Mercer University Dr

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GEORGIA EDUCATORS NETWORKING TO REVOLUTIONIZE AND TRANSFORM EDUCATION:GENERATE

CAMPUS BASED-FWS

CAMPUS BASED-FWS

HEALTHY START INITIATIVE

MERCER UNIVERSITY UPWARD BOUND-BIBB

MERCER UNIVERSITY UPWARD BOUND-BIBB

ARTERIAL CONTRACTILITY AND BLOOD PRESSURE REGULATION BY STATINS - PROJECT SUMMARY: STATINS ARE USED BY OVER 200 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE FOR TREATING ATHEROSCLEROTIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES SUCH AS HYPERTENSION, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, AND STROKE. PRE-CLINICAL AND CLINICAL DATA SUGGEST THAT STATINS PRODUCE BLOOD PRESSURE (BP)-LOWERING ACTION IN SOME SUBJECTS WHILE HAVING BP-NEUTRAL EFFECTS IN OTHERS. HOWEVER, THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM FOR SUCH CONTRASTING EFFECTS REMAINS UNCLEAR. THE CONVENTIONAL VIEW IS THAT LONG-TERM STATIN THERAPY PRODUCES A RANGE OF BENEFICIAL VASCULAR EFFECTS DUE TO THE INHIBITION OF MEVALONATE/CHOLESTEROL BIOSYNTHESIS AND RHO AND RHO-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN KINASE (ROCK) SIGNALING IN VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS (SMCS) AND ENDOTHELIAL CELLS (ECS). HOWEVER, WHETHER STATINS CAN DIRECTLY ACT ON A VASCULAR TARGET TO REGULATE ARTERIAL CONTRACTILITY, INDEPENDENT OF THE CONVENTIONAL PATHWAYS, AND THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SUCH A TARGET OF DIRECT STATIN ACTION REMAIN UNCLEAR. DUE TO THE COEXISTENCE OF HYPERTENSION AND DYSLIPIDEMIA AND THE USE OF STATINS BY OVER 200 MILLION PEOPLE, IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO DETERMINE WHETHER STATINS HAVE INHERENT BP-LOWERING ACTIONS SO THAT CLINICIANS CAN TAILOR ANTIHYPERTENSIVE THERAPY TO THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUAL PATIENTS. IN THIS PROPOSAL, WE AIM TO INVESTIGATE THE DIRECT VASCULAR EFFECTS OF THE THREE MOST COMMONLY USED STATINS IN RESISTANCE MESENTERIC ARTERIES (RMAS) FROM WILD-TYPE AND TRANSGENIC NORMOTENSIVE AND HYPERTENSIVE ANIMALS TO DETERMINE THE MECHANISM OF DIFFERENTIAL BP REGULATION BY STATINS, BOTH ACUTELY AND IN THE LONG- TERM, AND PROPOSE A FRAMEWORK FOR HARNESSING THE BP-LOWERING ACTIONS OF STATINS THAT MAY POTENTIALLY BENEFIT MILLIONS. BASED ON OUR NOVEL PRELIMINARY DATA, THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS OF THIS PROPOSAL IS THAT STATINS STIMULATE RAPID RMA VASODILATION BY SELECTIVELY INHIBITING PHOSPHODIESTERASE 1A (PDE1A) IN SMCS, THEREBY ELEVATING [CGMP]I, LEADING TO PROTEIN KINASE G (PKG) ACTIVATION, VASODILATION, AND BP REDUCTION, AN EFFECT THAT IS ABOLISHED BY ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION THAT IMPAIRS UPSTREAM NO SIGNALING INTO SMCS. IN THIS PROPOSAL, WE WILL TO CHARACTERIZE THE ROLE OF THE NO- PDE1A/CGMP-PKG SIGNALING AXIS, WHICH MAY SHED LIGHT ON THE MECHANISMS BEHIND BP-LOWERING AND BP-NEUTRAL EFFECTS OF STATINS. OVERALL, THIS PROPOSAL COULD UNVEIL NOVEL CARDIOVASCULAR TARGETS AND THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS OF THE WORLD’S MOST PRESCRIBED DRUGS IN HYPERTENSION, AND SERVE AS THE GUIDE TO CLINICIANS TO TAILOR ANTIHYPERTENSIVE THERAPY TO THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF PATIENTS WITH COEXISTING HYPERTENSION AND DYSLIPIDEMIA.

HEALTHY START INITIATIVE

GRANT PROGRAM

MERCER UNIVERSITY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY CENTER

MERCER UNIVERSITY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY CENTER

HEALTHY START INITIATIVE

GRANT PROGRAM

CAMPUS BASED-FSEOG

CAMPUS BASED-FSEOG

GRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAMS

MOLECULAR PHARMACOLOGY OF XYLAZINE AT ADRENOCEPTORS: RELATION TO NECROTIC SKIN LESIONS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE Α2-ADRENERGIC RECEPTOR (Α2R) AGONIST XYLAZINE HAS BEEN USED IN VETERINARY MEDICINE FOR DECADES OWING TO ITS ANESTHETIC, MUSCLE RELAXANT, AND ANALGESIC PROPERTIES. SINCE THE MID-2000’S HOWEVER, ILLICIT USE OF XYLAZINE HAS GROWN DRAMATICALLY AND OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS ALONE, THE ILLICIT USE OF XYLAZINE- ADULTERATED OPIOIDS, INCLUDING FENTANYL, HAS INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY. XYLAZINE USE IN HUMANS IS LINKED TO WELL-DOCUMENTED ADVERSE EFFECTS INCLUDING RESPIRATORY DEPRESSION, HYPOTENSION, OR BRADYCARDIA, WHICH CAN ALL BE DIRECTLY COUPLED TO ITS MECHANISM AS AN Α2R AGONIST. SIGNIFICANTLY, REPEATED INTRAVENOUS INJECTION OF XYLAZINE IN HUMANS HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH NECROTIZING SKIN ULCERATION THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF BACTERIAL ETIOLOGY AND IS XYLAZINE-SPECIFIC. DESPITE THE RECENT INCREASE IN ILLICIT XYLAZINE USE, THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS RELATED TO XYLAZINE’S ACTION AT Α2RS REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD, AS IS THE MECHANISM OF XYLAZINE-MEDIATED SKIN NECROSIS. THIS PROJECT IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE BASIC RESEARCH AREAS OF INTEREST IN THIS NOTICE OF SPECIAL INTEREST FROM NIDA. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT XYLAZINE EXHIBITS UNIQUE AGONIST BINDING AND FUNCTIONAL PROFILES AT PERIPHERAL Α2 AND Α1RS AND THAT ITS ULCERATIVE EFFECTS ON THE SKIN ASSOCIATED WITH INTRAVENOUS INJECTION ARE DUE TO PERIPHERAL Α2/Α1R-MEDIATED VASOCONSTRICTION, WHICH CAUSES HYPOPERFUSION AND HYPOXIA UPON REPEATED EXPOSURE LEADING TO SKIN NECROSIS. WE PROPOSE THREE SPECIFIC AIMS TO ADDRESS THIS HYPOTHESIS. IN AIM 1, WE WILL ASSESS THE BINDING AFFINITY OF XYLAZINE COMPARED TO THE STRUCTURALLY DISTINCT ΑR AGONISTS CLONIDINE, MOXONIDINE, Α- METHYLNOREPINEPHRINE AND EPINEPHRINE AT AGONIST-OCCUPIED CONFORMATIONS OF EACH OF THE SIX Α2/Α1R SUBTYPES (Α1A, Α1B, Α1D, Α2A, 2B, 2C), EXPRESSED IN TRANSLATIONALLY-RELEVANT VENOUS AND ARTERIAL SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS (VSMC). IN AIM 2, WE WILL UTILIZE NOVEL TRUPATH G PROTEIN-BIOSENSORS IN BOTH VENOUS AND ARTERIAL VSMC TO ASSESS THE FUNCTIONAL EFFECTS OF XYLAZINE COMPARED TO THE OTHER AGONISTS AT Α1A, Α1B, Α1D, Α2A, Α2B, AND Α2CRS ENGAGED WITH DIFFERING GΑΒΓ COMBINATIONS. THIS AIM WILL INFORM ON XYLAZINE-INDUCED Α1R/Α2R SIGNALING AND WILL GAUGE DISTINCT G PROTEIN BIAS THAT THE AGENT MAY POSSESS, COMPARED TO THE OTHER Α1R/Α2R AGONISTS. IN AIM 3, WE WILL DIRECTLY TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT IV XYLAZINE-INDUCED SKIN NECROSIS IN VIVO IS CAUSED BY A PERIPHERAL Α2R-MEDIATED MECHANISM ASSOCIATED WITH VASOCONSTRICTION AND RESULTING HYPOPERFUSION AND HYPOXIA. TOGETHER, THESE AIMS WILL FILL GAPS IN THE LITERATURE RELATED TO XYLAZINE BINDING AND FUNCTION IN BOTH VENOUS AND ARTERIAL VSMC AS WELL AS MECHANISMS OF IV XYLAZINE-INDUCED SKIN NECROSIS.

INVESTIGATION OF HUMAN GUT-DERIVED MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS FOR CELLULAR THERAPY - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: CELL THERAPY IS AN INNOVATIVE AND NON-TOXIC REGENERATIVE APPROACH FOR THE TREATMENT OF INFLAMMATORY AND DEGENERATIVE DISORDERS. MESENCHYMAL STROMAL/STEM CELLS (MSCS) ARE WIDELY BEING TESTED AS CELLULAR AND REGENERATIVE THERAPY AND IN SOME COUNTRIES, IT IS ALREADY APPROVED AS STANDARD CLINICAL CARE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE ASSOCIATED COMPLICATIONS. SPECIFICALLY, PERIANAL FISTULA (PF) IS A SERIOUS COMPLICATION OF CROHN’S DISEASE (CD) WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY AFFECTS THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THOSE PATIENTS. TREATMENT OPTIONS ARE LIMITED AND ARE NOT HIGHLY EFFECTIVE. MSCS DERIVED FROM ADIPOSE TISSUE HAS BEEN APPROVED IN EUROPE FOR THE TREATMENT OF COMPLEX PF IN PATIENTS WITH CD. ALTHOUGH THIS STEM CELL THERAPY IS SHOWING EFFICACY, SIDE EFFECTS SUCH AS ANAL ABSCESS, PROCTALGIA, AND VARIATIONS IN TREATMENT RESPONSES ARE COMMON WHICH COULD BE DUE TO THE ALLOGENEIC NATURE OF THIS CELL THERAPY. THE CURRENT UNMET IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTOLOGOUS CELL THERAPY STRATEGY WITH ENHANCED POTENCY AND SAFETY FOR THE TREATMENT OF PF. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT MSCS DERIVED FROM THE RECTUM OF PATIENTS WITH CD DISPLAY ROBUST IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE AND REGENERATIVE PROPERTIES THAT CAN BE USED AS AN AUTOLOGOUS CELLULAR THERAPY. WE ALSO HYPOTHESIZE THAT RECTUM DERIVED MSCS’ POTENCY CAN BE FURTHER IMPROVED WITH APPROPRIATE INFLAMMATORY CUE MEDIATED PREACTIVATION, AND THUS THEY CAN FUNCTION AMIDST CONFOUNDING FACTORS. IN THE PRESENT PRECLINICAL RESEARCH PHASE, WE AIM TO CHARACTERIZE THE POTENCY OF RECTUM DERIVED MSCS FROM PATIENTS WITH CD. MERCER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE’S MISSION IS TO EDUCATE STUDENTS TO BECOME FUTURE PHYSICIANS AND SERVE RURAL AND UNDERSERVED REGIONS OF GEORGIA. INVOLVEMENT OF STUDENTS IN THIS RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT AWARD PROGRAM WILL BRING EXPOSURE AND HELP THEM TO APPLY CELLULAR THERAPY IN RURAL HEALTH CARE. THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY CAN INFORM A SECOND-GENERATION CELL THERAPY APPROACH NOT ONLY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PF BUT ALSO FOR BOWEL INFLAMMATION.

GOODNIGHT MOUSE: SLEEP AND SEPSIS - ABSTRACT: SLEEP PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN MAMMALIAN PHYSIOLOGY. ADEQUATE SLEEP PROMOTES A HEALTHY IMMUNE RESPONSE, WHICH HELPS THE BODY FIGHT INFECTIONS. IN THE HOSPITAL SETTING, PATIENT SLEEP IS OFTEN INTERRUPTED DUE TO NIGHTTIME NURSING CARE, NOISE, AND ARTIFICIAL LIGHT. SEPSIS IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN US HOSPITALS. THIS CONDITION DEVELOPS WHEN AN INFECTION INDUCES A DYSREGULATED IMMUNE RESPONSE, CULMINATING IN ORGAN DYSFUNCTION. DESPITE MODERN MEDICAL TREATMENTS, THE MORTALITY RATE FOR SEVERE SEPSIS REMAINS VERY HIGH (30-50%). PRIOR REPORTS SUGGEST THAT SLEEP INTERRUPTION EXACERBATES SEPSIS IN MICE, INCREASING ANIMAL MORTALITY. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS BEHIND THESE EFFECTS HAVE NOT BEEN ELUCIDATED. THIS PROPOSAL WILL CONFIRM THAT SLEEP INTERRUPTION EXACERBATES SEPSIS IN MICE, AND DETERMINE THE MECHANISM OF THIS EFFECT. THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED WILL CREATE A FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE STUDIES THAT INVESTIGATE THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN SEPSIS AND SLEEP IN HUMANS. ULTIMATELY, SEPTIC PATIENTS MAY BENEFIT FROM INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE THEIR SLEEP QUANTITY AND QUALITY, OR PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS TO REVERSE THE EFFECTS OF POOR SLEEP. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROPOSAL WILL PROVIDE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE MEDICAL SCHOOL, MASTERS IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE AND UPCOMING PHD IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE PROGRAMS AT MERCER UNIVERSITY. THE GRADUATE STUDENT POPULATION OF MERCER IS 64.5% FEMALE, 24.5% BLACK, AND 5% HISPANIC. THE STUDENT POPULATION ALSO CONTAINS A HIGH PROPORTION OF PEOPLE FROM RURAL, UNDERSERVED AREAS AND A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE GRADUATES. BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROJECT, OUR STUDENTS WILL GAIN CRITICAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, ACQUIRING SKILLS FOR IN VIVO AND IN VITRO RESEARCH TECHNIQUES, DATA ANALYSIS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, AND WILL GAIN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THEIR RESEARCH AT A NATIONAL CONFERENCE. THESE ACTIVITIES WILL GREATLY ENHANCE THEIR CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND STRENGTHEN THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF RESEARCH AT MERCER UNIVERSITY.

HEALTHY START INITIATIVE

MERCER UNIVERSITY UPWARD BOUND-RURAL

MERCER UNIVERSITY UPWARD BOUND-RURAL

HEALTHY START INITIATIVE

DEVELOPING COMPUTER SCIENCE MASTER TEACHERS FOR GEORGIA RURAL SCHOOLS -THE PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL NEED OF DEVELOPING HIGHLY EFFECTIVE COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS) TEACHER LEADERS. THESE TEACHER LEADERS WILL BE PREPARED TO STRENGTHEN THE ABILITY OF RURAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CS INSTRUCTION FOR ALL STUDENTS. IN PREPARING CS TEACHER LEADERS, THE PROJECT SEEKS TO ADDRESS THE INSUFFICIENT LEVEL OF CS INSTRUCTION IN RURAL SCHOOLS, A SIGNIFICANT GAP IN THE STEM KNOWLEDGE PIPELINE. THE PROJECT WILL PREPARE 16 EXEMPLARY AND CERTIFIED GRADES 6-12 STEM TEACHER LEADERS IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA SCHOOLS. THE PREPARATION OF CS TEACHER LEADERS WILL ENCOURAGE CONTINUING CS EDUCATION IN PARTNERING SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND PROVIDE CS LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE STUDENTS. PROJECT EFFORTS ARE ALIGNED WITH THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S CS CAREER PATHWAYS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO PURSUE CAREERS IN A WELL-PAYING INDUSTRY WITH A SHORTAGE OF APPLICANTS. PARTNERSHIPS WITH AGRICULTURE, HEALTH CARE, AND THE MILITARY WILL PROVIDE PARTICIPATING TEACHERS WITH EXPOSURE TO PATHS FOR STUDENTS TO PURSUE CS CAREERS. PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH CS EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT CAN LEAD TO WELL-COMPENSATED JOBS WILL PROVIDE ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. THIS PROJECT AT MERCER UNIVERSITY INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH WIREGRASS GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE, THE COMPUTER SCIENCE FOR GEORGIA ACADEMIC PARTNERS NETWORK, AND GEORGIA HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN CLINCH COUNTY, COFFEE COUNTY, DUBLIN CITY, EVANS COUNTY, JEFF DAVIS COUNTY, TATTNALL COUNTY, TREUTLEN COUNTY, AND WHEELER COUNTY. UNIQUE TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS CS AS A NEW TEACHING AREA FOR EXPERIENCED STEM TEACHERS. THE PROJECT WILL IMPLEMENT AND INVESTIGATE A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO INCREASE THE NUMBER AND DIVERSITY OF CS TEACHER LEADERS IN RURAL, HIGH-NEED SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA. GUIDING THE PROJECT'S APPROACH AND EVALUATION IS A RESEARCH-BASED FRAMEWORK THAT EXTENDS THE WORK OF THE DEVELOPING MASTER TEACHERS THROUGH THE SOUTH CAROLINA SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHER LEADERS PROGRAM, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS AREAS OF NEED FOR RURAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND THEIR TEACHERS, SPECIFIC TO CS TEACHING AND LEADERSHIP. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL EMPLOY RESEARCH-BASED STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP A NETWORK OF TEACHER LEADERS WITH CS CONTENT AND PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDINGS OF INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING, AND AWARENESS OF CONTENT-SPECIFIC TEACHER LEADERSHIP. THE STRATEGIES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH A 14-MONTH ONLINE EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST IN TEACHER LEADERSHIP MASTER?S DEGREE PROGRAM, FOLLOWED BY ONLINE CS MINI-COURSES, IN-PERSON CS LEADERSHIP ASSEMBLIES, AND CS SYSTEM-LEVEL PLANNING EVENTS. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT DATA WILL BE USED TO INVESTIGATE HOW THE PROJECT APPROACH AFFECTS THE LEARNING, ACTIONS, AND DISPOSITIONS OF THE MASTER TEACHING FELLOWS (MTFS) AND SCHOOL AND SYSTEM-LEVEL FACTORS IMPACTING THE MTFS' SUCCESS AS CS TEACHER LEADERS. NONPROFIT AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS WILL PROVIDE THE MTFS WITH CS CAREER-FOCUSED LINKS WITHIN RURAL COMMUNITIES. PROJECT RESULTS WILL BE PRESENTED AT PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES AND SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION. THIS TRACK 3: MASTER TEACHING FELLOWSHIP PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROGRAM SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE RETENTION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF K-12 TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

DEVELOPING COMPUTER SCIENCE MASTER TEACHERS FOR GEORGIA RURAL SCHOOLS -THE PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL NEED OF DEVELOPING HIGHLY EFFECTIVE COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS) TEACHER LEADERS. THESE TEACHER LEADERS WILL BE PREPARED TO STRENGTHEN THE ABILITY OF RURAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CS INSTRUCTION FOR ALL STUDENTS. IN PREPARING CS TEACHER LEADERS, THE PROJECT SEEKS TO ADDRESS THE INSUFFICIENT LEVEL OF CS INSTRUCTION IN RURAL SCHOOLS, A SIGNIFICANT GAP IN THE STEM KNOWLEDGE PIPELINE. THE PROJECT WILL PREPARE 16 EXEMPLARY AND CERTIFIED GRADES 6-12 STEM TEACHER LEADERS IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA SCHOOLS. THE PREPARATION OF CS TEACHER LEADERS WILL ENCOURAGE CONTINUING CS EDUCATION IN PARTNERING SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND PROVIDE CS LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE STUDENTS. PROJECT EFFORTS ARE ALIGNED WITH THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S CS CAREER PATHWAYS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO PURSUE CAREERS IN A WELL-PAYING INDUSTRY WITH A SHORTAGE OF APPLICANTS. PARTNERSHIPS WITH AGRICULTURE, HEALTH CARE, AND THE MILITARY WILL PROVIDE PARTICIPATING TEACHERS WITH EXPOSURE TO PATHS FOR STUDENTS TO PURSUE CS CAREERS. PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH CS EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT CAN LEAD TO WELL-COMPENSATED JOBS WILL PROVIDE ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. THIS PROJECT AT MERCER UNIVERSITY INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH WIREGRASS GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE, THE COMPUTER SCIENCE FOR GEORGIA ACADEMIC PARTNERS NETWORK, AND GEORGIA HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN CLINCH COUNTY, COFFEE COUNTY, DUBLIN CITY, EVANS COUNTY, JEFF DAVIS COUNTY, TATTNALL COUNTY, TREUTLEN COUNTY, AND WHEELER COUNTY. UNIQUE TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS CS AS A NEW TEACHING AREA FOR EXPERIENCED STEM TEACHERS. THE PROJECT WILL IMPLEMENT AND INVESTIGATE A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO INCREASE THE NUMBER AND DIVERSITY OF CS TEACHER LEADERS IN RURAL, HIGH-NEED SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA. GUIDING THE PROJECT'S APPROACH AND EVALUATION IS A RESEARCH-BASED FRAMEWORK THAT EXTENDS THE WORK OF THE DEVELOPING MASTER TEACHERS THROUGH THE SOUTH CAROLINA SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHER LEADERS PROGRAM, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS AREAS OF NEED FOR RURAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND THEIR TEACHERS, SPECIFIC TO CS TEACHING AND LEADERSHIP. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL EMPLOY RESEARCH-BASED STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP A NETWORK OF TEACHER LEADERS WITH CS CONTENT AND PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDINGS OF INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING, AND AWARENESS OF CONTENT-SPECIFIC TEACHER LEADERSHIP. THE STRATEGIES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH A 14-MONTH ONLINE EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST IN TEACHER LEADERSHIP MASTER?S DEGREE PROGRAM, FOLLOWED BY ONLINE CS MINI-COURSES, IN-PERSON CS LEADERSHIP ASSEMBLIES, AND CS SYSTEM-LEVEL PLANNING EVENTS. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT DATA WILL BE USED TO INVESTIGATE HOW THE PROJECT APPROACH AFFECTS THE LEARNING, ACTIONS, AND DISPOSITIONS OF THE MASTER TEACHING FELLOWS (MTFS) AND SCHOOL AND SYSTEM-LEVEL FACTORS IMPACTING THE MTFS' SUCCESS AS CS TEACHER LEADERS. NONPROFIT AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS WILL PROVIDE THE MTFS WITH CS CAREER-FOCUSED LINKS WITHIN RURAL COMMUNITIES. PROJECT RESULTS WILL BE PRESENTED AT PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES AND SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION. THIS TRACK 3: MASTER TEACHING FELLOWSHIP PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROGRAM SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE RETENTION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF K-12 TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

MODELING FOR UNDERSTANDING PHYSICAL PHENOMENA AND ENGAGING PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS IN SCIENCE -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY PREPARING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TO INTEGRATE MODEL-BASED INQUIRY INTO THE CURRICULUM TO ENHANCE STUDENT LEARNING OF SCIENCE. IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, SCIENCE IS OFTEN TAUGHT UTILIZING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS BEST PRACTICES. CHILDREN READ ABOUT AND MEMORIZE SCIENCE FACTS INSTEAD OF ENGAGING IN SCIENCE PRACTICES TO DEVELOP SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE. IN EFFORTS TO BUILD PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY SCIENCE TEACHER UNDERSTANDING OF, ABILITY TO, AND PREPAREDNESS FOR TEACHING USING MODEL-BASED INQUIRY (MBI) THE PROJECT AIMS TO SITUATE MBI INTO A PHYSICAL SCIENCE COURSE. THE MODELING FOR UNDERSTANDING PHYSICAL PHENOMENA AND ENGAGING TEACHERS IN SCIENCE (MUPPETS) PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A PHYSICAL SCIENCE COURSE FOR PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS (TO BE TAKEN PRIOR TO THE SCIENCE EDUCATION METHODS COURSE) IN WHICH THE PRESERVICE TEACHERS ARE LEARNERS OF SCIENCE IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT UTILIZES SCIENCE EDUCATION RESEARCH-BASED PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES. PRE-SERVICE TEACHER GAIN EXPERIENCE LEARNING SCIENCE USING TECHNIQUES WELL SUITED FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS. WHEN PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS ENTER THE SCIENCE EDUCATION METHODS COURSE, THE PHYSICAL SCIENCE COURSE EXPERIENCE IS A FAMILIAR CONTEXT TO DRAW UPON, AN OPPORTUNITY NOT TYPICALLY FOUND IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS. THE PURPOSE OF THE MUPPETS PROJECT IS TO DETERMINE HOW PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS ENGAGE WITH MODEL-BASED INQUIRY (MBI) THAT CENTERS ON GATHERING AND MAKING SENSE OF DATA AND PEER-TO-PEER DISCOURSE. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND HOW MAKING SENSE OF PHENOMENA THROUGH COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSIONS INFLUENCES THE COMPOSITION AND SUBSTANCE OF MODELS AND EXPLANATIONS ACROSS MODEL ITERATIONS TO ESTABLISH THE IMPACT ON THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF (1) PHYSICAL SCIENCE, SCIENCE, AND UNIVERSAL EPISTEMOLOGICAL VIEWS; (2) META-MODELING KNOWLEDGE; AND (3) MODELING PRACTICE. DATA IS ANALYZED USING A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH EMPLOYING A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF PRE-AND POST-SURVEY DATA TO ASSESS PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS? VIEWS OF KNOWLEDGE (EPISTEMOLOGY) AND META-MODELING KNOWLEDGE BEFORE AND AFTER ENGAGING IN MBI. THE QUALITATIVE DATA COMPONENT OF THE RESEARCH INCLUDES THE OBSERVED WRITTEN EXPLANATIONS AND THINK-ALOUD PROTOCOL TO CHARACTERIZE TYPES OF MODELING PRACTICE THAT PRE-SERVICE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS USE TO EXPLAIN PHENOMENA THROUGH THE VISUAL, WRITTEN, AND ORAL REPRESENTATIONS THEY CREATE ACROSS FIVE SETS OF ITERATIVE MODELS. THE NSF IUSE: EHR PROGRAM SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STEM EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS. PARTIAL FUNDING IS FROM THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 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.

MERCER UNIVERSITY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES-HENRY

MERCER UNIVERSITY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM-MACON

GRANT PROGRAM

DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL MODEL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF LINE-1 RETROTRANSPOSONS IN DISEASE AND NORMAL PHYSIOLOGY USING NANOBODIES - LINE-1 RETROTRANSPOSONS ENCODE A MULTICISTRONIC ENZYMATIC COMPLEX WITH THREE OPEN READING FRAMES. THOUSANDS OF COPIES OF LINE-1 ARE EMBEDDED THROUGHOUT THE GENOME, AND THE ENZYME ACTIVITY OF LINE-1 HAS GENERATED APPROXIMATELY ONE THIRD OF THE HUMAN GENOME VIA THE INSERTION OF LINE-1 AND SINES, ANOTHER TYPE OF RETROTRANSPOSON THAT DOES NOT ENCODE ITS OWN PROTEINS. ALTHOUGH LINE-1 IS LARGELY SILENCED IN MOST HEALTHY SOMATIC CELLS, IT IS REACTIVATED IN A LARGE NUMBER OF DISEASES WHERE IT IS HYPOTHESIZED TO PLAY A ROLE IN PATHOGENESIS AND DISEASE PROGRESSION, AND SOME RESEARCHERS HAVE SUGGESTED THE LINE-1 MAY ALSO HAVE A NECESSARY BIOLOGICAL ROLE. ALTHOUGH LINE-1 REACTIVATION CAN AFFECT CELLS THROUGH MULTIPLE MECHANISMS, INCLUDING MUTATION OF GENOMIC DNA, THE EFFECTS OF LINE-1-ENCODED PROTEINS ON LINE-1-ASSOCIATED DISEASES HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY HARD TO DISSECT OWING TO A LACK OF RELIABLE KNOCK DOWN MODELS. THE LACK OF RELIABLE KNOCKDOWN MODELS ARISES FROM I) THE LARGE NUMBER OF LINE-1 COPIES IN THE GENOME, WHICH MAKES CONVENTIONAL GENE EDITING UNFEASIBLE, INCLUDING PRIME, AND II) THE COMPLEX AND POORLY UNDERSTOOD INTERACTIONS AND CROSSTALK BETWEEN LINE-1, RNAI, AND INTERFERON PATHWAYS, WHICH MAKES THE USE OF SHRNA OR SIRNA DIFFICULT TO INTERPRET. WE PROPOSE HEREIN TO ESTABLISH A NOVEL MODEL TO KNOCK DOWN LINE-1 PROTEINS USING INTRACELLULAR FUNCTIONALIZED NANOBODIES, ALSO KNOWN AS INTRABODIES. WE WILL USE PHAGE DISPLAY TO ISOLATE NANOBODIES WITH HIGH-AFFINITY TO LINE-1 PROTEINS FROM A SYNTHETIC NANOBODY LIBRARY. THESE NANOBODY SEQUENCES WILL THEN BE FUSED TO GFP OR FBOXES TO ENABLE LIVE-CELL TRACKING AND KINETIC EXPERIMENTS (GFP- NANOBODIES) OR KNOCK DOWN OF LINE-1 PROTEINS (FBOXES). NOTABLY, FBOX-NANOBODY FUSIONS HAVE ACHIEVED 100% KNOCKOUT OF TARGET PROTEINS VIA RAPID UBIQUITINATION THROUGH THE RECRUITMENT OF E3 UBIQUITIN LIGASE, RESULTING IN PROTEASOMAL DEGRADATION. WE WILL THEN TEST THE ABILITY OF THESE FUNCTIONALIZED, LINE-1-SPECIFIC NANOBODIES TO FACILITATE LIVE-CELL LOCALIZATION OF LINE-1 PROTEINS AND TO ELIMINATE LINE-1 PROTEINS. WE WILL ALSO PERFORM AN INITIAL PHENOTYPIC CHARACTERIZATION OF CELLS -/+ KNOCKDOWN OF THE LINE-1 PROTEIN ORF1P, THE MOST HIGHLY EXPRESSED LINE-1 PROTEIN. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THESE AIMS WILL ADVANCE THE LINE-1 FIELD AND ENABLE MORE ROBUST HYPOTHESIS-TESTING TO DETERMINE THE ROLES OF LINE-1 PROTEINS IN DISEASE AS WELL AS RIGOROUSLY TESTING THEIR PROPOSED ROLE IN MAMMALIAN DEVELOPMENT.

GRANT PROGRAM

TO EDUCATE AND PROVIDE ACADEMIC SUPPORT TO STUDENTS SEEKING TO BECOME CERTIFIED REHABILITATION COUNSELORS TO ADDRESS THE PERSONNEL SHORTAGES AT STATE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION OR QUALIFYING AGENCIES

NOREPINEPHRINE MODULATES MEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX NEURAL ENSEMBLES THAT CONTROL COCAINE SEEKING BEHAVIOR - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THIS K01 APPLICATION AIMS TO PREPARE DR. ALI GHEIDI FOR AN INDEPENDENT FACULTY POSITION BY PROVIDING SPECIALIZED TRAINING IN RODENT MODELS OF DRUG SELF-ADMINISTRATION (IVSA), CHEMOGENIC MANIPULATION OF NEURONS AND TARGETED DELETION OF NEURONAL ENSEMBLES. THEREFORE, DR. GHEIDI WILL WORK WITH A CAREFULLY SELECTED TRAINING TEAM OF MENTORS. TRAINING FOR DR. GHEIDI WILL CONSIST OF COURSES, MEETING WITH MENTORS, WORKSHOPS, SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS, AND PERFORMING EXPERIMENTS. DR. GHEIDI’S SHORT TERM GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF NOREPINEPHRINE (NE) IN REGULATING NEURONAL ENSEMBLES IN COCAINE SEEKING BEHAVIOR. HIS LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO GAIN AN INDEPENDENT POSITION AS A RESEARCHER-EDUCATOR, WHERE HE CAN STUDY NEUROMODULATORS' ROLE IN REGULATING NEURONAL ENSEMBLES TO DRUG ABUSE. IN ADDITION TO ADVANCING THE CAREER OF DR. GHEIDI, THIS PROPOSAL WILL INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE, IN GENERAL, AND COCAINE RELAPSE, IN PARTICULAR. OVER THE PAST DECADE, A PARADIGM SHIFT HAS OCCURRED IN NEUROBIOLOGY, INCLUDING WITHIN THE FIELD OF DRUG ADDICTION. IN THESE STUDIES, ONLY A SELECT, DISTRIBUTED, AND A SPARSE GROUP OF NEURONS, KNOWN AS A NEURONAL ENSEMBLE, THOUGHT TO CODE DRUG TAKING EVENTS IS ISOLATED AND STUDIED. THIS SELECTIVE APPROACH OFFERS NEW INSIGHTS OVER TRADITIONAL METHODS, WHERE DRUG-INDUCED PERTURBATIONS ARE USUALLY STUDIED IN THE WHOLE BRAIN AREA OR CELL TYPE. INSTRUMENTAL TO THIS TASK IS THE USE OF FOS BASED APPROACHES. THESE TECHNIQUES ALLOW THE DIRECT MANIPULATION OF FOS POSITIVE NEURONS, AND BY EXTENSION NEURONAL ENSEMBLES, WITHOUT AFFECTING ADJACENT AREAS OR CELL TYPES NOT INVOLVED IN THE BEHAVIOR. FOR EXAMPLE, USING THE DAUN02 NEURONAL ABLATION METHOD IN THIS K01, SCIENTISTS HAVE IDENTIFIED NEURONAL ENSEMBLES IN THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS CRITICAL TO COCAINE, HEROIN, NICOTINE, AND ALCOHOL TAKING AND SEEKING BEHAVIORS. HOWEVER, MISSING FROM THIS UNDERSTANDING IS THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE BRAIN'S NEUROMODULATORS (E.G., NE) IN SCULPTING NEURONAL ENSEMBLES AND INDUCING RELAPSE TO DRUG TAKING. THUS, THIS GRANT PROPOSAL AIMS TO ELUCIDATE THE ROLE OF NE ON PREFRONTAL CORTICAL NEURONAL ENSEMBLES INVOLVED IN COCAINE SEEKING BEHAVIORS IN FEMALE AND MALE RATS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL UTILIZE STATE OF THE ART TECHNIQUES MENTIONED ABOVE. AIM 1 OF THIS K01 PROPOSAL WILL DETERMINE THE ROLE OF NE IN THE MEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (MPFC) ENSEMBLES CONTROL OF COCAINE SEEKING. AIM 2 WILL UTILIZE DREADDS TO INACTIVATE THE NE-CONTAINING LOCUS COERULEUS PROJECTIONS THAT SPECIFICALLY INNERVATE THE MPFC TO FURTHER EXPLORE THE ROLE OF NE IN COCAINE SEEKING. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THESE PROCESSES OPERATE IN COCAINE SEEKING SITUATIONS CAN INFORM BOTH CLINICAL AND BASIC SCIENCE AS WELL AS INFORM CLINICAL CARE. RESULTS WILL ALSO INFORM BASIC SCIENTISTS ON THE NEURONAL UNDERPINNINGS OF LEARNED MOTIVATED BEHAVIORS, AND RESEARCHERS MAY ALSO DEVISE CLINICAL STRATEGIES TO TARGET NEURONAL ENSEMBLES BY CONTROLLING NEUROMODULATORS, INCLUDING NE, IN THE HUMAN BRAIN THAT CAN EASE CONDITIONS THAT LEAD TO RELAPSE OF COCAINE USE.

GRANT PROGRAM

DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL MODEL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF LINE-1 RETROTRANSPOSONS IN DISEASE AND NORMAL PHYSIOLOGY USING NANOBODIES - LINE-1 RETROTRANSPOSONS ENCODE A MULTICISTRONIC ENZYMATIC COMPLEX WITH THREE OPEN READING FRAMES. THOUSANDS OF COPIES OF LINE-1 ARE EMBEDDED THROUGHOUT THE GENOME, AND THE ENZYME ACTIVITY OF LINE-1 HAS GENERATED APPROXIMATELY ONE THIRD OF THE HUMAN GENOME VIA THE INSERTION OF LINE-1 AND SINES, ANOTHER TYPE OF RETROTRANSPOSON THAT DOES NOT ENCODE ITS OWN PROTEINS. ALTHOUGH LINE-1 IS LARGELY SILENCED IN MOST HEALTHY SOMATIC CELLS, IT IS REACTIVATED IN A LARGE NUMBER OF DISEASES WHERE IT IS HYPOTHESIZED TO PLAY A ROLE IN PATHOGENESIS AND DISEASE PROGRESSION, AND SOME RESEARCHERS HAVE SUGGESTED THE LINE-1 MAY ALSO HAVE A NECESSARY BIOLOGICAL ROLE. ALTHOUGH LINE-1 REACTIVATION CAN AFFECT CELLS THROUGH MULTIPLE MECHANISMS, INCLUDING MUTATION OF GENOMIC DNA, THE EFFECTS OF LINE-1-ENCODED PROTEINS ON LINE-1-ASSOCIATED DISEASES HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY HARD TO DISSECT OWING TO A LACK OF RELIABLE KNOCK DOWN MODELS. THE LACK OF RELIABLE KNOCKDOWN MODELS ARISES FROM I) THE LARGE NUMBER OF LINE-1 COPIES IN THE GENOME, WHICH MAKES CONVENTIONAL GENE EDITING UNFEASIBLE, INCLUDING PRIME, AND II) THE COMPLEX AND POORLY UNDERSTOOD INTERACTIONS AND CROSSTALK BETWEEN LINE-1, RNAI, AND INTERFERON PATHWAYS, WHICH MAKES THE USE OF SHRNA OR SIRNA DIFFICULT TO INTERPRET. WE PROPOSE HEREIN TO ESTABLISH A NOVEL MODEL TO KNOCK DOWN LINE-1 PROTEINS USING INTRACELLULAR FUNCTIONALIZED NANOBODIES, ALSO KNOWN AS INTRABODIES. WE WILL USE PHAGE DISPLAY TO ISOLATE NANOBODIES WITH HIGH-AFFINITY TO LINE-1 PROTEINS FROM A SYNTHETIC NANOBODY LIBRARY. THESE NANOBODY SEQUENCES WILL THEN BE FUSED TO GFP OR FBOXES TO ENABLE LIVE-CELL TRACKING AND KINETIC EXPERIMENTS (GFP- NANOBODIES) OR KNOCK DOWN OF LINE-1 PROTEINS (FBOXES). NOTABLY, FBOX-NANOBODY FUSIONS HAVE ACHIEVED 100% KNOCKOUT OF TARGET PROTEINS VIA RAPID UBIQUITINATION THROUGH THE RECRUITMENT OF E3 UBIQUITIN LIGASE, RESULTING IN PROTEASOMAL DEGRADATION. WE WILL THEN TEST THE ABILITY OF THESE FUNCTIONALIZED, LINE-1-SPECIFIC NANOBODIES TO FACILITATE LIVE-CELL LOCALIZATION OF LINE-1 PROTEINS AND TO ELIMINATE LINE-1 PROTEINS. WE WILL ALSO PERFORM AN INITIAL PHENOTYPIC CHARACTERIZATION OF CELLS -/+ KNOCKDOWN OF THE LINE-1 PROTEIN ORF1P, THE MOST HIGHLY EXPRESSED LINE-1 PROTEIN. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THESE AIMS WILL ADVANCE THE LINE-1 FIELD AND ENABLE MORE ROBUST HYPOTHESIS-TESTING TO DETERMINE THE ROLES OF LINE-1 PROTEINS IN DISEASE AS WELL AS RIGOROUSLY TESTING THEIR PROPOSED ROLE IN MAMMALIAN DEVELOPMENT.

GRANT PROGRAM

DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL MALARIA PRE-ERYTHROCYTIC VACCINE ANTIGENS TARGETING PLASMODIUM SPOROZOITE LIVER INFECTION - PREVIOUSLY, USING A PHAGE PEPTIDE DISPLAY LIBRARY, OUR GROUP HAS IDENTIFIED PLASMODIUM PARASITE LIGANDS AND CORRESPONDING HOST CELL RECEPTORS IMPORTANT FOR SPOROZOITE-KUPFFER CELL INTERACTION IN THE MAMMALIAN LIVER. USING A SIMILAR APPROACH, WE IDENTIFIED THE HP1 PEPTIDE, A STRUCTURAL MIMIC OF A LIGAND THAT THE SPOROZOITE USES TO INFECT HEPATOCYTES. IMMUNIZATION WITH THE HP1 PEPTIDE PROTECTS ~ 50 % MICE FROM P. BERGHEI CHALLENGE. USING AN ANTI-HP1 ANTIBODY, WE IDENTIFIED PLASMODIUM PHOSPHOLIPID SCRAMBLASE (PLS) AS THE SPOROZOITE LIGAND OF HEPATOCYTES AND A POTENTIAL VACCINE ANTIGEN. WE PROPOSE 1) TO IDENTIFY PLS PROTEIN EPITOPES THAT FUNCTION IN HEPATOCYTE RECOGNITION, FOR USE AS A VACCINE ANTIGEN; AND 2) TO DEVELOP A TRI- FUNCTIONAL VACCINE ANTIGEN CONTAINING I) A SPOROZOITE CIRCUMSPOROZOITE PROTEIN (CSP) EPITOPE, TARGETING LIVER SINUSOID BINDING, II) A SPOROZOITE GAPDH-RELATED EPITOPE, TARGETING SPOROZOITE EXIT FROM THE CIRCULATION VIA KUPFFER CELL TRAVERSAL, AND III) SPOROZOITE PLS EPITOPE, TARGETING HEPATOCYTE INFECTION. WE EXPECT THAT THIS APPROACH WILL LEAD TO ENHANCEMENT OF THE MODERATE PROTECTIVE EFFICACY OF THE MOST ADVANCED RTS,S/AS01 MALARIA VACCINE.

GRANT PROGRAM

INTEGRATING VOICES OF REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS: FACULTY AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT [WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP ADVANCED FRENCH AND SPANISH COURSES WITH HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICES AND HUMANITIES SOURCES THAT WILL PREPARE STUDENTS TO WORK WITH REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS?POPULATIONS IN WHICH OUR STUDENTS ARE SHOWING INTEREST. WE ALSO PROPOSE FACULTY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS THAT WILL: TRAIN HUMANITIES FACULTY AND OTHERS TO INCORPORATE ORAL HISTORY PROJECTS INTO THEIR COURSES AND CREATE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE (OER) TEXTBOOKS; EDUCATE THEM ON REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S.; AND GUIDE THEM IN THE APPLICATION OF PLACE-BASED THEORIES. WE WILL DEVELOP A ROBUST CURRICULUM AND A COLLECTION OF PRIMARY DOCUMENTS (ORAL HISTORIES) FOR OUR SPANISH AND FRENCH COURSES THAT WILL BE USED BY MERCER FACULTY AND FREELY SHARED AS AN OER. WE WILL CLAIM A PLACE FOR THE HUMANITIES IN AN AREA OF STUDY THAT ALREADY ATTRACTS STUDENTS TO MAJORS IN GLOBAL HEALTH AND RELATED FIELDS.]

NOREPINEPHRINE MODULATES MEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX NEURAL ENSEMBLES THAT CONTROL COCAINE SEEKING BEHAVIOR - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THIS K01 APPLICATION AIMS TO PREPARE DR. ALI GHEIDI FOR AN INDEPENDENT FACULTY POSITION BY PROVIDING SPECIALIZED TRAINING IN RODENT MODELS OF DRUG SELF-ADMINISTRATION (IVSA), CHEMOGENIC MANIPULATION OF NEURONS AND TARGETED DELETION OF NEURONAL ENSEMBLES. THEREFORE, DR. GHEIDI WILL WORK WITH A CAREFULLY SELECTED TRAINING TEAM OF MENTORS. TRAINING FOR DR. GHEIDI WILL CONSIST OF COURSES, MEETING WITH MENTORS, WORKSHOPS, SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS, AND PERFORMING EXPERIMENTS. DR. GHEIDI’S SHORT TERM GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF NOREPINEPHRINE (NE) IN REGULATING NEURONAL ENSEMBLES IN COCAINE SEEKING BEHAVIOR. HIS LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO GAIN AN INDEPENDENT POSITION AS A RESEARCHER-EDUCATOR, WHERE HE CAN STUDY NEUROMODULATORS' ROLE IN REGULATING NEURONAL ENSEMBLES TO DRUG ABUSE. IN ADDITION TO ADVANCING THE CAREER OF DR. GHEIDI, THIS PROPOSAL WILL INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE, IN GENERAL, AND COCAINE RELAPSE, IN PARTICULAR. OVER THE PAST DECADE, A PARADIGM SHIFT HAS OCCURRED IN NEUROBIOLOGY, INCLUDING WITHIN THE FIELD OF DRUG ADDICTION. IN THESE STUDIES, ONLY A SELECT, DISTRIBUTED, AND A SPARSE GROUP OF NEURONS, KNOWN AS A NEURONAL ENSEMBLE, THOUGHT TO CODE DRUG TAKING EVENTS IS ISOLATED AND STUDIED. THIS SELECTIVE APPROACH OFFERS NEW INSIGHTS OVER TRADITIONAL METHODS, WHERE DRUG-INDUCED PERTURBATIONS ARE USUALLY STUDIED IN THE WHOLE BRAIN AREA OR CELL TYPE. INSTRUMENTAL TO THIS TASK IS THE USE OF FOS BASED APPROACHES. THESE TECHNIQUES ALLOW THE DIRECT MANIPULATION OF FOS POSITIVE NEURONS, AND BY EXTENSION NEURONAL ENSEMBLES, WITHOUT AFFECTING ADJACENT AREAS OR CELL TYPES NOT INVOLVED IN THE BEHAVIOR. FOR EXAMPLE, USING THE DAUN02 NEURONAL ABLATION METHOD IN THIS K01, SCIENTISTS HAVE IDENTIFIED NEURONAL ENSEMBLES IN THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS CRITICAL TO COCAINE, HEROIN, NICOTINE, AND ALCOHOL TAKING AND SEEKING BEHAVIORS. HOWEVER, MISSING FROM THIS UNDERSTANDING IS THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE BRAIN'S NEUROMODULATORS (E.G., NE) IN SCULPTING NEURONAL ENSEMBLES AND INDUCING RELAPSE TO DRUG TAKING. THUS, THIS GRANT PROPOSAL AIMS TO ELUCIDATE THE ROLE OF NE ON PREFRONTAL CORTICAL NEURONAL ENSEMBLES INVOLVED IN COCAINE SEEKING BEHAVIORS IN FEMALE AND MALE RATS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL UTILIZE STATE OF THE ART TECHNIQUES MENTIONED ABOVE. AIM 1 OF THIS K01 PROPOSAL WILL DETERMINE THE ROLE OF NE IN THE MEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (MPFC) ENSEMBLES CONTROL OF COCAINE SEEKING. AIM 2 WILL UTILIZE DREADDS TO INACTIVATE THE NE-CONTAINING LOCUS COERULEUS PROJECTIONS THAT SPECIFICALLY INNERVATE THE MPFC TO FURTHER EXPLORE THE ROLE OF NE IN COCAINE SEEKING. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THESE PROCESSES OPERATE IN COCAINE SEEKING SITUATIONS CAN INFORM BOTH CLINICAL AND BASIC SCIENCE AS WELL AS INFORM CLINICAL CARE. RESULTS WILL ALSO INFORM BASIC SCIENTISTS ON THE NEURONAL UNDERPINNINGS OF LEARNED MOTIVATED BEHAVIORS, AND RESEARCHERS MAY ALSO DEVISE CLINICAL STRATEGIES TO TARGET NEURONAL ENSEMBLES BY CONTROLLING NEUROMODULATORS, INCLUDING NE, IN THE HUMAN BRAIN THAT CAN EASE CONDITIONS THAT LEAD TO RELAPSE OF COCAINE USE.

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER IN RURAL GEORGIA: EDUCATION AND RESOURCES - PROJECT SUMMARY AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) IS A CONDITION CHARACTERIZED BY ATYPICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION, RIGID THINKING, AND REPETITIVE BEHAVIOR THAT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY PREVALENT, WITH 1 IN EVERY 54 CHILDREN MEETING THE DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA. ASD SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS CAN VARY BROADLY IN THEIR PRESENTATION, FROM RELATIVELY MILD IMPAIRMENTS TO SYMPTOMS SEVERE ENOUGH THAT THEY PREVENT INDIVIDUALS WITH ASD FROM LIVING INDEPENDENTLY. SOCIAL SUPPORT AND EARLY INTERVENTION THERAPIES HOWEVER CAN SIGNIFICANTLY AMELIORATE THE SEVERITY OF SEVERAL ASD SYMPTOMS. NOTABLY, THE YOUNGER CHILDREN ARE WHEN THERAPIES AND INTERVENTIONS ARE BEGUN, THE MORE EFFECTIVE THEY WILL ULTIMATELY BE. WHILE CHILDREN CAN BE RELIABLY DIAGNOSED WITH ASD AT AS YOUNG AS 18 MONTHS, THE AVERAGE AGE AT TIME OF DIAGNOSIS IS 4.5 YEARS WHICH MEANS THAT CHILDREN WITH ASD OFTEN MISS THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR LACK OF A DIAGNOSES. DELAYED DIAGNOSES ARE ESPECIALLY COMMON IN CHILDREN FROM RURAL COMMUNITIES. RESEARCH THAT INVESTIGATED POSSIBLE CAUSES FOR DELAYED ASD DIAGNOSES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES FOUND LACK OF PARENTAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ASD, HESITANCY AMONG CLINICIANS TO DIAGNOSE YOUNG CHILDREN WITH ASD, AND A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE REGARDING STEPS TO TAKE TO HAVE A CHILD TESTED FOR ASD TO BE SIGNIFICANT FACTORS. IN ORDER TO ADDRESS ASD-RELATED DISPARITIES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES, WE CREATED A WEBPAGE DEDICATED TO HELPING FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS EFFECTED BY ASD NAVIGATE THE DIAGNOSTIC PROCESS. OUR WEBPAGE DIRECTS USERS TO ASD “ON-BOARDING’ ORGANIZATIONS, AND ALSO HAS RESOURCES FOR FINDING EARLY INTERVENTION THERAPY CENTERS NEAR THEIR HOME COMMUNITIES, PROVIDES LINKS TO FINANCIAL RESOURCES, AND LINKS TO COMMUNITY BASED SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS. WE WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND OUR WEBPAGE INTO AN ONLINE ASD TOOLKIT THAT WILL BE REVIEWED BY RURAL FAMILIES WHO HAVE A CHILD WITH ASD. OUR TOOLKIT WILL ALSO GIVE FAMILIES OPPORTUNITIES TO DIRECT CONTENT CREATION BY SOLICITING FAMILIES’ INPUT THROUGH USER FEEDBACK QUESTIONS AND FOCUS GROUPS. THE GOAL OF THE ASD TOOLKIT IS TO CREATE AN EASY TO USE GUIDE FOR LIVING WITH AND MANAGING ASD IN RURAL GEORGIA THAT HAS BEEN SHAPED INSIGHTS FROM FAMILIES AFFECTED BY ASD. WE WILL ALSO CREATE AN ONLINE COURSE ABOUT ASD DIAGNOSIS AND RESOURCES FOR RURAL PHYSICIANS THAT WILL BE INFORMED BY INPUT FROM FAMILIES AFFECTED BY ASD. WE WILL INVITE FEEDBACK FROM OUR TARGETED PHYSICIANS THOUGH USER FEEDBACK QUESTIONS AND AN ASD RESOURCES QUIZ. ULTIMATELY, WE WILL USE THE PHYSICIAN INPUT WE RECEIVE ON THE COURSE TO DEVELOP A CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION (CME) PROGRAM THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH PROJECT ECHO.

CREATING A GROW-YOUR-OWN PROGRAM FOR RECRUITING AND SUPPORTING COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER CANDIDATES IN RURAL GEORGIA -THE PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL NEED OF BUILDING CAPACITY TO PREPARE HIGH-QUALITY COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS) TEACHERS. THOUSANDS OF CS POSITIONS REMAIN UNFILLED, PARTLY DUE TO A SHORTAGE OF CS TEACHERS TO EDUCATE STUDENTS FOR FUTURE CS CAREERS. THIS PROJECT INTENDS TO RESPOND TO THE SHORTAGE BY CREATING A PATHWAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BECOME CS TEACHERS, WITH SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS AS AN INCENTIVE. THE PROJECT TEAM PLANS TO DEVELOP A GROW-YOUR-OWN (GYO) MODEL FOR PROSPECTIVE CS TEACHERS, FOCUSED ON RURAL GEORGIA. THE AIM OF THE GYO MODEL WILL BE TO RECRUIT INTERESTED STUDENTS FROM HIGH SCHOOL WHO INTEND TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMETOWN TO TEACH CS. DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES (FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE CREDIT), STIPENDS FOR TWO-YEAR COLLEGE COURSES, AND SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS FOR TWO YEARS AT MERCER WILL COMBINE TO PROVIDE A COLLEGE EDUCATION FOR PROSPECTIVE CS TEACHERS. THIS PROJECT AT MERCER UNIVERSITY INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH WIREGRASS GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE AND EIGHT RURAL GEORGIA HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS (CLINCH, COFFEE, DUBLIN, EVANS, JEFF DAVIS, TATTNALL, TREUTLEN, AND WHEELER). PROJECT GOALS INCLUDE IDENTIFYING AND ADDING NEW PARTNERS, DEVELOPING A GYO MODEL INCORPORATING DUAL ENROLLMENT AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE PATHWAYS; AND CREATING A RECRUITMENT PLAN. INFORMAL INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS WITH DISTRICT LEADERS, TEACHERS, AND PROSPECTIVE CS TEACHERS WILL INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GYO MODEL THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. ALTHOUGH THIS SPECIFIC PROJECT SEEKS TO ADDRESS THE SHORTAGE OF CS TEACHERS IN RURAL GEORGIA, THE PROJECT TEAM INTENDS TO SHARE EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES AT STATE AND NATIONAL CONFERENCES TO PROMOTE TRANSFER OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS TO OTHER SETTINGS. AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR AND AN ADVISORY BOARD WILL ALSO SUPPORT THE PROJECT. THIS CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT IS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROGRAM SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE K-12 STEM TEACHERS AND EXPERIENCED, EXEMPLARY K-12 TEACHERS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTIVENESS AND RETENTION OF K-12 STEM TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

GRANT PROGRAM

MRI TRACK 1: ACQUISITION OF AN ULTRA-HIGH ACCURACY DIGITAL MICROSCOPE FOR ADVANCING RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS -THE ACQUISITION OF AN ULTRA-HIGH ACCURACY DIGITAL MICROSCOPE AT MERCER UNIVERSITY WILL SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCE MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN DEVELOPING COATED MATERIALS WITH ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIFUNGAL PROPERTIES. THIS TOOL WILL ENABLE RESEARCHERS TO EVALUATE COATINGS ON VARIOUS SUBSTRATES, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL ANTIBIOTICS. THE MICROSCOPE'S APPLICATIONS EXTEND TO INVESTIGATING SURFACES OF POLYMERS AND COMPOSITES USED IN MULTIPLE INDUSTRIES, AIDING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROTECTIVE COATINGS TO ENHANCE MATERIAL PERFORMANCE AND LONGEVITY. IT WILL ALSO FACILITATE STUDIES OF WEAR AND EROSION, ADDRESSING CRITICAL CONCERNS IN AEROSPACE AND OIL AND GAS INDUSTRIES. THE GRANT WILL ENHANCE EXPERIMENTAL PARTICIPATION FOR FACULTY AND STUDENTS ACROSS VARIOUS ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE DISCIPLINES, PROVIDING VALUABLE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND BROADENING THE PARTICIPATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. ADDITIONALLY, THE MICROSCOPE WILL SERVE EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES, ENRICHING THE CURRICULUM AND INTEGRATING RESEARCH WITH EDUCATION. THIS DUAL-USE APPROACH WILL PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE USING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY IN REAL-WORLD SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS, ULTIMATELY CONTRIBUTING TO ADVANCEMENTS IN NATIONAL HEALTH, ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND SOCIETAL WELFARE. THE RESEARCH ENABLED BY THIS INSTRUMENT INCLUDES EXPLORING THE BENEFITS OF USING THIN FILMS FOR ANTIBACTERIAL WATER TREATMENT AND ANTIFUNGAL ATTACHMENT TO POLYMERIC SURFACES AND SUBSEQUENT BIOFILM FORMATION. THE ULTRA-HIGH ACCURACY DIGITAL MICROSCOPE ENABLES STRUCTURES? ANALYSIS BEFORE AND AFTER THIN FILMS DEPOSITION AND AFTER EXPOSURE TO MICROBES, EXAMINING COATINGS? MORPHOLOGY AND PERFORMANCES. THIN FILMS ARE DEPOSITED ONTO SUBSTRATES USING THE DC HIGH VACUUM MAGNETRON SPUTTERING SYSTEM. THE DIGITAL MICROSCOPE IS ALSO FACILITATING STUDY OF SURFACE DEGRADATION FOR MATERIALS EXPOSED TO ACCELERATED WEATHERING CONDITIONS. IT IS SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT AND OPTIMIZATION OF THIN FILMS CAPABLE OF PROTECTING POLYMERS, 3D PRINTED POLYMERS AND COMPOSITES AGAINST THE SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION, MOISTURE AND TEMPERATURES. IT IS ENHANCING THE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF EROSION AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF MODELS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST EROSION AND ABRASION. THE DIGITAL OPTICAL MICROSCOPY IS SUPPORTING THE FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH BY ENSURING FAST 3D EVALUATION OF THE VOLUME LOSS AND SURFACE ROUGHNESS PERMITTING EXTENDED OPTIMIZATION STUDIES OF MATERIALS IN CONTACT. 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.