MAPS Researcher receives NSF Early Career Investigator Award in Plant Genome Research

Dr. Sanzhen Liu
KSU

    Sanzhen Liu, a research team member on theMicrobiomes of Aquatic, Plant and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS) project and an assistant professor in the plant pathology department at Kansas State University (KSU), has received a four-year 2.4 million dollar NSF Early Career Investigator Award in Plant Genome Research. The title of the research project is Under the Hood: The Genetic Components of Maize Transformation, (NSF IOS ECA-PGR Award #1741090). Liu will be collaborating with Sunghun Park, professor of horticulture and natural resources at KSU, Frank White from the University of Florida, Myeong-Je Cho from the University of California-Berkeley, and Hairong Wei from Michigan Technological University. The study seeks to "understand the genetic basis underlying the ability of plant tissues to regenerate into whole plants."
      Specifically, Liu and his team will investigate the genome engineering of maize. They selected maize because it is one of the highest-yielding cereal crops in the world that faces challenges of dramatic yield increases, "particularly under highly variable climates and disease pressures." The researchers plan to sequence the genome of an amenable maize tissue culture to identify the genetic elements that regulate culture ability. The group will develop and apply novel approaches in order to decode the complex maize genome.  Specifically, the team will utilize a plant-bacterium delivery system that enables "plants to gain benefits from the bacterium."  Then, a "designable bacterial system specifically interacting with genes of interest in the maize genome will be utilized to study gene function and manipulate cell development."
    This investigation will also provide training in genetics and computation as well as large data education for students and post docs involved in the project. In addition, it "will collaborate with the Kansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation to encourage involvement of historically underrepresented students in STEM fields."

HERS student examines wetland viability

   

Tasha Chenot presenting her research at UCAR, 
Boulder, CO.

     As a recent Environmental Science graduate from Haskell Indian Nations University, Natasha (Tasha) Chenot saw the Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS)  partnership with the Haskell Environmental Research Summer Internship (HERS) program as an opportunity to pursue her research interests associated with climate change and the resiliency of Indigenous communities. Specifically, she was interested in investigating the "interplays between culture, identity, and the environment" as it related to Indigenous geographies, environmental policy, and environmental stewardship. As an undergraduate, these interests led her to join the Haskell Indian Nations University Tribal Eco-Ambassadors Program sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  While serving as a Tribal Eco-Ambassador, Tasha organized several Haskell Wetland Clean-Up events and recognized that there were only a limited number of studies related to the impacts of road construction on wetlands.  Consequently, when it came time to select a research topic for the HERS program, she decided to explore the impact of highway construction and use on the Wakarusa Wetlands, located in Lawrence, Kansas.  She titled her project, The Effects of Highway Construction and Use on the Water Chemistry of Adjacent Wetlands and explained the rationale and results of her research as follows: “Wetlands are highly sensitive to disturbances associated with highway construction and use. However, few studies have examined the during-and-after effects of highway construction on wetland viability. At the Wakarusa Wetlands, located in Lawrence, Kansas, a four-lane highway was built from May 2014 to June 2016 across the northern part of the landscape. In the summer of 2018, I worked with data collected during two time periods to assess the during-and-after effects of highway construction on the water chemistry of the Wakarusa Wetlands. Although the data was discontinuous, immediate results from water quality tests suggested that disturbance from highway construction to date has increased turbidity and decreased DO content and conductivity in the wetlands. Future research activities may include establishing a long-term, continuous monitoring system in order to further investigate changes in wetland water quality.” Tasha presented her research findings at the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research (UCAR) 2018 Conference held in Boulder, CO this past July.
     Tasha is a citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and is originally from Oklahoma City, OK; however, she grew up in Lawrence, KS. Her favorite part of the HERS internship was “learning about other interns’ research projects. Everyone’s project spoke to issues that they felt passionate about and centered on the cultural survival of their (and others’) community. I truly learned so much.” In addition, she said that through this internship experience, “I learned several writing and data management skills that will undoubtedly help me in my future studies.”
     Currently, Tasha is a graduate student at the University of Kansas working on a master’s degree in Geography.  Her long term goal is to move to Alaska after graduation and work as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Environmental Consultant for the many Alaska Native corporations located throughout the state.

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the HERS program is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas. The award's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.

NSF 2026 IDEA MACHINE Competition

Kansas NSF EPSCoR is excited about this new opportunity for the community to take an active role in shaping the future direction of NSF. The NSF 2026 Idea Machine contest is a competition to identify new directions for future research. The key points of the competition are for entrants to suggest "grand challenge" questions for future research, first in narrative form and then through video "pitches." 

Authors of the best ideas will receive public recognition and/or cash prizes. Contestants much be at least 14 years old at the time of entry.

Entries will be accepted between August 31 through October 26, 2018.  Register online 

Please help us to spread the word! 

NSF EPSCoR RII Track-2 FEC Solicitation

   The NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR) has released the Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-2: Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (RII Track-2 FEC), NSF 18-589 solicitation.  Proposals submitted for this FY19 RII Track-2 FEC competition must address the NSF Harnessing the Data Revolution scientific topic area.  Harnessing the Data Revolution is one of the NSF Ten Big Ideas. The research proposal must address a specific compelling problem related to a scientific topic of national importance.  Details about the requirements are provided in the solicitation.  Only one proposal from each submitting organization can be submitted.

Letters of Intent are due: November 26, 2018

Full Proposals are due: January 25, 2019

Questions regarding the new RII Track-2 FEC solicitation may be directed to Dr. J.D. Swanson (jswanson@nsf.gov; 703-292-2898).

Collaboration between Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University and Langston University seeks to boost crop yields to feed a growing world population

Dr. Stephen Welch, KSU; Dr. Phillip Alderman, OSU; Dr. Franklin Fondjo Fotou, LU

Stephen Welch, professor of agronomy at Kansas State University (KSU), Phillip Alderman, assistant professor of agronomy at Oklahoma State University (OSU), and Franklin Fondjo Fotou, assistant professor and chair of the department of technology at Langston University (LU) in Langston OK, have received a RII Track-2 FEC NSF EPSCoR four-year, $4 million award.  The project, titled Building Field-Based Ecophysiological Genome-to-Phenome Prediction will study methods to improve crop yields, crop breeding programs, and in-field management using wheat as the example crop. The team plans to develop computer models and supporting data systems that combine crop physiology and genetics with actual environmental measurements such as canopy temperatures, soil profiles, and development phases.  They will use the new computer models and data systems to predict how wheat will perform in different environments. In addition, these models and data systems will be used to predict crop traits as well as provide insight for on-farm crop management and food security.  

For more information about the award go to:  RII Track -2 FEC EPSCoR OIA - 1826820

University of Puget Sound student studies impact of soil microbial communities on native Kansas grasses

Ben Papadopoulos (left); and Ben holding a snake 
during an REU fieldtrip to the KU Field Station

     Ben Papadopoulos is a biology major and math minor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. He first became interested in soil-plant relationships and organisms, like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, when they were mentioned in some of his core biology classes. Because he enjoys opportunities to engage in science projects, when he heard about the chance to “dig into” soil-plant microbe relationships as part of the department Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB): Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Kansas (KU), he had to apply. Ben worked with Dr. James Bever, Distinguished Foundation Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Senior Scientist with the Kansas Biological Survey, and Lead Investigator on the Kansas NSF EPSCoR OIA-1656006 RII Track-1: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS) Plant Team, to develop his research project titled: The influence of historic precipitation regimes & land-use history on soil microbial mediated plant drought tolerance. The focus of Ben's research was to determine “whether soil microbial communities from historically dry climates enhance drought response in plants more than microbes from wet climates, and how differing land uses alters those relationships.” 

Kansas grass specimens inoculated with 
various whole soil microbial communities 

     Ben further explained his research project this way: “Climate change threatens stability of important human land use needs by decreasing the frequency of precipitation events. Given the implication that drought might have for plant productivity and diversity, it is important to understand the impact of climate change and land use on future natural and agroecosystems. Soil microbial communities play a pivotal role in mediating key ecosystem processes and driving plant productivity and diversity. Agricultural practices alter microbial communities, reducing the ability of agricultural soils to mitigate disturbances which are exacerbated under altered precipitation regimes. Understanding how undisturbed microbial communities mediate drought stress may be key to securing future food production. We used the precipitation gradient of Kansas, USA and systems varying in historical land use as a proxy for understanding how microbial communities confer drought stress in plants. We examined 1) how microbes across different precipitation and land use histories influence plant growth response; 2) the ways in which microbes from low precipitation gradients mitigate drought stress in plants; and 3) how land use history may alter this interaction. To examine these questions, we tested three species of grasses from native, resorted and agricultural systems inoculated with whole soil microbial communities from different historic precipitation and land use conditions in a full factorial design. Plants were measured for growth over time and compared across groups. We also collected fungal hyphal density for all inoculation types, indicating a general trend of increasing density with decreasing disturbance. This information will help shape productive land management strategies in a changed world.” The findings of his research revealed “that the agricultural plant, sorghum, showed different reactions to the various soils after only 3 weeks of growth where the other species did not, and that little bluestem does much better in live soils versus our sterile control.” Through this summer's research experience, Ben said he learned more about how to plan, start, and write a research project, especially as adjustments needed to be made. Plus, he added, “I also learned more about plant diversity, grasses, mechanisms of drought response and microbes!”
     Ben returns to the University of Puget Sound as a senior this fall.  Originally, Ben is from Denver, CO, and he says Tacoma WA is one of his favorite places to live. In addition to participating in this summer's research program, Ben has completed an Ecology study abroad program in Costa Rica, is a member of the Phi Sigma biological honor society, and is a Teaching Assistant. As for Ben's co-curricular involvement, he is a member of the varsity crew team, a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Washington Gamma chapter, and serves on a university faculty-student committee. Currently, Ben is researching PhD programs as well as specialized masters programs with the hope of pursuing a future career in research.

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the Summer MAPS REU program is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas.  The grant's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.

Three Kansas Assistant Professors receive NSF EPSCoR RII Track-4 Awards

     NSF EPSCoR RII Track-4 Awards provide opportunities for non-tenured investigators to visit the nation’s premier private, governmental or academic research centers to learn new research techniques in their area of interest, develop collaborations and partnerships, access unique equipment and facilities, and transform their research. This fellowship experience is intended to enhance a Fellow’s research trajectory and have lasting impacts on his or her career direction well beyond the award period.  In turn, these benefits are also expected to improve the research capacity of their institutions.  Three faculty from Kansas, two from the University of Kansas (KU) and one from Kansas State University (KSU) have been awarded NSF EPSCoR Track-4 awards with start dates of October 1, 2018.
 

Dr. Abigail Langston
KSU Geography

     Dr. Abigail Langston is an Assistant Research Professor in the Geography Department at KSU.  The title of her NSF EPSCoR RII Track-4 Award OIA-1833025 is Using Novel Applications of Luminescence Techniques to Evaluate Channel Mobility and Bedrock Valley Development.  Langston describes the significance of her collaboration with the Desert Research Institute Cord Luminescence Laboratory (DRILL) located in Reno, NV as follows:  “The processes that control vertical incision in bedrock rivers are widely studied and well characterized; however, the fundamental processes that control lateral erosion have not been quantified in the laboratory or in the field. Field data that describes past channel mobility and defines absolute time constraints on the length of lateral erosion intervals are vital for better understanding the conditions that result in wide bedrock valleys. Analysis of luminescence properties is a key tool for dating fluvial deposits to determine periods of lateral erosion and vertical incision. It also has the potential to illuminate transport processes, such as channel mobility, during periods of sediment deposition. Research conducted during this project has the potential to transform our understanding about the processes and timing of the evolution of bedrock valley systems. Two main project objectives support the overarching goals: (1) learning single-grain luminescence techniques to date the depositional age of sediments with complex transport histories; (2) interpreting luminescence properties as a proxy for fluvial processes, such as channel mobility. Using luminescence techniques to interpret geomorphic processes is an emerging application that has the potential to give insight beyond dating. When this project is complete, the geomorphology community will be closer to interpreting luminescence properties as proxies of transport processes to assess past channel mobility from sediment deposited in association with periods of bedrock valley formation and ultimately a new way of interpreting a wealth of measured, but previously unexamined data….  Determining the timing of past and current river incision is important for predicting the effect of ongoing landscape change on humans who live and work near rivers in Kansas, the PI's home state. The PI's home institution, Kansas State University, will benefit from the professional development of the PI, her extended collaborative network with DRI, and the incorporation of dating techniques in research and teaching to demonstrate how local rivers change on decadal and centennial time scales that humans must be prepared to adapt to."

Dr. James Blakemore
KU Chemistry 

     Dr. James Blakemore is an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at KU.  The title of his NSF EPSCoR RII Track-4 Award OIA -1833087 is Pulse Radiolysis Studies of H2 Generation by [Cp*Rh] Complexes to Characterize Design Rules for Improved Catalysts.  Blakemore describes the intent of his award as follows: “The research effort of this fellowship focuses on experimental study of mechanisms of proton and electron management in reductive molecular catalysis. Proton/electron management is important in artificial photosynthetic systems that can be used to generate energy-dense chemicals and fuels; in such systems, water serves as a sacrificial reagent to provide reducing equivalents to catalysts that mediate formation of reduced products. A group of [Cp*Rh]-based molecular catalysts (Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl; Rh = rhodium) developed in the PI’s laboratory are the target of the studies in this project, as they are highly active for catalysis, recyclable, and built from commonly available components. However, unexpected metal- and ligand-centered protonation events have recently been implicated in the activity of these compounds, motivating detailed studies aimed at revealing the features of their structure and bonding that favor efficient catalysis. On-site experimental work at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) located in Long Island, NY,will focus on pulse radiolysis and time-resolved UV-visible and infrared spectroscopic studies in order to generate and observe the transient intermediates involved in catalysis, with the goal of elucidating the roles of specific protonation sites, metal hydride species, and ancillary redox-active ligands. Complexes that feature a variety of ligand environments will be studied, including model compounds that complement the active catalysts. The outcomes of this research include fundamental knowledge for rational design of improved molecular catalysts, particularly systems with ligand environments built upon cyclopentadienyl-type ligands that may function as unconventional proton relays. Notably, the design rules developed here could be broadly useful, as cyclopentadienyl ligands are ubiquitous in organometallic chemistry and catalysis, and are commonly used in industry…. Research findings from this Fellowship will also be integrated into curriculum development efforts to transmit the new theory and knowledge to young researchers, train undergraduate and graduate students, and nurture a skilled and educated professional workforce to grow local industry and economy.”

Dr. Xianglin Li
KU Mechanical Engineering

     Dr. Xianglin Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kansas.  The title of his NSF EPSCoR RII Track-4 Award OIA - 1833048 is Pore-Scale Transport Phenomena in Li-O2 Battery Electrodes Characterized by Nano-Tomography. Li describes the significance of his award as follows: The collaboration with Prof. Shawn Litster and access to the unique X-ray Computed Tomography Facility (XCFT) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), made possible by this Fellowship, is the key to reconstructing high-resolution (~50 nm) pore-scale structure and for subsequent studies of Li-O2 batteries. The reconstructed three-dimensional nano-tomography of customized battery electrodes will 1) be integrated with statistical models to transfer pore-scale morphology to electrode-level properties; 2) be coupled with fluid dynamics models to predict its electrochemical performance; and 3) facilitate the understanding of pore structure evolution caused by the solid Li2O2 precipitation/depletion during discharge/charge. The new knowledge and theory, as well as the new techniques, developed in this project will enable research and development of advanced electrode materials to significantly improve the specific energy and power of Li-O2 batteries. The profound scientific significance will last beyond this Fellowship and promote electrochemical technologies with high energy and power density such as fuel cells, Li-ion batteries, metal-air batteries, super capacitors, and redox flow batteries. The success of this project will initiate a longstanding collaboration between the PI and Prof. Litster to pursue new knowledge and foster more collaborative research between the University of Kansas and CMU. It also provides an excellent opportunity for one graduate student to receive systematic training on conducting scientific research, initiating collaborations, and disseminating research findings each summer…. Research findings from this Fellowship will also be integrated into curriculum development efforts to transmit the new theory and knowledge to young researchers, train undergraduate and graduate students, and nurture a skilled and educated professional workforce to grow local industry and economy.”

Congratulations to all three NSF EPSCoR RII Track-4 Award recipients.

Descriptions of the recipients research is taken directly from their individual project's NSF web posted abstract available through the links above.