Research Highlights
LOUISIANA: Despite variant's contagion, research shows us the way to fight coronavirus
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette played a key role in helping to develop Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine and has used its research to help the city of New Orleans create a COVID-19 action plan to vaccinate remote residents and to reduce the virus' spread. "We do research for a reason. For us, there is nothing more impactful, meaningful or urgent," said Ramesh Kolluru, vice president of research, innovation and economic development. More
ARKANSAS: Researchers Find Potential Cause of ‘Long Haul’ COVID-19 Symptoms
A research team at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has identified a potential cause of long-lasting symptoms experienced by COVID-19 patients, often referred to as “long-haulers.” At the heart of the team’s findings is an antibody that shows up weeks after an initial infection and attacks and disrupts a key regulator of the immune system. The Little Rock scientists published their findings this month in the journal, The Public Library of Science ONE (PLOS ONE). More
PUERTO RICO: New Space Grant Consortium student program
NASA PR Space Grant Consortium announces a new program for students entitled, “Here to Observe”. Consortium Director, Dr. Gerardo Morell, explained that the program will offer university students the opportunity to interact with a NASA scientist or engineer who will be their mentor, learn how NASA planetary missions are conceptualized and developed, participate in NASA Science and professional development seminars, and to be part of the network of NASA planetary missions members, as well as additional professional and personal development experiences.
NORTH DAKOTA: EPSCoR funds purchasing new equipment
A group of North Dakota State University faculty and libraries staff received financial support from the ND EPSCoR State Office STEM grants program to purchase two portable 3D laser scanners. These are now available for checkout at the NDSU Digital Fabrication Lab to all faculty, staff, and students. To learn more about this service, please visit the NDSU Libraries Data Visualization Lab website.
NEBRASKA: Researcher chosen for Research Leaders Program
Nebraska EPSCoR researcher Xia Hong is among fifteen University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members to have been selected to participate in the second cohort of the Office of Research and Economic Development’s Research Leaders Program.
IDAHO: New NSF EPSCoR Project Overview Video
Idaho EPSCoR has created a new video with an overview of GEM3, their NSF EPSCoR research program which seeks to understand how genetic diversity and phenotypic plasticity affect species response (particularly Redband Trout and sagebrush) to environmental change, shaping both population response and adaptive capacity.
HAWAI‘I: Future of water source project
The future of Oʻahu’s primary water source may be in jeopardy if current water withdrawal rules remain unchanged. This work is being studied by a team from the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO) in the College of Social Sciences, the Water Resources Research Center (WRRC), the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Pacific RISA and the NSF EPSCoR-funded ʻIke Wai project at UH.
GUAM: EPSCoR students and researchers clean beach
Students and researchers from the UOG Marine Laboratory-Guam EPSCoR came out on a recent Saturday morning to clean up a part of Pago Bay. The beach cleanup was organized by Anela Duenas, an NSF INCLUDES: SEAS Islands Alliance research fellow who is being mentored by Dr. Bastian Bentlage.
GUAM: Guam NSF EPSCoR plants trees as part of conservation movement
The growing reforestation movement was in full display as more than 2,000 trees were planted in the hills of Malesso’ on July 24 by the Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps, a joint program of the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability, the Office of the Governor, and Guam NSF EPSCoR’s Education and Workforce Development objective.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Clemson researcher developing new line of wheat to withstand Southeast growing conditions
Year-to-year weather variability is creating challenges for wheat growers, and Clemson University researcher Rick Boyles is working to determine how to develop new wheat lines that can withstand environmental changes and produce under tough conditions.
Part of his plan includes developing a new line of soft winter wheat. But this could take years. To help move things along, Boyles, an assistant professor of plant breeding and genomics and head of the Cereal Grains Breeding and Genetics Program at Clemson’s Pee Dee Research and Education Center (REC), has received a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) to study ways to incorporate genomics into wheat development for the southeastern United States.