Chastain Rd

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

CAMPUS BASED-FWS

CAMPUS BASED-FWS

CAMPUS BASED-FSEOG

CAMPUS BASED-FSEOG

SCHOOL BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL PIPELINE TRAINING PROGRAM

SCHOOL BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL PIPELINE TRAINING PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

MULTIPLE REPRESENTATIONS OF LEARNING IN DYNAMICS AND CONTROL: EXPLORING THE SYNERGY OF LOW-COST PORTABLE LAB EQUIPMENT, VIRTUAL LABS, AND AI WITHIN STUDENT LEARNING ACTIVITIES -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY DEVELOPING DYNAMICS AND CONTROL LEARNING PACKAGES WITH FOUR OPEN-SOURCE COMPONENTS TO IMPROVE ENGINEERING EDUCATION. ENGINEERING STUDENTS TAKING DYNAMICS, VIBRATIONS, AND CONTROL THEORY COURSES OFTEN STRUGGLE TO ACQUIRE A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF COMPLEX ENGINEERING CONCEPTS DUE TO THE HIGHLY MATHEMATICAL NATURE OF THE CONTENT, LACK OF PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, AND LIMITED TEACHING TOOLS. THIS ENGAGED STUDENT LEARNING LEVEL 2 PROJECT INTENDS TO DEVELOP LEARNING PACKAGES TO OFFER MULTIPLE REPRESENTATIONS OF KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN HELP STUDENTS BRIDGE THEORY WITH PRACTICE, DEVELOP PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS, AND GAIN A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF VIBRATIONS AND CONTROL THEORY IN A PRACTICAL CONTEXT. THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE ADVANCEMENTS IN UNDERSTANDING OF STUDENT LEARNING BY EXPLORING WHAT WAYS THESE MULTIPLE REPRESENTATIONS ARE MOST EFFECTIVE FOR FACULTY AND STUDENTS. THE PROPOSED LEARNING PACKAGES INCLUDE FOUR MAIN COMPONENTS: (1) 3D PRINTED LAB EQUIPMENT DESIGNS; (2) VIRTUAL SIMULATIONS; (3) VIRTUAL ASSISTANT-BASED AI SUPPORT; AND (4) GUIDED LEARNING ACTIVITIES. THE PROJECT TEAM PLANS TO EXPLORE THREE RESEARCH QUESTIONS: (1) TO WHAT DEGREE CAN LEARNING PACKAGES ENHANCE STUDENT LEARNING CAPABILITIES AROUND DYNAMICS AND CONTROLS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF CAREFULLY DESIGNED AI-ASSISTED LEARNING EXPERIENCES USING HANDS-ON EQUIPMENT AND VIRTUAL SIMULATIONS? (2) WHY DO POTENTIAL USERS CHOOSE TO USE ONE OR MORE PARTS OF THE DYNAMICS AND CONTROL LEARNING PACKAGE? (3) WHICH ELEMENT OR COMBINATIONS OF ELEMENTS IN THE DYNAMICS AND CONTROLS LEARNING PACKAGE ARE MOST BENEFICIAL FOR ITS USERS? THIS PROJECT ALIGNS WITH NSF?S VISION TO REMOVE BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION IN STEM, AND WITH ITS GOAL OF EMPOWERING STEM LEARNERS WHILE CREATING NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE LEARNING PROCESS. THE NSF IUSE: EDU PROGRAM SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STEM EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS. THROUGH THE ENGAGED STUDENT LEARNING TRACK, THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE CREATION, EXPLORATION, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PROMISING PRACTICES AND TOOLS. 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.

ENHANCING ENGINEERING STUDENT MOTIVATION, ACADEMIC SUCCESS, AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT: THE ROLE OF A LONG-TERM MULTI-CONSTRUCT TASK VALUE INTERVENTION -CULTIVATING A MORE ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL ENGINEERING STUDENT BODY WILL NOT ONLY PRODUCE MORE AND BETTER ENGINEERS BUT IT WILL ALSO BROADEN THE TALENT POOL IN SUPPORT OF OUR NATION?S STEM INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM. TWO SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES THAT ENGINEERING PROGRAMS FACE THOUGH ARE STUDENT RETENTION AND CAREER READINESS. EXPECTANCY-VALUE THEORY OFFERS A RELEVANT MOTIVATIONAL GROUNDING TO UNDERSTAND THESE CHALLENGES FACED BY ENGINEERING STUDENTS. THE PROJECT WILL ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A LONG-TERM, MULTI-CONSTRUCT TASK VALUE INTERVENTION (MTVI) INTENDED TO PROMOTE ACADEMIC AND CAREER SUCCESS BY CONNECTING STUDENT MOTIVATION TO ACADEMIC TASKS. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT INTERVENTIONS TO ENHANCE TASK VALUES STRONGLY INFLUENCE STEM OUTCOMES AND COULD ADDRESS RETENTION AND CAREER READINESS CHALLENGES. THIS RESEARCH WILL ENABLE THE EXPLORATION OF UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECT OF COMBINING MULTIPLE TASK VALUE INTERVENTIONS SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE CONSEQUENCE OF REPEATED EXPOSURE OVER TIME, AND THE INFLUENCE OF THE INTERVENTIONS ON WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING AND CAREER-RELATED OUTCOMES. THIS PROJECT ALIGNS WITH NSF?S MISSION TO ENHANCE STEM LEARNING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND PROMOTE STEM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, WHILE PROVIDING FRESH SCIENTIFIC INSIGHTS INTO THE IMPACT OF MOTIVATIONAL INTERVENTIONS ON STEM EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. STUDENT SUCCESS AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE ARE INFLUENCED BY ACADEMIC OUTCOMES AND ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES (E.G., TASK VALUES, PARTICIPATION, ENGAGEMENT). THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL EMPLOY A LONGITUDINAL, ACTIVE-CONTROL EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF THE MULTI-CONSTRUCT TASK VALUE INTERVENTION (MTVI) THAT IS GROUNDED IN SITUATED EXPECTANCY-VALUE THEORY. TARGETING FOUR TASK VALUES (I.E., UTILITY, INTRINSIC, ATTAINMENT, AND COST) THROUGH WRITING EXERCISES, STUDENTS ENROLLED IN AN INTRODUCTORY ENGINEERING COURSE WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE MTVI GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP. MTVI STUDENTS WILL COMPLETE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS IN TARGET COURSES FOR THE REMAINING FOUR ACADEMIC YEARS. THIS APPROACH WILL PROVIDE LONGITUDINAL MOTIVATION DATA TO UNDERSTAND ENGINEERING STUDENTS? JOURNEY DURING UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION. THE KNOWLEDGE TO BE GENERATED FROM THIS RESEARCH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO INFORM CHANGES AND TRANSFORM EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION AND STEM EDUCATION MORE BROADLY. THE FINDINGS, WHICH WILL BE DISSEMINATED WIDELY ACROSS ENGINEERING AND STEM EDUCATION COMMUNITIES, WILL BENEFIT UNIVERSITIES BY INFORMING EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURES, PRACTICES, AND CURRICULAR EXPERIENCES. THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY NSF'S EDU CORE RESEARCH (ECR) PROGRAM. THE ECR PROGRAM EMPHASIZES FUNDAMENTAL STEM EDUCATION RESEARCH THAT GENERATES FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIELD. INVESTMENTS ARE MADE IN CRITICAL AREAS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL, BROAD AND ENDURING: STEM LEARNING AND STEM LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM, AND STEM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 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.

OPTIMIZATION AND MODES OF ACTION OF NEU-4438, A NEW ANTI-TRYPANOSOME LEAD DRUG - ABSTRACT NEW DRUGS WITH DIFFERENT MODES OF ACTION THAN SCYX-7158, THE CURRENT CLINICAL CANDIDATE, ARE NEEDED FOR CHEMOTHERAPY OF HUMAN AFRICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS (HAT) CAUSED BY T. BRUCEI SPP. STARTING WITH THE FDA- APPROVED DRUG LAPATINIB (EC50 = 1600 NM; SELECTIVITY INDEX (SI) = 4 (COMPARED TO HUMAN HEPG2 CELLS), WE HAVE SYNTHESIZED OVER 540 ANALOGS IN A MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY CAMPAIGN FOCUSED ON OPTIMIZING SI, TOXICITY PROFILE, METABOLISM, PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES, AQUEOUS SOLUBILITY (AQ. SOL.) AND CNS PENETRANCE. OUR NEW LEAD NEU4438 IS ORALLY BIOAVAILABLE AND EXTENDS THE LIFE OF TRYPANOSOME-INFECTED MICE 2.4 (P = 0.008; KAPLAN- MEIR ANALYSIS), ACCOMPANIED BY A 109-FOLD REDUCTION IN PARASITEMIA. A QUINOLINIMINE, NEU-4438 HAS EXCELLENT POTENCY (GI50: 0.013 ΜM), SELECTIVITY (SI: >2000), PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES (AQ. SOL.: 880 ΜM; LOGD7.4: 0.9; CLOGP: 2.52) AND IN VITRO ADME (HUMAN PPB%: 15; HLM CLINT: 21.8 ΜL/MIN/MG PROTEIN; RH CLINT: 13.1 Μ//MIN/106 CELLS). SIX NEU4438-RELATED ADVANCED HITS ARE AVAILABLE FOR EVALUATION AS POSSIBLE LEADS, SHOULD NEU4438 FAIL TO CURE HAT IN MURINE MODELS OF THE DISEASE. WE WILL FURTHER OUR WORK BY OPTIMIZING THE QUINOLINIMINE SCAFFOLD USING SINGLETON AND PARALLEL MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY APPROACHES AFTER CONSTRUCTING A VIRTUAL LIBRARY, SHAPED BY DRUG-LIKE EXPECTATIONS IN SILICO. COMPOUNDS WILL BE SYNTHESIZED AND SCREENED THROUGH A FUNNEL ESTABLISHED TO SELECT THOSE WITH THE BEST SELECTIVITY INDEX, SOLUBILITY, AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES. ADVANCED HITS WILL BE EVALUATED IN MICE FOR SAFE SAFETY, TISSUE EXPOSURE, AND BRAIN PENETRANCE, AFTER WHICH THOSE WITH THE BEST FEATURES WILL BE TESTED FOR EFFICACY IN MICE MODELS OF HAT TO SELECT LEAD DRUGS (EXEMPLIFIED BY NEU4438), THAT MAY BE PROGRESSED INTO PRECLINICAL CANDIDATES. TOWARDS IDENTIFICATION OF THE TARGETS OF THE DRUG LEAD, NEU4438- BINDING PROTEINS WILL BE IDENTIFIED USING PHOTOAFFINITY PROBES. CONCURRENTLY, MOLECULAR MODES OF ACTION WILL BE STUDIED BY NEU4438 PERTURBATION OF THE TRYPANOSOME PROTEOME, FOLLOWED BY TESTS OF HYPOTHESES FORMULATED FROM THE PROTEOMICS DATA. IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY PHYSIOLOGICAL TARGETS, THE PHENOTYPES OBSERVED AFTER KNOCKDOWN OF GENES ENCODING NEU4438-BINDING PROTEINS WILL BE EXPECTED TO “PHENOCOPY” THE EFFECT OF ADDING NEU4438 TO T. BRUCEI. OUR ACHIEVEMENTS PUT US ON TRACK TO DELIVER TWO NEW PRECLINICAL CANDIDATES, AND TO IDENTIFY THEIR PHYSIOLOGICAL TARGETS AS WELL AS MODES OF ACTION IN THE NEXT FUNDING PERIOD.

OPTIMIZATION AND MODES OF ACTION OF NEU-4438, A NEW ANTI-TRYPANOSOME LEAD DRUG - ABSTRACT NEW DRUGS WITH DIFFERENT MODES OF ACTION THAN SCYX-7158, THE CURRENT CLINICAL CANDIDATE, ARE NEEDED FOR CHEMOTHERAPY OF HUMAN AFRICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS (HAT) CAUSED BY T. BRUCEI SPP. STARTING WITH THE FDA- APPROVED DRUG LAPATINIB (EC50 = 1600 NM; SELECTIVITY INDEX (SI) = 4 (COMPARED TO HUMAN HEPG2 CELLS), WE HAVE SYNTHESIZED OVER 540 ANALOGS IN A MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY CAMPAIGN FOCUSED ON OPTIMIZING SI, TOXICITY PROFILE, METABOLISM, PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES, AQUEOUS SOLUBILITY (AQ. SOL.) AND CNS PENETRANCE. OUR NEW LEAD NEU4438 IS ORALLY BIOAVAILABLE AND EXTENDS THE LIFE OF TRYPANOSOME-INFECTED MICE 2.4 (P = 0.008; KAPLAN- MEIR ANALYSIS), ACCOMPANIED BY A 109-FOLD REDUCTION IN PARASITEMIA. A QUINOLINIMINE, NEU-4438 HAS EXCELLENT POTENCY (GI50: 0.013 ΜM), SELECTIVITY (SI: >2000), PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES (AQ. SOL.: 880 ΜM; LOGD7.4: 0.9; CLOGP: 2.52) AND IN VITRO ADME (HUMAN PPB%: 15; HLM CLINT: 21.8 ΜL/MIN/MG PROTEIN; RH CLINT: 13.1 Μ//MIN/106 CELLS). SIX NEU4438-RELATED ADVANCED HITS ARE AVAILABLE FOR EVALUATION AS POSSIBLE LEADS, SHOULD NEU4438 FAIL TO CURE HAT IN MURINE MODELS OF THE DISEASE. WE WILL FURTHER OUR WORK BY OPTIMIZING THE QUINOLINIMINE SCAFFOLD USING SINGLETON AND PARALLEL MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY APPROACHES AFTER CONSTRUCTING A VIRTUAL LIBRARY, SHAPED BY DRUG-LIKE EXPECTATIONS IN SILICO. COMPOUNDS WILL BE SYNTHESIZED AND SCREENED THROUGH A FUNNEL ESTABLISHED TO SELECT THOSE WITH THE BEST SELECTIVITY INDEX, SOLUBILITY, AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES. ADVANCED HITS WILL BE EVALUATED IN MICE FOR SAFE SAFETY, TISSUE EXPOSURE, AND BRAIN PENETRANCE, AFTER WHICH THOSE WITH THE BEST FEATURES WILL BE TESTED FOR EFFICACY IN MICE MODELS OF HAT TO SELECT LEAD DRUGS (EXEMPLIFIED BY NEU4438), THAT MAY BE PROGRESSED INTO PRECLINICAL CANDIDATES. TOWARDS IDENTIFICATION OF THE TARGETS OF THE DRUG LEAD, NEU4438- BINDING PROTEINS WILL BE IDENTIFIED USING PHOTOAFFINITY PROBES. CONCURRENTLY, MOLECULAR MODES OF ACTION WILL BE STUDIED BY NEU4438 PERTURBATION OF THE TRYPANOSOME PROTEOME, FOLLOWED BY TESTS OF HYPOTHESES FORMULATED FROM THE PROTEOMICS DATA. IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY PHYSIOLOGICAL TARGETS, THE PHENOTYPES OBSERVED AFTER KNOCKDOWN OF GENES ENCODING NEU4438-BINDING PROTEINS WILL BE EXPECTED TO “PHENOCOPY” THE EFFECT OF ADDING NEU4438 TO T. BRUCEI. OUR ACHIEVEMENTS PUT US ON TRACK TO DELIVER TWO NEW PRECLINICAL CANDIDATES, AND TO IDENTIFY THEIR PHYSIOLOGICAL TARGETS AS WELL AS MODES OF ACTION IN THE NEXT FUNDING PERIOD.

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

TOPOWA STUDY: SOCIAL DRIVERS OF MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG AGYW IN SLUMS. - PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT DESPITE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH LINKING POVERTY TO MENTAL ILLNESS, THERE IS A DEARTH OF STUDIES EXAMINING MECHANISMS OF RESILIENCE AGAINST COMPLEX PROXIMAL STRESSORS IN LOW-RESOURCE SETTINGS. OUR PREVIOUS WORK, CONDUCTED DURING DR. SWAHN’S FULBRIGHT AWARD AND VIA LONG-STANDING COLLABORATIONS WITH MAKERERE UNIVERSITY, DEMONSTRATES THAT URBAN YOUTH IN KAMPALA, UGANDA, PARTICULARLY ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN (AGYW) EXPERIENCE MANY ADVERSE SOCIAL DRIVERS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR POOR MENTAL HEALTH. OUR PROPOSED TOPOWA PROJECT (MEANING EMPOWERMENT) WILL USED A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH TO EXAMINE THE MECHANISMS FOR WHICH SOCIOECONOMIC STRENGTHENING TARGETED TRAINING (SESTT) MODERATES THE PATHWAY BETWEEN THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF POVERTY (PROXIMAL SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS) AND MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG AGYW IN KAMPALA. PREVIOUS, BUT LIMITED, RESEARCH DEMONSTRATES THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF SESTT ON EMPLOYMENT AND IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH AMONG AGYW. BUILDING ON THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF MENTAL HEALTH (SDOMH) AND THE RESEARCH DOMAIN CRITERIA (RDOC) FRAMEWORKS, WE WILL TARGET AGYW AGES 18-24 YEARS, THE AGE PERIOD WHEN MOST MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS ARE MANIFESTED AND EXPRESSED. EMBEDDED WITHIN THE SDOMH CONCEPTUAL MODEL WE WILL FOCUS ON STRESS, OPERATIONALIZED THROUGH THE RDOC FRAMEWORK AS NEGATIVE VALENCE -ACUTE, SUSTAINED THREAT AND AROUSAL AND REGULATORY SYSTEMS. USING A MULTICOMPONENT 27-MONTH, PARALLEL PROSPECTIVE COHORT DESIGN OF AGYW, WE WILL RECRUIT 300 PARTICIPANTS TO DETERMINE THE PATHWAYS AND MECHANISMS OF MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES USING 10 QUARTERLY, TABLET ADMINISTERED SURVEY ASSESSMENTS (TIME 1-10). PARTICIPANTS WILL BE THOSE ENROLLED IN A COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTION PROGRAM (N=150AND AN AGE- AND LOCATION- MATCHED NON-INTERVENTION COMMUNITY SAMPLE (N=150). THE OBJECTIVE IS TO DETERMINE THE MECHANISTIC CHANGES OF SESTT ON THE PROXIMAL SOCIAL STRESSORS AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES (I.E., ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, SUICIDALITY AND SUBSTANCE USE SYMPTOMS AND DISORDERS) AMONG AGYW.

CC*NETWORK-CAMPUS: ADVANCING HIGH-SPEED NETWORKING FOR STEM RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY -THIS PROJECT ESTABLISHES A CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH NETWORK AT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY (KSU) ALONG WITH SCIENCE DMZS COMPRISING A DATA TRANSFER NODE SERVER. IT ALSO UPGRADES THE CAMPUS FIBER NETWORKING INFRASTRUCTURE, SWITCHING, AND ROUTING COMPONENTS. THIS NETWORKING INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDES 400GBIT/S CONNECTIVITY TO TEN BUILDINGS ON TWO KSU CAMPUSES. IT CONNECTS THEM TO A DEDICATED RESEARCH BACKBONE ROUTER AND A CORE ROUTER FOR BUFFERING AT THE RESEARCH EDGE. THESE ARE CONNECTED THROUGH REDUNDANT 40/100GBIT/S LINKS TO THE CAMPUS PERIMETER FIREWALL TO THE CAMPUS CORE NETWORK. THE NETWORKING COMPONENTS ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR BOTH INTRA- AND INTER-CAMPUS COLLABORATIONS AND OPTIMIZED FOR LARGE-SCALE DATA TRANSFERS FROM AND TO COMPUTE AND STORAGE RESOURCES. THE PROJECT FOSTERS TWENTY SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS PROJECTS RANGING FROM TRUSTWORTHY MACHINE LEARNING, AMPHIBIAN GENOMICS, ACTIVE ROBOT SENSING, GEO-ECONOMIC MULTIMODAL SYSTEMS TO BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. IT SUPPORTS PH.D. PROGRAMS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING AND DATA SCIENCE AND ANALYTICS ALONG WITH 20 MASTER?S DEGREE PROGRAMS SUCH AS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, CIVIL ENGINEERING, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND CYBERSECURITY. TO TRAIN KSU?S FACULTY AND STUDENTS, THE CENTER FOR RESEARCH COMPUTING AT KSU ORGANIZES WORKSHOPS FOR THEIR FACULTY AND STUDENTS ON UTILIZING NATIONAL OPEN CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE RESOURCES. THIS INITIATIVE ENABLES KSU TO ENGAGE IN NATIONAL RESEARCH AND DISCOVERIES BY LINKING IT TO NATIONAL AND GLOBAL RESEARCH PLATFORMS AND DATA REPOSITORIES. AVAILING OPEN SCIENCE CYBERINFRASTRUCTURES, FACULTY AND STUDENTS INCLUDING UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES WILL BENEFIT FROM NATIONAL TECHNICAL SERVICES. CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE PROFESSIONALS AT THE UNIVERSITY WILL DEVELOP EXPERTISE IN RESEARCH COMPUTING WHILE LEARNING AND ADOPTING THE STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGIES. 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.

EXPANDING BI/MULTILINGUAL TEACHER PATHWAYS IN GEORGIA THROUGH KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY’S TESOL PROGRAMS

EXPANDING BI/MULTILINGUAL TEACHER PATHWAYS IN GEORGIA THROUGH KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY’S TESOL PROGRAMS

TOPOWA STUDY: SOCIAL DRIVERS OF MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG AGYW IN SLUMS. - PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT DESPITE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH LINKING POVERTY TO MENTAL ILLNESS, THERE IS A DEARTH OF STUDIES EXAMINING MECHANISMS OF RESILIENCE AGAINST COMPLEX PROXIMAL STRESSORS IN LOW-RESOURCE SETTINGS. OUR PREVIOUS WORK, CONDUCTED DURING DR. SWAHN’S FULBRIGHT AWARD AND VIA LONG-STANDING COLLABORATIONS WITH MAKERERE UNIVERSITY, DEMONSTRATES THAT URBAN YOUTH IN KAMPALA, UGANDA, PARTICULARLY ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN (AGYW) EXPERIENCE MANY ADVERSE SOCIAL DRIVERS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR POOR MENTAL HEALTH. OUR PROPOSED TOPOWA PROJECT (MEANING EMPOWERMENT) WILL USED A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH TO EXAMINE THE MECHANISMS FOR WHICH SOCIOECONOMIC STRENGTHENING TARGETED TRAINING (SESTT) MODERATES THE PATHWAY BETWEEN THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF POVERTY (PROXIMAL SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS) AND MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG AGYW IN KAMPALA. PREVIOUS, BUT LIMITED, RESEARCH DEMONSTRATES THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF SESTT ON EMPLOYMENT AND IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH AMONG AGYW. BUILDING ON THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF MENTAL HEALTH (SDOMH) AND THE RESEARCH DOMAIN CRITERIA (RDOC) FRAMEWORKS, WE WILL TARGET AGYW AGES 18-24 YEARS, THE AGE PERIOD WHEN MOST MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS ARE MANIFESTED AND EXPRESSED. EMBEDDED WITHIN THE SDOMH CONCEPTUAL MODEL WE WILL FOCUS ON STRESS, OPERATIONALIZED THROUGH THE RDOC FRAMEWORK AS NEGATIVE VALENCE -ACUTE, SUSTAINED THREAT AND AROUSAL AND REGULATORY SYSTEMS. USING A MULTICOMPONENT 27-MONTH, PARALLEL PROSPECTIVE COHORT DESIGN OF AGYW, WE WILL RECRUIT 300 PARTICIPANTS TO DETERMINE THE PATHWAYS AND MECHANISMS OF MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES USING 10 QUARTERLY, TABLET ADMINISTERED SURVEY ASSESSMENTS (TIME 1-10). PARTICIPANTS WILL BE THOSE ENROLLED IN A COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTION PROGRAM (N=150AND AN AGE- AND LOCATION- MATCHED NON-INTERVENTION COMMUNITY SAMPLE (N=150). THE OBJECTIVE IS TO DETERMINE THE MECHANISTIC CHANGES OF SESTT ON THE PROXIMAL SOCIAL STRESSORS AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES (I.E., ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, SUICIDALITY AND SUBSTANCE USE SYMPTOMS AND DISORDERS) AMONG AGYW.

THE ROLE OF HOMEOBOX TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR NKX2.1 IN NERVOUS SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT - PROJECT SUMMARY ATTENTION DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) AFFECTS ALMOST 5% OF CHILDREN AND PERSISTS INTO 2.5% OF ADULTS. THERE IS A STRONG GENETIC COMPONENT TO ADHD. FOR EXAMPLE, HETEROZYGOSITY IN THE HOMEOBOX TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR NKX2.1 CAUSES A SYNDROMIC VARIANT OF ADHD, WHICH IS FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH AUTISM-LIKE SYMPTOMS. IN ADDITION, MUTATIONS IN RFX FAMILY TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS CAUSE AUTOSOMAL DOMINANT ADHD WITH CONCOMITANT AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER SYMPTOMS IN MANY CASES. EXPANDING ON THIS, RECENT GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES AND META-ANALYSES IDENTIFIED 27 ADHD-ASSOCIATED LOCI. OF THESE GENES, ONE THIRD WERE ASSOCIATED WITH GENE TRANSCRIPTION IN SOME WAY, EITHER AS TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS, TRANSCRIPTIONAL CO-REGULATORS, RNA SPLICING FACTORS, TRANSCRIPTION TERMINATORS, OR HISTONE MODIFICATION ENZYMES. THESE DATA STRONGLY IMPLICATE DEFECTS IN GENE REGULATION AS UNDERLYING THESE HIGHLY PREVALENT NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND POINT TO THEIR POLYGENIC NATURE. THIS BRINGS UP A QUESTION; HOW DO THESE MULTIPLE ADHD AND ASD ASSOCIATED GENES RELATE TO EACH OTHER AND HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THE NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER IN QUESTION? TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS FREQUENTLY FUNCTION IN CASCADES, WITH ONE FACTOR SWITCHING ON THE GENE EXPRESSION OF ANOTHER TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR, ETC. TO ULTIMATELY DEFINE THE BATTERY OF GENES EXPRESSED IN A TERMINAL FATE CELL. MANY TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS, INCLUDING NKX2.1, ARE DEEPLY CONSERVED ACROSS SPECIES. THIS ALLOWS US TO EXAMINE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR FUNCTION IN GENETICALLY TRACTABLE MODEL ORGANISMS SUCH AS NEMATODES AND FLIES. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS, USING THE NEMATODE CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS TO INVESTIGATE NKX2.1 FUNCTION DURING NERVOUS SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT. C. ELEGANS HAS AN INVARIANT CELL LINEAGE, MAKING IT IDEAL FOR INVESTIGATING QUESTIONS OF CELL FATE SPECIFICATION AND FUNCTION. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE POWERFUL GENETIC TOOLS AVAILABLE TO AID INVESTIGATION. FINALLY, C. ELEGANS IS A TRANSPARENT ORGANISM, SO INDIVIDUAL NEURONS CAN BE HIGHLIGHTED USING GENETICALLY ENCODED REPORTER GENES SUCH AS GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN. C. ELEGANS CONTAINS A SINGLE NKX2.1 ORTHOLOG, CEH-27. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA REVEALS THAT CEH-27 NULL MUTATIONS ARE 100% EMBRYONIC LETHAL, SHOWING THAT THIS GENE IS ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED FOR NORMAL EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT. THE PROPOSED STUDIES WILL 1) INVESTIGATE CEH-27’S ROLE IN CELL FATE SPECIFICATION DURING NERVOUS SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT; 2) INVESTIGATE ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER PRONEURAL TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS SUCH AS NGN-1/NEUROGENIN; AND 3) USE STATE-OF-THE-ART SINGLE-CELL RNA SEQUENCING APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY CEH-27 DOWNSTREAM TARGETS. THE HIGH SEQUENCE CONSERVATION OF CEH-27 ACROSS SPECIES MEANS THAT OUR DATA CAN BE USED TO INVESTIGATE HUMAN ORTHOLOGS OF C. ELEGANS CEH-27/NKX2.1 TARGETS, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLES IN NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS SUCH ADHD AND ASD. THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY ADDRESSES FUNDAMENTAL MECHANISMS OF NERVOUS SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND GENE REGULATION. IN ADDITION, THE PROPOSED EXPERIMENTS ARE TECHNICALLY STRAIGHT FORWARD AND ARE COMFORTABLY WITHIN THE GRASP OF UNDERGRADUATE AND MASTER’S STUDENTS. AS SUCH, THIS PROJECT WILL ACCOMPLISH BOTH BROAD AND SPECIFIC AREA PROGRAM GOALS, INCLUDING ENHANCING KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY’S RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT AND EXPOSING STUDENTS TO HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH THROUGH DIRECT PARTICIPATION. PHS 398/2590 (REV. 11/07) PAGE 1 CONTINUATION FORMAT PAGE

DEVELOPING NEXT GENERATION EUTECTIC SOLVENTS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS - THE UTILIZATION OF PROTEIN- AND ENZYME-BASED DRUGS AND PRODUCTS HAS EXPERIENCED A SUBSTANTIAL SURGE WITHIN THE BIOMEDICAL INDUSTRY. THE PRESERVATION OF THE INTEGRITY AND STABILITY OF THESE DRUGS AND PRODUCTS CONTAINING LARGER AND MORE INTRICATE MOLECULES IS VITAL OVER PROLONGED PERIODS, PRESENTING NEW CHALLENGES. AN EFFECTIVE STABILIZING COSOLVENT IS CRUCIAL FOR MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF PROTEINS AND ENZYMES BY MINIMIZING THEIR MOVEMENT AND PRESERVING THEIR NATIVE STATES AND FUNCTIONS, EVEN AFTER REPEATED THAWING OR HYDRATION. IN THIS REGARD, DEEP EUTECTIC SOLVENTS (DESS) CAN BE USED AS POTENTIAL STABILIZING AGENTS FOR PROTEINS AND ENZYMES. DESS ARE ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE ALTERNATIVE SOLVENTS WITH PREVALENT APPLICATIONS IN EXTRACTION, BIOCATALYSIS, AND DRUG DELIVERY. DESS SHARE MANY CHARACTERISTICS OF IONIC LIQUIDS (ILS), YET THEY ARE MORE SYNTHETICALLY ACCESSIBLE, ECONOMICAL, TYPICALLY NONTOXIC, BIODEGRADABLE, AND POTENTIALS FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS. UNLIKE TRADITIONAL SOLVENTS, DESS COMPRISE TWO COMPONENTS, GENERALLY HYDROGEN BOND ACCEPTOR (HBA) AND HYDROGEN BOND DONOR (HBD), CAN BE TUNED FOR DIVERSE APPLICATIONS USING VARIOUS TYPES OF COMPONENTS COMBINING IONIC/NON-IONIC, POLAR/NON-POPLAR, ACIDIC/BASIC, AND VISCOUS/FLUID. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL FOCUS ON ADVANCING OUR MOLECULAR LEVEL UNDERSTANDING OF DESS, AND THEIR APPLICATION FOR PROTEIN STABILIZING, PROTEASE ACTIVATION AND ENZYME THERAPY. UNDERSTANDING HOW PROTEINS AND OTHER BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES ARE STABILIZED IN DESS IS VITAL FOR ADVANCING PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES. THIS KNOWLEDGE IS CRUCIAL FOR ENSURING THE SECURE STORAGE OF PHARMACEUTICALS, SPERM, TISSUE, AND ORGANS, ENABLING SAFE TREATMENT, BIOBANKING, REPRODUCTION, AND TRANSPLANTATION. SPECIFICALLY, WE SEEK TO ELUCIDATE NANOSTRUCTURE, TUNE PROPERTIES OF DESS AND INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF DESS ON PROTEIN/ENZYME STABILIZATION. VARIOUS EXPERIMENTAL (IR, RAMAN, DSC, MS, CD, NMR, X-RAY AND NEUTRON SCATTERING) AND COMPUTATIONAL (MD AND DFT) TOOLS WILL BE USED TO ELUCIDATE THE NANOSTRUCTURE, PROPERTIES OF DESS AND THEIR IMPACT ON PROTEIN/ENZYME CONFORMATIONAL DYNAMICS AND STRUCTURE. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR A LARGE NUMBER OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY (KSU) OVER THREE YEARS. THE CURRENT STUDENT ENROLLMENT AT KSU IS OVER 45,000, OF WHICH AROUND 3000 STUDENTS ARE MAJORING IN CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL PLAN WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LARGE GROUPS OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY STUDENTS TO BUILD CAPABILITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS THAT PROPEL THEM TO AND THROUGH GRADUATE SCHOOL, INDUSTRY, AND BEYOND.

INTEGRATING GENERATIVE AI WITH BIOMECHANICS MODELING TO ADVANCE VENTRICULAR DISEASE DIAGNOSIS AND PERSONALIZED TREATMENT - ABSTRACT: VENTRICULAR-RELATED DISEASES, INCLUDING HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY, HEART FAILURE, AND DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY, SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD), WHICH CLAIMS AROUND 17.9 MILLION LIVES ANNUALLY. THIS UNDERSCORES THE URGENT NEED FOR ENHANCED PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS, AND PERSONALIZED TREATMENT STRATEGIES. PERSONALIZED COMPUTER-BASED HEART MODELING OFFERS A POWERFUL, NON-INVASIVE APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING CARDIAC FUNCTION BY REVEALING COMPLEX STRUCTURE-FUNCTION RELATIONSHIPS, ARE WIDELY USED IN CARDIAC RESEARCH, DISEASE ANALYSIS, DEVICE DESIGN, AND TREATMENT PLANNING. ACCURATELY PREDICTING HEART BEHAVIOR IS CHALLENGING DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY IN MEASURING CARDIAC TISSUE MATERIAL PROPERTIES AND DETERMINING THE STRESS-FREE CONFIGURATION FROM STRESSED MYOCARDIUM IN MEDICAL IMAGES. CURRENT METHODS, SUCH AS FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS (FEA) FOR PREDICTING BIOMECHANICAL OUTPUTS AND INVERSE FEA FOR IDENTIFYING MATERIAL PROPERTIES, ARE ROBUST BUT OFTEN SLOW, LIMITING THEIR CLINICAL APPLICATION AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF PERSONALIZED CARDIOVASCULAR CARE. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE AN END-TO-END GENERATIVE AI FRAMEWORK THAT EFFICIENTLY AND ACCURATELY PREDICTS THE BIOMECHANICAL OUTPUTS (E.G., MOTION AND STRESS) OF THE PASSIVELY DEFORMING BI-VENTRICULAR MYOCARDIUM WHILE IDENTIFYING MATERIAL PROPERTIES AND DETERMINING THE STRESS-FREE CONFIGURATION USING PATIENTS' 3D IMAGING DATA AND CLINICAL MEASUREMENTS. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT GENERATIVE AI MODELS TRAINED ON THIS DATA CAN SERVE AS ACCELERATED EMULATORS FOR BOTH FORWARD AND INVERSE FEA TASKS, ENHANCING PERSONALIZED DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF VENTRICULAR DISEASES. THIS 3-YEAR PROJECT FOCUSES ON PASSIVE MECHANICS RELATED TO THE LATE-DIASTOLIC STAGE, USING 3D HEART IMAGING AND CLINICAL DATA FROM NORMAL PATIENTS TO TRAIN THE GENERATIVE AI FRAMEWORK BEFORE EXTENDING IT TO INCORPORATE VARIOUS DISEASES. AIM 1 WILL DEVELOP A GENERATIVE AI-BASED FEA EMULATOR TO EFFICIENTLY PREDICT PASSIVE BI-VENTRICULAR BIOMECHANICAL OUTPUTS, ENABLING FASTER PATIENT-SPECIFIC HEART FUNCTION ANALYSIS. AIM 2 WILL CREATE AN END-TO-END GENERATIVE AI FRAMEWORK TO DETERMINE STRESS-FREE CONFIGURATIONS AND OPTIMAL MATERIAL PARAMETERS FROM 3D IMAGING AND CLINICAL MEASUREMENTS, INCORPORATING UNCERTAINTY QUANTIFICATION FOR ROBUST PARAMETER ESTIMATION. AIM 3 WILL ESTABLISH A FINE-TUNING MECHANISM TO ADAPT GENERATIVE AI MODELS FOR ACCURATELY PREDICTING BIOMECHANICAL OUTPUTS IN DISEASED HEARTS, INTEGRATING PATIENT- SPECIFIC DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS. BESIDES, THIS PROJECT WILL ENHANCE INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN MEDICAL RESEARCH THROUGH HANDS-ON LEARNING AND COLLABORATION WITH TOP MEDICAL SCHOOLS, FOSTERING INTEREST IN HEALTH-RELATED CAREERS. THIS PROJECT DEVELOPS A FRAMEWORK FOR PERSONALIZED HEART MODELING THAT ENHANCES CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SAVE LIVES. IT INNOVATIVELY INTEGRATES GENERATIVE AI WITH BIOMECHANICAL MODELING, USING A SINGLE NEURAL NETWORK TO ADDRESS BOTH FORWARD AND INVERSE FEA PROBLEMS FOR RAPID PREDICTIONS THAT OUTPERFORM TRADITIONAL METHODS. OUR CLOSE COLLABORATION AMONG EXPERTS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MODELING, MEDICAL IMAGING, AND CLINICAL CARE ENSURES PROJECT SUCCESS.

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

DEVELOPMENTAL REGULATION OF EPITHELIAL CELL - ABSTRACT__________________________________________________________________________________ EPITHELIAL TISSUES LINE THE ORGANS, BLOOD VESSELS, AND CAVITIES OF MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS TO PROVIDE PROTECTION, REGULATE CHEMICAL EXCHANGE, AND SECRETE HORMONES FOR THE UNDERLYING TISSUE. EPITHELIAL CELLS TRANSITION AMONG CUBOIDAL, COLUMNAR, AND SQUAMOUS MORPHOLOGIES TO MAINTAIN NORMAL CELLULAR FUNCTIONS, AND IMPROPER CHANGES MAY CONTRIBUTE TO MANY DISEASES, INCLUDING CAROTID ARTERY DISEASE, HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE, AND TUMOR MALIGNANCY. THE DROSOPHILA FOLLICULAR EPITHELIUM, WHICH COVERS THE DEVELOPING EGG CHAMBERS, PROVIDES AN EXCELLENT MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW DEVELOPMENTAL SIGNALS CONTROL EPITHELIAL CHANGES. A SUBSET OF FOLLICULAR CELLS UNDERGOES A DRAMATIC FLATTENING PROCESS, CHANGING FROM CUBOID TO SQUAMOUS. WHILE STUDIES HAVE REVEALED MOLECULES THAT CAN MODIFY CELL SHAPE AND ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN FLATTENING, THE GENETIC CONTROL OF THIS DYNAMIC AND COMPLEX SQUAMOUS CELL (SC) PROCESS REMAINS UNCLEAR. WE FOUND THAT THE ZINC-FINGER TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR BROAD (BR) IN THE FOLLICULAR EPITHELIUM IS REQUIRED TO TRANSITION POSTERIOR FOLLICLE CELLS FROM CUBOIDAL TO COLUMNAR SHAPE EARLY IN OOGENESIS. WE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT SUPPRESSION OF BR EXPRESSION IN MID- OOGENESIS BY THE ECDYSONE AND JAK/STAT SIGNALING PATHWAYS REGULATES CUBOIDAL-SQUAMOUS SHAPE CHANGES. THIS CONTRASTS WITH ECDYSONE’S KNOWN ABILITY TO POSITIVELY REGULATE BR EXPRESSION IN OTHER TISSUES. WE NOW PROPOSE TO EXAMINE THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH BR EXPRESSION IS NEGATIVELY REGULATED DURING DROSOPHILA OOGENESIS WITH THE GOAL OF UNDERSTANDING HOW BR-DRIVEN EPITHELIAL REMODELING IS CONTROLLED. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE ECDYSONE AND JAK/STAT PATHWAYS NEGATIVELY ACT ON A COMMON DOWNSTREAM TARGET BR TO REGULATE THE TIMING AND LOCATION OF THIS DRAMATIC MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE. TO TEST OUR HYPOTHESIS, WE WILL FIRST INVESTIGATE THE ROLES OF ECDYSONE AND JAK/STAT SIGNALING IN BR-MEDIATED SC STRETCHING (AIM 1); THEN INVESTIGATE THE DOWNSTREAM MOLECULES INVOLVED IN BR-MEDIATED SC STRETCHING (AIM 2). OUR FINDINGS WILL PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR AND MORPHOLOGICAL STEPS INVOLVED IN SC MORPHOGENESIS, SHEDDING NEW LIGHT ON THE CAUSES OF EPITHELIAL DISEASES.

PRESCRIPTION OF STEP COUNTS FOR TARGETED CHANGES IN BODY COMPOSITION AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE ADULTS - THE PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY REMAINS EPIDEMIC IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH SOME OF THE HIGHEST RATES SEEN IN OLDER ADULTS. WHILE THIS PHENOMENON IS CERTAINLY MULTIFACTORIAL, A GOOD DEAL OF EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT INSUFFICIENT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA) CONTRIBUTES SIGNIFICANTLY. PILOT DATA RECENTLY COLLECTED IN OUR LABORATORY INDICATES A STRONG, INVERSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DAILY STEP COUNTS AND BODY FATNESS AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK (CMR) FACTORS WHEN STEP COUNTS ARE EXPRESSED RELATIVE TO FAT MASS IN YOUNG ADULTS. THIS EXPRESSION OF PA MAY BE ESPECIALLY PREDICTIVE OF BODY COMPOSITION BECAUSE IT IS INFLUENCED BY FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE APPETITE AND ENERGY INTAKE, ENERGY EXPENDITURE, AND THE ENERGY “RESERVOIR” THAT IS REPRESENTED BY BODY FAT STORES, ALL THREE ELEMENTS OF THE “SETTLING POINT” MODEL OF BODY WEIGHT. THE STRENGTH OF THIS RELATIONSHIP SUGGESTS THAT PRESCRIPTION OF STEP COUNTS THAT CONSIDER CURRENT BODY WEIGHT AND COMPOSITION, AND WEIGHT LOSS GOAL, MAY YIELD PREDICTABLE CHANGES IN WEIGHT AND CMR IN ADULTS EATING AD LIBITUM. THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO QUANTIFY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DAILY STEP COUNTS AND BODY COMPOSITION IN YOUNG, MIDDLE AGED, AND OLDER ADULTS WHO ARE OVERWEIGHT/OBESE AND DEVELOP A REGRESSION MODEL THAT CAN BE USED TO PRESCRIBE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (DAILY STEP COUNTS) FOR ACHIEVING A SPECIFIC TARGET BODY WEIGHT AND PREDICTABLY IMPROVING CMR RISK FOR YOUNG, MIDDLE-AGED, AND OLDER ADULT MEN AND WOMEN OVER EIGHT MONTHS WHILE EATING AD LIBITUM. TO ACHIEVE THIS OBJECTIVE, WE WILL UNDERTAKE TWO SPECIFIC AIMS: 1) QUANTIFY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AVERAGE STEPS·KG FAT MASS-1·DAY-1 AND BODY COMPOSITION/CMR PROFILES IN HEALTHY, OVERWEIGHT, AND OBESE ADULTS 20-39 YEARS, 40-59 YEARS, 60-79 YEARS, AND 80-PLUS YEARS OLD, USING INEXPENSIVE, WIDELY AVAILABLE TRIAXIAL PEDOMETERS WHILE EATING AD LIBITUM, AND 2) QUANTIFY THE EFFICACY OF EMPLOYING TARGETED STEP COUNTS EXPRESSED AS STEPS·KG FAT MASS-1·DAY-1 USING THE MODEL DEVELOPED IN AIM 1 FOR PRODUCING PREDICTABLE IMPROVEMENTS IN BODY COMPOSITION AND CMR FACTORS IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE ADULTS 20-39, 40-59, 60-79, AND 80-PLUS YEARS OLD, OVER 8 MONTHS WHILE EATING AD LIBITUM. THIS STUDY WILL RESULT IN A REGRESSION MODEL THAT MAY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE WAY THAT PA IS PRESCRIBED FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT, WITH VAST CLINICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS.

BIOENGINEERING RESEARCH AND INTERDISCIPLINARY TRAINING – ESTEEMED (BRITE) - ABSTRACT THE PROPOSED ““BIOENGINEERING RESEARCH AND INTERDISCIPLINARY TRAINING – ESTEEMED" (BRITE) PROGRAM, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON ORTHOTICS, PROSTHETICS AND REHABILITATION REPRESENTS A MAJOR RESEARCH EDUCATION INITIATIVE FOR KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY TO ENGAGE STUDENTS WITH DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS IN POSITIVE AND IMPACTFUL UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES THAT EMPOWER THEM WITH TOOLS OF SUCCESS TO PURSUE PHD DEGREES FOR RESEARCH CAREERS IN ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY. OVER A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD, WE WILL RECRUIT UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, WOMEN AND ECONOMICALLY- AND SOCIALLY-DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS, AND EXPOSE THEM TO SPHERES OF ENGINEERING AND CLINICAL DISCOVERY TO PROVOKE HEIGHTENED AND SUSTAINED INTEREST IN RESEARCH INQUIRY. THE PROGRAM WILL IMMERSE STUDENTS INTO THE CLINICAL REALM OF ORTHOTICS, PROSTHETICS, AND REHABILITATION THROUGH INTERACTIONS WITH USERS OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY, CLINICAL ROTATIONS, FACULTY MENTORING, A CAPSTONE PROJECT, AND WORK ON AN INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH TEAM. AT THE END OF THE FOUR-YEAR PROGRAM, WE WILL HAVE TRAINED STUDENT PARTICIPANTS ON ESSENTIAL RESEARCH SKILLS WHO WILL BE WELL-PREPARED TO EVENTUALLY SERVE AS THE NEXT TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATORS AND LEADERS IN BIOENGINEERING WITH MORE DIVERSE AND ENRICHED PERSPECTIVES OF POSSIBILITIES. WE AIM TO ACCOMPLISH, MEASURE, AND ASSESS THE FOLLOWING MAIN OBJECTIVES: 1) WE WILL RECRUIT 32 ACADEMICALLY-OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM THE TARGET UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS FOR THIS PROPOSED RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH A MAJOR STATE GOVERNMENT SPONSORED STEM EDUCATION PROGRAM, A PRIVATE GEORGIA STEM EDUCATION FOUNDATION, AND A REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL STEM ADMINISTRATOR. 2) WE WILL IMPLEMENT A VIGOROUS PARTICIPANT RETENTION PLAN THAT WILL BE ONGOING AND ADMINISTERED BY AN ACADEMIC SUCCESS ADVISORY TEAM. 3) WE WILL OFFER MOTIVATING, RIGOROUS AND IMPACTFUL RESEARCH TRAINING EXPERIENCES THROUGH THE FOLLOWING CORE ELEMENTS: SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM, SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, HONORS PROGRAM, FACULTY MENTORSHIP, AND CAPSTONE PROJECT. 4) THE TRAINEES WILL PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY ON AN INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH TEAM. 5) THE STUDENTS WILL OBTAIN DEDICATED FACULTY RESEARCH MENTORING AND CAREER COUNSELING TO READY THEM FOR GRADUATE STUDIES. 6) THE TRAINEES WILL INCREASE THEIR RESEARCH COMPETENCY SKILLS THROUGH SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTION AND PRACTICE. 7) GRADUATING BRITE PARTICIPANTS WILL GAIN ADMISSION INTO MASTERS/DOCTORAL PROGRAMS RELATED TO BIOENGINEERING.

GRANT PROGRAM

PEACH STATE BRIDGES TO THE DOCTORATE - PROJECT SUMMARY ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE IS ENHANCED WHEN RESEARCHERS HAVE DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS, TALENTS, AND PERSPECTIVES TO STIMULATE INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE APPROACHES THAT ADDRESS HEALTHCARE CHALLENGES. THE TALENT, EXPERIENCES, AND PARTICIPATION OF STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO BE STARKLY LOW IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND ENGINEERING AND ARE WORSE AT THE DOCTORAL LEVELS OF TRAINING AND BEYOND. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO ESTABLISH THE PEACH STATE BRIDGES TO THE DOCTORATE PROGRAM (PSB2D) AT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS ENTERING DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES. THE INNATE ABILITIES OF THESE STUDENTS WILL BE REFINED AND POLISHED AFTER MATRICULATION THROUGH OUR MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY (MSIB) OR MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY (MSCB) DEGREE PROGRAMS. IN COMBINATION WITH THE TRAINING AND GUIDANCE PROVIDED BY THE PSB2D PROGRAM, SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS WILL TRANSITION INTO DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES. FOUR AMBITIOUS OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN SET TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL: (1) RECRUIT FIVE UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS PER YEAR FOR FIVE YEARS THAT SEEK A MASTER’S DEGREE AS A BRIDGE INTO A BIOMEDICAL DOCTORAL (PHD) PROGRAM; (2) RETAIN AND (3) TRAIN AT LEAST 80% OF PSB2D STUDENTS AND PROVIDE TRULY EXCEPTIONAL GRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES; (4) FACILITATE THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION OF AT LEAST 80% OF PSB2D STUDENTS INTO DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MULTIPLE RECRUITMENT AVENUES, A POOL OF ASPIRATIONAL UR STUDENTS WILL BE COMPETITIVELY SELECTED INTO THE PSB2D PROGRAM. SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS WILL DISPLAY AN EXPRESSED INTEREST IN PURSUING A BIOMEDICAL PHD OR MD/PHD. DIRECTED RESEARCH AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES ARE PLANNED FOR THE TWO-YEAR APPOINTMENT OF EACH BRIDGES TRAINEE. THE FIRST YEAR WILL FEATURE TRAINING IN FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH SKILLS, RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT, METHODS TO ENHANCE REPRODUCIBILITY, THESIS DEVELOPMENT, AND WORKSHOPS TO PREPARE TRAINEES FOR DOCTORAL PROGRAM APPLICATIONS IN THE FALL. MONTHLY BRIDGES MEETINGS WILL BUILD INCLUSIVENESS, RESPECT, SCIENTIFIC IDENTITY, SOCIALIZATION, COHESION, AND SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION. THE SECOND YEAR WILL FOCUS ON DOCTORAL INTERVIEW PREPARATION, IN ADDITION TO FURTHER RESEARCH TRAINING. PSB2D SCHOLARS WILL RECEIVE PEER AND FACULTY MENTORING THROUGHOUT THE TWO-YEAR APPOINTMENT. NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES WITH BIOMEDICAL PROFESSIONALS (ACADEMIA, INDUSTRY, PRIVATE SECTOR) WILL BE FEATURED IN SEMINARS. AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL OVERSEE PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. USING THE ABOVE MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES, SURVEY INSTRUMENTS WILL BE DEPLOYED BY AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR TO ASSESS MENTEE TRAINING AND MENTOR EFFECTIVENESS. WE WILL MODIFY OUR PROGRAM AS NEEDED, BASED ON ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES. RESULTS WILL BE DISSEMINATED BY OUR PROGRAM WEBSITE, CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS, AND JOURNAL ARTICLES. IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL, WE WILL HELP NIH DIVERSIFY THE VOICES AND TALENTS OF THE BIOMEDICAL WORKFORCE BY MATRICULATING AT LEAST 16 BRIDGES TRAINEES INTO BIOMEDICAL PHD PROGRAMS OVER THE FIVE YEARS OF THIS PROJECT.

BRC-BIO: MAINTENANCE OF ALTERNATIVE REPRODUCTIVE TACTICS IN A PLETHODONTID SALAMANDER -UNDERSTANDING HOW VARIATION IS MAINTAINED IN POPULATIONS IS OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY. ALTERNATIVE REPRODUCTIVE TACTICS ARE DISCRETE DIFFERENCES IN REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR FOUND WITHIN A SINGLE POPULATION, AND THEY ARE OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY VARIATION IN REPRODUCTIVE MORPHOLOGY. ONE EXAMPLE IS ILLUSTRATED BY THE ?SEARCHING? AND ?GUARDING? MALES FOUND IN SOME SPECIES OF THE TWO-LINED SALAMANDERS, A GROUP OF SEMI-AQUATIC, LUNGLESS SALAMANDERS THAT ARE WIDESPREAD AND ABUNDANT IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON UNDERSTANDING THE BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING THIS POLYMORPHISM IN URBAN STREAMS IN METRO ATLANTA. THROUGH DATA COLLECTED FROM FIELD SAMPLING, GENOMIC SEQUENCING, AND BEHAVIORAL TRIALS, THIS PROJECT WILL EVALUATE THE ROLES OF NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL HETEROGENEITY, ANTHROPOGENIC LANDSCAPE CHANGES, AND SPERM COMPETITION IN THE LONG-TERM COEXISTENCE OF REPRODUCTIVE VARIATION IN THESE AMPHIBIANS. THESE RESULTS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A MORE GENERAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE MAINTENANCE OF GENOTYPIC AND PHENOTYPIC DIVERSITY IN POPULATIONS. FURTHERMORE, THIS AWARD WILL CREATE 12 PAID UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH POSITIONS AND ALLOW 45 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO ENGAGE IN AUTHENTIC, INQUIRY-DRIVEN RESEARCH THROUGH A TEAM RESEARCH COURSE AT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY. THIS PROJECT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF A NEW AND TRACTABLE SYSTEM TO STUDY THE EVOLUTIONARY MAINTENANCE OF FIXED, MORPHOLOGICALLY DISTINCT, AND GENETICALLY DETERMINED ALTERNATIVE REPRODUCTIVE TACTICS IN WILD POPULATIONS. WITH UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, PI PIERSON WILL DEVELOP AND USE GENOTYPING ASSAYS TO CHARACTERIZE THE FREQUENCY OF ALTERNATIVE REPRODUCTIVE TACTICS IN TWO-LINED SALAMANDERS AND WILL COLLECT PAIRED ENVIRONMENTAL DATA FROM DOZENS OF STREAMS IN METRO ATLANTA. THEY WILL THEN EVALUATE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TACTIC FREQUENCIES AND NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC LANDSCAPE FEATURES TO CONTRIBUTE TO BROADER THEORY FOCUSED ON THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HETEROGENEITY IN THE MAINTENANCE OF POLYMORPHISMS. NEXT, PI PIERSON AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP AND USE A NEW GENOMIC ASSAY TO DETERMINE PATERNITY OF CLUTCHES LAID FOLLOWING COURTSHIP TRIALS. THEY WILL THEN USE THESE DATA TO EVALUATE EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE PATERNITY, TACTIC-SPECIFIC SPERM COMPETITION ADVANTAGES, AND FIRST- OR LAST-MALE SPERM PRECEDENCE, WHICH WILL INFORM MORE GENERAL IDEAS ABOUT HOW TEMPORAL VARIATION IN REPRODUCTIVE OPPORTUNITIES CONTRIBUTES TO THE MAINTENANCE OF VARIATION IN REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORS. 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.

PEACH STATE BRIDGES TO THE DOCTORATE - ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE IS ENHANCED WHEN THE MOST TALENTED RESEARCHERS APPLY RELEVANT INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE APPROACHES TO ADDRESS HEALTHCARE CHALLENGES. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO ESTABLISH THE PEACH STATE BRIDGES TO THE DOCTORATE PROGRAM (PSB2D) AT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INNATELY TALENTED STUDENTS ENTERING DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES. IN SO DOING, WE WILL ADVANCE NIH’S MISSION TO ADVANCE RESEARCH THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN CAPITAL. THE INNATE ABILITIES OF THESE STUDENTS WILL BE DEVELOPED FURTHER AND POLISHED BY IMMERSION IN OUR MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY (MSIB) OR MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY (MSCB) DEGREE PROGRAMS. IN COMBINATION WITH THE TRAINING AND GUIDANCE PROVIDED BY THE PSB2D PROGRAM, OUR GRADUATES WILL TRANSITION INTO DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES. FOUR AMBITIOUS OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN SET TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL: (1) RECRUIT FOUR TALENTED STUDENTS PER YEAR FOR FIVE YEARS INTO A MASTER’S DEGREE AS A BRIDGE INTO A BIOMEDICAL DOCTORAL (PHD) PROGRAM; (2) RETAIN AND (3) TRAIN AT LEAST 80% OF PSB2D STUDENTS AND PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL MS RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES; (4) FACILITATE THE SUCCESSFUL PASSAGE OF AT LEAST 80% OF PSB2D STUDENTS INTO DOCTORAL PROGRAMS. THESE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES SUPPORT NIH’S MISSION OF ENHANCING THE TRAINING OF A WORKFORCE TO MEET THE NATION'S BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH NEEDS. A POOL OF OUTSTANDING STUDENTS INTERESTED IN PURSUING A BIOMEDICAL PHD OR MD/PHD DEGREE WILL BE SELECTED INTO THE PSB2D PROGRAM. DIRECTED RESEARCH AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES ARE PLANNED FOR THE TWO-YEAR APPOINTMENT OF EACH TRAINEE. THE FIRST YEAR WILL FEATURE TRAINING IN FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH SKILLS, RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH, METHODS TO ENHANCE REPRODUCIBILITY, THESIS DEVELOPMENT, AND WORKSHOPS TO PREPARE TRAINEES FOR DOCTORAL PROGRAM APPLICATIONS IN THE FALL. MONTHLY BRIDGES MEETINGS WILL BUILD COLLEGIALITY, COHESION, AND SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION. THE SECOND YEAR WILL FOCUS ON DOCTORAL APPLICATION PREPARATION, IN ADDITION TO FURTHER RESEARCH TRAINING. PSB2D SCHOLARS WILL RECEIVE PEER AND FACULTY MENTORING THROUGHOUT THE TWO-YEAR APPOINTMENT. NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES WITH BIOMEDICAL PROFESSIONALS (ACADEMIA, INDUSTRY, PRIVATE SECTOR) WILL BE FEATURED IN SEMINARS. AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL OVERSEE PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. USING MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES, SURVEY INSTRUMENTS WILL BE DEPLOYED BY AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR TO ASSESS MENTEE TRAINING AND MENTOR EFFECTIVENESS. WE WILL MODIFY OUR PROGRAM AS NEEDED, BASED ON ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES. RESULTS WILL BE DISSEMINATED ON OUR PROGRAM WEBSITE, IN CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS, AND JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS. IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL, WE WILL HELP NIH DEVELOP THE BIOMEDICAL WORKFORCE BY MATRICULATING AT LEAST 12 BRIDGES TRAINEES INTO BIOMEDICAL PHD PROGRAMS OVER THE FIVE YEARS OF THIS PROJECT.

GRANT PROGRAM

THEORETICAL CALCULATIONS FOR PARTICLE PHYSICS AT HADRON COLLIDERS -THIS AWARD FUNDS THE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES OF PROFESSORS NIKOLAOS KIDONAKIS AND MARCO GUZZI AT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY. THE RESEARCH PROJECT IS IN THEORETICAL PARTICLE PHYSICS, AND IT IS RELEVANT TO THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER (LHC), WHICH IS CURRENTLY THE HIGHEST-ENERGY PARTICLE COLLIDER IN THE WORLD, AND TO FUTURE COLLIDERS. BY COLLIDING PROTONS AT HIGHER ENERGIES THAN HAVE EVER BEEN PREVIOUSLY EXPLORED, PHYSICISTS EXPECT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLES OF MATTER AND THEIR INTERACTIONS. THE RESEARCH INVOLVES THEORETICAL CALCULATIONS THAT ARE SUFFICIENTLY PRECISE AND ACCURATE TO MAKE MEANINGFUL COMPARISONS WITH DATA FROM THE LHC. THE TOP QUARK IS THE HEAVIEST ELEMENTARY PARTICLE THAT HAS BEEN DISCOVERED AND IT HAS UNIQUE PROPERTIES, AND THUS IT IS OF CENTRAL IMPORTANCE FOR THE PHYSICS PROGRAM AT THE LHC. THE HIGGS BOSON IS INVOLVED IN THE MECHANISM FOR MASS GENERATION, AND THE DETERMINATION OF ITS PROPERTIES IS A VERY HIGH PRIORITY. THUS, THEORETICAL PREDICTIONS OF THE PRODUCTION RATES FOR THESE PARTICLES IS CRUCIAL FOR FURTHER PROGRESS IN OUR FIELD. FURTHERMORE, AN IMPROVED DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE PROTON IS ESSENTIAL FOR UNDERSTANDING THE DETAILS OF PROTON-PROTON COLLISIONS. THE RESEARCH WILL INVOLVE STATE-OF-THE-ART CALCULATIONS THAT WILL IMPROVE THEORETICAL PREDICTIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TOP QUARKS, HIGGS AND W, Z BOSONS, AND OTHER PARTICLES, IT WILL ADVANCE OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE STRONG INTERACTIONS, AND IT WILL IMPROVE THE DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE PROTON. THE PROJECT WILL ADVANCE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY PROMOTING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE IN ONE OF ITS MOST FUNDAMENTAL DIRECTIONS: THE DISCOVERY AND UNDERSTANDING OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND THEIR INTERACTIONS, AND THE SEARCH FOR NEW PHYSICS, THEREBY SERVING THE NSF MISSION OF PROMOTING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. THE RESEARCH FINDINGS WILL BE WIDELY DISSEMINATED THROUGH PUBLICATION IN REFEREED JOURNALS AND PRESENTATIONS IN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO HAVE SIGNIFICANT BROADER IMPACTS. IT WILL INVOLVE STUDENTS AS WELL AS A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH, AND THEREBY PROVIDE CRITICAL TRAINING FOR JUNIOR PHYSICISTS IN THIS FIELD. OUTREACH ACTIVITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY WILL PROMOTE KNOWLEDGE OF PHYSICS TO THE PUBLIC. MORE TECHNICALLY, THE RESEARCH PROJECT WILL IMPLEMENT FORMALISMS THAT CAN IMPROVE THEORETICAL PREDICTIONS OF HIGHER-ORDER QCD AND ELECTROWEAK CORRECTIONS FOR A LARGE NUMBER OF PROCESSES AT THE LHC AND FUTURE COLLIDERS AS WELL AS THE DETERMINATION OF PARTON DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS (PDF) IN THE PROTON. HIGHER-ORDER PERTURBATIVE CALCULATIONS OF QCD AND ELECTROWEAK CORRECTIONS AS WELL AS RESUMMATIONS OF SOFT-GLUON AND COLLINEAR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL BE PERFORMED FOR PROCESSES INVOLVING TOP QUARKS, SUCH AS TOP-ANTITOP PAIR PRODUCTION, SINGLE-TOP PRODUCTION, PRODUCTION OF TOP-ANTITOP PAIRS IN ASSOCIATION WITH Z BOSONS AND HIGGS BOSONS, AND OTHER PROCESSES IN THE STANDARD MODEL AND IN MODELS OF NEW PHYSICS. CALCULATIONS OF SOFT-GLUON CORRECTIONS TO CROSS SECTIONS AND DIFFERENTIAL DISTRIBUTIONS FOR THESE PROCESSES WILL BE PERFORMED AT NEXT-TO-NEXT-TO-LEADING ORDER (NNLO) AND NEXT-TO-NEXT-TO-NEXT-TO-LEADING ORDER (N3LO). AN IMPROVED CALCULATION OF THE MASSIVE CUSP ANOMALOUS DIMENSION, WHICH CONTROLS THE INFRARED BEHAVIOR OF QCD SCATTERING AMPLITUDES, WILL ALSO BE PERFORMED AT FOUR LOOPS. MOREOVER, THE CTEQ GLOBAL PDF ANALYSIS WILL BE EXTENDED TO THE NEXT GENERATION WHICH IS BASED ON A VARIETY OF NEW MEASUREMENTS FROM THE LHC RUN 2 AND RUN 3. THE PDF WILL BE DETERMINED AT NNLO IN QCD USING AN AMENDED VERSION OF THE FACTORIZATION THEOREM IN PROTON COLLISIONS FOR SELECTED PROCESSES, AND A NEW STRATEGY WILL BE DEVISED TO ACCOUNT FOR THEORETICAL UNCERTAINTIES IN THE GLOBAL ANALYSIS AND FLEXIBLE PDF PARAMETRIZATIONS. MOREOVER, THE IMPACT OF PARTIAL N3LO CONTRIBUTIONS TO DGLAP EVOLUTION WILL BE STUDIED, AND THE DEFAULT CTEQ FACTORIZATION SCHEME FOR HEAVY-FLAVOR TREATMENT IN DIS PROCESSES WILL BE EXTENDED TO N3LO IN QCD USING THE INFORMATION CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN THE LITERATURE. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

THE PROPOSED PROJECT REPRESENTS A CONTINUATION AND EXPANSION OF A PROJECT THAT CURATES THE LIFE HISTORIES OF VETERANS WHO SERVED IN THE U.S. MILITARY IN THE LATE 1940S AND 1950S AND SUBSEQUENTLY PARTICIPATED IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. BUILDING ON INITIAL WORK IN 2024-2025 WHICH FEATURED WORLD WAR II VETERANS IN GEORGIA, THIS PROPOSAL FOCUSES ON VIETNAM-ERA VETERANS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. KSU WILL DEVELOP AN IMMERSIVE PORTFOLIO OF EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH TOOLS EMPHASIZING COMMUNITY CONNECTION, INCLUDING STORYBOARDS AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS UPLOADED TO VLM, A TRAVELING VIETNAM-ERA MUSEUM EXHIBIT, A SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR OF A NCA CEMETERY, AND COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT PROMOTE CONNECTION BETWEEN STUDENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND VETERANS. THIS PROJECT WILL PRESERVE THE STORIES OF VETERANS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO OUR NATION'S HISTORY IN AN EXTRAORDINARY MANNER AND PROMOTE STUDENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH STATE AND FEDERAL CEMETERIES IN THE SOUTHEAST.

GRANT PROGRAM

UPWARD BOUND MATH AND SCIENCE PROGRAM

KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY: ROCKMART CEDARTOWN UPWARD BOUND

KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY: HIRAM UPWARD BOUND

UPWARD BOUND MATH AND SCIENCE PROGRAM

ELUCIDATION OF MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF PRENATAL CANNABINOID EXPOSURE: IDENTIFICATION OF TARGETS AND THERAPIES. - PROJECT ABSTRACT CANNABIS IS ONE OF THE MOST ILLICIT DRUGS USED DURING PREGNANCY, AND WITH INCREASED LEGALIZATION, USE DURING PREGNANCY IS EXPECTED TO RISE. CLINICAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN PRENATAL CANNABINOID EXPOSURE (PCE) RESULTS IN RESIDUAL COGNITIVE DEFICITS IN OFFSPRING. DESPITE THE RISE IN PCE, THERE IS LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF A COMPREHENSIVE MECHANISTIC PATHWAY RESPONSIBLE FOR LEARNING AND MEMORY DEFICITS ASSOCIATED WITH PCE. OUR LONG-RANGE GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW PCE AFFECTS COGNITION, AND THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DISSECT THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF MEMORY AND SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY DEFICITS ASSOCIATED WITH PCE. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA DEMONSTRATE HIPPOCAMPAL-DEPENDENT MEMORY IMPAIRMENTS IN PCE ANIMALS ARE CONCOMITANT WITH SYNAPTIC DEFICITS IN THE FORM OF DECREASED LONG-TERM POTENTIATION (LTP) AND ENHANCED LONG-TERM DEPRESSION (LTD). FURTHERMORE, WE HAVE DEMONSTRATED REDUCTIONS IN POLYSIALYLATED-NCAM (PSA-NCAM), WHICH IS REQUIRED FOR NEUROGENESIS, NEURONAL PATHFINDING, AND LEARNING AND MEMORY. WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED THAT DECREASED PSA-NCAM CAN LEAD TO DEFICITS IN LTP BY MODULATING GLUN2B-RAS-GRF1-P38 MAPK SIGNALING PATHWAY AND ALTERING THE SIGNALING BALANCE OF GLUN2A- AND GLUN2B- CONTAINING NMDA RECEPTORS. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA WITH PCE ALSO INDICATES A DECREASE IN GLUN2A RECEPTOR EXPRESSION AND SIGNALING WITH NO CHANGE IN GLUN2B EXPRESSION, INDICATING AN IMBALANCE IN SIGNALING. BASED ON OUR PRELIMINARY AND PUBLISHED DATA, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT PSA-NCAM MEDIATED ALTERATIONS IN GLUN2A- AND GLUN2B- SIGNALING PATHWAYS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ALTERED SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY AND MEMORY DEFICITS RESULTING FROM PCE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DISSECT THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BY WHICH PCE INDUCES SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY AND COGNITIVE DEFICITS. WE WILL USE A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH INCLUDING BEHAVIORAL, ELECTROCHEMICAL, ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL, CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR METHODOLOGIES TO TEST OUR HYPOTHESES. WE PROPOSE THREE INTERRELATED BUT SEQUENTIALLY INDEPENDENT SPECIFIC AIMS: (1) INVESTIGATE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF BEHAVIORAL AND SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY DEFICITS RESULTING FROM PCE, (2) INVESTIGATE HOW PSA-NCAM MODIFIES SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION AND PLASTICITY BY REGULATING NMDA RECEPTOR-MEDIATED SIGNALING IN PCE ANIMALS, AND (3) DETERMINE THE FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES OF APPLICATION OF A PSA MIMETIC & MODULATION OF GLUN2A- AND GLUN2B- CONTAINING NMDA RECEPTORS ON PCE-INDUCED SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY AND MEMORY DEFICITS. THE DATA FROM OUR STUDY NOT ONLY POINTS TOWARD A SPECIFIC MECHANISM RESPONSIBLE FOR PCE-RELATED DEFICITS BUT WILL ALSO COMPREHENSIVELY ASSESS THE DIFFERENT ROLES PLAYED BY SYNAPTIC MOLECULES RESPONSIBLE FOR PLASTICITY MECHANISMS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH COGNITION.