Research Highlights

Efforts to fight disease-causing bacteria by harnessing their natural predators could be undermined when multiple species occupy the same space, according to a study by Dartmouth College researchers.

When growing in mixed colonies, some harmful bacteria may be able to withstand attacks from the bacteria and viruses that target them by finding protection inside groups of rival species, according to a report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The U.S. National Science Foundation-supported study shows that interactions among multiple bacterial species can be difficult to predict from studying species in isolation.

New research by Joanna Blaszczak of the University of Nevada, Reno and her colleagues shows that hypoxia in rivers and streams is more prevalent across the globe than previously thought. Hypoxia occurs when oxygen levels in surface waters become depleted, which can be harmful to aquatic species and can increase production of greenhouse gases from rivers.

The U.S. National Science Foundation-supported study, published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography Letters, compiles more than 118 million readings of dissolved oxygen and temperature taken from more than 125,000 locations in rivers across six continents and 93 countries. The study spans more than 100 years, from 1900 to 2018.

This spring Kansas State University (KSU), University of Kansas (KU), and Wichita State University (WSU) are piloting a new data science course. But it’s not just for students — 17 community partners also benefit by gaining free data science solutions. The Kansas Data Science Consortium (KDSC) is a key educational pillar of the ARISE project, Kansas NSF EPSCoR’s Track-1 project.

The public is invited to learn more about the KDSC at its first annual conference on April 29, in Lawrence, KS. The event is free, but registration is required.

North Dakota EPSCoR researcher Raj Bridgelall, North Dakota State University, has been named a fellow by the National Academy of Inventors.

Bridgelall holds more than 140 US patents (issued or pending) in the areas of advanced sensing, wireless communications, mobile computing, decision support platforms and their applications in transportation and logistics.

New Hampshire EPSCoR BioMade researcher Ahasan Habib and students, Keene State College, have a new paper, “Tuning Shear Thinning Factors of 3D Bio-Printable Hydrogels Using Short Fiber,” published in Materials.

For #NationalBeanDay (Jan 6), USDA NIFA posted a webpage, “Breeding Better Beans” with impact statements and featuring many EPSCoR jurisdictions.

Wrote the USDA, “Beans have been a food staple for millennia. Research is making sure we can sustainably grow and enjoy beans for years to come.”

The Bin Yu, Chi Zhang, Sigmon, Obata, and Schnable labs from Nebraska NSF EPSCoR collaborated to sequence the paspalum genome, a relative of corn that uses nitrogen more efficiently. Read the paper, “Genome of Paspalum vaginatum and the role of trehalose mediated autophagy in increasing maize biomass,” published in Nature Communications.

Several Alaska NSF EPSCoR Boreal Fires researchers recently attended the American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual meeting in Chicago, IL. AGU supports advocates and professionals in Earth and space sciences. Pictured: Uma Bhatt, Christine Waigl, Elizabeth Fischer, Rick Lader, Cece Borries-Strigle, and Joshua Hostler.

Nebraska EPSCoR RII Track-1 Emergent Quantum Materials and Technologies (EQUATE) researcher Wei Bao and team recently published, “Room-temperature polariton quantum fluids in halide perovskites,” in Nature Communications.

Research was funded in part by an NSF CAREER Award and Nebraska EPSCoR Track-1 funds to Wei Bao. Additional funding support came from the Department of Energy and Office of Naval Research.

Mount Etna, Italy: one of the most active volcanoes in the world. For Boise State University geoscientist Jeffrey Johnson, this volcano's special "voice" is proving key to understanding the linguistics of volcanoes.

Johnson and collaborators studied inaudible infrasound at Mount Etna and identified an infrasonic signal from the volcano, the tune of which changed in the hours leading up to a kilometer-high lava fountain, lasting hours. The NSF-supported researchers published their results in Scientific Reports.