Smithsonian Institution

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-08

This project will use high-pressure and high-temperature laboratory experiments to simulate processes of magma formation. Researchers will study different electrical charges of iron in Earth’s mantle and how differing conditions affect key Earth processes. Examples include the production of volcanic gases, the concentration of critical minerals and ores, and the formation of diamonds. The team will then use the experimental results to develop a mathematical model and that model will be shared with other researchers to answer their own questions about how magmas form on Earth. The team will develop the U.S. STEM workforce by training students and researchers in cutting-edge laboratory and modeling techniques. Members of the public will be able to learn about this research through public programs. Outcomes of this project will aid in strengthening national economic prosperity and global competitiveness. The proposed project is a combined experimental, analytical, and modeling campaign with the major goal of determining the Fe3+/ΣFe of peridotites in magma source regions in Earth’s mantle by inverting measured Fe3+/ΣFe of basalts. They will test whether differences in source oxygen fugacity between mid-ocean ridges basalts (MORB) and oceanic island basalts (OIB) may be accounted for by the difference between melting in the spinel stability field (MORB) versus the garnet stability field (OIB). New experiments will produce liquids saturated in either a garnet peridotite or spinel peridotite residue. Fe2O3 in these phases will be analyzed by a combination of electron microprobe and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) analyses. Fe2O3 mineral/melt partition coefficients relevant to melting in the spinel and garnet stability fields will update an empirical model of mantle melting that will allow investigation of the oxygen fugacity of melting under a range of possible temperature regimes and source peridotite compositions. This open-source model will be available for other researchers to use and modify for their own research questions. This project will train one masters student and one postdoctoral researcher in experimental petrology, microanalytical techniques, thermodynamics, and numerical modeling. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications as well as to lay audiences through public programs at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. 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

Tidal marshes have a remarkable ability to sustain themselves and maintain the many economic services they provide, including shoreline stabilization and flood protection. However, current trends show thousands of hectares of low-lying coastal wetlands are lost to open water each year, with impacts on fisheries, wildlife habitat, water quality, and adjacent human infrastructure. The ability of a coastal marsh to self-sustain depends largely on the highly productive vegetation generating new organic matter. The objective of this project is to learn how tidal marshes respond to changing coastal conditions. This project examines the influence of atmospheric carbon dioxide, nutrients, plant traits, and water level on the structure and persistence of tidal marsh vegetation. It aims to take advantage of an unparalleled forty-year record of plant, microbe, and soil responses to environmental fluctuations and fertilization to identify the most important factors for marsh survival and coastline integrity. This project will extend a globally unique, AI-ready dataset of plant growth, leaf chemistry, soil chemistry and soil elevation change. It also extends an equally unique archive of genetic samples of plants that enable assessment of the most valuable genotypes for sustaining marshes under variable conditions. These samples and data are a resource for developing biotechnological solutions to marsh restoration and coastal protection. This LTREB project includes three complementary, long-term field experiments that manipulate atmospheric carbon dioxide and nitrogen enrichment in different plant communities, leveraging the inter-annual variability in other critical factors such as water level, salinity, and precipitation. The team will test the hypothesis that changes in water level are the ultimate driver of resilience in coastal wetlands and will cause the two plant species with the highest flood tolerance (native sedge and invasive Phragmites australis) to replace the species with lower flood tolerance (C4 grasses) over the next decade. Because both the sedge and Phragmites respond positively to carbon dioxide, the team predicts that these species will initially be favored by carbon dioxide but will ultimately decline as rising water level reduces productivity. However, the areas dominated by Phragmites, particularly plots with added nitrogen, yield the greatest productivity on the marsh, and have the best chance to expand and prevent marsh collapse. The routinely-updated datasets resulting from these long-term experiments are machine-readable and will continue to inform models and AI-based syntheses. The research site and extensive datasets are used as a hands-on case study in ecology courses at Villanova University and Bryn Mawr College. This project trains researchers at all levels, engages the public in experimental field science, and promotes the application of scientific discoveries to support coastal wetland protection, conservation, and restoration. 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

Over the past century, forests in the eastern United States have been growing and accumulating more large trees, providing valuable biomass storage and other ecosystem services. This trend in biomass accumulation is widely expected to continue with longer growing seasons. However, long-term studies at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Virginia suggest the opposite, biomass in this temperate deciduous forest is declining. With 15 years of data, project researchers have found that tree growth is now slowing and more trees are dying, and these changes are not explained by forest aging or competition. Researchers hypothesize that the changes are caused by a combination of reduced nutrient availability, changes in weather such as more intense heat waves, and non-native insects and diseases. Over the next ten years, they will test their hypotheses in detail at the SCBI site and compare with other forests in the region to understand whether findings from this site apply more broadly. The research will be conducted with up to 19 interns and students to build the future workforce in forestry, forest research, and conservation. Researchers will share knowledge gained with forest researchers, managers, and policymakers around the world through the GEO-TREES network. The project will also contribute to databases used to understand the functioning and management of Earth’s forests and help to raise public awareness about forest research and conservation. Reproducible data and results from this project have potential to reduce uncertainty in Earth system models and improve accuracy and precision of rapidly growing global carbon markets. At the SCBI’s 25.6-ha forest dynamics plot, part of the Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) network, 15 years of detailed observations have revealed (1) declining tree growth rates and a striking 25% decline in woody productivity; (2) increasing mortality across multiple tree species and a 94% increase in woody mortality; and (3) a recent shift from biomass accrual to loss. Ten more years of measurements – including tree censuses, dendrometer bands, and tree cores – will be critical to disentangling underlying mechanisms of biomass decline. Researchers will test hypotheses that (1) global change drivers – specifically nutrient dilution and increasing meteorological extremes – are reducing tree growth; (2) non-indigenous insects and diseases, nutrient dilution, and increasing meteorological extremes are driving sustained increases in tree mortality; and (3) the net result is reduced biomass accumulation. Hypothesis testing will focus on SCBI’s ForestGEO plot and draw on external data to contextualize across the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. They will use explainable AI approaches to take advantage of large machine-ready datasets to uncover complex, nonlinear relationships between environmental drivers and biological responses. Data will be contributed to the databases of ForestGEO and GEO-TREES, a new global reference system designed to provide much-needed calibration and validation of satellite-based biomass estimates to scientists, policymakers and other end users. 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

One of the most important events in the history of life in the Americas was when North and South America became connected by a land bridge—the Isthmus of Panama—which occurred between 15 million years ago and the present day. This connection allowed plants and animals to move between the two continents. Scientists have studied land plants to better understand when this event happened, but we still do not know how rivers played a role in how the land bridge formed. This project will study a special group of plants that live in tropical and subtropical rivers rapids and waterfalls, called riverweeds. Using information from both plant fossils and the DNA of living plants, we will study how these plants moved and evolved as the land bridge. Combining information about plants with geologic data, we hope to understand when rivers began to connect, and how these changes affected the plants living in them. This project will help science grow by training American scientists to work together with scientists in other countries and in various languages. The project will also help train new partners, strengthening the pathways for future American scientific research. This project will provide a novel lens on biotic migration during the rise of the Isthmus of Panama by leveraging the tight link between Podostemaceae plants and river evolution, adding a new element to the story of the Isthmus closure, and shifting the focus from terrestrial to unexplored freshwater systems. The traditional approach in plant evolution research is to interpret biological data using geological models. In this project, however, genomic data will be used to infer the timing and pattern of riverine plant migration across the Isthmus, which will then be coupled with geological and fossil data to build a wholistic model of river connectivity across the Isthmus of Panama. The project will use a recently developed method for the integration of distributional and genomic data to refine the resulting models of past landscape change. This interdisciplinary approach will not only clarify the tempo and mode of riverine connectivity across the Isthmus but will also fill critical gaps in our understanding of tropical biodiversity assembly in freshwater ecosystems. The project also includes opportunities for training for students ranging from high school to postdoctoral scholars. This project is co-funded by the Systematics & Biodiversity Science and Life through Environment and Time programs. 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

Biological invasions by non-native species can harm local economies, food security, and human health and well-being and are inherently a multi-national phenomenon. Recent estimates of global annual costs of invasive species exceed $400 billion USD, including substantial impacts on people’s livelihoods and quality of life. Non-native species continue to spread rapidly in all biomes – on land, in freshwater, and in our oceans. Information about the extent of current invasions in our oceans, however, is limited, creating gaps in knowledge that weaken biosecurity efforts aimed at the prevention and management of invasive species. Clear communication pathways for consolidating information on known marine invasions across international stakeholders, and widely adopted standardized protocols for detecting new or undocumented invasions, are needed to tackle this grand challenge and minimize impacts on society. Harnessing complementary expertise across highly invested regional and global networks, the AccelNet BRIDGE program will advance key fundamental science at scales needed to support and inform effective biosecurity policy and contribute to training a skilled US-based workforce, poised to leverage international team science to engage with this challenge. These efforts will make detection of marine invasions more efficient, robust, integrated, and informative across global economies, which is essential for the prevention of future invasions. The AccelNet BRIDGE program will provide a platform for collaboration and communication, to establish the standardized framework, protocols, and capacity to address critical knowledge gaps at scale that limit invasion science. BRIDGE will establish formal lines of communication and a community of practice among data-generators for increased coordination on best practices and quality control. Working groups will develop co-designed methods for standardized, efficient non-native marine species detection, and increase capacity and expand available tools for data sharing and management, including robust pipelines for rapid delivery to existing data repositories. Network members will generate common protocols to estimate species transport and conduct critical assays and experiments to improve species detection and understand the mechanisms shaping invasions. Through virtual meetings and annual in-person workshops, trainings, and scientific exchanges, the BRIDGE program will catalyze research on marine invasions and mobilize this science to improve biosecurity management and policy. All materials generated by BRIDGE will be made available to stakeholders from around the world, and advances will be regularly communicated to the public, resource managers, and the scientific community. 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 2024 · 2024-10

An award is made to the Smithsonian Institution to acquire a stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer and three associated peripheral devices to enable modern and deep-time interdisciplinary environmental research and education. This project directly supports research with societally relevant outcomes in climate change, ecology/biology, and anthropologic research which will be disseminated through the Smithsonian’s many established platforms for public engagement including exhibits, social media, citizen science programs, and nature centers. As the world’s largest museum, research, and education complex, the Smithsonian has a diverse team of researchers currently involved in this project, with a strong dedication and infrastructure available to support the next generation of early career researchers and scientists. In addition to internal researchers and external collaborators, this project aims to initially involve over 40 fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate interns, and has dedicated institutional support ensuring equity and inclusion in the anticipated future STEM research that will develop from this award. This project will focus on tracking light stable isotopes as a means to investigate broad and compelling environmental issues in both modern and deep-time. Research areas include (1) modern, archaeological, and paleontological studies, examining life on a sustainable planet by providing data on dietary components, trophic structures, population dynamics and biodiversity, animal health, and migrations/movement; (2) climate change records in gases and other matrices that indicate greenhouse gas, temperature, and salinity changes in both the marine and terrestrial realms; (3) applying stable isotopes through an anthropogenic lens of current and past influence of human activity on and interaction with our global environment; and (4) understanding the American experience by using stable isotopes in archaeological remains to study population movements, health, and dietary factors throughout our history, including historically marginalized groups. 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 · 2024-09

Project Summary As the average age of first-time mothers in the United States increases, the prevalence of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) including oocyte cryopreservation, continues to rise. Cryopreservation has been demonstrated to reduce expression of genes associated with cell cycle progression, and use of cryopreserved ova is correlated with lower live birth rates compared with fresh eggs. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs, lipid-bound vesicles secreted by cells which contain regulatory molecules) have shown promise in supporting the recovery or function of damaged cells. In reproductive EVs, miRNAs have been of particular interest owing to their potential ability to regulate key signaling pathways associated with developmental competence. Supplementation of EVs from ovarian follicular fluid (ffEV) have been shown to improve in vitro blastocyst production and, in our laboratory, enhance the domestic cat cumulus-oocyte complex’s (COC) ability to resume meiosis following vitrification. In this proposal, we describe a series of studies aimed at elucidating the physiological role(s) of miRNAs in ffEVs and exploring their therapeutic potential using the domestic cat as a model for human ARTs. As exogenous gonadotropin stimulation protocols are known to modify follicular gene expression and function, including composition of ffEVs, we will apply microfluidic technology to mimic gonadotropin exposure patterns on granulosa cells in vitro. Specific Aim 1 improves our knowledge of the in vitro generation of EVs by comparing the molecular (miRNA, mRNA, protein) composition of EVs produced under ‘natural estrus’ versus ‘ovarian stimulation’ conditions in vitro against in vivo derived ffEVs, and their efficacy in modulating COC gene expression, developmental competence, and embryo quality. Beyond improving our understanding of gonadotropin control of EV biogenesis, this approach aims to improve our ability to consistently produce high quality EVs in vitro, which is vital to their future application to ARTs. Specific Aim 2 will elucidate the functional relevance of miRNAs enriched in ffEVs using a two-pronged approach: selectively inhibiting three highly expressed endogenous miRNA in ffEVs (via miRNA inhibitors), and loading three under-expressed exogenous miRNA (via miRNA mimics). The proposal targets heat shock 70 kDA protein expression to modulate the cell stress-response and developmental competence. We will evaluate the bioavailability and intracellular localization of miRNA modified-ffEVs and (in single and multiple miRNA combinations) their ability to alter COC gene and protein expression and subsequent influence on vitrified oocyte cryo-recuperation and embryonic development. Cumulatively, these studies will generate new insight into miRNA-mediated intrafollicular communication and the downstream effects of follicular fluid EVs on oocytes, develop a new system for biomimetic reproductive EV production in vitro, and assess the utility of ffEVs for future therapeutic application to ARTs, including oocyte vitrification. ,

NSF Awards · FY 2024 · 2024-09

The modern oceans and the ecosystems they contain resulted from millions of years of change in physical and biological ocean systems. One aspect of the environment that has a large impact on marine animals is the amount of available food and nutrients. Understanding how individual organisms and biological communities adapt and respond to changes in nutrient availability advances scientific knowledge by 1) improving understanding of how the physical environment drives evolution, and 2) providing insight into how decreased nutrients might trigger regional extinction events. These results are important for understanding the geologic history of life as well as its future. In addition to these scientific objectives, this project supports the training and advancement of students through 1) an inclusive field course for advanced undergraduate students, 2) the development of a graduate student cohort trained to participate in international field research, and 3) the production of a bilingual graphic novel to increase scientific literacy in K-12 students in the US and the Caribbean. The Biological Oceanography Program co-reviewed and co-funded this project with the Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology Program. The goal of this project is to understand and characterize the relationship between surface productivity and ecological structure in marine benthos by (1) evaluating how productivity affects the energetic and trophic structure of marine benthic communities on both sides of the modern Isthmus of Panama, (2) using this knowledge to evaluate the fossil record of Caribbean benthic ecosystems before, during, and after the uplift of the isthmus, and (3) relating ecosystem changes driven by productivity shifts to the well-documented Caribbean extinction event ~2 Ma. The project leverages collections from the Panama Paleontology Project, which includes extensive collections of modern mollusks and rich fossil collections, to meet these objectives. The project applies new technologies, including high-throughput imaging and automated morphometric methods, to analyze the size-frequency distribution and calculate measures of energetics. The project also explores how trophic composition, larval dispersal mode, and predatory attack frequencies in mollusk shells in modern death assemblages and fossil assemblages vary across productivity gradients. The project will advance the community’s current understanding of how these ecological traits are influenced by productivity in modern systems and the role they have played in the evolution of modern Caribbean ecosystems. The Biological Oceanography Program co-reviewed and co-funded this project with the Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology Program. 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 2024 · 2024-08

The tropics are home to the largest diversity of species on Earth, and the future of the tropics has significant implications for the planet. Scientists predict that the most serious impacts of environmental change will likely be in the tropics, where almost half of the planet’s human population resides. Understanding how tropical ecosystems will change requires a long-term perspective, scientific expertise, and a strategic approach. Over the past 100 years, generations of scientists have conducted field studies on Panama’s Barro Colorado Island, today considered the world’s best-studied tropical forest. Contributions from these studies have greatly advanced our current knowledge of tropical ecosystems, but there is much more to understand about these complex environments. Our ability to anticipate the future of the tropics plays a critical role in the predictive capacity of Earth System Models (ESM). The Tropical Forest Future workshop will convene specialists in tropical studies to build on the last century of research and develop new methods for understanding and predicting changes to these important ecosystems. A series of three parallel working groups will draw upon diverse experts and next-generation leaders to build the basis for future directions in tropical forest studies. Each working group will explore promising new technologies, approaches, and strategic opportunities to advance future directions in research. A group on Tropical Plant Community Dynamics will aim to determine the combination of theory, modeling, analyses, and data needed to assess the various forces responsible for maintenance of tree diversity. A group on Tropical Arthropod Monitoring for Global Change will examine next generation monitoring technologies, including metabarcoding, bioacoustics, and systems for Automated Monitoring of Insects (AMI). A group on Integrating Metabolomics, Functional Traits, and Life History in Forest Ecology will synthesize pre-existing metabolomic, morphological, physiological, and demographic trait datasets to inform models of species interactions and predict plant responses to anthropogenic change. An additional, nonconcurrent plenary workshop entitled “Building Equitable and Inclusive Forest Research Programs in the Tropics” will bring together scientists of all career levels and explore the challenges and opportunities around developing greater equity and inclusivity in tropical research. Outputs from these three workshops will define the big questions and the future of the frontier of tropical science, as well as identifying key pathways and multidisciplinary opportunities for future research in a way that is inclusive and collaborative. 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 2024 · 2024-08

Wetlands are a critical habitat for carbon storage, as well as a potential source of greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide and methane) emissions. Little is known about how wetlands function, especially in the tropics. With changing climate, it is expected that tropical wetlands, especially seasonal ones, may shift between carbon consumption and release of carbon. Methane, which is a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, is typically produced under flooded conditions, although some evidence suggests that shifts between wet and dry conditions also lead to its release. Savannas (Cerrado) in Brazil have a range of grassland types including ever-wet peatlands, seasonally wet grasslands, and dry grasslands that are never flooded, with the seasonal wetlands shifting in water levels between dry and wet seasons. It is expected that these ecosystems will become hotter and drier in the future. Brazilian savannas have been understudied and under protected; they are also at risk of conversion for example to agribusiness and urban development. They are the source of the headwaters for river systems such as the Amazon, meaning they are important for providing clean water and other resources to the people and other organisms dependent on them. Understanding Brazilian savanna carbon dynamics now and under future environmental conditions is critical for the region. They can also be used as models to understand tropical savannas around the globe. This proposal makes use of the natural gradient, from ever-wet peatlands to dry grasslands, and seasonal shifts through time to collect data on the amount and frequency of greenhouse gases emitted today and the changing extents of wetlands seasonally. Researchers will use these data to predict how savannas may store and release carbon under future warming and drying climates. As part of this project, student biologists will be trained, including in classes on savanna field ecology and workshops on using field data to predict changes in greenhouse gas release in the future. Biologists and indigenous artists will also collaborate on artwork to demonstrate the importance of savanna systems for and to public audiences. This proposal will answer three questions: Q1. What are the drivers of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in carbon storage and flux across saturation gradients? Q2. How do saturation extents (areas and perimeters) in tropical grasslands change over seasonal and decadal scales? Q3. How will rates and forms of carbon emissions from tropical grasslands change under future climates? To test Q1, spatially distributed measurements will be coupled with high-temporal resolution measurements to understand greenhouse gas, soil, and vegetation carbon dynamics across the saturation gradient. Greenhouse gas variability will be measured spatially and temporally with chambers. Site changes through time will be determined by initial soil characterization, combined with seasonal measurements of plant phenology, stomatal conductance, porewater chemistry, environmental and groundwater measures. To test Q2, high resolution remote sensing and field reference data will be combined to map wetland extent seasonally. Carbon and lead isotope dating will be used to understand wetlands extent changes at decadal scales. To test Q3, data from Q1 and Q2 will be utilized in Earth system models. Estimates of carbon sequestration patterns and greenhouse gas emissions will be spatially simulated with projections of carbon balance changes and greenhouse gas with expected shifts in regional climate and hydrology. 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.