University Of Mississippi

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-10

The Ole Miss Nanoengineering Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program at the University of Mississippi introduces undergraduate students from across the United States to the rapidly growing and interdisciplinary field of nanoengineering. By engaging students in hands-on research experiences, the program addresses regional and national needs by developing a skilled STEM workforce capable of advancing fundamental science and enabling innovations in biotechnology, materials, systems, and other emerging fields. Participants work closely with faculty and graduate mentors on research projects, gaining practical skills while building confidence in their ability to contribute to science and engineering. The program is designed to reach students from a wide range of academic institutions, geographic regions, and socioeconomic backgrounds, including those with limited prior research opportunities. Through this approach, the REU expands participation in STEM and strengthens pathways to graduate education and research careers. In addition to laboratory research, students engage in professional development, science communication training, and outreach activities that bring hands-on STEM demonstrations to local middle and high school classrooms. These experiences not only reinforce participants’ own learning but also inspire younger students to explore STEM fields. This project prepares undergraduates for advanced study and research careers, strengthening the nation’s scientific workforce. This project renews the Ole Miss Nanoengineering Summer REU Site, a 10-week residential program hosting 10 undergraduate participants annually at the University of Mississippi. Research projects focus on the design and characterization of nanoparticles, nanodevices, and functional coatings; development of resource-efficient nanomaterials; and computational modeling of nanoscale systems, including data-driven approaches to understanding nano-bio interactions. The REU leverages an expanded and interdisciplinary faculty mentor pool spanning engineering, chemistry, biomolecular sciences, and pharmaceutics, increasing both the breadth and depth of available research projects. Participants are integrated into active research groups, where they apply experimental and computational techniques while developing skills in data analysis, critical thinking, and scientific communication. The program employs a cohort-based model to foster collaboration and cross-disciplinary learning. Structured activities include research seminars, professional development workshops, and training in responsible conduct of research. Participants present their findings at a regional scientific conference and contribute to outreach activities that translate complex scientific concepts into accessible, hands-on learning experiences for K–12 students. Building on demonstrated outcomes from the prior funding cycle, including student co-authored publications, conference presentations, and national fellowship recipients, the program aims to further strengthen undergraduate preparation for graduate study and research careers. The project advances the field of nanoengineering by preparing a highly skilled workforce to tackle challenges at the interface of biotechnology, materials science, bioengineering, and computation. 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-08

Evolution is the process by which species change over time and adapt to their environment. However, understanding and predicting evolution is difficult because its course is neither completely random nor completely pre-determined. In other words, if we “rewound the tape of life” and “replayed” it, the outcomes of evolution would likely be different, but not totally random. How repeatable evolution is depends in part on how an organism interacts with other species through competition for resources, nutrient exchange, predation, etc. This project uses laboratory experiments to study how interactions between two microbial species, a yeast and an alga, affect how repeatable their evolution is. As such, this project will advance our basic understanding of evolution in the context of species interactions. It will also develop a new curriculum to help college students in California and Mississippi strengthen their scientific reasoning skills and participate firsthand in scientific research. The repeatability of evolution has been described both theoretically and experimentally across many individual species and some ecological communities, but how it depends on the type and strength of ecological interactions between species remains unclear. To address this question, the investigators will conduct a long-term evolution experiment in a tunable two-species mutualism formed by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under two environmental conditions. In one environment, each species can survive without the aid of the other. In the other environment, the alga can survive alone, but the yeast cannot. The first aim of the project is to characterize the evolutionary changes of this community at the genomic and ecological levels and compare repeatability across the two environments. To probe possible mechanisms underlying differences in repeatability, the second aim will measure the range of adaptive mutations available to both partners across both environments. The third aim is to test whether mutualistic partners repeatably evolve specializations to one another. A research-teaching module integrated with this aim will be created to provide research experiences for undergraduates with minimal background in evolution, ecology, or research. Overall, the project will help scientists and students better understand the process of evolution in an ecological context. It will also generate new genomic resources for C. reinhardtii and develop methods for quantifying partner specialization in mutualistic systems. 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-06

Designing efficient and sustainable ways to produce fuels and chemicals is a major challenge in petrochemical manufacturing. Electrochemical processes can help improve efficiency. They involve porous metal electrodes that contain catalysts. This CAREER project will examine chemical reactions inside the small pores of the electrode. The research will reveal how pore size and connectivity influence reaction efficiency. The project will focus on hydrogen production and carbon dioxide conversion as example reactions. Still, the knowledge gained will benefit other electrochemical reactions. The project will emphasize education and workforce development. Undergraduate students will have access to interactive virtual laboratory simulations, hands-on research training, and mentorship in analytical chemistry techniques. These efforts will expand access to STEM education and help prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers. The project will investigate how nanoscale confinement and mass transport in nanoporous metal electrodes influence electrocatalytic efficiency and product selectivity. Although nanoporous electrodes are promising, fundamental understanding of how pore geometry and interconnectivity govern these effects remains limited due to heterogeneous structures and ensemble-averaged measurements. This project will establish monolithic nanopore electrode arrays with precisely defined dimensions and connectivity to quantitatively study redox transport, confinement, and reaction dynamics during hydrogen evolution and carbon dioxide reduction reactions. By integrating advanced nanofabrication, scanning electrochemical cell microscopy, and correlated opto- and spectro-electrochemical measurements, the work will resolve single-nanopore activity, local pH gradients, intermediate residence times, and product formation under operando conditions, leading to predictive design rules for efficient and selective nanoporous electrocatalysts. 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.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2026 · 2026-05

Project Summary Humans can be exposed to infrasound (IS), defined as low-frequency sound waves below 20 Hz, through both natural and artificial sources. Whether IS exposure affects human health remains highly controversial. Individuals living near IS sources often report symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, ear pressure, nausea, tinnitus, and headaches, potentially linked to vestibular dysfunction. However, no studies have demonstrated whether IS directly activates the vestibular system or whether long-term IS exposure causes vestibular dysfunction. This project seeks to address this knowledge gap by investigating the physiological effects of IS exposure on the vestibular system using a rodent model. The application brings together the combined expertise of two highly specialized teams. The team in the National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA) at the University of Mississippi offers extensive experience in designing and testing enclosures capable of generating high-amplitude infrasound and low-frequency audible signals with precision. The team in the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) contributes its expertise in studying sound-evoked vestibular responses in animal models. The project proposes two specific aims: Aim 1: Design and construct an enclosure to expose animals to precisely controlled and calibrated high-amplitude IS and low-frequency sound (NCPA). Aim 2: Utilize the enclosure developed in Aim 1 to investigate the effects of IS exposure on the vestibular system in rats (UMMC). This includes studying the impacts of a single IS stimulation on vestibular function by measuring vestibular afferent activities, as well as assessing whether chronic IS exposure induces vestibular dysfunction and structural changes. The findings from this study will provide critical, evidence-based insights into the mechanisms underlying IS-related vestibular symptoms.

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-03

This Research Infrastructure Improvement EPSCoR Research Fellows project provides a fellowship to an Associate professor and training for a graduate student at the University of Mississippi. This work is conducted in collaboration with Dr. Nicholas Henriksen at the University of Michigan. Through the fellowship, the PI will analyze how bilingual speakers influence linguistic change. The fellowship will enable the PI to learn state-of-the-art methods in language documentation, computational linguistics, and digital archiving. These new analytical techniques will allow the PI to conduct research and build digital platforms that provide researchers, educators and the public a better understanding of less commonly studied language varieties and bilingual communities. Through this project, the PI will advance our scientific understanding of how language acquisition occurs in distinct social environments, ultimately adding to new theories of second language acquisition and training methods for teaching a second language. The PI will examine phonetic variation across different language communities, with bilingual speakers who learned the dominant language naturalistically. Specifically, the project investigates socio-phonetic variation of consonants from the PI’s corpus of small linguistic communities speaking patterns of a dominant language. This unique analysis of the dominant language’s phonetic variation includes speech samples from bilinguals living in three distinct, small language communities, to test the extent to which the substrate languages have influenced the resulting dominant language of adults who learned this language naturalistically. The PI will advance student training in the fields of artificial intelligence and translational research through this award via the computational and data analysis techniques on natural language learning which are applicable in these rapidly-expanding areas of study and industry. This project aligns with the Mississippi Research Consortium’s mission to support education and extend technology development in the state. This project is supported by the EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Research Fellows, which supports early- and mid-career investigators in eligible jurisdictions to develop collaborations at the nation’s private, government or academic research institutions. 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.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2026 · 2026-03

SUMMARY Despite the success of antiretroviral therapeutics (ARTs), they cannot eradicate HIV from reservoirs within the body, particularly those in the central nervous system (CNS). Moreover, opioids upregulate efflux transporters further promoting subtherapeutic concentrations of ART in the CNS. We have used biocompatible ionic liquids (ILs), molten salts comprised of asymmetric cations and anions, that can ‘tune’ the affinity of nanoparticles to different cell types. Using this strategy, we have developed an IL with a balanced affinity for erythrocytes and microglia which promotes nanoparticle ‘hitchhiking’ on erythrocytes to deliver them to the brain, and cells- selective targeting of microglia once delivered to the central compartment. Preliminary data in rats demonstrate ~48% of injected nanoparticles accumulating in the brain within 6 hours, a vast improvement over current nanoparticle delivery strategies. Preliminary analyses indicated that over 90% of CNS nanoparticles were associated with microglia. We have further demonstrated the capacity to load ART (abacavir) into nanoparticles which retained antiviremic efficacy when administered to HIV-infected human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We hypothesize that we can further improve the tunable profile of our IL formulation to optimize cargo delivery to the brain and target additional cell types (including astrocytes). We anticipate that this cargo delivery strategy will be safe and efficacious in spite of CNS cell adhesion/transporter changes promoted by opioid exposure/dependence. To this end, we will (Aim 1) generate at least 5 novel ILs, in addition to our current lead, with varied cell-type affinity. We will confirm the preference that ILs confer to simian and human blood components as potential cargo carriers. (Aim 2) We will assess the safety (subacute, acute, subchronic, reproductive, mutagenic) and biodistribution of up to 5 novel ILs in rats that are opioid-naïve or opioid-dependent. ILs will be loaded with a premade scramble Cas9 vector with an eGFP reporter to confirm the capacity to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 constructs for potential HIV cure strategies. Safe ILs with a CNS-favorable biodistribution will be loaded with cART (abacavir, dolutegravir, and lamivudine) and assessed for efficacy in SIV-infected or HIV- infected simian or human PBMCs, respectively, or human microglia. All cells will be opioid-naïve or opioid- exposed. ILs with selectivity for microglia and astrocytes will be prioritized. (Aim 3) IL leads (based on CNS distribution and microglial/astrocytic selectivity) will be assessed for in vivo safety, biodistribution, and acute efficacy in a rhesus macaque model of SIV. In macaques, IL-assisted nanoparticles will be loaded with nanogold, in addition to cART, to confirm the time-course of biodistribution via X-ray. SIV infection will be monitored via CSF and blood draws. Complete blood count, chemistry, and cytokine profiling will be conducted on plasma and/or CSF. ART distribution will be confirmed via LC/MS. Gross histopathology will be conducted on organs and CNS tissues will be additionally assessed for microgliosis, astrogliosis, and sublethal neuronal damage. IL- assisted nanoparticles may realize the goal of achieving safe, cell-specific, CNS drug/cargo delivery.

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-01

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Michael Eller and his students at California State University Northridge (CSUN) will work on developing new analytical approaches for performing 3D molecular analysis at scales approaching five nanometers. The research is expected to result in new instrumentation that is being designed to provide insights into the molecular organization of thin films used in the production of semiconductor devices. These insights may lead to new material designs, ensuring continued progress towards higher performing computational devices. Dr. Eller will also establish new recruitment and outreach programs to promote careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and provide opportunities for students to interact and network with chemists working in industry. The Eller group at Cal-State-Northridge will devise and validate an experimental methodology that tracks molecular associations in 3D nanometric space. Two complementary objectives will be pursued; (i) elucidating molecular organization laterally on a scale approaching 5 nm and (ii) also vertically 5 nm in depth. The analytical approach is based on a variant of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) termed nanoprojectile SIMS, where instead of using a focused ion beam, a surface is analyzed stochastically with a suite (10^6 – 10^7) of nanoprojectiles separated in space in time. Each of these projectiles samples a nanovolume (~10 nm in diameter) and the ionized ejecta are collected, mass analyzed, and stored as an individual mass spectrum. The overall hypothesis of the proposed research is that analyte-specific secondary ions carry information related to their original molecular organization. Recording the axial and radial energies of co-emitted secondary ions via spatially resolved detection will provide information on their lateral organization at a scale below the size of the impact crater. Combining this new capability with low energy argon cluster depth profiling will enable analysis of the molecular homogeneity in three nanometric dimensions. This new instrumentation will allow for the discovery of fundamental mechanisms in the SIMS process and provide enhanced insights into the uniformity of thin films used in the production of semiconductor devices. 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-10

The National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program Regional Alliance project aims to recognize outstanding STEM educators in high-need schools that advance educational excellence in the Southeast Region. This project will support 16 STEM Teacher Corps Members by recognizing and rewarding their accomplishments and effort to enhance mathematics teaching and learning in secondary schools. The project will also provide professional development, mentorship and support to 100 other teachers of mathematics by supporting the Mississippi STEM Education Alliance (MESA). This Alliance will work to recognize exemplary mathematics teachers and collaborate with them to design and facilitate professional development opportunities for mathematics teachers across the state. Teacher Corps Members will also share their experiences with other teachers and support teachers in rural communities to gain the content knowledge and certifications needed to effectively teach secondary mathematics. These National STEM Teacher Corps members will gain recognition as models to which in-service and pre-service teachers can aspire. This project at the University of Mississippi includes partnerships with the Mississippi Department of Education and local school districts in each Congressional district across the state. The goals of the project aim to support teachers who will serve as facilitators, working with Alliance partners to create professional development institutes and design a Statistics and Data Literacy course for Mississippi high school students. The National STEM Teacher Corps Members will be trained to serve as professional development facilitators who will impact other teachers and help them obtain supplemental teaching endorsements in critical content shortage areas. This program aims to endorse an estimated 100 additional teachers in Middle School Mathematics, Algebra, and Geometry within five years, ensuring that students have access to robust learning opportunities. The program will collect pre- and post-assessment data to measure the impact on teacher content knowledge. Additionally, the Mississippi STEM Education Alliance will establish an online hub that will consolidate information related to professional development and student opportunities. This online information hub will be available to all Mississippi STEM teachers and will be used to connect the STEM learning efforts of all Mississippi STEM Education Alliance partners. The NSF National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program supports outstanding STEM educators in high-need schools that advance educational excellence in our Nation’s preK-12 classrooms. 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-10

Modern artificial intelligence (AI) is inspired by the brain’s cognitive functions but relies on models that differ greatly from biological systems and consume substantial energy during training and inference. According to the Semiconductor Research Corporation, continued scaling of logic devices and increasing model complexity could push machine learning energy consumption beyond global energy production capacity—an unsustainable trajectory. In contrast, the human brain performs complex computations with vastly lower energy. To bridge this gap, this project proposes a novel three-terminal transistor that integrates interconnected long-term and short-term memory—an essential yet underutilized feature of the brain—within a single device to improve energy efficiency, simplify architectures, and enable new capabilities. The device will advance two computing paradigms: Spiking Neural Networks and Physical Reservoir Computing, supporting scalable, high-performance, energy-efficient hardware for temporal signal processing, neuromorphic computing, AI, and post-silicon technologies. It will also drive progress in fabrication methods, learning algorithms, and system architectures that leverage the unique properties of the proposed materials and devices. The interdisciplinary nature of this project—spanning engineering, physics, chemistry, neuroscience, nonlinear dynamics, and AI—will provide students with exceptional scientific training and prepare them to contribute across multiple fields. This project aims to develop the Diffusive Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistor (DFeFET), a novel brain-inspired highly scalable memory device that integrates long-term (non-volatile) and short-term (volatile) memory in an interconnected manner. The DFeFET combines engineered drain contact metals and amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS) channels in ferroelectric-gated field-effect-transistors (FeFETs) to achieve controllable volatile hysteresis in drain current–voltage characteristics. Volatile memory arises from reversible ion or vacancy exchange at the drain/channel interface, modulated by gate voltage and gradual gate polarization switching, enabling co-located, co-dependent memory akin to the human brain. This device is expected to deliver enhanced energy efficiency and functionality for brain-inspired computing. In particular, it will advance two neuromorphic architectures: (i) Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) with Spike Frequency Adaptation (SFA) and (ii) CMOS-compatible Physical Reservoir Computing (PRC). SFA, which self-regulates neuron spiking through internal negative feedback, improves SNN performance and energy efficiency but typically requires complex circuitry. DFeFET will be used to enable three bio-inspired SFA mechanisms with improved energy efficiency and reduced area. Additionally, the research aims to develop a novel PRC architecture with task-specific timescale adaptability and coupled higher-order nonlinear dynamics. It will leverage CMOS-compatible DFeFETs to build both reservoir and readout layers using a single device for efficient chip integration. For both neuromorphic architectures, a corresponding device-algorithm co-optimization framework will also be developed to optimize the accuracy, latency, area and energy efficiency of the proposed analog implementations. 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-09

Organ formation occurs in individuals with different genetic variations and under different environmental conditions. While extreme genetic and environmental variations such as severe loss-of-function mutations or exposure to toxic chemicals can lead to birth defects, not all loss-of-function mutations or chemical exposures result in birth defects. This is because biological recovery and robustness mechanisms enable organ formation to occur normally over a surprisingly large range of genetic and environmental changes. This study seeks to identify these recovery and robustness mechanisms, specifically focusing on the heart. Knowledge of these mechanisms will help researchers understand how birth defects arise and may also lead to remedies. This study is enabled by utilizing the zebrafish embryonic model system which provide the unique benefits of high conservation to human development while being an intact genetically manipulable organism in which inter-tissue communication and organ development in individual embryos and can be observed in real-time. By intertwining this research with undergraduate education (courses and research experiences), this study will increase undergraduate participation in research while also elucidating fundamental principles of organ formation. Heart development, similar to the development of other organs, occurs in uniform stereotypical stages. The initial stage of heart formation, called cardiac fusion, involves bilaterally specified myocardial cells which collectively move towards the midline and merge together to form a single population. In zebrafish the process of cardiac fusion is followed by the processes of cardiac jogging, lumen formation, looping and chamber formation. Intriguingly, heart development can recover from defects in the initial stage of cardiac fusion to eventually form a functional heart. In elucidating the tissue-level mechanisms that facilitate this recovery, this study is focused on determining if there is plasticity in the timing and coordination of the different developmental stages that underlie heart formation? Additionally, this work will expand undergraduate participation in research by creating new undergraduate research-centered courses and an intensive summer research program in which undergraduate students not only learn about recovery and robustness mechanisms but also participate in research to identify new molecules and environmental factors that influence the processes robustness and recovery. 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-09

This Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) award supports the acquisition of an advanced thermal scanning probe lithography (t-SPL) instrument, the NanoFrazor (NF) Explore, by the University of Mississippi (UM). The NF Explore uses a unique lithography method that directly creates micro- and nano-scale structures and patterns by precisely heating a material sensitive to temperature changes, eliminating the need for photomasks used in traditional methods such as photolithography and electron-beam lithography. This acquisition will significantly enhance multidisciplinary research capabilities at UM and for collaborating institutions across the Mid-South region, including Mississippi State University, Jackson State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. Researchers in fields spanning chemistry, biology, materials science, and engineering will benefit from this state-of-the-art technology. Currently, Mississippi lacks a dedicated nanofabrication facility, making this instrument essential for introducing nanofabrication capabilities to the state. Furthermore, this acquisition will offer invaluable hands-on training for undergraduate and graduate students, advancing their research and educational experience. The project will also include educational outreach activities aimed at promoting nanotechnology and nanoscience awareness among K-12 students and the broader public. The NanoFrazor (NF) Explore, a cutting-edge thermal scanning probe lithography (t-SPL) system, utilizes localized heating of a thermally sensitive resist to achieve nanoscale patterning and imaging, setting it apart from traditional methods such as photolithography and electron-beam lithography. This acquisition will significantly enhance multidisciplinary research at the UM and neighboring institutions throughout the Mid-South region in fields including chemistry, biology, materials science, and engineering. Specifically, NF Explore’s capabilities - high-resolution patterning, precise nanoscale heat application, and broad substrate versatility - will initially support innovation across eighteen research groups and one research center focused on a) micro/nanofluidics and micro/nanoelectrode systems; b) engineering devices; c) functional materials and arrays; and d) substrates for chemical and biological characterization. By providing precise nanopatterning with minimal substrate damage and exceptional overlay accuracy without the need for alignment markers, this system will facilitate advancements in nanophotonic devices, high-frequency acoustic metamaterials, advanced heat transfer technologies, and chem/bio sensors. Furthermore, the acquisition will promote extensive training and outreach activities, directly contributing to workforce development in advanced manufacturing and semiconductor fabrication in Mississippi. Ultimately, the NF Explore will catalyze collaborative, pioneering research, drive substantial scholarly output, and significantly bolster regional nanofabrication infrastructure, positioning UM and Mississippi as a leading hub for nanoscale science and engineering innovation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-09

The Growing Research Infrastructure Together in Mississippi (GRIT Mississippi) project aims to strengthen the research administration capacity of Mississippi's institutions of higher education (IHEs). This planning effort also addresses a fundamental issue in the national research ecosystem—the uneven development of research infrastructure across U.S. regions. Mississippi historically has received less NSF research funding than many other states and has long held EPSCoR status, highlighting the potential positive role for targeted capacity-building. By conducting a statewide needs assessment, GRIT Mississippi will help uncover institutional and state-wide barriers to research support, compliance, and collaboration. The project will also spotlight effective practices that can be shared across similarly situated institutions nationwide. Enhanced research administration infrastructure in Mississippi will enable greater participation in science, foster cross-institutional collaboration, increase faculty and administrator engagement with research support systems, and strengthen the pipeline for future STEM researchers and grant professionals. GRIT Mississippi is a planning grant designed to assess and strengthen the research administration capacity of Mississippi’s institutions of higher education (IHEs). The project will conduct a statewide learning and needs assessment to identify gaps and opportunities in research support systems across Mississippi IHEs — including R1s, R2s, HBCUs, regional universities, private colleges, and community colleges. Through surveys, interviews, site visits, and convenings, GRIT Mississippi will develop a comprehensive inventory of research administration assets and needs, culminating in a strategic infrastructure development plan. This plan will support institutional readiness for future implementation proposals aligned with NSF GRANTED priorities along with identification of prospective PIs and cross-institutional personnel to lead those proposals, helping expand participation in the U.S. research enterprise. The project offers a novel contribution to the emerging field of research-on-research administration by producing statewide, cross-institutional data on research infrastructure; an area where most prior studies are institution-specific. 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-09

This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site at the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, MS, supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2025-2027. The site will offer original research projects in experimental and theoretical physical chemistry. These research projects foster communication and collaboration between members of physical and computational chemistry groups, which increases literacy in high performance computing and its applicability to chemistry. In addition to participating in research, students will develop a deeper knowledge in physical chemistry through faculty-led lectures on topics like quantum chemistry, molecular spectroscopy, physical organic and biophysical chemistry. Students will also engage in a summer-long schedule of organized professional development and social activities with University of Mississippi undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff. These activities are expected to prepare students for chemistry careers and help to build a network of peers and faculty. To broaden participation and develop an effective chemistry workforce, this site will recruit students from throughout the U.S., particularly those from institutions with limited research opportunities. Student participants will perform original research in the laboratories of faculty members and using the Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research (MCSR). Centered around experimental and theoretical physical chemistry, the research projects include synthetic design of light-harvesting, photoemissive, and catalytic materials; characterizing the photophysical properties of newly-developed materials; the spectroscopic study and computational modeling of important biologically relevant interactions; and the synthesis and computational modeling of nanomaterials with important energy or drug development and delivery applications. Senior personnel will mentor students in original research, present lectures on physical chemistry-related topics, administer mini-courses, and organize social activities. Students in the program will gain practical experience in the physical sciences, while also applying knowledge in chemistry to real world problems and co-authoring scholarly publications. 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.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-08

Project Summary A variety of mutations in voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels are associated with a broad spectrum of channelopathies, including epilepsy, autism, intellectual disability, migraines, pain syndromes, myopathies, and cardiac arrhythmias. The genotype-phenotype relationship in Nav channels is profoundly complex, with identical mutations sometimes leading to variable or even opposing effects. The molecular mechanisms underlying these mutational disruptions remain largely unexplored, hindering structure-based drug design of targeted and mutation-specific therapeutics essential for precision medicine. Moreover, the functional impacts of thousands of Nav natural variants are still uncertain, challenging disease diagnosis and personalized treatment. We hypothesize that the variable or opposing effects of a specific Nav channel variant, such as both amplification (gain-of-function, or GoF) and diminution (loss-of-function, or LoF) of Na+ current, could arise from its impacts on multiple functional transitions or diverse functional aspects. Alternatively, these variable effects might be affected by the cross-talk between post-translational modifications (PTMs) and mutations. Given mutations’ roles are intrinsically rooted in their structural dynamics during functional transitions or their dynamic interactions with PTMs, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are ideal to investigate the structural and dynamic effects of these mutations. In this study, we employ customized MD and conformational free-energy calculation strategies for several representative mutations to gain mechanistic insights within a practical simulation timescale. A comprehensive investigation of thousands of uncertain variants via MD simulations or electrophysiology is unfeasible due to resource and time constraints. While AI-based prediction offers a more efficient alternative, current AI tools only provide binary prediction (benign/pathogenic or GoF/LoF). More precise phenotype predictions are crucial for risk assessment, personalized treatment, and therapeutic innovation. We propose developing a machine-learning model that integrates protein sequence, structure, dynamics, and function data to accurately predict the gating properties of variants. This innovative approach could revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment strategies of channelopathies. This proposal outlines our ongoing efforts on three critical aspects of Nav channels using two computational approaches: (i) MD simulations to investigate 1) how mutations affect structural transitions and channel gating and 2) how mutation-PTM cross-talk leads to differential effects; and (ii) ML modeling to predict 3) the functional impacts of new variants. As an Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) nearing the end of my eligibility period (until June 2025), this MIRA ESI proposal represents a critical juncture in my career. The timing of this application aligns perfectly with my career goals and research trajectory. It provides a springboard for launching an innovative and long-term computational program bridging the molecular pathophysiology of channelopathies and rational drug design, promising lasting scientific impact in biophysics, pharmacology, and biomedical research of ion channels. 1

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-08

Project Summary: Zebrafish, Danio rerio, is an incredibly useful model organism in biomedical research. The vast number of genetic mutants, ease of phenotypic screening, and transparency during early development have enabled molecular understanding of many human diseases. Mirroring the national trend of increased use of this model organism, the number of researchers at the University of Mississippi (UM) using and proposing to use zebrafish is expanding. The goal of this proposal is to support the acquisition of the latest technologically advanced zebrafish culture systems to expand the capabilities of the zebrafish researchers. Optimum culture conditions and monitoring and alerting functions are essential to maintain ideal health and reproduction in our aquatic facility. The UM Aquatic Facility includes eight rooms, three set aside for routine animal culture. While one room has utilized a similar Aquaneering system since 2018, and two single rack systems were purchased with new grant funds (November 2023, August 2024), there is an acute need to modernize the remaining culture room to accommodate the needs of the current researchers and facilitate needed faculty recruitment. Specifically, this proposal will implement in Faser 300E, three single-sided and one double-sided 6-shelf racks and include all the monitoring, dosing, and heating necessary to ensure healthy zebrafish culture. Incorporating these systems will allow us to buffer infrastructural inconsistencies (water and heating) in our 50-year-old building. Furthermore, including the 100 L AquaSpawner chamber, hooked into the system water flow, will provide us with new capabilities to generate thousands of embryos replicating the zebrafish’s preferred spawning conditions while minimizing animal handling. Zebrafish researchers at UM have been and are supported by two NIGMS COBRE centers, NIEHS, NICHD, NIDA, and the American Heart Association, with

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-08

With the support of the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Jurss of the University of Mississippi is studying the development of new catalysts capable of transforming carbon dioxide into value-added chemicals. Carbon dioxide is generally viewed as a waste product that is made when burning carbon-based fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. However, carbon dioxide could be used as a feedstock to regenerate fuels or commodity chemicals using sunlight or electricity to drive this process. The conversion of carbon dioxide into desirable products is often energy-intensive and requires catalysts to facilitate the reaction; catalysts are compounds added to make reactions more efficient by introducing lower energy pathways to product formation. Dr. Jurss will develop more effective catalysts based on innovative design strategies to take carbon dioxide from unwanted waste to useful products, which has important implications for national security and the economy. During this project, Dr. Jurss will actively recruit, mentor, and train graduate students, undergraduate students, and Mississippi high school students through a hands-on research program that will promote careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The education and training of students in chemistry, and STEM more broadly, will allow the United States to maintain and grow a highly skilled and globally competitive workforce, and remain a leader in technological development and scientific advancement. With the support of the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Jurss of the University of Mississippi will develop new catalysts featuring tunable redox-active ligands that target ligand-based carbon dioxide activation. Current molecular catalysts are often limited by high overpotentials, poor product selectivity, and/or low stability. This work will address these shortcomings through hypothesis-driven design and development of macrocyclic catalysts for carbon dioxide reduction by controlling the metal-ligand redox chemistry and promoting ligand-based substrate activation. This underexplored mode of carbon dioxide activation will be investigated as a means to move beyond the common two-electron reduction chemistry (i.e. carbon dioxide reduction to carbon monoxide or formate) that dominates this field to more reduced carbon products, such as methane. Appropriate functionality will be added to the ligand backbone to introduce hydrogen-bonding interactions and/or proton relays near the active site to enhance substrate binding and conversion. Mechanistic insight will be gained through electrochemical and photochemical reactivity studies, spectroscopy, and structure-activity relationships. This project will also afford research opportunities in the critically important area of catalysis for graduate, undergraduate, and Mississippi high school students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Over a century ago, Einstein revolutionized physics with his General Theory of Relativity (GR). This theory predicted gravitational waves --- ripples in the fabric of spacetime --- which can be observed through extreme cosmic events such as black hole collisions. Since the groundbreaking detection of gravitational waves in 2015 by two LIGO detectors in the US, about 100 similar events have been observed. These events offer a powerful testing ground for Einstein’s GR. Despite its success, the consensus is that GR is, at most, incomplete, representing an approximation to a more complete theory that cures some or all of its problems, much like Newtonian theory is an approximation to GR. A team of researchers at the University of Mississippi will apply advanced statistical methods to ensure that the tests of GR are accurate, carefully accounting for noise and unrelated effects to avoid false conclusions about the validity of the theory. The team will also develop a web-based tool with a basic introduction to gravitational-wave data, waves, and chirp with simple real-life examples. This tool will have features such that the user can change the masses of black holes in a binary and listen to the kind of chirping signal the merger produces. This tool aims to bring free-of-cost gravitational-wave science to everyone with an internet connection. The general theory of relativity (GR) is the most successful theory of gravity as it explains current astronomical observations and laboratory experiments. No statistically significant deviation from GR has been found yet. The improved sensitivities of LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA detectors in the fourth and fifth observing runs will allow the detection of hundreds of compact binaries, revealing relativistic gravity in action in unprecedented detail and the potential to falsify GR. Due to the enormous success of GR in explaining observational and experimental results, the prior that the theory is correct is very high. It is, therefore, critical to know the extent to which current tests of GR are safe and when it is necessary to incorporate various systematics to confidently claim a GR violation. The goal of the study is twofold: First is to investigate the effect of non-stationary and non-Gaussian noise artifacts in the detector data, and black hole mimickers. This investigation will help the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) collaboration to account for a false alarm in the case of a statistically significant deviation from GR. The second goal is to assemble a set of criteria to classify a detection as anomalous that shows hints of GR violation. These anomalous detections will then be thoroughly investigated to determine if they truly exhibit GR violation or if they are artifacts of some kind of systematics. This set of criteria will eventually lead to a GR violation detection checklist, which will help the LVK collaboration to make an informed claim of GR violation if found in the data. The team will also develop a web-based self-learning app to teach gravitational-wave science to high school and undergraduate students. This tool will eliminate geographical barriers, allowing students from remote areas to access quality physics education. 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Sand and mineral dust storms are natural events where strong winds lift soil particulate matter into the atmosphere. Inhalation of these particles can cause serious respiratory and cardiovascular health effects. Using Arizona as a testbed, this research develops and tests a novel, experimental approach that combines satellite remote sensing and health data to better understand the health impacts and hospitalization rates related to dust storms. The project involves atmospheric science, public health, and environmental science. This interdisciplinary approach provides a robust framework for understanding and addressing the adverse health impacts of dust storms, such as asthma, Valley Fever, and cardiovascular disease. This work is important because, over the last few decades, there has been increasing dryness in the U.S. Southwest and persistent droughts elsewhere in the nation. This has resulted in more frequent and intense dust being blown into the atmosphere. This research combines hospitalization records with remote sensing and machine learning to determine dust mineral composition and its link to serious health complications. Knowing which minerals are in the dust and which are most harmful helps health professionals predict and mitigate health risks associated with wind-blown dust. Broader impacts of the work include new method-development, improved correlation and understanding of airborne dust-related health issues, and results that can be used in, or applied to, a variety of environmental health studies. Results of his project can lead to significant advances in our knowledge of how to address dust-related, air quality health issues. The project also aligns with NSF’s mission to promote the progress of science and advance national health and welfare. Sand and mineral dust storms are significant aeolian processes exacerbated by human activities. Globally, billions of tons of dust are injected into the atmosphere due to farming, desertification, and other human-created and natural environmental processes. These suspended aerosols result in the increased risk of serious health problems. Despite this known link, significant knowledge gaps remain on the actual cause of dust inhalation-related health impacts, particularly with regard to lung sensitivity to dust composition (i.e., mineralogy). This research investigates the health impacts of airborne dust by using machine learning to analyze its mineral composition and correlate it with hospital records on respiratory, cardiovascular, and airborne dust-related infectious diseases. The project uses the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model to simulate air parcel trajectories. It also utilizes advanced, remote sensing, hyperspectral data from the Hyperion, EMIT, CALIPSO, MODIS, and VIIRS satellites. These inputs are then combined with other environmental and hospitalization data using advanced mathematical techniques. Results will identify dust storm sources and develop understandings for use in forecasting health impacts and, when used by public health officials, to help mitigate dust storm impacts. Statistical approaches are employed to analyze the hospitalization patterns derived from Arizona public health databases. Integration of the disparate data allows development of a predictive model for forecasting and mitigating dust storm health impacts as a function of dust and mineral concentration and composition. Research results can be used to develop effective health prevention and/or mitigation strategies that improve dust-related health outcomes in arid and agricultural regions. 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project seeks to understand the engineering rules that drive cytoskeletal coordination and sensing. Cells serve as nature's smart materials, capable of repairing, reorganizing, and sensing their surroundings. A crucial part of this cellular machinery is the cytoskeleton, which is a dynamic network of proteins that generates force and movement. However, how the parts of the cytoskeleton work together at the molecular level to accomplish larger tasks necessary for life is not understood. The knowledge gained in this project will contribute deeper insight to life’s fundamental mechanisms. It will also provide tools to support challenges in bioengineering, such as creating cells from the bottom up or developing smart materials inspired by biological systems. Outreach and educational programs that build from these research efforts include creating summer research opportunities for student parents and establishing “Teach Through Outreach”, an outreach-based learning program for engineering students. Both have the overarching goal of broadening participation and increasing STEM exposure to underprivileged students in Mississippi. The cytoskeleton exhibits emergent properties meaning that its ensemble behavior is not simply the sum of its parts. Myosin II is a cytoskeletal motor protein essential for basic cellular functions, and its motility and force generation behavior are significantly different at the single molecule level versus when part of a larger group. Yet, what tells the motor how to behave in different environments in not understood. By “sequencing” the actomyosin mechanome, or the interconnected system of forces, mechanics, and machinery, the aim of this research is to systematically identify which environmental factors lead to specific motor behaviors. This understanding will advance the field of biomechanics and mechanobiology by revealing how motor proteins work together, adapt to mechanical signals within the cell, and contribute to essential processes like cell movement and division. The research goals of the project are to (1) evaluate how myosin ensemble synergy is influenced by soluble mechanical modulators, (2) understand how the mechanosensitive environment within the cytoskeletal network affects myosin force generation, and (3) investigate how the stiffness of the environment changes force output of motor protein ensembles. These goals will be accomplished through engineering customizable cytoskeletal ensembles in vitro and investigating their behavior using optical tweezers, fluorescence imaging, and a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. This project has the potential to further scientific discovery through enabling construction of minimalistic cell models to understand cellular processes and phenotypes, adding to the toolbox for creating biomimetic smart materials, and elucidating mechanisms of diseases that rely on mechanical feedback. This project is jointly funded by Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (BMMB) Program in the Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-04

With the support of the Chemistry of Life Processes program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Li from the University of Mississippi is investigating the critical role of glycosylation in regulating ion channel function. These ion channels serve as essential cellular gatekeepers that control numerous vital physiological processes, from heartbeat to nerve signals. Glycosylation is a process where sugar molecules attach to proteins. While scientists have established that these sugar modifications significantly influence channel function, the precise mechanisms remain poorly understood due to their complex and dynamic nature. Using advanced computational modeling techniques, Dr. Li's team aims to create detailed molecular maps that reveal how these sugar modifications interact with and regulate ion channels at the atomic level. The project will create a training program for Mississippi students, particularly in the growing field of computational chemical biology, helping to build the next generation of scientists. By combining cutting-edge computational research with educational outreach, this work not only advances our understanding of fundamental cellular processes but also strengthens America's scientific workforce. This research project seeks to understand the effects of N-glycosylation on ion-channels by investigating atomic-level glycan-protein interactions using advanced molecular dynamics simulation techniques. At the atomic level, this study will reveal the chemical basis and molecular recognition of N-glycans governing ion channel gating. It will elucidate how the inherent flexibility and heterogeneity of glycans structurally impact the function of multiple ligand-gated and voltage-gated ion channels. At the molecular and cellular level, this research will address an understudied yet critical aspect of ion channel structure-function relationships, that is how isoform-specific N-glycosylation regulates subunit composition and gating behaviors, resulting in differential electrical signaling in the brain, heart, and muscle. Understanding how glycosylation impacts ion channels paves the way towards further elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying channel function. 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.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2026 · 2025-04

PROJECT ABSTRACT Conducting research involving cannabis or cannabinoids presents many challenges to scientists regarding regulatory issues and the acquisition and utilization of materials suitable for valid scientific studies. To address and rectify the major barriers and challenges to cannabis research, we will establish a resource center that will provide research tools to the scientific community that will allow advances in cannabis science through both non- clinical and clinical studies. The goal of this Center is to serve as a comprehensive resource to support investigators involved or interested in cannabis research by providing guidance and information to help address barriers and challenges related to regulations, research materials, and proposal development. The Center will consist of three cores that will provide guidance through a centralized website as well as through workshops and webinars. The Research Support Core will disseminate scientific and regulatory information, organize, and convene webinars and workshops, and administer seed funding for registration support and proposal development. The scoring criteria for seed funding award applications will include relevance to the interests of the NIH IC sponsors. The Regulatory Guidance Core will establish a clearinghouse for policy guidance. The Research Standards Core will provide guidance on cannabis research through a repository of best practices and technical information. The Center will impact a broad range of stakeholders, including the scientific community, federal and state agencies, institutional administrators, and suppliers of research materials. New cannabis investigations fostered by our guidance will serve as incentives for others to enter the cannabis research field, which may lead to novel research studies and licensing of more cannabis technologies as a clear regulatory pathway develops. Investigators as well as research administrators will utilize our guidance tools to advance their studies by gaining an improved understanding of regulatory requirements and best practices. The goals and objectives of this proposal will be accomplished through these specific aims: 1. Promote widespread advancement of cannabis research by propagating guidance and resources to investigators. 2. Reduce barriers to cannabis research by compiling and interpreting regulatory policies to benefit both the investigators and the regulatory agencies. 3. Improve the reproducibility of research studies by providing guidance on investigational materials, quality standards, practices, and metrics for quality research.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-02

The genes found in an organism’s genome, including bacteria, encode all the proteins that organism needs to survive. However, we do not know how many of those genes function, including those that encode proteins that are responsible for processes detrimental to humans. This project will characterize the function of an unknown protein that is found throughout many bacterial families, including those that are pathogenic to humans and affect agriculturally important crops. This protein influences the synthesis of the pilus, which is a structure on the surface of bacteria that is used to attach the bacterium to substrates. Pili facilitate bacterial colonization and sometimes biofilm formation. This project will probe how this protein functions, and will provide the foundation for future approaches to manipulate this protein within biomedical and agricultural contexts. This project also will be integrated into an educational component designed to train cadres of future scientists. Aspects of this project will be adapted for teaching graduate and undergraduate students and will allow them to perform scientific research in the laboratory and in the classroom. The project will also support outreach activities to middle school students to expose them to microscope-based analyses and critical data analysis techniques. The unknown protein Bresu_2828 has been shown to bind to the global genetic regulator GcrA in the non-model bacterium Brevundimonas subvibrioides. Deletion of bresu_2828 leads to decreased stability of GcrA which ultimately leads to a defect in pilus biosynthesis, but the mechanisms through which Bresu_2828 exerts its effects are unknown. The role Bresu_2828 plays in protein stability will be explored by global quantitative proteomics, assessment of in vitro protein interactions, and precision mutagenesis. The interacting proteins of Bresu_2828 will be compared between different bacterial species to define the similarities and/or differences in Bresu_2828 interactomes, thereby comparing function in different organisms. Bresu_2828 has been found to interact with the SciP protein, which is known to impact pilus synthesis in a bacterium related to B. subvibrioides. SciP function will be analyzed in B. subvibrioides by transcriptionally mapping the pilus biosynthesis gene cluster, identifying transcription factors that influence pilus gene expression, characterizing SciP’s role in pilus expression, and analyzing the role of Bresu_2828 in controlling SciP activity. This work will provide further insight into SciP function, and define how Bresu_2828 is used in the cell to control the function of the pilus. This project is jointly funded by MCB, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). 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.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-02

Linear random fields are important stochastic models that can help data analysts understand complex systems, quantify risk and uncertainty, and find optimal solutions. The principal investigator (PI) will develop new methods to study long-memory linear random fields. This will be the first research program on random fields and spatial data analysis at the University of Mississippi (UM) and within the state of Mississippi. This fellowship will advance and broaden the scope of the PI’s research program beyond UM and the state. The PI will travel with a UM Ph.D. student to Michigan State University (MSU) to work closely with MSU Foundation Professor Yimin Xiao, an expert in stochastic processes and random fields. The PI and Dr. Xiao will organize invited sessions on topics in this field of research at national and international conferences. Dr. Xiao and other experts in this field will visit UM to deliver research talks on the proposed research. Additionally, the PI will develop a graduate course in spatial data analysis at UM. This fellowship will have a lasting impact on the PI’s career, strengthen the probability and statistics group at UM, and enhance graduate and undergraduate education. This research will result in collaborative research projects in nonparametric estimation for long-memory linear random fields, focusing on innovation in the domain of attraction of stable laws. The PI and Dr. Xiao will primarily investigate the unbiasedness and limit theorems of the kernel and wavelet estimators for the density function and the quadratic entropy functional. During the first year of this fellowship, the PI will collaborate with Dr. Xiao to explore kernel estimators for density and quadratic entropy and derive the limit theorems for these estimators. In the second year, the PI and Dr. Xiao will explore wavelet estimators for density and quadratic entropy, obtaining the corresponding limit theorems. Fourier transform and orthogonal projection methods will serve as important tools in this study. The investigation of kernel and wavelet density and entropy estimation for linear random fields aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the sampling requirements and conditions on the coefficients and innovations of long-memory linear random fields, establishing ideal limit theorems for the estimators. Through this research, the PI will gain insights into the advantages and disadvantages of these estimation methods. This study will illuminate data analysis when observations exhibit heavy tails and long-range dependence. Through this series of collaborations, the PI will expand into a new research area and form long-lasting partnerships with Dr. Xiao and other experts in probability and statistics across the country. 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.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Project Summary The Mississippi ESTEEMED Scholars Program is designed to promote equitable outcomes for undergraduates in bioengineering/STEM fields who come from underrepresented backgrounds. Mississippi has the highest poverty rate in the nation and grapples with educational challenges, including having most of the state designated as a critical needs area for mathematics and science education. Thus, the pathway to a biomedical engineering career is challenging. To help address these issues, we propose the ESTEEMED program to facilitate the success of incoming freshmen students pursuing biomedical engineering (BME). The program focuses on supporting BME curriculum preparation and building scientific identity, ensuring that students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, are well-equipped to navigate the demanding curriculum and persist through to graduate STEM careers The long-term goal is to train the next generation of scientists that will transform understanding of disease prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment through engineering and diversify the biomedical workforce. Transitional programming designed to increase recruitment, retention, and research success of young scholars affiliated with the University of Mississippi will increase the preparedness of future doctoral degree applicants in fields like bioengineering and bioimaging. The program includes a summer bridge that transitions students from high school into the University of Mississippi. They will get a head start on coursework, be trained in responsible conduct of research and laboratory safety, be introduced to foundations of electronics, conduct 3D printing, and be exposed to scientific equipment across numerous facilities. During the academic year, mentorship meetings with program leaders will occur, and individual development plans will be utilized to plot a course towards a career trajectory in STEM for the students. Supplemental self-paced computer programming training will be provided to enhance the preparedness for future coursework, projects, and careers. In addition, students will choose from numerous local research mentors who run independent laboratories that span fields in biomedical engineering, bioimaging, biology, chemistry, physics, and pharmacology. In their second summer, students will receive support to apply to work in external laboratories with highly specialized skills. In addition, during the academic year, students will have the opportunity to interact directly with successful scientists and engineers in multiple engaging formats. Training will be provided to support student presentations of their own laboratory projects to visiting scholars and at local symposia/regional conferences. Finally, this program will support students to transition into an honors program on campus for their junior/senior years to continue their trajectory toward graduate school in STEM fields.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Blazars are relativistic jets of plasma launched from spinning supermassive black holes. They emit across the entire electromagnetic spectrum and are examples of multimessenger objects that persistently shine throughout the Universe. Multimessenger astronomy refers to the coordinated observation of signals carried by different “messengers”: electromagnetic radiation, gravitational waves, and neutrinos. The lead researcher will establish a research collaboration between The University of Mississippi Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics (UMCMA) and the Boston University (BU) Blazar Group. The goal is to equip the researcher’s group with the training and expertise necessary to advance and expand BU's efforts in multimessenger monitoring and modeling of blazars. The researcher will compare UM jet simulations to BU blazar observations, and UM students will receive on-site training in conducting blazar observations at BU's Perkins Observatory. This fellowship will provide travel and training opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to the researcher’s group. These opportunities will help connect UM students to black hole jet research in a U.S. state where access to radio and optical astronomy is not common. Increasing scientific exposure for Mississippians aligns with the NSF's mission to promote the progress of science across the United States. During the two summer fellowship periods, the lead researcher will work to establish a new research collaboration between the University of Mississippi Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics (UMCMA) and the Boston University (BU) Blazar Group. The aim is to provide the researcher’s group with the training and expertise needed to advance and extend BU's efforts in multimessenger monitoring and modeling of blazar jets. The researcher will compare UM jet simulations to BU blazar observations in the radio and optical spectra. UM graduate students will receive on-site training in conducting blazar observations at BU's Perkins Observatory. To further our understanding of black hole jets, the researcher will test whether 3D relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) jet simulations can replicate time-domain blazar observations in both the radio and optical spectra. This work will lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of blazar jet morphology and flaring. Very few models of blazar jets can simultaneously mimic: (1) the morphology and evolution of the large-scale radio jets observed with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), (2) the higher-energy optical flares, currently being monitored at Perkins Observatory, and (3) the optical and radio polarization properties of the jet's plasma. A key innovation in this project will be the development and refinement of radiative transfer calculations, enabling more direct comparisons between plasma jet simulations and the extensive data sets in the VLBA-BU-BLAZAR Multi-Wavelength Monitoring database. This collaboration will help advance our understanding of how magnetic field structure, jet acceleration, and particle acceleration contribute to blazar flaring. 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.