Grants

NCATS - National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

Advancing clinical and translational research in the U.S. relies on a well-trained workforce of clinical research professionals (CRPs), essential for safe, high-quality clinical trials. Despite the current crisis of unsustainable turnover rates, the high demand for skilled CRPs, existing robust academic training programs, and passionate advocates from across the clinical and translational enterprise, together present a significant opportunity to build a resilient workforce that will contribute to the overall health and growth of the U.S. economy. The Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) proposes a two-part annual conference series entitled “Advancing Clinical and Translational Science through Building A Research-Ready Clinical Research Professional Workforce in the U.S.” Two annual conferences within this umbrella will explore strategies and create action plans to improve CRP career entryways, training, recognition, with the goal of improving U.S. workforce sustainability and trial quality, aligning with NIH and NCATS missions to advance health solutions through an expanded and sustainable clinical and translation research workforce.

NSF

Improving education requires the development of scientifically grounded programs, practices, and policies. Over the past several decades, researchers and educators have employed a range of research-and-development frameworks to support this goal. Although these frameworks are designed to guide the translation of research into effective educational practice, their implementation and impact have varied considerably. This project examines the strengths and limitations of one widely used framework that has informed the development of curricula, interventions, professional learning, and policy. By analyzing how the framework has been applied and the outcomes associated with its use, the project will identify common challenges, misinterpretations, and opportunities for constructive alteration. The findings are intended to inform future framework design, supporting more efficient, scientifically valid, and scalable educational solutions for the full range of the Nation's learners and educators. The project will conduct a systematic, review of an existing framework that has served as the foundation for numerous educational initiatives over the past 25 years. Using a combination of literature synthesis, interviews, and structured stakeholder engagement, the research team will identify how the framework has been understood, implemented, and modified in practice. Particular attention will be given to how the framework supports, or fails to support, the realization of theory and research into practical outcomes. The study will include outreach to curriculum developers, researchers, and professional learning providers to gather insights into their use of frameworks, including barriers and enablers to effective application. Findings will be used to refine theoretical models of research-to-practice translation and contribute to the development of improved frameworks for designing, implementing, and evaluating educational interventions. This work will advance understanding of how to integrate research on cognition, learning, teaching, and curriculum into practical tools that improve education at scale. This project is jointly funded by the Translation and Diffusion (TD) program that supports research that advances the science of translation and diffusion between research and practice in STEM education, and the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP), which advances use-inspired and translational research in all fields of science and engineering. 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.

NSF

Seagrass suffers from several threats, including wasting disease, that could impair ecosystems, and accurate and up-to-date mapping of seagrass is critical for understanding estuary health and resilience to environmental stressors. This project advances fundamental research using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to map seagrass across Northern California to detect disease and analyze temporal trends in seagrass health and extent. A significant focus of this project is creating a STEM network between minority-serving institutions and community colleges to foster collaborations and build capacity, training and mentoring 24 students in 4-year university and 2-year community colleges annually, providing them with interdisciplinary skills such as UAV piloting, GIS, coastal science, and scientific communication. Students also develop professional networks and experience study, promoting long-term engagement in STEM. The goal is to extend this training program to community organizations, citizen scientists, and practitioners, aiming to contribute to coastal management and seagrass conservation. Efficient, comprehensive monitoring of the seascape-scale impact of seagrass disease is essential to predict future ecological impacts and implement early interventions. However, seagrass conditions are rarely quantified in spatial and temporal domains, and traditional mapping methods are labor-intensive, expensive, or have a coarse resolution. UAV imaging combined with GIS are emerging technologies for monitoring coastal seagrass ecosystems because of their spatial high-resolution, temporal flexibility, and cost-efficiency. Our project utilizes multi-platform UAV systems with visible, multispectral, and LiDAR sensors to provide more accurate data for better delineation and classification of seagrass and predicting disease more effectively. Combined with ground data and in situ sampling, we develop a UAV and GIS-based platform for comprehensive monitoring of seagrass ecosystems. The platform aid in the detection of diseases at an individual leaf scale in prominent seagrass habitats. Our research includes multi-platform UAV mapping, spatial modeling of the seagrass disease, temporal analysis of seagrass bed extent changes, development of AI-based image analysis for species classification and disease detection, creation of a cloud data hub for real-time data exchange, and provision of research training and professional development opportunities for students. 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.

NSF

Mathematics learning is often viewed as a sequential and cumulative process, where each stage builds upon the previous one. A crucial part of this progression is the development of formal fraction knowledge. Previous studies indicate that students develop understanding of fraction concepts as early as first grade. The project aims to help schools integrate fractions more effectively into the primary mathematics curricula, before formal fraction instruction occurs. The work aims to bridge the gap between the emphasis on whole numbers in preschool and early elementary education and the focus in later grades on fractional quantities. The research will study how fraction-related activities appear in first and second grade mathematics and how activities can be developed to support students' learning about fractional quantities alongside whole numbers. This research will enhance understanding of the nature of early mathematical cognition, particularly regarding non-integer quantities, in several significant ways. It will investigate for the first time the nature of the input in the school environment that may support early fraction knowledge. Additionally, the project will refine assessment methods for measuring this knowledge and examine how targeted fraction activities can further promote growth in this area. To study the learning environment, the approach will be to analyze textbooks and interview teachers. The next phase of the study will examine learning activities in a longitudinal study including an experiment to test the impact of the fraction learning activities on early fraction knowledge and mathematics achievement. This combined approach will contribute to describing the current state of fraction-related learning activities and develop meaningful approaches that can be used to teach fraction concepts in the early grades. This project is supported by NSF's EDU Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad, and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development. 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.

OD - NIH Office of the Director

PROJECT SUMMARY The adaptive immune system, a cornerstone of vertebrate immunity for over 450 million years, relies heavily on T cells to monitor and respond to peptide fragments on cell surfaces. Traditionally, T cells have been thought to activate only in response to foreign or abnormal peptides (nonself), while viewing the myriad of normal peptides present on cell surfaces as mere tolerogens (self). However, contrary to the prevailing dogma, our proposal hypothesizes that the large repertoire of self-peptides presented across the entire organism—the self- immunopeptidome—is not merely tolerated but is rather a complex entity that plays a central role in regulating T cell responses, either enhancing or inhibiting them. This concept has profound implications across multiple fields of medicine, including cancer immunotherapy, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, vaccine design, neurodegenerative conditions, and aging-related diseases. If self-peptides are indeed central regulators of T cell responses, this discovery would challenge existing paradigms and necessitate a complete rethinking of immune system dynamics, which could lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies and improve clinical outcomes. To investigate this hypothesis, we will develop an innovative systems immunopeptidomics framework that integrates next-generation mass spectrometry, advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, mathematical modeling, and in vivo T cell studies. This interdisciplinary approach is unparalleled in its comprehensiveness and potential for discovery. First, we aim to elucidate the composition of the self-immunopeptidome across different tissues and cell types using mass spectrometry-based immunopeptidomics to discover regulatory self-peptides at the organism level. Utilizing a novel robotic platform (IMMUNOtron), we will systematically assess the effects of combining regulatory self-peptides and nonself-peptides on T cell activation in vitro. Machine learning techniques will then be employed to model TCR signaling and predict how regulatory self-peptides modulate T cell responses. In vivo studies will involve testing the impact of regulatory self-peptides on anti-tumor responses using the NINJA mouse model, which allows for genetic manipulation of peptide presentation. Moreover, we propose a novel application in CAR T cell therapy by incorporating regulatory self-peptides to enhance cancer targeting while mitigating off-target effects. This innovative approach could significantly improve the efficacy and safety of CAR-T cell treatments, making it a potential game-changer in cancer immunotherapy. The project's novelty stems from its paradigm-shifting hypothesis and its use of cutting-edge technology and interdisciplinary methods. By recognizing self-peptides as active participants in immune responses across tissues, this research could pave the way for more effective and personalized medical treatments, ultimately contributing to the establishment of a Human Immunopeptidome Project. The insights gained from this project have the potential to redefine immune regulation, enhance our understanding of disease susceptibility and resistance, and drive the development of tailored therapeutic strategies that leverage the regulatory power of self-peptides.

FIC - John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT An unprecedented emerging threat to ongoing malaria elimination efforts in Africa is the invasion of the urban malaria mosquito vector, Anopheles stephensi. In response, we have assembled a multi-national team of researchers from African, Indian, and Western institutions to develop a comprehensive training program that will leverage existing knowledge in the epidemiology, surveillance, and control of urban malaria by An. stephensi in its native range (India partners) with cutting edge geospatial and ecological modelling of malaria (U.S. partners) and molecular genetics (U.K. partner). Our objectives will be to: Aim 1: Substantially increase the scientific leadership and expertise needed for independent urban malaria epidemiology research. Aim 2: Strengthen the capabilities and career development of young professionals to lead, manage, and train students in urban malaria and entomological research by providing post-doctoral mentored research training. Aim 3: Foster the sustainability of urban malaria research at the African universities, coordination with the National Malaria Control Program and city level vector control programs in Ethiopia and Ghana, and evidence- based decision making. Post-doctoral and junior faculty trainees will be recruited and stationed at African universities and will receive fundamental training in An. stephensi ecology and urban malaria epidemiology in India where An. stephensi is native and strong expertise exists. More advanced training in molecular genetics and ecological modelling will be provided through a mix of summer workshops and short-term research exchanges coordinated by the U.S. / U.K. institutions. Throughout a five-year period, we anticipate training 10 post-doctoral researchers, 4 junior faculty, and over 100 public health professionals in short-term non-degree programs. With our existing partnerships in India (cities nearing malaria elimination), Ethiopia (stephensi is established and contributing to malaria transmission), and Ghana (stephensi recently discovered), we are perfectly poised to strengthen the capacity for urban malaria research and control in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Africa.

BAXTER & WOODMAN INC

Engineering and Research and Technology Based Services

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

Building Beats Incorporated

Somali Independent Business Alliance

Building Blocks to Success is a capacity-building project to empower 50 BIPOC businesses in Seattle by enhancing knowledge, skills, and tools through tailored technical assistance, marketing support, and comprehensive services.

NCATS - National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

ABSTRACT The Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), a partnership between Montefiore Health System and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has a longstanding mission to provide high-quality and comprehensive training and career development programs for clinical research professionals. The ICTR also places a strong emphasis on developing a research workforce that represents the composition of our Bronx community. We propose to build upon an established and enduring biomedical educational collaboration between the ICTR and Lehman College, by exposing individuals interested in the biomedical sciences early in their training to participate in a new 10-week summer program focused on translational science, the field of investigation that aims to understand the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process. This CTSA Research Education R25 at Einstein-Montefiore will develop and support Building Bridges in the Bronx: Montefiore Einstein Explore Translational Science Program (Bronx-MEETS) to provide undergraduate and graduate student participants with opportunities to conduct research across the translational research spectrum and learn about the complex processes and innovative solutions needed to efficiently translate observations in the laboratory, clinic and community into interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public (Aim 1). Participants will also be integrated into a multi-level translational science mentoring network that will help them develop connections with others in the Einstein community at various educational and professional stages and expose them to different academic and career paths (Aim 2). A robust and innovative approach to evaluation will consistently assess and enhance the curriculum and mentoring paradigm using a novel Continuous Quality Improvement framework that will incorporate participant and mentor feedback (Aim 3). The overarching goal of Bronx-MEETS is to inspire and encourage participants from the Bronx to pursue further study and careers in clinical and translational research.

National Park Service

This Task Agreement focuses on building capacity of and sustaining the National Trails System as we prepare for the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act in 2018.

NSF

This project aims to serve the national interest by building capacity and expanding undergraduate research experiences (URE) using existing infrastructure at a large, urban two-year college in the Southwest. Participation in undergraduate research has been associated with a range of short- and long-term benefits, including enhanced analytical thinking, increased academic achievement, stronger student persistence, and greater interest in postgraduate STEM education. Importantly, two-year colleges are well-positioned to prepare students for transfer to bachelor's degree programs and for direct entry into the workforce, and UREs can foster critical, industry relevant competencies. This project seeks to develop a transferable model of UREs that integrates consistent reporting procedures, standardized data collection, and evidence-based practices through faculty development designed to promote scientific inquiry. Critically, this work contributes to national efforts to support STEM education improvement and strengthen pathways to STEM careers. The goals of the project are to: 1) integrate existing pockets of undergraduate research into centralized, comprehensive program; 2) develop a methodology to monitor student performance and progress across STEM majors; 3) incorporate evidence-based pedagogies that apply across content areas and curricula; and 4) support faculty development in implementing undergraduate research experiences (UREs) within a two-year college setting. These goals are addressed through a structured effort to build institutional capacity, including the creation of a dedicated URE coordinator position, formalizing the program within the Center for Learning, establishing a cross disciplinary committee, engaging student voices, and implementing a systematic assessment plan to examine impacts on both students and faculty. Faculty professional development serves as a cornerstone of the initiative, offering ongoing workshops and leadership opportunities to advance pedagogical innovation. Assessment and evaluation efforts focus on the impact of UREs on academic outcomes, student perceptions and attitudes toward STEM, and the extent to which institutional capacity for undergraduate research strengthens over time. Critically, the project contributes to the broader STEM education field by generating knowledge about UREs at two-year colleges and examining how evidence-based strategies impact student success. At the local level, the initiative aims to offer a scalable model for implementing undergraduate research programs across other colleges within the local two-year college system. Dissemination efforts include student and faculty presentations and publication and relevant academic and practitioner journals. By embedding research experiences in the fabric of two-year college education, the project positions these institutions as vital engines of STEM workforce development. NSF IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC) Program seeks to accelerate and advance knowledge about the impact of emerging and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges. 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.

NIGMS - National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Given recent commitments and existing strengths, Xavier University, a doctoral/professional university in Cincinnati, Ohio, is poised to significantly increase biomedical research and grant seeking. In fall 2027, Xavier will open the first Jesuit Catholic College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) in the United States. Additional new graduate programs in Biomedical Science, Anatomy, Social Work, and Audiology, as well as undergraduate programs in Genetics, Microbiology, Neuroscience, Speech, Language and Communicative Behavior, and Health Science and Wellness, as well as expansions to existing programs, will add 18 new faculty with biomedical research agendas. An additional 9 faculty at Xavier have biomedical research agendas that will be elevated through this program. In spring 2025, Xavier is launching a Center for Research Excellence to promote the growth and success of research, both for faculty and students. Xavier’s BRE-SPAD program will build upon these foundational investments. Xavier’s program addresses all three BRE-SPAD priorities. Its goals for enhancing sponsored programs administration include: building capacity and biomedical expertise by increasing grants and accounting staff, and identifying gaps in policy and procedures via an NCURA peer review and from mentorship by Creighton University, an aspirant institution with a medical school and a shared Jesuit Catholic mission. Goals for enhancing the research environment include increasing training for student researchers, engaging 24 faculty in communities to develop grant projects, creating a biomedical IRB panel, enhancing policies and training for grant seeking and research mentoring, and showcasing faculty and student research through a symposium and biomedical conference support. Goals for the pilot research project include providing funding to l aunch the biomedical research agendas of 12 new faculty and elevate the research of 5 existing faculty in biomedical disciplines, address current gaps for research equipment, and increase undergraduate and graduate student participation in biomedical research by including an estimated 49 students in pilot projects. Xavier’s BRE-SPAD program will result in a number of sustainable and effective processes. In addition to increasing capacity and expertise, the program will develop policies and procedures that will support growth in biomedical research and grant seeking, particularly needed as we launch a new medical school and new programs. Enhancing research in the COM is innovative in itself, as colleges of osteopathic medicine currently receive only 0.1% of NIH grants, compared with 40% for allopathic institutions, according to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. The program will be led by an associate provost and the director for the Center for Research Excellence, as well as the Steering Committee. Annual and holistic evaluation will be conducted by an external evaluator.

NSF

The project aims to serve the national need of building capacity for a potential Noyce Track 4 research project focusing on how middle and high school general and special education teachers collaborate to identify components of effective secondary mathematics education to support teaching and learning. Middle and high schools often have difficulty hiring and retaining special education teachers and mathematics teachers. When teachers experience a lack of support, they are more likely to leave their positions. This negatively impacts students. Students with special needs, who are often in general or regular education environments for mathematics instruction, are especially impacted because they may have a lower likelihood of meeting graduation requirements or later accessing college courses in STEM fields. This project aims to understand how school districts in Utah conceptualize effective mathematics instruction. The project also aims to refine the process through which pairs of general and special education teachers of mathematics at the same school collaborate and participate in the project related research activities. This project at Utah State University includes partnerships with specialists in and teachers of secondary mathematics instruction in both general and special education at the Utah State Board of Education and Cache County School District. Project goals include (a) strengthening collaboration between faculty in the Mathematics and Statistics Department and those in the Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Department; (b) developing a broad understanding of mathematics effectiveness across school districts in Utah to establish a measure of teacher effectiveness; and (c) piloting recruitment strategies to include a general and a special education mathematics teacher from the same school in research. The project will achieve these goals by implementing two research projects. The first project consists of a state-wide survey to get an overview of types of mathematics instruction, views on effective mathematics teaching, and the use of collaborative teaching models between secondary general and special education mathematics teachers. The second project includes a mixed-methods social network analysis focused on personal and professional support systems, collaboration, and intent-to-stay of pairs of secondary mathematics teachers in general and special education settings within the same school. By studying the effectiveness and retention of secondary general and special education mathematics teachers, this project has the potential to improve the quality of life of students. Through being taught by effective and experienced teachers, these students may increase their completion of STEM graduation requirements and college preparation courses. As a result, more students may have the opportunity to pursue STEM careers and enter the STEM workforce. This Capacity Building project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. 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.

NSF

A key challenge in STEM education research involves analyzing large amounts of learning process data from classroom interactions, collaborative problem solving in lab settings, and interactions with AI pedagogical agents and other learning technologies. To make informed decisions about curricula, teaching, and personalized instruction, educators working in technologically rich environments need learning analytic models that leverage teachers' qualitative insights as well as the large amounts of data that educational settings now generate, including log files from online learning environments and transcripts of conversations with AI agents. Quantitative ethnography (QE) provides a theoretical framework and set of tools to make sense of the natural language interactions common in traditional STEM learning as well as those occurring in rapidly evolving AI-based platforms. The goal of this Quantitative Ethnography Institute is to increase the capacity of STEM education researchers to use quantitative ethnography to address fundamental questions in STEM education research. QE is a set of statistical, computational, and AI-powered techniques that integrate qualitative and quantitative approaches to understand learning. This QE Institute will recruit three cohorts of 30 participants, the majority of whom will be early-career researchers, to engage in a year-long experience designed to support participants in using QE methods independently and train others to do so. Over the three years of this project, the QE Institute will provide intensive training, mentoring, and support to researchers. Participation will include 1) support in developing pilot QE analyses which will 2) be used in a weeklong intensive training in QE theory and methods followed by 3) one-to-one individual research consultations for the rest of the year. After completion of the Institute, participants will be able to conduct QE studies, lead interdisciplinary teams engaged in QE research, mentor and collaborate with junior researchers and colleagues, and lead QE workshops and trainings at their home institutions or at conferences they attend. This project is supported by NSF's EDU Core Research Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) program, which is designed to build investigators' capacity to carry out high-quality STEM education research. The project is also supported through a collaborative NSF activity with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Schmidt Futures, and the Walton Family Foundation. 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.

Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Inc.

Building Community

Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority

Educate immigrant and refugee small business owners, youth volunteers, elders and other community stakeholders in the Chinatown/International District on how to use social media to improve economic development and to increase collaboration.

Ballard Emergency Communication Hubs

Ballard Hub Captains and their teams are eager to reengage their neighbors around the subject of household and community preparedness. To accomplish this, multiple events will be hosted throughout Ballard educating neighbors about preparing for a disaster.

West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. (WE ACT for Environmental Justice)

For a large scale household education project in lead testing.

West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. (WE ACT for Environmental Justice)

For a large scale household education project in lead testing.

Central Square Theater

Building Community Connections

Friends of Hiawatha

The Friends of Hiawatha will engage in street activation thru art at 843 Hiawatha Pl S that will include the side streets of S. Charles and Dearborn Ave corners. The activation includes tree lighting for beautification, and culminating with a winter celebration on February 7, 2025 on First Friday Artwalk. The event is free and open to the public.

Children's Home Society of Washington

Provide social media training to reduce isolation for immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities and seniors. Teach them how to connect to families and friends through Skype, Skype phone service, email, blogs, photo sharing, Facebook and other social media.

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST invites proposals from eligible proposers to fund pilot projects under a new Building Construction Technology Extension Program (BCTEP). This pilot program will address increasing energy efficiency in commercial and industrial building operations. This pilot program will focus on re-tuning, which is a systematic semi-automated process of identifying operational problems in commercial and industrial buildings.