Robert Jones - US grants

The project described in this proposal is designed to define the biochemical, biologic and pharmacologic significance of hematin-derived anticoagulant (HDA). HDA produces prolongation of clotting times in vitro and in vivo. HDA is a derivative or degradation product which is produced when hematin is allowed to stand in solution or when it is infused into rats. HDA will be purified and identified from in vitro and in vivo sources by chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. This will test the hypothesis that HDA is a single derivative of hematin (heme) which is capable of interacting with coagulation proteins to produce profound functional effects. The mechanism of interaction of HDA with the specific proteins fibrinogen, thrombin and factor VIII:C will be defined by determining binding affinities and effects on enzymatic function with natural and synthetic substrates. The specific techniques of UV-Vis spectroscopy, equilibrium dialysis and antagonism with iron binding compounds will test the hypothesis that iron or a trace metal is involved in the interaction of HDA with clotting proteins. The production and mechanism of HDA in vivo will be defined with isolated hepatic heme metabolic systems and whole animals. This will test the hypothesis that HDA is a metabolic product of heme and that the mechanism is identical to that seen in vitro. Specific techniques involve radioisotope and pharmacologic probes. Finally, the pharmacologic potential of HDA will be determined by pharmacokinetic and efficacy studies utilizing radiolabelled HDA and various routes of administration. Completion of these studies will define the biochemical, physiologic and pharmacologic significance of HDA.

Iron, one of the most abundant metals in the biosphere, is a critical nutrient to most biological systems. Due to its characteristic Fe(II) to Fe(III) redox potential iron participates in a wide range of crucial biochemical reactions. Most, if not all organisms have evolved complex iron binding, transport, and storage molecules to maintain iron homeostasis. Microbes manufacture low molecular weight siderophores which bind iron and promote the growth of the organism. In higher animals, iron transport and storage proteins such as transferrin and ferritin have been well characterized. Not well characterized, however, is the intermediate iron transport system between transferrin, ferritin and other sites of iron deposition. Low molecular weight ligands which may fulfill this function in higher animals have been hypothesized but not identified. We have identified and purified a peptide of approximately 1,500 molecular weight which displays siderophore activity. This compound, Host Associated Iron Transfer Factor (HAITF), was isolated from mammalian tissue and has been shown to promote growth of gram negative bacteria by an iron transport mechanism. This proposal outlines a plan for further characterizing the chemical nature and metabolic significance of this compound. Studies are designed to determine the primary structure, spectroscopic parameters associated with iron binding and to elucidate the iron binding ligands on the molecule. Metabolic studies are designed to assess any possible role in intracellular iron transport. Finally, studies of HAITF will continue in disease states, associated with abnormal iron homeostasis. This project will not only assess the significance of this compound as an iron transport mechanism, but should provide new insight into the regulation of iron metabolism and mechanisms associated with abnormal iron homeostasis.

Iron, one of the most abundant metals in the biosphere, is a critical nutrient to most biological systems. Due to its characteristic Fe(II) to Fe(III) redox potential iron participates in a wide range of crucial biochemical reactions. Most, if not all organisms have evolved complex iron binding, transport, and storage molecules to maintain iron homeostasis. Microbes manufacture low molecular weight siderophores which bind iron and promote the growth of the organism. In higher animals, iron transport and storage proteins such as transferrin and ferritin have been well characterized. Not well characterized, however, is the intermediate iron transport system between transferrin, ferritin and other sites of iron deposition. Low molecular weight ligands which may fulfill this function in higher animals have been hypothesized but not identified. We have identified and purified a peptide of approximately 1500 molecular weight which displays siderophore activity. This compound, Host Associated Iron Transfer Factor (HAITF), was isolated from mammalian tissue and has been shown to promote growth of gram negative bacteria by an iron transport mechanism. This proposal outlines a plan for further characterizing the chemical nature and metabolic significance of this compound. Studies are designed to determine the primary structure, spectroscopic parameters associated with iron binding and to elucidate the iron binding ligands on the molecule. Metabolic studies are designed to assess any possible role in intracellular iron transport. Finally, studies of HAITF will continue in disease states, associated with abnormal iron homeostasis. This project will not only assess the significance of this compound as an iron transport mechanism, but should provide new insight into the regulation of iron metabolism and mechanisms associated with abnormal iron homeostasis.

Radionuclide angiocardiography has evolved over the past decade from a primitive technique for laboratory investigation to a study routinely performed in a large number of medical centers around the world. This noninvasive procedure provides measurements of ventricular function and hemodynamics which can be used for diagnosis and management of patients with cardiac disorders. The present investigation proposes to develop instrumentation and data processing techniques to enhance the clinical utility of radionuclide angiocardiogram studies. The proportional wire chamber will be used with intravenous injection of tantalum-178 to obtain radionuclide angiocardiogram data. Potential advantages of this instrument over standard gamma cameras are high resolution and sensitivity, low cost and compact size. The use of two proportional wire chambers with bilateral collimators will be explored to obtain four simultaneous views of the heart from different orientations. A second major objective of this investigation will be development of automated data processing techniques which will enhance the accuracy and extend the applicability of radionuclide angiocardiogram studies. Signal processing techniques based upon temporal characteristics of the data will be used to separate counts corresponding to individual cardiac chambers. A computer model will calculate pulsatile volume and flow of each cardiac chamber which best describes observed tracer transit. Since curve separation does not depend upon spatial assumptions, high frequency indicator dilution curves will be similar for each cardiac chamber from four simultaneous views. Borders defined from each of the four orientations will describe the geometric configuration of each chamber, and count intensity will reflect relative chamber volume. Reconstructed three-dimensional count matrices representing real change in radioactivity within each cardiac chamber will be used to measure regional volume changes and to generate simulated three-dimensional dynamic images of each chamber. Phantom, animal and clinical patient studies will verify the accuracy of these techniques which hold great promise for clinical application in patients with cardiac disorders.

The main purpose of the project is to investigate the relationships among maternal/child nutritional and health status, breastfeeding behavior, and postpartum amenorrhea. A secondary focus is to investigate relationships among maternal/child health and nutritional status, breastfeeding behavior, and waiting time to conception. The data derive from the Ngaglik project, a longitudinal birth interval-specific study from central Java, Indonesia. The research will use innovative hazard model analysis to investigate these relationships. Nutritional status of mothers and their children was assessed anthropometrically at monthly visits for two years. Health status was also assessed at these visits. In addition, breastfeeding behavior (frequency of day-time, night-time, duration of suckling, and timing of liquid and solid supplementation) was elicited monthly. These variables will be treated as time varying covariates in the proposed hazard model analysis. Since health and nutritional status have not been previously assessed for this population, other aims of the project are: a) to initially assess the nutritional status of mothers from the longitudinal, anthropometric data during their pregnancy and postpartum period, and b) to initially assess the nutritional status of children from the longitudinal, anthropometric growth data.

The Department of Natural Science and Mathematics is purchasing a UV/VIS spectrophotometer, a fluorescence spectrophotometer, and a refrigerated centrifuge including two rotors. This equipment markedly improves the department's capacity to teach the methodological, quantitative, and data analysis capabilities necessary to understand and practice modern chemistry and molecular biology. In addition to providing the opportunity to pursue more sophisticated and relevant laboratory exercises in the affected courses, it also offers the opportunity to establish significant faculty and student research programs and projects. Serving a predominantly female student population, Trinity College offers baccalaureate majors in several natural science disciplines, and provides approximately 10% of the elementary and secondary school teachers entering the profession in the State of Vermont.

The objective of the clinical core is to provide clinical and laboratory support for each project. This support will include provision of blood and endometrial biopsy specimens from patients attending an inner-city public health clinic dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of STDs. In addition, the core will perform chlamydial cultures and serologies in support of Projects 2-4. It also will perform blastogenic assays on peripheral blood lymphocytes in support of Project 2, and will purify elementary bodies and chlamydial major outer membrane protein for use in these and other assays.

9405654 Jones The University of the District of Columbia requests support from NSF for connection of their campus networks to SURAnet. SURAnet is the midlevel network located in the southeastern United States. It will provide operations management and information services and it will give the University of the District of Columbia a 56 thousand bits per second connection to the NSFNET, a high speed (1.5 - 45 million bits per second) National Backbone network. Students and faculty research will benefit from the link. By linking to the mid-level and national networks the University's faculty and academics will maintain a position of leadership in research and educational innovation by profiting from remote access to super computer centers, data bases and information services, high speed communications, file transfer and remote login, and access to library resources. This is also a unique opportunity for the school to explore innovative educational resources.

9322244 JONES This is a request to continue an REU SITE at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research. This program provides a three month intensive immersion in marine science research during the fall (mid-September to mid-December). Some of the students will be involved with projects related to the U.S.JGOFS (Joint Global Ocean Flux Study), while others will focus on the links between near shore processes and oceanic and atmospheric events. This allows students to participate in large-scale interdisciplinary research programs as they concentrate on the primary objective of doing original scientific research.

Abstract EEC-9711734 Carnegie Mellon University Mark Kryder, PI and Robert E. Jones and Rodger B. Dannenberg, Co-PI This award provides funding to the Engineering Research Center at Carnegie Mellon University entitled "Data Storage Systems Center" to develop a CD-ROM tutorial on the design of data storage systems. This tutorial will be an interactive, multimedia course on the fundamentals of magnetic and optical recording system design. The tutorial will present an interdisciplinary, broad-based approach to data storage technology. Material will be integrated in the tutorial from the chemical engineering, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, and physics disciplines. The course will be designed in modules that will cover magnetic recording background, magnetic recording process, magnetic recording media, magnetic recording heads, head-media interface, magnetic recording electronic subsystems, optical recording background, optical recording systems, optical recording media, optical recording heads, optical recording electronic subsystems, and computer systems. This material will be appropriate for senior level undergraduate or early-year graduate students.

9909827
Gallagher
This award supports Thomas Gallagher and students from the University of Virginia in a collaboration with Ulrich Eichmann of the Division of Laser Fields and Excited States at the Max Born Institute in Berlin, Germany. The project will investigate the effects of valence-electron correlations in two-valence electron atoms exposed to intense laser pulses. The two groups will carry out experiments which will clarify the physics of multiphoton processes in two-electron atoms. In particular, they will investigate inner electron ionization and double ionization from prepared doubly excited states. Both groups are positioned to attack this problem using differing and complementary approaches. Beyond that, the collaboration should lead to entirely new ways of approaching the problem of multiphoton ionization.

This project will utilize fast laser pulses to probe, alter, and control correlated electron dynamics in multi-electron atoms. The experiments are expected to provide insight into a number of areas of current interest in fundamental atomic physics research, including intense field-atom interactions, electron correlation in multi-electron systems, and the control of quantum dynamics. Three sets of experiments are envisioned: 1) the study of double Rydberg wavepacket dynamics directly in the time domain; 2) the use of "half-cycle" pulses to investigate the modification of electron correlation by strong unipolar fields; and 3) the use of frequency-domain, scaled-energy spectroscopy to study the dynamics of two-electron atoms in the presence of strong static fields.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) multicenter international randomized trial addresses two specific primary hypotheses in patients with clinical heart failure (HF) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction who have coronary artery disease (CAD) amenable to surgical revascularization: 1) Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with intensive medical therapy (MED) improves long-term survival compared to MED alone; 2) In patients with anterior LV dysfunction, surgical ventricular restoration (SVR) to a more normal LV size improves survival free of subsequent hospitalization for cardiac cause in comparison to CABG alone. Important secondary endpoints include morbidity, economics, and quality of life. Core laboratories for cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), echocardiography (ECHO), neurohormonal/ cytokine/genetic (NCG), and radionuclide (RN) studies will ensure consistent testing practices and standardization of data necessary to identify eligible patients and to address specific questions related to the primary hypotheses. Over three years, 50 clinical sites will recruit 2,800 consenting patients with HF, LV ejection fraction (EF) <.35, and CAD amenable to CABG. These patients first will be characterized by angina intensity or presence of left main coronary stenosis as appropriate for only surgical therapy or either medical or surgical therapy. All patients will be evaluated further for appropriateness of SVR indicated by an end-systolic volume index (ESVI) >60 ml/m2 and akinesia >35% of the anterior LV wall. The 600 patients estimated to be eligible for SVR but ineligible for randomization to medical therapy will be evenly randomized to CABG with or without SVR. Of the 2,200 consenting patients eligible for medical or surgical therapy, the 1,600 not SVR eligible will be evenly randomized between MED only and MED with CABG. The remaining 600 patients also eligible for SVR will be randomized between three treatments of MED only, or MED + CABG, or MED + CABG + SVR. Registries of clinical information will be maintained on eligible patients who decline trial entry. At four-month intervals for a minimum of three years, all randomized patients will be followed by a clinical visit and registry patients will be followed by telephone. Appropriate subgroups of randomized patients will have core laboratory studies repeated at specified follow-up intervals. In the patients randomized to MED with or without CABG, CABG with MED is hypothesized to demonstrate a >20% reduction in the primary endpoint of all-cause death with an 89% power from the projected 25% three-year mortality for MED. In the SVR-eligible patients, CABG + SVR is hypothesized to show a 20% advantage with 90% power in the endpoint of survival free of hospitalization for cardiac cause projected to be 50% at three years in patients receiving CABG without SVR. Definition of efficacy of potential therapies and their mechanisms of benefit by the STICH Trial is certain to inform future choice of therapy and thereby extend and improve the quality of lives of millions of patients who now suffer from ischemic HF.

While fine roots are a key component of ecosystem carbon cycling, interactions
between soil resources and roots are typically studied without considering potential
interactions with root herbivores and their natural enemies. We propose to use field and
greenhouse experiments to investigate the influence of resource availability, resource
heterogeneity and root herbivory on above- and belowground biomass and preliminary
competitive outcomes in early-successional southeastern U.S. forests. Preliminary data
has shown that herbivores play a strong role in this system, and demonstrated strong
positive responses of root herbivores to small-scale (<50cm 2 ) resource-rich patches. This may have strong negative impacts on plant species that preferentially forage in such patches, while allowing less-aggressively foraging plant species to persist where they would otherwise be outcompeted.

This research focuses on the manipulation of two-electron interactions within atoms and coherent collisions between atoms. The project is part of a larger effort within the PI's group that focuses on using lasers to control and observe quantum dynamics in atoms and molecules, an area of considerable current interest in fundamental physics research. In one set of experiments, electronic wavepacket control techniques will be used to investigate electron dynamics in a three-body Coulomb system, a long-standing problem in quantum and classical physics with no known general solution. A second line of experiments will test the general applicability of a variant of frequency-domain scaled-energy spectroscopy for investigating complex multi-configurational two-electron dynamics in the presence of strong static electric fields. In a third group of experiments, the transfer of atomic coherence via resonant Rydberg-Rydberg atom collisions will be explored. The broader impact involves the education of both graduate and undergraduate students.

This award provides partial support for acquisition of 6 plant growth bays (walk-in growth chambers) and three reach-in growth chambers that will benefit ten plant science research groups. An existing bay is limited in capacity and in the quality of its environmental controls. Existing reach-in chambers are outdated and unreliable. This new plant growth facility will allow up to 6 simultaneous research projects to be independently conducted in the separate walk-in bays. A long-term management plan for the new facility has been developed, including a protocol for allocating space among researchers. Research on topics including plant-animal interactions, root foraging behavior, evolution of adaptive traits, cross-talk in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, and signaling processes in plant-pathogen interactions will be enabled. Moreover, the additional growth chamber space will improve the ability for research on phenotypic plasticity of adaptive traits. The new growth facilities will lift a severe constraint on the research productivity of plant scientists in the Biology Department and foster interdisciplinary research with faculty of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. The modernization of the plant growth facility will also enrich the education and training of students by providing increased research potential and experience with modern equipment. Increased space for our teaching collection will improve our plant-based classes and facilitate outreach activities with the broader community.

Species interact in a complex system with many relationships among them. However, a single species is often studied with respect to only one other species. This project will conduct field and laboratory experiments to examine how a second herbivore species affects the interactions in a plant-herbivore-parasite system. It will examine the role of aphids, which are plant sap feeders, on tobacco-caterpillar-wasp interactions, and examine how the presence of aphids change plant chemistry, which may alter the way a caterpillar and parasitic wasp interact. The growth rates of parasites and herbivores, parasite preference, egg-laying decisions of moths, and parasite infestation rates will be measured. Lastly, this project will examine how spatial scale alters the outcome of these interactions. This work will broaden our understanding of how community composition alters the outcomes of multi-species interactions, support the disseration research of a doctorate student, and provide undergraduate research experience in the field of ecology.

The North Star STEM Alliance will broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities in Minnesota in STEM baccalaureate education. The 18 Alliance partners include public and private colleges and universities, community colleges, the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Minnesota High Tech Association. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities will be the lead institution. The configuration of 16 educational institutions, a high technology association with over 300 members, and a leading science and technology museum provides a resource-rich opportunity to address the engagement,
capacity, and continuity (ECC) of underrepresented minorities in STEM. Using the critical transition points of middle school to high school, high school to first year of college, first year to sophomore year, transfer from 2-year to 4-year institution, and from lower division to STEM majors, the Alliance sets the following objectives: increase the level of interest in STEM careers by secondary and postsecondary non-STEM students in the targeted population; increase the number of students in the targeted population
completing a college preparatory/STEM preparatory high school program; increase the number of high school seniors of the targeted population enrolling in Alliance pre-college STEM and STEM baccalaureate degree programs; increase the number of students from the targeted population completing the associates degree and transferring to the 4-year Alliance schools: and increase the number of students from the targeted population persisting to the STEM baccalaureate. The North Star STEM Alliance will provide a comprehensive longitudinal set of initiatives to address these objectives at the critical transition points. The initiatives will include Alliance-wide community building conferences, bridge programs, peer-to-peer learning, undergraduate research opportunities, industry internships and professional development, contextual STEM course module development workshops, college prep STEM high school curriculum, and public communication campaigns of current STEM research. The intellectual merit of the Alliance project includes a contribution to the statewide discussion of student achievement in higher education in Minnesota, with a particular emphasis on STEM and underrepresented minorities, and on what works, what matters, and why. Due to the rigor of the entering qualifications for pursuing STEM, the Alliance outcomes will augment the discussions of the appropriateness and accuracy of predictors of student performance in institutions of higher learning, especially in regards to underrepresented minorities. In addition, because of the diversity of the educational missions of Alliance partners, the project will stimulate discussion on the scholarly literature on access and equity in higher
education and the policy implications for interventions at varying educational institutions. The inclusion of high-achieving underrepresented minorities amongst the institutions also presents an opportunity for the Alliance to weigh in on specific intellectual achievement issues such as stereotype threat and overprediction, which are based on high-achieving minority populations. The Alliance's experience with overcoming the relative isolation of underrepresented minorities on campuses outside of the Twin Cities Metro area will also contribute to understanding the critical role of student cohort building. The broader impacts of Alliance activities will be the advancement of discovery and understanding by the involvement of underrepresented minorities in the current research of STEM faculty and scientists, the development of contextual STEM modules in the curriculum that can be replicated at other educational institutions, and the public communication of the current rigorous research of underrepresented STEM faculty. The Alliance will increase the number of underrepresented minorities exposed to activities that allow them to make informed choices about STEM careers. Undergraduate research initiatives across Alliance institutions will enhance the research and education infrastructure by allowing Alliance students and faculty from different disciplines and different institutions with limited research infrastructures to access science and technology and engineering research centers on Alliance members' campuses possessing these facilities. The composition of the Alliance will promote broader dissemination through collaborative presentations of Alliance pedagogical and research activities at the distinct professional organizations and conferences of Alliance members. The Alliance will benefit society by providing the foundation for the development of the next generation of civically engaged STEM scholars.

Las Cuevas Research Station (LCRS) in western Belize was built in 1995 and has already compiled an impressive list of scientific accomplishments related to tropical ecology, disturbance ecology, ecological transitions, and forest conservation. This station has hosted numerous international researchers and educators. Funds received in this award will support the purchase of research and communication equipment. Current long-term studies include but are not limited to: the effect habitat transitions on carnivore densities; effects of disturbance on butterfly populations; the impact of biological perturbations in the form of competitor removal in insect communities; the impact of harvest on reproduction in the non-timber forest product (NTFP), xaté; Project Anuran monitoring program; and a harpy eagle reintroduction program. This project will also establish international partnerships with the Government and University of Belize (UB), the Royal Botanical Garden of Edinburgh, and Maya Forest Enterprises, fostering collaboration and information exchange. Video conferencing will link the partner universities and distance learning will be disseminated more broadly through collaborative agreements. The proposed improvements to the facility will therefore benefit the multiple users (researchers, educators, students, local Belizeans), foster informational and cultural exchange, and increase research productivity.

The proposed experiments focus on the observation and control of interactions
between, and within, highly-excited Rydberg atoms. The project represents one
component of a broader effort within the PI's group in which lasers and coherent fields
are used to manipulate quantum dynamics in atomic and molecular systems. This
general theme is shared by many in atomic, molecular and optical physics research,
with potential applications to coherent control and surveillance of chemical reactions,
quantum information processing, and direct simulation of model condensed matter
systems. The proposed work will be performed over a 4 year period in two different
laser facilities at the University of Virginia. The first is the PI's 1,600 square foot
laboratory in the Physics Department, and the second is a shared 2,500 square foot
multi-disciplinary laser laboratory in the Chemistry Department. The experiments will
utilize laser, vacuum, atomic beam, atom trap, and detection equipment currently in the
laboratories.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of this project is to increase the service life of dental resin composite restorations by obtaining a fundamental understanding of the development of secondary caries. Our more immediate goal is to test the hypothesis that oral biofilms contribute to the degradation of the margin, leading to more frequent instances of secondary caries. That might occur because composite materials select for a more cariogenic flora at the margin, or because products of bacterial metabolism contribute to the breakdown of the composite itself. Neither mechanism is mutually exclusive, so each question will be addressed in complementary clinical and laboratory studies, as described in the Specific Aims: 1.) Compare the bacterial species composition of biofilms collected from the enamel interface of sound amalgam restorations, sound composite restorations, composites with early secondary caries, and composites with frank secondary caries. Human Oral Microbe Identification Microarrays will be used to provide biofilm profiles incorporating 272 species. We will be testing the hypothesis that composite-enamel interfaces are colonized by distinctive bacterial species, compared to amalgam-enamel interfaces. Such ecological selection could account for an increase in virulence of the biofilm at the tooth-composite interface. Near-infrared optical computed tomography (OCT) will be used as an important adjunct to our clinical caries diagnosis, by detecting caries earlier than conventional methods, and confirming sound interfaces. 2.) Bridge our clinical and laboratory studies by optimizing a biofilm reactor system for growing multi-species oral biofilm microcosms at the composite-enamel interface of restorations placed in extracted teeth and coated with saliva. This system will provide the basis for testing the hypothesis that products of bacterial metabolism contribute to composite breakdown. Plaque samples from the clinical study will be used to establish microcosms corresponding to composite-enamel interfaces with no caries, early caries, or frank caries. The HOMIM system will be used to monitor the species composition of microcosms, and determine the conditions needed to reproduce the major species profiles of biofilms from patient samples. 3.) Use the Minnesota Artificial Mouth to incorporate load cycling into the biofilm reactor model. Composite restorations placed in extracted teeth will be subjected to repeated cycles of saliva coating, biofilm growth in the reactor, and loading in the artificial mouth. Teeth restored with composites that generate different levels of shrinkage stress will be exposed to the different types of microcosm, and also to sterile saliva medium alone, with or without loading. Both OCT and micro-CT imaging will be used to monitor the loss of minerals in the tooth tissues, while microhardness testing and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry will be performed to assess changes in the composites. This in vitro model system will be used to test the hypothesis that defined bacterial microcosms and mechanical loading exert individual and combined effects on the material properties of composite restorations, degradation of the tooth-restoration margin and the time to restoration failure. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Replacing failed dental restorations takes up 70% of a dentist's effort and contributes $5 billion to health care costs in the US. Among the different types of restorations, composite restorations have been shown to have a higher failure rate than amalgam restorations, with the main cause of failure being secondary or recurrent caries. The knowledge gained from this and future projects will help guide the design of the next generation of dental composite materials, which are likely to require reduced shrinkage stress, improved bond strengths, as well as antibacterial and cariostatic capabilities.

The North Star STEM Alliance, Minnesota?s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, proposes to advance to a mid-level alliance with the goal of doubling the number of graduates from 272 to 544 by May, 2017.

The new Bridge to the Baccalaureate program strengthens and enriches relationships with community colleges, creating smooth transitions for students before, during, and after transferring into baccalaureate programs. The North Star STEM Alliance, extending the successes of its initial five-year partnership, implements best practices in engaging and retaining URMs studying STEM on 15 Minnesota campuses. Undergraduate research, a featured best practice in retention, will engage more than 375 students, contributing to discovery and innovation across the spectrum of STEM disciplines.

By May, 2017, the more than 3,200 URM STEM graduates influenced and supported by the North Star STEM Alliance will enter the work force or graduate school, diversifying the academy, corporations, and professional organizations. Many of the Alliance alumni remain in Minnesota, contributing to a stronger Minnesota economy and the nation?s competitiveness in the global economy.

Intellectual Merit: This project will address several fundamental questions relevant to how the quantum electronic behavior of electrons in isolated atoms are modified in the presence of other atoms, and to what extent that behavior can be controlled and manipulated using lasers and electric fields. The experiments will utilize ultra-cold gases of atoms with one highly-excited "Rydberg" electron. Such atoms are useful because: they are particularly sensitive to neighboring atoms; the motion of electrons within them is sufficiently slow that it can be probed with very brief laser pulses; and the relative positions of the atoms themselves can be strongly influenced by the forces between atoms. One experiment will attempt to induce electronic motion in one atom and establish conditions where that motion can be spontaneously transferred to an electron in a neighboring atom. Another will explore the conditions in which a group of excited atoms act as a single quantum mechanical unit, emitting radiation collectively rather than individually. Further work will utilize lasers to induce transient repulsive interactions between pairs of atoms, preventing hard collisions between them, and possibly creating ordered atomic arrays that mimic condensed matter systems.

Broader Impacts: Results from the project have the potential to impact fundamental science in several active research areas outside of atomic physics, including condensed matter physics, quantum information, and quantum control. Beyond these scientific connections and associated applications, the greatest near-term societal benefit of the project will be the education of the participating graduate and undergraduate students. Students involved in the project will gain valuable experience with state-of-the-art laser equipment and techniques as well as training in scientific ethics and methodology. They will develop written and oral presentation skills, and travel to conferences where they will present and defend their results as well as establish professional contacts. They will participate in group meetings and develop group problem solving skills in the laboratory. Moreover, their interactions with chemistry and engineering students, postdocs, and faculty in a shared multi-disciplinary laser laboratory will provide opportunities to learn about laboratory techniques used in other disciplines, as well differences in scientific cultures, language and terminology. These young women and men are the next generation of scientists and engineers. Their experiences with the project will enable them to contribute to laser, photonics, and other industries; develop new technologies for national defense and security applications; and/or educate another generation of scientists and engineers.

Infrared Nanowire Heterostructures: Fundamentals and Emerging Detector Applications

Nontechnical Abstract:
This work is funded under the area of Grant Opportunties for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI). This project is to investigate the application of a class of infrared active semiconductor nanowire heterostructures for creation of unique infrared imaging detectors with enhanced sensitivity. This project is a collaboration between the basic science and engineering faculty and students at the University of Cincinnati and Australian National University with the research staff at L-3/Cincinnati Electronics which specializes in the design and manufacture of infrared detectors. These nanostructures may provide the basis for unique infrared detectors and infrared imaging systems spanning a wide wavelength range from 1.5 microns to 10 microns. The overarching goal of this research is to develop and understand new nanowire based materials which will allow broad tunability and high sensitivity over the mid-wave IR and thus provide a foundation to fabricate unique IR detectors and arrays. This proposal is strongly enhanced by an active collaboration among L3/Cincinnati Electronics, with experience in effective design, characterization and manufacture of complex infrared imaging systems, the world-class nanowire growth group at Australian National University, and the device and optical Physics group at the University of Cincinnati. Students and faculty at the academic institutions will be exposed to the dynamics and complexities involved in applied research at a corporate research facility, while the staff at L-3/Cincinnati Electronics will be exposed to the basic science and technological research at an academic institution.

Technical Abstract:
This project is to investigate the basic physics of a newly grown class of semiconductor nanowire heterostructures and their emerging applications as unique infrared detectors spanning the range from 1.5 microns to 10 microns. Such nanostructures have the potential to substantially enhance the capabilities of infrared focal plane arrays for imaging since the quasi one-dimensional geometry opens up new ways to tune the wavefunctions and the band gaps in these materials. This proposal is strongly enhanced by an active collaboration between L3/Cincinnati Electronics, with experience in effective design and manufacture of complex infrared imaging systems, the world-class nanowire growth group at Australian National University, and the research group at UC which has substantial experience in the imaging and spectroscopy of single semiconductor nanowires. The research described in this proposal is made compelling by two new developments: (1) the newly developed capability to grow III-Sb and InAs nanowires and nanowire heterostructures of very high quality, and (2) the very recent confirmation in our laboratories that it is possible to make single nanowire dynamical measurements of photoexcited carrier recombinations and relaxation with very high sensitivity out into the infrared. The specific goals of this research are to measure the band structure and dynamics in Zincblende GaAsSb, InAsSb and InGaAs ternary alloy heterostructures. This ability to tune the band structure to design new nanostructures will enable the design of new extremely sensitive detectors in the infrared. These nanostructures will be combined so as to make sensitive 1D and 2D IR detector arrays. Students and faculty at the academic institutions will be exposed to the dynamics and complexities involved in applied research at a corporate research facility, while the staff at L-3/Cincinnati Electronics will be exposed to the basic science and technological research at an academic institution.

Researchers will use the oyster fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay as a test case for collaborative policy development that is grounded in sound science. Environmental policies often create controversy and can be difficult to enforce, particularly when people do not understand the reason for the rules or do not consider the rules to be fair. Natural resources can be better sustained by policies developed cooperatively among all affected stakeholders, scientists, and government representatives. In a systematic approach, the project team will hold a series of workshops in which a full set of stakeholders will work with scientists to guide development of a model, select policy objectives, and apply the model to make policy recommendations. A collaborative modeling approach will ensure that stakeholders have an opportunity to incorporate their values, objectives, and knowledge into the model of the estuarine ecosystem which will include many benefits from the natural system such as commercial and recreational fishing, safe swimmable water, and other ecosystem services. Researchers will study the sociology and economics that influence stakeholder involvement and policy formation in order to better understand the human dimensions, improve the process, and enhance the implementation success of recommended policies. The lessons learned regarding the oyster ecosystem and fishery will advance the tools and practices of sustainable management of shellfisheries. The policy recommendations from the stakeholder workshops will be evaluated by state and federal agencies, and if implemented, would be an outcome that would directly enhance coastal sustainability. One Ph.D. student, two masters students, and one postdoctoral researcher will be trained in the science of coupled natural-human systems. This project is supported as part of the National Science Foundation's Coastal Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability program - Coastal SEES.

This research aims to improve the utility of predictive models for shaping natural resource policy and management. The research team will build an innovative natural systems model that integrates three-dimensional hydrodynamic, water quality and larval transport models with oyster demographics, human uses, and economics at a scale that is applicable to restoration and management. The modeling system developed will substantially advance methods for investigating, and understanding, natural systems with complex feedbacks between physical conditions, vital rates of organisms, and humans. Researchers will include stakeholder values, objectives, and knowledge in the model design process. Through a series of workshops, stakeholders will select the policy objectives and the integrated model will project how well policies are expected to meet these objectives. This iterative process will ensure that the natural system model will incorporate the complex human uses of the ecosystem. A targeted effort will be made to study the socioeconomic drivers of stakeholder involvement, information flow, use and influence, and the policy formation in order to improve the process and enhance the implementation success of recommended policies. By doing so, this research will advance understanding of the human dimensions needed to create sustainable policy as well as provide important new strategies for integrating natural and social sciences, and scientists, in sustainable resource management. This generalizable research component provides an important complement to the research on oysters, both of which will advance the tools and practices of sustainable management of shellfisheries.

This project will study the fundamental response of individual atoms to external stimuli, such as the presence of other atoms or very brief pulses of bright laser light. The experiments will use "Rydberg atoms" (those in which at least one of the negatively-charged electrons has much more energy than normal and moves in a large, slow orbit around the positively-charged nucleus). Because the electric forces between the nucleus and the distant electron are so weak in Rydberg atoms, they are very sensitive to their surroundings. This sensitivity will be exploited in the experiments, magnifying the atom's response to its environment and making it easier to change the electron's motion or manipulate the forces between atoms in controlled ways. Some of the experiments could have direct applications in quantum computing because Rydberg atoms might serve to store and process information. In other cases, the experiments will provide insights to problems involving more complex systems, for example energy transfer in light harvesting systems, or the use of very brief laser pulses to view electron motion in molecules over extremely short time intervals (the so-called "attosecond" regime, which is a million-trillion times smaller than 1 second).

The experiments will utilize ultrafast and cold atom techniques, separately and in combination, exploiting intense ultrashort terahertz pulses and controlled interatomic couplings to manipulate electron dynamics and/or atom-atom correlations. These systems are rich with opportunities for exploring novel aspects of few- and many-body quantum mechanics at the interface between ultrafast/strong field physics and cold atom physics. The problems to be addressed represent real challenges as the spatial and temporal scales relevant to the dynamics span many orders of magnitude, from electronic motion within individual atoms to correlations involving multiple atoms. One set of experiments will seek to further characterize the novel ionization behavior of atoms exposed to intense, true single-cycle pulses. Another will attempt to use such pulses to induce both ionization and recombination, coherently shuttling bound electrons from atoms to their neighbors. A third line of experiments will utilize efficient laser excitation of atom pairs into, and out of, Rydberg states at prescribed interatomic distances, toggling strong repulsive interactions between atoms to manipulate the position correlation of cold atoms in a magneto optical trap. Possibilities for producing self-ordered arrays of atoms without an explicit external confinement potential will be pursued. Lastly, controlled dipole-dipole couplings between atoms will be used to entangle electronic wavepackets on neighboring atoms, resulting in the transfer of coherent electronic wavepacket motion from atoms to their neighbors, at distances of several microns. New insights obtained from the proposed experiments have the potential to impact several other scientific areas including condensed matter physics, chemical physics, quantum information, quantum control, and attosecond science.

The 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 women faculty in academic institutions. Organizational barriers that inhibit equity may exist in areas such as policy, practice, culture, and organizational climate. The ADVANCE Institutional Transformation (ADVANCE-IT) track supports the development of innovative organizational change strategies within an institution of higher education to enhance gender equity in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines.

Clemson University will implement TIGERS ADVANCE (Transforming the Institution through Gender Equity, Retention, and Support): a set of policy changes, procedural innovations, and institutional programs to improve the representation and status of women in STEM at Clemson. TIGERS ADVANCE has five goals: (a) transform the culture and improve the campus climate, (b) increase the representation of women in STEM disciplines, (c) ensure equitable workload distribution, (d) enhance faculty mentoring and leadership development, and (e) implement family-friendly policies. The social science research project embedded in the project will focus on chairs' decision making related to service assignments and workload among faculty.

Clemson University's ADVANCE-IT project is grounded in organizational identity theory. This is an innovative approach that envisions fostering individual identification with the university by creating the conditions for fair treatment of and improved institutional support for all faculty. Clemson is the leading STEM education institution in South Carolina, and will work through a regional network of institutions of higher education to communicate findings, provide policy recommendations, and share best practices to ensure recruitment, advancement, and retention of STEM women faculty.

Texas A&M University is only one of eight institutions nationwide that holds all three designations available from the National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and Research, and Cyber Operations. The Texas A&M University, in partnership with the Houston Community College System (HCC), propose the CyberCorps(R): Scholarship for Service (SFS) Cyber Leader-Scholars (CLS) Program. The researchers aim to leverage the academic excellence and expertise at both institutions to develop and mentor a diverse group of 35 undergraduate and graduate students so they may succeed as cyber leaders in federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government organizations. Through the implementation of the CLS Program, Texas A&M can share applied research on effective teaching and learning in cybersecurity for nationwide adoption to produce an unrivaled cybersecurity workforce.

The cybersecurity curriculum at the university includes management, operational, and technical courses with extensive hands-on experiences. Texas A&M continues to enhance its strong academic program with new cybersecurity courses, such as Cyber-Leadership, Cybersecurity Risk Assessment/Risk Management, Policy, Law, and Ethics in Cybersecurity, Secure Coding, Digital Currencies, and Digital Forensics and Incident Response. Professional development activities for students will include active mentoring, internships, active participation at workshops, conferences, competitions, seminars, and opportunities to attain industry certifications. The proposed CLS Program will institute innovative methods for attracting, mentoring, and developing individuals from those under-represented in the cybersecurity workforce. In partnership with HCC, both a designated Texas A&M Chevron-Engineering Academy and a Center of Academic Excellence in 2-year education, students will be targeted at the community college level and HCC will assist with outreach into the Houston Independent School District. Finally, Texas A&M will leverage existing relationships from our NSA and NSF-funded GenCyber "Teach the Teacher" program and CyberPatriot mentorship program to educate high school students about CLS opportunities.

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.

The long-term goal of the project is to better understand how diverse oral bacteria modulate phosphate concentrations near the tooth interface. This likely has a significant influence on the balance of oral health in children and adults. This project proposes a new and previously unrecognized mechanism of phosphate modulation in the oral cavity. This project will investigate how specific bacteria in the oral environment can accumulate external free orthophosphate to internally synthesize and store long chains of phosphate as polyphosphate (poly-P). This process has the potential to create undersaturated conditions at the tooth interface and accelerate subsurface tooth demineralization (tooth decay) under acidic conditions. Bacteria that accumulate poly-P may also, under specific conditions, release their internally stored phosphate, into the external environment leading to ion oversaturation, which may have a protective role. Our group has determined through genomic screening and direct evidence, that the majority of species associated with acute dental decay have the ability to accumulate poly-P. This project will investigate how the diverse microbiome in the oral cavity contains these specific phosphate-accumulating bacteria that are modulating phosphate ions within the biofilm. In this project, we will: 1) identity, quantify, and localize the oral bacterial species capable of polyphosphate-accumulation that are found in carious lesions; 2) determine to what degree these phosphate-accumulating bacteria mediate mineral dissolution and/or re- precipitation; and 3) determine which conditions mediate polyphosphate accumulation and extracellular phosphate release in different oral bacteria species. The novelty of this work is rooted in the remarkable past discoveries of the oral human microbiome. Our project will explore how a diverse class of bacteria within the oral microbiome may not possess the classic virulence-related factors, but play a significant and active role in dissolution via the ion exchange pathway specifically via phosphate accumulation and release. This unrecognized mechanism is likely a key aspect of maintaining oral hard tissue health and preventing and managing dental cavities in children and adults.