Research Highlights

Alaska EPSCoR Interface of Change researchers are studying clam ecology and population dynamics in Kachemak Bay in partnership with the Seldovia Village Tribe. This week, SVT environmental scientists Katrina Hecks and Stephen Payton are sampling clams at a beach near Seldovia.

Alaska EPSCoR is excited to be partnered with ITOC for their next art-science collaboration, "Coastal Transitions." Check out this interview with Mary Beth Leigh, director of In a Time of Change (ITOC)!

A new tool developed by University of Hawaiʻi researchers allows anyone in the state to generate custom, site-specific climate reports to support decisions related to drought, wildfire and land management—a major step forward in Hawaiʻi’s climate resilience efforts.

Dr. Ai recently received a second-year renewal of his NIH R16 grant entitled, “Targeting cell fusion as a novel strategy to tackle JQ1 resistance in triple negative breast cancer,” in the total amount of $137,333 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Dr. Jacob Downs is a new associate professor in computer science at the University of Montana. With a background in machine learning and numerical modeling regarding environmental systems he is excited to engage with SMART FIRES researchers and inspire the next generation of computer scientists.

Geoff Cook is Associate Professor of Biology and Health Science at New England College and serves as chair of NH EPSCoR's Early Career Research Trainee working group. Geoff has been involved in the New Hampshire INBRE program for many years and can attest to the positive impacts of that program on students, colleagues, and NEC. However, his research is more aligned with that of the National Science Foundation (NSF) making NH-LIFT an exciting and natural fit for his research.

Dr. Galina Glazko, associate professor of biomedical informatics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and AR INBRE Bioinformatics Core Co-Director, and colleague have a new publication, “Improving data interpretability with new differential sample variance gene set tests,” in BMC Bioinformatics.

Dr. Eric Enemark, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and AR INBRE Research Technology Core and Voucher Program Director, and colleague have a new publication, “Structure of the Saccharolobus solfataricus GINS tetramer,” in Structural Biology Communications.

SOCKS Postdoctoral Research Associate, Giulio Burgio, PhD co-authored a recent article published in the May 2025 issue of Nature Communications. The article, "Characteristic Scales and Adaptation in Higher-Order Contagions," presented research from Dr. Burgio's work on SOCKS.

What if a dye could help doctors see cancer cells more clearly—without invasive surgery? That’s exactly what Mississippi State University researcher Dr. Colleen Scott is working on. Her team is developing emissive dyes that glow in the presence of cancer cells, offering a powerful new way for surgeons to locate and remove tumors with precision. And her simplified methods make it easier for scientists everywhere to build on this innovation.