NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

SOUTHWEST HEALTH EQUITY RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE

GRANT PROGRAM

THE PARTNERSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICAN CANCER PREVENTION (1 OF 2)

INFRASTRUCTURE WILDFIRE AND TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS MAPPING AND ASSESSMENT

ASSAY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION TO IDENTIFY VACCINE TARGETS AND EVALUATE COMPLEX VACCINES FOR BACTERIAL INFECTIONS

EARLY IN VIVO EXPRESSED ANTIGENS AND THEIR ROLE IN VIRULENCE, IMMUNE RESPONSE, AND VACCINES FOR COCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS - OVERALL SECTION TITLE: EARLY IN VIVO EXPRESSED ANTIGENS AND THEIR ROLE IN VIRULENCE, IMMUNE RESPONSE, AND VACCINES FOR COCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS. SUMMARY COCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS, ALSO KNOWN AS VALLEY FEVER (VF), IS AN IMPORTANT FUNGAL DISEASE CAUSED BY TWO DIFFERENT COCCIDIOIDES SPECIES THAT RESULTS IN REGIONALLY IMPORTANT MORTALITY AND EVEN GREATER MORBIDITY. WE HAVE ASSEMBLED A TEAM TO DEFINE THE CHANGES THAT OCCUR IN HUMAN AND ANIMAL IMMUNE RESPONSES TO VF, AND TO USE THIS KNOWLEDGE FOR DESIGNING NEW VACCINES AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTS. THIS WORK WILL CAPITALIZE UPON OUR DETAILED OBSERVATIONS OF COCCIDIOIDES GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS DURING THE EARLIEST STAGES OF INFECTIONS. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT SOME COCCIDIOIDES EARLY GENES ARE VIRULENCE FACTORS AND CRITICAL FOR CAUSING DISEASE. RESEARCH PROJECT 1 WILL TEST THEIR ROLE THROUGH GENE KNOCKOUTS USING CRISPR-CAS9 TECHNOLOGY AND VIRULENCE TESTING IN WAX WORM (GALLERIA) AND MOUSE VF MODELS. CRITICAL VIRULENCE FACTORS WILL BECOME DIAGNOSTIC AND VACCINE TARGETS. IN ADDITION TO THE WAX WORM AND MOUSE MODELS, WE DEVELOP A NON-HUMAN PRIMATE (PIG-TAILED MACAQUES) THAT WILL MORE CLOSELY RESEMBLE VF IN HUMANS. IN HUMANS AND VERTEBRATE ANIMAL MODELS, THE ROLE OF T CELLS CANNOT BE OVEREMPHASIZED AND RESEARCH PROJECT 2 WILL USE FOCUSED DEEP DNA SEQUENCING TO IDENTIFY CLASSES OF T CELL RECEPTORS (TCR) THAT DEVELOP IN RESPONSE TO EARLY EXPRESSED COCCIDIOIDES GENES. WE WILL GENERATE TCR SEQUENCES FROM PATIENTS AT THREE CLINICAL LOCATIONS THAT SPAN THE ENDEMIC ZONES FOR THE PATHOGEN. THE TCR REPERTOIRE FROM PATIENTS WILL BE USED TO IDENTIFY NOVEL DIAGNOSTIC SIGNATURES (E.G., PUBLIC TCRS) AND, ALSO, HELP IDENTIFY IMMUNE RESPONSES TO KEY ANTIGENS THAT CAN BE TARGETED FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT. HENCE, BOTH TCR AND EARLY VIRULENCE GENES REPRESENT EXCELLENT CANDIDATES FOR VACCINE DESIGN THAT WILL BE EXPLORED IN RESEARCH PROJECT 3 USING NUCLEIC ACID (NA) BASED VACCINES (RNA AND DNA) THAT CAN RAPIDLY TEST A LARGE PANEL OF ANTIGENS THROUGH THE IMMUNIZATION OF MICE AGAINST INFECTION. THE DNA VACCINE WILL BE BASED UPON DELIVERY ON GOLD NANOPARTICLES AND GENE GUN, WHILE THE MRNA EMPLOYS SELF-REPLICATING RNA MOLECULES (REPRNA) AND A LIPID INORGANIC NANOPARTICLE (LION). BOTH ARE PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD INTO CLINICAL TRIALS FOR OTHER DISEASES. OUR GOAL IN THE NA VACCINE MOUSE STUDIES IS TO IDENTIFY THE BEST ANTIGENS AND DELIVERY MODALITY FOR VACCINE TESTING IN THE NHP MODEL AND TO DEFINE THEIR IMMUNE MECHANISMS OF PROTECTION. THIS WORK IS ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH THE INTEGRATED EFFORTS OF INVESTIGATORS AT SEVEN DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING THREE CLINICAL SITES, AS NO SINGLE INSTITUTION HAS THE REQUISITE BREADTH OF EXPERTISE AND INFRASTRUCTURE. WHILE WE WILL GENERATE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT COCCIDIOIDES AND VF, WE WILL ALSO MAKE TRANSLATIONAL ADVANCES TOWARDS PREVENTING AND DIAGNOSING THE DISEASE.

BAA SCAVENGER

THE PLANETARY LEARNING THAT ADVANCES THE NEXUS OF ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY, AND SCIENCE PLANETS PROJECT IS AN INNOVATIVE COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP TO

IGF::OT::IGF HUMORAL IMMUNE RESPONSES ASSOCIATED WITH HUMAN MELIOIDOSIS AND IN ANIMAL MODELS

DIVISION: CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PPA: CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL THRUST: BIOLOGICAL PROGRAM: FORENSICS PROJECT: BIOFORENSICS R&D LONG TERM PERFORMER: TBD APPROPRIATION YEAR: FY10 (02 FUNDS) BUDGET AUTHORITY: THREE-YEAR R&D FUNDS PROJECT MANAGER: TRACI PALS LEAD SUPPORT STAFF: ANDREW HOLLANDS ALC: 70-08-1513 APPS: 70020800 DESCRIPTION: BACTERIAL POPULATION GENETICS IN A FORENSICS CONTEXT - PHASE II (BAA 08-04)

EXPANDQISE: TRACK 2: INTEGRATING RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PATHWAYS TO THE QUANTUM FUTURE: SYNTHESIS, CONTROL AND READOUT OF SPIN-PHONON QUANTUM STATES FOR QISE EDUCATION. -EMERGING QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES ARE POISED TO ENABLE POWERFUL NEW FORMS OF COMPUTATION, COMMUNICATIONS, AND SENSING. HOWEVER, THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES WILL REQUIRE THE MASTERY OF COMPLEX PHYSICAL SYSTEMS AND THE BIRTH OF A ROBUST QUANTUM SMART WORKFORCE. TO MEET THESE NEEDS, THIS PROJECT AT NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY CULTIVATES AND EXPLORES NEW APPROACHES, SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE. THE CENTRAL RESEARCH GOALS OF THIS PROJECT AIM TO PREPARE, CONTROL, AND MEASURE QUANTUM STATES THAT INVOLVE ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, MICROWAVE, AND OPTICAL DEGREES OF FREEDOM, ENABLING NEW ?SPIN-OPTOMECHANICAL? SYSTEMS. SCIENTIFIC MILESTONES SPAN FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW BULK-SAPPHIRE MECHANICAL RESONATORS WITH ULTRALOW LOSSES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL DETECTION TECHNIQUES FOR QUANTUM STATES THAT RESIDE IN THE MECHANICAL DOMAIN. SUCH SYSTEMS AND METHODS MAY PROVIDE SOLUTIONS TO PRESSING CHALLENGES SUCH AS THE RELATIVELY SHORT LIFETIME AND DISTRIBUTION OF QUANTUM INFORMATION. THE PROJECT?S EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS ARE ORGANIZED ACCORDING TO A MULTI-TIERED PLAN, PROVIDING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES SPANNING FROM THE PH.D.-LEVEL RESEARCHER TO K12 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. DELIBERATE INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE TIERS ARE DESIGNED TO INCREASE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION BY ALLOWING MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS, SUPPORTING DIFFERENT CAREER DESTINATIONS, PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD STEM IDENTITY, AND ENHANCING A SENSE OF BELONGING. THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY PROMISES PARADIGM SHIFTING ADVANCES IN COMPUTATION, SIMULATION, SENSING, AND COMMUNICATIONS. HOWEVER, MAJOR CHALLENGES, INCLUDING DECOHERENCE AND TRANSDUCTION OF QUANTUM STATES INTO TELECOMMUNICATIONS WAVEBANDS, MUST BE ADDRESSED BEFORE THESE TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE WIDELY UTILIZED. TO EXPLORE NEW APPROACHES TO THESE CHALLENGES, THIS RESEARCH INVESTIGATES THE SYNTHESIS, CONTROL AND MEASUREMENT OF SPIN-PHONON QUANTUM STATES IN SAPPHIRE. GROUND STATE TRANSITIONS OF CHROMIUM IONS AND MECHANICAL MODES OF VIBRATION IN SAPPHIRE CAN HAVE LIFETIMES SURPASSING SECONDS AND, USING MECHANICAL CONFINEMENT AND MAGNETIC FIELDS, CAN BE BROUGHT INTO RESONANCE. COMBINING THESE PROPERTIES WITH PULSED MICROWAVE EXCITATION AND OPTICAL CAVITIES, SUCH SYSTEMS MAY FACILITATE THE TRANSDUCTION OF QUANTUM INFORMATION BETWEEN CHROMIUM IONS, MECHANICAL DEGREES OF FREEDOM AND OPTICAL FIELDS, PERMITTING THE SYNTHESIS AND OPTICAL READOUT OF EXOTIC QUANTUM STATES. PARTNERING WITH EXTERNAL COLLABORATORS AT YALE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA, AND SANDIA NATIONAL LAB, THE PROJECT TEAM WILL CREATE SUCH ?SPIN OPTOMECHANICAL? SYSTEMS AND SYNTHESIZE AND MEASURE SPIN-PHONON QUANTUM STATES USING MICROWAVES AND LIGHT. THE PROJECT WILL ACHIEVE THESE GOALS BY COMBINING BULK-CRYSTALLINE OPTOMECHANICAL DEVICES THAT CAN BE ACCESSED WITH MICROWAVES, NEW FORMS OF CRYOGENICALLY COMPATIBLE OPTICAL COUPLING, AND PRECISION IMPLANTATION OF SINGLE CHROMIUM IONS. THE EXPERIMENTAL PLAN SYSTEMATICALLY BUILDS NEW CAPABILITIES IN QUANTUM PHYSICS, BEGINNING WITH SPIN-PHONON SPECTROSCOPY AND ENDING WITH QUANTUM TOMOGRAPHY MEASUREMENTS. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE HSI PROGRAM, WHICH AIMS TO ENHANCE UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION, BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN STEM, AND BUILD CAPACITY AT HSIS. THIS PROJECT IS CO-FUNDED BY THE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS (ITEST) PROGRAM, WHICH SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT BUILD UNDERSTANDINGS OF PRACTICES, PROGRAM ELEMENTS, CONTEXTS AND PROCESSES CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASING STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE AND INTEREST IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) CAREERS. SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT IS PROVIDED BY THE IMPROVING UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION (IUSE:EDU) PROGRAM. THE IUSE:EDU PROGRAM SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STEM EDUCATION FOR ALL 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF MOISTURE-DRIVEN DAC WITHIN CHARGED POLYMERS (MISSIONDAC)

BASE PERIOD

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MRA: CLIMATE LEGACIES AND TIMESCALES OF INFLUENCE ON CARBON CYCLE PROCESSES IN DRYLANDS -EARTH?S CLIMATE IS CHANGING, AND CLIMATE EXTREMES SUCH AS DROUGHTS AND HEAT WAVES ARE BECOMING MORE COMMON. SUCH CHANGES ARE IMPACTING VEGETATION PRODUCTIVITY, THE CARBON CYCLE, AND THE WATER CYCLE, ESPECIALLY IN DRIER REGIONS IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. STUDIES ARE SHOWING THAT NOT ONLY DO EXTREME CLIMATE EVENTS AFFECT ECOSYSTEMS WHEN THOSE EVENTS OCCUR, BUT THE EFFECTS CONTINUE LONG AFTER THE EVENTS THEMSELVES. THIS LINGERING EFFECT OF CLIMATE EXTREMES, ESPECIALLY DROUGHT EVENTS, IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS A CLIMATE OR DROUGHT ?LEGACY.? STUDIES ALSO SUGGEST THAT PAST CONDITIONS, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER EXTREME OR NOT, CONTINUE TO AFFECT ECOSYSTEMS AFTER THEY HAVE OCCURRED, SUCH THAT ECOSYSTEMS HAVE ?MEMORY? OF THOSE PAST CONDITIONS. THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH LEGACIES AND MEMORY MAY BE CRITICAL TO UNDERSTANDING HOW CONTINUED CLIMATE CHANGE WILL IMPACT EARTH?S ECOSYSTEMS AND CARBON BALANCE. THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY THE LEGACIES AND MEMORY OF CLIMATE VARIABLES ? SUCH AS PRECIPITATION, DROUGHT, AND TEMPERATURE ? ON TREE GROWTH, FOREST PRODUCTIVITY, AND ECOSYSTEM CARBON FLUXES IN THE WESTERN US. RESEARCHERS WILL ANALYZE A HUGE VOLUME OF DATA OF DIFFERENT TYPES, INCLUDING ANNUAL TREE GROWTH, CARBON VARIABILITY, AND VEGETATION PRODUCTION, AND WILL USE COMPUTER SIMULATIONS TO PREDICT FUTURE TRENDS. RESULTS FROM THIS WORK WILL INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PLANTS AND ECOSYSTEMS ARE IMPACTED BY CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND EXTREME CLIMATE EVENTS, WHICH MAY BE USEFUL FOR MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHERS, GRADUATE STUDENTS, AND UNDERGRADUATE TRAINEES WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE RESEARCH. THE PROJECT WILL SHARE KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM THIS RESEARCH WITH LOCAL AND REGIONAL COMMUNITIES VIA COLLABORATIONS WITH PROFESSIONAL RIVER GUIDES, STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES, AND SCIENTISTS AND LAND MANAGERS INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACTS OF DROUGHT ON VEGETATION, ECOSYSTEMS, AND THE CARBON CYCLE. THIS STUDY SEEKS TO QUANTIFY LEGACIES (PROLONGED IMPACTS OF AN EXTREME EVENT) AND MEMORY (TIMESCALES OF INFLUENCE, WHETHER EXTREME OR NOT) OF CLIMATE-RELATED DRIVERS ON KEY C-CYCLE COMPONENTS, OVER A RANGE OF SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SCALES ACROSS DRYLANDS IN THE WESTERN US. THIS STUDY WILL (1) QUANTIFY THE MAGNITUDE AND DURATION OF CLIMATE (E.G., DROUGHT) LEGACIES ON C FLUXES; (2) EVALUATE CLIMATIC MEMORY AND THE TIMESCALES OVER WHICH CLIMATE DRIVERS IMPACT C FLUXES; (3) DETERMINE HOW LEGACY AND MEMORY RESPONSES VARY ACROSS DRYLANDS IN THE WESTERN US; AND (4) EVALUATE THE IMPORTANCE OF LEGACIES AND MEMORY FOR THE C CYCLE. TO ADDRESS THESE, THIS STUDY WILL EMPLOY MODERN STATISTICAL METHODS (WAVELET ANALYSES, MACHINE LEARNING, BAYESIAN MODELS) TO INTEGRATE DIVERSE DATASETS VARYING IN TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL COVERAGE AND RESOLUTION, INCLUDING MULTIPLE TREE-RING NETWORKS, GROUND-BASED FLUX TOWERS, SATELLITE DATA PRODUCTS, MODEL-DATA FUSION PRODUCTS, AND BIOSPHERIC MODEL OUTPUTS. THIS STUDY WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO THE MAGNITUDE AND DURATION OF CLIMATE-C-CYCLE LEGACIES, HOW THESE LEGACIES VARY ACROSS SPACE, AND THE POTENTIAL MECHANISMS GIVING RISE TO SUCH LEGACIES. THE CORE PROJECT TEAM (8 RESEARCHERS) INCLUDES 3 EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS, AND MULTIPLE ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS (POSTDOCS, PHD STUDENTS, UNDERGRADUATES). THE PROJECT INCLUDES A VARIETY OF TRAINING AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AIMED AT THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY, LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGERS, AGENCY STAKEHOLDERS, AND THE PUBLIC. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE ORGANIZING SESSIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS, A WORKSHOP FOCUSED ON ?DROUGHT LEGACIES AND TERRESTRIAL C-CYCLING,? FACILITATING INTERAGENCY COMMUNICATION VIA COLLABORATIONS WITH THE NATIONAL INTEGRATED DROUGHT INFORMATION SYSTEM, WORKING WITH PROFESSIONAL GUIDE PROGRAMS IN THE COLORADO PLATEAU REGION TO DISSEMINATE KNOWLEDGE TO THE PUBLIC, AND DEVELOPING HANDS-ON EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR THE FLAGSTAFF FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE. 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.

EPIMORPH: A SIMULATION ENVIRONMENT FOR GENERATING SPATIALLY-REFINED INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR THE CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE - PROJECT SUMMARY THE RECENT SARS-COV-2 PANDEMIC HAS HIGHLIGHTED THAT MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE IS CRITICAL FOR DATA-INFORMED DECISION MAKING. AT THE SAME TIME, HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN MADE CLEAR THAT THE MODELING COMMUNITY DOES NOT HAVE APPROPRIATELY ADVANCED INFORMATICS INFRASTRUCTURES THAT FACILITATE A RAPID CONSENSUS UNDERSTANDING DURING EPIDEMICS AND THAT PUT THE POWER OF MODELING IN THE HANDS OF LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH STAKEHOLDERS. THIS PROJECT PROPOSES THREE INTEGRATED ELEMENTS TO TRANSFORM THE WORKFLOW OF CONSTRUCTING, TESTING, AND CROWD-SOURCING SPATIAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS TO GAIN DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF EPIDEMICS, TO PROVIDE USABLE DECISION-MAKING TOOLS FOR LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS, AND TO PROPOSE CONCRETE, LOCALLY FOCUSED SOLUTIONS. OUR PROPOSAL IS TO DEVELOP A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT, COLLABORATIVE INFORMATICS FRAMEWORK FOR MODEL CONSTRUCTION, ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON, FOLLOWED BY RIGOROUS OPTIMIZATION OF SPATIAL INTERVENTION STRATEGIES. IN AIM 1, WE DESIGN EPIMORPH (EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELING RESOURCES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH), A SYSTEM THAT WILL STREAMLINE AND AUTOMATE THE CONSTRUCTION AND TESTING OF SPATIAL MODELS AGAINST BENCHMARK DATA. EPIMORPH WILL SUPPORT RAPID MODEL COMPARISONS IN A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN ENVIRONMENT TO BUILD CONSENSUS AND TO PRODUCE A BROAD UNDERSTANDING OF WHICH MODELING APPROACHES ARE MOST APPROPRIATE IN DIFFERENT SPATIAL CONTEXTS. IMPORTANTLY, EPIMORPH WILL ASSIST LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH STAKEHOLDERS WITH DECIDING ON THE BEST, COMMUNITY-CONTRIBUTED MODELS THAT ARE RELEVANT FOR THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS AND WILL THEN IMPLEMENT THOSE BEST MODELS TO MAKE LOCALLY CUSTOMIZED FORECASTS. IN AIM 2, WE MAKE ADVANCES IN THE AUTOMATION OF SPATIAL AND ROBUST OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHMS, WITH THE GOAL OF ALLOWING NON-EXPERT USERS TO GENERATE TAILOR-MADE INTERVENTION STRATEGIES RELEVANT TO THEIR LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES. HERE, WE WILL DEVELOP A TOOL KIT OF ROBUST OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHMS THAT ACCOUNT FOR VARIOUS UNCERTAINTIES AND THAT WILL GRADUALLY BUILD UPON THE FUNCTIONALITY OF EPIMORPH. IMPORTANTLY, A DRIVING MOTIVATION FOR THIS TOOL KIT IS TO ENSURE THAT THE OPTIMIZATION ROUTINES ALLOW PUBLIC HEALTH STAKEHOLDERS TO BALANCE THE CONTROL OF TRANSMISSION AND DISEASE OUTCOMES WITH THE EQUITABLE ALLOCATION OF INTERVENTIONS ACROSS RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC SECTORS. IN AIM 3, WE WILL COLLABORATE WITH A PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL TO TEST, FORMALLY EVALUATE, AND REFINE OUR MODEL-BASED TECHNOLOGIES, ENSURING THAT OUR INNOVATIONS MEET THE NEEDS OF PUBLIC HEALTH PARTNERS, WHILE ALSO APPEALING TO THE BROADER COMMUNITY OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELERS. TOGETHER OUR AIMS WILL BUILD ACCESSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES THAT PUT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELING AND OPTIMIZATION METHODS IN THE HANDS OF LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH DECISION-MAKERS.

MIM: DISCOVERING IN REVERSE ? USING ISOTOPIC TRANSLATION OF OMICS TO REVEAL ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS IN MICROBIOMES.

HARDENING SOFTWARE FOR RULE-BASED MODELING.

THIS AWARD FUNDS THE APPROVED 2023-24 FGP PROGRAM. YOUR 2023-24 STATUTORY MATCH IS 10% AND YOUR BUDGETARY MATCH IS 10.33%

SCC-IRG TRACK 1: QOYANGNUPTU: SMART, CONNECTED, AND CULTURALLY-CENTERED SYSTEM TO SUPPORT THE WELL-BEING OF HOPI/TEWA YOUTH -ACROSS THE NATION, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONCERNS FOR YOUTH ARE ON THE RISE. IN THIS CONTEXT, AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE (AIAN) YOUTH EXPERIENCE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISPARITIES AT SOME OF THE HIGHEST RATES IN THE UNITED STATES. EVEN AS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ARE BECOMING MORE AVAILABLE THROUGH MOBILE HEALTH AND TELEHEALTH INTERVENTIONS, THE LACK OF UBIQUITOUS, HIGH-SPEED INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN RURAL TRIBAL COMMUNITIES PREVENTS MANY AIAN YOUTHS FROM ACCESSING THESE CRITICAL SERVICES. IT IS IN THIS CONTEXT THAT WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH THE HOPI COMMUNITY TO PROPOSE THE Q?YANGNUPTU INTERVENTION (QI), A SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEM OF CARE THAT INTEGRATES MOBILE HEALTHCARE (MHEALTH), RELATIONAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS, AND CULTURAL WAYS OF WELL-BEING. THIS PROJECT WILL COMBINE COMMUNITY EXPERTISE WITH THE EXPERTISE OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS, EDUCATION RESEARCHERS, AND COMPUTER SCIENTISTS TO PILOT THE QI. IMPORTANTLY, THIS PROJECT WILL ENGAGE HOPI COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS CO-RESEARCHERS WHO WILL HELP SHAPE OUR RESEARCH DESIGN AND PILOT AS WE CARRY OUT THE PROJECT. THIS PROJECT ANTICIPATES RESEARCH OUTCOMES WILL BE HELPFUL TO MANY DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES WHO EXPERIENCE PERNICIOUS HEALTH AND DIGITAL DISPARITIES, INCLUDING OTHER TRIBAL COMMUNITIES, MIGRANT COMMUNITIES, AND RURAL COMMUNITIES. THE QI PILOT WILL ALLOW US TO ANSWER THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS THAT DRIVE OUR SOCIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH. THESE QUESTIONS INCLUDE: (1) IN AIAN COMMUNITIES WITH UNIQUE CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS, HOW SHOULD A YOUTH-FOCUSED SOCIOTECHNICAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTERVENTION BE DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT AND POSITIVELY IMPACT INDICATORS OF MENTAL HEALTH?; AND (2) HOW CAN INTERACTIVE TECHNICAL INTERVENTIONS BE DESIGNED TO BEST SUPPORT SUSTAINED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN A CHALLENGED NETWORK ENVIRONMENT? THIS PROJECT WILL UTILIZE AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO DESIGNING, PILOTING, AND EVALUATING THE QI; WE INTEGRATE RESEARCH EXPERTISE FROM CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, SPECIAL EDUCATION, HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION, COMPUTER NETWORKING, AND PUBLIC HEALTH. THIS PROJECT WILL TAKE A PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH APPROACH TO ENSURE THAT OUR RESEARCH IS COMMUNITY-DRIVEN. THIS PROJECT WILL PRODUCE FIVE KEY RESEARCH OUTCOMES: (I) QI APP THAT ENABLES HOPI YOUTH TO ENGAGE WITH CULTURALLY-TAILORED INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES TO BUILD SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE; (II) A CROSS-AGE PEER MENTORSHIP PROGRAM FACILITATED THROUGH THE QI APP; (III) FAMILY RESILIENCE WORKSHOPS THAT RAISE AWARENESS AND LITERACY ABOUT BEHAVIORAL AT A COMMUNITY LEVEL; (IV) A COMMUNITY-CURATED DATABASE OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESOURCES THAT HELP GUIDE HOPI YOUTH AND FAMILIES TO RELEVANT AND ACCESSIBLE RESOURCES; AND (V) DIGITAL SKILLS WORKSHOPS FOCUSED ON TRAINING HOPI YOUTH IN THE TECHNICAL DIMENSIONS OF APP DEVELOPMENT. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

ARIZONA UNIVERSITY CENTER ON DISABILITIES (AZUCD)

PROJECT TITLE: FRIENDS AND FOES: MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS AND SOIL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AFTER 23 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL WARMING

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION INSTITUTE WORK PLAN FOR 2024

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION INSTITUTE WORK PLAN FOR 2023

LEPTOSPIRA PREVALENCE, CYCLING, AND INFECTION IN THE PERIDOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT - PROJECT SUMMARY LEPTOSPIROSIS IS A COMMON ZOONOTIC DISEASE MOST PREVALENT IN THE TROPICS (HAWAII, US TERRITORIES, AND WORLDWIDE). NON-SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS CAUSE UNDERREPORTING AND OF THE 1.03 MILLION REPORTED CASES ANNUAL WORLDWIDE, ~6% DIE. INFECTIOUS LEPTOSPIRA BACTERIA CONTAMINATE THE ENVIRONMENT WHEN SHED IN URINE FROM MAMMALIAN HOSTS, AND HUMANS CAN CONTRACT LEPTOSPIROSIS DIRECTLY FROM INFECTED URINE OR FROM CONTAMINATED SOIL AND WATER. WHILE CASE INTERVIEWS HAVE IDENTIFIED RISK FACTORS FOR HUMAN INFECTIONS AND POTENTIAL RESERVOIRS, THE FEW MOLECULAR AND MICROBIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF HUMAN CASES ALMOST ALWAYS FAILED TO CONFIRM HYPOTHESIZED SOURCES, SUGGESTING THAT EXPOSURE AND POSSIBLE SOURCES HAVE NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY DEFINED AND ENVIRONMENTAL CYCLING ACROSS HOSTS, SPACE, AND TIME IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. THE COMPLEX ECOLOGY OF THIS DISEASE INVOLVES VARIOUS HOST SPECIES, SURVIVAL IN THE ENVIRONMENT, MASSIVE PATHOGEN GENETIC DIVERSITY, AND SEASONAL VARIATION IN HUMAN CASES, ALL OF WHICH ARE POORLY CHARACTERIZED AND POORLY UNDERSTOOD. DIFFICULTIES IN CULTURING LEPTOSPIRA HAVE RESTRICTED THE USE OF MODERN MOLECULAR TOOLS THAT, FOR OTHER PATHOGENS, HAVE BEEN CRITICAL FOR UNDERSTANDING CYCLING AND CONFIRMING OR REFUTING SOURCE HYPOTHESES GENERATED USING TRADITIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL APPROACHES. HOWEVER, WE RECENTLY DEVELOPED A CULTURE-FREE METHOD FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION GENOTYPING OF LEPTOSPIRA, ENABLING US TO CHARACTERIZE CYCLING PATTERNS ACROSS HOSTS, SPACE, AND TIME, AND PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY EVIDENCE LINKING INFECTIONS TO SPECIFIC SOURCES. FOR THIS STUDY, WE FOCUS ON PERIDOMESTIC ENVIRONMENTS (WHERE ANIMALS LIVE NEAR HUMAN HABITATIONS) BECAUSE THEY ARE LIKELY AN IMPORTANT, UNDERESTIMATED, AND POORLY UNDERSTOOD SOURCE FOR HUMAN INFECTIONS IN RURAL AREAS. OUR FIELD SITE IS IN CALDERON PARISH IN MANABI, WHERE LEPTOSPIROSIS CASES ARE MOST PREVALENT IN ECUADOR. COMPARED TO URBAN AREAS WHERE LEPTOSPIROSIS IS TYPICALLY STUDIED, LOW-INCOME RURAL AREAS ARE FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT: FAMILIES TYPICALLY OWN A VARIETY OF ANIMALS AND LIVESTOCK THAT ROAM IN AND AROUND HOMES CREATING EXPOSURE POTENTIAL THAT IS LARGELY ABSENT FROM URBAN ENVIRONMENTS. WE WILL SYSTEMATICALLY SAMPLE PERIDOMESTIC ENVIRONMENTS (HUMANS, OTHER ANIMALS, AND SOIL) TO CHARACTERIZE VARIATION IN PREVALENCE, PATHOGEN LOAD, AND GENOTYPE ACROSS HOSTS, TIME, AND SPACE. WE WILL ALSO RECRUIT LEPTOSPIROSIS PATIENTS TO PERFORM MICROBIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR INVESTIGATIONS OF THEIR PERIDOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT TO DETERMINE WHAT, IF ANY, PERIDOMESTIC RESERVOIRS ARE LIKELY SOURCES FOR THESE HUMAN INFECTIONS. THIS STUDY WILL PROVIDE NOVEL INSIGHTS INTO THE PREVALENCE AND CYCLING OF THIS PATHOGEN IN HOSTS AND SOIL IN THE PERIDOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT AND EACH INVESTIGATION WILL GENERATE NOVEL AND POWERFUL MOLECULAR AND MICROBIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE TO EXCLUDE OR CONFIRM THE PERIDOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT AS THE SOURCE OF EACH HUMAN INFECTION. COMPARISONS ACROSS THESE INVESTIGATIONS WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO HOW WIDESPREAD SUCH SOURCES ARE IN THIS REGION OF ECUADOR AND WILL FORM THE BASIS FOR FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS TO DETERMINE THE GENERALIZABILITY OF THESE PATTERNS. RESULTS WILL FILL MASSIVE KNOWLEDGE GAPS CRITICAL FOR TRANSMISSION CONTROL AND DISEASE PREVENTION.

THIS AWARD FUNDS THE APPROVED 2023?24 SCP PROGRAM. YOUR 2023?24 STATUTORY MATCH IS 10% AND YOUR BUDGETARY MATCH IS 11.08%

AUGMENTING ANKLE PLANTARFLEXOR FUNCTION AND WALKING CAPACITY IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY - PROJECT SUMMARY A CHILD’S ABILITY TO WALK EFFECTIVELY IS ESSENTIAL TO THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH AND GENERAL WELL-BEING. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY (CP), THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF PEDIATRIC PHYSICAL DISABILITY, HAVE DIFFICULTY WALKING AND COMPLETING HIGHER-INTENSITY AMBULATORY TASKS. THIS LEADS TO CHILDREN WITH CP ENGAGING IN LEVELS OF HABITUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT ARE WELL BELOW GUIDELINES AND THOSE OF CHILDREN WITHOUT DISABILITIES, WHICH IN TURN CONTRIBUTES TO MANY SECONDARY CONDITIONS, INCLUDING METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. THERE IS BROAD CLINICAL CONSENSUS THAT PLANTARFLEXOR DYSFUNCTION IS A PRIMARY CONTRIBUTOR TO SLOW, INEFFICIENT, AND CROUCHED WALKING PATTERNS IN CP; INDIVIDUALS WITH CP NEED MORE EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS AND MOBILITY AIDS FOR PLANTARFLEXOR DYSFUNCTION. TO MEET THIS NEED, THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO EVALUATE A HOLISTIC STRATEGY TO ADDRESS IMPAIRED MOBILITY FROM PLANTARFLEXOR DYSFUNCTION IN CP USING A LIGHTWEIGHT, DUAL-MODE (ASSISTIVE OR RESISTIVE) WEARABLE ROBOTIC DEVICE. THIS STRATEGY COMBINES TWO COMPLEMENTARY TECHNIQUES: (1) TARGETED ANKLE RESISTANCE FOR NEUROMUSCULAR GAIT TRAINING THAT PROVIDES PRECISION THERAPY TO ELICIT LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENTS IN ANKLE MUSCLE FUNCTION, AND (2) ADAPTIVE ANKLE ASSISTANCE TO MAKE WALKING EASIER DURING SUSTAINED, HIGH-INTENSITY, OR CHALLENGING TASKS. THE FIRST SPECIFIC AIM IS TO QUANTIFY IMPROVEMENT IN ANKLE MUSCLE FUNCTION AND FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY FOLLOWING TARGETED ANKLE RESISTANCE GAIT TRAINING IN AMBULATORY CHILDREN WITH CP. THE PRIMARY HYPOTHESIS FOR THE FIRST AIM IS THAT TARGETED ANKLE RESISTANCE TRAINING WILL PRODUCE LARGER IMPROVEMENTS IN LOWER-EXTREMITY MOTOR CONTROL, GAIT MECHANICS, AND CLINICAL MEASURES OF MOBILITY ASSESSED FOUR- AND TWELVE-WEEKS POST INTERVENTION COMPARED TO STANDARD PHYSICAL THERAPY AND STANDARD GAIT TRAINING. THE SECOND SPECIFIC AIM IS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF ADAPTIVE ANKLE ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE CAPACITY AND PERFORMANCE DURING SUSTAINED, HIGH-INTENSITY, AND CHALLENGING TASKS IN AMBULATORY CHILDREN WITH CP. THE PRIMARY HYPOTHESIS FOR THE SECOND AIM IS THAT ADAPTIVE ANKLE ASSISTANCE WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER CAPACITY AND PERFORMANCE DURING THE SIX-MINUTE-WALK-TEST AND GRADED TREADMILL AND STAIR STEPPING PROTOCOLS COMPARED TO WALKING WITH ANKLE FOOT ORTHOSES AND WALKING WITH JUST SHOES. BOTH SPECIFIC AIMS WILL EXPLORE THE PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS (E.G., AGE, GENDER, GMFCS LEVEL, WALKING SPEED, SPASTICITY RATING) THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE GREATEST IMPROVEMENT IN OUTCOMES FOLLOWING EACH INTERVENTION TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE FOR FUTURE CLINICAL AND AT-HOME IMPLEMENTATION. THE PROPOSED STUDIES WILL ESTABLISH FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE ABILITY FOR ADAPTIVE ANKLE INTERVENTIONS TO TREAT WALKING IMPAIRMENT RELATIVE TO STANDARD OF CARE IN CP.

IGF::CL,CT::IGF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE DIVISION FOR PURPOSES OF CREATING A BACTERIAL SELECT AGENT (BSA) REPOSITORY AND TO ACT AS A TEST-BED FOR DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) ASSAYS.

SI-1722

PROJECT RC18-1183

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INTERACTING EFFECTS OF INCREASING WILDFIRE SEVERITY AND ABRUPT PERMAFROST THAW ON THE CARBON BALANCE OF HIGH-LATITUDE ECOSYSTEMS (WATCH) -WILDFIRES ARE INCREASING IN SEVERITY AND FREQUENCY AS GLOBAL TEMPERATURES RISE. THIS TREND IS MORE PRONOUNCED IN NORTHERN ECOSYSTEMS, WHERE TEMPERATURES HAVE RISEN AT TWICE THE RATE OF THE REST OF THE GLOBE. THESE ECOSYSTEMS STORE VAST AMOUNTS OF CARBON (C) IN SOILS AND PERMAFROST ? MORE THAN DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF CARBON CURRENTLY IN THE ATMOSPHERE. MOST OF THIS PERMAFROST IS PROTECTED FROM CLIMATE-INDUCED THAW BY DEEP ORGANIC SOILS. SEVERE WILDFIRES THAT BURN DEEPLY INTO THE INSULATING LAYER OF ORGANIC SOIL CAN DESTABILIZE PERMAFROST SOILS AND LEAD TO THE LOSS OF CARBON TO THE ATMOSPHERE THAT HAS BEEN STORED FOR 100S TO 1000S OF YEARS. OUR RESEARCH SEEKS TO ASSESS HOW INCREASING WILDFIRES AFFECT PERMAFROST CARBON IN BOREAL FORESTS AND ARCTIC TUNDRA ECOSYSTEMS. THIS INFORMATION WILL IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO IDENTIFY WHERE PERMAFROST CARBON IS LIKELY TO BE LOST WITH WILDFIRE. IT WILL ALSO HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW INCREASING WILDFIRES WILL AFFECT FUTURE CLIMATE. WE WILL SPONSOR THREE ALASKAN ARTISTS TO HELP ENGAGE THE PUBLIC ON THE IMPACTS OF WILDFIRE ON BOREAL AND TUNDRA ECOSYSTEMS VIA AN ART-SCIENCE EXHIBIT, AND WE WILL ASSESS THE IMPACTS OF SCIENCE-ART INTEGRATION ON ARTISTS, SCIENTISTS, AND AUDIENCES. HISTORICALLY, BOREAL FOREST AND TUNDRA ECOSYSTEMS HAVE ACTED AS A NET CARBON SINK, ACCUMULATING CARBON FROM THE ATMOSPHERE OVER NUMEROUS FIRE CYCLES AND CENTURIES. FIRE-TRIGGERED LOSS OF PERMAFROST CARBON COULD SHIFT BOREAL AND TUNDRA ECOSYSTEMS FROM NET CARBON SINK TO NET CARBON SOURCE TO THE ATMOSPHERE. WE WILL INTEGRATE LONG-TERM FIELD OBSERVATIONS WITH NOVEL RADIOCARBON DATING METHODS AND EARTH SYSTEM MODELING TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF INCREASING WILDFIRE SEVERITY ON THE LOSS OF PERMAFROST CARBON AND CARBON SOURCE-SINK DYNAMICS IN BOREAL FOREST AND ARCTIC TUNDRA ECOSYSTEMS. THIS INFORMATION IS CRITICAL FOR PREDICTING WHERE AND WHEN HIGH-LATITUDE ECOSYSTEMS ARE LIKELY TO CROSS TIPPING POINTS AND UNDERGO STATE CHANGES, AND WHERE CURRENT MODEL REPRESENTATIONS ARE LIKELY INADEQUATE. GIVEN THAT BOREAL AND TUNDRA ECOSYSTEMS SOILS STORE APPROXIMATELY 30% OF GLOBAL TERRESTRIAL CARBON, UNDERSTANDING WHERE AND WHEN PERMAFROST SOIL CARBON IS LOST FOLLOWING WILDFIRE AND INCORPORATING THESE RESULTS INTO MODELS IS CRITICAL FOR DETERMINING WHETHER THESE ECOSYSTEMS WILL ACCELERATE OR MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH CARBON CYCLING FEEDBACKS TO CLIMATE. 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.

ECO-CBET: GOALI: AUTOTHERMAL DIRECT AIR CAPTURE (ADAC) FOR A CIRCULAR CARBON ECONOMY -LIMITING THE CATASTROPHIC EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING FROM HUMAN-GENERATED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REQUIRES SOLUTIONS THAT ELIMINATE NEW EMISSIONS AND REMOVE THOSE THAT CANNOT BE AVOIDED OR WERE EMITTED IN THE PAST. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON DIRECT AIR CAPTURE (DAC) MATERIALS AND PROCESSES THAT SEPARATE AND CONCENTRATE CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) FROM THE AIR. THE GOAL IS TO CONVERT THIS MAJOR GREENHOUSE GAS INTO CARBON NEUTRAL FUELS/CHEMICALS OR PERMANENTLY STORE IT. IMPORTANT EARLY DEMONSTRATION OF DAC SYSTEMS REVEALS THE NEED FOR LESS ENERGY INTENSIVE PROCESSES AND LESS COSTLY MATERIALS. THIS PROJECT EXPLORES A SOLID SORPTION-BASED SEPARATION USING LOW-COST POLYMER-BASED HYBRID SORBENTS THAT CAN RELEASE AND CONCENTRATE CAPTURED CO2 USING MOISTURE AND HEAT PRODUCED DURING WATER SORPTION. FURTHER, THESE MATERIALS WILL INTEGRATE WITHIN A SYSTEM DESIGNED TO UTILIZE LOW-GRADE WATER SOURCES AND RENEWABLE POWER. THE PROCESS AND MATERIAL RESEARCH WILL BE CO-DESIGNED WITH INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN WHICH THE TECHNOLOGY MAY BE ADOPTED TO OPTIMIZE NET BENEFITS SUCH AS PURIFIED WATER AND RENEWABLE FUELS OR CHEMICALS. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO DESIGN NOVEL CO2 CAPTURE SORBENTS WHICH REGENERATE VIA AN AUTOTHERMAL VACUUM MOISTURE SWING (AVMS) INTEGRATED WITH DOWNSTREAM CO2 UTILIZATION. THE HETEROGENEOUS SORPTION SITES WILL BALANCE HEATS OF WATER ADSORPTION WITH HEATS OF CO2 DESORPTION. THE PIS HYPOTHESIZE THAT HEAT OF WATER SORPTION CAN BE BALANCED TO MEET BOTH THE HYDRATION AND THERMAL LOADS OF CO2 DESORPTION, REDUCING EXTERNAL HEAT INPUTS TO THE OVERALL DAC OPERATION. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, THE TEAM WILL COMBINE APPROACHES OF SORBENT MATERIAL SYNTHESIS, MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION, NEW UNIT OPERATION AND PROCESS MODELS, AND FEED THESE INTO LIFE CYCLE AND TECHNOECONOMIC ANALYSES OF REVENUE GENERATING SYSTEMS. THE OUTCOME OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITIES WILL BE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF MULTI-COMPONENT ADSORPTION AND HOW TO TUNE THE DIFFERENT STRENGTHS OF WATER VAPOR AND CO2 HEAT OF SORPTION NECESSARY FOR AUTOTHERMAL BASED SEPARATIONS. INTEGRATING MATERIAL AND PROCESS DESIGN WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT EXPLORES RISKS AND BENEFITS OF DIFFERENT CARBON REMOVAL AND UTILIZATION CONFIGURATIONS WILL ENABLE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE AND IMPACTFUL INNOVATION. 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.

23-PSTAR23_2-0052 IN SITU EXPLORATION OF TERRESTRIAL SILICA SINTER DEPOSITS WITH TERRA-CAM AND TERRA-TES

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR TESTING MULTI-ECHELON DIAGNOSTICS IN A RESOURCE LIMITED ENDEMIC SETTING: HUMAN PLAGUE IN MADAGASCAR.

IGF::OT::IGF SERDP PROJECT NUMBER RC 2327 FOR "ROLE OF THE SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITY IN SAGEBRUSH (ARTEMISIA TIDENTATA) AND SQUIRRELTAIL (ELYMUS ELEMOIDES) SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT IN CHEATGRASS-INVADED HABITATS"

CAMPUS BASED-FWS

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENT RETENTION AND DEGREE ATTAINMENT IN UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAMS

C-CART: CULTURALLY CENTERED ADDICTIONS RESEARCH TRAINING - PROJECT SUMMARY DESPITE DECADES OF RESEARCH AND ADVANCEMENT IN HEALTH CARE, THERE ARE LIMITED DOCTORAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS THAT SPECIFICALLY BOOST THE RESEARCH TRAINING FOR THE WORKFORCE IN THE AREA OF SUBSTANCE USE (SU) AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (SUDS), PARTICULARLY WITH UNDERSERVED AMERICAN INDIAN (AI), HISPANIC, AND RURAL POPULATIONS WHO FACE A NUMBER OF HEALTH DISPARITIES.1-6 RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES AND RURAL RESIDENTS OFTEN HAVE HIGH RATES OF SU AND SUDS AND EXPERIENCE HIGH RATES OF POOR HEALTH OUTCOMES AND PREMATURE MORTALITY DUE, IN PART, TO DIFFICULTY ACCESSING EVIDENCE-BASED COMPREHENSIVE AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT CARE.7 GIVEN THE NEED TO EQUIP CLINICIANS AND RESEARCHERS WITH RESEARCH SKILLS IN SU AND SUD INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES IN HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE SETTINGS, OUR PROPOSED RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM WILL PREPARE DOCTORAL-LEVEL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO CONDUCT CULTURALLY-CENTERED RESEARCH TO ADDRESS SU AND SUDS IN PRACTICE SETTINGS. WITH A SHIFT TOWARDS TELEHEALTH DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE NEED FOR CULTURALLY RELEVANT TRAINING AMONG HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS IS MORE URGENT NOW THAN EVER. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROGRAM, CULTURALLY CENTERED ADDICTIONS RESEARCH TRAINING (C-CART), IS TO EDUCATE CLINICIANS, PROVIDERS, AND DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN HEALTH PROFESSIONS (OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY [OT], PHYSICAL THERAPY [PT], COUNSELING, SCHOOL, & CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY) IN RESEARCH SKILLS THAT INCLUDE CULTURALLY-CENTERED PRACTICES, RELATED TO SU AND SUDS WHICH CAN BE APPLIED IN INTERPROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND DIVERSE SETTINGS. THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF THIS PROJECT ARE: AIM 1: DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT AN INTERPROFESSIONAL ADVANCED GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN CULTURALLY-CENTERED SU AND SUD RESEARCH FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN: A) CLINICAL, COUNSELING, AND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY, B) OT, C) PT, AND D) INTERDISCIPLINARY HEALTH, AS WELL AS DOCTORAL-TRAINED, PRACTICING CLINICIANS IN THE COMMUNITY; AIM 2: FOSTER INTERPROFESSIONAL AND COLLABORATIVE TEAMWORK AMONG SCHOLARS FROM 5 DOCTORAL PROGRAMS AND THE STUDENTS WHO ARE CLINICAL CARE PROVIDERS AS THEY DEVELOP CULTURALLY-CENTERED RESEARCH PROJECTS FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING AND CURTAILING SU AND SUDS AMONG AI, HISPANIC, AND RURAL POPULATIONS BEING SERVED IN HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE SETTINGS; AIM 3: EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM THROUGH FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE EVALUATION OF LEARNING OUTCOMES, LONGITUDINAL TRACKING OF SCHOLAR CAREERS, AND DOCUMENTATION OF COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH EFFORTS AND PRODUCTS DEVELOPED BY STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND MENTORS; AND AIM 4: DISSEMINATE RESEARCH PRODUCTS THROUGH SCHOLAR RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS AT AN INTERPROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE, SUBMISSION OF PEER-REVIEWED MANUSCRIPTS RELATED TO PROGRAM OUTCOMES, COMPLETION OF CAPSTONE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES THAT EMERGE FROM THE PROGRAM, AND A WEBSITE HIGHLIGHTING PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS.

DISES:RESTORATION OF A SOUTHWESTERN CULTURAL KEYSTONE SPECIES: INTEGRATING SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS TO PREDICT RESILIENCE OF TRADITIONAL ACORN HARVEST BY WESTERN APACHE COMMUNITIES -FOR MANY NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES, SPIRITUAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES RELY ON NATURAL RESOURCES THAT PROVIDE FOOD, DYES, MEDICINES, AND MATERIALS FOR TRADITIONAL CRAFTS. IN THE SOUTHWESTERN US, WESTERN APACHE PEOPLE USE EMORY OAK ACORNS (CHI-CHIL) TO COOK TRADITIONAL OR CEREMONIAL FOODS. FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, APACHE TRIBES MANAGED KEY PROCESSES IN OAK WOODLANDS, MOVING ACORNS AROUND THE LANDSCAPE, SHAPING FIRE PATTERNS, AND HUNTING WILDLIFE THAT FEED ON ACORNS AND YOUNG PLANTS. SIMILARLY, OAK FORESTS SUPPORTED CULTURAL PRACTICES, PROVIDED NUTRITIOUS FOOD, AND ENCOURAGED FAMILIES TO MEET, GIVING ELDERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TEACH NEW GENERATIONS ABOUT TRADITIONAL LIFE WAYS. FOR THESE REASONS, THE HEALTH OF BOTH APACHE COMMUNITIES AND OAK WOODLANDS ARE LINKED. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WESTERN APACHE TRIBES AND EMORY OAKS WAS DISRUPTED AFTER MOST APACHE PEOPLE WERE MOVED TO RESERVATIONS IN THE 1800S. NOW, EMORY OAKS ARE DECLINING DUE TO FACTORS LIKE DROUGHT, WHICH ARE INCREASING IN SEVERITY DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. AT THE SAME TIME, FEWER YOUNG APACHE TRIBAL MEMBERS HARVEST ACORNS THAN IN THE PAST. BY EXAMINING PATTERNS HIDDEN IN THE DNA AND TREE RINGS OF EMORY OAK, COMBINED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF TRIBAL ELDERS, RESEARCHERS, AND TRIBAL MEMBERS PIECE TOGETHER KEY ASPECTS OF THE TRADITIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN APACHE PEOPLE AND OAKS. LESSONS FROM THE PAST COMBINED WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF MODERN OAK WOODLANDS ALLOWS RESEARCHERS TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO BETTER CONSERVE OAKS, AND IN DOING SO, SUPPORT APACHE TRADITIONS RELATED TO ACORN HARVEST. THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAINING OF INDIGENOUS SCHOLARS BY REACHING OUT TO UNDERGRADUATE INTERNS AND GRADUATE FELLOWS AT HISTORICALLY INDIGENOUS LEARNING INSTITUTIONS. BRODER IMPACTS WILL ALSO ARISE FROM A NOVEL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES TRIBAL PROFESSIONALS AND/OR ELDERS ON STUDENT ADVISING TEAMS TO FOSTER A SUPPORTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, INCREASE STUDENT RETENTION, AND INTEGRATE TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE INTO WESTERN SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE FRAMEWORKS. THE RESEARCH WILL SUPPORT TRIBAL YOUTH INITIATIVES AND INTERGENERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER, AND IT WILL CURATE SOCIOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION TO ENSURE PERSISTENCE OF REGIONAL INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE. FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS THE APACHE PEOPLE INFLUENCED THE OAK ECOSYSTEMS, BY MOVING ACORNS AROUND THE LANDSCAPE, ALTERING PATTERNS OF DISTURBANCE LIKE FIRE REGIMES, AND AFFECTING WILDLIFE CONSUMPTION OF ACORNS AND SEEDLINGS. WHEN APACHE COMMUNITIES WERE RELOCATED ONTO RESERVATIONS, TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT AND KNOWLEDGE OF THESE OAK WOODLANDS WAS LARGELY LOST. TODAY, OAK POPULATIONS ARE DECLINING, AND FEWER APACHE YOUTH PRACTICE TRADITIONAL HARVEST. IN THE CASE OF EMORY OAKS, CLIMATE CHANGE DRIVES HABITATS TO COOLER OR WETTER AREAS, SOMETIMES AWAY FROM TRIBAL LANDS, AND INTENSIFIES DISTURBANCES LIKE DROUGHT AND FIRE THAT CAN DESTROY TRADITIONAL GATHERING SITES. TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, THIS RESEARCH RECONSTRUCTS KEY COMPONENTS OF THE PAST EMORY OAK-WESTERN APACHE SYSTEM USING APACHE ORAL HISTORY AND ECOLOGICAL MESSAGES FROM THE PAST. ECOLOGICAL DATA WILL BE COLLECTED FROM TREE RINGS AND GENETIC SAMPLING. THE RESEARCHERS WILL INTEGRATE THIS HISTORICAL INFORMATION INTO MODELS, IN COMBINATION WITH DATA DESCRIBING CURRENT ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION AND CULTURAL PRACTICES USING MULTI-PARADIGM MODELING TECHNIQUES. THESE ANALYTICAL METHODS WILL INTEGRATE SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL VARIABLES, FLOWS, AND FEEDBACKS WITHIN COMPLEX SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS AND ADVANCE SOCIO- ECOLOGICAL MODELING, WHICH NECESSITATES THE INCORPORATION OF DISPARATE DATA TYPES INTO QUANTITATIVE FRAMEWORKS TO EXPLORE EMERGENT SYSTEM PROPERTIES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MRA: STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVING CLIMATE CHANGE AND INVASIVE SPECIES: INTEGRATING MULTI-SCALE REMOTE SENSING AND EXPERIMENTAL COMMON GARDENS

PROMOTING STEM EDUCATION ACCESS THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS, ENGINEERING EDUCATION MICROCREDENTIALS, AND A COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL NEED FOR RECRUITING, PREPARING, AND SUPPORTING HIGHLY EFFECTIVE MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND ENGINEERING EDUCATORS IN GRADES 7-12. THE PROJECT WILL CONTINUE AND BUILD ON PRIOR EFFORTS TO RECRUIT AND SUPPORT UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE MAJORS TO PURSUE PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION CERTIFICATION. THE PROJECT WILL STRENGTHEN A PARTNERSHIP WITH A COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO ENCOURAGE MORE STUDENTS TO CONSIDER MATHEMATICS OR SCIENCE TEACHING AS A PROFESSION, INCLUDING THOSE FROM ETHNICALLY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. THERE IS INCREASED INTEREST IN ENGINEERING AT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS AROUND THE COUNTRY. RESPONDING TO THIS INTEREST, THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH EXPERIENCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION THROUGH SUPPLEMENTAL COURSEWORK AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO EARN AN ENGINEERING EDUCATION MICROCREDENTIAL. FINALLY, THIS PROJECT PROVIDES NEW GRADUATES SUPPORT VIA A SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE FIRST-YEAR TEACHING READINESS AND PROMOTE CONTINUED GROWTH AND COLLABORATIVE NETWORKING. THIS PROJECT AT NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY (NAU) INCLUDES A PARTNERSHIP WITH COCONINO COMMUNITY COLLEGE (CCC), FLAGSTAFF URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND SINAGUA MIDDLE SCHOOL. SEVERAL PROJECT GOALS WILL GUIDE THE WORK OF THE INVESTIGATORS FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS. FIRST IS TO PROVIDE 30 UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS/SCIENCE MAJORS WITH UP TO TWO YEARS OF SCHOLARSHIPS TO PURSUE TEACHER CERTIFICATION. SECOND IS TO SUPPORT A PARTNERSHIP WITH CCC TO INCREASE RECRUITMENT OF POTENTIAL STEM MAJORS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. THIRD IS TO SUPPORT UP TO 48 STUDENTS PER YEAR (AFTER YEAR 1) IN AN ENGINEERING EDUCATION MICROCREDENTIAL PROGRAM. THE FOURTH AND FINAL GOAL IS TO PROVIDE NEW GRADUATES SUPPORT IN PREPARING FOR THEIR FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING THROUGH A SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM. ALL OF THESE EFFORTS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE LONG-TERM RETENTION AND SUCCESS OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS TO EFFECTIVELY EDUCATE STUDENTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND PROVIDE EXPANDED STEM EXPERIENCES THROUGH INCORPORATION OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN HIGH-NEED DISTRICTS. PROGRAM EFFICACY FOR ATTRACTING, DEVELOPING, AND RETAINING EFFECTIVE SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHERS WILL BE MEASURED BY DETERMINING TO WHAT EXTENT SCHOLARS PARTICIPATE IN STEM RECRUITMENT AND TEACHING/LEARNING ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS THE ENGINEERING EDUCATION MICROCREDENTIAL AND SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAMS, AND TO WHAT EXTENT THE UNIVERSITY/COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP BROADENS PARTICIPATION IN THE MATHEMATICS/SCIENCE TEACHING CAREERS. THIS TRACK 1: SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROGRAM SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE K-12 STEM TEACHERS AND EXPERIENCED, EXEMPLARY K-12 TEACHERS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTIVENESS AND RETENTION OF K-12 STEM TEACHER IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

DIVISION: CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL PPA: CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL THRUST: BIOLOGICAL PROGRAM: SURVEILLANCE AND DETECTION - R&D PROJECT: BIOASSAYS - NEXT GENERATION PERFORMER: TBD APPROPRIATION YEAR: FY10 (02 FUNDS) BUDGET AUTHORITY: THREE-YEAR R&D FUNDS PROJECT MANAGER: DAVID HODGE LEAD SUPPORT STAFF: MINA YU BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) 10-02: NON-IMMUNOLOGICAL DETECTION OF BACTERIAL BIOTHREAT AGENT ANTIGENS ALC: 70-08-1513 APPS: 70020800 DESCRIPTION: THE PURPOSE OF THIS REQUISITION IS TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICAL DETECTION TECHNOLOGY IN SUPPORT OF DETECT-TO-PROTECT PROJECTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CCRI: NEW: DISTRIBUTED SENSING & COMPUTING OVER SPARSE ENVIRONMENTS (DISCOVER) PLATFORM

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CRUSTNET: GLOBAL DETERMINANTS OF BIODIVERSITY IN BIOCRUSTS, AND OUTCOMES FOR ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION, RESISTANCE AND RESILIENCE -IN SIGNIFICANT PARTS OF THE EARTH FOR THE PAST ~TWO BILLION YEARS, SOILS HAVE INCLUDED A ?LIVING SKIN? ON THE SURFACE, MADE BY TINY PLANTS AND MICROBES, AND CALLED A BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUST, OR BIOCRUST. BIOCRUSTS ARE CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT FOR HELPING TO SUPPORT THE ECOSYSTEMS THEY INHABIT BY MAKING SOIL FERTILE, STORING OR REDIRECTING WATER, AND STOPPING EROSION. BIOCRUSTS ALSO BOOST THE DIVERSITY OF LIVING THINGS PRESENT IN AN AREA. THE CRUSTNET PROJECT WILL DETERMINE WHAT CONTROLS THE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF BIOCRUSTS AROUND THE WORLD. BIODIVERSITY PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN HELPING ECOSYSTEMS ACCLIMATE AND/OR ADAPT TO CHANGES IN CLIMATE AND LAND USE, AND IT CAN HELP ECOSYSTEMS RECOVER AFTER EXPERIENCING STRESS. THUS, A SECOND GOAL OF THE RESEARCH IS TO DETERMINE ? IN MANY DIFFERENT PLACES ? IF THE BIODIVERSITY PRESENT IN BIOCRUSTS LEADS TO MORE RESISTANT OR RESILIENT ECOSYSTEMS. THIS RESEARCH WILL ALSO PROVIDE DATA AND TOOLS TO BETTER PREDICT THE OUTCOMES OF CLIMATE AND LAND USE CHANGE ON BIOCRUSTS, AS WELL AS THE IMPACTS ON PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN AND RELY ON BIOCRUST-RICH ECOSYSTEMS. IN THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING THESE STUDIES, A GLOBAL NETWORK OF DIVERSE RESEARCHERS WILL BE ESTABLISHED. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE A UNIQUE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY FOR A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER. A DOCUMENTARY FILM WILL BE PRODUCED ABOUT THE PROJECT, SHARED ONLINE AND SHOWN AT FESTIVAL SCREENINGS TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS. CRUSTNET WILL BE A NETWORKED, DISTRIBUTED STUDY OF BIOCRUST ECOLOGY, WITH PARTICIPANTS DISTRIBUTED GLOBALLY. GROUPS OF RESEARCHERS WILL CONDUCT THE SAME SET OF STUDIES AND COLLECT THE SAME TYPES OF DATA, WHICH WILL THEN BE POOLED TOGETHER TO CREATE AN UNPRECEDENTED GLOBAL DATABASE ABOUT BIOCRUSTS. ALL CONTRIBUTORS WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE PREPARATION AND PUBLICATION OF RESEARCH PRODUCTS. CRUSTNET WILL ADDRESS: (1) DETERMINANTS OF GLOBAL SCALE FUNCTIONAL BIODIVERSITY OF BIOCRUSTS; (2) DETERMINANTS OF THE VARIABILITY AND SHAPE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION ACROSS ECOSYSTEMS; AND (3) EFFECTS OF BIOCRUST FUNCTIONAL BIODIVERSITY ON ECOSYSTEM RESISTANCE AND RESILIENCE TO PHYSICAL DISTURBANCE AND CLIMATE CHANGE. A TIERED RESEARCH PROTOCOL, INCLUDING LOW-COST OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES AND MANIPULATIVE EXPERIMENTS, WILL BE DEPLOYED AT MANY INTERNATIONAL SITES. TIER 1 INCLUDES MANDATORY COMPONENTS SUCH AS DETAILED SURVEYS OF THE COMPOSITION OF BIOCRUSTS, MEASUREMENT OF ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS ALONG A BIOCRUST DEVELOPMENT GRADIENT, AND CONTRIBUTION OF SAMPLES TO A TRAIT DATABASE. TIER 2 INCLUDES LOW-COST EXPERIMENTALLY-APPLIED PHYSICAL DISTURBANCE OF THE SOIL AND SUBSEQUENT TRACKING OF THE RESPONSE OF BIOCRUSTS. TIER 3 INCLUDES EXPERIMENTAL CLIMATE MANIPULATIONS USING RECIPROCAL TRANSPLANTATIONS AND RAINFALL REDUCTION USING PASSIVE SHELTERS. THESE EXPERIMENTS WILL BE FOUNDATIONAL TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF DETERMINANTS OF BIOCRUST DIVERSITY, FUNCTION AND RESPONSE TO DISTURBANCE. PROVIDING ANSWERS TO THESE LINES OF INQUIRY WILL LEAD TO NEW GLOBAL INSIGHTS, AND THE ABILITY TO COMPARE BIOCRUST MICROBIAL BIODIVERSITY WITH THOSE OF PLANT AND ANIMAL COMMUNITIES. A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROJECT WILL GAIN UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IN INTERNATIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION. INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT WILL BE DISSEMINATED VIA A PUBLICLY-SCREENED DOCUMENTARY FILM. 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.

CAREER: TEMPORAL AND TRANSGENERATIONAL GENOMIC AND EPIGENETIC EFFECTS OF HYBRIDIZATION IN LONG-GENERATION TREE SPECIES

ARIZONA DATA SCIENCE CORPS -TTHE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS EMPHASIZED THAT THERE IS CURRENTLY A DEARTH OF TEACHERS PREPARED TO FACILITATE DATA SCIENCE EDUCATION IN ARIZONA. ARIZONA DATA SCIENCE CORPS (AZDSC) WILL HELP TO ADDRESS THIS SHORTFALL BY (1) SUPPORTING THE DATA SCIENCE EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OF NINETY 6TH-12TH GRADE MATH/STAT/COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS, NINETY 6TH-12TH GRADE NON-MATH/STAT/COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS; AND (2) LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT, ADOPTION, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ARIZONA K-12 DATA SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS. ARIZONA DATA SCIENCE CORPS WILL SUPPORT DATA SCIENCE EDUCATION ACROSS THE WHOLE STATE OF ARIZONA WITH PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH AZDSC OCCURRING IN EVERY REGION OF ARIZONA AND IMPACTING EVERY EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AGENCY DISTRICT IN THE STATE. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE DATA SCIENCE EDUCATION AND SUPPORT TO ALL FIFTEEN ARIZONA COUNTIES THROUGH A REGIONAL (NORTH, SOUTH, CENTRAL) HYBRID MODEL, WHICH WILL DIRECTLY IMPACT 180 6TH-12TH GRADE TEACHERS AND APPROXIMATELY 18,000 OF THEIR 6TH-12TH GRADE STUDENTS. AZDSC WILL PROVIDE THREE DIFFERENT PATHWAYS FOR BROADENING STUDENT, TEACHER, AND RESEARCHER INVOLVEMENT IN CAREER EXPLORATIONS AND DATA SCIENCE LEARNING. TO RESEARCH TEACHER LEARNING AND STUDENT DATA LITERACY, THIS STUDY WILL EMPLOY A DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH (DBR) APPROACH TO UNCOVER, EXPLORE, AND VALIDATE THEORETICAL RELATIONSHIPS WHILE DEVELOPING CORRESPONDING DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR INTERVENTIONS. MIXED METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS, INCLUDING SURVEYS AND SUBSEQUENT QUANTITATIVE ANALYSES OF PROJECT ARTIFACTS, WILL SUPPORT UNDERSTANDING DATA SCIENCE EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. ULTIMATELY, THIS WORK WILL INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARIZONA'S DATA SCIENCE EDUCATION STATE STANDARDS. 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. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT IS CO-FUNDED BY THE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS (ITEST) PROGRAM, WHICH SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT BUILD UNDERSTANDINGS OF PRACTICES, PROGRAM ELEMENTS, CONTEXTS AND PROCESSES CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASING STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE AND INTEREST IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) CAREERS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: WILL CHANGES IN VEGETATION COMPOSITION SLOW CLIMATE-DRIVEN WILDFIRE GROWTH IN THE BOREAL FORESTS OF NORTHWESTERN NORTH AMERICA?

MATERIALS INTERFACES RESEARCH AND ACCESS-(MIRA-PREM)- AN NSF PREM CENTER -NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY IS A HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION (HSI) WITH UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY (URM) STUDENTS MAKING UP ~40% OF THE STUDENT POPULATION. NAU?S CENTER FOR MATERIALS INTERFACES IN RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS (?MIRA!) SUPPORTS THE APPLIED PHYSICS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE (APMS), INFORMATICS AND COMPUTING, AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PHD PROGRAMS AND MULTIPLE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS ACROSS THE NAU STEM ENTERPRISE. THE ?MIRA-PREM! PARTNERSHIP CONSISTING OF NAU, PASADENA CITY COLLEGE (PCC), AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN (UT-AUSTIN) CENTER FOR DYNAMICS AND CONTROL OF MATERIALS (CDCM)-NSF-MATERIALS RESEARCH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER (MRSEC) IS DESIGNED TO: 1) CREATE CLEAR, FOCUSED, HIGH-IMPACT MATERIALS RESEARCH PROJECTS WITH INCLUSIVE, SUPPORTIVE RESEARCH TEAMS, AND 2) CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE, COMMUNITY-REFLECTIVE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES. ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO POSITIVELY TRANSFORM EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE, HOWEVER, WITHOUT PROACTIVE MECHANISMS OF INCLUSION, MAY DISPROPORTIONATELY LEAVE BEHIND COMMUNITIES MOST IN NEED, PARTICULARLY IN EDUCATION AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT MATERIALS RESEARCH IS ACCESSIBLE, AND FUTURE MATERIALS RESEARCH WORKFORCE AND LEADERSHIP- FROM ENTRY LEVEL TO THE MOST SENIOR POSITIONS- ARE REFLECTIVE, ESPECIALLY OF HISTORICALLY MINORITIZED AND UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY COMMUNITIES (HMURM). ?MIRA-PREM! IS DESIGNED TO DEMONSTRATE ACTIVE MECHANISMS TO MEET THIS ACCESSIBILITY DEMAND. ?MIRA-PREM! WILL SUPPORT MATERIALS EDUCATION AND RESEARCH PATHWAYS FROM THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO THE PHD LEVEL THROUGH CULTURALLY AND COMMUNITY REFLECTIVE PROGRAMMING AND ENGAGEMENT. FUNDAMENTAL TO INCREASING PARTICIPATION IN MATERIALS RESEARCH IS MAKING SCIENCE EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE BEYOND THOSE ALREADY ENGAGED. ?MIRA-PREM! INVITES STUDENTS, PARTICULARLY HMURM STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE AND THRIVE AS THEMSELVES, NOT ASSIMILATE INTO A WORLD OF RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY. ?MIRA-PREM! STUDENT PROGRAMS, SUCH AS SPARKING CURIOSITY IN STEM (SPARCS) (COMMUNITY OUTREACH INTERVENTION), CLUB SCIENTIFICO DE SPARCS (CCSPARCS)- A MULTILINGUAL STEM COMMUNICATION PROGRAM, AND UT CDCM REU ARE DESIGNED TO 1) ENHANCE SCIENTIFIC SKILLS AND COMMUNICATION; 2) COMBAT IMPOSTER SYNDROME, AND 3) EMPOWER THROUGH COMMUNITY AND ENGAGEMENT. ?MIRA-PREM! CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH IS ORGANIZED VIA FOCUS AREAS (FAS). !MIRA-PREM! FA1: NEW MATERIALS FOR CONTROLLED LIGHT-MATTER INTERACTIONS. CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL TEAMS WILL EXPLORE 1) REGULATION OF MATERIAL OPTICAL PROPERTIES THROUGH RATIONAL DESIGN; 2) LIGHT-INDUCED EMERGENT MATERIALS BEHAVIOR, AND 3) PHOTONIC RESPONSE OF NON-EQUILIBRIUM MATERIALS. INVESTIGATED SYSTEMS RANGE FROM QUANTUM TO MACRO-SCALES AND SOFT/BIO TO SOLID STATE. FA2: ELECTRORESPONSIVE MATERIALS. NANOSTRUCTURED AND SOLID-STATE MATERIALS WILL BE EXPLORED TOWARD UNDERSTANDING HOW MATERIAL INTERFACES DRIVE ELECTRO-INDUCED BEHAVIOR. PROPOSED RESEARCH EFFORTS WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENT IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MATERIAL INTERFACES CAN BE DESIGNED, CONTROLLED, OR REGULATED TOWARD EMERGENT BEHAVIOR IN NOVEL MATERIAL SYSTEMS FOR OPTICAL AND ELECTRONIC ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS INCLUDING QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE (QIS), ENERGY, MICROELECTRONICS, SENSING, AND BEYOND. PCC AND NAU STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS WILL BENEFIT FROM ACCESS TO WORLD-CLASS FACILITIES AND EXPERTISE OF UT AUSTIN?S CDCM AND INTEGRATE VIA CDCM?S REU PROGRAM, SUPPORTED STUDENT RESEARCH EXCHANGES AND CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL MENTORING AND ENGAGEMENT. PROPOSED RESEARCH BUILDS UPON EXPERTISE AND CAPABILITIES EXISTING IN THE UT CDCM MRSEC AND ALIGNS STRONGLY WITH RESEARCH INTERESTS AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH GROUPS (IRGS): IRG 1: FUEL-DRIVEN PLURIPOTENT MATERIALS, AND: IRG 2: ENGINEERED FUNCTIONALITY IN ATOMICALLY THIN HETEROSTRUCTURES. 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.

THE SOUTHWEST FOREST HEALTH AND WILDFIRE PREVENTION ACT (PUBLIC LAW 108-317) ESTABLISHED THREE UNIVERSITY-BASED SOUTHWEST ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION INSTITUTES IN ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO, AND COLORADO. THIS MISSION ESSENTIAL AGREEMENT IS REQUIRED FOR THE COOPERATOR TO CO-DEVELOP, TRANSLATE, AND APPLY ACTIONABLE KNOWLEDGE IN COLLABORATION WITH FOREST LAND MANAGERS AND PARTNERS TO FOSTER SUSTAINABLE FIRE-RESILIENT FORESTS FOR TIMBER AND OTHER BENEFITS FOR COMMUNITIES AND NATURE, NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE. AS SPECIFIED BY THE ACT, THE DUTIES OF THE SOUTHWEST ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION INSTITUTES ARE TO: 1) DEVELOP, CONDUCT RESEARCH ON, TRANSFER, PROMOTE, AND MONITOR RESTORATION-BASED HAZARDOUS FUEL REDUCTION TREATMENTS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF SEVERE WILDFIRES TO VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AND IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF DRY FOREST AND WOODLAND ECOSYSTEMS IN THE INTERIOR WEST; 2) SYNTHESIZE AND ADAPT SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS FROM CONVENTIONAL RESEARCH TO IMPLEMENT RESTORATION-BASED HAZARDOUS FUEL REDUCTION TREATMENTS ON A LANDSCAPE SCALE USING A MORE MODERN AND EFFICIENT ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK; 3) TRANSLATE FOR AND TRANSFER TO AFFECTED ENTITIES ANY SCIENTIFIC AND INTERDISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HAZARDOUS FUEL REDUCTION TREATMENTS; 4) ASSIST AFFECTED ENTITIES WITH THE DESIGN OF ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT APPROACHES (INCLUDING MONITORING) FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF REDUCING WILDFIRE RISK; AND 5) PROVIDE PEER-REVIEWED ANNUAL REPORTS.