Rowan University

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-07

Heart and blood vessel diseases are among the leading causes of death in the United States. Many patients require surgery to replace damaged blood vessels, but reliable artificial options for small vessels do not currently exist. Existing synthetic grafts frequently fail because they heal poorly and can cause blood clots. Surgeons often must use a patient’s own veins, increasing pain, risk, and recovery times. This Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) project will develop a biodegradable blood vessel graft that actively supports healing. Rather than act as a passive tube, the graft will be designed to transform into a living blood vessel over time. The graft material will contain beneficial metal ions such as magnesium and zinc that support healthy tissue growth as the graft gradually breaks down and is replaced by natural tissue. A unique feature is the use of piezoelectric materials which generate small electrical signals when they are stretched or compressed. Heartbeats naturally cause blood vessels to expand and contract. The graft is designed to use this motion to create electrical signals that encourage growth of healthy cells along the inner surface of the vessel. These cells are essential for preventing blood clots and keeping blood flowing smoothly. This project includes strong educational and outreach activities. Graduate, undergraduate, and high school students will participate in hands-on research and learning experiences. Outreach programs will introduce students to biomedical engineering to inspire interest in biotechnology and engineering careers. Overall, this research seeks to improve patient care while training the next generation of engineers. This ERI project will develop bioactive, biodegradable vascular grafts integrating piezoelectric stimulation to address the long-standing problem of failure of synthetic, small-diameter blood vessel replacements. The grafts will employ a hybrid architecture combining piezoelectric poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) fibers with a dual-crosslinked metallo-elastomer scaffold made from poly(1,3-propylene itaconate-co-2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylate-co-succinate-co-sebacate) elastomers. The elastomeric scaffold will provide mechanical compliance, resistance to long-term deformation, controlled degradation, and structural support during vascular remodeling. The central innovation will be the incorporation of piezoelectric PLLA fibers within the blood-contacting region of the graft. Electrical signals generated in response to mechanical deformation will enable the graft to convert natural pulsatile blood flow into localized bioelectric stimulation. The electrical cues will be designed to actively promote endothelial cell alignment, maturation, and anti-thrombotic function, directly addressing incomplete endothelialization. By delivering adaptive electrical stimulation during early remodeling, this strategy will move beyond passive scaffold designs toward self-powered regulation of vascular healing. Grafts will be fabricated using solution electrowriting, which enables precise control over fiber architecture, porosity, and mechanical compliance while allowing spatial localization of piezoelectric fibers. Material properties, degradation behavior, and piezoelectric output will be optimized through in vitro testing under physiologically relevant conditions. In vivo validation will be performed using a rat carotid artery interposition model to evaluate graft patency, structural integrity, degradation, and tissue regeneration over time. The results will establish new design principles for adaptive, energy-harvesting biomaterials and advance the development of next-generation vascular grafts. 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

Jet fuel helps move people and goods across long distances. A reliable affordable fuel supply is central to U.S. economic strength and national security. Sustainable aviation fuel made from domestic biomass can strengthen U.S. energy independence. It also can create high-value markets for U.S. farmers and rural industries. Current biomass-to-jet fuel pathways are costly because plant-based feedstocks are chemically diverse. This requires multiple catalytic steps and energy-intensive separations to convert the biomass to jet fuel. This project will address a key bottleneck in using lignin for jet fuel. Lignin is a plant-derived source of aromatic molecules. Lignin comes in a wide range of molecule sizes, but only the smaller molecules can be efficiently converted into key jet-fuel. The project will develop a catalyst strategy that reduces separation demands. The goal is to selectively upgrade smaller molecules without touching larger molecules. The research will help enable more practical and competitive domestic routes to jet-fuel blendstocks. It will also provide useful design rules for catalysts used in biomass upgrading. The project will train postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers. It will also engage K–12 students through hands-on outreach activities that demonstrate selective catalysis using simple physical models. This project will develop porous catalysts that use nanoscale confinement to selectively upgrade smaller lignin-derived molecules while limiting reactions of larger species. Early process analysis, informed by cost drivers, will guide catalyst design toward separation bottlenecks that shape overall process practicality. The researchers will determine how micropore environment and acidity shape the structure and stability of encapsulated metal clusters across porous hosts with different pore window sizes. They will then quantify how confinement and metal–acid proximity govern size selectivity, reaction kinetics, and catalyst stability during catalytic deoxygenation of lignin-derived mixtures spanning smaller and larger species. By linking confinement-driven accessibility with active-site structure and kinetic behavior, the project will advance fundamental understanding of structure–function relationships in heterogeneous catalysis and will establish design principles for selective catalysis that can reduce separation demands in biomass upgrading, with broad relevance to chemical reaction engineering and surface chemistry. 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

Chondrosarcoma (CHS), the second most common bone sarcoma, resists chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy and tends to metastasize, posing clinical challenges. In the CHS tumor microenvironment, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and tumor cells act as localized signaling hubs, engaging in continuous bidirectional communication through spatially organized gradients of cytokines and chemokines. These interactions likely induce MSC phenotypic changes that promote tumor growth and metastasis, though the exact mechanisms remain unclear. Current in vitro models fail to replicate these complex interactions, as conditioned medium transfer disrupts continuous signaling, and conventional 3D hydrogel co-culture systems allow paracrine factors to homogenize, erasing essential spatial gradients. To address this gap, we developed EXPECT (EXtrusion Patterned Embedded ConstruCTs), a temperature-sensitive hydrogel system that enables long-term, spatially organized cell-cell communication in 3D. EXPECT uses extrusion bioprinting to embed cell-laden channels and leverages mild temperature actuation to control cell migration. Preliminary studies show EXPECT supports migration along defined axes for up to 36 days, preserving paracrine gradients and enabling the study of sustained MSC-CHS interactions. We hypothesize that temperature actuation in EXPECT preserves spatial gradients, enhancing bidirectional communication between MSCs and CHS cells. This will promote CHS growth, MSC chemotaxis, and phenotypic shifts in MSCs toward a CHS-like profile. Aim 1 investigates cellular level bidirectional crosstalk between MSCs and CHS spheroids within EXPECT. We will co-culture spheroids under temperature actuation for 30 days, hypothesizing that sustained crosstalk drives MSC migration, CHS metabolism, matrix remodeling, and gene expression changes. Aim 2 explores molecular pathways affected by MSC-CHS communication using single-cell RNA sequencing. We expect temperature actuation to activate migratory pathways like PI3K/PIP3 in MSCs, leading to gene expression changes tied to cytoskeletal remodeling, paracrine signaling, and ECM modification, promoting a CHS-like MSC phenotype. EXPECT fills a critical gap in CHS research by enabling studies of sustained MSC-CHS interactions that mimic in vivo conditions. This platform may reveal previously unrecognized crosstalk and MSC phenotypic changes that promote tumor progression, providing new therapeutic targets and improving drug testing models.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2026 · 2026-05

Abstract The SMP complex, composed of SHOC2, MRAS, and PP1C, plays a crucial role in regulating the RAS-MAPK signaling pathway by facilitating RAF dephosphorylation and activation. Despite its significance in oncogenic and developmental signaling, the molecular mechanisms governing SMP complex assembly and function remain poorly understood. This proposal aims to elucidate the structural and biochemical basis of SMP complex formation, develop novel chemical probes to selectively disrupt its function, and investigate the roles of MRAS and SHOC2 in SMP complex assembly. Using an integrative approach that combines structural biology, chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, computational simulations, biophysical approaches, and cellular assays, we will define the key molecular interactions driving SMP complex activity. Furthermore, our chemical probes will serve as powerful tools to dissect the functional consequences of SMP disruption and lay the foundation for therapeutic strategies targeting aberrant RAS signaling. Collectively, this work will advance our understanding of SMP-mediated signal regulation and uncover potential avenues for therapeutic intervention in RAS-/RAF-driven malignancies and RASopathies.

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Benthic nepheloid layers (BNLs) are persistent layers of enhanced particle concentrations near the seafloor. Intense BNLs of a few hundred meters thick have been observed globally and may significantly influence the cycling and overall budget of sediment-sourced trace elements and isotopes (TEIs). BNLs can act as elemental sources or sinks, potentially enhancing or suppressing elemental fluxes across the sediment-water interface. However, sampling of BNLs has been limited and very few chemical measurements have been made. In conjunction with a previously-funded research expedition in the Labrador Sea, this project will conduct high-resolution sampling of particle composition and isotopes in BNL particles and surface sediments. The overall goal of the project is a deeper understanding of the role of BNLs in regulating deep-ocean chemistry. Beyond the scientific contributions, the project will train graduate and undergraduate students, engage the public in collaboration with a science media specialist, incorporate scientific and outreach content into undergraduate teaching curricula, and foster international collaboration. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to generate process-level understanding of how BNLs change the net flux of TEIs into the overlying water column. To achieve this, the team aims to address three key questions: (1) What is the benthic flux of TEIs from sediments in the Labrador Sea? (2) How do BNLs modify net benthic fluxes of TEIs? (3) What characteristics of the BNL are the most important controls on TEI concentrations? The investigators hypothesize that BNL regions will exhibit a higher benthic flux of TEIs at the sediment-water interface, as determined by radium-thorium disequilibrium, but that the net benthic flux of particle-reactive TEIs will be lower in BNLs with more manganese oxides due to their greater scavenging capacity. This project will evaluate different scavenging intensities by estimating partition coefficients using particle composition data and investigate the particulate Mn mineral phases responsible for scavenging using synchrotron techniques. 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

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need pursuing degrees in chemical engineering at Prairie View A&M University, the University of Houston, and the University of Kentucky. Despite efforts to improve retention and graduation rates in engineering, challenges persist across these three institutional contexts (a Hispanic-serving Institution, a Historically Black College & University, and a Predominantly White Institution in an EPSCOR jurisdiction), as well as in the broader engineering community. Data from these institutions show a relationship between financial stress, mental health issues, and reduced academic performance among engineering students. This planning grant will use student focus groups to enable the identification of services that would provide financial, engineering identity, and wellness support for students enrolled in chemical engineering programs. Interventions will effectively account for the culture of chemical engineering as a course of study and incorporate students as co-creators of knowledge around what it takes to support student success, well-being, and retention. The planning activities will inform a future Track 3 S-STEM proposal that will support scholars across the three collaborating institutions. The overall goal of this project is to understand how to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Over its one-year duration, this Collaborative Planning Grant project will identify interventions to support the financial stability, engineering identity, and wellness of undergraduate students enrolled in chemical engineering programs. Existing interventions to improve student support are often institution-centric, lack supporting evidence, or do not consider the unique aspects of disciplines. They also tend to overlook student insights as an important part of developing new practices and generating knowledge. This project will enable the development of the infrastructure, programmatic supports, and campus-level relationships necessary to facilitate the development of a robust student support network. Action research will be used to identify and develop stakeholder-driven interventions to support student success and sense of belonging. These interventions will be integrated into a future Track 3 S-STEM proposal that will provide financial, engineering identity, and wellness support for students. This project is funded by NSF’s S-STEM program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income, academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income 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 · 2025-10

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving educational interventions and assessments of engineering students' ethical judgments. Ethical lapses in engineering practice can result in loss of life, property damage, infrastructure failures, and environmental harm. By better preparing students to make more ethical decisions, the project seeks to produce significant societal and economic benefits. This Level 2 Engaged Student Learning project integrates a game-based educational intervention that immerses students in realistic, narrative-driven scenarios requiring ethical decision-making and qualitative discussion. Additionally, the project leverages advanced machine learning and large-language model AI tools to assess student responses, creating a scalable and dynamic tool for ethics education and assessment. These innovations are expected to contribute to advances in teaching practices and the broader integration of ethical reasoning into engineering curricula. The project has two primary goals: to investigate the impact of contextualized information on student ethical judgments and to explore the affordances of large-language models (LLMs) and natural language processing (NLP) in assessing student responses. Using a game-based intervention, students engage with engineering-contextualized ethical dilemmas that provide varying contextual cues, hypothesized to promote more nuanced and situated ethical reasoning. The project team intends to code student narratives to identify themes and ethical reasoning complexity, using this data to train LLM/NLP models for categorization of responses. This approach represents a significant step toward scalable, data-driven assessment of ethical judgment. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the project supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-10

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called "forever chemicals," are widespread pollutants that do not break down easily and have been linked to health concerns. These chemicals, commonly found in industrial waste, firefighting foams, and consumer products, have contaminated water sources across the United States, including New Jersey, where high levels have been detected. Exposure to PFAS has been associated with health risks, making reliable detection critical. However, current testing methods, such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), are expensive, time-consuming, and require highly specialized laboratory facilities. This makes it challenging to monitor PFAS contamination in real time, especially in rural or underserved communities that may not have access to advanced lab testing. This project aims to develop a portable, low-cost sensor system that detects PFAS in water on-site and in real time. The sensor integrates a specially designed fluorous electrochromic polyaniline material with an extended gate field-effect transistor, allowing it to provide both electrical and optical dual-mode detection. This approach ensures high accuracy and reliability, even for very low contamination levels. Beyond scientific innovation, this project will have a broader impact on education and community engagement. The findings will be incorporated into the PI’s physics courses to help students connect theory with real-world applications. The project will contribute to outreach efforts, such as the Rowan STEAM program for high school students, encouraging young scholars to explore interdisciplinary research in physics, materials, and environmental science. The local communities in southern Jersey will also benefit from this work through lab open houses, Earth Day events, and public engagement initiatives. This project will help raise awareness about PFAS risks and empower individuals with knowledge about water quality and chemical sensing. This project aims to develop a compact, real-time sensor for detecting PFAS in water, addressing an important technological need. By integrating electrochromic materials with field effect transistors, the sensor offers a reliable, portable, and low-cost alternative to conventional laboratory methods. The research focuses on four key objectives: 1) Developing a selective sensing material- modifying polyaniline with fluorous surfactants to create F-PANI, improving its ability to selectively capture perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAs) based on the fluorous effect, and enhancing detection sensitivity to low ppt levels. 2) Designing a dual-modal extended gate transistor sensor by measuring both electrical conductivity changes and electrochromic color shifts when PFAS interact with F-PANI, allowing for cross-verification to improve accuracy and reduce errors at extremely low concentrations. 3) Miniaturizing and integrating the sensor by developing a portable, user-friendly device that incorporates a microcontroller for real-time data processing, ensuring ease of use even for non-expert users. 4) Field testing in PFAS-contaminated sites across New Jersey- deploying the sensor in industrial areas, military sites, and agricultural runoff zones, and comparing its performance with LC-MS benchmark tests to validate accuracy and reliability. This study will advance the fundamental knowledge of PFAS detection by investigating how fluorous-functionalized materials interact with fluorinated pollutants at the molecular level. By combining electrochemical and optical sensing, the technology bridges the gap between precise laboratory methods and practical field applications. 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

At the end of the Devonian period the Earth experienced a uniquely cool climate, the first record of limbed vertebrates, and one of Earth’s “Big Five” mass extinctions. For this study, researchers are collecting and analyzing data from rock and fossil samples from surface exposures and from the subsurface (rock cores) to test the link between environmental extremes and vertebrate habitats during the late Devonian ~360 million years ago. This work will advance understanding of connections between biological, chemical, and physical processes in Earth’s past. This collaborative and multidisciplinary project will support the education and development of eight students and two early career faculty. It will involve rural community public outreach to share knowledge of Devonian geology, which underlies much of the rural landscape of central Pennsylvania, including educational field events and the development of an interactive display at a highly trafficked rural zoo. Engaging with the public through this research will promote awareness of Earth science career paths, and the significance of such knowledge in understanding our planet’s past and future. Evidence of late Famennian (~361-359 Ma) glaciation along the eastern margin of North America is spatially limited and controversial yet calls for abrupt and anomalous cold climates globally that are unrecognized in existing models for the earliest stages of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA). This project examines the Upper Devonian rock record in Pennsylvania and Ohio (Appalachian Basin) along a continental-to-marine transect, acquiring abundant new geochemical, sedimentological, and paleontological data to 1—establish an age framework for broad correlation, 2—scrutinize the (long-debated) glaciogenic nature of these deposits, and 3—elucidate dramatic paleoenvironmental changes in vertebrate habitats that hosted the fins-to-limbs transition. This is an archetypal region to assess the impact of environmental change on aquatic ecosystems, but modern quantitative analytical data are lacking to date. 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

With the support of the Chemical Catalysis program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Ping Lu of Rowan University and Professor Cheng Zhang of Long Island University are studying innovative approaches to create long-lasting and highly efficient catalysts for critical industrial chemical processes. Catalysts are essential materials that accelerate chemical reactions, enabling the production of fuels, chemicals, and other vital products. However, under the harsh conditions of industrial environments, catalysts often degrade, losing their effectiveness and requiring frequent replacement, which increases costs and environmental impact. This project will focus on developing advanced catalysts that are designed to withstand these challenging conditions while maintaining superior performance. By improving catalyst durability and efficiency, particularly for processes that convert carbon dioxide into valuable products like fuels and chemicals, this research will pave the way for cleaner energy production and more sustainable industrial practices. Additionally, the project will engage students in hands-on research, providing them with valuable training in state-of-the-art scientific techniques. Through a collaborative summer research program, students will gain practical experience, develop professional skills, and prepare for careers in science and technology. This initiative will foster partnerships between Rowan University and Long Island University, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and expanding opportunities for the next generation of scientists and engineers to contribute to impactful scientific discoveries. With the support of the Chemical Catalysis program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Ping Lu of Rowan University and Professor Cheng Zhang of Long Island University are studying the design, fabrication, synthesis, and characterization of nanofiber-encapsulated bimetallic catalysts to overcome the persistent challenge of catalyst deactivation in gas-phase reactions. The project will address catalyst deactivation by developing catalysts with enhanced stability and activity through two innovative strategies: first, encapsulating active metal sites within porous nanofiber matrices to create physical and chemical barriers that prevent sintering, a process where metal particles aggregate and lose effectiveness; and second, introducing spatially defined gradients in metal composition and loading to suppress coke formation, a carbon buildup that clogs catalytic sites. The research will leverage cutting-edge techniques, such as programmable triaxial electrospinning, to precisely control catalyst structure, alongside a comprehensive suite of characterization methods, including electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and spectroscopy, to probe atomic interactions and electronic structures. These efforts will provide molecular-level insights into deactivation pathways and catalyst behavior under reaction conditions. The project will yield more robust and efficient catalysts for carbon dioxide conversion processes, such as hydrogenation and dry reforming of methane, which are critical for sustainable chemical production. By advancing the fundamental understanding of catalyst stabilization, the research will contribute to the development of greener catalytic technologies, with potential applications in the energy and environmental sectors. The outcomes will also strengthen the scientific community’s knowledge base, influencing future catalyst designs and fostering interdisciplinary advancements in catalysis science. 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

Training the nation’s engineers to understand the economic, environmental, and social context and long-term potential impacts of their work is key to fostering competitive technological innovation. Engineers increasingly face challenges that demand not only technical expertise, but also a deep understanding of how their decisions shape economic, environmental, and social outcomes, an awareness that is essential for advancing responsible innovation, earning public trust, and sustaining national leadership in a rapidly evolving global economy. Yet, despite their importance, these topics remain underrepresented in undergraduate engineering education. When addressed, they are often introduced through upper-level or graduate electives, limiting their reach to a relatively small number of students and restricting their depth of content to mostly introductory levels. Efforts to integrate these themes more broadly into required curricula have proven difficult, and past institutional initiatives have achieved only limited success. One reason for this persistent challenge is that academic change, particularly around curriculum and instruction, is a complex and dynamic process. Faculty, who play a central role in enacting change, operate within institutional systems shaped by competing demands, incentive structures, and cultural norms. Without a clear understanding of what motivates faculty to act, efforts to promote meaningful and lasting curricular innovation are unlikely to succeed. This project will investigate the conditions that reinforce or hinder faculty motivation to incorporate economic, environmental, and social considerations into undergraduate engineering courses, suggesting practical, evidence-informed strategies to support instructional change. These insights will help institutions better prepare engineering graduates to navigate the societal implications of technology and contribute to a resilient, future-ready engineering workforce, thereby advancing NSF’s goals of strengthening the STEM workforce, fostering innovation, and promoting scalable institutional transformation. The project will examine faculty motivation through a systems thinking approach, using New York University (NYU), a large, private research university, as a single-institution case study. NYU offers a rich context in which both top-down (administrative) and bottom-up (faculty-led) efforts to promote curricular change have been pursued. The study will focus on the adoption of the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) framework and pursue two primary goals: (1) to identify factors in the academic system that influence faculty motivation to adopt the EOP framework in their teaching; and (2) to understand how the dynamics among these factors affect faculty motivation to integrate this framework into their curricula. To accomplish these goals, the research team will use qualitative system dynamics modeling. Data will be collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with engineering faculty, designed to elicit their experiences, motivations, and insights related to adopting the EOP framework in their classes. These data will inform causal loop diagrams (CLDs) that illustrate relationships among institutional factors, such as departmental culture, leadership priorities, tenure and promotion practices, and faculty development resources, and how these factors ultimately reinforce or hinder faculty motivation. Integrating the CLDs will produce a qualitative system dynamics model representing a case-based theory of faculty motivation. This theory will serve as the foundation for actionable recommendations to institutional leaders, educators, and policymakers, identifying potential leverage points that support or inhibit instructional change. The project will contribute to the broader effort to modernize engineering education and ensure its relevance in addressing complex societal challenges. 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

Recent advances in genomic sequencing technologies have made it possible to examine the behavior of individual cells at unprecedented scale and resolution. These technologies generate massive amounts of complex biological data, especially from emerging single-cell studies that are revolutionizing our understanding of tissue function, disease mechanisms and therapeutic responses. However, current computer-based methods often fall short in analyzing these large datasets accurately and efficiently, limiting the pace of scientific discovery. This project introduces a new approach using quantum computing, a cutting-edge technology that uses the principles of quantum mechanics to solve certain types of problems more efficiently than classical computers. By applying quantum computing to single-cell omics data, this research aims to build faster and more powerful tools for advancing data analysis and studying how cells behave, interact and respond to treatments. The project also includes public sharing of software tools and educational resources to help train the next generation of scientists at the intersection of biology, computer science and quantum technology. This project will develop a suite of novel quantum algorithms specifically designed for analyzing single-cell omics data. These algorithms will address complex computational tasks such as optimal cell clustering, comparative analysis across biological conditions, and modeling of cellular dynamics responses to drug combinations. The work will formulate these problems as quadratic unconstrained binary optimization models and solve them using quantum annealing approaches on D-Wave machines. In addition, gate-based quantum algorithms will be implemented and tested on IonQ platforms, alongside hybrid classical-quantum approaches. The algorithms will be applied to real single-cell transcriptomic datasets from the mouse brain and targeted studies of drug response in multiple myeloma and ovarian cancer, demonstrating the advantages of quantum-enabled analysis. A central deliverable will be the creation of QOTBox, a scalable quantum computing platform tailored for single-cell data analysis. All algorithms and code will be openly shared, with educational materials including online tutorials and interactive notebooks to support adoption across 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.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-09

PROJECT SUMMARY Although as humans we appear symmetrical on the outside, our internal organs are asymmetrically positioned along the left and right sides of our body. Left-right (L-R) patterning is a fundamental biological process that helps to ensure the correct positioning of our organs, and its perturbation is typically associated with congenital heart malformations and high mortality. In a typical deuterostome, including humans, proper L-R patterning involves motile cilia in the L-R organizing (LRO) region, which trigger a Ca2+ wave on the left side of the embryo. This results in asymmetric gene expression and ultimately asymmetric organogenesis. However, more than 65% of all tetrapods, including reptiles and even-toed ungulates, do not use motile cilia for L-R patterning. Instead, tilting of the LRO and asymmetric cellular movements somehow lead to molecular asymmetry. However, the mecha- nisms underpinning L-R asymmetry in these organisms are poorly understood. It is unclear how asymmetric cell movements originate, whether they trigger the asymmetrical Ca2+ wave, or if cilia are involved in any aspect of L-R patterning. Currently, the chicken embryo is used to represent the diversity of all 25,000 species of reptiles, and new models are required for a deeper evolutionary understanding of fundamental developmental events. Veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) are perfect for the study of early development and evolution in non- avian reptiles, since they lay large clutches of eggs at pre-gastrulation stages. Their LRO lacks motile cilia, and instead molecular asymmetry is established through large-scale morphological changes. Veiled chameleons have a sequenced and annotated genome, and are amenable to cell and embryo culture, as well as live imaging. The objective of this application therefore is to define the mechanisms governing L-R patterning in chameleons and thus expand our understanding of amniote development and evolution. The central hypothesis is that cellular flow and large-scale morphological changes trigger an evolutionarily conserved asymmetric Ca2+ wave, leading to molecular L-R asymmetry, which has undergone evolutionary change across amniotes. This hypothesis will be addressed in the following aims: (Aim 1) Determine the mechanics of establishing L-R patterning in veiled chameleon. (Aim 2) Evaluate genetic changes and conservation of the L-R patterning pathway across amniotes. The patterns of cell migration and the dynamics of Ca2+ signaling will be evaluated through live imaging, providing training in advanced microscopy. CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing will be adapted for use in chameleons and will include training in surgery and virus production. This study will result in the first scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq libraries for asymmetric gene expression between the left and right sides of chicken, chameleon, and mouse embryos, and will involve computational biology training. Successful completion of this project will be significant in the fields of L-R patterning and evo-devo, providing the first detailed study of the early steps of L-R patterning in a non-avian, non-mammalian amniote, which may revolutionize our current thinking about roles for cilia and Ca2+ signaling in L-R patterning. It will also lay the foundation for a successful independent career.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-08

Project Summary/Abstract The age-related loss of muscle mass and function (e.g., strength and physical performance) is known as sarcopenia. It is a muscle disorder that leads to increased physical fatigue, falls, and fractures and is highly associated with hospitalization and mortality. Despite its remarkable clinical relevance, no pharmacological agents are approved for this condition, and exercise training remains the only recommended therapy. Nevertheless, some pharmacological agents alleviate sarcopenia in mice and humans when prescribed as a single-mode therapy, but combining them with exercise has produced frustrating outcomes. Given the pressing need to identify a viable drug that enhances exercise benefits, we postulated that enhancing autophagy by administering Tat-Beclin1 would boost exercise adaptation in old mice. Our focus on autophagy is due to its requirement to preserve muscle health. Our preliminary data shows that combining Tat-Beclin1 and exercise increases autophagy status, grip strength, and endurance capacity. To determine the molecular mechanisms by which adding Tat-Beclin1 to an exercise regimen elicits functional benefits in aged muscles, we performed a proteomic analysis in the gastrocnemius (GAST) muscles. Our data revealed orosomucoid1 as one of the top proteins upregulated in the GAST muscles of old mice subjected to integrative therapy. Orosomucoid1 is an acute-phase protein shown to attenuate physical fatigue and increase endurance capacity and glycogen content in the muscles of young mice. The central hypothesis is that orosomucoid1 attenuates sarcopenia and is necessary for the improvements induced by combining Tat-Beclin1 and exercise. The hypothesis will be tested with two specific aims. Aim 1 asks whether orosomucoid1 is necessary for the improvements induced by Tat-Beclin1 and endurance exercise. We will electroporate a miRNA encoding orosomucoid1 in the hindlimb muscles of male (26 months old) and female (28 months old) mice and subject animals to exercise, Tat- Beclin1, or a combination of the two therapies for two months. A miRNA control encoding a nontargeting pre- miR hairpin sequence in the contralateral leg to serve as an experimental control. In vivo muscle function and comprehensive ex vivo assay will be performed. Aim 2 asks whether increasing orosomucoid1 levels can prevent, halt, or revert sarcopenia. We will administer exogenous purified orosomucoid1 (IP) for 30 days in 18-, 26-, and 30-month-old male and 18-, 28-, and 32-month-old female mice. Functional, biochemical, morphological, and molecular (i.e., proteomics) will be assessed. The proposal is significant because it addresses a relevant and poorly understood area of muscle biology, and it could put into development a new therapeutic approach to tackle sarcopenia.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-08

Project Summary/ Abstract The objective of the proposed project work has two folds. First, it addresses significant challenges of intraperitoneal adhesions (IAs) following abdominal surgeries, with a focus on prevention of both early and late-stage IA formation and its extension as well as barrier displacement. Current anti-IA barriers face limitations in active interaction with tissues, leading to barrier displacement and infection. This study proposes a novel biodegradable sandwiched structure consisting of a core-shell electrospun nanofiber center and microneedle outer layers. The outer layers are made of chitosan and incorporated with Diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker, to enhance blood clotting and prevent mesothelial cell membrane bridge formation, respectively. Chitosan also has anti-infection effect. The core-shell center features a tannic acid (TA) core, a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging agent, and a polylactic acid/polyethylene glycol shell to gradually release TA to counteract ROS in IA and its extension formation. Second, this application will develop an in- depth understanding of the mechanisms underlying early- and late-stage IA formation and its extension by hypothesizing that ROS play a pivotal role in both IA and its extension formation. The project aims to achieve two key objectives: Aim 1 involves designing and creating the sandwich-structured mechanical barrier and investigating its effectiveness in preventing IA formation and extension through in vitro and in vivo tests. Aim 2 focuses on gaining an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms involved in both early and late-stage IA formation and its extension. The study hypothesizes that ROS plays a key role in IA and extension formation, and TA is effective in scavenging ROS. The research integrates multidisciplinary expertise, combining material design, fabrication techniques, and detailed mechanism studies, providing a holistic and transformative approach to anti-IA treatment. The significance of the research lies in addressing a critical clinical challenge, with IA contributing to female infertility, chronic postoperative pain, and intestinal obstructions. In line with the goals of the NIH AREA research grant program, students performing the research funded by this proposal at Rowan University will not only gain knowledge in materials design, fabrication techniques, rigorous physiochemical and biological characterization methods, but also be trained in teamwork, creative thinking, project management, peer mentoring, report writing and presentation skills. These knowledge and skills will be crucial for them to continue to pursue higher degrees and/or enter leadership roles in the future. The completion of this research project at Rowan will result in a paradigm shifting improvement of the efficacy of anti-IA treatments. Additionally, this initiative will offer students unparalleled opportunities to participate in cutting-edge scientific practices, nurturing the growth of highly-trained contributors to the scientific community.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-08

Some pharmacological agents alleviate aging-induced loss of muscle mass and function (i.e., sarcopenia) when prescribed as a single-mode therapy, but combining them with exercise has produced frustrating outcomes. Thus, identifying a pharmacological agent that enhances exercise benefits is an unmet need in this field. Our long-term goal is to uncover crucial mechanisms of sarcopenia to identify effective therapeutic strategies to prevent, stop, or reverse the progression of this muscle degenerative condition. It is postulated that because there is an accumulation of autophagic substrates, including protein aggregates and dysfunctional mitochondria in aging muscles, autophagic activity is decreased. The mechanism by which autophagy is suppressed in aging muscles remains poorly understood. The Golgi-associated plant pathogenesis-related protein 1 (GAPR-1) is a potent negative regulator of autophagy. GAPR-1 suppresses autophagy by physically interacting with Beclin1, a protein inducing autophagy. Since fine autophagy regulation is required for maintaining muscle mass and function, the central hypothesis is that combining Tat-Beclin1, a specific autophagy agonist disrupting Beclin1/GAPR-1 interaction, may enhance endurance exercise benefits in aging muscles. The hypothesis will be tested with two specific aims. 1) Define the role of GAPR-1 in sarcopenia; and 2) Determine the efficacy of combining Tat-Beclin1 with endurance exercise in halting sarcopenia progression in aging mice. In aim 1, in vivo muscle gene transfer by electroporation to overexpress or knockdown GAPR-1 into tibialis anterior will be applied to determine whether GAPR-1 regulates sarcopenia in 24- month-old mice of both sexes. In vivo muscle contractility assays, comprehensive biochemical and morphology phenotype will be examined. Under aim 2, a combination of Tat-Beclin1 with endurance exercise will be applied in 22-month-old mice of both sexes for four months. Functional, biochemical, morphological, and molecular (i.e., proteomics) will be assessed. This proposal is innovative because it centers on uncovering a new molecular mechanism contributing to sarcopenia and testing Tat-Beclin1 as a pharmacological agent enhancing exercise benefits in aging muscles by optimizing autophagy. The proposal is significant because it addresses a relevant and poorly understood area of muscle biology, and it could put into development a new therapeutic approach to tackle sarcopenia.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-08

As a widely recognized, reliable, and sustainable energy source, offshore wind (OSW) has been rapidly deployed around the world. However, the OSW development in the U.S. is still in its infancy. The current electric energy infrastructure in the U.S., as well as the enabling technologies, are not well prepared for an efficient transmission and integration of large-scale OSW, which is preventing the U.S. from playing a critical role in leading this global technology transformation. To this end, Rowan University, in collaboration with New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), will conduct planning activities towards establishing a Center for Grid Enhancing Technologies for Offshore Wind Transmission and Integration (GOWIND). GOWIND aims to establish a strategic research and education hub focused on driving technological innovation, creating partnerships, and advancing workforce training to enable the sustainable development of the nation’s OSW industry. With strong support from industry partners of different sectors and government agencies, this collaborative effort will address critical challenges in OSW transmission and integration, its grid enhancement technologies, and the shortage of domestic workforce, seeking intelligent, cost-effective, and industry needed solutions to enable a smooth transition towards an offshore economy and secure energy future. The mission of GOWIND is to drive innovative and scalable technology development, seek synergism in research, execute domestic workforce training, accelerate standards development, boost regional engagement, promote knowledge sharing, and ultimately support the creation of a resilient and sustainable energy future. GOWIND will address a wide spectrum of key unmet industry needs focused on OSW transmission and integration. The Center’s research thrusts encompass high-voltage direct current transmission and converter technologies, grid congestion management and interoperability, energy storage and Power-to-X, grid-forming inverters, coordinated control and operation, condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, and cyberphysical resilience. These areas represent significant economic and technical challenges in OSW integration into the aging infrastructure. The Rowan site offers multidisciplinary expertise in energy systems, structural analysis and health monitoring, communication, AI and machine learning, and cyberphysical security. With the state-of-the-art facilities and strong support from the Intelligent Power and Energy System Research Lab, Wireless Learning and Cognition Lab, Mechanics of Advanced Materials Lab, Vibro-Acoustic Lab, and Machine & Artificial Intelligence Virtual Reality Center, Rowan will play a unique role in conducting the proposed cutting-edge research, in collaboration with NJIT and industry partners. 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

Hypoxia and inflammation are hallmark characteristics that drive progression of a myriad of diseases including cancer, chronic diseases, diseases of pregnancy, and more. However, there is a lack of tools available to study the biological mechanisms underlying how these environmental conditions drive disease onset and progression. The goal of this project is to develop lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) as tools to study how oxygen levels and inflammation influence pregnancy health. These advances will uncover potential therapeutic strategies to treat diseases of pregnancy and other diseases characterized by low oxygen or excessive inflammation. This research is integrated with educational activities focused on providing early research exposure to increase scientific participation. Specifically, it will provide pathways for undergraduate students at a local community college to work on translational research, integrate the research objectives into undergraduate and graduate coursework, provide summer research opportunities for students, and prepare modules for K-12 outreach. This project aims to develop and use LNPs as tools to study the role of oxygen- or immune-related pathways during healthy and pathologic pregnancy. LNPs have been predominately used for therapeutic nucleic acid delivery to treat and vaccinate against diseases. This work aims to shift the paradigm of using LNPs as therapeutics to also being used as tools to study biological processes underlying healthy and pathologic tissues. Both oxygen levels and immune activity are intricately controlled throughout pregnancy to support healthy placenta development and function, and their dysregulation can lead to pregnancy-related pathologies throughout gestation. However, there is a severe lack of living models, and therefore a lack of treatment options, available to study the pathophysiology of these conditions. To fill this gap, this project will design LNPs that preferentially accumulate in the diseased placenta and use these LNPs to investigate key biological questions relating inflammation and hypoxia to placenta health. This work integrates both non-living and living components to form a fundamental understanding of the molecular drivers of pathophysiology of pregnancy. The successful completion of this work will uncover potential therapeutic avenues to treat diseases of pregnancy, which currently have very limited treatment options. Further, it establishes LNPs as tools for studying pathophysiology across numerous diseases driven by hypoxia or inflammation, revolutionizing the way diseases are studied and leading to the development of new therapeutic approaches. 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 · 2025-06

This I-Corps project focuses on the development of a point-of-care diagnostic test for a common digestive system disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. IBS is associated with psychological disorders such as anxiety and stress and affects 25-45 million people in the U.S. and 10-15% people worldwide. IBS significantly affects the quality of life of patients, resulting in days off work or missed school, and costs healthcare systems more than $30 billion/year. Doctors cannot diagnose IBS based on symptoms alone, as people who do not have this disease may also show similar symptoms, such as diarrhea and constipation, due to other causes. Currently IBS is diagnosed by the process of elimination, where patients often go through several tests to rule out other issues, and even then, there is a chance of misdiagnosis. This project aims to address this issue by offering a point-of-care diagnostic test using patient biomarkers for early diagnosis of this disease. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. This solution is based on the development of a point-of-care diagnostic test that can be used by gastroenterologists and physicians in clinical settings to diagnose irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This solution is based on the detection of specific metabolites that are present only in the human patient samples with IBS using a paper-based assay. The test works by using special proteins that recognize and bind to certain target molecules (metabolites) in a sample. When this binding happens, the target molecules push out indicator compounds that were originally attached to the proteins. This change creates a color signal, which reveals which metabolites are present and in what amount. The resulting indicators are chromatographically separated using a paper device, allowing the results to be seen and interpreted visually. The test is expected to lead to definitive and rapid diagnosis of IBS, allowing timely and targeted approaches to managing the disease and improving patient care and well-being. 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

This I-Corps project focuses on the development of a novel, cell-free, therapeutic approach to promote skin regeneration and wound healing. As individuals age, skin loses its ability to heal effectively due to reduced elasticity, thinning, and diminished cellular activity. Current regenerative therapies often rely on live stem cell treatments, which pose significant regulatory and logistical challenges. This project explores the potential of using biomolecules secreted by stem cells—called the secretome—to stimulate tissue repair without the need for live cell transplantation. These biomolecules help direct the body's natural repair mechanisms, improve collagen production, and enhance healing while avoiding complications associated with traditional stem cell therapies. By developing an innovative approach to secretome production, this project seeks to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of regenerative treatments, contributing to advances in healthcare and improved quality of life. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. This solution is based on the development of a temperature-responsive, three-dimensional culture system designed to enhance the production of regenerative biomolecules from stem cells. Unlike conventional methods, which require extended cell expansion and often reduce the therapeutic potency of the secretome, this system uses mild temperature fluctuations to optimize cell communication and maintain key regenerative signals. By improving the efficiency of secretome production, this technology aims to provide a more potent and scalable solution for skin repair and wound healing applications. 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

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by conducting research that will inform practices to strengthen the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students. Low-income students struggle to navigate engineering programs, leading to increased underrepresentation of the population. This struggle is, in part, because of the difficulties or strains low-income students encounter in their daily lives and the ways those strains influence their feelings of belonging. Past research finds it increasingly important to understand what role low-income engineering students’ traditional (e.g., assigned at birth; parents, siblings, etc.) and chosen families (e.g., the family they choose; peers, teachers, etc.) play in easing the strains on low-income students. Ultimately, low-income students' familial support may influence their ability to succeed in engineering. Similar research has found that the strains impacting low-income students, and other strains, may impact the students’ families too, making families’ ability to support their low-income students more strenuous. This project explores what strains families of low-income students experience and what impact those strains ultimately have on students' feelings of belonging. Understanding this impact on student belonging can help researchers and practitioners better support low-income students and their families, likely leading to greater enrollment and persistence in engineering programs. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of talented, low-income undergraduates in engineering degree programs by investigating the research question: In what ways do the bequeathed strains of socioeconomically disadvantaged students' families impact socioeconomically disadvantaged students' engineering belonging? This exploratory project will collect and retell the stories of twelve low-income students' experiences in engineering, as well as up to ten of each of their family members. These students will be recruited from pre-existing S-STEM programs. Story collection and retelling will focus on low-income students' experiences in engineering, with particular emphasis on identifying who supported their belonging trajectories and how. Family members will provide supplemental narratives that describe what it is like to support a low-income student including what joys and strains come with that support. A case study narrative approach encapsulates both the stories of students and their families, allowing for both a student- and population-level analysis of participants' stories. Resulting narratives and cases will be used to identify what strains families of low-income students experience and, ultimately, how such strains influence the belonging of the students they support. This work supports broader discussions regarding the inclusion of low-income students in engineering. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income 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 · 2025-01

The objective of this project is to support investigation into how sea-level rise and coastal flooding impact the ability of local communities to plan for and adapt to extreme coastal events, such as flooding. Many local governments in coastal regions are grappling with financial challenges on budgets and infrastructure investment. This project addresses the gap between fiscal stress caused by extreme coastal flooding events and financial need for adaptation. The findings aim to inform local and regional policymakers and planners responsible for economic planning and land use decisions. Municipalities struggle with limited resources and are unable to effectively manage financial risk and consequence of extreme costal events, such as flooding. This project improves the understanding of how property devaluation due to flooding affects municipal tax revenues, which in turn constrains governments' capacity to invest in adaptation measures. Built upon advanced flood risk models and projections of inundation and accessibility disruption, this project reveals the spatial and temporal patterns of flooding impact on tax base and infrastructure. Furthermore, it explores how these financial challenges influence local adaptation efforts through in-depth engagement with local planners and officials. The findings are expected to offer new insights into how municipalities can adapt their land use and planning policies to cope with rising risks and co-produce integrated solutions to enhance flooding resilience and fiscal stability. 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 · 2024-12

Abstract - Development of novel, daptomycin-inspired antimicrobial peptides using non-canonical amino acids The demand for novel antimicrobial compounds is a pressing challenge for society. However, due to bacterial resistance development and industrial challenges, the development of new antibacterial compounds has lagged far behind the current clinical needs. The proposed work aims to address this problem by developing novel, antimicrobial peptides based on an already clinically approved molecule, daptomycin, by improving the fundamental understanding of the sequence-structure-activity relationship and implementing this knowledge in novel molecules. Specifically, the goal is to develop peptide molecules which recapitulate the key components of daptomycin activity, i.e. calcium binding and lipid membrane disruption, while improving both the resistance to host degradation and synthetic processes required to create the molecules. This will be facilitated by incorporation of non-canonical amino acids into the novel sequences. Specifically, we will characterize the efficacy of novel peptides which mimic daptomycin’s calcium binding properties. The design of the peptides will start with a well characterized antimicrobial peptide and graft natural and de novo designed calcium binding sequences on to the backbone peptide. These experiments will entail the evaluation of antimicrobial activity using both laboratory and clinical isolate strains of bacteria. Using this information, we will investigate the response of different, clinically relevant bacteria to the peptides with the goal of optimizing efficacy. This will involve investigating bacterial transcriptional responses to the molecules and changes in membrane permeability. We will simultaneously characterize the biophysical properties of calcium binding and lipid interactions of the newly synthesized peptides. In parallel, we will also develop novel sequences that mimic the lipophilic tail of daptomycin, a key contributor to the membrane permeabilizing mechanism of action. These molecules will be characterized using similar approaches, with additional emphasis on evaluating the effects of these lipophilic modifications on peptide structure and aggregation in solution. We will screen a series of aromatic substitutions using non-canonical amino acids to improve protease resistance of the molecules. Finally, we will take the best performing sequences for calcium binding and membrane disruption and create and optimize hybrid peptides which can leverage the benefits realized in earlier stages. These sequences will be aggressively evaluated for efficacy against clinical isolates, potential for resistance development, and cytotoxicity in standard and co-culture models.

NSF Awards · FY 2024 · 2024-10

This project aims to develop fundamental design principles for molecular qubit quantum sensors. The project team will exploit key quantum features of molecules to enhance the sensitivity and response of both optical and electrical sensors. These fundamental advances in sensor design have potential applications from materials to biology. By leveraging Rowan University's strong connection to the South Jersey area and the extensive quantum science network of the University of Chicago, the team will expand the impact of both universities by bringing quantum training and opportunities to the local community in South Jersey. Efforts include a graduate student exchange program and a community college outreach program. As quantum information for science and engineering is a vital and growing field in the modern research environment, this project will contribute to developing new fundamental principles for the design of more effective quantum sensors and equipping students through research and outreach with highly desirable skills for future careers in both industry and academia. The second quantum revolution is underway bringing with it the promise of a new generation of novel electric and magnetic field sensors of unparalleled sensitivity. Designing a quantum sensor that processes single-charge detection sensitivity, however, requires a thorough understanding of the dynamics of coherent electronic states in strongly correlated molecules. The project team will be developing fundamental design principles to enhance the sensitivity and response of both optical and electrical sensors by exploiting key quantum features including entanglement and strong electron correlation. Research thrusts include (1) leveraging strongly correlated electrons in ground and excited states to amplify and enhance the optical sensitivity and response of molecular qubit sensors and (2) exploiting strong correlation in non-equilibrium steady states to optimize the electrical response of the sensors. Rowan University and its network of community colleges are providing a conduit for reaching a student population that has not yet been exposed to the opportunities provided by quantum information science. Broader impact efforts include (1) a graduate student exchange program and (2) QISE outreach at local community colleges in South Jersey. The graduate student exchange program will send Rowan Ph.D. students to the University of Chicago for training and research and attract Ph.D. students from the University of Chicago to assist in developing its quantum science program. The outreach efforts at local community colleges will introduce local students to the field and engage the next generation of undergraduate quantum researchers. In combination, these efforts will create new opportunities for training the future quantum workforce. This award is co-funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning 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 · 2024-10

Particularly in STEM fields, doctoral programs primarily focus on research training. However, in order to thrive in academic careers scholars are also called upon to play important roles involving teaching, mentoring, and service. This project aims to develop STEM education scholars who have skills, tools, and supports to thrive while contributing to our nation's capacity to conduct STEM education research. This postdoctoral cohort project is designed to support long-term career growth by enabling Fellows to further develop their research and communication skills as well as ways to maintain their mental and social health. The fellowship program will include programming co-developed with research faculty, teaching faculty, and graduate students. In the second year, the program will be further shaped in partnership with the Fellows themselves. The project draws upon social learning theory to design an intentional, scaffolded program that will bring scholars deeper into a professional practice community and develop their thriving skills. Fellows supported through this award will engage in a Community of Practice along with current faculty and graduate students. Fellows will also engage in research, proposal writing, and teaching praxis with increasing autonomy as they progress in the two-year program. Through the Community of Practice, scholars will complete tailored activities to address five hidden competencies of thriving: research fundamentals, disciplinary communication, career growth, and managing mental and social health. Additionally, Fellows will participate in the National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development’s Core Program that ties all five hidden competencies together and been shown to enhance researchers’ writing productivity and well-being. The project’s evaluation plan is designed to assess the elements of our program to increase our ability to share its impacts with others who are training STEM education researchers. This project is funded by the STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (STEM Ed PRF) program that aims to enhance the research knowledge, skills, and practices of recent doctorates in STEM, STEM education, education, and related disciplines to advance their preparation to engage in fundamental and applied research that advances knowledge within the field. 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.