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July 2024 Grants and Awards

Metal Organic Framework Smart Drug Delivery Vehicles for the Next Generation of Personalize Patient Care

Principal Investigator:
Amanda Morris
Professor
Department of Chemistry
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$200,000

Sponsor:
Commonwealth Health Research Board

O-Linked Glycosylation and Microvesicle Shedding in Breast-to-Bone Metastasis

Principal Investigator:
LaDeidra M. Roberts
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$20,000

Sponsor:
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Vinyl Addition Polymerization of Norbornene-Benzoladderenes

Principal Investigator:
John Matson
Professor
Department of Chemistry
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$125,000

Sponsor:
American Chemical Society

An Alternative View of Japan's Migration Governance through the Lens of Foreign-Born Eldercare Workers

Principal Investigator:
Deborah J. Milly
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$35,000

Sponsor:
National Endowment for the Humanities

Developing Predictive Analysis for Cognitive Impairment and Chronic Pain Interactions: A Preliminary Step Towards Integrated Care

Principal Investigator:
Huaiyang Zhong
Assistant Professor
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$50,000

Sponsor:
Virginia Center on Aging

Children's National Research Institute Wu Inter-Personnel Agreement

Principal Investigator:
Michael J. Friedlander
Executive Director, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

Total Anticipated:
$249,300

Sponsor:
Childrens National Hospital

Impacts of Current Agricultural Management on Plant and Pollinator Microbial Communities in Pumpkins Agroecosystem

Principal Investigator:
James M. Wilson
Extension Apiculturist
Entomology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$120,000

Sponsor:
United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture

In Vitro Fate of Toxic Alkaloids When Digested with Different Tannin Sources

Principal Investigator:
John H. Fike
Professor
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$14,600

Sponsor:
Virginia Cattle Industry Board

Quantifying the Cost of Moving a Patient for Limited Specialized or Shared Resources

Principal Investigator:
Sol I. Lim
Assistant Professor
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$18,000

Sponsor:
Baxter International Inc.

Wildfire Resilience On Hawaiian Islands: Risk-Aware EmergeNcy PArtial Microgrid Shutoff (OHANA)

Principal Investigator:
Ali Mehrizi-Sani
Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$80,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Integrated Pest Management for Cereal Aphid and Barley Yellow Dwarf Control in the Eastern and Southeastern US

Principal Investigator:
Arash Rashed
Director, Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Agriculture Experiment Station

Total Anticipated:
$290,000

Sponsor:
United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Overcoming Barriers to Adoption of Peer Instruction in Undergraduate CS

Principal Investigator:
Margaret O. Ellis
Associate Professor of Practice
Department of Computer Science
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$62,794

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Development of Two-Rowed Winter Malt Barley Cultivars for the Eastern U.S.

Principal Investigator:
Nicholas Santantonio
Assistant Professor
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$5,000

Sponsor:
American Malting Barley Association Inc.

Estimating Use-Values of Agricultural and Horticultural Land in Virginia

Principal Investigator:
Jennifer Friedel
Associate Professor of Practice
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$225,000

Sponsor:
Virginia Department of Taxation

Mechanism of Autoregulation of the Signaling Adaptor Phafin2

Principal Investigator:
Daniel G. Capelluto
Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$3,000

Sponsor:
The Virginia Academy of Science

Mussel Reestablishment as a Best Management Practice: Scaling their Nutrient Effects from the Individual to the Stream

Principal Investigator:
Sally Entrekin
Professor
Department of Entomology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$392,529

Sponsor:
Resource Protection Group Inc.

Systematic Design of Polymer-Ionic Composite Particles for Carbon Capture

Principal Investigator:
Louis A. Madsen
Professor
Department of Chemistry
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$5,500

Sponsor:
Virginia Space Grant Consortium

Neural Dynamics of REM Sleep in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Principal Investigator:
Sujith Vijayan
Associate Professor
School of Neuroscience
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$60,000

Sponsor:
Army Contracting Command

Defining Amino Acid Metabolism in Disease Challenged Pigs

Principal Investigator:
Samer W. El-Kadi
Associate Professor
School of Animal Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$225,000

Sponsor:
United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture

I-Corps: Market Investigation of Back Exoskeleton Technology

Principal Investigator:
Alan T. Asbeck
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$50,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Investigating Melatonin Supplementation in Vivo and in Vitro to Improve Oocyte Quality and Embryo Development in Cattle

Principal Investigator:
Alan D. Ealy
Associate Professor
School of Animal Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$225,000

Sponsor:
United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Serological Prevalence of Ovine Progressive Pneumonia in Southwest Virginia

Principal Investigator:
Sierra R. Guynn
Clinical Assistant Professor
Veterinary Medical Research and Graduate Studies
College of Veterinary Medicine

Total Anticipated:
$10,000

Sponsor:
Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research

Tolerance of Edamame to Soybean Herbicides, and Weed Management

Principal Investigator:
Vijay Singh
Assistant Professor
Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Agriculture Experiment Station

Total Anticipated:
$21,874

Sponsor:
Virginia Agricultural Council

Resolving Cellular Functions of Arginine Methylation

Principal Investigator:
Kathleen M. Mulvaney
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

Total Anticipated:
$1,980,039

Sponsor:
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Student Conference Support for 2024 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Symposium on Security and Privacy

Principal Investigator:
Thang Hoang
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$10,000

Sponsor:
United States Army Research Laboratory

Profiling Malarial Lipid Biosynthesis and Key Acyl-Coenzyme A Synthetase Activities with Fatty Acid Alkynes

Principal Investigator:
Michael W. Klemba
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$379,554

Sponsor:
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

IR-4 IS00427.24-VA01 Crucifer Flea Beetle/Cabbage (Organic)

Principal Investigator:
Thomas P. Kuhar
Professor
Department of Entomology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$9999.90

Sponsor:
University of Florida

Quantum-Inspired Electronic Structure

Principal Investigator:
Nicholas Mayhall
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$300,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Distributed Computing in Effect: Towards Trustworthy, Resilient and Secure NextG Mobile Networks

Principal Investigator:
Thang Hoang
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$320,799

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Understanding How Catalyst Modification Impacts Performance Thermodynamic and Kinetic Parameters Pertinent to Catalytic Hydrogenation of Polar Carbonyl Bonds

Principal Investigator:
Caroline T. Saouma
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$262,012

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Characterizing a Novel Brucella Small RNA Critical for Cell Envelope Integrity

Principal Investigator:
Clayton C. Caswell
Associate Professor
Veterinary Medical Research and Graduate Studies
College of Veterinary Medicine

Total Anticipated:
$411,010

Sponsor:
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Evaluate New PRE-Herbicide Options for the Control of Broadleaf and Grass Weeds and Management of Volunteer Brassica Plants in Soybean

Principal Investigator:
Vijay Singh
Assistant Professor
Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Agriculture Experiment Station

Total Anticipated:
$19,668

Sponsor:
Virginia Soybean Board

Deployable Behavior-Driven Crypto-Ransomware Detection Enabled by Practical Logging Strategies

Principal Investigator:
Danfeng Yao
Professor
Department of Computer Science
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$600,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Serotonin Modulation of Thalamocortical Dysfunction in Dravet Syndrome

Principal Investigator:
Sharon A. Swanger
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

Total Anticipated:
$200,000

Sponsor:
Commonwealth Health Research Board

Production of High-Protein Ingredient from Brewer's Spent Grain to Replace Fishmeal in Aquaculture Feed

Principal Investigator:
Haibo Huang
Associate Professor
Department of Food Science and Technology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$300,000

Sponsor:
United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Advancing Understanding of Neural Mechanisms of Behavior in Wild Songbirds Using Brain Omics and Gene Manipulation

Principal Investigator:
Kendra Sewall
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$421,043

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

New Approaches for Synthesis of Ultrahigh Temperature Ceramics with Potentially Superior Thermomechanical Properties

Principal Investigator:
Suneel Kumar Kodambaka
Professor and Department Head,
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$450,000

Sponsor:
Army Aberdeen Proving Grounds

Dehydroaromatization (MDA) Process for Feedstock Flexibility and High-on-Stream Time VIA Dynamic Kinetic and Thermodynamic Control

Principal Investigator:
Sheima Khatib
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$1,217,029.80

Sponsor:
United States Department of Energy

Defining a Dystonia Specific Spiking Signature in Cerebellar Nuclei Cells

Principal Investigator:
Meike van der Heijden
Assistant Professor

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

Total Anticipated:
$739,532

Sponsor:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Evaluating Accuracy, Precision, and Efficacy of GPS Sprayer Technology for Targeted Turfgrass Applications

Principal Investigator:
David S. McCall
Associate Professor
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$15,000

Sponsor:
Virginia Agricultural Council

Exploring Macroalgae as Critical Mineral Crops, E=(MC)2

Principal Investigator:
Wencai Zhang
Associate Professor
Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$634,168

Sponsor:
Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy

Developing Low-GN and GN-Zero Malt Barley Varieties for the Eastern United States

Principal Investigator:
Nicholas Santantonio
Assistant Professor
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$69,595

Sponsor:
Virginia Spirits Board

Developing Computational Tools for Cross-Species Single-Cell Genomic Data Comparison and Analysis.

Principal Investigator:
Song Li
Associate Professor
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$1,180,752

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Center for Cyber Science, Management, Applications, Regulation, and Training (Cyber SMART)

Principal Investigator:
Gretchen L. Matthews
Professor and Director, Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Southwest Virginia
Department of Mathematics
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$200,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

A Framework for Safety Assurance in Foundation Models

Principal Investigator:
Ruoxi Jia
Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$500,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Sex Difference in the Integration of Visual Social Stimulus and Emotional Auditory Stimulus

Principal Investigator:
Alexei Morozov
Assistant Professor

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

Total Anticipated:
$440,000

Sponsor:
National Institute of Mental Health

Optimizing Crop Cultivation on the International Space Station by Improving Plant Desiccation-Tolerance with Tardigrade Proteins

Principal Investigator:
Robert C. Wright
Assistant Professor
Biological Systems Engineering
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$6,000

Sponsor:
Virginia Space Grant Consortium

Spectral Finger Printing of Common Plant Biotic and Abiotic Stresses Using Active Optical Surveillance and Artificial Intelligence in a Controlled Environment Agriculture System

Principal Investigator:
Kaylee A. South
Assistant Professor
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$164,050

Sponsor:
Institute for Advanced Learning and Research

Endothelial Signaling in Exercise Metabolism

Principal Investigator:
Siobhan Craige
Assistant Professor
Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$145,288

Sponsor:
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

 

Elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms of Septin-Dependent Drug Response to the Antifungal Caspofungin in the Human Pathogen Aspergillus Fumigatus

Principal Investigator:
Jose M. Vargas-Muniz
Assistant Professor
Biological Sciences
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$2,036,205

Sponsor:
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Strategies to improve cotton production in Virginia

Principal Investigator:
William H. Frame
Associate Professor
Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Agriculture Experiment Station

Total Anticipated:
$23,000

Sponsor:
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Virginia Cotton Board

Influence of Cover Crops and Broadcast Insecticides on Thrips in Cottons

Principal Investigator:
Sean M. Malone
Lead Technician - Field Crops Entomology Program
Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Agriculture Experiment Station

Total Anticipated:
$13,686

Sponsor:
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Virginia Cotton Board

Development of Advanced Quantitative Tools for Laser Radiation Safety Evaluation in Laser Urology

Principal Investigator:
Adam D. Maxwell
Research Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$200,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

JUNO4 Workshop on Networks for Next Generation Smart Society Applications

Principal Investigator:
Walid Saad
Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$15,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

A Novel Assessment Method of Boredom in Broilers

Principal Investigator:
Leonie Jacobs
Associate Professor
School of Animal Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$5,400

Sponsor:
Kinder Ground Foundation Inc.

Local Administration of Particle-Anchored Cytokines as a Safe and Effective Cancer Immunotherapy

Principal Investigator:
Rong Tong
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$379,981

Sponsor:
National Cancer Institute

Bayesian-Optimization-Assisted Discovery of Enantioselective Polymerization Catalysts for Degradable Polyesters

Principal Investigator:
Rong Tong
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$600,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Utilizing Cover Crops to Offset Fertilizer Inputs for Corn in Virginia - Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center Location

Principal Investigator:
William H. Frame
Associate Professor
Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Agriculture Experiment Station

Total Anticipated:
$22,000

Sponsor:
Virginia Corn Board

Center for Wireless Innovation towards Secure, Pervasive, Efficient, and Resilient Next G Networks (WISPER)

Principal Investigator:
Luiz da Silva
Bradley Professor of Cybersecurity and Executive Director, Commonwealth Cyber Initiative
Commonwealth Cyber Initiative
Office of Research and Innovation

Total Anticipated:
$750,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Tunable Wavelength GeSn Laser and Photodetector on Lattice-Matched InAl(Ga)As Buffers for Group-IV Photonics

Principal Investigator:
Mantu K. Hudait
Associate Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering

Total Anticipated:
$450,000

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Optimizing Individualized Feeding to Increase Production And Profit, And Minimize Environmental Impacts Of Dairy Farms

Principal Investigator:
Mark D. Hanigan
David R. and Margaret Lincicome Professor
School of Animal Sciences
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Total Anticipated:
$1,150,000

Sponsor:
United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Paleogeodesy at The Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone - Reconstructing Earthquake Deformation and Rupture Boundaries in Time and Space

Principal Investigator:
Cristina Dura
Assistant Professor
Department of Geosciences
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$499,286

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation

Identifying mRNA Dynamics and CIS-Regulatory Elements that Support Low-Noise Gene Expression

Principal Investigator:
Silke Hauf
Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
College of Science

Total Anticipated:
$457,300

Sponsor:
National Science Foundation