Western Michigan University

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDING

GRAND RAPIDS SOUTHEAST PROMISE NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT (GRSEPNP)

HIGH-IMPACT LEADERSIHIP FOR SCHOOL RENEWAL

HIGH IMPACT LEADERSHIP (HIL2.0) FOR SCHOOL RENEWAL

ENABLING ADVANCED ELECTRODE ARCHITECTURE THROUGH PRINTING TECHNIQUE

EVALUATE: EVALUATION LEARNING AND RESOURCE HUB FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION

EVALUATE: THE EVALUATION HUB FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION -RECOGNIZING THE VALUE OF SYSTEMATIC AND EFFECTIVE EVALUATION AND CURRENT AND EMERGING ISSUES IN THE EDUCATION OF THE SKILLED TECHNICAL WORKFORCE, THE EVALUATION HUB FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION: EVALUATE SUPPORTS A COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT TO PROVIDE EVALUATION SUPPORT SERVICES AND MATERIALS/RESOURCES FOR THE NSF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION (ATE) PROGRAM AND ITS COMMUNITY OF PIS, EVALUATORS, PROJECT STAFF, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. THE EVALUATE HUB SEEKS TO ADVANCE AND SUSTAIN A COMMUNITY IN WHICH EVALUATION IS DRIVEN BY PRINCIPLES; IS VALUED, SYSTEMATIC, AND EFFECTIVE; AND IS USED TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION OF TECHNICIANS IN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL FIELDS. IN CONJUNCTION WITH PROGRAMMATIC EVALUATION ACTIVITIES, EVALUATE WILL ALSO CONDUCT A SERIES OF STUDIES TO ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT EVALUATION AND EVALUATION PRACTICE, WHICH FOCUS ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN EDUCATION AND EVALUATIVE ACTIVITIES; AND THE USE OF EVALUATION FOR IMPROVEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. THE PROJECT AIMS TO ADDRESS DOCUMENTED NEEDS OF THE ATE COMMUNITY FOR CURRENT AND EMERGING EVALUATION OF THE ATE PROGRAM AND TECHNICIAN EDUCATION, MORE BROADLY. IN ADDITION, IT SEEKS TO BUILD ON, ENHANCE, AND ADVANCE THE ACTIVITIES AND IMPACT OF EVALUATE THROUGH ITS PROGRAMMING, RESOURCES/SERVICES, AND RESEARCH. FOUR GOALS GUIDE THE EXECUTION OF THIS EFFORT. FIRST, IS TO ENHANCE THE NUMBER, DIVERSITY, PROFICIENCY, AND VISIBILITY OF POTENTIAL ATE EVALUATORS THROUGH INCREASING THE POOL AND DIVERSITY OF QUALIFIED EVALUATORS FOR ATE. SECOND, IS TO INCREASE AWARENESS AND USE OF EVALUATION BY ATE PROJECT AND CENTERS. THIRD, IS TO ENHANCE THE EMPIRICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE ATE PROGRAM?S ACTIVITIES, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND OTHER ATE-RELATED ACTIVITIES. FOURTH, AND FINALLY, IS TO ADVANCE INNOVATION IN EVALUATION METHODS AND DEVELOP AN EMPIRICAL KNOWLEDGE BASE ABOUT ATE EVALUATION. EVALUATE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: 1) ADMINISTRATION OF THE ATE ANNUAL PI SURVEY; 2) INVESTIGATION OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION EFFORTS ACROSS THE ATE COMMUNITY; 3) CREATION OF AN ATE OUTCOMES BANK AND SUPPORTIVE RESOURCES; 4) ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ATE EVALUATION AMBASSADORS/CHAMPIONS PROGRAM; 5) ESTABLISHMENT OF A BADGING OR CREDENTIALING PROCESS ASSOCIATED WITH QUALIFICATIONS FOR ATE EVALUATORS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE EVALUATORS; AND 6) CREATION AND DISSEMINATION OF EVALUATION RESOURCES, MATERIALS, AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE PIS AND THEIR ACTIVITIES. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT FOCUSES ON THE EDUCATION OF TECHNICIANS FOR THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY FIELDS THAT DRIVE THE NATION'S ECONOMY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

NEW; SISGR - ADVANCED INSTRUMENTATION FOR ULTRAFAST SCIENCE AT THE LCLS; PI: NORA BERRAH

GAINING EARLY AWARENESS AND READINESS FOR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS (GEAR-UP) - GEAR-UP

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERSHIP TO ADVANCE CARBON CAPTURE, UTILIZATION, AND STORAGE IN MICHIGAN: A ROADMAP TO CCUS THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO CREATE A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERSHIP THAT WILL ACCELERATE THE GROWTH OF A CARBON UTILIZATION AND STORAGE INDUSTRY IN MICHIGAN. THE OBJECTIVE IS A CARBON MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CONSTRUCTED AND OPERATED SAFELY AND RESPONSIBLY. THE EXPECTED DELIVERABLE IS AN INTEGRATED ROADMAP TO ADVANCE CARBON CAPTURE, UTILIZATION, AND STORAGE. THIS WILL INCLUDE CREATING RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, DEVELOPING MONITORING STRATEGIES FOR INDUCED SEISMICITY TO REDUCE PROJECT RISKS AND COSTS, TRANSPORTATION ROUTING, TECHNOLOGY MATCHING, LIFE-CYCLE ASSESSMENTS, AND CONSTRUCTING A CARBON CAPTURE, UTILIZATION, AND STORAGE RESOURCE DIRECTORY. THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES OF THE PROJECT ARE THE RESIDENTS OF MICHIGAN AND SURROUNDING STATES.

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

ABERRANT SIGNALING IN B-1 CELLS

UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTER

EARLY READING FIRST

GAINING EARLY AWARENESS AND READINESS FOR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS (GEAR UP) PROGRAM

WMU URBAN TEACHER RESIDENCY PROGRAM

BLIND PEDESTRIANS' ACCESS TO COMPLEX INTERSECTIONS

TRANSITION TO COLLEGE MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

REGULATORS OF TRANSLATION ELONGATION FACTOR EEF1A

GENESSEE APPROPRIATE TRAUMA-INFORMED SCREENING, ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT PROJECT

FIRST IN THE WORLD

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING (BHWET) PROGRAM

TRAUMA INFORMED CHILD WELFARE SYSTEMS

HEALTH CAREERS OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM - WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY (WMU) HEALTH CAREER OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM (HCOP) ACADEMY WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT TO EDUCATIONALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS WITH THE PURPOSE OF DEVELOPING A DIVERSE AND COMPETENT OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (OT) WORKFORCE. CONSIDERED ONE OF THE KEY ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS, OT INVOLVES THE USE OF ASSESSMENTS AND INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE INJURIES, ILLNESSES, OR DISABILITIES. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS (OTS) SEEK TO PROMOTE OPTIMAL FUNCTIONING AND INDEPENDENCE, WORKING THROUGHOUT VARIOUS HEALTHCARE SETTINGS, INCLUDING HOSPITALS, SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES, REHABILITATION CLINICS AND HOME HEALTH AGENCIES. THE U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS PROJECTS EMPLOYMENT OF OTS TO INCREASE 14 PERCENT FROM 2021 TO 2031, MUCH FASTER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR ALL OCCUPATIONS. THE PROFESSION, HOWEVER, IS SERIOUSLY LACKING IN RACIAL, ETHNIC AND GENDER DIVERSITY. APPROXIMATELY 89.3% OF PRACTITIONERS ARE FEMALE AND 87.1% ARE CAUCASIAN DEMONSTRATING INADEQUATE REPRESENTATION OF THE U.S. POPULATION. ALTHOUGH THE MEDIAN SALARY FOR OTS IN 2022 WAS $93,801, A GRADUATE DEGREE IS REQUIRED FOR PRACTICE, THUS PRESENTING SERIOUS CHALLENGES FOR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS. MOREOVER, THE FINANCIAL BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH ALLIED HEALTH EDUCATION INCLUDING OT IS A MAJOR DETERRENT LIMITING RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY WITHIN THESE PROGRAMS. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF OT STUDENTS OF COLOR ARE HAMPERED BY ADDITIONAL FACTORS INCLUDING LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PROFESSION, POOR MINORITY REPRESENTATION, AND “FEELING LIKE AN OUTSIDER,” ALL OF WHICH WILL BE ADDRESSED IN THE WMU HCOP ACADEMY. THIS 5-YEAR PROJECT WILL ANNUALLY RECRUIT DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS FROM A) LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS; B) WMU UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS; AND C) WMU GRADUATE STUDENTS CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN OT. STUDENTS WILL ENGAGE IN BOTH STRUCTURED AND UNSTRUCTURED ACTIVITIES PROPELLING THEM TOWARD A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN OT. THESE INCLUDE ONGOING MEN TORING, CLINICAL EXPERIENCES, COURSEWORK AND SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES WITH HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS. THE HCOP NATIONAL AMBASSADOR PROGRAM WILL RECRUIT 32 STUDENTS FROM THE VARIOUS EDUCATIONAL LEVELS AND OFFER: 1) AN INTRODUCTION TO OT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH MENTORING AND EXPOSURE TO PATIENT POPULATIONS COMMONLY TREATED SUCH AS SPINAL CORD INJURY; 2) SUPERVISED JOB SHADOWING FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT WMU-RUN CLINICS SERVING PEDIATRIC THROUGH GERIATRIC PATIENTS, REPRESENTING MOSTLY UNDERINSURED INDIVIDUALS; 3) MENTORSHIP FOR BOTH WMU UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS MATCHED WITH A CLINICIANS FROM LOCAL AND NATIONAL NETWORKS; 4) INTENSIVE COURSEWORK FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS USING A NEWLY RELEASED TEXTBOOK, DIDACTICS AND HANDS-ON LEARNING FOCUSING ON FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY; KNOWLEDGE APPLICATION DURING MONTHLY DISCUSSIONS OF UNDERLYING ANATOMY RELATED TO SPECIFIC CASES FROM STUDENTS’ CLINICAL PLACEMENTS; 4) SUBSTANTIAL ASSISTANCE FOR WMU OT GRADUATE STUDENTS TO PREPARE FOR THE NATIONAL BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION, A REQUIREMENT FOR PRACTICE. OTHER STRUCTURED PROGRAMS THE WMU HCOP ACADEMY INCLUDE A SUMMER CLINICAL TRAINING COURSE INTRODUCING CORE OT PRINCIPLES TO 25 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS INTERESTED IN HEALTH PROFESSIONS. STUDENTS WILL GAIN REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES CONDUCTING OT ASSESSMENTS WITH COMMUNITY-DWELLING BLACK ELDERS. A YEAR-LONG EXPLORATION OF JUSTICE, DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN OT USING EVIDENCE-BASED MODELS WILL BE PROVIDED TO STUDENTS AT THE PREMATRICULATION LEVEL, PRECEDING THEIR ENTRY INTO THE WMU OT GRADUATE PROGRAM. UNSTRUCTURED ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL AND STATE OT CONFERENCES AND SERVICE DAYS WITH HOMELESS POPULATIONS MODIFYING ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT SUCH AS WHEELCHAIRS. OVERALL, THE WMU HCOP PROGRAM HAS TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL TO STRENGTHEN THE ACADEMIC TRAJECTORY FOR DESERVING, DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS, THEREBY CREATING A CRITICAL NEW BLUEPRINT TO CHANGE THE DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE OT FUTURE WORKFORCE.

ENGLISH LEARNERS AND TEACHER EDUCATION (ELATE)

PRIMARY CARE TRAINING AND ENHANCEMENT - RESIDENCY TRAINING IN MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

CVI TRAINING FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING OF STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

MULTI-INPUT INTEGRATED SMART CHARGER-INVERTER SYSTEM WITH GALVANIC ISOLATION THE OBJECTIVE OF THE WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY MULTI-INPUT INTEGRATED SMART CHARGER-INVERTER SYSTEM WITH GALVANIC ISOLATION PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A CHARGER-INVERTER SYSTEM CAPABLE OF DELIVERING APPROXIMATELY 150 KILOWATT (KW) TRACTION POWER WHILE SERVING AS BATTERY CHARGER.

THE DEVELOPMENTAL PATHWAY OF FETAL-DERIVED B CELLS - ABSTRACT STEM CELL THEORY STATES THAT ALL THE BLOOD CELLS ARE DERIVED FROM HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELLS (HSCS) AND IS A CENTRAL CONCEPT OF HEMATOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY. BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT THERAPY FOR BLOOD DISORDERS IS ROOTED IN THE CONCEPT THAT DONOR HSCS CAN REPLACE ALL BLOOD CELLS IN THE RECIPIENT'S BODY. HOWEVER, RECENT RESEARCH HAS CHALLENGED THE STEM CELL THEORY BY SHOWING THAT SOME TISSUE-RESIDENT IMMUNE CELLS DEVELOP FROM ENDOTHELIAL CELLS (EC) OF THE EMBRYO IN AN HSC-INDEPENDENT MANNER AND THESE IMMUNE CELLS MAY NOT BE REPLACED BY HSCS. FURTHERMORE, IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF CONVENTIONAL B CELLS (B-2 CELLS) ALSO ORIGINATE FROM FETAL EC PROGENITORS IN THE EMBRYO AND PERSIST INTO OLD MICE. THESE STRIKING RESULTS HIGHLIGHT A HUGE KNOWLEDGE GAP IN THE HEMATOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY FIELDS BECAUSE HSC-INDEPENDENT B-2 CELL DEVELOPMENT HAS YET TO BE RECOGNIZED. SINCE B CELLS PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN PROTECTING AGAINST INFECTIONS AND IN THE PATHOLOGY OF AUTOIMMUNE AND OTHER DISEASES, IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE DEVELOPMENTAL PATHWAYS OF HSC- INDEPENDENT B-CELLS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS COMPARED TO HSC-DERIVED COUNTERPARTS. HOWEVER, IT IS CHALLENGING TO CLARIFY THE ORIGINS OF THESE B-CELLS SINCE THERE ARE MULTIPLE WAVES OF HEMATOPOIESIS FROM ECS IN THE EMBRYO, IN WHICH HSCS AND HSC-INDEPENDENT BLOOD PROGENITORS SEEM TO BE PRODUCED SIMULTANEOUSLY. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA AND OTHER STUDIES SUGGEST THAT THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE WAVES OF B-CELL DEVELOPMENT; 1) INNATE-IMMUNE B-1 CELL DEVELOPMENT, 2) COMMON PROGENITORS FOR INNATE B-1 AND CONVENTIONAL B-2 CELLS, AND 3) B-2 DOMINANT PROGENITORS DERIVED FROM HSCS. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO DETERMINE THE FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCES OF B-CELLS BASED ON THEIR ORIGINS AND TO ESTABLISH A REVISED B-CELL DEVELOPMENT MAP FROM EMBRYO TO ADULT, USING COMBINATIONS OF VARIOUS LINEAGE TRACING AND IN VIVO BARCODING MOUSE MODELS. TO PURSUE THESE GOALS, AIM 1 WILL UTILIZE HSC-LABELING MICE (100% LABELING OF HSCS IS ACHIEVED) AND THE HSC-DERIVED LYMPHOID CELL DEPLETION MODEL SO THAT HSC-INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT B-CELL SUBSETS WILL BE SEPARATED. THEN, THESE HSC-INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT B-CELL SUBSETS WILL BE SORTED AND EXAMINED FOR 1) ANTIBODY AND CYTOKINE SECRETION, CLASS SWITCHING UPON IN VITRO STIMULATION, AND THEIR IGM REPERTOIRE, 2) IN VIVO REPSONSE TO S. PNEUMONIAE INFECTION, AND 3) RESPONSE TO PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINATION. IN AIM 2, PRELIMINARY DATA IDENTIFIED THE EARLIEST INNATE-IMMUNE RESTRICTED B-PROGENITORS IN THE EARLY FETAL LIVER. ALSO, SCRNA-SEQUENCING OF THE NEONATAL SPLEEN REVEALED THREE SEPARATE B-PROGENITOR CLUSTERS, SUPPORTING OUR HYPOTHESIS. THUS, THE EC-LINEAGE TRACING MOUSE MODEL THAT CAN MARK HSC-INDEPENDENT BLOOD PROGENITORS WILL BE COMBINED WITH IN VIVO BARCODING, WHICH WILL ENABLE VISUALIZATION OF THE CLONAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HSCS AND FETAL- AND HSC-DERIVED B-PROGENITORS. THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THIS PROPOSAL WILL REVISE THE CURRENT PARADIGM OF B-CELL DEVELOPMENT AND WILL BE UTILIZED TO UNDERSTAND PATHOLOGY NOT PREVIOUSLY RECOGNIZED IN THE ABSENCE OF RECOGNIZING THE EXISTANCE OF VARIOUS FETAL-DERIVED B CELL SUBSETS.

THE ROLE OF BIOLOGICAL SEX IN THE SELF-RENEWAL OF B1 CELLS INTO OLD AGE IN MICE AND HUMANS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT BY THE YEAR 2050 THE WHO PREDICTS THERE WILL BE 2 BILLION PEOPLE AGED 60 YEARS AND OVER. AS THE POPULATION OF AGED INDIVIDUALS RISES SO WILL AGING-ASSOCIATED DISEASES. TO CREATE BETTER PREVENTION STRATEGIES FOR DISEASES IN THE ELDERLY, WE NEED TO ADDRESS FUNDAMENTAL BIOLOGICAL QUESTIONS REGARDING IMMUNE SYSTEM DETERIORATION DURING THE AGING PROCESS. SPECIFICALLY, THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DETERMINE WHETHER DEFECTS IN NATURAL IMMUNITY IN THE AGED ARE DUE TO CHANGES IN SELF-RENEWAL OF A SUBSET OF B CELLS, B1 CELLS, WHICH PRODUCE NATURAL ANTIBODIES (NABS). NABS ARE GENERATED IN THE ABSENCE B1 CELL STIMULATION AND CONSTITUTE A KEY MODALITY OF SEROLOGICAL IMMUNITY PROVIDING MANY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS WITHIN IN IMMUNE SYSTEM. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NABS IS ATTRIBUTED TO THEIR DISTINCT GERMLINE-LIKE PROPERTIES THAT RESULT FROM DEVELOPMENT OF B1 CELLS DURING FETAL LIFE WITH PERSISTENCE INTO ADULTHOOD. OUR STUDIES DEMONSTRATE NABS ARE LESS EFFECTIVE AT PROVIDING PROTECTION IN AGED MALES YET, PROTECTION IS MAINTAINED IN AGED FEMALES. IF EFFECTIVE NABS ARE MAINTAINED OVER A LIFETIME, THESE ESSENTIAL PROTEINS COULD AID IN PRODUCING AN INCREASE IN BOTH HEALTH-SPAN AND LIFESPAN; YET IT IS UNKNOWN HOW PROTECTIVE NABS ARE MAINTAINED IN AGED FEMALES BUT NOT AGED MALES. THIS LOSS IN NAB PROTECTION AGAINST INFECTION IN AGED MALES IS NOT ACCOUNTED FOR BY A CHANGE IN THE AMOUNT OF ANTIGEN SPECIFIC ANTIBODY, BUT INSTEAD, IS DUE TO THE LOSS OF ANTIBODY GERMLINE-LIKE FEATURES, WHICH DOES NOT OCCUR IN AGED FEMALES, WHERE B1 CELL DERIVED ANTIBODY REMAINS GERMLINE-LIKE. OUR PRELIMINARY AND PUBLISHED RESULTS SUGGEST THESE FINDINGS ARE A RESULT OF BETTER PERSISTENCE OF B1 CELLS THAT ORIGINATE IN FETAL LIFE WITH ADVANCING AGE IN FEMALES AS OPPOSED TO MALES. THE REASON FOR THIS IS UNKNOWN BUT IT IS SPECULATED THAT B1 CELL SELF-RENEWAL IS RESPONSIBLE. WE HYPOTHESIZE AGE AND SEX-ASSOCIATED DEFECTS IN THE PROTECTIVE CAPACITY OF NATURAL IGM RESULTS FROM LOSS OF ADULT B1 CELL SELF-RENEWAL IN AGED MALES BUT NOT AGED FEMALES. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, WE WILL UTILIZE ADVANCED GENETIC TECHNIQUES THAT PROVIDE THE MEANS FOR THE FIRST TIME TO SEPARATELY TRACK B1 CELLS ORIGINATING IN FETAL LIFE FROM THOSE ARISING IN ADULT LIFE, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME TO MEASURE THE STAGE AT WHICH B1 CELLS ARE IN CELL CYCLE, ACCORDING TO SEX AND AGE. WE WILL 1) DETERMINE HOW BIOLOGICAL SEX INFLUENCES LONG TERM PERSISTENCE OF MOUSE B1 CELLS GENERATED DURING DIFFERENT PHASES OF LIFE; 2) EXAMINE SEX SPECIFIC REGULATION OF MOUSE B1 CELL CYCLE PROGRESSION AND SELF-RENEWAL WITH INCREASING AGE; AND 3) EVALUATE THE ROLE OF SEX IN SPECIFYING HUMAN B1 CELL CYCLE DYNAMICS AND HUMAN B1 CELL NATURAL ANTIBODY FUNCTION. THIS PROJECT WILL ELUCIDATE MECHANISMS OF DIFFERENTIAL B1 CELL SELF-RENEWAL IN AGED MALES AND FEMALES, WHICH WILL PROVIDE CRITICAL INFORMATION FOR DESIGNING NOVEL APPROACHES TO MAINTAIN HEALTHY NATURAL IMMUNITY INTO OLD AGE BY FAVORING SELF - RENEWAL OF EARLY APPEARING B1 CELLS.

PROJECT CLEANMI. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PIONEER THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF A STATE-OF-THE-ART DIRECT AIR CAPTURE (DAC) SYSTEM AIMED AT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) EMISSIONS.

EVALUATE: PROMOTING ATE EXCELLENCE THROUGH EVALUATION

COMMUNITY UTILIZATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAM REGISTERS IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE

WESTERN MI PARK EXPANSIO

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY - COLLEGE ASSISTANCE MIGRANT PROGRAM (WMU-CAMP)

ATE EVALUATION RESOURCE CENTER

CAMP

EVALUATE

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE-ENABLED HIGH-QUALITY PERCEPTION DATA TO ACHIEVE ENERGY EFFICIENT AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE OPERATION THROUGH COMPUTATION REDUCTIONS AND OFFLOADING DE-EE0009657 WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

EFFECTIVE ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS COLLABORATION TO ENHANCE STUDENT SUCCESS IN ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCES

SPECIAL EDUCATION RESEARCH

TAS::89 0222::TAS; NEW; GREEN MANUFACTURING: ENVIRONMENTALLY BENIGN AND ENERGY CONSCIOUS PROGRAM AT WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY; JOHN PATTEN, PI

HUMAN B1-LIKE CELLS AND PNEUMOCOCCAL DEFENSE IN THE ELDERLY

TURNAROUND SCHOOL LEADERS PROGRAM

EFFICACY OF "DUAL FOCUS" MUTUAL AID FOR PERSONS WITH CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS

YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH INTERPROFESSIONAL NETWORKING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT (Y-MIND) - THE MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OF YOUNG PEOPLE IS AN INCREASINGLY PRESSING CONCERN IN THE UNITED STATES. DUE TO A SHORTAGE OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND LIMITED ACCESS TO CARE FOR MICHIGANDERS, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO BUILD WORKFORCE CAPACITY. TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, THE RESILIENCY CENTER FOR FAMILIES AND CHILD (RCFC) AT WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY (WMU) PROPOSES THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH INTERPROFESSIONAL NETWORKING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT (Y-MIND) PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WMU'S COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, AND COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. THE Y-MIND PROGRAM AIMS TO SUBSTANTIALLY EXPAND THE WORKFORCE AND INCREASE ACCESS TO MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. THE PROGRAM WILL BE MODELED AFTER THE MICHIGAN LEADERSHIP EDUCATION IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL AND RELATED DISABILITIES (MI-LEND) PROGRAM, WHICH HAS EXTENSIVE HISTORY IN PREPARING THE WORKFORCE FOR MEETING THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO BUILD CAPACITY TO FOSTER RESILIENCY, WELL-BEING, AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CHALLENGES BY TRAINING STUDENTS IN CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SERVICES WITH AN INTERPROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE. THE PROGRAM WILL SERVE WMU GRADUATE STUDENTS ACROSS DIFFERENT HEALTH-RELATED DISCIPLINES, SUCH AS MEDICINE, NURSING, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL WORK, AND SPEECH-LANGUAGE-HEARING SERVICES. IN ADDITION, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN A PRE-ALLIED HEALTH OR PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM WOULD RECEIVE A SCALED VERSION OF THE Y-MIND, AT THEIR CURRENT LEARNING LEVEL, AND IMPLEMENT CONTENT INTO AN INTERPROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP. THE Y-MIND INTERPROFESSIONAL TRAINING FOR WMU STUDENTS FOCUSES ON EIGHT KEY TENETS: RECRUITING AND SUPPORTING DIVERSE STUDENTS, PROVIDING INTERDISCIPLINARY UNDERSTANDING OF MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, TEACHING EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES, FACILITATING INTERNSHIPS IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, ORGANIZING A STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT, TRAINING IN CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS, PROGRAM EVALUATION, AND CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT BASED UPON STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES WILL BE ASSESSED THROUGH QUIZZES, ACTIVITIES, AND PROJECTS, INCLUDING A CAPSTONE PROJECT THAT FOCUSES ON APPLYING THE KNOWLEDGE TO THEIR FUTURE CAREER, WHICH WILL BE PRESENTED AT THE MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM. IN ADDITION, GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING WILL BE USED TO ACCESS AGGREGATE MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION ACROSS THE ENTIRE PROGRAM. DURING THIS FIRST YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION, FACULTY FROM WMU DEPARTMENTS AND COLLEGES WILL WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE AND DELIVER A SERIES OF LEARNING MODULES ON TREATING INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. THESE FACULTY WILL WORK WITH WMU STUDENTS WHO WILL PARTICIPATE IN WEEKLY ENGAGEMENT WITH A MENTOR, 2-4 ASYNCHRONOUS MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH LEARNING MODULES PER MONTH, ENGAGEMENT WITH A CAREGIVER OF A YOUTH WITH MENTAL AND/OR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS, AND MONTHLY DISCUSSION FORUMS WITH AN INTERPROFESSIONAL GROUP OF FACULTY. AT THE END OF THE PROJECT, THE Y-MIND TEAM WILL HAVE DEVELOPED A MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONTENT AND DELIVERED A STRUCTURE THAT CAN BE USED FOR FUTURE COHORTS OF STUDENTS. THIS WILL HELP EXPAND THE WORKFORCE CAPACITY FOR MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEEDS OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN MICHIGAN AND BEYOND.

ENZYME/DEEP EUTECTIC SOLVENT ENHANCED KRAFT PULPING TO REDUCE ITS CARBON INTENSITY

OPIOID-IMPACTED FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAM - PROJECT TITLE: SUPPORTING UNDERSERVED PEER PROFESSIONALS IN OPIOID RECOVERY AND TREATMENT (SUPPORT) PROPOSED PROGRAM: THE SUPPORT PROGRAM IS A MULTI-COMPONENT PROGRAM THAT IS WELL-POSITIONED TO ADDRESS THE SHORTAGE OF PEER PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE TRAINED AND SKILLED TO WORK WITH FAMILIES EXPERIENCING OPIOID AND OTHER SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (OUD/SUD) THROUGHOUT MICHIGAN, A STATE WHEREIN 37 OF 83 COUNTIES ARE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREAS (HPSA). PARTICIPANTS WILL MONITOR THEIR IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST PRACTICES IN PROVIDING FAMILY SUPPORT, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION SITES USING GOAL SCALING SOLUTIONS, AN HRSA-FUNDED DIGITAL PLATFORM. WITH CAPACITY AND EXPERTISE AND SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF ALL OBJECTIVES WITH PREVIOUSLY FUNDED HRSA OPIOID WORKFORCE EXPANSION PROGRAM (OWEP) AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING (BHWET) PROGRAMS, THE SUPPORT TEAM IS PREPARED TO OFFER THIS SAME EXPERTISE IN SUPPORTING THE PARAPROFESSIONAL WORKFORCE. ADDRESSED NEEDS: ALTHOUGH MICHIGAN WAS AMONGST THE FIRST STATES TO CERTIFY BOTH CERTIFIED PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS AND CERTIFIED RECOVERY COACHES, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION REMAIN DIFFICULT. UP TO 40% OF PEER PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS ARE UNFILLED AT COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS. EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER PATHWAYS FOR PEER PROFESSIONALS ARE NOT ALWAYS PRESENT. PROGRAMS THAT PAIR INTERPROFESSIONAL TRAINING NEEDED FOR ALL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, DIDACTIC CONTENT FOR SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN OUD/SUD AND MENTORING FOR PEER PROFESSIONALS TO DEVELOP CAREER PATHWAYS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ORGANIZATIONS IS NEEDED. SUPPORT IS INTENTIONAL IN INCORPORATING THESE THREE COMPONENTS AND ENGAGING WITH PROFESSIONALS WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE IN POLICY DEVELOPMENT TO PARTNER WITH FAMILIES WITH OUD/SUD. SERVICES PROVIDED: SUPPORT WILL PROVIDE THREE MAIN COMPONENTS TO UP TO 30 LEVEL I PRE-SERVICE PARTICIPANTS IN EACH YEAR: 1) VIRTUAL COURSEWORK IN WESTERN MICH IGAN UNIVERSITY’S SPECIALTY PROGRAM FOR ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE (SPADA), 2) SPECIFIC ON-DEMAND TRAININGS MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING, SBIRT, ETHICS AND ANTI-RACISM IN PEER PRACTICE, AND 3) PEER PROFESSIONAL MENTORING FROM CERTIFIED PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS AND CERTIFIED RECOVERY COACHES IN CAREER NAVIGATION. FOLLOWING LEVEL I COMPLETION, ALL PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR LEVEL II IN-SERVICE TRAINING IN MENTAL HEALTH HPSA SITES. FUNDING PREFERENCE ELIGIBILITY: AS A NEW PROGRAM, SUPPORT MEETS 6 OF THE 7 FUNDING PRIORITY AREAS. SUPPORT CURRICULUM AND CLINICAL TRAINING FOCUSED ON MUCS, AND THE PROGRAM’S CLINICAL FACULTY HAVE EXPERIENCE, PHYSICALLY WORK, AND PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF PROGRAMMING IN AND FOR MUCS. TRAINEE ASSISTANCE AND A COMPREHENSIVE LEVEL II IN-SERVICE AND GRADUATE JOB PLACEMENT PROCESS IS FOCUSED ENTIRELY ON MUC PLACEMENT TO ENHANCE THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PEER PROFESSIONAL WORKFORCE IN MICHIGAN HPSAS/MUCS.

TRIO STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAM

NEAR THRESHOLD EXCITATION & IONIZATION OF OPEN-SHELL ATOMS

IDENTIFYING AND UNDERSTANDING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND AMINO ACID METABOLISM

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INVESTIGATING PRODUCTIVE USE OF HIGH-LEVERAGE STUDENT MATHEMATICAL THINKING

FAMILY ASSESSMENT, SPECIALIZED TREATMENT FOR ADVANCED RESILIENCY IN FAMILIES (FASTER) - WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY'S CHILDREN'S TRAUMA ASSESSMENT CENTER (CTAC), A THRICE FUNDED NCTSN SITE, PROPOSES THE FAMILY ASSESSMENT AND SPECIALIZED TRAUMA TREATMENT TO ADVANCE RESILIENCY IN CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (FASTER) PROJECT. CTAC WILL PARTNER WITH THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (MDHHS) TO DEVELOP, PILOT, AND IMPLEMENT A FAMILY RESILIENCY-BASED TRAUMA ASSESSMENT MODEL, IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN EVIDENCE-BASED TRAUMA TREATMENT, TRUST BASED RELATIONAL INTERVENTION (TBRI), FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM. FASTER'S OVERARCHING GOALS ARE TO 1) INCREASE PERMANENCY FOR CHILDREN, AND 2) IMPROVE CHILD AND FAMILY WELL-BEING. CTAC WILL PARTNER WITH TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY'S KARYN PURVIS INSTITUTE, THE HOME OF TBRI, TO IMPLEMENT TBRI TO FAMILIES RECEIVING RESILIENCY-BASED TRAUMA ASSESSMENTS AT CTAC. IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS, CTAC WILL DISSEMINATE TBRI TO ITS FOUR TRAUMA ASSESSMENT CENTER PARTNERS (EASTER SEALS OF MICHIGAN, CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES OF UPPER MICHIGAN, GREAT LAKES RECOVERING CENTER OF THE UPPER PENINSULA, AND CHILDREN'S TRAUMA ASSESSMENT GROUP). IN YEARS 3-5 THE ASSESSMENT CENTERS WILL PROVIDE STATEWIDE ACCESSIBILITY FOR FAMILY TRAUMA ASSESSMENT AND TBRI. CTAC WILL INITIALLY (YEARS 1-2) SERVE CHILD WELFARE POPULATIONS FROM KENT COUNTY (SECOND LARGEST URBAN POPULATION IN MICHIGAN) AND JACKSON COUNTY (A MIDSIZE COUNTY WITH DOUBLE THE STATEWIDE CHILD MALTREATMENT SUBSTANTIATION RATES). OBJECTIVES INCLUDE: 1) DEVELOPING A REPLICABLE RESILIENCY-BASED FAMILY TRAUMA ASSESSMENT PRODUCT, 2) ENGAGING FAMILIES IN FAMILY ASSESSMENT, 3) MDHHS FUNDING CONTRACTS FOR STATEWIDE FAMILY TRAUMA ASSESSMENTS, 4) CONDUCTING TBRI FAMILY INTERVENTIONS, 5) COLLABORATING WITH NCTSN SITES, AND 6) DEVELOPING AN ADVISORY BOARD OF PARENTS AND YOUTH FORMERLY INVOLVED IN CHILD WELFARE. IN YEAR 1, 175 PEOPLE (100 CHILDREN, 75 ADULTS) WILL BE SERVED; YEAR 2, 228 INDIVIDUALS (130 CHILDREN, 98 ADULTS) WILL BE SERVED; YEARS 3 THROUGH 5, 508 INDIVIDUALS (250 CHILDREN, 258 ADULTS) WILL BE SERVED EACH YEAR; WITH FIVE YEAR TOTALS OF 1927 INDIVIDUALS (980 CHILDREN, 947 ADULTS) BEING SERVED. FASTER'S EVALUATION WILL INCLUDE PROCESS AND FIDELITY MEASURES FOR IMPLEMENTATION, INCLUDING AN EVALUATION OF HOW THE FAMILY ASSESSMENT IS INTEGRATED ACROSS THE ASSESSMENT SITES. ADDITIONALLY, THE EVALUATION INCLUDES A FOCUS ON OUTCOMES, UTILIZING THE NOMS MEASURES AS WELL AS SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF TBRI. THE EVALUATION DESIGN IS DESCRIPTIVE AND WILL ADD TO THE EXISTING KNOWLEDGE BASE FOR FAMILY-FOCUSED ASSESSMENT, SERVICE PLANNING, AND INTERVENTIONS INTENDED TO ADDRESS TRAUMA.

ADVANCING THE USE OF ORAL FLUID TO MONITOR THERAPEUTIC AND ILLICIT DRUGS IN OUTPATIENT CLINICAL AND FIELD SETTINGS

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY UPWARD BOUND KALAMAZOO

SEX DETERMINES AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THE REPERTOIRE AND FUNCTION OF NATURAL ANTIBODIES PROTECTIVE AGAINST STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE WITH INCREASING AGE

WMU STEM WORKFORCE COLLABORATORY

PROJECT TEACHING FOR EQUITY AND ACHIEVEMENT OF MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS (TEAMS)

WMU UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM VAN BUREN

AUGMENTING THE ON-SCENE MEDIC (ATOM): DEVELOPMENT OF A HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY APPLICATION TO REDUCE PREHOSPITAL PEDIATRIC MEDICATION ERRORS - PROJECT SUMMARY THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE DYNAMIC COGNITIVE AID APPLICATION FOR USE THROUGH A HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY (HMD), TO REDUCE ERROR RATES ASSOCIATED WITH PEDIATRIC MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION (PMA) BY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (EMS). THIS OBJECTIVE WILL BE ACHIEVED BY EXAMINING CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH PMA, USING A DESIGN THINKING PROCESS TO DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE APPLICATION, EXAMINING USABILITY OF THE PROTOTYPE, AND TESTING THE SAFETY AND EFFICACY IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. ERRORS ASSOCIATED WITH PMA IN EMS ARE ALARMINGLY HIGH. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE IS A 31% ERROR RATE ACROSS ALL DRUGS ADMINISTERED TO CHILDREN BY EMS. MEDICATIONS SUCH AS MIDAZOLAM AND FENTANYL HAVE EVEN HIGHER RATES AT 61% AND 65%, RESPECTFULLY, WITH MANY BEING 10-FOLD ERRORS. SADLY, PREVIOUS STRATEGIES HAVE HAD LITTLE IMPACT ON REDUCING ERROR RATES BELOW 31%. SYSTEM CHANGES HAVE FAILED DUE TO INCONSISTENCIES IN EMS SYSTEMS, AND CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH MEDICATION SHORTAGES. PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED COGNITIVE AIDS HAVE FALLEN SHORT OFTEN DUE TO THE FACT THEY GENERALLY ACT AS SIMPLE REFERENCE TOOLS AND DO NOT ADDRESS ALL CAUSES OF ERROR ASSOCIATED WITH PMA. AS A RESULT, WE ARE PROPOSING THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PROCESS EVER TAKEN TO COMBAT THIS ISSUE, UTILIZING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, TO IMPLEMENT A DYNAMIC COGNITIVE AID TO HELP PROVIDERS IMPROVE DOSING ACCURACY DURING PMA. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT PMA ERRORS IN EMS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BY THIS APPLICATION DUE TO THE COMPREHENSIVE AND RIGOROUS DESIGN THINKING PROCESS WE WILL UTILIZE FOLLOWED BY A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO TEST SAFETY AND EFFICACY. OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM WILL COMBINE THE FIELDS OF PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, EMS, ENGINEERING, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND USER INTERFACE/USER EXPERIENCE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH THE SUPPORT AND EFFORT OF TWO MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN. IN SA1 WE WILL DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE APPLICATION. THIS WILL BEGIN WITH IDENTIFYING USER AND CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH PMA, AND EXAMINE FAILURE MODES, ROOT CAUSES, AND A TASK ANALYSIS OF THE PROCEDURE. WE WILL THEN PROCEED INTO A COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN THINKING PROCESS TO DEVELOP THE APPLICATION. DURING THIS PROCESS WE WILL ALSO CREATE A DESKTOP PROGRAM THAT WILL ALLOW EMS AGENCY ADMINISTRATORS TO ADD NEW MEDICATIONS TO THE HMD APPLICATION. IN SA2, WE WILL EXAMINE USABILITY OF THE HMD APPLICATION AND ASSOCIATED DESKTOP PROGRAM IN A SIMULATION-BASED ENVIRONMENT WITH A SAMPLE OF END USERS, EXAMINING TASK DURATION, COGNITIVE LOAD AND ERROR RATES AND MAKE ANY NECESSARY REFINEMENTS. IN SA3, WE WILL TEST THE HMD APPLICATION IN A SIMULATION-BASED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO EXAMINE ITS SAFETY AND EFFICACY FOR USE IN EMS. THIS WILL RESULT IN A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE TOOL TO MITIGATE THIS ALARMING ISSUE IN THE VULNERABLE EMS PEDIATRIC POPULATION.

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

OPIOID WORKFORCE EXPANSION PROGRAM- PROFESSIONAL

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

IMPROVING EVALUATIONS OF STEM PROGRAMS: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF KEY DESIGN PARAMETERS

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING RESEARCH SCHOLARS: CAPACITY BUILDING IN MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION

FAMILY COUNSELING AND SUPPORT FOR LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUEER/QUESTIONING, INTERSEX+ YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES (SHORT TITLE: LGBTQI+ FAMILY SUPPORT) - PROJECT SUMMARY: WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY’S CHILD TRAUMA ASSESSMENT CENTER (WMU/CTAC), IN COLLABORATION WITH OUTFRONT KALAMAZOO, OUTCENTER BENTON HARBOR, KALAMAZOO FAMILY AND CHILD COUNSELING, MICHIGAN SAFE SPACE, INTEGRATED SERVICES OF KALAMAZOO (ISK) COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES, AND PAM POLEY, LMSW, SEEKS FUNDING THROUGH SAMHSA’S LGBTQI+ FAMILY SUPPORT GRANT TO IMPLEMENT THE PILOT PROJECT AFFIRMING AND ACCEPTING LGBTQIA+ YOUTH AND FAMILIES (AALF) IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN (SW MI). THIS PROJECT WILL PREVENT HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL RISKS AND PROMOTE WELLBEING FOR LGBTQI+ YOUTH IN MICHIGAN IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR FAMILIES/CAREGIVERS, CULTURES, AND COMMUNITIES BY ESTABLISHING LGBTQI+ FAMILY COUNSELING AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND TRAINING PROVIDERS ON FAMILY COUNSELING AND SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS. POPULATION OF FOCUS: THE POPULATION OF FOCUS FOR THIS PROJECT ARE LGBTQI+ YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES/CAREGIVERS IN THE 8-COUNTY GEOGRAPHIC CATCHMENT AREA OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SW MI; ALLEGAN, BARRY, BRANCH, CALHOUN, CASS, KALAMAZOO, ST. JOSEPH, AND VAN BUREN. THIS AREA IS HOME TO 811,320 PEOPLE WHO ARE 82.6% WHITE, 6.66% BLACK, 1.63% ASIAN, 0.62% AI/AN, 2.96% OTHER, AND 6.92% MULTIPLE RACES. DATA FROM THE TREVOR PROJECT’S 2022 NATIONAL SURVEY ESTIMATES THE FOLLOWING DEMOGRAPHICS FOR LGBTQI+ YOUTH IN MICHIGAN; 70% WHITE, 6% BLACK, 3% ASIAN, 1%, AI/AN, 7% OTHER, AND 13% MULTIPLE RACES; 31% IDENTIFY AS A GIRL/WOMAN, 26% IDENTIFY AS A BOY/MAN, 35% IDENTIFY AS NONBINARY, BIGENDER, GENDERFLUID, AND GENDERQUEER, AND 8% IDENTIFY AS QUESTIONING; 24% ARE GAY OR LESBIAN, 31% ARE BISEXUAL, 32% ARE QUEER OR PANSEXUAL, 10% ARE ASEXUAL, AND 3% ARE QUESTIONING. THE SURVEY ALSO REPORTED THAT 60% OF THIS DEMOGRAPHIC WANTED MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN THE PAST YEAR AND WERE NOT ABLE TO GET IT, AND 45% OF THIS DEMOGRAPHIC SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED SUICIDE IN THE PAST YEAR. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: THE GOAL OF AALF IS TO PREVENT OR AMELIORATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE CONDITIONS AND DISORDERS AND BUILD HEALTHY FUTURES FOR LGBTQI+ YOUTH BY INCREASING FAMILY ACCEPTANCE AND SUPPORT IN SW MI. TO FULFILL THIS GOAL, WMU/CTAC WILL; (1) DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PUBLIC AWARENESS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN TO ENGAGE FAMILIES OF LGBTQI+ YOUTH IN SW MI; (2) PROVIDE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT TO LGBTQI+ YOUTH/FAMILIES IN SI MI THROUGH STEPS IDENTIFIED IN THE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND COMMUNICATIONS PLAN TO LINK THEM TO TRAUMA-INFORMED COUNSELING AND SUPPORTS THROUGH CTAC AND ITS PARTNERS; (3) DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT SCREENING AND REFERRAL PROTOCOLS TO IDENTIFY LGBTQI+ YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO ARE IN NEED OF COUNSELING SERVICES; (4) IDENTIFY AND COORDINATE REFERRAL PATHWAYS WITH THE 8 AALF COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR LGBTQI+ YOUTH IN SW MI; (5) DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A TRAINING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR CTAC PERSONNEL FOR THE FAMILY ACCEPTANCE PROJECT (FAP), AFFIRM CAREGIVER AND AFFIRM YOUTH EBPS; (6) BEGIN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FAP AND AFFIRM CAREGIVER/YOUTH TO PROMOTE ACCEPTANCE OF LGBTQI+ YOUTH; (7) ENHANCE THE EXISTING LGBTQI+ YOUTH AND FAMILY ADVISORY GROUP TO ENSURE THAT MEMBERSHIP IS REPRESENTATIVE OF YOUTH, THEIR FAMILIES, AND SERVICES ACROSS THE CONTINUUM; AND (8) DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT TRAINING IN INTEGRATING TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE. CONTACT: AMY PERRICONE, CLINICAL DIRECTOR FOR WMU/CTAC; AMY.L.PERRICONE@WMICH.EDU

TRIO STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES--TEACHER PREPARATION

AGEP: BPR: UNDERSTANDING URM STEM GRADUATE STUDENTS IDENTITY INTEGRATION AND ASSIMILATION INTO A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

COMBO TVI CVI: WHERE O&M AND TVI STUDENTS COLLABORATE TO GAIN EXPERTISE IN CORTICAL VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

PREPARING QUALIFIED PERSONNEL IN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM OVER ADAPTED PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION AND SUPPORTS

UPWARD BOUND

NEW; TITLE: MICHCARB A GEOLOGICAL CARBON SEQUESTRATION RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR MICHIGAN; PI: DAVID BARNES

SYNOPTIC WEATHER FORECASTING AND WEB-BASED INFORMATION DELIVERY SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING CROP DISEASE RISK IN MULTIPLE REGIONS OF THE U.S.

INTERDISCIPLINARY PREPARATION IN AUTISM SERVICES (IPAS)

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

COLLEGE ASSISTANCE FOR PARENTING AND EDUCATION

COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

TRIO - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

BUILDING SCIENCE IDENTITY, SENSE OF BELONGING, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS TO INCREASE THE SUCCESS OF UNDERGRADUATE CHEMISTRY TRANSFER STUDENTS

ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY: FACILITATING LEARNING AND IMPROVEMENT OF PROPRIOCEPTION (OMFLIP)

SPECIAL EDUCATION-PERSONNEL PREPARATION TO IMPROVE SERVICES AND RESULTS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES - LOW INCIDENCE

PARTNERING TO EFFECTIVELY REDUCE THE IMPACT OF VIOLENCE IN KALAMAZOO

NEW CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED PROJECT AWARDED TO WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY FOR ITS PROJECT ENTITLED: "SUSTAINABLE ENERGY CENTER: BIOFUELS FROM ALGAE

NURSING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

NURSING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

SPECIAL EDUCATION-PERSONNEL PREPARATION TO IMPROVE SERVICES AND RESULTS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES - COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL PREPARATION

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING (BHWET) PROGRAM

ACCELERATING SYSTEMIC CHANGE NETWORK: PROMOTING KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPORT INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY PERSONNEL PREPARATION: EDUCATING STUDENTS TO WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE VISION IMPAIRMENTS IN THE STATE-FEDERAL VR SERVICE SYSTEM

VISION REHABILITATION THERAPY PERSONNEL PREPARATION: EDUCATING STUDENTS TO WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE VISION IMPAIRMENTS IN THE STATE-FEDERAL VR SERVICE SYSTEM

STUDY OF EXOTIC LIGHT NUCLEI WITH FEW NUCLEON TRANSFER REACTIONS

PROBING COMPLEXITY USING THE ALS AND LCLS

ADVANCING CARBON CAPTURE, UTILIZATION AND STORAGE (CCUS) IN THE MICHIGAN BASIN THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO REDUCE THE RISKS OF COMMERCIAL-SCALE STORAGE, ADVANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF CARBON CAPTURE, UTILIZATION, AND STORAGE TECHNOLOGY WITHIN COMMUNITIES, AND ENSURE THE LONG-TERM, SAFE, AND EQUITABLE STORAGE OF CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) WITHIN THE MICHIGAN BASIN. THE ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT ARE A DATABASE OF GEOMECHANICAL AND LITHOLOGICAL DATA, A WELLBORE INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT TOOL, AND AN INTEGRATED USER-FRIENDLY TOOL FOR GEOLOGIC AND SOCIETAL CONSIDERATIONS ASSESSMENTS. ANY DATA PRODUCTS GENERATED AS A RESULT OF FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SHALL BE PROVIDED TO THE NATIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (NETL) FOR INCLUSION IN THE ENERGY DATA EXCHANGE (EDX), HTTPS://EDX.NETL.DOE.GOV/.

BETTER LONG CANE DESIGN AND BIOMECHANICS FOR BLIND CANE USERS

PREVENTION OF INJURIES AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN: TAILORING A HOME SUPERVISION INTERVENTION FOR LOW-INCOME CAREGIVERS

EMSC TARGETED ISSUE GRANTS

STUDY OF LIGHT EXOTIC NUCLEI USING NUCLEON TRANSFER REACTIONS WITH EXOTIC BEAMS

IMPROVEMENTS AND EXPANSION OF AVIATION WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FACILITATING CHANGE IN UNDERGRADUATE STEM: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY, MULTIMETHOD METASYNTHESIS MAPPING A DECADE OF GROWTH -RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THE USE OF EVIDENCE-BASED, STUDENT-CENTERED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES HELPS TO INCREASE LEARNING, RETENTION, AND EQUITY IN UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS COURSES. HOWEVER, IT IS ALSO CLEAR THAT COMMONLY USED CHANGE EFFORTS HAVE NOT MADE RESEARCH-BASED INSTRUCTION THE NORM IN U.S. INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. OUTCOMES FROM THIS SYNTHETIC RESEARCH WILL BE USED TO GUIDE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE UNDERGRADUATE STEM INSTRUCTION TO GENERATE AND SUPPORT IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONAL CHANGE WITHIN UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE DEPARTMENTS AND ACROSS INSTITUTIONS. THIS SYNTHETIC RESEARCH REVIEWS THE EFFECTS OF INSTRUCTIONAL INTERVENTIONS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS COURSES AT THE UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL BETWEEN THE YEARS 2010 AND 2021. THE REVIEW ALSO INCLUDES ALL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE INSTRUCTION. THE SPECIFIC FOCUS IS ON EFFORTS TO BETTER SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING OF STEM CONTENT THROUGH INSTRUCTIONAL CHANGE. THE REVIEW WILL USE A META-SYNTHESIS TO IDENTIFY THEMES AND ADVANCES IN THE LITERATURE USING A FRAMEWORK SYNTHESIS APPROACH. THE LITERATURE SEARCH PROCESS IS INFORMED BY CURRENT RESEARCH ON SEARCH STRATEGIES AND REPRESENTS BEST PRACTICE IN SYNTHESIS METHODS. THE PROJECT USES AI-ASSISTED APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY GENERAL THEMES IN THE LITERATURE. WHILE THIS IS AN EMERGING AREA OF RESEARCH IN SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, THE PLAN ALSO BUILDS IN A TEST OF THE AI-ASSISTED CODING AGAINST HUMAN QUALITATIVE CODING. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY NSF'S EHR CORE RESEARCH (ECR) PROGRAM. THE ECR PROGRAM EMPHASIZES FUNDAMENTAL STEM EDUCATION RESEARCH THAT GENERATES FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIELD. INVESTMENTS ARE MADE IN CRITICAL AREAS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL, BROAD, AND ENDURING: STEM LEARNING AND STEM LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM, AND STEM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE ACCUMULATION OF ROBUST EVIDENCE TO INFORM EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND, BUILD THEORY TO EXPLAIN, AND SUGGEST INTERVENTION AND INNOVATIONS TO ADDRESS PERSISTENT CHALLENGES IN STEM INTEREST, EDUCATION, LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION. 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.

CAREER: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS REGULATING NEURAL REGENERATION IN PLANARIANS

PLANNING CLUSTER RANDOMIZED TRIALS: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF DESIGN PARAMETERS FOR STUDIES OF SCIENCE TEACHER INTERVENTIONS

INELASTIC X-RAY SCATTERING STUDIES OF EXCITATIONS IN THE ELECTRON GAS

REHABILITATION LONG-TERM TRAINING - REHABILITATION COUNSELING

CAREER: MOLECULAR EVOLUTION OF OXIDANT SPECIFICITY IN BACTERIAL FLAVOPROTEIN AMINE OXIDASES -WITH THIS CAREER AWARD, SUPPORTED BY THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE PROCESSES PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, FREDERICK STULL FROM WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY IS STUDYING THE EVOLUTION OF OXIDANT SPECIFICITY IN BACTERIAL FLAVOPROTEIN AMINE OXIDASES. FLAVOPROTEIN AMINE OXIDASES ARE ENZYMES THAT CATALYZE CRITICAL REACTIONS THROUGHOUT CELLULAR METABOLISM, AND MOST ARE THOUGHT TO TRANSFER ELECTRONS FROM THEIR ORGANIC SUBSTRATES TO MOLECULAR OXYGEN. IT WAS RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT CERTAIN BACTERIAL FLAVOPROTEIN AMINE OXIDASE ENZYMES BREAK THIS MOLD BY TRANSFERRING ELECTRONS FROM THEIR SUBSTRATES TO CYTOCHROME C PROTEINS INSTEAD OF DIRECTLY TO MOLECULAR OXYGEN. THIS PROJECT IS EVALUATING IF THIS USE OF CYTOCHROME C IS MORE WIDESPREAD AMONG BACTERIAL FLAVOPROTEIN AMINE OXIDASES THAN PREVIOUSLY REALIZED AND SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIVERGENT FUNCTIONS EVOLVED IN THIS WIDESPREAD ENZYME FAMILY. THE BASIC SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED FROM THIS PROJECT COULD BE USED TO ACHIEVE REACTIONS THAT ARE USEFUL FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY. THE GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT WILL GAIN HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IN SPECTROSCOPY, TRANSIENT KINETICS AND ENZYME ENGINEERING. SELECTED ENZYMES FROM THIS PROJECT ARE TO BE USED TO DEVELOP A HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN LABORATORY COURSE FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS THAT DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTES TO THE SCIENTIFIC GOALS OF THIS PROJECT. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO INCLUDE DEVELOPMENT OF A PLATFORM FOR FACILITATING THE ENGAGEMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE WORK-STUDY RECIPIENTS IN HANDS-ON RESEARCH. FREDERICK STULL AND HIS TEAM HAVE RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT NICOTINE OXIDOREDUCTASE AND PSEUDOOXYNICOTINE AMINE OXIDASE, BOTH MEMBERS OF THE FLAVOPROTEIN AMINE OXIDASE (FAO) SUPERFAMILY, ARE NOT ACTUALLY OXIDASES. THESE TWO ENZYMES TRANSFER ELECTRONS FROM THEIR SUBSTRATES TO A CYTOCHROME C PROTEIN INSTEAD OF O2, MEANING THAT THEY ARE DEHYDROGENASES. THIS PROJECT WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT MANY OTHER BACTERIAL FLAVOPROTEIN AMINE OXIDASES ALSO USE CYTOCHROME C AS AN OXIDANT INSTEAD OF O2, SEVERELY UNDERMINING THE OXIDASE PARADIGM ASCRIBED TO THE FAO ENZYME FAMILY. THE OXIDANT SPECIFICITY OF SELECT BACTERIAL FAOS THAT ARE PREDICTED TO BE CYTOCHROME C-UTILIZING DEHYDROGENASES, AS WELL AS CLOSELY RELATED OXIDASES, WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY TRANSIENT KINETICS. EXPERIMENTAL EVOLUTION, PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS AND ANCESTRAL RECONSTRUCTION WILL BE USED TO IDENTIFY THE STRUCTURAL FEATURES THAT DICTATE FLAVIN-OXIDANT REACTIVITY IN BACTERIAL FAOS. INFORMATION FROM THIS STUDY WILL LIKELY PROVIDE NEW INSIGHT INTO HOW FLAVOENZYMES CONTROL THE REACTIVITY OF THEIR FLAVIN COFACTORS. 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.

REHABILITATION LONG-TERM TRAINING - REHABILITATION OF INDVS. WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE VISION IMPAIRMENTS

REHABILITATION LONG-TERM TRAINING - REHABILITATION COUNSELING

TRIO SSS-REGULAR 2025-2030

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LEVERAGING MIPOS: DEVELOPING A THEORY OF PRODUCTIVE USE OF STUDENT MATHEMATICAL THINKING

SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION OF MIGRATION IN CLUPEIFORMES (HERRING, SARDINES, SHAD, ANCHOVIES, AND THEIR ALLIES)

STEADYRX: SMARTPHONE ART ADHERENCE INTERVENTION FOR DRUG USERS

REHABILITATION LONG-TERM TRAINING - REHABILITATION OF INDVS. WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE VISION IMPAIRMENTS

EMSC TARGETED ISSUE GRANTS

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL: INTEGRATION OF CORROSION FATIGUE AND STRESS CORROSION CRACKING INTO UNIGROW MODEL

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS - THE WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS (WMU OT SDS) PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE AND STRENGTHEN THE OT WORKFORCE BY AWARDING SCHOLARSHIPS TO 24 STUDENTS FROM ECONOMICALLY AND EDUCATIONALLY DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS WHO HAVE SEVERE FINANCIAL HARDSHIP AND ARE COMMITTED TO PRACTICING IN MEDICALLY VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES UPON GRADUATION. NOT ONLY WILL THIS HELP REDUCE OR ELIMINATE THE FINANCIAL BARRIERS THESE DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS EXPERIENCE WHEN PURSUING A GRADUATE DEGREE IN OT, BUT IT WILL ALSO HELP ADDRESS THE SHORTAGE OF OT PRACTITIONERS IN MEDICALLY VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. OUR PROJECT WILL PROVIDE DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS WITH TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS, TARGETED FACULTY ADVISING FOR EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT, AND SCAFFOLDED CLINICAL TRAINING IN MEDICALLY VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES.

WINDOWS ON THE UNIVERSE: NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS OBSERVABLES OF SUPERNOVAE AND NEUTRON STARS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EVALUATING THE UPTAKE OF RESEARCH-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES IN UNDERGRADUATE CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICS, & PHYSICS

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A PHYSICAL PROPERTIES MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH

INVESTIGATION AND PREDICTION OF STRUCTURAL ORDERING IN MONOCRYSTALLINE NITRIDES THROUGH CLASSICAL AND GENERATIVE MACHINE LEARNING AND TUNABLE ENERGETICS

COLLEGE ASSISTANCE FOR PARENTING AND EDUCATION TO GRADUATION (CAPE 2017)

FROM STARS TO ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. PHOTOTIONIZATION, PHOTOEXCITATION, OPACITIES, AND SPECTRA OF LOW IONIZATION FE-PEAK SPECIES.

FAMILY ASSESSMENT, SPECIALIZED TREATMENT ADVANCING RESILIENCY IN FAMILIES + (FASTER +) - WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY SEEKS FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT FASTER+ AND WILL OPERATE A COMMUNITY TREATMENT AND SERVICE CENTER SERVING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN WHOSE CHILDREN NEED IMMEDIATE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALIZATION OR URGENT PSYCHIATRIC CONSULTATION OR ARE AT RISK OF CRISIS HOSPITALIZATION. THE CATCHMENT AREA WILL INCLUDE GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY IN YEARS 1–2 AND EXPAND TO ALL 32 NORTHERN MICHIGAN COUNTIES IN YEARS 3–5. OVER FIVE YEARS, 620 CHILDREN AND THEIR CAREGIVERS WILL RECEIVE FAMILY TRAUMA ASSESSMENTS. FASTER+ WILL DEVELOP AN ABBREVIATED FAMILY ASSESSMENT MODEL WITH TRAVERSE CITY MUNSON MEDICAL CENTER TO EXPEDITE ASSESSMENT, COLLABORATION, AND REPORT AVAILABILITY AND PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE FAMILY TRAUMA ASSESSMENT MODEL THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR HIGH-RISK CHILDREN. THE ABBREVIATED ASSESSMENT WILL IDENTIFY CHILD, CAREGIVER, AND FAMILY FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ACUTE MENTAL HEALTH CRISES AND PROVIDE RESILIENCY BLUEPRINTS TO PSYCHIATRY, PRIMARY CARE, AND CLINICIANS TO SUPPORT INTERVENTION AND REDUCE FURTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL DESTABILIZATION. CAREGIVERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE TRUST BASED RELATIONAL INTERVENTION, AN EVIDENCE-INFORMED RESILIENCY INTERVENTION. THE PROJECT WILL ENGAGE CAREGIVERS AND TREATMENT PROVIDERS THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE FAMILY TRAUMA ASSESSMENT TO IDENTIFY RESILIENCY-BASED INTERVENTIONS INTENDED TO MITIGATE RISK AND DIVERT OR LIMIT CRISIS HOSPITALIZATION.

THE FAMILY TRAUMA ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN AND CAREGIVERS (F-TACC) - THE FAMILY TRAUMA ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN AND CAREGIVERS (F-TACC), LOCATED WITHIN THE WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, WILL OPERATE A NATIONAL NCTSI CATEGORY II TREATMENT AND SERVICE ADAPTATION CENTER TO EXPAND USE OF ITS COMPREHENSIVE NEURODEVELOPMENTAL FAMILY TRAUMA ASSESSMENT MODEL. F-TACC WILL TRAIN PARTICIPATING SITES TO ASSESS INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA AFFECTING CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND CAREGIVERS INVOLVED WITH PUBLIC CHILD WELFARE SYSTEMS AND DEVELOP HOLISTIC RESILIENCY PLANS INTENDED TO PROMOTE FAMILY STABILIZATION AND/OR REUNIFICATION. IN YEAR 1, THE PROJECT WILL LAUNCH WITH 4 PARTNER SITES—2 IN MICHIGAN AND 2 IN GEORGIA—WHERE COMPREHENSIVE FAMILY ASSESSMENT GAPS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. DURING YEARS 2-5, 24 ADDITIONAL SITES, WITH PRIORITY GIVEN TO NCTSN CATEGORY III SITES, WILL IMPLEMENT THE MODEL. THROUGH A LEARNING COLLABORATIVE GROUNDED IN IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE, F-TACC WILL BUILD EACH SITE’S CAPACITY TO CONDUCT FAMILY ASSESSMENTS; DEVELOP PRODUCTS AND VIDEO RESOURCES FOR PARTICIPATING AND OTHER NCTSN SITES; ESTABLISH AN ADVISORY BOARD; COLLABORATE WITH NCTSN CATEGORY II AND III SITES; AND CREATE A NATIONWIDE NETWORK OF FAMILY TRAUMA ASSESSMENT CENTERS.

CAREER: CHARACTERIZING THE MECHANISM OF COPPER EXCHANGE IN COPPER TRANSFER PROTEINS

INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES AND IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCES

THE RAPIDLY GROWING GLOBAL DEMAND FOR PACKAGING MATERIALS IS PROPELLING THE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS AIMED AT SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING. IN ALIGNMENT WITH THIS, OUR RESEARCH SEEKS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVEPACKAGING MATERIALS THAT INCORPORATE FUNGAL PROCESSING AND MODEL-GUIDED MATERIAL SYNTHESIS TO UPCYCLE LIGNOCELLULOSE WASTE FOR MATERIAL MANUFACTURING. MYCELIUM COMPOSITE (MC) MATERIALS ARE APPEALING SOLUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING, AS THEY NOT ONLY TRANSFORM LIGNOCELLULOSE BUT ALSO POSSESS EXTENSIVE AND PROGRAMMABLE MATERIAL PROPERTIES; THUS, THEY ARE POISED TO ADDRESS THE HIGH-CARBON, HIGH-ENERGY ISSUES OF CONVENTIONAL MATERIALS AND ENHANCE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. OUR RECENT ADVANCEMENTS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT MYCELIUM-PLANT BIOMASS MATERIALS ARE HIGHLY FABRICABLE FOR PRODUCING SHEET-LIKE MATERIALS THAT FEATURE COMPETITIVE PACKAGING CHARACTERISTICS. TO FURTHER ADVANCE THIS RESEARCH, HERE WE PROPOSE SYNERGIZING AI AND SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY TECHNOLOGIES TO ADVANCE THE DISCOVERY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES VITAL FOR MANUFACTURING BIOMATRIX COMPOSITE MATERIALS. WE AIM TO DELINEATE THE MECHANISTIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE FUNGAL BIOPROCESS AND MATERIAL PROPERTY, EXPEDITING THE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS IN MC MATERIALS. THE RESEARCH INTENDS TO MAXIMIZE NATURAL RESOURCES UTILIZATION EFFICIENCY AND ADVANCE BIOMAUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES AND AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS BY PURSUING THREE PRIORITY ASPECTS: 1) ESTABLISHING A ROBUST AND TRANSFORMATIVE MANUFACTURING PIPELINE FOR UPCYCLING LIGNOCELLULOSE AND MAKING MCPACKAGINGPRODUCTS; 2) DEVELOPING A MODEL-GUIDED METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING LOW-COST, ADVANCED MC PACKAGING MATERIALS; 3) CONDUCTING COMPREHENSIVE TECHNO-ECONOMIC, MARKET, AND LIFE CYCLE ANALYSES TO ENSURE COMMERCIAL VIABILITY. ULTIMATELY, OUR GOAL IS TO DELIVER COMMERCIALLY VIABLE BIOMATERIALS THAT MEET THE EMERGING INDUSTRIAL NEEDS FOR SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING, ENHANCING THE CIRCULARITY OF THE AGRO-ECONOMY.

EFFECT OF GUIDANCE SURFACES ON TRAVELERS WITH VISION AND MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS

CAREER: FROM FUNDAMENTAL INTERACTIONS TO EMERGENT PHENOMENA: GEOMETRICAL ASPECTS OF NUCLEAR DYNAMICS

ENHANCED OSTEOINTEGRATION OF PEEK IMPLANTS THROUGH DUAL SURFACE MODIFICATION - PROJECT SUMMARY THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ADDRESS A CRITICAL BARRIER IN ORTHOPEDIC IMPLANT PERFORMANCE BY ENHANCING THE OSTEOINTEGRATION OF POLYETHERETHERKETONE (PEEK), A CLINICALLY PROMISING YET BIOLOGICALLY INERT MATERIAL. WHILE PEEK OFFERS FAVORABLE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES, RADIOLUCENCY, AND BIOCOMPATIBILITY, ITS LACK OF BIOACTIVITY AND TENDENCY TO PROVOKE PRO-INFLAMMATORY IMMUNE RESPONSES LIMIT ITS LONG-TERM CLINICAL SUCCESS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH INTRODUCES A NOVEL, DUAL-FUNCTION SURFACE MODIFICATION STRATEGY THAT INTEGRATES PRECISELY CONTROLLED MICROSCALE POROSITY WITH A BIOACTIVE MINERALIZED COLLAGEN COATING EMBEDDED WITH MICRORNA-26A (COLL/HA–MIR- 26A). THIS INNOVATIVE APPROACH IS DESIGNED TO REPLICATE THE MICROARCHITECTURE OF NATIVE BONE RESORPTION PITS, SUPPORT OSTEOBLAST ATTACHMENT AND DIFFERENTIATION, AND MODULATE MACROPHAGE POLARIZATION TOWARD THE REGENERATIVE M2 PHENOTYPE. THE PROJECT IS STRUCTURED AROUND THREE INTERRELATED AIMS: IN AIM 1 WE WILL FABRICATE AND CHARACTERIZE MODIFIED PEEK IMPLANTS USING NACL LEACHING TO GENERATE OSTEOCLAST-INSPIRED MICROSCALE POROSITY, FOLLOWED BY LOW-TEMPERATURE ADSORPTION OF COLL/HA–MIR-26A TO CREATE A BIOACTIVE AND IMMUNOMODULATORY SURFACE. IN AIM 2, WE WILL EVALUATE OSTEOBLAST RESPONSE TO THE MODIFIED SURFACES, FOCUSING ON MIR-26A UPTAKE, PROLIFERATION, OSTEOGENIC DIFFERENTIATION, AND ACTIVATION OF WNT/Β-CATENIN SIGNALING. IN AIM 3, WE WILL ASSESS MACROPHAGE ADHESION, PHENOTYPE POLARIZATION, AND CYTOKINE EXPRESSION, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SUPPRESSING M1-DRIVEN INFLAMMATION AND PROMOTING M2-MEDIATED TISSUE REGENERATION. MECHANISTIC STUDIES WILL ELUCIDATE HOW THE DUAL-MODIFIED SURFACE INFLUENCES OSTEOIMMUNE CROSSTALK, OFFERING INSIGHT INTO THE BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS CRITICAL FOR IMPLANT INTEGRATION. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES WILL ESTABLISH A SCALABLE AND TRANSLATIONALLY VIABLE SURFACE ENGINEERING PLATFORM FOR NEXT-GENERATION PEEK IMPLANTS, PARTICULARLY SUITED FOR PATIENTS WITH IMPAIRED BONE HEALING DUE TO AGING, DIABETES, OR INFLAMMATION-RELATED CONDITIONS. MOREOVER, THE PROJECT WILL SERVE AS A ROBUST EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM, ENGAGING MEDICAL STUDENTS, RESIDENTS, AND UNDERGRADUATES IN CUTTING-EDGE INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AT THE INTERFACE OF MATERIALS SCIENCE, IMMUNOLOGY, AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LEARNING ACROSS THE EXPERT-NOVICE CONTINUUM: COGNITION IN THE GEOSCIENCES

MECHANISM OF A HYPOTHIOCYANOUS ACID REDUCTASE - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM DEPLOYS A SUITE OF OXIDANTS TO COMBAT INFECTION BY BACTERIAL PATHOGENS AND CONTROL THE HUMAN MICROBIOME. AMONG THESE ARE HYPOTHIOCYANOUS ACID (HOSCN), A POTENT THIOL-SPECIFIC OXIDANT CAPABLE OF KILLING MANY BACTERIA. UNLIKE OTHER IMMUNE-DERIVED OXIDANTS, HOSCN IS NON-TOXIC TO HUMAN CELLS AND IS CONSTANTLY PRODUCED IN SALIVA, TEARS AND EPITHELIAL FLUIDS LINING THE RESPIRATORY TRACT AS A DEFENSE AGAINST BACTERIAL COLONIZATION. WE RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT MANY HUMAN-COLONIZING BACTERIA EXPRESS A FLAVIN-DEPENDENT HOSCN REDUCTASE (HAR) THAT RAPIDLY NEUTRALIZES HOSCN UPON REDUCTION WITH NAD(P)H, PROVIDING RESISTANCE AGAINST HOSCN TOXICITY. HAR IS A MEMBER OF THE FLAVOPROTEIN DISULFIDE REDUCTASE (FDR) FAMILY, ALBEIT WITH AN UNUSUAL FUNCTION, AS THESE ENZYMES TYPICALLY CATALYZE THE REVERSIBLE REDUCTION OF DISULFIDE-CONTAINING SUBSTRATES. HAR IS ALSO FOUND IN MAJOR HUMAN PATHOGENS LIKE STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS, STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE AND ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7, FOR WHICH ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IS A GROWING THREAT, AND DELETION OF THE HAR GENE DRAMATICALLY ATTENUATES S. PNEUMONIAE COLONIZATION IN MOUSE MODELS, ESTABLISHING HAR AS AN IMPORTANT VIRULENCE FACTOR. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ELUCIDATE THE CHEMICAL AND CATALYTIC MECHANISMS OF HAR. THE FIRST AIM INVOLVES MUTAGENESIS AND STOPPED-FLOW KINETICS TO IDENTIFY REACTION INTERMEDIATES AND DETERMINE THE ROLE OF HAR-SPECIFIC ACTIVE SITE RESIDUES IN THE MECHANISM OF HOSCN REDUCTION BY HAR. THE SECOND AIM UTILIZES TRANSIENT KINETICS AND MEASUREMENT OF KINETIC ISOTOPE EFFECTS TO DEFINE THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS THAT OCCUR DURING HAR’S REACTION WITH NAD(P)H. THE THIRD AIM SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM BEHIND HAR’S ABILITY TO USE BOTH NADPH AND NADH AS A REDUCTANT, WHICH IS HIGHLY UNUSUAL AMONG FDR FAMILY ENZYMES. PROTEIN ENGINEERING WILL BE USED TO GENERATE HAR VARIANTS WITH ALTERED NADPH/NADH SPECIFICITY, AND THESE WILL BE USED TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT HAR’S LAX PYRIDINE NUCLEOTIDE SPECIFICITY IS CRITICAL FOR ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE RESISTANCE AGAINST HOSCN. TOGETHER, THESE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES WILL GENERATE FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHTS INTO A WIDESPREAD BACTERIAL DEFENSE MECHANISM AGAINST THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM, PAVING THE WAY FOR DEVELOPING INHIBITORS TARGETING HAR FUNCTION. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL ENRICH THE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT AT A REGIONAL UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION, EXPOSING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO MERITORIOUS RESEARCH INVOLVING ENZYMOLOGY AND TRANSIENT KINETICS.

MATERIALS WORLD NETWORK: RATIONAL DESIGN OF METALLIC AND BIMETALLIC NANOPARTICLES FOR OPTO-ELECTROCHEMICAL BIOSENSING

PFI-RP: COMMERCIALIZATION OF AUTOMOTIVE LANE LINE DETECTION SOFTWARE FOR SNOW-COVERED ROADS -THE BROADER IMPACT/COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL OF THIS PARTNERSHIPS FOR INNOVATION ? RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS (PFI-RP) PROJECT IS IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION SAFETY AND USABILITY FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC DURING ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO DEVELOP AND COMMERCIALIZE NEW COMPUTER VISION AND MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO OTHER APPLICATIONS, FACILITATING ENGAGEMENT FROM THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IN ADDRESSING INCLEMENT WEATHER DRIVING PROBLEMS AND ENABLING ENTREPRENEURIAL ENGAGEMENT FROM UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES. ACHIEVEMENT OF SAFE VEHICLE OPERATION IN ADVERSE WEATHER HAS FURTHER IMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WIDESPREAD DEPLOYMENT OF AUTOMATED VEHICLES AND FEATURES INCLUDING IMPROVED EFFICIENCY TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE, IMPROVEMENTS IN GROUND VEHICLES FOR MILITARY APPLICATIONS, AND A STRONGER TRANSPORTATION NETWORK DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT. STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES WILL BE RECRUITED AND RECEIVE TRAINING IN TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGH ENGAGEMENT WITH EXISTING UNIVERSITY-WIDE ORGANIZATIONS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT SEEKS TO DEVELOP AUTOMATED VEHICLE COMPUTER VISION FOR ADVERSE WEATHER WHICH, DESPITE BEING COMMONLY IDENTIFIED AS A NEEDED PRODUCT, HAS RECEIVED RELATIVELY LITTLE ATTENTION IN THE MARKETPLACE. THE PROPOSED TECHNOLOGY UTILIZES AUTOMOTIVE CAMERAS, COMPUTER VISION, SYSTEMS ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES, AND REFINED METHODS OF MACHINE LEARNING WITHOUT AN OVERRELIANCE ON DEEP LEARNING. THE TRANSLATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF COMPUTER VISION ALGORITHMS INTO A FULLY AUTOMATED VEHICLE SYSTEMS WITH EMBEDDED HARDWARE REQUIRES A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH REQUIRING ACADEMIC, INDUSTRIAL, AND ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCE. THE FOUR KEY TECHNICAL BARRIERS INCLUDE DATA SCALE-UP, MODULE IMPROVEMENTS, VEHICLE INTEGRATION, AND USE OF EMBEDDED HARDWARE. BECAUSE THE IDENTIFIED MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT IS DESIGNED FOR SAFE AUTOMATED DRIVING IN SNOW, THE TEAM IS PURSUING WINTER SEASON MILESTONES THAT INCLUDE LARGE DATASET COLLECTION, MODULE IMPROVEMENTS WITH AN ASSOCIATED VEHICLE INTEGRATION DEMONSTRATION, AND A COMPLETE MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT DEMONSTRATION WITH POTENTIAL BUSINESS PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS. THE PROJECT GOAL IS SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIALIZATION OF AN AUTOMOTIVE LANE LINE DETECTION SOFTWARE FOR SNOW-COVERED ROADS. 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.

MONITORING DEEP AQUIFER RESPONSE TO CLIMATIC VARIABILITY USING GRACE DATA

TRIO FUTURE EDUCATOR SUCCESS PROGRAM

ROS SIGNALING IN WOUND HEALING VS TISSUE REPAIR - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT PROPER WOUND HEALING IS CRITICAL FOLLOWING SURGERY AND INJURY, WHILE COMPROMISED HEALING IS A FACTOR IN DISEASES SUCH AS DIABETES, OBESITY, TOBACCO ABUSE, AND MALNUTRITION. AS WELL, TISSUE RESTORATION AFTER HEALING IS LIMITED, SUCH THAT MOST REPAIR LEADS TO SCAR FORMATION AND LOSS OF FUNCTION. WITH MILLIONS AFFECTED AND BILLIONS IN ASSOCIATED CARE COSTS YEARLY, IMPAIRED WOUND HEALING, CHRONIC WOUNDS AND FIBROSIS-RELATED DISEASES REPRESENT A CRITICAL HEALTH BURDEN. DATA REVEALS THAT THE PRESENCE OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS), BYPRODUCTS OF AEROBIC METABOLISM CONTAINING OXYGEN THAT ARE HIGHLY REACTIVE, ARE CRITICAL TO WOUND HEALING OUTCOMES. ROS ARE ALSO NECESSARY FOR CELL SIGNALING AND PLAY A ROLE IN HOST DEFENSE AND INJURY SIGNALING. BUT THE CURRENT EVIDENCE IS CONTRADICTORY, SUGGESTING BOTH POSITIVE (REQUIRED FOR REPAIR AND IMMUNE RECRUITMENT) AND NEGATIVE (PROMOTING CELL DAMAGE) ROLES FOR ROS. FURTHERMORE, IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER WOUND HEALING AND REGENERATION ARE SEPARABLE PROCESSES. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGESTS THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT WOUND-SPECIFIC AND REGENERATIVE-SPECIFIC ROS SIGNALING PATHWAYS AND DEMONSTRATES THE USEFULNESS OF PLANARIANS TO PARSE THE ROLES OF ROS IN TISSUE REPAIR. WHILE ALL MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS POSSESS WOUND RESPONSES AND REPAIR MECHANISMS, THE SIGNALING THAT PROMOTES HEALING AND REGENERATION VERSUS SCARRING REMAINS A MYSTERY. THIS PROPOSAL’S LONG TERM GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW ROS SIGNALING MAY BE MANIPULATED TO REGULATE BOTH WOUND HEALING AND TISSUE REPAIR, IDENTIFYING NEW TARGETS FOR TREATMENT AND REFINING CURRENT THERAPIES FOR BETTER PATIENT OUTCOMES. THIS PROPOSAL’S OBJECTIVE IS TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENCES IN ROS LEVELS AND SIGNALING THAT SWITCH INJURY-INDUCED ROS RESPONSES FROM CONTROL OF WOUND HEALING TO TISSUE REPAIR. WE HAVE TWO HYPOTHESES: 1) THAT DISTINCT ROS-INITIATED SIGNALING PATHWAYS REGULATE WOUND HEALING VERSUS TISSUE REPAIR, AND 2) THAT THE LEVEL AND TIMING OF ROS PRESENT AT THE WOUND SITE DETERMINES WHETHER WOUND HEALING OR REGROWTH OCCURS. THESE WILL BE TESTED WITH TWO SPECIFIC AIMS: AIM 1) TO IDENTIFY WOUND-ONLY VERSUS REGENERATIVE-SPECIFIC EXPRESSION OF ROS-MEDIATED GENES, DETECTING ANY EPISTATIC INTERACTIONS; AND AIM 2) TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ROS LEVELS ON REGENERATION (PROLIFERATION AND TISSUE GROWTH) AND WOUND HEALING (ACTIN-MEDIATED REEPITHELIZATION). IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE AREA MECHANISM, THIS WORK IS DESIGNED TO BE COMPLETED MAINLY BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS—IN ORDER TO FOSTER FUTURE INDEPENDENCE AND TRAIN THEM IN COMMON TECHNIQUES (SUCH AS MICROSURGERY, CLONING, IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION, IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY, AND RNA INTERFERENCE). THESE STUDIES WILL ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF IMPAIRED WOUND HEALING AND FIBROSIS, AND UNCOVER FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF HOW ROS IS UTILIZED DURING REPAIR.

BACTERIAL REGULATION OF ACID RESISTANCE AND AMINO ACID METABOLISM - PROJECT SUMMARY BACTERIA HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COLONIZED ALMOST EVERY NICHE ON THIS PLANET, AND THEIR SUCCESS IS DRIVEN IN LARGE PART BY THEIR ABILITY TO ADAPT TO AND SURVIVE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES. ONE EXAMPLE IS EXCESSIVE PROTONS (OR ACIDITY, LOW PH), WHICH CAN DAMAGE LIPIDS, NUCLEIC ACIDS, AND PROTEINS. BACTERIA THAT COLONIZE THE HUMAN BODY CONTEND WITH MANY DIFFERENT PH GRADIENTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM. ONE WAY THAT BACTERIA SURVIVE THIS STRESS IS BY USING AMINO ACID CATABOLISM TO DE-ACIDIFY THEIR ENVIRONMENT. WE DISCOVERED THAT THE BACTERIAL SECOND MESSENGER C-DI-GMP REGULATES BOTH AMINO ACID METABOLISM AND ACID RESISTANCE IN THE GASTROINTESTINAL BACTERIA E. COLI AND SHIGELLA. ONE OF THESE AMINO ACIDS IS ISOLEUCINE, AND WE HAVE FOUND THAT E. COLI, BUT NOT SHIGELLA, CATABOLIZES ISOLEUCINE TO RESIST ACID STRESS. BACTERIAL ISOLEUCINE-MEDIATED ACID RESISTANCE HAS NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED. IN THIS APPLICATION, WE WILL INVESTIGATE HOW ISOLEUCINE CONTRIBUTES TO ACID RESISTANCE, HOW C- DI-GMP REGULATES ACID RESISTANCE IN THESE TWO ORGANISMS, AND HOW THESE PATHWAYS ARE IMPACTED BY THE EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS OF PATHOADAPTATION. METHODOLOGIES PROPOSED HERE ARE ACCESSIBLE FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS, WHO WILL COMPLETE THE EXPERIMENTS OUTLINED IN THIS PROPOSAL. BECAUSE MANY BACTERIA USE AMINO ACID METABOLISM TO RESIST ACID STRESS, AND BECAUSE C-DI-GMP SIGNALING IS SO WIDELY CONSERVED, FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY WILL BE WIDELY GENERALIZABLE FOR OTHER GASTROINTESTINAL BACTERIA. UNDERSTANDING HOW GASTROINTESTINAL BACTERIA ADAPT TO PH STRESS IS CRITICAL FOR MANY ASPECTS OF HUMAN HEALTH, INCLUDING PROTECTING OUR FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN, PROMOTING SYMBIOTIC BACTERIA, AND CONTROLLING HUMAN PATHOGENS.

IUCRC PHASE I WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY (PARTNER SITE): CENTER FOR PLASTIC, PAPER, AND HYBRID-PACKAGING END-OF-LIFE SOLUTIONS (C3PS) -THE CENTER FOR PLASTIC, PAPER, AND HYBRID-PACKAGING END-OF-LIFE SOLUTIONS (C3PS) WILL ADDRESS SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS RELATED TO THE FATE OF PACKAGING MATERIALS LIKE PLASTICS AND PLASTIC-PAPER HYBRIDS AT THEIR END-OF-LIFE (EOL). PACKAGING IS NECESSARY FOR PROTECTING A PRODUCT?S INTEGRITY, SAFETY, AND QUALITY DURING TRANSPORTATION, STORAGE, AND USE. IT ALSO PRODUCES ABOUT 57 MILLION TONS PER YEAR OF PLASTICS, PAPER, AND PLASTIC-PAPER HYBRIDS IN THE US ALONE CREATING AN GLOBAL, URGENT NEED FOR A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH THAT ADDRESSES THE FULL LIFE CYCLE OF PLASTIC, INCLUDING ITS PRODUCTION, DESIGN, AND END-OF-LIFE DISPOSAL. SUCH CONSIDERATIONS ARE THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF C3PS. C3PS WILL RE-DESIGNING PACKAGING MATERIALS FOR IMPROVED RECOVERY AND RECYCLABILITY, BIODEGRADABILITY AND COMPOSTABILITY AND WASTE REDUCTION THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFECYCLE. THE CENTER WILL ALSO ENSURE THAT NEW AND RE-DESIGNED PLASTIC, PAPER AND HYBRID-PACKAGING MATERIALS CAN BE INTEGRATED WITH EOL DISPOSAL SYSTEMS. THESE EFFORTS WILL HELP TO ESTABLISH THE UNITED STATES AS A GLOBAL LEADER IN SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING THROUGH ZERO-WASTE, CIRCULAR, AND LOW-CARBON SYSTEMS. THE CENTER WILL GENERATE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE BY GENERATING NEW DATA, PROCESSES, AND MATERIALS TO PROMOTE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM INNOVATIONS FOR A ZERO-WASTE PACKAGING ECOSYSTEM THROUGH STRONG COLLABORATION BETWEEN ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS. C3PS IS DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING A DIVERSE SKILLED WORKFORCE THROUGH EDUCATION AND HANDS-ON TRAINING, THUS EQUIPPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROFESSIONALS AND TECHNICAL LEADERS TO SPEARHEAD ADVANCEMENTS IN SUSTAINABLE, ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE PACKAGING. THROUGH THESE ACTIVITIES, C3PS SUPPORTS THE MISSION OF NSF TO PROMOTE THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE AND ADVANCE NATIONAL HEALTH, WELFARE, AND PROSPERITY C3PS GOAL IS TO ADVANCE THE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING OF MATERIALS THAT CAN BE REUSED OR RECYCLED IN A WAY THAT AVOIDS WASTE OR PRODUCE WASTE THAT ARE PRESENT NO HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. THIS INVOLVES CREATING A PACKAGING ECONOMY THAT IS CIRCULAR, NAMELY ONE THAT REDUCES WASTE AND KEEPS MATERIALS IN USE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE WITH ZERO WASTE STREAMS ALL OF WHICH ARE BENIGN. THE CENTER?S RESEARCH IS STRUCTURED AROUND TWO PRIMARY AREAS OF FOCUS. THE FIRST SEEK TO CREATE ZERO-WASTE, SAFE PLASTIC PACKAGING SOLUTIONS VIA THE DESIGN OF RECYCLABLE AND BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS, AND IMPROVED, COST-EFFECTIVE PLASTIC RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES. THE SECOND FOCUS AREA EMPHASIZES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SAFE, RECYCLABLE, AND BIODEGRADABLE PAPER AND PAPER-PLASTIC HYBRID MATERIALS FOR PACKAGING, NEW RECYCLING METHODS FOR EMERGING PAPER-PLASTIC HYBRID PRODUCTS, DEVELOPING RECYCLABLE PAPER ADDITIVES, AND VALUABLE PRODUCTS FROM RECYCLED PAPER. C3PS WILL FOSTER COLLABORATION ACROSS THE ENTIRE PACKAGING VALUE CHAIN FROM RAW MATERIALS TO NEW PRODUCTS AND MANUFACTURING APPROACHES, TO ENSURE THAT INDUSTRY ADOPTS NEW SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS ON A LARGE SCALE. TO DRIVE INNOVATIONS, C3PS WILL BRING TOGETHER EXPERTS IN PACKAGING, MATERIALS SCIENCE, PREDICTIVE MODELING, BIODEGRADATION, MANUFACTURING, RECYCLING, REGULATORY SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES. C3PS WILL HELP TO SPUR SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS MINIMIZING PACKAGING WASTE AND FOSTERING A CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR PACKAGING MATERIALS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

SPECIAL EDUCATION-PERSONNEL PREPARATION TO IMPROVE SERVICES AND RESULTS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES - COMBINED PRIORITY FOR PERSONNEL PREPARATION

BIORETS: RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHERS IN THE BIOLOGY OF PLANTS, ANIMALS, MICROORGANISMS, AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS -THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS BIORETS PROGRAM AT WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY IS TO PROVIDE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN WITH AUTHENTIC RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND TRANSFORMATIVE CURRICULAR IMPROVEMENT AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. THIS BIORETS SITE OFFERS AN INTENSIVE SEVEN-WEEK SUMMER EXPERIENCE FOR 12 TEACHERS PER YEAR IN JUNE TO AUGUST. TEACHERS WILL CONDUCT AUTHENTIC RESEARCH REVOLVING AROUND A UNIFYING THEME: HOW BIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS INTERACT WITH OTHER ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS. THE SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WILL BE COMPLEMENTED WITH FACULTY RESEARCH SEMINARS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS, DEMONSTRATIONS OF HANDS-ON LABORATORY TEACHING MODULES, LUNCH TIME DISCUSSIONS ON RESEARCH AND CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT, WRITTEN CURRICULAR MATERIALS, POSTER PRESENTATIONS ON RESEARCH AND CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT, AND AFTER-SUMMER CLASSROOM VISITS. AN EXTERNAL EVALUATION TEAM WILL ASSESS PROGRAM PROGRESS, DETERMINE PROGRAM IMPACTS ON TEACHER PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR STUDENTS, AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK FOR IMPROVEMENT. THE BROADER IMPACTS OF THIS BIORETS PROGRAM INCLUDE: (1) BROADEN PARTICIPATION OF UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUPS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM); (2) ADVANCE DISCOVERY AND UNDERSTANDING IN THE BIOLOGY OF PLANTS, ANIMALS, MICROORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS; (3) ENHANCE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION; (4) DISSEMINATE CURRICULAR MATERIALS CREATED DURING THE BIORETS SESSION TO A WIDE AUDIENCE. THIS BIORETS PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE A SUPPORTIVE ATMOSPHERE FOR TEACHER PARTICIPANTS TO PERFORM CAPTIVATING, AUTHENTIC, AND INDEPENDENT SUMMER RESEARCH. THE HANDS-ON RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND COMPLEMENTARY FACULTY RESEARCH SEMINARS ARE EXPECTED TO DEEPEN TEACHERS? RESEARCH LITERACY AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. IN ADDITION, TEACHERS WILL EXPERIENCE TEAMWORK AND EXPERIMENTS THAT LEAD TO THE GENERATION OF NEW RESEARCH IDEAS AND APPROACHES. TEACHERS? SUMMER RESEARCH PROJECTS ARE ORGANIZED INTO SIX TOPICS: (1) PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS, (2) ANIMAL-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS, (3) MICROBE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS, (4) PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS, (5) ANIMAL-MICROBE INTERACTIONS, AND (6) PLANT-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS. SUCH PROJECTS ARE DESIGNED TO HELP TEACHERS TO GAIN A HOLISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE MULTIFACETED INTERACTIONS AMONG LIVING ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS, AND TO IDENTIFY THEIR OWN CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE OVERALL RESEARCH THEME. COMPONENTS OF THESE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE IMPLEMENTABLE IN COLLEGE LABORATORY CLASSROOMS; THEREFORE, THE TEACHERS WILL NOT ONLY LEAVE WITH DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE RESEARCH TOPIC AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD BUT ALSO WITH A SET OF PRACTICAL TEACHING MODULES TO TRANSFER TO THEIR OWN CLASSROOMS. FACULTY MENTORS, GRADUATE STUDENTS, AND LAB COORDINATORS AT WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH TEACHER PARTICIPANTS TO TRANSLATE THEIR RESEARCH EXPERIENCES INTO CURRICULAR CHANGES. SUCH CHANGES ARE EXPECTED TO ENRICH TEACHERS? CLASSROOM TEACHING PRACTICES, INSPIRE A LARGER NUMBER OF MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, INCLUDING UNDER-REPRESENTED MINORITY STUDENTS, TO CONSIDER HIGHER EDUCATION AND CAREERS IN STEM, ESPECIALLY IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. 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.

ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DOLOMITE & ROCK FABRIC, MICHIGAN BASIN

EMIT FOR LITHOLOGIC MAPPING MINERAL EXPLORATION AND TECTONIC INVESTIGATIONS IN ARID LANDS

INVESTIGATION OF IONIC LIQUID MONOPROPELLANT PLASM USING OPTICAL DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INCREASING THE IMPACT OF TUES PROJECTS THROUGH EFFECTIVE PROPAGATION STRATEGIES: A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR PIS