News & Updates

In 2017, Congress reauthorized and funded the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) in order to enhance the capabilities of institutes of higher education in certain states and to increase their number of university researchers, increasing the probability of long-term growth in competitive federal funding.

University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is ranked fifth in the nation in federally financed aerospace engineering research. Overall, UAH has five programs that rank in the top 20 nationally in the annual NSF’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey. These rankings represent federally financed research expenditures for 2018, the latest ranking data available. The NSF survey also revealed that UAH also ranks 11th nationally in NASA-sponsored research and 28th in Department of Defense research.

In September, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a five-year $20 million grant to the South Dakota Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (SD EPSCoR) and the South Dakota Board of Regents. The project, titled “Beyond the 2020 Vision: Building Research, Education and Innovation Partnerships for South Dakota,” will not only advance the study of biofilms in the state, but also spur the development of statewide science education and workforce development infrastructure.

FOA Issue Date: 12/09/2019

Dr. Michael Polito, assistant professor in Louisiana State University’s Department of Oceanography & Costal Sciences, co-lead an investigation with researchers from University of Rhode Island, University of Oxford, University of California-Santa Cruz, and the University of Saskatchewan. The researchers endeavored to better understand how human interference in Antarctic ecosystems affected Antarctic krill, a key food source of penguins.

Levetiracetam, fosphenytoin, and valproate, are three treatment options commonly used by doctors in the emergency room to treat patients with refractory status epilepticus, severe seizures that continue even after benzodiazepine medications are administered. These drugs are effective in controlling seizures in over two-thirds of patients. In a study led by investigators at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Medical University of South Carolina; George Washington University; and University of Virginia, the research shows that all three drugs are equally safe and effective in treating patients with refractory status epilepticus.

Louisiana Tech University is recruiting undergraduate students nationwide to participate in the 2020 Neuronal Networks in Epilepsy and Memory (NeuroNEM) research experience for undergraduates (REU).

A Low Temperature Plasma (LTP) internship program led by The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) that connects undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields from nine Alabama partner universities with Alabama-based industries is preparing for its third round of internships in January.

Scientists have been developing astounding new tools for exploring neural circuits that underlie brain function throughout the first five years of the National Institutes of Health’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative. Now, the NIH has announced its continued support for these projects by funding over 180 new BRAIN Initiative awards, bringing the total 2019 budget for the program to more than $424 million. This work may not only help paralyzed patients to communicate more easily, but also allow neuroscientists to closely examine the brain at work, in real time.

Funding Opportunity Number: 20-504