Lomas Blvd

DESCRIPTION:THE AWARD'S PURPOSE IS TO IMPROVE SMALL WATER SYSTEM COMPLIANCE BY PROVIDING TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO RURAL, SMALL, AND TRIBAL SYSTEMS. THE APPLICANT WILL PROVIDE TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN ALL FIFTY STATES AS WELL AS TRIBAL ENTITIES, AND TERRITORIES TO HELP COMMUNITIES AND SMALL WATER SYSTEMS ACHIEVE THEIR TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL, AND FINANCIAL GOALS.ACTIVITIES:THE GRANTEE WILL MITIGATE BARRIERS FOR SYSTEMS IN SMALL, DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES WITH A COMPREHENSIVE INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE TMF CAPACITY THROUGH TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (TA) BLENDING TRADITIONAL AND INNOVATIVE APPROACHES FOR IMPROVING TMF CAPACITY. THESE INCLUDE TRAINING EVENTS (IN-PERSON, VIRTUAL, AND PEER-TO-PEER) FOR STATES, TERRITORIES, AND TRIBES; DIRECT TA EFFORTS; IN-DEPTH, PEER-TO-PEER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; PODCASTS; EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS; BLOGS; SYSTEM WEBSITES; AND RESOURCE AND TOOL CREATION. THE AWARDEE WILL PROVIDE IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SMALL WATER SYSTEMS RANGING FROM LIGHT TOUCH (E.G., ANSWERING QUESTIONS, PROVIDING RESOURCES, HELPING SYSTEMS JOIN THEIR STATE WARN ETC.) TO VERY IN-DEPTH, ON-SITE ASSISTANCE (E.G., LEAD SERVICE LINE INVENTORY AND REPLACEMENT PLAN, CONDUCTING A WATER AUDIT, CREATING AN ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN). THE OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES ARE TARGETED AT INCREASED COMPLIANCE, INCREASED RESILIENCY, LOWER LIFECYCLE OPERATING COSTS, GREATER RETENTION OF INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, AND INCREASED SUCCESS IN ACCESSING INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING FOR SYSTEMS IN SMALL, DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES.SUBRECIPIENT:THE SUBAWARDEES WILL MITIGATE BARRIERS FOR SYSTEMS IN SMALL, DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES WITH A COMPREHENSIVE INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL, AND FINANCIAL (TMF) CAPACITY THROUGH TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, BLENDING TRADITIONAL AND INNOVATIVE APPROACHES FOR IMPROVING TMF CAPACITY. THESE INCLUDE TRAINING EVENTS (IN-PERSON, VIRTUAL, AND PEER-TO-PEER) FOR STATES, TERRITORIES, AND TRIBES; DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE EFFORTS; IN-DEPTH, PEER-TO-PEER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; PODCASTS; EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS; BLOGS; SYSTEM WEBSITES; AND RESOURCE AND TOOL CREATION. OUTCOMES:UNM EFC WILL PRESENT TRAININGS AND PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON TOPICS RELEVANT TO THE SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT AND TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL, AND FINANCIAL CAPACITY. OUTCOMES INCLUDE: INCREASED NUMBER OF SYSTEMS: 1. WORKING TOWARDS ACHIEVING COMPLIANCE WITH SDWA 2. IMPROVING FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AFTER PARTICIPATING IN AN ASSESSMENT OR RATE STUDY 3. COLLABORATING WITH OTHER WATER SYSTEMS (E.G. SHARING RESOURCES, JOINING THEIR STATE WARN) 4. IMPLEMENTING ASSET MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES INCLUDING DATA COLLECTION, CONDITION ASSESSMENT, GOAL SETTING, RISK ANALYSIS, AND LIFE CYCLE COSTING 5. DEVELOPING OANDM, EMERGENCY RESPONSE, OR SUCCESSION PLANS 6. PARTICIPATING IN A WATER LOSS OR ENERGY AUDIT, OR SOURCE WATER PROTECTION ACTIVITIES 7. INTEGRATING CLIMATE CHANGE, HAZARDS, CYBER RISKS, AND RESILIENCE INTO THEIR BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS PRACTICES; IMPLEMENTING MITIGATION MEASURES 8. WITH WEBSITES, MAPS, HYDRAULIC MODELS, LEAD SERVICE LINE INVENTORIES INCREASED KNOWLEDGE OF AND/OR COMPETENCY IN: 9. RATE EQUITY, AFFORDABILITY, FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY, FUNDING SOURCES AND APPLICATIONS 10. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, SYSTEM OPERATIONS, CYBERSECURITY AND RESILIENCY PLANNING 11. LEADERSHIP, STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESSION PLANNING 12. WATER CONSERVATION, WATER LOSS, SOURCE WATER PROTECTION AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES ARE OPERATORS AND MANAGERS.

UNM FIRST: PROMOTING INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE IN NEUROSCIENCE AND DATA SCIENCE - OVERALL SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH) HAVE INDICATED A CLEAR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSIFYING THE NATIONAL BIOMEDICAL WORKFORCE. YET, THE RECRUITMENT, ADVANCEMENT, AND RETENTION OF HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED AND UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY (URM) FACULTY REMAINS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITHIN ACADEMIA. THE NIH FACULTY INSTITUTIONAL RECRUITMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION (FIRST) INITIATIVE AIMS TO TRANSFORM INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE BY DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCHERS AND SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE COMMITTED TO INCREASING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE. THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO (UNM) IS A HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION, AND A CARNEGIE VERY HIGH RESEARCH ACTIVITY INSTITUTION. THUS, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF A DIVERSE BIOMEDICAL FACULTY WORKFORCE AT UNM WILL ALIGN WITH THE NIH MISSION AND WILL PROMOTE INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE IN A MAJORITY-MINORITY STATE WHERE DIVERSE FACULTY REPRESENTATION WILL OFFER ROLE MODELS FOR FEMALE AND URM TRAINEES. RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT SYSTEMIC TRANSFORMATION OF INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE REQUIRES THE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF DIVERSE FACULTY THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES, AS WELL AS THE EDUCATION OF ALL FACULTY AND ADMINSTRATORS IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION. THE PROPOSED UNM FIRST PROGRAM WILL HIRE NINE EARLY CAREER FACULTY ACROSS SIX DEPARTMENTS IN THE UNM COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. THE COHORT WILL CONSIST OF TWO INTERDISCIPLINARY CLUSTERS: NEUROSCIENCE AND DATA SCIENCE. THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THIS FACULTY COHORT MODEL WILL SUCCESSFULLY HIRE AND RETAIN A DIVERSE COHORT OF EARLY CAREER FACULTY AND THE CHANGES IMPLEMENTED AS PART OF THE UNM FIRST PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT THE ENHANCEMENT OF INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE PRACTICES ACROSS UNM. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THE UNM FIRST PROGRAM IS TO INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OF THE BIOMEDICAL FACULTY WORKFORCE AT NIH WHILE BUILDING ON RECENT PROGRESS TOWARD INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE IN OUR INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE. OUR SPECIFIC AIMS ARE: TO RECRUIT, PROMOTE, AND RETAIN A DIVERSE COHORT OF BIOMEDICAL FACULTY (AIM 1); AND TO SYSTEMICALLY TRANSFORM UNM INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE (AIM 2). THE UNM FIRST LEADERSHIP TEAM INCLUDES FIVE FEMALE LEADERS AT UNM WITH SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE IN NIH-FUNDED RESEARCH, FACULTY DEVELOPMENT, FACULTY HIRING AND PROMOTION, AND INSTITUTIONAL POLICYMAKING. THE UNM LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING A NEW INSTITUTIONAL INNOVATION IMPLEMENTATION BOARD (I3 BOARD; THE SENIOR VICE PROVOST, VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH, ASSOCIATE PROVOST FOR FACULTY SUCCESS, COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES DEAN, AND THE ADVANCE DIRECTOR) THAT WILL BE CREATED TO SUPPORT THE UNM FIRST PROGRAM, WILL BE POISED TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE UNM FIRST LEADERSHIP TEAM IN ITS COMMITMENT TO ENHANCE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE AT UNM. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSED UNM FIRST PROGRAM IS THAT A DIVERSE COHORT OF NIH-FUNDED BIOMEDICAL FACULTY DEVOTED TO INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE WILL ACHIEVE SUCCESS AS FACULTY IN THE UNM COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, THAT UNM WILL BECOME AN INSTITUTION WHERE INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE IS PERMANENTLY ESTABLISHED, AND THAT UNM FACULTY, INCLUDING UNM FIRST FACULTY, WILL TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF DIVERSE NIH-FUNDED SCIENTISTS.

E-CORE RII: RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE OPTIMIZATION FOR NEW MEXICO -THIS COLLABORATIVE PROJECT IS LED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO IN COLLABORATION WITH NAVAJO TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (NTU), NEW MEXICO TECH (NMT), CENTRAL NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY COLLEGE (CNMCC), AND NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY (NMSU). THE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE OPTIMIZATION FOR NEW MEXICO (RIO-NM) PROJECT SEEKS TO CREATE A MORE INTERCONNECTED, INCLUSIVE, AND INNOVATIVE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT. RIO-NM WILL LINK THE EXISTING RESEARCH ECOSYSTEM IN NEW MEXICO WITH EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTES (ERIS), INCLUDING HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS (HSIS) AND TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (TCUS). THE PROJECT FOCUSES ON TWO MAIN AREAS OF NEED AT NEW MEXICO?S ERIS: DEVELOPING CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE AND CREATION OF RESEARCH PATHWAYS. BY ADDRESSING THESE NEEDS, RIO-NM WILL STIMULATE INNOVATION. IN TURN, THIS HAS POTENTIAL TO LEAD TO ECONOMIC GROWTH IN KEY SECTORS RESULTING IN HIGH-VALUE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATES FROM ERIS, PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, THUS IMPROVING THE STANDARD OF LIVING IN NEW MEXICO. RIO-NM IS DEDICATED TO PROMOTING A CULTURE OF INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY, AND EXPANDING PARTICIPATION IN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY ACROSS VARIOUS INDIVIDUALS, INSTITUTIONS, AND SECTORS. THE RIO-NM TEAM WILL FOCUS ON THREE KEY AREAS OF INTERCONNECTIVITY BETWEEN NEW MEXICO?S ERIS AND ITS BROADER RESEARCH ECOSYSTEM: DIGITAL, HUMAN, AND INSTITUTIONAL. TO ACHIEVE THIS INTERCONNECTION, RIO-NM WILL ESTABLISH TWO SPECIALIZED CORES: 1) CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE CORE: FOCUSING ON DIGITAL AND INSTITUTIONAL INTERCONNECTIONS FOR ERIS AND 2) RESEARCH PATHWAYS CORE: CONNECTING RESEARCHERS, FACULTY, AND STUDENTS FROM ERIS WITH RESOURCES AND PROGRAMS STATEWIDE. ADDITIONALLY, AN ADMINISTRATIVE CORE WILL SUPPORT OVERALL COHESION AND PROVIDE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE. TO ACHIEVE ERI INTEGRATION WITH THE STATE'S BROADER ECOSYSTEM, THE CORES WILL EMPLOY THREE MECHANISMS: 1) PILOT PROGRAMS: INITIAL IMPLEMENTATIONS TO TEST CONCEPTS RELATED TO CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE AND RESEARCH PATHWAYS. 2) PILOT RESULTS WORKSHOPS: STATEWIDE WORKSHOPS TO DISCUSS PILOT OUTCOMES AND ENCOURAGE ADOPTION BY OTHER ERIS AND 3) SEED AWARDS: FUNDING PRIMARILY TARGETING ERIS FOR PROJECTS IN CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE, RESEARCH PATHWAYS, AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI). RIO-NM HAS INITIALLY IDENTIFIED FOUR PILOT PROGRAMS, WITH TWO TOPICS IN THE CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE CORE AT NAVAJO TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (NTU) AND NEW MEXICO TECH (NMT), AND TWO IN THE RESEARCH PATHWAYS CORE AT CENTRAL NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY COLLEGE (CNMCC), AND NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY (NMSU). THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE NSF EPSCOR COLLABORATIONS FOR OPTIMIZING RESEARCH ECOSYSTEMS (E-CORE) RII PROGRAM. THE E-CORE RII PROGRAM SUPPORTS JURISDICTIONS IN BUILDING CAPACITY IN ONE OR MORE TARGETED RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE CORES THAT UNDERLIE THE JURISDICTION?S RESEARCH ECOSYSTEM. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

UNM CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH FOR THE ALLIANCE AND NOVELTY OF GEOSPATIAL AND EXPOSURE SCIENCE (CHANGES) CENTER - PROJECT SUMMARY WE PROPOSE THE CREATION OF THE CLIMATE AND HEALTH ALLIED NETWORK FOR GEOSPATIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (CHANGES) EXPLORATORY RESEARCH CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO (UNM). THE OVERALL VISION OF OUR CENTER IS TO SYNERGIZE EXPERTISE IN GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE, HEALTH DATA SCIENCE, EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH TO IDENTIFY – AND ULTIMATELY PREDICT – GAPS IN HEALTH CARE, INFORM POLICIES, AND CREATE ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES TO OPTIMALLY PROTECT OUR VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES IN NEW MEXICO FROM CLIMATE CHANGE. OUR TEAM INCLUDES EXPERTISE IN CULTURALLY-SENSITIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND TOXICOLOGY, CANCER BIOLOGY, DISASTER RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS RESEARCH, GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS, BIOSTATISTICS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC AIMS ARE PROPOSED: 1. I SYNTHESIZE AND INTEGRATE DIVERSE DATASETS AND LEVERAGE CUTTING-EDGE TOOLS FOR GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS TO GEOGRAPHICALLY CONNECT EXPOSURE AND HEALTH OUTCOMES DATA IN ORDER TO DISCOVER PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN PATTERNS; 2. DEVELOP CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE PRACTICES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN CLIMATE HEALTH THAT BENEFIT DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, UNDERSERVED AND UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS, AND KEY STAKEHOLDERS; AND 3. ESTABLISH A SUSTAINABLE TRANSDISCIPLINARY CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN HEALTH CENTER THAT SERVES A MODEL FOR CROSS-CAMPUS TEAM SCIENCE AND CLIMATE CHANGE INTERVENTIONS THAT MAXIMIZE HUMAN HEALTH OUTCOMES. OUR CENTER IS DEDICATED TO LEVERAGING TRANSDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES, SOLUTIONS, AND POLICIES THAT EMPOWER AND PROTECT VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES, NOT ONLY IN NEW MEXICO BUT WORLDWIDE.

TRAILBLAZER: OVERCOMING THE LIGNIN BARRIER FOR VALORIZATION OF FOREST BIOMASS-- A NEW PARADIGM FOR MITIGATION OF CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRES -INCREASED ARIDITY AND WEATHER INSTABILITY DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, ALONG WITH BIOMASS ACCUMULATION DUE TO DECADES OF EFFECTIVE SUPPRESSION OF NATURALLY OCCURRING FIRES, HAVE RESULTED IN MUCH OF THE WESTERN US BEING HIGHLY PRONE TO CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRE. THE PRIMARY CURRENT TOOL FOR MITIGATION OF FOREST-FIRES INVOLVES THINNING FOLLOWED BY ?CONTROLLED? BURNING OF THE RESULTING SLASH. UNFORTUNATELY, SUCH ACTIVITIES HAVE RESULTED IN THE IGNITION OF CATASTROPHIC MEGA-WILDFIRES, WITH SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC DEGRADATION. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT NEED FOR NEW APPROACHES FOR DISPOSAL OF THINNED SLASH, AND AT THE SAME TIME, A GROWING NEED TO REPLACE PETROLEUM-BASED PRODUCTS TO LESSEN THE GREENHOUSE GASES THAT IMPERIL FOREST HEALTH THROUGH CLIMATE CHANGE. CONIFEROUS FORESTS CONTAIN SIGNIFICANT STORES OF POTENTIAL CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCKS SUCH AS CELLULOSE THAT CAN, IN PRINCIPLE, BE READILY CONVERTED TO VALUABLE CHEMICAL PRODUCTS BY BIOPROCESSING METHODS SUCH AS FERMENTATION. THESE FEEDSTOCKS ARE PRESENT IN WOOD IN A CLOSELY ASSOCIATED MATRIX WITH LIGNIN, A COMPLEX CHEMICAL COMPOUND WHICH PROHIBITS LARGE SCALE USAGE OF WOOD IN GREEN CHEMICAL PROCESSES. THIS TRAILBLAZER PROJECT SEEKS TO DEVELOP A GROUNDBREAKING NEW APPROACH TOWARD LIGNIN DEGRADATION THAT WILL UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF WOOD AS A GREEN CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCK. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY WILL REQUIRE A RESEARCH APPROACH INCORPORATING SEVERAL FUNDAMENTAL ADVANCES TO PROVIDE AN EFFICIENT AND TRANSFORMATIVE MEANS FOR USAGE OF WOODY BIOMASS, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE THE ECONOMICS OF FOREST THINNING AS AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE MEANS OF FIRE MITIGATION. THIS PROJECT?S RELEVANCE TO FOREST SUSTAINABILITY WILL SUPERCHARGE ITS BROADENING PARTICIPATION PLAN BY FOCUSING RECRUITMENT, OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS ON NATIVE AMERICAN AND HISPANIC COMMUNITIES THAT RELY ON FOREST HEALTH IN NORTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO, AN AREA WITH SOME OF THE OLDEST COMMUNITIES IN THE NATION AND THAT IS INCREASINGLY AT HIGH RISK FOR DEVASTATION BY CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRES. THIS FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH AIMS TO TACKLE THE ?LIGNIN BARRIER? PROBLEM THROUGH REVOLUTIONARY, ECO-FRIENDLY APPROACHES THAT STEM FROM BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING, SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY, AND MATERIALS SCIENCE. ENZYMES SUCH AS OXIDASES AND PEROXIDASES THAT ARE KNOWN TO BREAK DOWN LIGNIN ARE FOUND IN NUMEROUS FUNGI AND BACTERIA, NATURE?S PRIMARY FOREST PRODUCT RECYCLERS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EXPLOIT, ENGINEER, AND EVOLVE ENZYME-BASED METHODS TO ENABLE EFFICIENT, IRREVERSIBLE BREAKDOWN OF LIGNIN IN MODEL CONIFEROUS FEEDSTOCKS THAT REPRESENT THE TYPICAL MAKEUP OF MOST WESTERN THINNING WASTE. THE FUNDAMENTAL DEVELOPMENTS TO BE ACHIEVED WILL PROVIDE A PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRETREATMENT OF LIGNIN-CONTAINING BIOMASS WELL BEYOND CONIFEROUS WOODY WASTE TO SEVERAL OTHER BIOMASS FEEDSTOCKS. THE KEY STEP OF LIGNIN DEGRADATION WILL ENABLE THE SUCCESS OF MANY PROMISING YET STILL CHALLENGING PROCESSES FOR BIOMASS UTILIZATION, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTION OF BIOFUELS, ENGINEERED LUMBER, BIOPLASTICS AND TEXTILES, PHARMACEUTICALS, COMMODITY CHEMICALS, AND OTHER VALUABLE NATURAL PRODUCTS. WHILE THE FOCUS OF THIS PROJECT IS ON LIGNIN DEGRADATION AS A KEY LIMITING PROCESS FOR UTILIZATION OF WOODY BIOMASS, THE FUNDAMENTAL APPROACHES DEVELOPED WILL FIND UTILITY IN A NUMBER OF OTHER CRITICALLY IMPORTANT BIOCHEMICAL CONVERSIONS, INCLUDING BIOFUEL CELL CATALYSIS, DETOXIFICATION, BIOREMEDIATION, DISINFECTION, AND ENZYMATIC THERAPIES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

NRT-AI: RESPONSIVE AND RESILIENT AI FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (RAISE) -ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND MACHINE LEARNING ENABLED TECHNOLOGIES ARE RAPIDLY GROWING AREAS OF NATIONAL PRIORITY AND ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE. AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS ARE ENGINEERED SYSTEMS WHICH USE AI AND MACHINE LEARNING TO SENSE, COMMUNICATE, REACT, AND ADAPT IN UNPREDICTABLE ENVIRONMENTS. AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS ARE BECOMING VITAL IN A WIDE RANGE OF SYSTEMS, INCLUDING SMART INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS, INTERNET-OF-THINGS TECHNOLOGIES, AND BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH APPLICATIONS. HOWEVER, ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY HAVE OUTPACED THE METHODS USED TO TEACH THESE SKILLS . MOST GRADUATE TRAINING FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS ENGINEERING DOES NOT PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH THE NECESSARY INTERDISCIPLINARY FOUNDATION. FURTHERMORE, TRAINING IN ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IS CRITICAL TO EMBRACING A HUMAN-CENTRIC APPROACH. THIS NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RESEARCH TRAINEESHIP (NRT) AWARD TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO WILL 1) TRAIN STUDENTS IN STATE-OF-THE-ART RESEARCH IN AI AND AUTONOMY, 2) PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO INTEGRATE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF LEARNING AND AI, AS WELL AS KNOWLEDGE OF THE HUMAN CONTEXT, INTO THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS, AND 3) BROADEN PARTICIPATION OF UNDER-REPRESENTED AND FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS. THE PROJECT ANTICIPATES TRAINING 70-80 MS AND PHD STUDENTS, INCLUDING 25 FUNDED TRAINEES, FROM ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING, COMPUTER SCIENCE, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, CIVIL ENGINEERING, AND ORGANIZATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL LEARNING SCIENCES. SOME OF THE MOST PRESSING CHALLENGES IN AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS ARE THE NEED FOR RESILIENCE AND ROBUSTNESS TO ERRORS, AND THE NEED FOR RESPONSIVITY TO THE HUMAN CONTEXT, INCLUDING PRACTITIONER AWARENESS OF BROADER SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL CREATE NOVEL THEORY, METHODS, TOOLS, AND IMPLEMENTATIONS FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING THESE CHALLENGES, ALONG FOUR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH THRUSTS: 1) SPACE AND DEFENSE AUTONOMY, 2) ALGORITHMIC FAIRNESS, 3) ROBOTICS AND INTELLIGENT SWARMS, AND 4) DISTRIBUTED LEARNING FOR EXTREME-SCALE SYSTEMS. TWO PRIMARY GOALS OF THE PROJECT ARE TO DEVELOP STUDENT PROFICIENCY IN INTERDISCIPLINARY TECHNICAL FOUNDATIONS, INCLUDING MACHINE LEARNING, CONTROL THEORY, ROBOTICS AND INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, AND OPTIMIZATION, AND TO DEVELOP STUDENT AWARENESS OF THE HUMAN CONTEXT OF AI AND AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS. THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A NEW GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN AI AND AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS, WHOSE CORNERSTONE IS A TWO-SEMESTER PROJECT-BASED DESIGN COURSE THAT EMPLOYS AN ETHICS-AS-DESIGN APPROACH. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO FEATURE RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT LABS TO BUILD EXPOSURE TO NON-ACADEMIC PIPELINES, AND TO HELP MOTIVATE THE STUDENTS? RESEARCH. ADDITIONAL PROJECT GOALS INCLUDE FOSTERING STUDENTS? PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH ACTIVITIES THAT FOCUS ON COMMUNICATION, TEAMWORK, AND MENTORING. THE NSF RESEARCH TRAINEESHIP (NRT) PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF BOLD, NEW POTENTIALLY TRANSFORMATIVE MODELS FOR STEM GRADUATE EDUCATION TRAINING. THE PROGRAM IS DEDICATED TO EFFECTIVE TRAINING OF STEM GRADUATE STUDENTS IN HIGH PRIORITY INTERDISCIPLINARY OR CONVERGENT RESEARCH AREAS THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE TRAINEESHIP MODELS THAT ARE INNOVATIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED, AND ALIGNED WITH CHANGING WORKFORCE AND RESEARCH NEEDS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

SPACE COMMUNICATIONS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES

DESCRIPTION:THE ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCE CENTER NETWORK TEAM (EFCN TEAM), WHICH INCLUDES SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY EFC, MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY EFC, WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY EFC, AND MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH INSTITUTE, WILL ASSIST SMALL PUBLICLY OWNED TREATMENT WORKS AND ONSITE/DECENTRALIZED WASTEWATER SYSTEMS. THEY AIM TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE WORKPLAN TO ADDRESS THE TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL, AND FINANCIAL CAPACITY CHALLENGES OF THESE COMMUNITIES THROUGH TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. THEIR GOAL IS TO ENHANCE THE INTERNAL TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL, AND FINANCIAL CAPACITY OF SMALL WASTEWATER UTILITIES AND ONSITE/DECENTRALIZED SYSTEMS. THE ASSISTANCE WILL BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL TYPES OF PERSONNEL, INCLUDING THOSE WITH LIMITED ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY, AS WELL AS HOMEOWNERS OR VOLUNTEERS WHO MAY NOT BE WELL-VERSED IN THE OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, AND USE OF THIS TECHNOLOGY. TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WILL BE PROVIDED THROUGH FACE-TO-FACE TRAINING, SITE VISITS, AND VIRTUAL LEARNING APPROACHES. THIS PROJECT WILL BENEFIT COMMUNITIES IN NEED ACROSS THE US, THE US TERRITORIES, AND TRIBAL LANDS.ACTIVITIES:THE EFCN TEAM WILL PROVIDE TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SMALL PUBLICLY OWNED WASTEWATER SYSTEMS AND ONSITE/DECENTRALIZED WASTEWATER SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. TRAINING AND TA WILL BE IN THE FORM OF DIRECT ONE-ON-ONE ASSISTANCE, SITE VISITS AND THROUGH VIRTUAL LEARNING APPROACHES. THEY WILL BE FOCUSED ON TMF CAPACITY, COMPLIANCE, PROMOTING THE SUSTAINABLE AND EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF WASTEWATER SYSTEMS AND IMPROVING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE. THE TRAINING AND TA WILL IMPROVE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE AND BUILD SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS, THEREBY IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH AND WATER QUALITY.SUBRECIPIENT:SUBRECIPIENTS WILL EACH USE THEIR FUNDING FOR TYPICAL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH TA AND TRAINING SUCH AS SALARIES, FRINGE, TRAVEL, AND NORMAL OPERATING EXPENSES.OUTCOMES:THE ANTICIPATED DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES WILL INCLUDE AN INCREASED NUMBER OF SMALL WASTEWATER SYSTEMS AND COMMUNITIES RECEIVING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (TA) AND TRAINING TO IMPROVE THEIR TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL, AND FINANCIAL (TMF) CAPACITY AND COMPLIANCE. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO PROMOTE THE SUSTAINABLE AND EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF SMALL WASTEWATER SYSTEMS AND IMPROVE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE. THE EFCN TEAM WILL PROVIDE TA FOR UP TO 44 SYSTEMS IN ALL 50 STATES, US TERRITORIES, AND TRIBAL LANDS, AND WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANNING, DEVELOPING, AND IMPLEMENTING ALL TRAINING EVENTS. THE TRAINING AND TA WILL IMPROVE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE AND BUILD SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS, THEREBY IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH AND WATER QUALITY.

NORTHERN NEW MEXICO IS EXPERIENCING POPULATION GROWTH, INCREASING POPULARITY AS AN OUTDOOR RECREATION DESTINATION, AS WELL AS WARMING TRENDS AND DROUGHT CONDITIONS DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. THIS COMBINATION RESULTS IN NEW PRESSURES ON OUR NATURAL RESOURCES AND BIG CHALLENGES FOR NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, WITH POTENTIALLY EXTREME CONSEQUENCES FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. AT THE SAME TIME, THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF PROFESSIONALS WITH CLIMATE CHANGE KNOWLEDGE TO FILL NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOBS LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY. LISTOS IS A NEW PROJECT THAT AIMS TO INCREASE COMMUNITIES' CONNECTION WITH NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT BY SUPPORTING AND PREPARING LOCAL YOUTH FOR NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONS. A COLLABORATION BETWEEN UNM-TAOS AND NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS UNIVERSITY, LISTOS WILL BUILD UPON THE NORTHERN NEW MEXICO CLIMATE CHANGE CORP (CCC) ANDLEADERSHIP IN FORESTRY TRAINING (LIFT) PROGRAMS BY EXPANDING INTO REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS AND ENHANCING ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF EDUCATION. THE PROGRAM WILL OFFER HANDS-ON EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND LITERACY SUPPORT TO TRAIN WELL-ROUNDED AND SKILLED GRADUATES, ABLE TO COMPETE FOR DESIRABLE NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOBS LOCALLY AND BEYOND. BY SUPPORTING AND EMPOWERING LOCAL YOUTH TO PURSUE NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONS, LISTOS AIMS TO IMPROVE JOB PATHWAYS, INCREASE PARTICIPATION BY LOCAL COMMUNITIES, AND PROVIDE NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AGENCIES WITH SKILLED PROFESSIONALS FOR MANAGING LOCAL RESOURCES IN THE FACE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES.

BPE-TRACK 4: PHASE I: PLANNING A CENTER FOR EQUITY IN ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO -THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO?S SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING WILL ESTABLISH A CENTER FOR EQUITY IN ENGINEERING, BUILDING ON THE INSTITUTION'S 30+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS A HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION (HSI) TO ENHANCE EQUITY FOR INDIGENOUS AND BLACK STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF, WHILE ALSO DEEPENING ITS COMMITMENTS TO INCREASE EQUITY FOR HISPANIC, FIRST-GENERATION, AND LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. BY CHANGING HOW WE TEACH TO BETTER REFLECT STUDENTS? LIVED REALITIES AND LOCAL CONTEXTS, BY ENHANCING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES AND CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES, BY SKILLING UP FACULTY AND STAFF TO BETTER SERVE STUDENTS OF ALL BACKGROUNDS, AND BY INCORPORATING EQUITY INTO PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS AND REWARD SYSTEMS, WE WILL DECREASE INEQUITY IN STUDENT EXPERIENCES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, TIME TO DEGREE, AND GRADUATION RATES. AS A SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING WITH MAJORITY-MINORITY ENROLLMENT, ENHANCING STUDENT SUCCESS AND CLOSING EQUITY GAPS WILL DIVERSIFY THE ENGINEERING PROFESSION. AS MORE INSTITUTIONS BECOME HISPANIC ENROLLING OVER TIME WITH NATIONAL DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS, THIS CEE WILL BE POSITIONED TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT EQUITY WORK CAN LOOK LIKE AT AN HSI. THE CENTER WILL (1) BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EQUITY THROUGH LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, DATA AND METRIC DEVELOPMENT, PARTNERSHIP ENHANCEMENT, AND SHIFTING REWARD STRUCTURES AND CULTURES IN THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND (2) DEPLOY EQUITY-CENTERED PEDAGOGIES AND (CO)CURRICULAR STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE STUDENT SUCCESS BY MOTIVATING AND EQUIPPING FACULTY AND STAFF TO FOCUS ON PROVEN EQUITY-ENHANCING PRACTICES THAT INCLUDE AND ENGAGE STUDENTS, FOSTER IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT, AND PROVIDE EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. OUR CENTER PLANNING WILL APPLY CHANGE THEORIES AND STRATEGIES REFINED WITHIN THE ENGINEERING EDUCATION COMMUNITY, INCLUDING (1) SHIFTING FACULTY REWARD STRUCTURES (INCLUDING TENURE AND PROMOTION) TO SUPPORT AND CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR EQUITY AND STUDENT SUCCESS; (2) BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE THAT FACILITATES TRANSFORMATIONAL ANTI-RACISM AND ANTI-CLASSISM WORK; (3) ENHANCING PARTNERSHIPS FOR SMOOTHER PATHWAYS INTO ENGINEERING FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND TWO-YEAR SETTINGS; AND (4) STRENGTHENING OUR CAPACITY FOR PLACE-BASED ENGINEERING PROJECTS THAT DEMONSTRATE THE VALUE OF ENGINEERING BY, FOR, AND WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES. SENSE OF PLACE IS A CORE VALUE IN THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO AND AT UNM; CENTERING QUERENCIA (A SPANISH WORD WITHOUT DIRECT ENGLISH TRANSLATION DENOTING DEEP CONNECTIONS AMONG LAND, BELONGING, AND IDENTITY) AS A PLACE-BASED PEDAGOGY SPECIFIC TO NEW MEXICO, WE WILL ADVANCE EQUITY KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE IN ENGINEERING, FORGE LINKS BETWEEN CULTURAL AND ENGINEERING IDENTITIES, AND ENGAGE NEW CONCEPTIONS OF ENGINEERING INFORMED BY CULTURE AND PLACE IN BOTH RESEARCH AND EDUCATION. WE WILL LEVERAGE OUR ENGINEERING STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER, CAMPUS CULTURAL AND DIVERSITY CENTERS, UNM?S DIVISION FOR EQUITY AND INCLUSION, ADVANCE PROGRAM, AND CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING, AS WELL AS DEEPEN EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS WITH REGIONAL TWO-YEAR COLLEGES, PRE-COLLEGE ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITY GROUPS. STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY, PERSISTENCE, AND SENSE OF BELONGING WILL INCREASE, AS WELL AS COURSE PASS RATES, STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES, CAREER READINESS, AND TIME TO GRADUATION. WHILE QUERENCIA IS OPERATIONALIZED SPECIFICALLY IN NEW MEXICO AS AN AVENUE TO ADVANCE BELONGING AND SUCCESS IN ENGINEERING, OUR MODEL OF ENGAGING PLACE-BASED, ASSET-BASED, AND CULTURALLY-SUSTAINING APPROACHES TO CONNECT ENGINEERING AND CULTURAL IDENTITIES WILL READILY PROPAGATE TO OTHER PLACES AND CULTURES. PARTNERSHIPS WITH PRE-COLLEGE ORGANIZATIONS AND TWO-YEAR COLLEGES WILL EXPAND, WITH IMPROVED PATHWAYS EMERGING FOR STUDENTS, FURTHER DIVERSIFYING OUR ENROLLMENT AND THE PROFESSION. THIS ECOSYSTEM OF PARTNERS WILL EXTEND WELL BEYOND OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY INTO NATIONAL NETWORKS, FACILITATING THE PROPAGATION OF FINDINGS BEYOND OUR INSTITUTION AND REGION. THE STRUCTURAL AND CULTURAL CHANGES DRIVEN BY THE CEE WILL TRANSFORM LIVES AND COMMUNITIES BY FURTHER INCREASING THE REALIZED SOCIAL MOBILITY OF OUR GRADUATES, AND PROVIDE A REPLICABLE MODEL FOR OTHER INSTITUTIONS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

MULTILEVEL COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS STRUCTURAL INEQUITIES AND ADVERSE DISPARATE CONSEQUENCES OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON LATINX IMMIGRANTS AND AFRICAN REFUGEES - PROJECT SUMMARY THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO TEST A MULTILEVEL APPROACH TO REDUCE ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WITH DISPARATE IMPACTS ON LATINX AND BLACK IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES BY OBSERVING AND IMPLEMENTING THREE NESTED LEVELS OF INTERVENTION: 1) AN EFFICACIOUS 6-MONTH PEER ADVOCACY AND MUTUAL LEARNING MODEL (REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT WELL-BEING PROJECT, RIWP); 2) ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS (CBOS); AND 3) STRUCTURAL POLICY CHANGES EXPECTED TO BE ENACTED IN RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC, SUCH AS A STATE DISASTER RELIEF PROPOSAL FOR MIXED STATUS LATINX FAMILIES AND EXPANDED STATEWIDE HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE. THIS COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH (CBPR) STUDY BUILDS ON A LONG-STANDING COLLABORATION WITH FIVE COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS (CBOS) THAT FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH, EDUCATION, LEGAL ISSUES, AND SYSTEM CHANGE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE WELL-BEING OF LATINX IMMIGRANTS AND AFRICAN REFUGEES. BY INCLUDING 240 LATINX IMMIGRANTS AND 60 AFRICAN REFUGEES RECRUITED FROM CBO PARTNERS WHO ARE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TREATMENT-AS- USUAL CBO INVOLVEMENT OR THE RIWP INTERVENTION AND A RANDOM SAMPLE COMPARISON GROUP OF 300 LATINX IMMIGRANTS, THIS MIXED METHODS LONGITUDINAL WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP DESIGN STUDY WITH SEVEN TIME POINTS OVER 36 MONTHS WILL TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE RIWP INTERVENTION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH CBOS TO REDUCE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, DAILY STRESSORS, AND ECONOMIC PRECARITY AND INCREASE PROTECTIVE FACTORS (SOCIAL SUPPORT, CRITICAL AWARENESS OF/ACCESS TO RESOURCES, ENGLISH PROFICIENCY, CULTURAL CONNECTEDNESS, AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE USE). THIS STUDY WILL ALSO TEST THE ABILITY OF THE RIWP INTERVENTION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH CBOS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO THE DIRECT BENEFITS OF STRUCTURAL INTERVENTIONS (LOCAL/STATE RELIEF-RELATED POLICIES) FOR LATINX AND BLACK IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES. MECHANISMS OF INTERVENTION EFFECTIVENESS WILL BE EXPLORED BY TESTING MEDIATING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PRIMARY OUTCOMES AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS. WE WILL ALSO TRACK LOCAL/STATE POLICY CHANGES AND OBTAIN PRELIMINARY QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATES OF EFFECTS OF THESE STRUCTURAL INTERVENTIONS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, STRESSORS, AND ECONOMIC PRECARITY USING PROPENSITY SCORE MATCHING. QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW DATA FROM A PURPOSIVE SUBSAMPLE OF PARTICIPANTS AND CBO STAFF WILL ENABLE ADDITIONAL EXPLORATION OF MECHANISMS OF CHANGE, THE EFFECTS OF POLICY INTERVENTIONS ON INDIVIDUALS, HOW CBOS CONTRIBUTE TO ENACTING POLICIES AND HELPING PEOPLE BENEFIT FROM THEM, AND THE CONTEXT OF RIWP IMPLEMENTATION AT EACH SITE. THIS RESEARCH IS INNOVATIVE AND SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT EMPLOYS CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH DESIGN AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES TO ADVANCE THE SCIENCE OF MULTILEVEL MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS THAT AIM TO UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS UNDERLYING STRUCTURAL INEQUITIES AND RESULTING MENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES THAT HAVE BEEN HIGHLIGHTED AND EXACERBATED BY THE PANDEMIC. THUS, THIS STUDY WILL CONTRIBUTE NOT ONLY TO REDUCING THE DISPARATE ADVERSE MENTAL HEALTH, BEHAVIORAL, AND SOCIOECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BUT ALSO TO OUR ABILITY TO ELIMINATE MENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES AMONG LATINX AND BLACK POPULATIONS.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RII FEC: HARNESSING CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE TO SECURE SUSTAINABILITY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH -EXTREME CLIMATE EVENTS ARE INCREASING IN FREQUENCY AND HAVE HAD SIGNIFICANT, NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON CROP PRODUCTION NOT ONLY FOR INDUSTRIAL BUT ALSO FOR SMALLHOLDER FARMS. FOOD SECURITY, FOOD NUTRITIONAL QUALITY, AND THE VIABILITY OF DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES ARE ESPECIALLY THREATENED BY CLIMATE CHANGE. AN EDUCATED APPLICATION OF CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE (CEA) PROVIDES ONE AVENUE TO MITIGATE CLIMATE PRESSURE ON TRIBAL COMMUNITIES AND MEET FUTURE FOOD DEMAND IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER. ADVANCES IN AND WIDESPREAD ADOPTION OF CEA ARE, HOWEVER, LIMITED BY SEVERAL FACTORS. SIGNIFICANT KNOWLEDGE GAPS EXIST IN THE SCIENCE UNDERPINNING CEA. ADDITIONALLY, THERE HAS BEEN LIMITED INVESTMENT IN RELEVANT RESEARCH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. THIS PROJECT IS A COLLABORATION AMONG COMMUNITY COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES, TRIBAL NATIONS, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS LOCATED IN THREE NSF EPSCOR JURISDICTIONS: UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY, AND SANTA FE COMMUNITY COLLEGE (NEW MEXICO); UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING (WYOMING); AND UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA AND SICANGU COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (SOUTH DAKOTA). THE THREE COLLABORATING JURISDICTIONS ARE HOME TO 36 FEDERAL RESERVATIONS. THE PROJECT TEAM BRINGS TOGETHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND RESEARCHERS FROM DIVERSE FIELDS (E.G., ECONOMISTS, ENGINEERS, BIOLOGISTS, AND PLANT PHYSIOLOGISTS) AND CONSISTS OF EARLY-CAREER, MID-CAREER, AND ESTABLISHED RESEARCHERS. THIS PROJECT PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING AMONG UNIVERSITIES, COMMUNITY COLLEGES, INDUSTRY, AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES TO ALLOW FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TAILORED CEA SYSTEMS AND A CLIMATE-SMART AND COMMUNITY-BASED WORKFORCE. THE HUMAN AND INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPED UNDER THIS PROJECT IS ANTICIPATED TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT, STIMULATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND CONFER CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN TRIBAL COMMUNITIES WITHIN AND ACROSS JURISDICTIONS. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EMPIRICALLY DETERMINE BEST PRACTICES FOR SECURE CEA FOOD PRODUCTION AND TO QUANTIFY THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF CEA ON TRIBAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COLLABORATING EPSCOR JURISDICTIONS. THE PROJECT PROPOSES TO TAKE A CONVERGENCE SCIENCE APPROACH TO TACKLING FOOD SECURITY UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE, DRAWING UPON DIVERSE EXPERTISE WITH RESEARCHERS RANGING FROM BASIC (PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS) AND APPLIED BIOLOGY (CEA AND HORTICULTURE), ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE ECONOMICS, ENGINEERING, SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE, AND APPLIED KNOWLEDGE OF TRIBAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE RESEARCH PROJECT LEVERAGES EACH INSTITUTION'S UNIQUE AND COMPLEMENTARY RESEARCH EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES TO ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING THREE OBJECTIVES: (1) CHARACTERIZE HOW THE ENVIRONMENT, PLANTS, AND MICROBES INTERACT IN HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS AND AFFECT CROP YIELD AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITY; (2) IDENTIFY ENVIRONMENTAL, NUTRITIONAL, AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DRIVERS AND IMPACTS OF CEA ON TRIBAL COMMUNITIES TO ENHANCE CLIMATE RESILIENCE STRATEGIES VIA CEA; AND (3) EMPOWER TRIBAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH INTERDISCIPLINARY TRAINING AIMED AT LONG-TERM RETENTION OF A HIGHLY-SKILLED CLIMATE-SMART CEA WORKFORCE. THE PROJECT INCLUDES TRAINING AND MENTORING ACTIVITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS, POST-DOCTORAL SCHOLARS, EARLY CAREER FACULTY, AND VARIOUS TRIBAL COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING FARMERS, STUDENTS K-12, AND INDUSTRY PERSONNEL. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE EPSCOR RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT-FOCUSED EPSCOR COLLABORATIONS (RII-FEC) PROGRAM. THE RII-FEC PROGRAM BUILDS INTER-JURISDICTIONAL COLLABORATIVE TEAMS OF EPSCOR INVESTIGATORS IN FOCUS AREAS CONSISTENT WITH THE NSF STRATEGIC PLAN. RII-FEC PROJECTS INCLUDE RESEARCHERS FROM AT LEAST TWO EPSCOR JURISDICTIONS WITH COMPLEMENTARY EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES NECESSARY TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES, WHICH NEITHER PARTY COULD ADDRESS AS WELL OR AS RAPIDLY INDEPENDENTLY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT FOR ACHIEVING HOLISTIC RECOVERY FROM COMORBID CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID USE DISORDER - PROJECT SUMMARY CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID USE DISORDER (OUD) ARE MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS. DESPITE THE ALARMING INCREASES IN OPIOID MISUSE AND OUD, FEW INTEGRATED TREATMENTS TARGET BOTH CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD. INTEGRATED HOLISTIC TREATMENTS ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY ADDRESS PAIN AND OPIOID USE, THE FUNDAMENTAL CAUSES OF PAIN AND OUD, AND THAT FOCUS ON WHOLE PERSON FUNCTIONING AND WELL-BEING AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID MISUSE/OUD. THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO (UNM) INTEGRATIVE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID USE DISORDER FOR WHOLE RECOVERY (IMPOWR) CENTER WILL TAKE AN INTEGRATED AND HOLISTIC APPROACH TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID MISUSE/OUD VIA TAILORED INTERVENTION APPROACHES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. WE WILL EXPLICITLY TARGET INCREASING QUALITY OF LIFE AND ENGAGEMENT IN VALUED ACTIVITIES, THE CULTURAL CENTERING OF INTERVENTIONS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF DIVERSE PATIENT POPULATIONS, AND REDUCING STIGMA OF CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID MISUSE AND OUD. THE APPROACHES PROPOSED IN OUR IMPOWR CENTER WILL DIRECTLY TARGET WHOLE PERSON FUNCTIONING AND WELL-BEING AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND MISUSE/OUD. OUR GOALS ARE TO DEVELOP, TEST, AND IMPLEMENT SCALABLE, GENERALIZABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE PROVIDER- AND PATIENT-LEVEL INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE FOCUSED ON IMPROVING FUNCTIONING AND CAN BE DELIVERED IN DIVERSE HEALTH CARE SETTINGS. TO MAXIMIZE IMPACT, WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A DIVERSE STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION BOARD (INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS) AND A SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD (INCLUDING EXPERTS IN CHRONIC PAIN, OPIOID MISUSE/OUD, AND IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE), AND AIM TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE OF RESEARCHERS AND PROVIDERS DEVOTED TO AMELIORATING CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD VIA TRAINING AND MENTORING. ALL CENTER PROJECTS WILL EMBRACE PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH, TEAM SCIENCE, IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE, ECONOMIC EVALUATION, AND OPEN SCIENCE. CONSISTENT WITH OUR PATIENT-CENTERED APPROACH, ASSESSMENT OF OPIOID USE AND CHRONIC PAIN WILL BE COMPLEMENTED WITH MEASURES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND OTHER IMPORTANT LIFE DOMAINS, INCLUDING STIGMA, ENGAGEMENT IN VALUED ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. PROJECTS WILL INCLUDE ECONOMIC EVALUATION TO MEASURE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR INTERVENTIONS FROM A SOCIETAL PERSPECTIVE. SPECIFIC RESEARCH PROJECTS WILL TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS, MECHANISMS, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTEGRATED PSYCHOSOCIAL TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD AMONG INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING BUPRENORPHINE FROM OUTPATIENT OUD TREATMENT CLINICS, AND WILL USE COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH METHODS TO DEVELOP A CULTURALLY-CENTERED IMPLEMENTATION INTERVENTION FOR SCREENING AND BRIEF INTERVENTION OF CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD AMONG AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE PATIENTS IN PRIMARY CARE SETTINGS. PILOT PROJECTS FOCUSED ON CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD WILL BE SELECTED BY OUR STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION BOARD. THE UNM IMPOWR CENTER IS COMMITTED TO DATA HARMONIZATION, SHARING OF STUDY RESOURCES, AND PROVIDER TRAINING TO ENHANCE THE REACH, EFFECTIVENESS, ADOPTION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS FOR CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD.

INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT FOR ACHIEVING HOLISTIC RECOVERY FROM COMORBID CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID USE DISORDER - PROJECT SUMMARY CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID USE DISORDER (OUD) ARE MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS. DESPITE THE ALARMING INCREASES IN OPIOID MISUSE AND OUD, FEW INTEGRATED TREATMENTS TARGET BOTH CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD. INTEGRATED HOLISTIC TREATMENTS ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY ADDRESS PAIN AND OPIOID USE, THE FUNDAMENTAL CAUSES OF PAIN AND OUD, AND THAT FOCUS ON WHOLE PERSON FUNCTIONING AND WELL-BEING AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID MISUSE/OUD. THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO (UNM) INTEGRATIVE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID USE DISORDER FOR WHOLE RECOVERY (IMPOWR) CENTER WILL TAKE AN INTEGRATED AND HOLISTIC APPROACH TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID MISUSE/OUD VIA TAILORED INTERVENTION APPROACHES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. WE WILL EXPLICITLY TARGET INCREASING QUALITY OF LIFE AND ENGAGEMENT IN VALUED ACTIVITIES, THE CULTURAL CENTERING OF INTERVENTIONS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF DIVERSE PATIENT POPULATIONS, AND REDUCING STIGMA OF CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOID MISUSE AND OUD. THE APPROACHES PROPOSED IN OUR IMPOWR CENTER WILL DIRECTLY TARGET WHOLE PERSON FUNCTIONING AND WELL-BEING AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND MISUSE/OUD. OUR GOALS ARE TO DEVELOP, TEST, AND IMPLEMENT SCALABLE, GENERALIZABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE PROVIDER- AND PATIENT-LEVEL INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE FOCUSED ON IMPROVING FUNCTIONING AND CAN BE DELIVERED IN DIVERSE HEALTH CARE SETTINGS. TO MAXIMIZE IMPACT, WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A DIVERSE STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION BOARD (INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS) AND A SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD (INCLUDING EXPERTS IN CHRONIC PAIN, OPIOID MISUSE/OUD, AND IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE), AND AIM TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE OF RESEARCHERS AND PROVIDERS DEVOTED TO AMELIORATING CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD VIA TRAINING AND MENTORING. ALL CENTER PROJECTS WILL EMBRACE PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH, TEAM SCIENCE, IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE, ECONOMIC EVALUATION, AND OPEN SCIENCE. CONSISTENT WITH OUR PATIENT-CENTERED APPROACH, ASSESSMENT OF OPIOID USE AND CHRONIC PAIN WILL BE COMPLEMENTED WITH MEASURES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND OTHER IMPORTANT LIFE DOMAINS, INCLUDING STIGMA, ENGAGEMENT IN VALUED ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. PROJECTS WILL INCLUDE ECONOMIC EVALUATION TO MEASURE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR INTERVENTIONS FROM A SOCIETAL PERSPECTIVE. SPECIFIC RESEARCH PROJECTS WILL TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS, MECHANISMS, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTEGRATED PSYCHOSOCIAL TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD AMONG INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING BUPRENORPHINE FROM OUTPATIENT OUD TREATMENT CLINICS, AND WILL USE COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH METHODS TO DEVELOP A CULTURALLY-CENTERED IMPLEMENTATION INTERVENTION FOR SCREENING AND BRIEF INTERVENTION OF CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD AMONG AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE PATIENTS IN PRIMARY CARE SETTINGS. PILOT PROJECTS FOCUSED ON CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD WILL BE SELECTED BY OUR STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION BOARD. THE UNM IMPOWR CENTER IS COMMITTED TO DATA HARMONIZATION, SHARING OF STUDY RESOURCES, AND PROVIDER TRAINING TO ENHANCE THE REACH, EFFECTIVENESS, ADOPTION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS FOR CHRONIC PAIN AND OUD.

NSF ENGINES DEVELOPMENT AWARD: LEVERAGING INNOVATIONS FOR WATER AND ENERGY SECURITY (NM, TX) -THIS REGIONAL INNOVATION ENGINES DEVELOPMENT AWARD AIMS TO DESIGN AN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM PRODUCING RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS AT THE NEXUS OF CLEAN WATER AND CLEAN ENERGY. WATER SCARCITY IS THE DEFINING CHALLENGE IN THE SOUTHWESTERN US, AND GLOBALLY, DRYLANDS COVER 41% OF THE LAND SURFACE, SUPPORTING 38% OF THE HUMAN POPULATION. WATER IS LIFE, AND THE PROPOSED REGION (ENCOMPASSING THE NAVAJO NATION, NEW MEXICO, AND FAR WEST TEXAS) HAS THE HIGHEST HOUSEHOLD WATER INSECURITY IN THE NATION. APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF ALL NAVAJO FAMILIES AND DOZENS OF COMMUNITIES NEAR THE MEXICO BORDER LACK PIPED WATER OR ADEQUATE SANITATION. REGIONALLY, ~78% OF PEOPLE RELY ON GROUNDWATER FOR DRINKING WATER, BUT LARGE SUPPLIES OF WATER ARE UNUSABLE WITHOUT TREATMENT, INCLUDING SALINE WATER AND WATER CONTAMINATED BY INDUSTRY, AGRICULTURE, AND MILITARY FACILITIES. GAINING ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER REQUIRES ENERGY FOR HAULING, PIPING, PUMPING, AND CLEANING IT. INNOVATION CLOSING THE LARGE GAP BETWEEN THE REGIONAL POTENTIAL FOR CLEAN ENERGY AND THE REALIZED CAPACITY TO MEET REGIONAL NEEDS FOR CLEAN WATER WILL ALSO ADDRESS ECONOMIC AND CLIMATE NEEDS BY DEVELOPING A BROAD AND HIGHLY SKILLED WORKFORCE WHILE TRANSITIONING TO THE REGION TO CLEAN ENERGY. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL CO-CREATE SOLUTIONS WITH UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND INCORPORATE INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE WITH A HOLISTIC APPROACH THAT WILL LEAD THE INVENTION AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF TECHNOLOGIES THAT MAXIMIZE RESILIENCE AND BRING CLEAN WATER TO EVERY TAP, DECARBONIZED POWER TO EVERY DOOR, AND A DIVERSE, INCLUSIVE, AND VIBRANT ECONOMY TO THE REGION. THE PROPOSED INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM REPRESENTS A PARTNERSHIP OF 2- AND 4-YEAR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, NATIONAL LABORATORIES, COMMUNITY GROUPS, GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS, AND BOTH FOR-PROFIT AND NON-PROFIT COMPANIES IN A REGION OF EXCEPTIONAL CULTURAL DIVERSITY WITH 48% IDENTIFYING AS HISPANIC AND 10% AS NATIVE AMERICAN ACROSS 23 TRIBES. COMMUNITIES IN THE REGION EXPERIENCE HIGH ECONOMIC DISTRESS, EXCEEDING THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF 13% LIVING IN POVERTY, WITH NEW MEXICO (NM) AND EL PASO COUNTY AT ~19%, AND NAVAJO NATION AT A STAGGERING 33%. TO HELP LIFT COMMUNITIES OUT OF POVERTY AND LAUNCH DEVELOPMENT OF ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE, PROJECT ACTIVITIES ARE DESIGNED AROUND HOLISTIC COMMUNITY-ENGAGED PROJECTS THAT EMPHASIZE REGIONAL STRATEGIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMPERATIVES: ALIGNMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN A COLLECTIVE, REPRESENTATIVE ECOSYSTEM, EXPANDED CAPACITY FOR TECHNO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES IN RURAL AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES, PREPARATION OF A SKILLED WORKFORCE TO ENABLE RENEWABLE ENERGY TRANSITIONS AND SOLUTIONS TO WATER SCARCITY, AND NEW BRIDGES BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERTS. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS WILL INCLUDE TRIBAL LED ?LEARNING TOURS? TO HELP ECOSYSTEM MEMBERS INTEGRATE NATIVE PERSPECTIVES AND KNOWLEDGE INTO ALL CLEAN WATER AND CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS. USE-INSPIRED RESEARCH EFFORTS WILL DEVELOP PLANS FOR A NETWORK OF INTEGRATED WATER/ENERGY RESILIENCE TESTBEDS FOR FOUR TOPICS: CLEAN WATER, CLEAN ENERGY, INTEGRATED WATER/ENERGY RESILIENCE, AND MAPS & MODELS OF UNCONVENTIONAL WATER RESOURCES. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS WILL STRENGTHEN THE COALITION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES THROUGH SHARED COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAMS, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP WILL BE EXPANDED BY BUILDING UPON PROGRAMS THAT ARE TAILORED TO MEET THE UNIQUE CULTURAL NEEDS OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, ENSURING INCLUSIVITY AND RELEVANCE. THIS DEVELOPMENT AWARD WILL ENABLE THE TEAM TO ENGAGE IN A REGIONAL, COLLABORATIVE PLANNING PROCESS TO PREPARE A FUTURE ENGINE TO MEET THE ABOVE GOALS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

RII TRACK-2 FEC: LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR SCALABLE QUANTUM PHOTONIC TECHNOLOGIES -QUANTUM INFORMATION PROMISES REVOLUTIONARY ADVANCES IN COMPUTATION, COMMUNICATION, AND SENSING. BY HARNESSING UNIQUE QUANTUM MECHANICAL PROPERTIES, IT IS POSSIBLE TO ATTAIN EXPONENTIAL COMPUTATIONAL SPEEDUP, CONSTRUCT A QUANTUM INTERNET THAT SENDS INFORMATION SECURELY AND ANONYMOUSLY, AND ENABLE SENSORS WITH PRECISION THAT IS ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE BETTER THAN EXISTING CLASSICAL TECHNOLOGIES. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE WITNESSED TREMENDOUS PROGRESS TOWARDS REALIZING SUCH QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY GOALS IN THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE HAVE YET TO REALIZE THEIR FULL PROMISE. THIS PROJECT IS FOCUSED ON REALIZING A SCALABLE FOUNDATION FOR QUANTUM PHOTONIC TECHNOLOGIES. PHOTONICS IS A FIELD BASED ON MANIPULATING AND CONTROLLING THE PROPAGATION OF LIGHT, AND PHOTONIC-BASED QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES ARE ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING FOR REALIZING MID-SCALE QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES FOR SENSING AND QUANTUM COMMUNICATION. THIS INTERJURISDICTIONAL EFFORT BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO (UNM) AND UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE (UD) IS FOCUSED ON CONTROLLING THE MATERIALS USED TO EMIT AND ABSORB LIGHT, THE LOCATION AND WAVELENGTH OF THESE LIGHT EMISSION SITES, AND THEIR INTEGRATION INTO OTHER PHOTONIC DEVICE COMPONENTS THAT CAN CONTROL HOW THAT LIGHT IS DISTRIBUTED OR MANIPULATED. THE PROJECT INCLUDES (1) DEVELOPING STUDENT TALENT IN A KEY AREA OF NATIONAL RESEARCH NEED THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ASSISTANTSHIPS THAT WILL ALLOW STUDENTS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN THIS AREA AND (2) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUANTUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING GRADUATE PROGRAM AT UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO (UNM) BASED ON THE NEW PROGRAM RECENTLY ESTABLISHED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE (UD). PHOTONICS BASED QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES ARE ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING BRANCHES, WITH THE ABILITY TO REALIZE DEVICES ON CURRENT CMOS AND III-V TYPE PLATFORMS. HOWEVER, THE RESEARCH EFFORT ON THIS FRONT IS HIGHLY DISTRIBUTED, WITH SOME INSTITUTIONS FOCUSING ON THE COMPUTATIONAL ASPECTS, SOME ON THE FUNDAMENTAL MATERIAL SCIENCE PROBLEMS, AND OTHERS ON THE INTEGRATION OF DEVICES TO DEMONSTRATE PHOTONIC QUBIT SYSTEMS. THIS PROJECT WILL ESTABLISH AN INTERJURISDICTIONAL EFFORT BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO (UNM) AND UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE (UD) TO REALIZE A FOUNDATIONAL PROGRAM FOR SCALABLE QUANTUM PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGIES. THE INTELLECTUAL FOCI OF THE EFFORT INCLUDE ? (1) AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO OVERCOMING THE SITE- AND SPECTRAL-INHOMOGENEITY CHALLENGES THAT CURRENTLY HAMPER THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCALABLE QUANTUM PHOTONIC MATERIAL AND DEVICE PLATFORMS; (2) COORDINATED EFFORTS TO DEVELOP AND EXPLORE QUANTUM EMITTERS IN BOTH 2D AND III-V MATERIALS, INCLUDING FIRST-PRINCIPLES CALCULATIONS, MATERIALS SYNTHESIS, AND QUANTUM EMITTER CHARACTERIZATION; (3) DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTONIC DEVICE COMPONENTS INCLUDING PLASMONICS, KERR-MICRORESONATORS FOR PHOTON TRANSDUCTION, AND SUPERCONDUCTING SINGLE PHOTON DETECTORS; (4) LEVERAGING THE COMPLEMENTARY EXPERTISE OF UNM AND UD TO INTEGRATE PHOTONIC DEVICE COMPONENTS WITH QUANTUM EMITTER MATERIALS. THIS INTEGRATION WILL BE USED TO DEMONSTRATE A) SITE-DETERMINISTIC QUANTUM EMISSION INTO PHOTONIC DEVICE ELEMENTS, B) CAPACITY TO TUNE OR TRANSDUCE SINGLE PHOTON WAVELENGTHS TO OVERCOME SPECTRAL INHOMOGENEITY, AND C) ALL-ON-CHIP DETERMINISTIC GENERATION, ROUTING, AND DETECTION OF SINGLE PHOTONS. PROJECT PLANS INCLUDE STRONG EDUCATIONAL AND WORK-FORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS TAILORED TO THE SKILLS REQUIRED BY THE ?QUANTUM WORKFORCE,? THAT WILL TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS IN QUANTUM PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGIES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

CREST CENTER FOR WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT, PHASE II -THE CENTERS OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE ENHANCEMENT OF RESEARCH CAPABILITIES OF MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTERS THAT EFFECTIVELY INTEGRATE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH. WITH NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUPPORT, THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO WILL BUILD ON THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THEIR PHASE I CENTER FOR WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT BY EXPANDING AND REDIRECTING WATER-RELATED RESEARCH WITH NEW RESEARCH QUESTIONS, NEW PARTNERSHIP INSTITUTIONS, AND AN EMPHASIS ON RECRUITING AND RETAINING NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS. OBJECTIVES OF THE PHASE II CENTER FOR WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT ARE TO (1) CONDUCT INNOVATIVE RESEARCH ON TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS WITH WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT, (2) INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROFESSIONS, AND (3) BUILD INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY FOR WATER-RELATED RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO. THE PHASE II CENTER WILL GENERATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY, MANAGEMENT, AND TREATMENT OF WATER IN ARID ENVIRONMENTS. THE CENTER HAS THREE INTERRELATED SUBPROJECTS THAT FOCUS ON HYDROLOGIC PROCESSES IN WATERSHEDS, WATER QUALITY AND TREATMENT, AND COUPLED WATER-ENERGY INTERACTIONS. THE UNIFYING RESEARCH THEME THAT CONNECTS THESE SUBPROJECTS IS THE PROTECTION AND RESTORATION OF WATER QUALITY FOR DOWNSTREAM AND RURAL COMMUNITIES. THE WATERSHEDS AND WILDFIRES SUBPROJECT INVESTIGATES THE TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL VARIABILITY IN THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF WATER AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE WATERSHED FOLLOWING A WILDFIRE. THE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES SUBPROJECT INVESTIGATES THE REMOVAL OF CONTAMINANTS SUCH AS NUTRIENTS AND EMERGING CONTAMINANTS FROM NATURAL WATERS AND WASTEWATERS USING BIOFILMS AND MEMBRANES AS WELL AS HOW SMALL COMMUNITIES CAN OVERCOME BARRIERS TO REUSE. THE WATER AND ENERGY SUBPROJECT INVESTIGATES THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF ENERGY GENERATION AND CONSUMPTION, INCLUDING THE EFFECTS OF MINING LEGACY ON NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES, THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH HYDRAULIC FRACTURING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION, AND THE COMPLEX DYNAMICS BETWEEN ENERGY DEVELOPMENT, NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION, AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. WHILE RETAINING ATTENTION ON HISPANIC AMERICANS, THE CENTER FOR WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT WILL INCREASE NATIVE AMERICAN PARTICIPATION IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROFESSIONS BY PARTNERING WITH SEVERAL NATIVE AMERICAN-FOCUSED ORGANIZATIONS TO CONDUCT OUTREACH. THE CENTER WILL ADDRESS PROBLEMS WITH WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH ARE BROAD SOCIETAL CONCERNS THAT AFFECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PARTICULARLY IN THE ARID SOUTHWESTERN US. CENTER RESEARCH WILL BENEFIT COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE BY DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGIES AND STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING WATER IN ARID REGIONS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

ARTEMIS IN 3D-STEM CHALLENGE AND TRAINING PROGRAM

VACCINATION IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO PREVENT INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS IN AQUACULTURE. LONG-TERM DURATION OF VACCINE PROTECTION OFTEN REQUIRES SEVERAL VACCINES DOSES, HOWEVER, WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THE INTERVAL BETWEEN PRIME AND BOOST VACCINES IMPACTS THE DURATION AND QUALITY OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSES ELICITED BY THESE VACCINES. THIS PROJECT WILL USE CUTTING-EDGE IMMUNOLOGICAL METHODS AND LEVERAGE NEW FINDINGS IN THE FIELD OF FISH MUCOSAL IMMUNITY TO FILL IMPORTANT KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN THE FIELD OF TROUTVACCINOLOGY WITH THE GOAL OF IMPROVING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY IN THE US.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE NEW NORMAL: THE CONTINUING INFLUENCE OF THE LATE PLEISTOCENE MEGAFAUNA EXTINCTION ON THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF MAMMAL COMMUNITIES -THIS PROJECT CONCERNS ONE OF HUMANITY?S GREATEST CHALLENGES ? HOW TO SLOW DOWN, HALT, OR MITIGATE THE CONTINUED LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY ON EARTH. THE WORLD IS LOSING MUCH OF ITS ANIMAL BIODIVERSITY, AND POPULATIONS OF LARGE-BODIED MAMMALS ARE DECLINING AT AN ALARMING RATE. THEIR DECLINE HAS SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES BECAUSE LARGE MAMMALS HAVE IMPORTANT ROLES WITHIN ECOSYSTEMS, WHICH ARE NOT REPLICATED BY SMALLER-BODIED ANIMALS. NOT SURPRISINGLY, A MAJOR FOCUS OF CONSERVATION, BIOLOGY, AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT EFFORTS TODAY ARE GEARED TOWARDS DEVELOPING AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THIS BIODIVERSITY LOSS MAY IMPACT CONTEMPORARY ECOSYSTEMS, AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. THE CONSEQUENCES OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS ON ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION CAN TAKE DECADES OR EVEN CENTURIES TO MANIFEST, AND SO THIS IS WHERE A PALEONTOLOGICAL, OR LONGER TIME, PERSPECTIVE CAN HELP. THE MIGRATION OF HUMANS INTO THE AMERICAS AT THE TERMINAL PLEISTOCENE (~13,000 YEARS AGO) LED TO THE EXTINCTION OF >150 SPECIES OF THE LARGEST MAMMALS ON THE CONTINENTS, INCLUDING MAMMOTHS, LLAMAS, HORSES, CAMELS, GIANT GROUND SLOTHS, THE CAVE LION, AND SABER-TOOTHED CATS. EXAMINING THE ROLE OF THESE EXTINCT MAMMALS, AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SURVIVING MAMMALS AFTER THEIR EXTINCTION, CAN HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN FOLLOWING BIODIVERSITY EXTINCTION IN THE FUTURE. THUS, THIS PROJECT PROVIDES CRITICAL BASELINE INFORMATION FOR CONSERVATION EFFORTS, AS WELL AS INSIGHTS INTO THE FUNCTIONING OF MODERN MAMMAL COMMUNITIES. BROADER IMPACTS OF THIS WORK INCLUDE EDUCATIONAL AND PUBLIC OUTREACH, STUDENT TRAINING, AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENTIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE FROM THE IDENTIFICATION AND ACCESSIONING OF FOSSIL MATERIALS. THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL QUANTIFY THE ECOLOGICAL LEGACY OF THE TERMINAL PLEISTOCENE MEGAFAUNAL EXTINCTION ON MAMMAL COMMUNITIES IN THE EDWARD?S PLATEAU REGION OF TEXAS. BUILDING ON AN UNPARALLELED LATE QUATERNARY FOSSIL RECORD OF EXTINCT AND SURVIVING MAMMALS COMPILED BY THE RESEARCHERS, DIET (THROUGH STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF PRESERVED COLLAGEN IN BONES), MORPHOLOGY (THROUGH 2D AND 3D IMAGING), AND ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS (THROUGH MODELING AND SIMULATIONS) WILL BE CHARACTERIZED AT EIGHT KEY TIME INTERVALS SPANNING THE PAST 20,000 YEARS. THE OVERALL AIM IS TO CHARACTERIZE THE CONSEQUENCES OF SPECIES EXTINCTION ON COMMUNITIES, ON EARTH SYSTEMS, AND ON SURVIVING ANIMALS. FURTHER, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL QUANTIFY IF AND HOW COMMUNITIES RECOVERED, AND INVESTIGATE WHETHER THESE PATTERNS WERE INFLUENCED BY CHANGING CLIMATES OR BY THE ACCELERATION AND EXPANSION OF HUMAN IMPACTS OVER THE LATE HOLOCENE. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.