE ANNUAL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE FOR MINORITY STUDENTS AND AT NATIONAL CONFERENCES IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL DISCIPLINE, PARTICIPATION IN MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION AS CO-AUTHORS FOR PUBLICATION IN PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS AT THE DISCRETION OF THEIR FACULTY MENTORS. A MAJOR OUTCOME OF THIS PREPARATION IS ENTERING, SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITIONING INTO AND COMPLETING BIOMEDICAL HIGHER DEGREE GRADUATE PROGRAMS. THROUGHOUT THIS EXPERIENCE THE IMPORTANCE OF RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH AND, RIGOR AND TRANSPARENCY IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH WILL BE EMPHASIZED. TAKEN TOGETHER, THESE EXPERIENCES ARE EXPECTED TO INFUSE SOCIAL AND SCIENTIFIC VALUES, ENHANCE THE ACADEMIC SKILLS, CONFER RESEARCH SKILLS, FOSTER CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS, DEVELOP THE SCHOLARS PROFESSIONALLY. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CSULB U-RISE PROGRAM LIES IN ITS TRAINING COMPONENTS THAT PREPARES THE SCHOLARS AND TRAINS THE MENTORS IN BEST MENTORING PRACTICES. THE INNOVATIVE ASPECT OF THE PROGRAM STEMS FROM ITS CORE PRACTICE OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN FACULTY MEMBERS WHO HAVE UNDERGONE AIM TRAINING, SOCIAL SCIENTISTS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND EVALUATOR TO PROVIDE UG STUDENTS TRAINING. THEIR FEEDBACK ALLOWS THE PROGRAM PERSONNEL TO ATTENUATE AND RESPOND RAPIDLY WITH THOUGHTFUL INTERVENTIONS, AND TO ENABLE THE STUDENTS TO BUILD THEIR SCIENTIFIC IDENTITY AND TO RESPOND TO EVOLVING ISSUES AND TRAINEE NEEDS. THE CSULB U-RISE PROGRAM WILL DEVELOP THE OVERALL INTELLECTUAL, PROFESSIONAL AND LEADERSHIP ABILITIES OF PARTICIPATING TRAINEES, WITH AN OVERALL GOAL OF ACHIEVING EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSIVENESS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CAREERS.

HSI CAMINOS PROJECT

CSULB BUILDING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM: OVERALL COMPONENT

THIS EDA INVESTMENT FUNDS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH FOUNDATION'S WORK TO ADVANCE THE BACCALAUREATE ENGINEERING PROGRAMS TO COMPLY WITH CURRENT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT NEEDS IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, AEROSPACE ENGINEERING, AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INDUSTRY STANDARDS. THE PROJECT WORK INCLUDES PURCHASING ADVANCED AND ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND BIOMEDICAL EQUIPMENT FOR ALL OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY, TO REBUILD THE AREA'S DEMANDING MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING WORKFORCE, WHICH WILL LEAD TO THE CREATION OF JOBS AND BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE REGION.

BRIDGES TO THE BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM 2008-2013

CAMP

CAMP

AN ACTIVE LEARNING-BASED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR HISPANIC STEM STUDENTS THROUGH INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP

PREM: CAL. STATE UNIV. LONG BEACH AND OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN TOPOLOGICAL MATERIALS -THIS PARTNERSHIP PROJECT BUILDS ON THE SUCCESS OF A PRIOR THREE-YEAR PARTNERSHIPS FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN MATERIALS (PREM) SEED GRANT AWARDED IN 2021 TO CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH (CSULB) AND THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY?S CENTER FOR EMERGENT MATERIALS (OSU CEM) MATERIALS RESEARCH SCIENCE AND EDUCATION CENTER (MRSEC). LEVERAGING CSULB?S STATUS AS AN URBAN HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION AND OSU?S COMMITMENT TO BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM, THE PARTNERSHIP AIMS TO SUPPORT TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. THE PROGRAM OFFERS DIVERSE CAREER PATHWAYS, INCLUDING A RESEARCH-BASED MSC PROGRAM, POST-BACCALAUREATE BRIDGE PROGRAMS, AND THE CEM RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES (REU) PROGRAM, FOCUSING ON INCLUSIVE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION THROUGH ENGAGING RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES. THE GOAL IS FOR STUDENTS TO COMPLETE THEIR DEGREES AND PROGRESS INTO STEM PHD PROGRAMS OR INDUSTRY CAREERS, ADDRESSING THE ?MISSING MILLIONS? IDENTIFIED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD. RESEARCH PROJECTS INTEGRATE MATERIALS SCIENCE, CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS, AND BIOPHYSICS, EXPLORING PHENOMENA LIKE TOPOLOGY AND COOPERATIVE EMERGENT BEHAVIORS WITH APPLICATIONS IN MAGNETIC STORAGE, ENERGY-EFFICIENT DEVICES, AND BIO-INSPIRED MATERIALS. THE PROGRAM FOSTERS A DYNAMIC AND INCLUSIVE RESEARCH CULTURE AT CSULB THROUGH COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND FACULTY MENTORING. THE GOALS OF THE PROGRAM ARE SUPPORTED BY OSU CEM?S EXPERTISE IN EDUCATION RESEARCH, BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM AND SERVING AS A MODEL FOR OTHER DISCIPLINES. THIS PREM PROJECT FOCUSES ON FUNDAMENTAL MATERIALS RESEARCH AND IS SIGNIFICANT FOR ITS INTEGRATION OF MATERIALS SCIENCE, CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS, AND BIOPHYSICS, FOCUSING ON DISCOVERING AND EXPLOITING COMMONALITIES IN TOPOLOGY AND COOPERATIVE EMERGENT PHENOMENA IN MATERIALS FROM LAYERED TWO-DIMENSIONAL CRYSTALS TO METALLIC/MOLECULAR THIN FILMS AND BIOPOLYMERS. RESEARCH APPLICATIONS AIM TO ADVANCE ULTRA-FAST AND ENERGY-EFFICIENT COMPUTING, FAULT-TOLERANT QUANTUM INFORMATION PROCESSING, AND NEXT-GENERATION ELECTRONIC DEVICES. SPECIFIC PROJECTS FOCUS ON THE INTERPLAY OF TOPOLOGY, MAGNETISM, AND SUPERCONDUCTIVITY IN (CHROMIUM/PLATINUM/IRIDIUM) TELLURIDE ALLOYS; GEOMETRIC MAGNETIC FRUSTRATION IN SODIUM-BASED OSMATES; AND EXOTIC MAGNETIC STATES ON CURVED MAGNETIC THIN FILMS. OTHER PROJECTS EXPLORE TUNABLE METAL-ORGANIC MAGNON-SPIN HETEROSTRUCTURES, TOPOLOGICAL EFFECTS IN BIOMOLECULES, AND THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF TOPOLOGICAL PHASES. EACH PROJECT COMBINES COMPLEMENTARY EXPERTISE FROM CSULB AND OSU, USING ADVANCED CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES, SAMPLE SYNTHESIS METHODS, AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES, FURTHER STRENGTHENING COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND ALIGNING WITH OSU CEM?S INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH GROUPS ON METAL/MAGNETIC-INSULATOR INTERFACES AND TOPOLOGICAL PHENOMENA IN MAGNETIC MATERIALS. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

(HEP)

BRIDGES TO THE DOCTORATE RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE BRIDGES TO THE DOCTORATE (BTD) TRAINING PROGRAM AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH (CSULB) WILL PARTNER WITH UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE (UCI) TO PRODUCE A SEAMLESS AND SUPPORTIVE BRIDGE FOR UNDERREPRESENTED (UR) AND UNDERSERVED (US) STUDENTS INTERESTED IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CAREERS. BOTH CAMPUSES ARE HSI AND AANAPISI THAT NORMALIZE DIVERSITY AND VALUE INCLUSION ALONG WITH PROVIDING RIGOROUS STEM TRAINING. EXPERIENCES AT BOTH INSTITUTIONS WILL SUPPORT SCIENCE IDENTITY AND A SENSE OF BELONGING, WHICH WILL REMAIN WITH BTD TRAINEES THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER. THE BTD PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT TEN TALENTED UR/US MASTER’S DEGREE STUDENTS FROM THE CSULB BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, BIOCHEMISTRY AND CHEMISTRY GRADUATE PROGRAMS. THESE STUDENTS WILL COMPLETE GRADUATE COURSES AND DEFEND AN M.S. THESIS WITH A TWO-YEAR TIME LINE. FACULTY WITH STRONG RECORDS IN PUBLICATION AND GRADUATE TRAINING WERE SELECTED AS POTENTIAL BTD RESEARCH MENTORS. THE M.S. PROGRAMS WILL BE ENHANCED THROUGH A WEEKLY CAREER DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, AN ANNUAL CAREER PANEL AND ENHANCING REPRODUCIBILITY WORKSHOP, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO PRESENT RESEARCH AT CONFERENCES. BTD STUDENTS WILL READ LITERATURE ABOUT ETHNICITY AND RACE IN STEM TO GAIN META-COGNITION OF SCIENCE IDENTITY, IMPOSTERISM AND THE DIVERSITY-INNOVATION PARADOX. A STRUCTURED NEAR-PEER MENTORING PROGRAM WILL PARTNER FIRST AND SECOND YEAR BTD STUDENTS TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT TO MENTEES AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE FOR MENTORS. RESEARCH MENTOR TRAINING AT CSULB WILL FOCUS ON INCLUSIVE MENTORING FOR A DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATION AND WILL INCLUDE THE BEACH MENTORING PROGRAM AS WELL AS ANNUAL STEM-SPECIFIC MENTORING WORKSHOPS. THE M.S. STUDENTS IN THE BTD PROGRAM WILL VISIT UCI FOR CAMPUS TOURS, SEMINARS FOLLOWED BY MEETINGS WITH MINORITY SCIENCE PROGRAMS (MSP) STUDENTS, THE MSP SUMMER RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM AND MOCK INTERVIEWS. UCI HAS RESERVED SLOTS FOR BTD STUDENTS WHO MATRICULATE TO UCI TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMPETITIVE EDGE PH.D. PREPARATION SUMMER PROGRAM. OVER 20 PI’S AT UCI HAVE KEEN INTEREST IN MENTORING BTD STUDENTS, AND BTD FACULTY MENTORS ARE INTERESTED IN SETTING UP COLLABORATIONS WITH UCI FACULTY. THE FIVE MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES OF THE BTD TRAINING PROGRAM AT CSULB ARE 1) ALL BTD STUDENTS WILL MEET PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS; 2) MORE THAN 75% OF BTD STUDENTS WILL COMPLETE THEIR DEGREE IN TWO YEARS; 3) MORE THAN 75% OF BTD STUDENTS WILL ENTER BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE PH.D. PROGRAMS WITHIN THREE YEARS OF STARTING THE BTD PROGRAM WITH 50% BEING ACCEPTED TO UCI PH.D. PROGRAMS; 4) OF BTD STUDENTS WHO ENTER PH.D. PROGRAMS, MORE THAN 80% WILL COMPLETE THE PH.D. DEGREE; AND 5) THE AVERAGE TIME TO DEGREE FOR BTD STUDENTS AFTER ENTRY INTO PH.D. STUDY WILL BE LESS THAN 60 MONTHS. AFTER COMPLETION OF THEIR PH.D. DEGREES, BTD STUDENTS WILL CONTINUE IN COMPETITIVE POSTDOC POSITIONS TO DIVERSIFY THE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH ENTERPRISE.

MIGRANT EDUCATION - COLLEGE ASSISTANCE MIGRANT PROGRAM - CAMP

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE ASPECTS OF RAPID TEST ACCEPTANCE

TRIO-UPWARD BOUND 2

HISPANIC HEALTH OPPORTUNITY LEARNING ALLIANCE

DISTRIBUTED INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DIMS)

PROJECT RESILIENCE: IMPROVING POST-PANDEMIC AAPI STUDENT WELLNESS AND FOSTERING CAREER PATHWAYS AT THE BEACH

UPWARD BOUND

UPWARD BOUND-2 (COMPTON AND GARDENA)

SCC-IRG: CREATING A COMMUNITY-FOCUSED DATA MANAGEMENT PLATFORM -THIS MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PROJECT AIMS TO PROMOTE BETTER DATA GOVERNANCE PRACTICES AND BOLSTER TRUST THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DATA MANAGEMENT PLATFORM IN LONG BEACH, CALIF. THE PLATFORM IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY ACCESS TO INFORMATION GENERATED BY SMART CITY TECHNOLOGIES. THE PROJECT TAKES A USER-CENTRIC PARTICIPATORY DESIGN APPROACH TO THE DEVELOPMENT, EVALUATION AND REFINEMENT OF A PLATFORM DESIGNED TO ENABLE PEOPLE TO READILY DISCOVER AND LEARN ABOUT THE DATA CIVIC TECHNOLOGIES COLLECT ABOUT THEM AS THEY ENGAGE IN ROUTINE ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS USING THE BIKE SHARE OR PASSING BY A TRAFFIC CAMERA. THE NEW PLATFORM WILL ENABLE CITY RESIDENTS TO NOT ONLY DISCOVER WHAT DATA IS COLLECTED ABOUT THEM BUT TO ALSO LIMIT DATA PRACTICES WITH WHICH THEY ARE NOT COMFORTABLE. THE RESULTING DATA MANAGEMENT PLATFORM IS EXPECTED TO HELP CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN THE DISCURSIVE AND MATERIAL ASPECTS OF DATA PRIVACY POLICY. TODAY, DOZENS OF U.S. CITIES HAVE ADOPTED DATA PRIVACY GUIDELINES?WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO TAKE PRACTICAL AND EFFECTIVE NEXT STEPS TO IMPLEMENT OR ENFORCE THEM. AT FULL SCALE, THE DATA MANAGEMENT PLATFORM WILL MAKE DATA PRACTICES ASSOCIATED WITH CIVIC TECHNOLOGIES MORE OBTAINABLE FOR LONG BEACH?S NEARLY 500,000 RESIDENTS, POTENTIALLY BOLSTERING TRUST IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. THE PROJECT?S METHODOLOGY AND TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS ARE SCALABLE AND TRANSFERABLE TO OTHER CITIES. THIS PROJECT CENTERS AROUND THE DESIGN, EVALUATION AND REFINEMENT OF AN IOT MOBILE ASSISTANT THAT EMPOWERS PEOPLE TO EXERCISE PRIVACY CHOICES. PART OF THIS RESEARCH WILL INVOLVE DEVELOPING A SIMPLE TAXONOMY OF PRIVACY CHOICES AND DATA PRACTICES THAT ENABLE CITY RESIDENTS TO SPECIFY AHEAD OF TIME OPT-IN/OPT-OUT CHOICES, AND DEVELOP SUPPORT FOR AUTHENTICATING USERS AND FUNCTIONALITY. THE RESEARCHERS WILL ALSO DEVELOP A PRIVACY DASHBOARD THAT CAN HELP USERS REVIEW WHAT DATA ABOUT THEM MIGHT HAVE BEEN COLLECTED OVER THE PAST DAY OR WEEK. FORMATIVE EVALUATION AND USER TESTING WILL INFORM REFINEMENTS TO THE MOBILE PRIVACY ASSISTANT AND OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE DATA MANAGEMENT PLATFORM. THE PROJECT?S METHODOLOGY AND TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS ARE SCALABLE AND TRANSFERABLE TO CITIES BEYOND LONG BEACH. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

TRANSITION TO TEACHING PROGRAM - TRANSITION TO TEACHING PROGRAM -- LOCAL

EDUCATIONAL TALENT SEARCH - SOUTH BAY

ENV7 AS A CONSERVED MEMBER OF A NOVEL KINASE CASCADE REGULATING MEMBRANE FUSION

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

CAMP - TO HELP STUDENTS FROM MIGRATORY AND SEASONAL FARM WORKER (MSFW) BACKGROUNDS TO 1) ENROLL AND COMPLETE THEIR FIRST YEAR IN COLLEGE AND, 2) CONTINUE THEIR POST-SECONDARY DEGREE TO COMPLETION.

CSULB EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY CENTER PROGRAM

OPIOID MEDIATION OF PROGESTERONE ACTIONS IN A REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR CIRCUIT

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

TRIO STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES - DISABILITIES

TRIO STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES - STEM

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY CENTER

MOLECULAR MECHANISM OF APOLIPOPROTEIN BINDING TO LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDES

TRIO-RONALD E. MCNAIR POSTBACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TRANSITION SUPPORT IN SCHOOL COUNSELING AND SPECIAL EDUCATION (CREST)

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

MULTICULTURAL SECONDARY TRANSITION SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH HIGH NEEDS DISABILITIES

FACILITATING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TRANSITION SERVICES & SUPPORTS: (FACTSS)

INTERDISCIPLINARY TRAINING FOR EFFECTIVE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TIERED BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION AND SUPPORTS FOR CLD YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES

INTERDISCIPLINARY TRAINING TO ADVANCE IMPLEMENTATION OF TIER 3 ACADEMIC SUPPORTS FOR CLD YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES

UB MATH & SCIENCE PROGRAM II (COMPTON AND GARDENA)

UB MATH & SCIENCE PROGRAM I(J. GLENN, PARAMOUNT, LB JORDAN & LB CABRILLO)

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF NOVEL RELATIVISTIC MOTT INSULATORS IN THE TWO DIMENSIONAL LIMIT

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY CENTERS PROGRAM

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY CENTERS PROGRAM

RECRUITING AND TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF GEOSCIENTISTS: GEOSCIENCES DIVERSITY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM (GDEP) TRACK 2

TRIO-RONALD E. MCNAIR POSTBACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM

LONG BEACH COLLABORATIVE TO PREVENT LATINO CHILDHOOD OBESITY

REGIONAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION WORKFORCE CENTERS * SOUTHWEST REGION

ASCEND: AANAPI STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER & DEVELOPMENT

RONALD E. MCNAIR POST-BACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT

PROJECT CAPE (CERTIFICATION IN ADAPTED PHYSICAL EDUCATION)

CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE INSTRUCTION AND INTERVENTION IN SELF-DETERMINATION PROGRAMS (CRISP)

ADVANCE ADAPTATION: INNOVATING FACULTY WORKLOADS THROUGH AN EQUITY LENS -CCALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH (CSULB) INTENDS TO ADAPT AND IMPLEMENT THE FACULTY WORKLOAD AND REWARDS PROJECT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND (NSF ADVANCE 1463898). THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND PROJECT WAS DESIGNED TO UNDERSTAND HOW INEQUITIES ARISE IN WORKLOAD AT THE DEPARTMENT LEVEL AND HOW TO UTILIZE DATA ON THESE WORK PRACTICES TO IMPROVE EXISTING WORKLOAD PRACTICES AND DEVELOP POLICIES THAT LEAD TO GREATER EQUITY. BY ADDRESSING WORKLOAD EQUITY FOR NON-TENURE AND TENURE TRACK FACULTY AT CSULB, THE PROJECT WILL ADDRESS A SIGNIFICANT NATIONAL CHALLENGE SHARED BY MANY OTHER INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. WITHIN CSULB, NON-TENURE TRACK FACULTY (FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME) HAVE GROWN IN NUMBERS AND COLLECTIVELY PROVIDE MORE THAN HALF OF ALL INSTRUCTION, WHILE THE NUMBER OF TENURE TRACK FACULTY HAS BEEN MOSTLY STATIC OR DECLINING. THIS WORK IS DESIGNED TO ADDRESS ISSUES RELATED TO WORK SATISFACTION AND RETENTION, TENURE, AND PROMOTION RAISED BY STEM FACULTY. THIS ADAPTATION PROJECT AIMS TO ADVANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH THE SOURCES OF INEQUITY IN WORKLOAD AMONG STEM FACULTY AND THE POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT CAN INCREASE EQUITY AND TO PROVIDE TOOLS THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY INVISIBLE LABOR AND QUANTIFY IDENTITY TAXATION. CSULB'S UNIONIZED ENVIRONMENT PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO BRING ABOUT POSITIVE AND PRACTICAL CHANGES ON A TOPIC SUBJECT TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING WHEN LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES OF LABOR AND MANAGEMENT WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND IN GOOD FAITH. DEPENDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THE CSULB ADVANCE ADAPTATION PROJECT, IT MAY BECOME A MODEL THAT COULD BE USED AT ANY OF THE 22 OTHER CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY (CSU) CAMPUSES. THE CSU IS THE LARGEST 4-YEAR PUBLIC UNIVERSITY SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES, BOASTING 23 CAMPUSES IN CALIFORNIA AND EMPLOYING APPROXIMATELY 28,000 FACULTY. RESULTS OF THE PROJECT WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO TWO UNIQUE AND IMPORTANT AUDIENCES. THESE ARE: (1)THE CSU SYSTEMWIDE FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATORS VIA THE CSU SYSTEMWIDE AFFINITY GROUPS AND (2) THE CSU STATEWIDE UNION, THE CALIFORNIA FACULTY ASSOCIATION (CFA), WHICH REPRESENTS ALL FACULTY ACROSS THE CSU. THE NSF ADVANCE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO FOSTER GENDER EQUITY THROUGH A FOCUS ON THE IDENTIFICATION AND ELIMINATION OF ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS THAT IMPEDE THE FULL PARTICIPATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF DIVERSE FACULTY IN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS. ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS THAT INHIBIT EQUITY MAY EXIST IN POLICIES, PROCESSES, PRACTICES, AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND CLIMATE. ADVANCE ADAPTATION AWARDS PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE ADAPTATION AND ADOPTION OF EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES TO ACADEMIC, NON-PROFIT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION AS WELL AS NON-ACADEMIC, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. THIS PROJECT WAS SUPPORTED WITH CO-FUNDING FROM THE HSI PROGRAM, WHICH AIMS TO ENHANCE UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION, BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN STEM, AND BUILD CAPACITY AT HSIS. ACHIEVING THESE AIMS, GIVEN THE DIVERSE NATURE AND CONTEXT OF THE HSIS, REQUIRES INNOVATIVE APPROACHES THAT INCENTIVIZE INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION AND PROMOTE FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH (I) ON ENGAGED STUDENT LEARNING, (II) ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO DIVERSIFY AND INCREASE PARTICIPATION IN STEM EFFECTIVELY, AND (III) THAT IMPROVES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO BUILD INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY AT HSIS. 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.

MENTORED EXCELLENCE TOWARD RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY CAREERS

USING SOCIAL NETWORK AND SPATIAL ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS FENTANYL DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS IN AMERICAS LARGEST PORT CITY

TRANSPORTATION WORKFORCE STRATEGIC INITIATIVE

UPWARD BOUND MATH AND SCIENCE COMPETITION

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** LEVERAGING INTERDISCIPLINARY NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE (LINK) PROGRAM IS A COMPREHENSIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN SIX HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: TWO 4-YEAR UNIVERSITIES, CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY (CSU) LONG BEACH AND CSU FULLERTON, AND FOUR 2-YEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGES INCLUDING CERRITOS, FULLERTON, LONG BEACH CITY, AND SANTA ANA COLLEGES. LINK PROGRAM WILL PROMOTE THE SUCCESS OF 26 UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS (16 UNDERGRADUATE, 10 GRADUATE) IN THE FOOD AND HUMAN SCIENCES PROFESSIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC WORKFORCE, EMPHASIZING LATINO NUTRITION THROUGH OUTREACH, MENTORING, EDUCATION, SUPPORT SERVICES, RESEARCH, AND PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS. AN ADVISORY BOARD OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM SIX DOCTORAL DEGREE-CONFERRING INSTITUTIONS WILL PROVIDE PROGRAMMATIC AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT.

THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE PROPOSED EAT, PLAY, GO! INTEGRATED PROJECT IS TO REDUCE THE PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AMONG LATINO YOUTH AGES 10-13 YEARS BY IMPLEMENTING AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM TO IMPROVE EATING PATTERNS AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLES. LONG-TERM GOAL (RESEARCH) 1: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE EAT, PLAY, GO! INTERVENTION IN REDUCING OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AMONG 174 LATINO YOUTH. LONG-TERM GOAL (EDUCATION) 2: TO INCREASE THE POOL OF QUALIFIED HEALTH AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE TO PREVENT AND ADDRESS CHRONIC CONDITIONS AMONG LATINOS. LONG-TERM GOAL (EXTENSION) 3: TO ENGAGE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS IN THE DESIGN, TESTING, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EAT, PLAY, GO! INTERVENTION TO ENSURE RELEVANCE TO THE TARGET AUDIENCE. LONG-TERM GOAL (EXTENSION) 4: TO PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES AMONG LATINO YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE PROJECT GOALS WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY IMPLEMENTING A CULTURALLY TAILORED CURRICULUM FOR LATINO YOUTH BASED ON PRIOR RESEARCH AND THE SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY. EAT, PLAY, GO! WILL BE IMPLEMENTED BY COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS AND STUDENTS TRAINED IN COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH. ALL PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL BE INFORMED BY A COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD OF STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AS A RESULT OF THE PROJECT, LATINO YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO CARRY-OUT HEALTHFUL LIFESTYLES REDUCING THEIR RISK FOR OBESITY. FURTHER, 12 STUDENTS WILL BE TRAINED TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE TO ADDRESS CHRONIC CONDITIONS AMONG LATINOS. LASTLY, PROJECT FINDINGS AND RESOURCE MATERIALS WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS, RESEARCHERS, AND PRACTITIONERS TO INFORM RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE.

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE HARVESTING HEALTHY HABITS IN LONG BEACH PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE EATING PATTERNS TO PREVENT CHRONIC DISEASES AND INCREASE FOOD ACCESS AMONG UNDERSERVED ETHNIC/MINORITY CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH A NUTRITION AND GARDENING INTERVENTION. THE PROJECT HAS FIVE GOALS: 1) EDUCATION - INCREASE THE POOL OF QUALIFIED HEALTH AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE TO PREVENT CHRONIC DISEASES AMONG UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES; 2) EXTENSION - ENGAGE COMMUNITY AND UNIVERSITY STAKEHOLDERS IN THE DESIGN, TESTING, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTERVENTION AND THE DESIGN OF STUDENT TRAINING ACTIVITIES TO ENSURE RELEVANCE TO THE PRIORITY POPULATIONS; 3) RESEARCH - EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING EATING PATTERNS AMONG UNDERSERVED CHILDREN IN GRADES 3 TO 5; 4) EXTENSION - STRENGTHEN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES THROUGH ENGAGEMENT OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANT'S FAMILIES IN INTERVENTION ACTIVITIES; AND 5) EXTENSION- IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITIONAL HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. PROJECT GOALS WILL BE CARRIED OUT THROUGH A COLLABORATION BETWEEN A UNIVERSITY-BASED RESEARCH CENTER AND A COMMUNITY-BASED GARDEN WITH ALL ACTIVITIES INFORMED BY A COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD OF STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE PROPOSED INTERVENTION WILL BE DEVELOPED BASED ON PRIOR RESEARCH AND THE SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE. RESEARCH AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES WILL RESULT IN INCREASED KNOWLEDGE, SELF-EFFICACY, AND SKILLS TO IMPROVE EATING HABITS AMONG UNDERSERVED CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. THROUGH EDUCATION ACTIVITIES, UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS WILL GAIN VALUABLE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE OR GRADUATE SCHOOL. RESULTS, BEST PRACTICES, AND LESSONS LEARNED WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS, RESEARCHERS, AND UNIVERSITIES TO PROMOTE REPLICATION.

NEW START COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

No description available

SALUD A LA VIDA: CHEERS TO LIFE!

FY09 YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM (YEP)

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

APOLIPOPROTEIN E/LIPOPROTEIN BINDING MECHANISM

RIGID-ROD PEPTIDES AS NANOCARRIERS FOR DELIVERY OF CANCER DRUGS

COMPLEMENT AND MACROPHAGE POLARIZATION IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS

NON-HEME IRON-NITROSYL COMPLEXES: THEIR STRUCTURES AND NITRIC OXIDE RELEASE KINET

SYNTHESIS OF GOLD NANOPARTICLE-CORED DENDRIMERS LINKED WITH FLUOROPHORES AND ANTI

CAREER: ISOFORM-DEPENDENT REDOX REGULATION OF ACTIN

MULTILEVEL ANTECEDENTS OF SLEEP IN LATINO YOUTH

PREM: CAL. STATE UNIV. LONG BEACH AND OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN HARD AND SOFT MATERIALS

NIMH CAREERS OPPORTUNITIES IN RESEARCH (COR) TRAINING PROGRAM

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL PREPARATION

TRANSDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING TO PREVENT LATINO CHILDHOOD OBESITY

TRANSDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING TO PREVENT LATINO CHILDHOOD OBESITY

TRANSDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING TO PREVENT LATINO CHILDHOOD OBESITY

TRANSDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING TO PREVENT LATINO CHILDHOOD OBESITY

TRANSDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING TO PREVENT LATINO CHILDHOOD OBESITY

ABSTRACT             IN THE UNITED STATES, THE PREVALENCE OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE PRESENTS VARIOUS CHALLENGES FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS. SCHOOL DYNAMICS PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN PROMOTING (OR PREVENTING) SCHOOL VIOLENCE. IN RECENT RESEARCH, A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS AN IMPORTANT PROTECTIVE FACTOR TO ENHANCE SCHOOL SAFETY AND REDUCE SCHOOL VIOLENCE. MCKINLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS LOCATED IN LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AND HAS AN ENROLLMENT OF PRIMARILY STUDENTS OF COLOR. THESE STUDENTS EXPERIENCE UNIQUE CHALLENGES, SUCH AS ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE, LANGUAGE BARRIERS, DISABILITIES, HOMELESSNESS, FOSTER CARE, AMONG OTHERS. IN RECENT YEARS, MCKINLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HAS EXPERIENCED GROWING ISSUES OF STUDENT DISENGAGEMENT, CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, STUDENT MISCONDUCT, AND SCHOOL VIOLENCE. IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES, THE CURRENT PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A MULTITIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT (MTSS), FOCUSING ON POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE, TO IMPROVE OVERALL SCHOOL SAFETY AND REDUCE VIOLENCE AT MCKINLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. MTSS REFERS TO SCHOOL-BASED INTERVENTIONS THAT AIM TO ENCOURAGE POSITIVE STUDENT BEHAVIOR THROUGH DIFFERENTIATED ATTENTION FOR CHILDREN BASED ON THE LEVEL OF SUPPORTS NEEDED TO ADDRESS A STUDENT’S SPECIFIC LEARNING, MENTAL HEALTH, AND EMOTIONAL-BEHAVIORAL CONCERNS.  IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS MTSS PROGRAM, THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WILL CONDUCT PROCESS AND OUTCOME EVALUATIONS. THE PROCESS EVALUATION WILL UTILIZE SEMI-STRUCTURED FOCUS GROUPS WITH TEACHERS AND ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS WITH ADMINISTRATORS AND SOCIAL-SUPPORT STAFF TO PROVIDE CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION OF PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION. THE OUTCOME EVALUATION WILL ASSESS LEVELS OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, STUDENT MISCONDUCT, SCHOOL VIOLENCE, AND SCHOOL SAFETY OVER THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD AT MCKINLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO EXAMINE WHAT, IF ANY, EFFECTS CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE MTSS, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON OVERALL SCHOOL SAFETY OVER TIME. THIS RESEARCH WILL BE CONDUCTED THROUGH AN ANNUAL SCHOOL SAFETY SURVEY (GIVEN TO STUDENTS AND STAFF), DATA TRACKING ON CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT, AND SCHOOL VIOLENCE. GIVEN ITS DIVERSE POPULATION OF UNDERSERVED STUDENTS EXPERIENCING VARIOUS UNIQUE CHALLENGES (ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE, HOMELESSNESS, FOSTER CARE, ETC.), MCKINLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO MAKE WIDESPREAD AND LASTING POSITIVE IMPACTS ON SCHOOL SAFETY IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. FURTHERMORE, THIS EVALUATION CAN INFORM SUBSEQUENT IMPLEMENTATIONS OF MTSS AT OTHER SITES AND BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPROVING SCHOOL SAFETY AND REDUCING SCHOOL VIOLENCE.

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS) ARE BEING USED TO CONDUCT MISSIONS THAT ARE TOO TEDIOUS, LONG, OR DANGEROUS FOR HUMAN OPERATORS. HOWEVER, THERE ARE U

RUI: CHARACTERIZATION OF A YEAST GENE (ENV7) INVOLVED IN VACUOLE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

CLIMATE-READY ENGINEERS FOR WATER RESOURCES APPLICATIONS

SCREENING AND BRIEF INTERVENTION FOR PRESCRIPTION STIMULANT MISUSE AND DIVERSION: REFINING AND PILOTING A CURRICULUM FOR COLLEGE HEALTH PROVIDERS - ABSTRACT PRESCRIPTION STIMULANT DIVERSION ([PSD] I.E., THE SHARING, SELLING, OR TRADING OF PRESCRIPTION STIMULANTS) AND PRESCRIPTION STIMULANT MISUSE ([PSM] I.E., USE WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION, USE IN EXCESS OF A PRESCRIPTION, OR USE FOR NONMEDICAL PURPOSES) ARE INTER-RELATED AND CO-OCCURRING PROBLEMS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES. IN ADDITION, PSD AND PSM ARE NOT LIMITED TO STUDENTS WITH A PRESCRIPTION FOR STIMULANTS (LAM ET AL., 2020; GARCIA ET AL., 2022). THUS, THERE IS A NEED TO UNIVERSALLY SCREEN AND INTERVENE UPON BOTH BEHAVIORS. PRIOR RESEARCH HAS SHOWN COLLEGE HEALTH PROVIDERS [CHPS] ARE CONCERNED ABOUT PSM AND PSD, YET FEEL THEY LACK TRAINING IN STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THESE BEHAVIORS (LOSKUTOVA ET AL., 2020). AS SUCH, CHPS SERVE AS IDEAL PROFESSIONALS FOR TRAINING AND IMPLEMENTING PSM AND PSD INTERVENTION EFFORTS. TO THAT END, OUR TEAM HAS DEVELOPED A RESEARCH- AND THEORY- GUIDED PSM AND PSD SCREENING AND BRIEF INTERVENTION [SBI] CURRICULUM TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY CHPS. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED, THREE-YEAR, R34 STUDY IS TO ENGAGE CHPS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS IN THE REFINING AND PILOTING OF A SBI TO ADDRESS PSM AND PSD. AFTER COMPLETING START-UP ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE CONTENT VALIDITY AND FACE VALIDITY, WE PROPOSE THREE STUDIES TO ACHIEVE OUR THREE AIMS. IN STUDY 1, A GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE SAMPLE OF CHPS RECRUITED FROM THE AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH ASSOCIATION MEMBER DIRECTORY WILL ASSESS THE APPROPRIATENESS AND CLARITY OF THE CURRICULUM CONTENT, AS WELL AS PROVIDE INSIGHTS ON POTENTIAL IMPLEMENTATION BARRIERS AND STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME BARRIERS. THE FEEDBACK PROVIDED WILL BE USED TO REFINE THE EXISTING CURRICULUM PRIOR TO PILOT TESTING (AIM 1: REFINE A NOVEL PSM AND PSD SBI CURRICULUM BY ENGAGING CHPS IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS). THE PILOT TEST WILL BE COMPLETED AT THE CAMPUS HEALTH CENTER OF ONE DIVERSE UNIVERSITY WHERE PSD AND PSM ARE PREVALENT. STUDENTS WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO CONTROL, E-SBI, OR FACE-TO-FACE SBI DELIVERED BY TRAINED CHPS. STUDY 2 WILL FOCUS ON THE CHPS; ALL CHPS WHO RECEIVE TRAINING WILL COMPLETE AN EVALUATION OF THE CURRICULUM, AND CHPS WHO IMPLEMENT THE SBI WILL COMPLETE INDICATORS OF FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND IMPLEMENTATION (VIA THE MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING TREATMENT INTEGRITY TOOL, QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW, AND QUANTITATIVE SURVEY; AIM 2: PILOT TEST FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTERVENTION). STUDY 3 WILL RUN CONCURRENTLY WITH STUDY 2, AND WILL FOCUS ON THE STUDENT PARTICIPANTS. ACCEPTABILITY OF THE INTERVENTION WILL BE MEASURED IMMEDIATELY AFTER PARTICIPATION (AIM 2) AND IMPACT ON STUDENT PSM AND PSD OUTCOMES WILL BE MEASURED AT ONE-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (AIM 3: EVALUATE THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF THE AND PSD). OUR GOAL IS TO APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED TO REFINE A CURRICULUM THAT CAN BE WIDELY DISSEMINATED. ATTAINMENT OF THIS GOAL COULD BE APPLIED TO REDUCE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RELATED TO PSM AND PSD. APPLYING FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BEHAVIOR TO PROMOTE HEALTH.

BUILDING QUANTITATAIVE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LIGAND STRUCTURE AND ITS REACTIVITY WITH ORGANIC RADICAL SPECIES

ELUCIDATION OF THE KINETICS OF ADVANCED SEPARATION SYSTEMS

PPOWER

CAREER: SYNTHESIS, STRUCTURES, AND PROPERTIES OF CRYSTALLINE BORON-BASED POROUS MATERIALS

ENSURING STUDENT SUCCESS IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

IN SILICO STUDY AND OPTIMIZATION OF MOLECULAR NANOMOTORS FOR MEMBRANE PHOTOPHARMACOLOGY - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THERE IS A DIRE NEED IN DEVELOPING NEW MOLECULAR PARADIGMS FOR PHARMACOTHERAPY TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS OF POOR DRUG SELECTIVITY, CAUSING SIDE EFFECTS, DRUG RESISTANCE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICITY. CURRENTLY, OVER 85 % OF THE DRUGS IN CLINICAL RESEARCH ARE DISCARDED DUE TO POOR SELECTIVITY. INCREASING DRUG SELECTIVITY IS A MAJOR CONCERN OF MODERN DRUG DEVELOPMENT. PHOTOPHARMACOLOGY INCREASES DRUG SELECTIVITY BY USING CONTROLLED LIGHT-ACTIVATION OF DRUGS AT A GIVEN TIME AND LOCATION IN THE BODY. RECENTLY, A LIGHT-DRIVEN MOLECULAR NANOMOTOR HAS BEEN DEVELOPED (GARCIA- LOPEZ ET AL., NATURE, 548, 7669, 567, 2017), THAT IS CAPABLE OF DISRUPTING BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES, INDUCING CELL DEATH IN EUCARYOTIC CELLS. THIS MECHANISM HAS POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN DRUG DELIVERY THROUGH LIPID NANOPARTICLES, CANCER TREATMENT, AND COMBATING INFECTIOUS DISEASES. BESIDES CHEMOTHERAPY, RADIATION, AND SURGERY, MECHANICAL ACTION OF NANOMOTORS ON A MOLECULAR LEVEL COULD BECOME A FOURTH MODALITY IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS. HOWEVER, BEING STILL AT A DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE, A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM OF THIS PROCESS IS REQUIRED TO ADVANCE THIS TECHNOLOGY TOWARDS CLINICAL APPLICATIONS. WE WILL USE COMPUTER MODELING TO STUDY THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM OF THE MEMBRANE DISRUPTION BY THE RECENTLY DEVELOPED NANOMOTOR. BASED ON THE GAINED INSIGHT, WE WILL DESIGN AND OPTIMIZE NEW NANOMOTORS BY INTRODUCING FUNCTIONAL GROUPS TO IMPROVE MOLECULAR PROP- ERTIES. THE NAL GOAL IS TO DEVELOP A NEXT GENERATION OF NANOMOTORS THAT CAN BE APPLIED IN CLINICAL STUDIES. TO REDUCE PHOTOTOXICITY, IT IS NECESSARY THAT THE MOTOR OPERATES WITH A HIGH QUANTUM YIELD, CONVERTING A HIGH PERCENT- AGE OF THE ABSORBED PHOTONS INTO MECHANICAL WORK TO DISPLACE MEMBRANE LIPIDS. FURTHERMORE, TISSUE APPLICATIONS REQUIRE THE IRRADIATION WAVELENGTH TO OCCUR IN THE 600–1000 NM REGION, WHICH PENETRATES DEEPER THAN THE INITIALLY USED ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, THAT ALSO HAS HIGHER PHOTOTOXICITY. WE WILL EMPLOY COMPUTATIONAL METHODS BASED ON QUANTUM MECHANICS, MOLECULAR MECHANICS, AND MACHINE LEARNING. CORE OF OUR STUDY WILL BE THE REAL TIME SIMULATION OF THE PHOTOINDUCED DYNAMICS OF THE NANOMOTOR IN THE MEMBRANE, YIELDING ATOMISTIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEMBRANE DISRUPTION PROCESS. TO THIS END WE WILL USE MACHINE LEARNING DRIVEN MOLECULAR DYNAMICS. THE MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHM WILL BE TRAINED USING QUANTUM MECHANICAL SIMULATIONS. BASED ON THE GAINED INSIGHTS, SEVERAL MOLECULAR PROPERTIES WILL BE ENHANCED BY MODICATIONS OF THE FUNCTIONAL GROUPS: A) BINDING AFNITY TO THE MEMBRANE; B) LIGHT ABSORPTION IN THE NEAR INFRARED OR VISIBLE REGION; C) ABSORPTION CROSS SECTION AND QUANTUM YIELD. TO OBTAIN CANDIDATE MOLECULES WE WILL EMPLOY IN SILICO HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENING BASED ON EXHAUSTIVE MOLECULE GENERATION AND MACHINE LEARNING OF QUANTUM MECHANICAL PROPERTIES. CANDIDATES WITH IMPROVED PROPERTIES WILL BE SYNTHE- SIZED BY THE GARCIA-LOPEZ LAB AND STUDIED EXPERIMENTALLY TO GAUGE THE VALIDITY OF THE PREDICTIONS. THE RESULTS OF THIS COMBINED COMPUTATIONAL/EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WILL GIVE A DETAILED ATOMISTIC PICTURE OF THE DYNAMICS OF THE NANOMOTORS MEMBRANES. THE PROPOSED MOLECULAR MODICATIONS WILL LEAD TO A NEXT GENERATION OF NANOMOTORS, OPENING THIS TECHNOLOGY FOR CLINICAL STUDIES, LEADING TO HIGHLY SELECTIVE LIGHT-ACTIVATED DRUGS.

NEAR-FIELD NANOSCOPY OF METAL-INSULATOR PHASE TRANSITIONS TOWARDS SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL CORRELATED TRANSITION METAL OXIDES AND THEIR INTERACTION WITH PL

INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS OF STRESS AMONG LOW-INCOME PREGNANT MOTHERS & THEIR INFANTS - PROJECT SUMMARY: AS DEMONSTRATED BY A GROWING NUMBER OF STUDIES, STRESS EXPERIENCED DURING PREGNANCY CAN LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT LONG-TERM HEALTH PROBLEMS FOR MOTHERS AND THEIR INFANTS. ONE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISM THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN HEIGHTENING A WOMAN’S RISK FOR DEVELOPING STRESS-RELATED HEALTH COMPLICATIONS DURING PREGNANCY IS THE STRESS HORMONE CORTISOL. FURTHER, CERTAIN GENETIC FACTORS, SUCH AS THE SHORT ALLELE OF THE (SEROTONIN TRANSPORTER) 5-HTTLPR GENE, HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN INCREASING ONE’S CORTISOL RESPONSE TO STRESSORS IN THE ENVIRONMENT. THE IMPACT OF THESE TWO BIOMARKERS OF STRESS IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IN FETAL DEVELOPMENT, AS MATERNAL CORTISOL READILY CROSSES THE PLACENTA, POTENTIALLY CAUSING THE FETUS TO BECOME OVERLY SENSITIVE TO ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS AFTER CHILDBIRTH. INDEED, SOME STUDIES HAVE SHOWN EARLY LIFE STRESSORS (E.G., SOCIOECONOMIC ADVERSITY, HARSH PARENTING) TO ACCELERATE THE SHORTENING OF TELOMERES (DNA SEGMENTS THAT MEASURE DISEASE RISK AND BIOLOGICAL AGING) IN CHILDREN. YET, FEW STUDIES HAVE IDENTIFIED PRE- AND POSTNATAL DETERMINANTS OF INFANT TELOMERE LENGTH AMONG LOW-INCOME, CHRONICALLY STRESSED FAMILIES. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED STUDY IS TO PROSPECTIVELY EXAMINE WHETHER PRENATAL MATERNAL AND FETAL CORTISOL LEVELS AND THE 5- HTTLPR GENOTYPE OF LOW-INCOME PREGNANT MOTHERS ARE PREDICTIVE OF CHANGES IN INFANT TELOMERE LENGTH OVER THE FIRST SIX MONTHS POSTPARTUM AND WHETHER CERTAIN MATERNAL AND INFANT CHARACTERISTICS (E.G., EXPOSURE TO CHRONIC STRESSORS, MATERNAL SENSITIVITY TOWARDS THEIR INFANTS) INFLUENCE THESE OUTCOMES. A TOTAL OF 125 LOW-INCOME MOTHERS WILL BE RECRUITED DURING PREGNANCY TO PROVIDE SALIVA SAMPLES THAT ASSESS THEIR PRENATAL CORTISOL LEVELS AND 5-HTTLPR GENOTYPE. MOTHERS WILL ALSO COLLECT THEIR INFANT’S HAIR (WITHIN ONE WEEK AFTER BIRTH) TO ASSESS FETAL CORTISOL LEVELS, AS WELL AS THEIR INFANT’S SALIVA TO ASSESS FOR CHANGES IN TELOMERE LENGTH FROM BIRTH TO SIX MONTHS POSTPARTUM. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT HEIGHTENED PRENATAL MATERNAL AND FETAL CORTISOL LEVELS AND THE SHORT ALLELE 5-HTTLPR GENOTYPE IN MOTHERS WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH ACCELERATED SHORTENING OF INFANT TELOMERE LENGTH FROM BIRTH TO SIX MONTHS POSTPARTUM, AND THAT TELOMERE LENGTH WILL BE MODERATED BY CERTAIN MATERNAL AND INFANT CHARACTERISTICS (E.G., GREATER MATERNAL EXPOSURE TO CHRONIC STRESSORS, LESS MATERNAL SENSITIVITY TOWARDS THEIR INFANT’S NEEDS). THIS HYPOTHESIS HAS BEEN FORMULATED FROM PRELIMINARY DATA COLLECTED BY THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR AND STUDY COLLABORATORS. THE RESULTS OF THE PROPOSED WORK HAVE SUBSTANTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS IN ADVANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PRENATAL BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS CONTRIBUTE TO THE INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF STRESS OUTCOMES AMONG LOW-INCOME PREGNANT MOTHERS AND THEIR INFANTS THAT CAN HAVE LIFELONG CONSEQUENCES FOR THE OFFSPRING’S HEALTH AND DISEASE RISK. SUCH FINDINGS WILL ALSO HELP TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL AVENUES FOR PREVENTION AND TREATMENT, DURING CRITICAL PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT, TO OPTIMIZE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR MOTHERS, THEIR CHILDREN, AND SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS.

CAREER: SURFACE CHEMISTRY OF CRYSTALLINE COORDINATION NETWORKS

COPC-HSIAC-AN-NHIAC

COMPLEMENT PROTEIN C1Q REGULATION OF MACROPHAGE METABOLIC PATHWAYS - COMPLEMENT PROTEIN C1Q REGULATION OF MACROPHAGE METABOLIC PATHWAYS PROJECT SUMMARY ATHEROSCLEROSIS IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISORDER WHICH IN EARLY STAGES IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE MIGRATION OF MACROPHAGES AND MODIFIED LIPOPROTEINS INTO THE ARTERIAL WALLS, LEADING TO THE FORMATION AND APOPTOSIS OF MACROPHAGE FOAM CELLS. IN LATE STAGES OF DISEASE, INSUFFICIENT APOPTOTIC FOAM CELL REMOVAL BY MACROPHAGES LEADS TO THEIR SECONDARY NECROSIS AND PLAQUE DEVELOPMENT. PLAQUE DAMAGE BY PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, PROTEASES AND OXYGEN RADICALS CAN LEAD TO CLINICAL COMPLICATIONS SUCH AS MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION AND ISCHEMIC STROKE. THUS, MACROPHAGE FOAM CELL SURVIVAL, CHOLESTEROL REMOVAL, AND INFLAMMATION ARE KEY FACTORS IN PROGRESSION OF THIS DISEASE. COMPLEMENT PATHWAY ACTIVATION BY INNATE IMMUNE PROTEIN C1Q HAS BEEN SHOWN TO PROMOTE DISEASE PROGRESSION. HOWEVER, STUDIES IN C1Q-DEFICIENT MICE SUGGEST A PROTECTIVE ROLE FOR C1Q IN THE EARLY ATHEROSCLEROTIC LESION. IN ADDITION TO COMPLEMENT ACTIVATION, C1Q CAN DIRECTLY OPSONIZE TARGETS AND INTERACTS WITH PHAGOCYTES LEADING TO INCREASED PHAGOCYTIC RESPONSES AND REDUCED INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE SIGNALING. MACROPHAGES CAN SYNTHESIZE C1Q AND THEREFORE C1Q MAY BE LOCALIZED IN MACROPHAGE-RICH TISSUES, SUCH AS THE EARLY ATHEROSCLEROTIC LESION, IN THE ABSENCE OF OTHER COMPLEMENT COMPONENTS NEEDED FOR COMPLEMENT ACTIVATION. THEREFORE, OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT COMPLEMENT-INDEPENDENT ACTIONS OF C1Q PROGRAM PROTECTIVE, ANTI-ATHEROSCLEROTIC MACROPHAGE RESPONSES IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS. RECENT STUDIES HAVE IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL MECHANISMS OF C1Q ON MACROPHAGE SURVIVAL, EFFEROCYTOSIS, CHOLESTEROL METABOLISM, AND INFLAMMATORY POLARIZATION IN VITRO AND IN VIVO MODELS OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INVESTIGATE PATHWAYS AND BIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE OF C1Q MODULATION OF CHOLESTEROL METABOLISM, AND TO DETERMINE FOR THE FIRST TIME IF THERE IS A ROLE FOR C1Q IN MITOCHONDRIAL METABOLISM IN MACROPHAGE FOAM CELLS. SPECIFIC AIMS ARE: 1: INVESTIGATE C1Q MODULATION OF LIPID METABOLISM IN MACROPHAGES AND MICROGLIA. WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT C1Q MODULATION OF LXR-ACTIVATING LIPIDS 24-OHC, 25-OHC, AND DESMOSTEROL ARE INVOLVED IN MACROPHAGE FOAM CELL SURVIVAL, EFFEROCYTOSIS AND POLARIZATION. LIPIDOMIC ANALYSIS WILL BE PERFORMED IN PRIMARY HUMAN M0, M1, OR M2 POLARIZED MACROPHAGE FOAM CELLS AND MURINE MICROGLIA ±C1Q. SURVIVAL, EFFEROCYTOSIS, AND POLARIZATION ASSAYS WILL BE PERFORMED IN SPECIFIC PATHWAY-DEFICIENT OR KNOCKED-DOWN MACROPHAGES TO IDENTIFY THEIR RELATIVE IMPORTANCE IN THESE BIOLOGICAL RESPONSES. SPECIFIC AIM 2: INVESTIGATE C1Q MODULATION OF MACROPHAGE METABOLIC PROGRAMMING. WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT C1Q MODULATION OF MITOCHONDRIAL METABOLISM AND AUTOPHAGY ARE INVOLVED IN MACROPHAGE FOAM CELL SURVIVAL, EFFEROCYTOSIS, AND POLARIZATION. CHANGES TO MITOCHONDRIAL RESPIRATION, GLYCOLYSIS AND SUPEROXIDE PRODUCTION WILL BE MEASURED IN HUMAN MONOCYTE-DERIVED MACROPHAGES DURING INGESTION OF OXLDL ±C1Q. SIMILAR STUDIES WILL BE PERFORMED IN MURINE BONE MARROW-DERIVED MACROPHAGES FROM WILD-TYPE OR C1Q-DEFICIENT MICE TO INVESTIGATE AUTOCRINE VS. PARACRINE ACTIONS OF C1Q. ASSAYS WILL BE REPEATED IN MACROPHAGES INGESTING OXLDL ±C1Q IN THE PRESENCE OF AUTOPHAGY (OR OTHER METABOLIC PATHWAY) INHIBITORS, OR CULTURED IN HIGH GLUCOSE ENVIRONMENT TO IDENTIFY INVOLVEMENT OF METABOLIC PATHWAYS IN THESE BIOLOGICAL RESPONSES. OVERALL, THESE STUDIES AIM TO EXPLORE THE DUAL ROLE THAT C1Q PLAYS IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS, AND SHOULD ASSIST IN IDENTIFYING NOVEL MOLECULAR PATHWAYS FOR THERAPEUTIC TARGETING.

CHARACTERIZING LATINO CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT IN EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES FOR AUTISM - ENTER THE TEXT HERE THAT IS THE NEW ABSTRACT INFORMATION FOR YOUR APPLICATION. THIS SECTION MUST BE NO LONGER THAN 30 LINES OF TEXT. CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) ARE A RAPIDLY GROWING POPULATION WITH COMPLEX SERVICE NEEDS ESTIMATED TO COST $268 BILLION ANNUALLY. EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS (EBIS) FOR YOUNG CHILDREN WITH LIKELY ASD YIELD LONG-TERM BENEFITS IN TERMS OF CHILD OUTCOMES AND REDUCED COSTS OF ASD TO SOCIETY. AS SUCH, POLICIES INCREASINGLY EMPHASIZE EARLY SCREENING AND IDENTIFICATION OF ASD, PLACING DEMAND ON THE EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICE SYSTEM TO PROVIDE CARE THE GROWING NUMBER OF YOUNG CHILDREN (UNDER AGE 3 YEARS) WITH LIKELIHOOD OF ASD. LATINO CHILDREN IN THE U.S. ARE INCREASINGLY BEING DIAGNOSED WITH ASD AT YOUNG AGES, YET CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE DISPARITIES IN SERVICE ACCESS AND QUALITY RELATIVE TO THEIR NON-LATINO WHITE COUNTERPARTS. RECENT WORK HAS MADE IMPORTANT PROGRESS IN DEVELOPING AND TESTING INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE SERVICE USE, BUT NOT SERVICE QUALITY, FOR LATINO FAMILIES OF YOUNG CHILDREN WITH ASD. A KEY FACTOR IMPACTING EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICE QUALITY IS CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT. CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT, A MULTIDIMENSIONAL CONSTRUCT THAT INCLUDES ATTITUDINAL (E.G. TREATMENT EXPECTANCY) AND BEHAVIORAL (E.G. ATTENDANCE, IN-SESSION ENGAGEMENT) DIMENSIONS, IS AN ESSENTIAL CONSIDERATION FOR EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES WHICH LEGALLY REQUIRE CAREGIVER INVOLVEMENT (IDEA, 2004) AND FREQUENTLY EMPLOY CAREGIVER-MEDIATED INTERVENTIONS WHICH TEACH CAREGIVERS TO DELIVER STRATEGIES WITH THEIR CHILDREN. WHILE THE EXTENT OF CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT IS LINKED TO CHILD OUTCOMES, AND LATINO CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT DISPARITIES HAVE BEEN FOUND IN OTHER CHILD SERVICE SECTORS (I.E., MENTAL HEALTH), FEW STUDIES HAVE EXPLORED ENGAGEMENT DISPARITIES AND DETERMINANTS IN EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES FOR ASD. INFORMED BY FRAMEWORKS OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL ENGAGEMENT (REACH), IMPLEMENTATION DETERMINANTS (EXPLORATION, PREPARATION, IMPLEMENTATION, SUSTAINMENT/EPIS FRAMEWORK), AND HEALTH AND SERVICE DISPARITIES (HEALTH EQUITY IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK), THE PRESENT STUDY WILL SEEK TO: (1) CHARACTERIZE PATTERNS OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT BY ETHNICITY, ACCULTURATION, AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AND (2) IDENTIFY BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO ENGAGEMENT IN ASD EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES FOR LATINO FAMILIES. THIS SURE FIRST WILL BUILD ON THE PI’S EXPERTISE IN CLINICAL RESEARCH, QUANTITATIVE METHODS, AND STUDENT RESEARCH MENTORSHIP, WHILE PROVIDING THE MENTORSHIP AND PROTECTED TIME NEEDED TO ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING CAREER ENHANCEMENT OBJECTIVES: (1) REFINE MODELS FOR INCLUSIVE MENTORSHIP, (2) INCREASE RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY, (3) MAXIMIZE COMPETITIVENESS FOR FUTURE GRANTS, AND (4) ESTABLISH THE PI AS AN EXPERT IN ASD SERVICES AND IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH. THIS SURE FIRST AWARD WILL ENSURE AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTIVE STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESEARCH (E.G. OBSERVATIONAL CODING, CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS, MIXED METHODS ANALYSIS), WHILE PRODUCING PILOT DATA NEEDED TO DEVELOP FUTURE GRANTS (I.E., THE DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A MULTI-LEVEL ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT; FUTURE R34/R01) AND LAUNCH A SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH CAREER FOR THE PI.

CAREER: CONTROLLED COPPER OXIDE REDUCTION USING INVERSE DUST FLAMES FOR IMPROVED CHEMICAL LOOPING COMBUSTION -CLEAN ENERGY AND CARBON CAPTURE TECHNOLOGIES ARE BEING DEVELOPED TO REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IN AN EFFICIENT MANNER. CHEMICAL LOOPING COMBUSTION IS ONE PROMISING APPROACH WHERE METAL OXIDE PARTICLES (I.E., OXYGEN CARRIERS) ARE USED TO OXIDIZE FUEL WITHOUT NITROGEN PRESENT TO REDUCE NITROGEN OXIDE EMISSIONS AND IMPROVE EFFICIENCY OF CAPTURING AND SEQUESTERING CARBON DIOXIDE. HOWEVER, THE LONGEVITY OF THE OXYGEN CARRIER PARTICLES LIMITS THE TECHNOLOGIES WIDESPREAD USE. AN APPROACH IS NEEDED WHERE THE COMBUSTION PROCESS IS USED TO OXIDIZE FUEL WHILE CONTROLLING THE STRUCTURE OF THE PARTICLES. CONTROL OF THE PARTICLE STRUCTURE WILL EXTEND PARTICLE LONGEVITY AND REDUCE ATTRITION. METAL OXIDE NANOPARTICLES ARE SYNTHESIZED IN A SIMILAR AEROSOL PROCESS BUT HAVE NOT BEEN EXTENDED TO REDUCE METAL OXIDE PARTICLES TO METAL. THUS, THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO IDENTIFY THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES THAT WILL ENABLE CONTROL OF COPPER OXIDE, A COMMON OXYGEN CARRIER, REDUCTION. IN ADDITION, RESEARCH WILL BE INTRODUCED TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS PRETRANSFER TO IMPROVE STUDENT GOALS THAT WILL REDUCE GAPS IN POSTGRADUATE ENGINEERING DEGREES FOR STUDENTS THAT START POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES. THESE EFFORTS WILL IMPROVE THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE POWER WHILE DECREASING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OF THE TECHNICAL WORKFORCE. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO USE SELF-SUSTAINING DUST FLAMES, WHOSE STRUCTURE DICTATES THE PARTICLE TIME-TEMPERATURE HISTORY, TO CONTROL THE REDUCTION PROCESS OF CUO, A COMMON OXYGEN CARRIER, TO OVERCOME AGGLOMERATION AND ATTRITION ISSUES PRESENT IN CHEMICAL LOOPING COMBUSTION. THIS IDEA SEEKS TO DETERMINE THE PHYSICS THAT WILL ENABLE REDUCTION PROCESS TO BE CONTROLLED UNDER THE FAST HEATING CONDITIONS, ABOUT 0.1-1.0 MILLION DEGREES KELVIN PER SECOND, RATHER THAN THE TRADITIONAL ISOTHERMAL CONDITIONS IN CHEMICAL LOOPING COMBUSTION. CONSTANT VOLUME DUST FLAME EXPERIMENTS WILL QUANTIFY THE FLAME STRUCTURE AND LIMITING PROCESSES OF CUO-GASEOUS FUEL FLAMES, WHILE PROVIDING A LINK BETWEEN TIME-TEMPERATURE HISTORY AND PRODUCT PARTICLE (I.E., CU, CU2O, OR MIXTURE) STRUCTURE. QUASI-1D DUSTY FLAMES WILL BE USED TO THE REFINE TIME-TEMPERATURE HISTORY TO CONTROL THE PRODUCT PARTICLE STRUCTURE (E.G., PARTICLE SIZE, GRAIN SIZE AND ORIENTATION, ETC.) SUCH THAT THE CAUSE FOR THE FORMATION OF PARTICLE MORPHOLOGY AND SIZE, PREFERRED CRYSTAL FACES, AND GRAIN SIZE IS DETERMINED. EXPERIMENTAL WORK WILL BE COMPLEMENTED BY IMPLEMENTING DETAILED SURFACE CHEMISTRY AND A CONSTANT-N MONTE CARLO MODELS TO UNDERSTAND THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN COMBUSTION CHEMISTRY, AEROSOL PHYSICS, AND PARTICLE STRUCTURE. THIS APPROACH WILL ACCELERATE CHEMICAL LOOPING COMBUSTION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE CLEAN ENERGY AND CARBON CAPTURE CAPABILITIES. 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.

IDENTIFY GENE FUNCTIONS AT LATE ENDOSOME & LYSOSOME INTERFACE IN YEAST

CAREER: VASCULARIZATION IN CARDIAC FIBROSIS MODELS -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). HEART FAILURE (HF) PERSISTS AS A MAJOR HEALTHCARE ISSUE BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH PREVALENCE, MORTALITY, MORBIDITY, AND COST OF CARE. THE HUMAN HEART HAS LIMITED CAPACITY OF REPAIR AFTER INJURY, AND THE LOST CELLS ARE REPLACED BY A FIBROTIC SCAR. THE LIMITED FORMATION OF BLOOD VESSELS DURING CARDIAC FIBROSIS CONDITIONS SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTES TO DISEASE PROGRESSION; VASCULARIZATION IN A DAMAGED HEART MUSCLE IS STILL A CENTRAL AND UNRESOLVED PROBLEM FOR CARDIAC MUSCLE INFARCTION REPAIR. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS CAREER PROPOSAL IS TO USE A TISSUE ENGINEERING APPROACH TO DEVELOP PRECISE DISEASED MODELS TO INVESTIGATE VASCULAR REPAIR OF DAMAGED CARDIAC FIBROTIC TISSUE, AND TO INTEGRATE INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH TRAINING TO EVERY STAGE OF THE RESEARCH WORK. THIS SYSTEM WILL ENABLE INVESTIGATION OF EFFECTIVE THERAPIES FOR PATIENTS SUFFERING WITH HEART DISEASE AND THE TRAINING COMPONENT WILL BROADEN THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, EVENTUALLY HELPING TO DIVERSIFY AMERICA'S SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WORKFORCE. THE INVESTIGATOR'S LONG-TERM RESEARCH GOAL IS TO ADVANCE STRATEGIES TO ENGINEER NOVEL TISSUE MODELS THAT MIMIC MATRIX REMODELING AND VASCULARIZATION EVENTS DURING DIFFERENT PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS E.G., FIBROSIS PROGRESSION AFTER MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, AIMING TO GAIN INSIGHT ON TISSUE REPAIR MECHANISMS AND TO ULTIMATELY ESTABLISH NEW THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES TO CONTROL CARDIAC DYSFUNCTION AND REPAIR. TOWARDS THIS GOAL, THE AIM OF THIS CAREER PROJECT IS TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS OF VASCULARIZATION IN CARDIAC FIBROSIS CONDITIONS. THE PROPOSED 3D MODELS WILL MIMIC IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INFARCTED FIBROTIC CARDIAC TISSUE. THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ARE TO: (1) ENGINEER WELL-DEFINED CARDIAC FIBROSIS MODELS THAT RECAPITULATE THE REMODELING PROCESS POST-MI, (2) DETERMINE/REPLICATE THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE OF ENDOTHELIAL CELLS ON THE PROGRESSION OF CARDIAC FIBROSIS AND THE ROLE OF FIBROSIS ON VASCULARIZATION, AND (3) INVESTIGATE THE DESIGN OF A VASCULARIZED ENGINEERED CARDIAC FIBROSIS MODEL WITH FLOW THAT COULD HELP ELUCIDATE MECHANISMS TO ENHANCE CARDIAC VASCULARIZATION AND REPAIR. THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THIS STUDY WILL FOCUS ON TWO IMPORTANT ASPECTS THAT LIMIT THE SUCCESS OF REGENERATIVE THERAPIES FOR CARDIAC REGENERATION, THE PROGRESSION OF FIBROTIC TISSUE REMODELING AND THE OPTIMAL APPROACH TO PROMOTE SUSTAINED CARDIAC VASCULARIZATION. THIS KNOWLEDGE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL APPROACHES TO MODULATE THE BALANCE BETWEEN PATHOLOGICAL FIBROSIS AND ENDOGENOUS MECHANISMS OF REGENERATION, INCLUDING ANGIOGENESIS. NEW INSIGHT WILL FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED REGENERATIVE THERAPIES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE CLINIC. 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.

RUI/COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF ALARM AND SAFETY COMMUNICATION NETWORKS IN AN AMAZONIAN BIRD COMMUNITY

CAREER: UNRAVELING SPATIOTEMPORAL DEFORMATION PATTERNS IN THE BASIN AND RANGE AND WALKER LANE PROVINCES: COMBINING GEOCHRONOLOGY METHODS AND SCAFFOLDED PEER-PEER STUDENT MENTORING -TECTONIC PLATES INTERACT BY MOVING TOWARDS EACH OTHER (CONVERGENT), MOVING AWAY FROM EACH OTHER (DIVERGENT), AND SLIDING SIDE-BY-SIDE (TRANSFORM). THE TECTONIC PLATE BOUNDARY ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE HAS CHANGED RELATIVELY RECENTLY, IN GEOLOGIC TIME (<50 MILLION YEARS), FROM A CONVERGENT BOUNDARY TO A TRANSFORM BOUNDARY. THIS PLATE BOUNDARY CHANGE CAUSED NEW FAULTS TO FORM, AND ALTERED THE SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY (I.E., MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS). DOCUMENTING THE TYPES OF FAULTS AND THE TIMING AND RATES OF FAULT MOTION ACROSS TWO DIFFERENT GEOLOGIC REGIONS (THE BASIN AND RANGE AND WALKER LANE) WILL INCREASE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE SURFACE CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN TECTONIC PLATE INTERACTIONS. THIS PROJECT DEVELOPS A NEW APPROACH THAT COMBINES THREE DIFFERENT DATING METHODS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT FAULT ACTIVITY ON DIFFERENT BUT OVERLAPPING TIMESCALES. THIS RESEARCH WILL BE CONDUCTED BY A MULTI-LEVEL COHORT OF HIGH SCHOOL, COMMUNITY COLLEGE, 4-YEAR UNDERGRADUATES, AND MASTER?S STUDENTS. THE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION COMPONENTS OF THIS CAREER GRANT ADVANCE DESIRED SOCIETAL OUTCOMES BY PROVIDING RESEARCH AND PEER-MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES DESIGNED TO RECRUIT, TRAIN, AND PREPARE A DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE. THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT A WOMAN, EARLY CAREER SCIENTIST, SIX MASTER?S STUDENTS, SIX UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, SIX COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS, AND SIX HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ALL FROM MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE PEER-COHORT DESIGN IS AIMED AT INCREASING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION IN THE GEOSCIENCES, AND PROJECT PARTICIPANTS WILL HELP PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON HOW A RESEARCH EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS INCREASES CONFIDENCE AND BELONGING IN STEM. ADDITIONALLY, THE EDUCATION PLAN INCLUDES CREATING TEACHING MATERIALS FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS TO TEACH ABOUT FAULTING, TECTONICS, AND GEOCHRONOLOGY. THESE ACTIVITIES WILL BE DESIGNED TO EASILY EMBED EARTH SCIENCE CONCEPTS INTO EXISTING CURRICULA AND WILL BE PUBLICLY PUBLISHED SO THAT ANY INSTRUCTORS MAY USE THEM, ALLOWING FOR FINDINGS FROM THIS PROJECT TO HAVE A MUCH WIDER REACH. THIS CAREER GRANT COMBINES GEOCHRONOLOGICAL METHODS TO EVALUATE HOW THE CHANGING OF A PLATE BOUNDARY, AND THEREFORE, THE REGIONAL STRESS REGIME IS EXPRESSED IN THE SURFACE DEFORMATION. A NOVEL COMBINATION OF LOW-TEMPERATURE THERMOCHRONOLOGY, COSMOGENIC RADIONUCLIDE, AND LUMINESCENCE DATING TECHNIQUES IS USED TO QUANTIFY SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL CHANGES IN THE TIMING AND RATES OF FAULT-SLIP AND FAULT-GROWTH PATTERNS ACROSS THE BASIN AND RANGE EXTENSIONAL PROVINCE AND THE WALKER LANE TRANSTENSIONAL PROVINCE FROM THE OLIGOCENE TO HOLOCENE. THESE TECHNIQUES RECORD INFORMATION ON DIFFERENT BUT OVERLAPPING TIMESCALES (E.G., LUMINESCENCE: 1 TO ~300,000 YEARS, COSMOGENIC: 10,000 YEARS TO 5MA, LOW-TEMPERATURE THERMOCHRONOLOGY: 1MA TO 3GA) AND FROM SEPARATE REGIONS WITHIN THE CRUST (I.E. <1M BELOW THE SURFACE, 1-2 METERS BELOW THE SURFACE, 1-6 KM DEPTH). THE COMPLEMENTARY USE OF THESE GEOCHRONOLOGIC METHODS TO ADDRESS TECTONIC QUESTIONS WILL FILL THE IMPORTANT TEMPORAL GAP BETWEEN SHORTER TIME-SCALE DEFORMATION, NEAR-SURFACE EXHUMATION, AND LONG-TERM GEOLOGIC CONSTRAINTS ON FAULTING. FAULT INITIATION AND GROWTH AS WELL AS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE TWO PROVINCES, AS WE KNOW THEM TODAY, DOCUMENTS THE PLATE BOUNDARY TRANSITION FROM COMPRESSIONAL REGIME WITH A SUBDUCTION ZONE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE AND FARALLON PLATE TO A TRANSFORM BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE AND PACIFIC PLATE ACCOMMODATED BY THE SAN ANDREAS STRIKE-SLIP FAULT ZONE AND THE WALKER LANE SHEAR ZONE. ACQUIRING THESE NEW DATA AND COMPILING IT WITH EXISTING DATA TO ADDRESS RATES OF DEFORMATION ACROSS THE BASIN AND RANGE AND WALKER LANE PROVINCES WILL ADVANCE OUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF EACH OF THESE STRUCTURAL REGIONS AND WILL CONTRIBUTE MORE GENERALLY TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW A COMPLETE SHIFT IN PLATE BOUNDARY RELATIONSHIPS AND STRESSES AFFECT SURFACE DEFORMATION OVER TIME AND SPACE. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THE CREATION OF A RESEARCH COHORT COMPOSED OF UNDERGRADUATE AND MASTER?S LEVEL STUDENTS AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH (CSULB), AS WELL AS COMMUNITY COLLEGE (CC) AND HIGH SCHOOL (HS) STUDENTS FROM SOUTHERN CA WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE A COMMUNITY THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT, FEEDBACK, AND PEER-MENTORING ABOUT RESEARCH AND EDUCATION. THIS CAREER GRANT SUPPORTS FIELD, LAB, AND COMPUTATIONAL WORK ALLOWING STUDENTS TO BE EXPOSED TO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSES TO INCREASE INTEREST, ACCESS, AND INTRODUCE THE PROCESS BEHIND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. THIS PROJECT INVOLVES THE CREATION OF EDUCATIONAL LESSONS FOR HS AND CC INSTRUCTORS, TO ADOPT FOR INTRODUCTION OF TOPICS SUCH AS FAULTING, TECTONICS, AND GEOCHRONOLOGY, IN THEIR CURRENT SCIENCE CLASSES. THIS PROJECT (1) EXPOSES STUDENTS TO EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES AT AN EARLIER STAGE IN THEIR EDUCATION AND (2) CREATES A PEER-PEER MENTORING NETWORK BETWEEN HS, CC, UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS TO FACILITATE A WELCOMING, ACCESSIBLE, AND COMFORTABLE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT. EVALUATION OF THIS PEER-NETWORK RESEARCH EXPERIENCE STRATEGY WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO THE EFFICACY OF SUCH A MODEL TO RECRUIT DIVERSE STUDENTS TO EARTH SCIENCE FIELDS AND RETAIN STUDENTS TO HELP BUILD A DIVERSE WORKFORCE. 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 EXPANSION OF A MOBILE MAKING PROJECT THAT ENGAGES UNDERSERVED YOUTH ACROSS CALIFORNIA IN STEM -THIS PROJECT IS EXPANDING AN EFFECTIVE MOBILE MAKING PROGRAM TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE, WIDESPREAD IMPACT AMONG UNDERSERVED YOUTH. MAKING IS A DESIGN-BASED, PARTICIPANT-DRIVEN ENDEAVOR THAT IS BASED ON A LEARNING BY DOING PEDAGOGY. FOR NEARLY A DECADE, CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS HAS OPERATED OUT-OF-SCHOOL MAKING PROGRAMS FOR BRINGING BOTH EQUIPMENT AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT FACILITATORS TO THE SITES IN UNDER-SERVED COMMUNITIES. IN COLLABORATION WITH FOUR OTHER CSU CAMPUSES, THIS PROJECT WILL EXPAND ALONG FOUR DIMENSIONS: (A) ADDING COMMUNITY SITES IN ADDITION TO SCHOOL SITES (B) ADDING RURAL CONTEXTS IN ADDITION TO URBAN/SUBURBAN, (C) ADDING HYBRID AND ONLINE OPTIONS IN ADDITION TO IN-PERSON), AND (D) INCLUDING FUTURE TEACHERS AS FACILITATORS IN ADDITION TO STEM UNDERGRADUATES. THE PROGRAM USES DESIGN THINKING AS A FRAMEWORK TO ENGAGE PARTICIPANTS IN ADDRESSING REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS THAT ARE PERSONALLY AND SOCIALLY MEANINGFUL. PARTICIPANTS WILL USE LOW- AND HIGH-TECH TOOLS, SUCH AS CIRCUITY, CODING, AND ROBOTICS TO ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES THAT RESPOND TO DESIGN CHALLENGES. A DIVERSE GROUP OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WILL LEAD WEEKLY, 90-MINUTE ACTIVITIES AND SERVE AS NEAR-PEER MENTORS, PROVIDING A CONNECTION TO THE UNIVERSITY FOR THE YOUTH PARTICIPANTS, MANY OF WHOM WILL BE FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS. THE PROJECT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND THE MOBILE MAKING PROGRAM FROM 12 SITES IN NORTH SAN DIEGO COUNTY TO 48 SITES ACROSS CALIFORNIA, WITH NEARLY 2,000 UNIVERSITY FACILITATORS PROVIDING 12 HOURS OF PROGRAMMING EACH YEAR TO OVER 10,000 UNDERSERVED YOUTH (GRADES 4TH THROUGH 8TH) DURING THE FIVE-YEAR TIMELINE. THE PROJECT RESEARCH WILL EXAMINE WHETHER THE ADDITIONAL SITES AND PROGRAM VARIATIONS RESULT IN POSITIVE YOUTH AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT OUTCOMES. FOR YOUTH IN GRADES 4 THROUGH 8, THE PROJECT WILL EVALUATE IMPACTS INCLUDING SUSTAINED INTEREST IN MAKING AND STEM, INCREASED SELF-EFFICACY IN MAKING AND STEM, AND A GREATER SENSE THAT MAKING AND STEM ARE RELEVANT TO THEIR LIVES. FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENT FACILITATORS, THE PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE IMPACTS INCLUDING BROADENED TECHNICAL SKILLS, INCREASED LEADERSHIP AND 21ST CENTURY SKILLS, AND INCREASED LIFELONG INTEREST IN STEM OUTREACH/INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION. MULTIPLE SOURCES OF DATA WILL BE USED TO RESEARCH THE EXPANDED MOBILE MAKING PROGRAM'S IMPACT ON YOUTH AND UNDERGRADUATE PARTICIPANTS, COMPARE IMPLEMENTATION SITES, AND UNDERSTAND THE PROGRAM'S EFFICACY WHEN ACROSS DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES WITH DIVERSE LEARNER POPULATIONS. A MIXED METHODS APPROACH THAT LEVERAGES EXTANT DATA (ATTENDANCE NUMBERS, STUDENT ARTIFACTS), SURVEYS, FOCUS GROUPS, MAKING SESSION FEEDBACK FORMS, OBSERVATIONS, AND FIELD NOTES WILL TOGETHER BE USED TO ASSESS YOUTH AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES. THE PROJECT WILL DISAGGREGATE DATA BASED ON GENDER, RACE/ETHNICITY, GRADE LEVEL, AND SITE TO UNDERSTAND THE MOBILE MAKING PROGRAM'S IMPACT ON YOUTH PARTICIPANTS AT MULTIPLE LEVELS ACROSS CONTEXTS. THE PROJECT WILL FURTHER COMPARE FINDINGS FROM DIFFERENT TYPES OF IMPLEMENTATION SITES (E.G., SCHOOL VS. LIBRARY), LEARNER GROUPS, (E.G., MIDDLE VS. UPPER ELEMENTARY STUDENTS), AND FACILITATOR GROUPS (E.G., STEM MAJORS VS. FUTURE TEACHERS). THIS WILL ENABLE THE PROJECT TO CONDUCT CROSS-CASE COMPARISONS BETWEEN CSU CAMPUSES. PROJECT RESEARCH WILL ALSO COMPARE FINDINGS FROM URBAN AND RURAL SCHOOL SITES AS WELL AS BASED ON THE MODALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING (E.G., IN-PERSON VS. ONLINE). THE MOBILE MAKING PROGRAM ACTIVITIES, PROJECT RESEARCH, AND A TOOLKIT FOR IMPLEMENTING A MOBILE MAKER PROGRAM WILL BE WIDELY DISSEMINATED TO RESEARCHERS, EDUCATORS, AND OUT-OF-SCHOOL PROGRAMS. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE ADVANCING INFORMAL STEM LEARNING (AISL) PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO (A) ADVANCE NEW APPROACHES TO AND EVIDENCE-BASED UNDERSTANDING OF THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF STEM LEARNING IN INFORMAL ENVIRONMENTS; (B) PROVIDE MULTIPLE PATHWAYS FOR BROADENING ACCESS TO AND ENGAGEMENT IN STEM LEARNING EXPERIENCES; (C) ADVANCE INNOVATIVE RESEARCH ON AND ASSESSMENT OF STEM LEARNING IN INFORMAL ENVIRONMENTS; AND (D) ENGAGE THE PUBLIC OF ALL AGES IN LEARNING STEM IN INFORMAL ENVIRONMENTS 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.

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH NOYCE II - RECRUITING, SUPPORTING AND RETAINING MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATORS

PROJECT TRANSFORM

EXPANDING GEOARCHAEOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS THROUGH MULTIPROXY INVESTIGATIONS OF HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS -TRADITIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRAINING OFTEN INCLUDES PARTICIPATION IN SUMMER FIELD SCHOOLS. HOWEVER, ECONOMIC BARRIERS CAN REDUCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANY PROMISING STUDENTS, LIMITING THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THESE FIELDS. IN ADDITION, ARCHAEOLOGY IS INCORPORATING MORE GEOCHEMICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES TO OPEN NEW LINES OF INQUIRY AND THESE METHODS REQUIRE SPECIALIZED INSTRUMENTATION. TO EXPAND THE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN THESE NEW APPROACHES WHILE REMOVING OBSTACLES THAT LIMIT TRAINING PARTICIPATION, THIS PROJECT EXPLORES A HYBRID MODEL COMBINING A CLASSICAL FIELD SCHOOL WITH LABORATORY ANALYSES FOCUSED ON RESEARCH QUESTIONS EXPLORING INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ANCIENT PEOPLES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS. IN THIS PROJECT, STUDENTS ACTIVELY INVESTIGATE HOW CENTURIES OF COMMERCE, CONFLICT, AND LANDSCAPE MODIFICATION ALTERED THE ANCIENT WORLD BY STUDYING CHANGES IN HUMAN FECAL BIOMARKERS AND PALEOENVIRONMENTAL SIGNALS. SPECIFICALLY, THEY FIRST PARTICIPATE IN FIELD WORK TO LEARN TRADITIONAL EXCAVATION METHODS AS WELL AS NON-DESTRUCTIVE GEOPHYSICAL IMAGING AND PALEOENVIRONMENTAL TECHNIQUES. EACH STUDENT THEN FOCUSES ON A SPECIFIC RESEARCH QUESTION, ENGAGING IN FIELD COLLECTION AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS, FOLLOWED BY LABORATORY WORK AND DATA ANALYSIS. STUDENT PROJECTS CULMINATE IN SCHOLARLY PRESENTATIONS AT REGIONAL OR NATIONAL MEETINGS, PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISSEMINATE THEIR WORK AND FINDINGS. THIS TRAINING APPROACH INCLUDES FOCUSED MENTORSHIP AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL SKILLS SUCH AS DATA ANALYSIS, SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION, AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING. THE PROJECT ALSO DEVELOPS PARTNERSHIPS WITH UNIVERSITIES TO INCLUDE STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN ARCHAEOLOGY. 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.

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF CULTURAL AND CAREER PURPOSE ORIENTATIONS IN UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY SCIENCE STUDENT SUCCESS

TAS::89 0331::TAS RECOVERY RECOVERY ACT: ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS COMPONENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT/ANALYSIS

NEW START REP GRANT AWARD TITLE: ACQUISITION OF A MULTI-AGENT EXPERIMENTAL PLATFORM FOR MULTIFACETED RESEARCH IN NETWORKED SYSTEMS AND PROMOTING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

RUI: MATERIALS PHYSICS WITH KINETOPLAST DNA

CAREER: MORPHOLOGY CONTROL TO BUILD 3D MAGNETIC NANOSTRUCTURES AND TUNE ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS

BRC-BIO: THE EVOLUTIONARY DEMOGRAPHY OF A SOCIAL MAMMAL -THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT IS THOUGHT TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE FATE OF SOCIAL MAMMALS, INCLUDING HUMANS. FOR EXAMPLE, SOCIALLY ADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS OFTEN HAVE MORE ACCESS TO RESOURCES RESULTING IN BETTER HEALTH, MORE OFFSPRING, AND LONGER LIVES, RELATIVE TO SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS WHO OFTEN EXPERIENCE HARSHER ENVIRONMENTS. HOWEVER, IT IS STILL UNCLEAR HOW SOCIAL ASPECTS IN THE LIFE OF MAMMALS AFFECT THE ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF THEIR POPULATIONS. THIS KNOWLEDGE GAP DEEPENS FOR MAMMALS WITH COMPLEX SOCIAL BEHAVIORS, LONG LIFESPAN, AND FLEXIBLE COGNITIVE ABILITIES SUCH AS PRIMATES. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER THE EFFECTS OF SOCIALITY ON INDIVIDUAL FATES ULTIMATELY TRANSLATES INTO POPULATION-LEVEL PROCESSES USING DATA OF RHESUS MACAQUES, A NONHUMAN PRIMATE. THIS GOAL WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY ESTABLISHING A RESEARCH TEAM BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING AIMED AT BROADENING OPPORTUNITIES FOR QUANTITATIVE AND FIELD RESEARCH FOR STUDENTS AT A PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE AND A MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION WHERE OVER HALF OF THE TOTAL STUDENT BODY ALSO COMES FROM FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE, LOW-INCOME BACKGROUNDS. IN THIS WAY, THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL INITIATIVE OF INCREASING DIVERSITY OF THE STEM RESEARCH WORKFORCE BY INTEGRATING TRAINING AND MENTORSHIP TO BROADEN ACCESS TO INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOLOGY AND QUANTITATIVE SKILLS TO MENTEES FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. THIS PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY HOW AND WHY SOCIALLY DRIVEN INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES HAVE DIRECT AND SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON THE ECO-EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF A PRIMATE POPULATION, LINKING CURRENT RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY TO EVOLUTIONARY DEMOGRAPHY APPROACHES TO THE FUNDAMENTAL RULES OF LIFE HISTORY EVOLUTION. THE PROJECT WILL TAKE AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH BY JOINTLY EXAMINING EMPIRICALLY COLLECTED BEHAVIORAL, PHYSICAL, AND COGNITIVE FACTORS WITHIN A SINGLE SYSTEM, AND THEN USING THIS DATA TO TEST THE ECO-EVOLUTIONARY CONSEQUENCES OF THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT IN A LARGE POPULATION OF RHESUS MACAQUES (MACACA MULATTA) AT CAYO SANTIAGO, PUERTO RICO. THE FIRST AIM IS TO CHARACTERIZE THE DISTRIBUTION OF SOCIALLY DRIVEN INDIVIDUAL PHENOTYPES, COMPRISING BOTH PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE TRAITS, ACROSS THE LIFESPAN. THIS WILL BE USED TO TEST WHETHER PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE PHENOTYPES VARY ACROSS INDIVIDUALS IN RELATION TO THEIR SOCIAL STATUS. THE SECOND AIM IS TO QUANTIFY PHENOTYPE-DEPENDENT DEMOGRAPHIC PERFORMANCE ACROSS THE POPULATION?S SOCIAL STRUCTURE. HERE, A DEMOGRAPHIC MODEL WILL BE FORMULATED USING THE OBSERVED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL PHENOTYPES AND SOCIALITY FROM AIM 1. THE THIRD AIM IS TO TEST WHETHER SOCIALITY GENERATES SELECTION GRADIENTS ON DEMOGRAPHIC AND LIFE HISTORY DESCRIPTORS BY EXAMINING HOW THE STRENGTH AND DIRECTION OF SELECTION VARIES ACROSS SOCIAL STRATIFICATION. FOR THIS, THE PARAMETERIZED DEMOGRAPHIC MODEL FROM AIM 2 WILL BE USED TO CARRY OUT JOINT PERTURBATION ANALYSES ON PHENOTYPE-DEMOGRAPHY FUNCTIONS. THIS FRAMEWORK WILL BE USED TO EVALUATE WHETHER SOCIALITY SUPPORTS THE EMERGENCE AND MAINTENANCE OF INDIVIDUAL PHENOTYPES DRIVING ECO-EVOLUTIONARY PROCESSES WITHIN POPULATIONS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

RUI: GROUNDWATER OCCURRENCE AND DISCHARGE AT CORAL ATOLL AND BARRIER REEF SYSTEMS

RUI: EVALUATING SELECTION VIA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION AND EVOLUTIONARY RESPONSES OF TWO COASTAL FISHES

PHASE I PROJECT: FIBER OPTIC DISTRIBUTED ACOUSTIC SENSING FOR PERIODIC HYDRAULIC TESTS

FIRST OPTICS AND LASER LABORATORY AT CSULB

INTERFACIAL PROPERTIES TOWARDS ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF SOLID PROPELLANTS PROPELLANTS

DEVELOPMENT OF X-RAY BASED DIAGNOSTICS FOR SOLID PROPULSION

CAREER: EXPERIMENTAL AND COMPUTATIONAL STUDIES OF BIOMOLECULAR TOPOLOGY -NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY EVERYTHING WE MAKE, WE MAKE OUT OF ATOMS OR MOLECULES. WE HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF HOW ATOMS AND SIMPLE MOLECULES BEHAVE, BUT IT IS HARDER TO UNDERSTAND MORE COMPLICATED MOLECULES. SOME OF THE MORE COMPLICATED MOLECULES ARE CONNECTED IN WAYS THAT SIMPLER MOLECULES AREN?T. WHERE SIMPLE MOLECULES MIGHT CONNECT LIKE LEGO BRICKS, MORE COMPLICATED MOLECULES MIGHT CONNECT LIKE LINKS ON A CHAIN. THE CHALLENGE IS THAT MOLECULES ARE VERY SMALL, TOO SMALL TO SEE WITH A MICROSCOPE, AND TOO FAST TO RECORD WITH A CAMERA. WE OVERCOME THIS CHALLENGE IN TWO WAYS. ONE IS BY USING BIGGER MOLECULES. DNA IS BEST KNOWN FOR CONTAINING OUR GENETIC CODE, BUT IT?S ALSO JUST AN EXTREMELY LARGE MOLECULE THAT WE CAN STUDY IN A MICROSCOPE. WE CAN DO EXPERIMENTS WITH DNA TO LEARN ABOUT HOW MOLECULES BEHAVE, AND APPLY THOSE LESSONS TO SMALLER MOLECULES. FOR EXAMPLE, WE MEASURE HOW STRETCHY A SINGLE DNA MOLECULE IS, AND USE THAT INFORMATION TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE MOLECULES THAT MAKE UP RUBBER BECOME STRETCHY. THE OTHER WAY IS TO USE COMPUTER SIMULATIONS, WHICH CAN SHOW US HOW MOLECULES WOULD BEHAVE IF WE COULD SEE THEM. THE MAIN MOLECULES STUDIED IN THIS PROJECT ARE CALLED KINETOPLASTS, WHICH ARE LIKE MEDIEVAL CHAINMAIL ARMOR MADE OF THOUSANDS OF CONNECTED LOOPS OF DNA. WE STUDY THESE WITH A MICROSCOPE, AND WITH COMPUTER SIMULATIONS, TO UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH SMALLER CHAINMAIL-LIKE MOLECULES, WHICH CHEMISTS ARE NOW LEARNING TO MAKE, WOULD BEHAVE. IN THE FUTURE, OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CHEMICAL CHAINMAIL MOLECULES COULD ALLOW NEWER, FANCIER MATERIALS AND NANOMACHINES CREATED ATOM BY ATOM, IF WE FIRST UNDERSTAND DNA CHAINMAIL. WE WILL ALSO TEACH A NEW GENERATION OF STUDENTS TO STUDY MOLECULES, BY HAVING THEM TAKE MICROSCOPIC VIDEOS OF DROPLETS FULL OF MOLECULES AS THEY EVAPORATE. SINCE NOBODY HAS OBSERVED THOSE SPECIFIC MOLECULES EVAPORATING IN THAT WAY BEFORE, THE STUDENTS WILL LEARN WHAT IT?S LIKE TO DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW, IN ADDITION TO LEARNING HOW TO DO THE EXPERIMENTS. AS PART OF THE EDUCATIONAL ASPECTS OF THIS GRANT, STUDENTS AT A MINORITY-SERVING PRIMARILY-UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION WILL CARRY OUT ORIGINAL RESEARCH AS PART OF A COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. THE EXPERIENCE OF A NEW DISCOVERY WILL BUILD A SENSE OF BELONGING IN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT THEIR IDENTITIES AS SCIENTISTS RATHER THAN JUST SCIENCE STUDENTS. TECHNICAL SUMMARY THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOLECULE TOPOLOGY AND MATERIAL PROPERTIES OF COMPLEX BIOPOLYMERS THROUGH SINGLE-MOLECULE EXPERIMENTS AND COARSE-GRAINED SIMULATIONS. BIOPOLYMERS SERVE AS A MESOSCOPIC SYSTEM ON THE MICRON SCALE ANALOGOUS TO SYNTHETIC POLYMERS ON THE NANOMETER SCALE. THE EXPERIMENTS WILL LARGELY FOCUS ON SINGLE-MOLECULE FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY. KINETOPLASTS, WHICH ARE PLANAR NETWORKS OF TOPOLOGICALLY LINKED DNA, WILL BE STUDIED AS A MODEL SYSTEM FOR SYNTHETIC POLYCATENANES AND THERMALIZED GRAPHENE. IN PARTICULAR, WE ARE INTERESTED IN HOW THE TOPOLOGY OF THEN NETWORK, WHICH CAN BE TUNED BY THE ACTION OF ENZYMES, EFFECTS THE ELASTIC RESPONSE TO KINETOPLASTS IN MICROFLUIDIC SHEAR FLOW. WE WILL ALSO DEVELOP ASSAYS TO USE GENOMIC-LENGTH DNA AS A TRACER POLYMER IN ACTIVE FLUIDS, WHICH DRIVE THEIR OWN INTERNAL COMPLEX FLOWS THROUGH THE CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY. THE FLUCTUATIONS AND CONFORMATIONS OF THE MOLECULE WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE HOW LIFE-LIKE SYSTEMS APPROACH AND AVOID MAXIMUM-ENTROPY STATES, ESTABLISHING RULES THAT HELP US UNDERSTAND THE PHYSICS OF LIFE. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL EXPLORE THE USE OF PARTIAL DENATURATION (A TOPOLOGICAL CHANGE IN LINEAR DNA) TO IMPROVE NANOPORE GENOMIC MAPPING TECHNOLOGY. SIMULATIONS WILL USE LANGEVIN DYNAMICS AND GRADIENT OPTIMIZATION TO STUDY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TOPOLOGY OF MOLECULAR CHAINMAIL AND THE LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURE OF THE SHEETS THAT THEY FORM, AS WELL AS TO INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DENATURATION TRANSITIONS AND KNOTTED MOLECULAR TOPOLOGIES. AS PART OF THE BROADER IMPACTS OF THIS GRANT, STUDENTS AT A MINORITY-SERVING PRIMARILY-UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION WILL CARRY OUT ORIGINAL RESEARCH AS PART OF A COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, INITIALLY STUDYING NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTALS IN MARANGONI FLOW. THE EXPERIENCE OF A NEW DISCOVERY WILL BUILD A SENSE OF BELONGING IN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT THEIR IDENTITIES AS SCIENTISTS RATHER THAN JUST SCIENCE 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.

EXPLORING DETERRENTS TO PRESCRIPTION STIMULANT DIVERSION AND MISUSE-RELATED BEHAVIORS

DE NOVO SYNTHESIS OF COLLAGEN-LIKE POLYMERS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS - PROJECT SUMMARY COLLAGEN HAS BEEN USED FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS FOR MANY DECADES DUE TO ITS UNSURPASSED BIOCOMPATIBILITY AND CHEMICALLY TUNABLE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES. THERE IS A GROWING NEED FOR PROCESSIBLE COLLAGEN DUE TO RAPIDLY DEVELOPING TISSUE AND ORGAN ENGINEERING. THE MAJOR SOURCE OF RAW COLLAGEN IS ANIMAL TISSUE; THUS, SAFETY AND POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION ARE MAJOR CONCERNS. CURRENT ATTEMPTS TO MAKE SYNTHETIC COLLAGEN-LIKE MATERIALS START FROM COLLAGEN-LIKE PEPTIDES SYNTHESIZED BY CLASSICAL SOLID-PHASE PEPTIDE SYNTHESIS, AND THUS, IS NOT SUITABLE FOR LARGE- SCALE PREPARATION AND HAS LITTLE POTENTIAL FOR CLINICAL TRANSLATION. WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A NEW APPROACH TO ADDRESS AN UNMET NEED IN SYNTHESIS OF PEPTIDE POLYMERS: CONTROLLING THE POLYMER SEQUENCE AND AT THE SAME TIME GENERATING HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYMERS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, WE AIM TO DEVELOP COLLAGEN-LIKE POLYMERS BY DE NOVO SYNTHESIS STARTING FROM TRIPEPTIDE PROHYPGLY-N-CARBOXYANHYDRIDE (NCA) AND BY RING OPENING LEAD TO POLYMERIZATION VIA KINETICALLY CONTROLLED POLYCONDENSATION. THE RING OPENING POLYMERIZATION OF NCA IS A VERY WELL- ESTABLISHED METHOD OF SYNTHETIZING PEPTIDE POLYMERS FROM SINGLE AMINO ACIDS. THE POLYMER SYNTHESIS CAN BE CONTROLLED TO YIELD HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT HOMOPOLYMERS, BLOCK-COPOLYMERS, AND BRANCHED AND FUNCTIONAL POLYMERS. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM OF CONTROLLING THE SEQUENCE OF AMINO ACIDS WITHIN THE POLYMER HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. WE OUTLINE TWO SYNTHETIC ROUTES TO SYNTHESIZE THE MONOMER N-BOC-PROHYP(OTBU)GLY-NCA FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF COLLAGEN-LIKE POLYMERS. MOREOVER, WE PROPOSE THE SIMULTANEOUS DEPROTECTION OF BOC GROUP IN TRIPEPTIDE NCA REVEALING AN OPEN N-TERMINUS, AS WELL AS THE INITIATION OF KINETICALLY CONTROLLED POLYCONDENSATION LEADING TO COLLAGEN-LIKE POLYMER. WHILE THE MONODISPERSE POLYMERS ARE VIEWED AS BETTER SUITED FOR CLINICAL TRANSLATION, WE POSTULATE THAT HAVING A POLYDISPERSE COLLAGEN-LIKE POLYMER WILL ENABLE SELF-ASSEMBLY INTO THE TRIPLE HELIX CONFORMATION THAT IS REQUIRED FOR MECHANICAL STABILITY OF COLLAGEN-LIKE MATRIX. THE HELICAL STRUCTURE OF THE COLLAGEN-LIKE POLYMERS WILL BE OBSERVED WITH CIRCULAR DICHROISM SPECTROSCOPY. THE BIOCOMPATIBILITY OF THE COLLAGEN POLYMER WILL BE EVALUATED WITH HUMAN DERMAL FIBROBLAST CELL CULTURE AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION WILL BE PERFORMED AT UC SAN DIEGO MATERIALS RESEARCH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER. THE PROPOSED SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION METHODS HAVE BEEN EVALUATED FOR SAFETY AND ACCESSIBILITY, BECAUSE ALL EXPERIMENTS AND DATA ANALYSIS WILL BE PERFORMED BY UNDERGRADUATE AND MS GRADUATE STUDENTS. WE ENVISION THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS NOVEL APPROACH WILL OPEN THE DOOR TO SYNTHESIS OF MANY TYPES OF POLYMER PEPTIDES WITH SHORT REPEATABLE PEPTIDE SEQUENCES (E.G., ELASTIN-LIKE AND RGD PEPTIDES).

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING CELL SURVIVAL DURING ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS - ABSTRACT ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM (ER) STRESS IS A FORM OF CELLULAR STRESS THAT IS EXPERIENCED BY OUR CELLS BOTH UNDER NORMAL PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS SUCH AS IN PROFESSIONAL SECRETORY CELLS AND DISEASE STATES SUCH AS CANCER, DIABETES AND NEURODEGENERATION. UPON FACING ER STRESS, CELLS INITIALLY ATTEMPT TO RESTORE NORMAL FUNCTION BY ACTIVATING A CONSERVED SIGNALING PATHWAY CALLED THE UNFOLDED PROTEIN RESPONSE (UPR). HOWEVER, IF THE STRESS BECOMES CHRONIC AND HOMEOSTASIS IS NOT RESTORED WITHIN A REASONABLE TIMEFRAME, THE UPR ULTIMATELY COMMITS CELLS TO PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH. HOW CELLS MAKE THIS LIFE-OR-DEATH DECISION REMAINS AN EXCITING YET POORLY UNDERSTOOD PHENOMENON. CANCER CELLS EXHIBIT ER STRESS DUE TO THEIR HIGH RATES OF GLUCOSE METABOLISM AND HYPOXIC CONDITIONS RESULTING IN ACCUMULATION OF UNDERGLYCOSYLATED, MISFOLDED PROTEINS IN THE ER. THE ABILITY OF CANCER CELLS TO SUCCESSFULLY ADAPT TO ER STRESS AND CONTINUE TO SURVIVE HAS BEEN CORRELATED TO THEIR INVASIVENESS/MALIGNANCY AND CHEMORESISTANCE. THUS, TO BE ABLE TO DESIGN EFFECTIVE MOLECULARLY TARGETED THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES, IT IS CRUCIAL TO DELINEATE THE MECHANISMS THAT ENDOW CANCER CELLS WITH CYTOPROTECTION IN THE FACE OF ER STRESS. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO INVESTIGATE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS THAT PLAY A DECISIVE ROLE IN PROMOTING CELL SURVIVAL THROUGH ER STRESS. WITH THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS THAT THE PRO-SURVIVAL AKT PATHWAY REGULATES THE UPR TO DETERMINE THE OVERALL CELL FATE, WE WILL (A) AIM 1: INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF AKT IN REGULATION OF SIGNALS ORIGINATING FROM THE UPR SENSORS IN RESPONSE TO STRESS (B) AIM 2: DETERMINE THE MECHANISM BY WHICH AKT IS ACTIVATED IN A NON-CANONICAL MANNER DURING ER STRESS. OUR RESULTS WILL POTENTIALLY LEAD TO IMPORTANT REVELATIONS AS TO HOW CANCER CELLS GAIN A CYTOPROTECTIVE ADVANTAGE DURING ER STRESS RESULTING IN PROLONGED SURVIVAL. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF OUR PROPOSAL WILL ADVANCE THE FIELD IN TERMS OF ENHANCING OUR FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE OF A FASCINATING CELL BIOLOGICAL PROCESS AS WELL AS FINDING NEW AND KEY TARGETS FOR CURBING CANCER CELL SURVIVAL.

POROUS INORGANIC FRAMEWORK THIN FILM AS DRUG-ELUTING STENT COATING

DISCRIMINATION, SOCIAL COGNITIVE PROCESSES, AND CVD RISK AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY DISPARITIES HAVE PERSISTED AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN DESPITE ADVANCES IN EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES TO REDUCE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS. AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN OFTEN REPORT DISCRIMINATION-RELATED STRESS, WARRANTING CONTINUED EXPLORATION OF THE MECHANISMS THAT LINK TO DISCRIMINATION TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. THUS, THE LONG-TERM RESEARCH GOAL IS TO REDUCE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN BY ELUCIDATING AND TARGETING UNIQUE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN THIS POPULATION. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THE PILOT PROJECT IS TO EXAMINE THE OVERALL FEASIBILITY OF A RESEARCH PROTOCOL TO EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN DISCRIMINATION, SOCIAL COGNITIVE PROCESSES, AND CVD RISK USING ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT [EMA] TO ACCOUNT FOR ECOLOGICAL VARIABILITY AND REDUCE RECALL BIAS. THE CENTRAL STUDY HYPOTHESIS POSITS THAT AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S LONG-TERM EXPERIENCES OF DISCRIMINATION CONTRIBUTE TO MALADAPTIVE SCHEMAS AND COGNITIVE APPRAISAL THAT HEIGHTEN PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION EVENTS. FREQUENT EXPERIENCES OF DISCRIMINATION ELICIT RECURRENT EMOTIONAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS RESPONSES THAT OVER TIME CONTRIBUTE TO SUSTAINED PHYSIOLOGICAL DYSREGULATION. THE STUDY SEEKS TO EXAMINE THESE ASSOCIATIONS IN A SAMPLE OF 90 AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN AGED 18 YEARS AND OLDER BY ACCOMPLISHING THE FOLLOWING AIMS: AIM 1. EXAMINE CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN DISCRIMINATION (E.G., RACIAL, GENDER), SOCIAL COGNITIVE PROCESSES (E.G., EARLY MALADAPTIVE SCHEMAS, COGNITIVE APPRAISAL), NEGATIVE EMOTION, AND SUSTAINED PHYSIOLOGICAL DYSREGULATION (ALLOSTATIC LOAD, TELOMERE LENGTH). AIM 2: EXAMINE LONGITUDINAL ASSOCIATIONS (7-DAYS) BETWEEN DISCRIMINATION, SOCIAL COGNITIVE PROCESSES, AND EMOTIONAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIVITY USING EMA. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS SC-2 APPLICATION IS TO PROMOTE THE APPLICANT’S LONG-TERM NIH RESEARCH INVOLVEMENT BY SUPPORTING: A) MENTORED MINORITY FACULTY RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT AND B) TRAINING AND RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY IN EMA AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. THIS INNOVATIVE PROGRAM OF RESEARCH, BUILDING ON THE APPLICANTS’ CURRENT TRAINING AND RESEARCH EXPERTISE, WILL FURTHER ELUCIDATE DISCRIMINATION-RELATED CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS AND METHODOLOGY THAT ACCOUNTS FOR ECOLOGICAL VARIABILITY AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN. FINDINGS FROM THIS RESEARCH PROGRAM HAVE THE POTENTIAL BETTER TO INFORM CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK PREVENTION STRATEGIES AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN.

ROLE OF APOLIPOPROTEIN E IN MAINTAINING THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER INTEGRITY - PROJECT SUMMARY OF THE SEVERAL METABOLIC AND IMMUNOLOGICAL PRIVILEGES THAT THE BRAIN ENJOYS, AUTONOMY IN CHOLESTEROL REGULATION IS ONE OF THE IMPORTANT FEATURES. THIS PRIVILEGE IS AFFORDED BY THE PRESENCE OF THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER (BBB) THAT IS COMPOSED OF A MONOLAYER OF BRAIN MICROVASCULATURE ENDOTHELIAL CELLS (BMVEC) WHICH HAVE CHOLESTEROL-RICH TIGHT JUNCTIONS (TJ). IT IS NOT KNOWN IF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM OR THE VASCULATURE PROVIDES CHOLESTEROL TO THE BMVEC. RECENT STUDIES SHOW THAT APOLIPOPROTEIN E (APOE)-NULL MICE DISPLAY SEVERELY INCREASED BBB PERMEABILITY, WHICH IS AGGRAVATED WITH AGING. APOE IS POLYMORPHIC WITH APOE3 CONSIDERED ANTI- ATHEROGENIC AND APOE4 ASSOCIATED WITH RISK FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD). BOTH SERVE AS LIGANDS FOR LIPOPROTEIN RECEPTOR MEDIATED ENDOCYTOSIS THEREBY LOWERING PLASMA CHOLESTEROL. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT APOE PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF THE BBB IN AN ISOFORM-SPECIFIC MANNER BY PROVIDING CHOLESTEROL TO THE TJ IN BMVEC. IN PARALLEL, WE PROPOSE THAT AGE-RELATED OXIDATIVE STRESSORS IMPAIR THE ABILITY OF APOE TO MEDIATE THE FUNCTION OF SUPPLYING CHOLESTEROL THEREBY COMPROMISING THE BBB INTEGRITY. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, IN AIM 1 WE WILL EVALUATE THE ISOFORM-SPECIFIC ROLE OF APOE IN MAINTAINING THE BBB INTEGRITY USING POLARIZED BMVEC AS MONO- OR CO-CULTURES WITH ASTROCYTES SECRETING APOE3- OR APOE4- HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (HDL). THEY WILL BE TREATED WITH APOE3 OR APOE4-HDL WITH FLUORESCENT CHOLESTEROL SUPPLIED FROM THE BASOLATERAL OR APICAL SIDES AND CELL ASSOCIATED FLUORESCENCE VISUALIZED BY FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY USING TJ MARKERS AND QUANTIFIED BY FLOW CYTOMETRY. TJ COMPLEXES WILL BE CAPTURED BY IMMUNOPRECIPITATION TO QUANTIFY LEVELS OF TJ MARKERS AND CHOLESTEROL. LASTLY, CELLULAR INTERNALIZATION OF CHOLESTEROL WILL BE EVALUATED TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE PREFERRED UPTAKE ROUTES VIA THE LDLR FAMILY. IN AIM 2, THE EFFECT OF OXIDIZED APOE3 AND APOE4 ON UPTAKE AND TJ INTEGRITY WILL BE FOLLOWED, WITH ADDITIONAL FOCUS ON SCAVENGER RECEPTORS THAT PLAY A ROLE IN INTERNALIZING OXIDIZED LIPOPROTEINS. THIS IS RELEVANT SINCE HEIGHTENED OXIDATIVE STRESS IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF AGING. IN AIM 3, THE APOE ISOFORM- AND OXIDATIVE STRESS-RELATED ALTERATIONS TO THE PROTEOMIC AND LIPIDOMIC PROFILES OF TJ COMPLEXES WILL BE DETERMINED BY MASS SPECTROMETRY. IT ALLOWS US TO DEVELOP AN INTERACTOME MAP AND IDENTIFY CANDIDATE PROTEINS THAT MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ABERRANT BEHAVIOR OF APOE4. A DIVERSE GROUP OF UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS WILL BE INVOLVED FROM EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN TO DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS, MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS. AN HSI, CSULB HAS SEEN A TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE IN RESEARCH CULTURE AFTER ~10 YEARS OF THE NIH BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE LEADING TO DIVERSITY (BUILD) INITIATIVE. IT IS WELL SUITED TO ENGAGE A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS IN MEANINGFUL RESEARCH LEADING TO CAREERS IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES. EMPLOYING INNOVATIVE AND INTER-DISCIPLINARY APPROACHES, FINDINGS FROM THIS PROPOSAL WILL PROVIDE TIMELY OPPORTUNITIES TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL MECHANISM-BASED INTERVENTION STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS AD THAT AFFECTS MILLIONS OF AGING POPULATIONS IN THE US AND ELSEWHERE.

ENGINEERING BIOMIMETIC TISSUES FOR MUSCLE REPAIR

ENHANCING MATERIAL TESTING AND CHARACTERIZATION BY THE LONG BEACH ENGINEERING CENTER

PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING ALTERATIONS IN DIET PREFERENCE - ABSTRACT OBESITY IS A KEY RISK FACTOR FOR CHRONIC HEALTH COMPLICATIONS INCLUDING HYPERTENSION AND TYPE II DIABETES. ALTERNATE DAY FASTING (ADF) WHICH INVOLVE CYCLES OF FEEDING AND FASTING HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND IMPROVING METABOLIC MEASURES IN HUMANS AND RATS. WE HAVE RECENTLY REPORTED THAT RATS PRESENTED BOTH STANDARD CHOW AND A HIGH ENERGY (HE) DIET SHOW ALMOST EXCLUSIVE INTAKE OF THE HE DIET. YET, RATS ON AN ADF PARADIGM SHOW DECREASED HE DIET PREFERENCE DRIVEN BY INCREASED CHOW INTAKE. MEAL PATTERN ANALYSES THAT PROVIDE PARAMETERS SUCH AS MEAL SIZE AND NUMBER, REVEAL DIFFERENCES IN MALE AND FEMALE RATS ON AN ADF SCHEDULE. MEAL PATTERN PARAMETERS ARE DRIVEN BY PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNALS THAT DRIVE INTAKE (E.G. OROSENSORY STIMULATION AND MEAL INITIATION) AND TERMINATE INTAKE (E.G. SATIETY). HERE, MALE AND FEMALE ADF AND CONTROL RATS WILL BE COMPARED TO INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF 1) TASTE SIGNALING AND 2) GUT PEPTIDE INFLUENCES, IN ADF-INDUCED SHIFTS IN DIET PREFERENCE. USING CFOS IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY, ACTIVATION OF BRAIN AREAS IN CENTRAL GUSTATORY PATHWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH TASTE IDENTIFICATION AND REWARD WILL BE COMPARED BETWEEN THE GROUPS (EXPERIMENT 1). THESE EXPERIMENTS ARE DESIGNED TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT RATS ON ADF AND CONTROL FEEDING SCHEDULES SHOW SIMILAR ACTIVATION OF BRAIN REGIONS INVOLVED IN TASTE IDENTIFICATION BUT THAT ADF RATS SHOW DECREASED NEURAL ACTIVATION OF TASTE PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN REWARD. ANOTHER COHORT OF MALE AND FEMALE ADF AND CONTROL RATS WILL BE USED (EXPERIMENT 2) TO INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF GUT PEPTIDES SHOWN TO BE INVOLVED IN SATIETY (CCK) AND BOTH SATIETY AND REWARD (GLP-1). GROUPS WILL BE ADMINISTERED AGONISTS AND ANTAGONISTS OF CCK AND GLP-1 RECEPTORS TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT SHIFTS IN DIET PREFERENCE INDUCED BY AN ADF SCHEDULE, REDUCES GUT SIGNALS RELATED TO REWARD BUT NOT SATIETY. THE EXPERIMENTS ARE DESIGNED TO ASSESS HOW MEAL PATTERN PARAMETERS ARE ALTERED WITH FEEDING SCHEDULE AND GUT PEPTIDE ADMINISTRATION. THE FINDINGS FROM THE PROPOSED EXPERIMENTS WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW NEURAL MECHANISMS RELATED TO TASTE AND GUT SIGNALING DRIVE CHANGES IN DIET PREFERENCE.

DEFINING THE ROLE OF CALCIUM-BINDING PROTEINS IN THE HUMAN PARASITE TOXOPLASMA GONDII

LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT IN MEXICAN CHILDREN

AB INITIO MODELLING OF VITAMIN D PHOTOCHEMISTRY IN BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES

REGULATION OF FOLLICULOGENESIS DURING OVARIAN RECRUDESCENCE

HISTONE MODIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED W/SENESCENCE IN ARABIDOPSIS

SPLICING REGULATION IN BRAIN SEXUAL DIFFERENTIATION

PROTECTIVE HUMAN ANTI-CANDIDA ANTIBODIES

BIOACTIVE LIPIDS IN FOOD AND PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS

THE ROLE OF S6 KINASES IN THE ATM/ATR SIGNALING PATHWAY

BIOSENSING IN ELECTROCHEMICALLY CONTROLLED NANO-JUNCTIONS

AGE-DEPENDENT CHANGES IN MOTOR LEARNING CAPABILITIES

SELECTIVE SMALL MOLECULE MEMBRANE TRANSPORT USING CAVITAND RECEPTORS

NOVEL INSIGHTS INTO CANCER CELL SURVIVAL DURING ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS

PROTEASE REGULATION OF OVARIAN RECRUDESCENCE

ABSTRACT: DROUGHTS ARE ONE OF THE MOST COSTLY AND IMPACTFUL ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS IN THE UNITED STATES. WATER RESOURCE AND ECOSYSTEM RELATED IMPACTS IN THE WESTERN U.S. (WUS) ASSOCIATED WITH DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING MORE AMPLIFIED AS MOUNTAIN SNOWPACKS CONTINUE TO DIMINISH AND LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER SEASON HEATWAVES OCCUR MORE FREQUENTLY. THE CONNECTION AND COMPOUNDING NATURE OF THESE TWO DROUGHT DRIVERS HAS NOT BEEN WELL STUDIED. OUR PROPOSAL ENTITLED, &QUOT;UNDERSTANDING HEATWAVE-SNOW DROUGHT RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS THE WESTERN UNITED STATES&QUOT;, FOR COMPETITION 2: MAPP-NIDIS - SCIENCE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY WESTERN U.S. HYDROCLIMATE - WILL INVESTIGATE HOW LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER HEATWAVES RAPIDLY REDUCE SNOWPACK AND INFLUENCE THE MAGNITUDE, EXTENT, AND PERSISTENCE OF SNOW DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. THIS WORK WILL ALSO LINK HEATWAVE-SNOW DROUGHT OCCURRENCES (IN ISOLATION AND SIMULTANEOUSLY) TO RUNOFF AND STREAMFLOW VARIABILITY AN

DREAM MEDIATED TRANSCRIPTION ACTS AS A BIOMARKER FOR POLLUTANT INDUCED CALCIUM SIGNALING DISRUPTION

ORCC: RUI: UNDERSTANDING PLASTICITY TO OCEAN WARMING: EVALUATING GENETIC VARIATION AND TRANSGENERATIONAL EFFECTS AT MULTIPLE SPATIAL SCALES -CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE WARMING OF THE OCEAN HAS RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT THE LONG-TERM WELFARE OF MANY SPECIES. WARM TEMPERATURES CAN REDUCE SURVIVAL, AND FOR MARINE FISHES SUCH EFFECTS MAY BE PARTICULARLY ACUTE DURING THE LARVAL PHASE. GIVEN RECENT TEMPERATURE TRENDS, IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE UNDERSTAND HOW POPULATION SIZES ARE LIKELY TO CHANGE IN RESPONSE TO WARMING OVER THE COMING DECADES. HOWEVER, TO DO SO REQUIRES THAT EVOLUTIONARY PROCESSES BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. THIS PROJECT USES A NOVEL SET OF EXPERIMENTS AND FIELD STUDIES ON A COASTAL FISH SPECIES TO INVESTIGATE MECHANISMS THAT MAY EITHER CONSTRAIN OR ACCELERATE EVOLUTION IN A WARMING, BUT THERMALLY VARIABLE OCEAN. A MAJOR GOAL IS QUANTIFYING GENETIC VARIATION IN RESPONSES TO TEMPERATURE. FOR EXAMPLE, POPULATIONS MAY CONTAIN SOME GENOTYPES THAT ARE COOL-WATER SPECIALISTS AND OTHERS THAT ARE WARM-WATER SPECIALISTS. UNDERSTANDING SUCH VARIATION IS CRITICAL TO PROJECTING RESPONSES TO OCEAN WARMING. ANOTHER FOCUS IS DETERMINING WHETHER THE SPECIES-WIDE GENETIC VARIATION IS PROMOTED BY ADAPTATION TO LOCAL TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS (E.G., ALONG A NORTH-SOUTH GRADIENT). BASED ON THE ESTIMATES OF GENETIC AND NON-GENETIC INHERITANCE, THE PROJECT TESTS WHETHER EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES CAN BE QUICK ENOUGH TO AFFECT THE DYNAMICS OF POPULATIONS OVER TIMEFRAMES OF 10-100 YEARS. THIS PROJECT STRENGTHENS RESEARCH AND TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES AT A PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION THAT IS ONE OF THE MOST CULTURALLY DIVERSE UNIVERSITIES IN THE NATION. THE TEAM IS PROVIDING RESEARCH TRAINING FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, CONDUCTING A BEFORE-AND-AFTER ASSESSMENT TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS THAT A RECENT CHANGE IN FISHERY REGULATIONS HAVE HAD ON POPULATIONS OF CALIFORNIA GRUNION, AND SHARING THE RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH THROUGH EXHIBITS AT THE CABRILLO MARINE AQUARIUM AND PUBLIC OUTREACH ACTIVITIES. OCEAN TEMPERATURES ARE WARMING AT AN ALARMING RATE, AND TEMPERATURE AFFECTS THE DEMOGRAPHIC RATES OF MOST SPECIES. HOWEVER, RESPONSES TO TEMPERATURE ARE NUANCED. GROWTH AND SURVIVAL ARE OFTEN MAXIMAL AT INTERMEDIATE TEMPERATURES, AND INDIVIDUALS VARY IN THEIR RESPONSES TO TEMPERATURE. MOREOVER, THE EFFECTS OF ANY LONG-TERM INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE ON POPULATIONS NEED TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE CONTEXT OF TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS THAT OCCUR AT VARIOUS TEMPORAL SCALES (E.G., ANNUAL, SEASONAL, WEEKLY, ETC.). THIS PROJECT TESTS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT GENETIC VARIATION IN THERMAL SPECIALIZATION CAN BOTH CONSTRAIN EVOLUTIONARY RESPONSES IN THE SHORT TERM (VIA INTERACTION WITH TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS) AND PROVIDE ESSENTIAL VARIATION REQUIRED FOR LONG-TERM EVOLUTIONARY GAIN. DETAILED BREEDING EXPERIMENTS TO MEASURE GENETIC VARIATION ARE BEING COMBINED WITH EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATIONS OF SEAWATER TEMPERATURE TO MEASURE THERMAL REACTION NORMS. THE PROJECT IS ALSO TESTING FOR LOCAL ADAPTATION BY MAKING REPEATED COLLECTIONS OF FISH FROM NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN POPULATIONS AND REARING THEIR OFFSPRING IN A COMMON LABORATORY ENVIRONMENT AND ACROSS A RANGE OF TEMPERATURES AND 1) EVALUATING HOW THE GENETIC COVARIANCE UNDERLYING THERMAL REACTION NORMS FOR RELATIVE FITNESS CAN EITHER CONSTRAIN OR ACCELERATE EVOLUTION IN LIGHT OF OBSERVED TRAJECTORIES OF REGIONAL WATER TEMPERATURES; 2) COMPARING THE RELATIVE MAGNITUDES OF GENETIC VS. NON-GENETIC INHERITANCE OF VARIATION IN THERMAL REACTION NORMS; AND 3) DEVELOPING AN ECO-EVOLUTIONARY MODELING FRAMEWORK TAILORED TO STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF OCEAN WARMING THAT IS USED FOR EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FISHERY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN A WARMING OCEAN. 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.

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING TRAINEESHIP

RUI: CONTROL OF THE AXIS OF POLARIZED GROWTH BY TEA4 IN THE FUNGUS USTILAGO MAYDIS

PATHWAYS AND PROCESSES TO CO-OCCURRING OBESITY AND TOBACCO USE IN EMERGING ADULTS

PRIMES: HEAR THE BOUNDARY VIA INVESTIGATING STEKLOV EIGENVALUES -THIS PROJECT EXPLORES THE FUNDAMENTAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE SHAPE OF A BOUNDARY AND CERTAIN TYPES OF VIBRATIONS, KNOWN AS STEKLOV EIGENVALUES. THESE UNIQUE MATHEMATICAL QUANTITIES PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO CHARACTERISTICS LIKE A BOUNDARY'S PERIMETER AND CURVATURE. THIS AREA OF STUDY HAS DIVERSE REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS, FROM DESIGNING CLOAKING DEVICES THAT MAKE OBJECTS INVISIBLE, TO IMPROVING MEDICAL IMAGING TECHNIQUES, AND ENHANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF FLUID DYNAMICS, SUCH AS HOW WATER SLOSHES IN A TANK. BY EXPLORING THESE MATHEMATICAL RELATIONSHIPS, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO PROVIDE FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE THAT COULD LEAD TO NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND MORE EFFICIENT DESIGNS. THIS PROJECT ALSO AIMS TO BUILD AND GROW RESEARCH CAPACITY IN THE MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH (CSULB), THROUGH A FORMAL PARTNERSHIP THAT ENABLES THE PI'S RESEARCH AND PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAMS AND WORKSHOPS AT THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICS (AIM), SPECIFICALLY THROUGH AIM'S SQUARE PROGRAM. THROUGH SPECIALIZED COURSES, TAILORED RESEARCH PROJECTS, AND MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES OPEN AND AVAILABLE TO ALL STUDENTS, AS WELL AS OUTREACH EVENTS FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS, THE PROJECT SEEKS TO INSPIRE AND PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTIFIC TALENT, FOSTERING AN INNOVATIVE WORKFORCE THAT BENEFITS SOCIETY. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH INVESTIGATES THE DEPENDENCE OF STEKLOV EIGENVALUES ON THE BOUNDARY GEOMETRY, ADDRESSING TWO PRIMARY OBJECTIVES. THE FIRST OBJECTIVE FOCUSES ON ESTIMATING STEKLOV EIGENVALUE COUNTING FUNCTIONS BASED ON BOUNDARY GEOMETRY, SPECIFICALLY TACKLING WEAKENED VERSIONS OF THE P?LYA CONJECTURE WITHIN THE STEKLOV CONTEXT. THIS WILL INVOLVE EMPLOYING THE FREQUENCY METHOD TO ESTABLISH FUNDAMENTAL INEQUALITIES IN EUCLIDEAN DOMAINS. THE INVESTIGATION WILL ALSO EXTEND THIS APPROACH TO DIFFERENTIAL FORMS AND SLOSHING PROBLEMS, REFINING ESTIMATES AND AIMING TO PROVE WEAKENED VERSIONS OF THE P?LYA CONJECTURE. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE EXAMINES THE EFFECTS OF SYMMETRIC BOUNDARY PERTURBATIONS ON STEKLOV EIGENVALUES. THIS INCLUDES INVESTIGATING REGIONS WITH SYMMETRY AND ADDRESSING THE ARNOL'D CONJECTURE FOR STEKLOV EIGENVALUES, WITH AN INTENT TO CONFIRM THIS CONJECTURE IN SPECIAL CASES. ADDITIONALLY, THE RESEARCH SEEKS TO UNCOVER GENERIC PROPERTIES OF STEKLOV EIGENFUNCTIONS IN SYMMETRIC REGIONS. THESE EFFORTS ADDRESS THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES POSED BY BOUNDARY CONDITIONS USING INNOVATIVE MATHEMATICAL APPROACHES. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

PRIMES: THE TOPOLOGY OF KNOTS AND REPLICATION AS A VEHICLE FOR STUDENT RESEARCH -THIS PROJECT WILL BUILD A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICS (AIM) AND CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH (CSULB) THAT WILL INVIGORATE MATHEMATICS RESEARCH AT CSULB BY CREATING INNOVATIVE STUDENT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND EXPANDING A RESEARCH CULTURE FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY. CSULB IS AN URBAN COMPREHENSIVE UNIVERSITY AND HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION WITH NEARLY 60% OF STUDENTS IDENTIFYING AS MEMBERS OF UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS AND 60% IDENTIFYING AS FEMALE. APPROXIMATELY 51% OF CSULB STUDENTS RECEIVE PELL GRANTS. THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE REPRESENTATION IN MATHEMATICS BY PROVIDING HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS AND SCALING THESE OPPORTUNITIES UP IN SIZE TO REACH A BROAD GROUP OF CSULB STUDENTS. THESE PROJECTS WILL EMPOWER STUDENTS AT ALL LEVELS TO ANSWER PREVIOUSLY UNSOLVED MATHEMATICAL QUESTIONS AND ENGAGE IN INNOVATIVE RESEARCH. THE PI WILL LEVERAGE A LEAVE AT AIM TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT RESEARCH PROJECTS IN THE AREAS OF KNOT THEORY AND LOW-DIMENSIONAL TOPOLOGY FOR STUDENTS AT CSULB, ESTABLISH A FACULTY LEARNING COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT RESEARCH MENTORS, AND HELP CREATE A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR ONGOING STUDENT RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT AND MENTORSHIP. THE PI WILL PURSUE TWO RESEARCH DIRECTIONS, CHOSEN BASED ON THEIR ACCESSIBILITY FOR STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS. THE FIRST DIRECTION IS KNOT THEORY, THE MATHEMATICAL STUDY OF LOOPS IN 3D SPACE. THE MERIDIONAL RANK CONJECTURE STATES THAT THE MERIDIONAL RANK AND BRIDGE INDEX OF A KNOT ARE EQUAL. THE CONJECTURE HAS BEEN VERIFIED FOR AN ARRAY OF INFINITE CLASSES OF KNOTS, BUT THE GENERAL CASE IS OPEN. THE PI WILL ADOPT A NOVEL PERSPECTIVE TO THIS CONJECTURE WHICH MAKES USE QUOTIENTS OF THE KNOT GROUP AND NEW DEFINITIONS OF BRIDGE NUMBER. THE PI HAS ASSEMBLED A GROUP OF TOP RESEARCHERS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO ATTENDING AN AIM SQUARE LED BY THE PI TO INVESTIGATE THE MERIDIONAL RANK CONJECTURE. THE SECOND DIRECTION IS THE TOPOLOGY OF SELF-REPLICATION, WHICH SEEKS TO MAKE QUESTIONS LIKE ``WHICH SHAPES CAN SELF-REPLICATE?'' MATHEMATICALLY RIGOROUS. TOPOLOGICAL MODELS OF SELF-REPLICATION INCLUDE MANIFOLDS THAT CAN BE DECOMPOSED ALONG A SURFACE INTO TWO HOMEOMORPHIC COPIES OF THE ORIGINAL (THESE ARE KNOWN AS IDEMPOTENTS IN A TOPOLOGICAL CATEGORY) AND N-MANIFOLDS THAT EMBED IN N-DIMENSIONAL REAL SPACE AND CAN BE DECOMPOSED IN TO A COLLECTION OF ISOMETRIC SHAPES EACH OF WHICH IS A SCALED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL (THESE ARE KNOWN AS REP-TILES). THE PI WILL INVESTIGATE NOVEL CLASSIFICATION THEOREMS FOR REP-TILES AND IDEMPOTENTS, STRENGTHEN EXISTING CLASSIFICATION THEOREMS FOR THESE OBJECTS, AND PURSUE APPLICATIONS OF THESE THEORIES TO THE FIELD OF 4-MANIFOLD TOPOLOGY. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CISE-MSI: RCBP: SCH: GLOBAL ACCESS TO LAB-ON-CHIP THROUGH ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING -THE GLOBAL AGING POPULATION PRESENTS SIGNIFICANT HEALTHCARE CHALLENGES, ESPECIALLY IN LOW AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES WITH LIMITED BIOMEDICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES BY DEVELOPING A PORTABLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE BIOMEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM MINIMIZING HUMAN INTERACTION IN THE FORM AN INTEGRATED LAB-ON-A-CHIP DIAGNOSTIC PLATFORM PRODUCED USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING. THIS PROJECT AIMS NOT ONLY TO ADVANCE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING BY INTEGRATING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES BUT ALSO TO DIRECTLY ADDRESS GLOBAL HEALTH DISPARITIES. AS PROPOSED LAB-ON-A-CHIP PLATFORM IS TO BE TAILORED FOR RESOURCE-LIMITED ENVIRONMENTS, THE PROJECT AIMS TO ENHANCE HEALTHCARE ACCESSIBILITY AND AFFORDABILITY WORLDWIDE. FURTHER BROADER-IMPACT ASPECTS OF THE WORK INCLUDE AN INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH EFFORT FOSTERING COLLABORATION BETWEEN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, MATERIALS SCIENCE, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE IN ORDER TO CONTRIBUTE TO BROADER EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH INITIATIVES IN GLOBAL HEALTH EQUITY AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION. SPECIFICALLY, THIS PROJECT OUTLINES THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED LAB-ON-A-CHIP DIAGNOSTIC PLATFORM USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES. THE TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES COMPRISE 1) ADVANCING 3D MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES, PARTICULARLY IN ELECTRODE PRINTING, AND ESTABLISHING DESIGN RULES TO ENHANCE FABRICATION PRECISION AND PERFORMANCE; 2) ADDRESSING THE MINIATURIZATION OF ACTUATION, SENSORS, AND READOUT SYSTEMS USING CMOS TECHNOLOGY, AIMING FOR SEAMLESS INTEGRATION FOR BIO-SAMPLE CHARACTERIZATION WITHOUT OPTICAL COMPONENTS; 3) DEFINING DESIGN RULES FOR IMPLEMENTING TWO INDEPENDENT TESTS WITH 3D-PRINTED ELECTRODES IN THE FORM OF LABEL-FREE CELL CHARACTERIZATION AND DIELECTROPHORESIS-IMPEDANCE METHODS FOR PROTEIN DETECTION; AND 4) LEVERAGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO OPTIMIZE THE FABRICATION PROCESS OF 3D-PRINTED CONDUCTIVE ELECTRODES. 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.

STRAIGHT TALK ON HIV PREVENTION: HABLANDO CLARO

DEVELOPMENT OF SOLID PROPULSION MIX AND CHARACTERIZATION FACILITY

RUI COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY, FUNCTIONAL REDUNDANCY, AND THE MAINTENANCE OF ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES: EXPERIMENTS IN A MODEL ECO

RUI: NEW ULTRASTABLE CRYSTALLINE POROUS MATERIALS

CSULB MINORITY RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT PROGRAM

EXPLORING AN HIV TESTING INTERVENTION MODEL (TIM PROJECT)

RUI: DEVELOPMENT OF A SYNTHETIC PLATFORM FOR HIGHLY TUNABLE CATIONIC POROUS MATERIALS

A PYROGEOGRAPHIC APPROACH TO EXAMINE METHANE EMISSIONS FROM SAVANNA FIRES -THIS PROJECT EXAMINES THE DETERMINANTS OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM FIRES IN REGIONS THAT EXHIBIT PARTICULARLY HIGH PROPENSITIES FOR FIRES, INCLUDING FIRES THAT ARISE FROM HUMAN ACTIVITY. METHANE, A POTENT GAS, HAS BEEN HYPOTHESIZED TO BE A CONTRIBUTOR TO GLOBAL GREENHOUSE EFFECTS, BUT PRECISELY MEASURING METHANE EMISSIONS FROM FIRES HAS BEEN TECHNOLOGICALLY CHALLENGING. FOR EXAMPLE, EMISSIONS FROM SAVANNA FIRES ARE BROADLY REGARDED AS A MAJOR SOURCE OF ATMOSPHERIC METHANE, BUT PREVIOUS ESTIMATES HAVE CONTAINED HIGH LEVELS OF UNCERTAINTY. THIS RESEARCH INTRODUCES NEW SENSORS, METHODS, AND APPROACHES FOR OBTAINING COMPARATIVELY PRECISE ESTIMATES OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM SAVANNA FIRES. EMISSIONS ARE PREDICTED TO VARY IN RESPONSE TO THE VEGETATION TYPE AND ITS MOISTURE LEVELS, AMBIENT AIR CONDITIONS, AND PROPERTIES OF THE FIRE. IN TURN, THESE MEASUREMENTS ACROSS A RANGE OF CONDITIONS AND INPUTS CAN INFORM SUBSEQUENT EFFORTS TO ESTIMATE THE EFFECTS OF FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ON METHANE EMISSIONS, POTENTIALLY REVEALING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SAVANNAS TO SERVE AS CARBON SINKS. THE PROJECT ALSO PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO GAIN TRAINING IN THE METHODS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. THE GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO DETERMINE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EACH FACTOR THAT AFFECTS METHANE EMISSIONS AND MODEL HOW CHANGES IN LAND USE AND FIRE PRACTICES DYNAMICALLY INFLUENCE THE METHANE THAT IS PRODUCED. A SECONDARY GOAL IS TO USE SIMULATION METHODS TO PREDICT CHANGES IN FUTURE METHANE EMISSIONS FROM FIRES AT REGIONAL SCALES. TO OBTAIN MEASUREMENTS OF EMISSIONS, THE RESEARCHERS EXPERIMENTALLY INITIATE BURNS USING PRACTICES THAT ARE USED BY LOCAL HUMAN POPULATIONS, AND THEN THEY USE SENSORS MOUNTED ON AIRBORNE DRONES TO DOCUMENT THE EXTENT OF METHANE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE FIRES. THE MEASUREMENTS SUBSEQUENTLY INFORM THE SIMULATIONS OF BURNING PRACTICES AND THE RESULTING METHANE EMISSIONS ACROSS DIVERSE CONTEXTS. WORKSHOPS WITH LOCAL PARTNERS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE STUDY TO SHAPE LOCAL LAND USE PRACTICES IN WAYS THAT ADVANCE SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES. 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.

MRI: ACQUISITION OF DYNAMIC IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT FOR RESEARCH IN HUMAN-MACHINE INTERACTION

HOMOCHIRAL CRYSTALLINE POROUS MATERIALS FOR ENANTIOSELECTIVE APPLICATIONS

BIOMECHANICS AND HEMODYNAMICS OF HUMAN AORTA WITH REMODELING AFTER ENDOVASCULAR REPAIR - PROJECT SUMMARY TYPE-B AORTIC DISSECTION IS A DISEASE WITH A TEAR OF THE INTIMAL LAYERS OF THE AORTA DISTAL TO THE AORTIC ARCH AND SEPARATION OF THE WALL LAYERS IN THE THORACIC AORTA, WHICH MAY EXTEND FURTHER. IT IS RARE BUT LIFE-THREATENING WHEN LEFT UNTREATED SINCE THE WEAKENED AORTIC WALL COULD RUPTURE RESULTING IN INTERNAL BLEEDING, AND THE FALSE LUMEN MAY DISRUPT THE NORMAL BLOOD SUPPLY TO THE KIDNEYS, INTESTINES, AND SPINAL CORDS. AS A LESS-INVASIVE SURGICAL TREATMENT, THORACIC ENDOVASCULAR AORTIC REPAIR (TEVAR) COVERS THE DISSECTED AORTA WITH AN ENDOGRAFT BY INSERTING IT THROUGH A DISTAL VESSEL AND DEPLOYING AT THE DISSECTED REGION TO SEAL THE TEAR. MAJOR CONCERNS PERSIST WITH THE LONG-TERM TEVAR OUTCOMES WHEN MULTIPLE ENDOGRAFTS AND STENTS ARE IMPLANTED TO TREAT EXTENSIVE DISSECTION. TWO OR MORE ENDOGRAFTS ARE NEEDED TO COVER EXTENSIVE DISSECTION SINCE THERE IS NO STANDALONE ENDOGRAFT WHICH CAN COVER THE ENTIRE REGION. EXTENSIVE USE OF ENDOGRAFTS CAN IMPACT THE BIOMECHANICS AND HEMODYNAMICS OF THE AORTA WHICH REQUIRES CAREFUL PRE- AND POST-TEVAR PLANNING. AFTER TEVAR, THE AORTA UNDERGOES REMODELING OVER TIME. REGULAR MONITORING WITH COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT) IS NECESSARY TO KEEP TRACK OF AORTIC REMODELING. THE COMMON RADIOGRAPHIC FEATURES INCLUDING AORTIC DIAMETER AND LUMINAL VOLUME ARE INSUFFICIENT TO PREDICT LONG-TERM AORTIC REMODELING. THIS INVESTIGATION ADDRESSES THE UNMET NEED TO ASSESS THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF MULTIPLE ENDOGRAFTS ON THE AORTA. TO THIS END, WE WILL IDENTIFY THE KEY FEATURES TO QUANTIFY AORTIC REMODELING DURING THE 1-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. THIS INVESTIGATION AIMS TO CHARACTERIZE THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF EXTENSIVE TEVAR ON THE AORTA BY IDENTIFYING UNDERLYING BIOMECHANICAL AND HEMODYNAMIC FEATURES DUE TO THIS CONDITION. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY IDENTIFYING BIOMECHANICAL FEATURES TO CHARACTERIZE AORTIC REMODELING TRIGGERED BY EXTENSIVE TEVAR (SPECIFIC AIM 1) AND EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF BLOOD FLOW ON AORTIC REMODELING DURING THE LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP (SPECIFIC AIM 2). TO ACHIEVE THESE AIMS, WE WILL UTILIZE PATIENT-SPECIFIC CT AT PRE-, POST-TEVAR, AND 1-YEAR FOLLOW-UP, COMPUTATIONAL MODELING, COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS, AND FEATURE CORRELATION. OUTCOMES OF THIS INVESTIGATION WILL PROVIDE POWERFUL FEATURES REPRESENTING THE ADAPTATION OF THE AORTA TO EXTENSIVE TEVAR AND HELP GUIDE OPTIMAL SURGERY TO PROMOTE FAVORABLE AORTIC REMODELING. OUR TECHNIQUES OF FEATURE IDENTIFICATION USING PATIENT-SPECIFIC CTS AND COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS WILL BE VALUABLE IN REFINING PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA FOR EXTENSIVE TEVAR, HELPING STRATEGIC DECISIONS FOR SURGERY, AND PLANNING FOR POST-SURGICAL SURVEILLANCE.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DATA SCIENCE FOR CYBERSECURITY -THERE IS A GROWING SHORTAGE OF CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONALS TODAY, WITH THE SHORTAGE ESTIMATED AT 5.5 MILLION IN 2023. CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONALS REQUIRE EDUCATION IN DATA SCIENCE TO BE ABLE TO PROPERLY COLLECT, CLEAN, CORRELATE, STORE AND ANALYZE REAL SYSTEM AND NETWORK DATA, AND MAKE INFORMED CYBERSECURITY DECISIONS. THIS PROJECT DEVELOPS A LARGE SET OF HANDS-ON, VIRTUAL MATERIALS FOR TEACHING DATA SCIENCE FOR CYBERSECURITY. THESE MATERIALS WILL BE HOSTED ON THE NSF-FUNDED SPHERE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE AND WILL BE PUBLICLY AND FREELY AVAILABLE TO INTERESTED TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. THESE MATERIALS WILL PREPARE NEW GENERATIONS OF CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONALS TO TACKLE REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS COLLABORATIVELY AND AT A LARGE SCALE. THIS PROJECT BUILDS LEARNING MATERIALS THAT WILL ENRICH CYBERSECURITY CURRICULA AT MANY SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, WITH PRACTICAL, HANDS-ON EXERCISES THAT TEACH DATA SCIENCE FOR CYBERSECURITY. THE MATERIALS WILL BE USEFUL AS EITHER HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS OR CLASS PROJECTS. THE MATERIALS WILL INCLUDE INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP ASSIGNMENTS. INDIVIDUAL MATERIALS WILL PROVIDE THREE DIFFICULTY LEVELS - BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED -- AND THEY WILL SUPPORT SELF-LEARNING AND SELF-ASSESSMENT. GROUP ASSIGNMENTS WILL ENGAGE GROUPS OF STUDENTS ON REALISTIC, LARGE SCALE CYBERSECURITY TASKS TO PROMOTE TEAMWORK, COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION. THE MATERIALS WILL BE PUBLICLY AND FREELY AVAILABLE TO ALL INTERESTED TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, ON THE NSF-FUNDED SPHERE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE. TEACHERS AND STUDENTS WILL ALSO LEVERAGE SPHERE TO COLLECT, CLEAN, STORE, MANAGE AND ANALYZE CYBERSECURITY DATA TO GAIN PRACTICAL DATA-SCIENCE SKILLS. THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY THE DATA SCIENCE CORPS PROGRAM, WHICH SUPPORTS DATA SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING TO BUILD A STRONG NATIONAL DATA SCIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE AND WORKFORCE. 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.

DETERMINING THE ROLE OF ANNEXINA2 IN HIV-1 AND SARS-COV-2 ASSEMBLY - HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS TYPE 1 (HIV-1) AND SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS TYPE 2 (SARS-COV-2) ARE TWO ENVELOPED RNA VIRUSES THAT AFFECT SIGNIFICANT PROPORTIONS OF THE GLOBAL POPULATION. HIV- 1 AND SARS-COV-2 RELY ON LIPID RAFTS TO FACILITATE VIRAL ENTRY, ASSEMBLY, AND RELEASE, BUT THE EXACT MECHANISMS FOR HOW THIS OCCURS REMAIN UNCLEAR. LIPID RAFTS REPRESENT DISTINCT REGIONS WITHIN CELLULAR MEMBRANES THAT ARE ENRICHED IN CHOLESTEROL, GLYCOPHOSPHOLIPIDS, AND PROTEIN RECEPTORS. DISRUPTING LIPID-RAFT FORMATION PHARMACOLOGICALLY REDUCES BOTH HIV-1 AND SARS-COV-2 INFECTION. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO DETERMINE HOW VIRUSES HIJACK CELLULAR PROTEINS TO DISARM HOST DEFENSES AND CO-OPT CELLULAR PATHWAYS TO PROMOTE INFECTION. THE OBJECTIVE IN THIS APPLICATION IS TO DETERMINE HOW THE LIPID-RAFT SCAFFOLD PROTEIN ANNEXINA2 FACILITATES HIV-1 AND SARS-COV-2 ASSEMBLY. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGEST THAT ANNEXINA2 INTERACTS WITH TWO DISTINCT VIRAL MEMBRANE PROTEINS: HIV-1 NEF AND SARS-COV-2 SPIKE. OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT ANNEXINA2 FACILITATES THE LOCALIZATION OF NEF AND SPIKE TO LIPID-RAFT COMPARTMENTS, THEREBY AUGMENTING VIRAL ASSEMBLY AND INFECTIVITY. THE RATIONALE FOR THIS PROJECT IS THAT IDENTIFYING SPECIFIC MECHANISMS BY WHICH HIV-1 AND SARS-COV-2 EXPLOIT ANNEXINA2 TO ENHANCE VIRAL INFECTION WILL OPEN NEW ASPECTS OF VIRAL BIOLOGY AND OFFER NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES. WE AIM TO TEST OUR HYPOTHESIS BY PURSUING TWO SPECIFIC AIMS: 1) IDENTIFY HOW ANNEXINA2 FACILITATES HIV-1 INFECTION; AND 2) DETERMINE HOW ANNEXINA2 PROMOTES SARS-COV-2 REPLICATION. IN AIM 1, WE WILL VALIDATE WHETHER NEF DIRECTLY BINDS TO ANNEXINA2, DETERMINE WHETHER THE NEF/ANNEXINA2 INTERACTION CORRELATES WITH THE ENHANCED PREVALENCE OF HIV-1, MAP THE MOLECULAR DETERMINANTS REQUIRED FOR INTERACTION, AND DETERMINE WHETHER ANNEXINA2 ENRICHES NEF IN LIPID-RAFTS AT THE CELL SURFACE. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL KNOCKOUT ANNEXINA2 VIA CRISPR/CAS9 IN PRIMARY CELLS TO DETERMINE WHETHER NEF REQUIRES ANNEXINA2 TO ENHANCE INFECTIVITY. FOR AIM 2, WE WILL PRODUCE SARS-COV-2 VIRUS LIKE PARTICLES (SC2-VLPS) IN BOTH THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF ANNEXINA2 TO DETERMINE ITS ROLE IN FACILITATING SARS-COV-2 ASSEMBLY. WE WILL ALSO VALIDATE THE SARS-COV-2 SPIKE/ANNEXINA2 INTERACTION AND DELINEATE WHETHER ANNEXINA2 RECRUITS SPIKE TO LIPID RAFTS AT THE ER-GOLGI INTERMEDIATE COMPARTMENT (ERGIC). THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS INNOVATIVE AND SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT WILL GENERATE NOVEL MODELS OF RETROVIRUS AND CORONAVIRUS BIOLOGY, VERTICALLY ADVANCING BOTH FIELDS AND PROVIDING NOVEL AVENUES FOR FURTHER MECHANISTIC AND THERAPEUTIC INVESTIGATION.