tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18128418155591507242024-03-12T18:18:57.927-05:00KNE NewsArchived news highlights and announcements from Kansas NSF EPSCoRUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger183125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-80299432943342183872020-01-01T17:33:00.002-06:002021-10-07T08:40:12.456-05:00Kansas NSF EPSCoR has a New Website<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #ffa400;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>ANNOUNCING THE NEW</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>KANSAS NSF EPSCoR WEBSITE</b></span></span><br />
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<div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://nsfepscor.ku.edu/"><span>nsfepscor.ku.edu</span></a></span></b> </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Kansas NSF EPSCoR unveiled a new website for 2020 and is now posting announcements, funding opportunities, and news stories to that site. The web address did not change, but the site has been updated and become more efficient.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">To find the most current information about Kansas NSF EPSCoR and the MAPS project go to the new site at:</span><br />
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<a href="https://nsfepscor.ku.edu/"><span style="font-size: large;">https://nsfepscor.ku.edu</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Access to prior stories can still be found here as well as in the archives section on the about page of the new website.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://nsfepscor.ku.edu/history/"><span style="font-size: large;">https://nsfepscor.ku.edu/history/</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyjpPKlzqAXPhnwklNTZpxd5OSdRzqz9trva09cGBQhuWrPqpgOOyl9C1oeE_pQ38SZFrLeHQ345hy7wB3FBKixRWVTS5ZiRgmhgji6itK16u5VzZHzPL53RljGdKhuw5IN1m0Rkfw058/s1600/Website.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyjpPKlzqAXPhnwklNTZpxd5OSdRzqz9trva09cGBQhuWrPqpgOOyl9C1oeE_pQ38SZFrLeHQ345hy7wB3FBKixRWVTS5ZiRgmhgji6itK16u5VzZHzPL53RljGdKhuw5IN1m0Rkfw058/s640/Website.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">You may still reach us at 785-864-3096</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">Kansas NSF EPSCoR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="mailto:nsfepscor@ku.edu">nsfepscor@ku.edu</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">University of Kansas</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">Lawrence, KS 66047<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-25666459583007682032019-12-18T15:49:00.000-06:002020-03-09T13:51:04.714-05:00Registration is now open for the 2020 MAPS Research Symposium<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-BY6T-pjpRgUUWNTGVavkswmydHzlzbcTOWbSiv_6FXw2hDwXtyhmAr0BSCi3yOXessMYDCOU1zwYZDfXgA-MDiLHSGNeSJJfDDbW0IgEwcpo59lwEw7caJ8AtoZYtG4iBj0Di_0ufDz/s1600/Save+the+date.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="540" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-BY6T-pjpRgUUWNTGVavkswmydHzlzbcTOWbSiv_6FXw2hDwXtyhmAr0BSCi3yOXessMYDCOU1zwYZDfXgA-MDiLHSGNeSJJfDDbW0IgEwcpo59lwEw7caJ8AtoZYtG4iBj0Di_0ufDz/s640/Save+the+date.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Kansas NSF EPSCoR will be hosting its Annual MAPS Research Symposium on Monday, <b>March 2, 2020,</b> at the KU Adams Alumni Center (1266 Oread Ave., Lawrence, KS).<br />
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There will be a welcome reception the evening before (Sunday, March 1) at the Oread Hotel (1200 Oread Ave., Lawrence, KS)<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">March 1-2, 2020 </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">MAPS Symposium </span></b><br />
<a href="https://tinyurl.com/tndvlgp"><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">Agenda and </span></b><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">Presentations</span></b></a><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Registration is closed</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: red;">go to: </span></b><span style="color: red;"><b><a href="https://forms.gle/s8F3BMmfnc9KpxhT9">https://forms.gle/s8F3BMmfnc9KpxhT9 </a> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>to register</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>T</i></span><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>here is no fee to
attend but registration is required. </i></span></b></span></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">***</span><span style="background-color: yellow;">To register your poster and submit your abstract </span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">go to: </span></b></span><b> </b><a href="http://s.12ab.pw/l/cf8"><b>http://s.12ab.pw/l/cf8</b></a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i><b><span style="color: blue;">There will be a welcome reception the evening before (Sunday, March 1) at the Oread Hotel.</span></b></i></span>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Reservations for overnight participants</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b><i> may be made at</i></b></span><b style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i> the Oread Hotel </i></b><b style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>1200 Oread Ave, </i></b><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Lawrence, KS 66044</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><span class="LrzXr zdqRlf kno-fv" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span data-dtype="d3ifr" data-local-attribute="d3ph"><span style="font-size: 14px;">T</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">o make reservations call (785) 843-1200 and tell the reservation service you are with the </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><span class="LrzXr zdqRlf kno-fv" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span data-dtype="d3ifr" data-local-attribute="d3ph"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><span class="LrzXr zdqRlf kno-fv" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span data-dtype="d3ifr" data-local-attribute="d3ph">Kansas NSF EPSCoR 2020 Symposium to get the discounted rate. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><span class="LrzXr zdqRlf kno-fv" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span data-dtype="d3ifr" data-local-attribute="d3ph"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><span class="LrzXr zdqRlf kno-fv" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span data-dtype="d3ifr" data-local-attribute="d3ph"><i>Participants who choose to stay overnight are responsible for all of their travel and hotel costs.</i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><span class="LrzXr zdqRlf kno-fv" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span data-dtype="d3ifr" data-local-attribute="d3ph"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><span class="LrzXr zdqRlf kno-fv" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span data-dtype="d3ifr" data-local-attribute="d3ph"><b>To guarantee a room reservation, call on or before January 31, 2020.</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><span class="LrzXr zdqRlf kno-fv" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span data-dtype="d3ifr" data-local-attribute="d3ph"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><span class="LrzXr zdqRlf kno-fv" style="background-color: white; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span data-dtype="d3ifr" data-local-attribute="d3ph" style="color: blue;"><b>Deadline to register is Friday, February 21, 2020</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Program and other logistical details are TBA. Revisit this page for up-to-date information. Contact Doug Byers at dbyers@ku.edu or 785-864-3227 with questions.</span><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-76287538327721979612019-12-10T08:41:00.000-06:002020-01-24T10:36:22.801-06:00Announcing the 2020-2021 Kansas NSF EPSCoR Track-4 Recipients The NSF EPSCoR Research Fellows Awards (RII Track-4) are designed for early career, non-tenured faculty with the purpose of enhancing the fellow's research capacity through site visits and collaborations with premier private, government or academic research centers across the nation. Through these partnerships, the NSF EPSCoR Research Fellows learn new techniques using specialized equipment and facilities. These fellowship experiences are expected to potentially transform the fellow’s research career path beyond the award period as well as enhance the research capacity of their institutions. Kansas NSF EPSCoR congratulates 2020-2021 Track-4 Fellows, Dr. Gisuk Hwang, an Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Wichita State University, and Dr. Hongyu Wu, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Kansas State University.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQJZd__-6w-wvRdBSGN3AEuFQSN7fbvgLfMRMI_54lvCfU_t28uzgBI1NUhnqLsNJWxxQaGCUzXhwp7o4I96GoMlbE8IvdV55JY9Bln97YAvrQgwGP9Sntlwv0a6j0qNFMMw8sWpuz9P7/s1600/Dr.+Gisuk+Hwang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQJZd__-6w-wvRdBSGN3AEuFQSN7fbvgLfMRMI_54lvCfU_t28uzgBI1NUhnqLsNJWxxQaGCUzXhwp7o4I96GoMlbE8IvdV55JY9Bln97YAvrQgwGP9Sntlwv0a6j0qNFMMw8sWpuz9P7/s1600/Dr.+Gisuk+Hwang.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Gisuk Hwang<br />
Wichita State University</td></tr>
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<b>Dr. Gisuk Hwang</b>, titled his proposed project<i> <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1929187&HistoricalAwards=false">Tailored Flow Boiling Mechanisms Using 3D Printed Multifunctional Wick Structures.</a></i> The following excerpt is taken from his NSF EPSCoR RII Track-4 Award Abstract #1929187 and explains his research: “Efficient and sustainable electrical power generation is critical to the U.S. energy supply/security and economy, and it is dominated by thermo-electric systems as the 83% of the electricity in 2018 has been generated from fossil fuels and nuclear energy. The efficiency of the electrical power production is bottle-necked by the performance of a steam generator, i.e., flow boiler, which is caused by local premature water dry out from excessive unwanted vapor blankets. To address this challenge, the proposed research will a multifunctional wick structure is proposed for effective liquid-vapor separation, to simultaneously advance current technical limits on heat transfer coefficient and maximum heat transfer rate per given surface area without creating a significant hydraulic pressure drop. A key success of the proposed research requires an advanced manufacturing approach for the proposed multifunctional wick structure with complex geometries. The PI will conduct the research working with a collaborator at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL) using a state-of-the-art metallic 3D printer with a high resolution at Nano-Engineering Research Core Facility (NERCF). Also, this fellowship will greatly strengthen the collaboration between the WSU and UNL. The obtained new knowledge will be implemented into the education plans, which will empower the future engineering workforce.”<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllbVpDjm2_HcCuR-_-427TsFpwOBv10oOEDMRlAX0TGKmJRvK9cnWEQmbvf4KD9_r32F-c7dBcmcbsvL0OArf44XwT5-Syb-LIrrf7Xu6X2uiAGMB9iCsLuGmJEBkDgNNlRqqRSIalMjD/s1600/Dr.+Hongyu+Wu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllbVpDjm2_HcCuR-_-427TsFpwOBv10oOEDMRlAX0TGKmJRvK9cnWEQmbvf4KD9_r32F-c7dBcmcbsvL0OArf44XwT5-Syb-LIrrf7Xu6X2uiAGMB9iCsLuGmJEBkDgNNlRqqRSIalMjD/s1600/Dr.+Hongyu+Wu.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Hongyu Wu<br />
Kansas State University</td></tr>
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Dr. Hongyu Wu, Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering at Kansas State University titled his proposed project <i>Robust Matrix Completion State Estimation in Low-Observability Distribution Systems under False Data Injection Attacks. </i>The following excerpt, taken from his Award Abstract #1929147, provides a brief explanation of his research: "The operational landscape at electric distribution grids is undergoing a radical transformation. Notably, the impact of distributed renewable energy sources and the impetus to improve cybersecurity are challenging the status quo and calling for innovative techniques to enhance situational awareness in the distribution grid. With the support of an EPSCoR Research Fellowship, the PI and a Ph.D. student will receive training on new techniques, including a novel state estimation approach and a next-generation cyber-physical system simulation platform, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The PI and the student will closely collaborate with NREL researchers by focusing on how to acquire better state estimation in low-observability distribution grids under cyber data attacks. This fellowship will provide an excellent opportunity for a Ph.D. student and an underrepresented undergraduate to gain valuable experience and develop new skill sets. The PI will bring the new techniques back to the home institution, i.e., Kansas State University (KSU), and introduce them to other investigators in related fields. This fellowship will foster a strong partnership between KSU and NREL, and help the state of Kansas better meet its renewable energy goals."Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-10827685023964970342019-12-02T09:15:00.000-06:002020-08-14T11:44:49.323-05:00KSU 2018 MAPS REU student returns in 2019 to continue her research, but first takes a side trip to Mongolia <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvz8kQfyA4AFRJvRPu8-iwM7jIbR-GSC_7kJbi7NW9e0aX8fyjPfKl6n3YznCYGWCedLBE-pOqYmu5rDSGD1KRnk3UJp8tDxZAQa0aVSy17SkFXZB6gpYSn4TeV-5WneNMh5ZfKY0IJZi/s1600/Image3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvz8kQfyA4AFRJvRPu8-iwM7jIbR-GSC_7kJbi7NW9e0aX8fyjPfKl6n3YznCYGWCedLBE-pOqYmu5rDSGD1KRnk3UJp8tDxZAQa0aVSy17SkFXZB6gpYSn4TeV-5WneNMh5ZfKY0IJZi/s320/Image3.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly Fisher in Mongolia</td></tr>
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What a difference a year makes, or so Molly Fisher found when she decided to return to Kansas and continue her 2018 Kansas State University (KSU) Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) collaboration with her 2018 mentor <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/dodds/">Dr. Walter Dodds</a>, University Distinguished Professor of Biology at KSU and Co-Pi for the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS).</a> Last year, Molly worked with the drought-induced pools of Kings Creek, but this year Molly said that even though “the topic of study was a continuation of research from last year. The difference was that this year King's Creek had flow” and provided a "slightly more ‘normal year’ for comparison to our results from last year's drought samples.” Since last summer, Molly has worked remotely analyzing data from her 2018 research while completing her junior year at <a href="https://simpson.edu/">Simpson College</a> in Indianola, Iowa.<br />
When asked about this past summer’s REU experience, Molly said, “My 2019 summer REU had two parts to it. The first part involved working as a lab technician in Mongolia and the second part allowed me to continue my own research in the United States." Her unique 2019 MAPS research experience actually started in January when Dr. Dodds invited her back to KSU to work in his lab. In the lab, Molly continued her own research from last summer and also served as a lab technician for <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/grad/gst.html">Anne Schechner,</a> a Ph.D. candidate from the <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/doddslab/">Dodds Lab</a>. Molly first explained her lab technician experience and then her 2019 Summer REU research as follows:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztKP3R-AiWrS6o7pDjYCFFPntsTH2na5YbQezcP-jlxDMtRMa1aR4faBXu0xWy1ApPQCDVk0NT6g4QJgp4Ytew9xJBoimB9pksfeyDs4ehBPRKi4NDuRknnIL74G6wvtVglUL1XusZ6LV/s1600/Image2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztKP3R-AiWrS6o7pDjYCFFPntsTH2na5YbQezcP-jlxDMtRMa1aR4faBXu0xWy1ApPQCDVk0NT6g4QJgp4Ytew9xJBoimB9pksfeyDs4ehBPRKi4NDuRknnIL74G6wvtVglUL1XusZ6LV/s320/Image2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly collecting and testing samples in Mongolia</td></tr>
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"Anne is part of the <a href="http://www.macrorivers.org/">MACRO Macroecological Riverine Project</a>. As part of this team of researchers, Anne focuses on the system metabolism of temperate steppe rivers. She has research sites, both in Mongolia and the United States. I was contracted as her lab technician alongside another student, Sammi Grieger, a graduate student at Washington State University in Vancouver. On June 3, 2019, graduate students, principal investigators, and lab technicians from Ball State University, Kansas State University, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, and the University of Kansas traveled to Mongolia for the 2019 research expedition. Once in Mongolia, we met up with graduate students, lab technicians, and principal investigators from the National University of Mongolia. Anne, Sammi, and I were the metabolism crew and used probes to measure light, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and discharge. We also used an acoustic doppler velocimeter to measure barometric pressure and discharge. We spent over 20 days in the field camping the entire time. Overall, we collected data from 18 different sites in eastern Mongolia before returning to the United States on July 2, 2019. During the rest of July, I was at KSU completing <a href="https://kansas-nsf-epscor.blogspot.com/2018/08/first-generation-college-student.html">my own research measuring stream N cycling</a> using 15NH4+ in recirculating chambers to examine benthic N dynamics again looking specifically at remineralization, N uptake, and nitrification." Using her research samples collected during the 2018 summer, Molly created a poster “that <a href="http://lter.konza.ksu.edu/people/james-guinnip">James Guinnip</a>, another Ph.D. candidate in the Dodds lab, generously presented in her absence at the <a href="https://sfsannualmeeting.org/">2019 Society for Freshwater Science</a> annual meeting this past May.”<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdOwZdsxGJQt466E-V6kFqq4kprZEd5J2XpvLBPEptzF7MN_ZGZSmbLO74VAra0If-sPggg42xdvDebvSBcA7a2aSrxxO-fv8hditenRuYXPwYvlJHzBGfK5_XIRYSe53Jy3y5tODD4Sb/s1600/Molly%2527s+Poster.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1139" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdOwZdsxGJQt466E-V6kFqq4kprZEd5J2XpvLBPEptzF7MN_ZGZSmbLO74VAra0If-sPggg42xdvDebvSBcA7a2aSrxxO-fv8hditenRuYXPwYvlJHzBGfK5_XIRYSe53Jy3y5tODD4Sb/s640/Molly%2527s+Poster.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly's poster displaying her research</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As for her favorite part of the 2019 MAPS REU program, Molly said, “My favorite experience was by far Mongolia. I love fieldwork, the outdoors, and traveling. Having the opportunity to do all three was an opportunity I will be forever grateful to have had.” And as she reflected on her unique 2019 summer experience, she added, “Over the summer, I learned how fortunate I am to have a plethora of family, friends, and professors who are so supportive, encouraging, and proud of me. I wouldn’t be where I am at today without them. <i>I also learned that Mongolian sugar wafers are quite delightful</i>.”<br />
The Nashua, Iowa native returned to Simpson College this fall to complete her senior year and a degree in environmental science with a minor in history. Molly has also continued her campus involvement activities serving as the Senior Class President and a <a href="https://simpson.edu/admission-aid/tuition-aid/scholarships-grants-awards/carver-bridge-stem-success-program">Carver Bridge Scholar </a>as well as being an active member of the <a href="https://simpson.edu/news/tap-then-honor-26-simpson-students-join-omicron-delta-kappa">Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society</a>, the <a href="https://simpson.edu/academics/departments/department-biology-and-environmental-science/opportunities-and-involvement">Beta Beta Beta Honor Society</a>, and the <a href="https://simpson.edu/academics/departments/department-philosophy/philosophy-opportunities-and-involvement">Sustainability Club</a>. Over these next few months, Molly shared, “I will be applying to graduate schools (mainly in the marine biology realm) to further my education and continue to foster my love for science. I’m not exactly sure where I will end up, but I am thoroughly stoked to see what my future holds.”<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the KSU 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 and prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.</i></span><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-59395435053547092192019-11-21T10:19:00.002-06:002020-01-23T09:50:57.664-06:00MAPS Microbes on the Move: Exploring microbiomes through mobile museum experiences draws attention to microbial communities <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jYgbYWMrVrbPhQ3bmR3P01kpM-UtkZMUSZDWM_cru_ZcOUjd74M8tYw3mIRYl8DGZC4zysK1jwZBUGs235I4yNthvC9EIZUa5mT_Sjmt1C10sjFsx42MYo3IP40udTYKTtbh8HM6gphY/s1600/Microbes+on+the+Move+tent+overall+adjusted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="1600" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jYgbYWMrVrbPhQ3bmR3P01kpM-UtkZMUSZDWM_cru_ZcOUjd74M8tYw3mIRYl8DGZC4zysK1jwZBUGs235I4yNthvC9EIZUa5mT_Sjmt1C10sjFsx42MYo3IP40udTYKTtbh8HM6gphY/s320/Microbes+on+the+Move+tent+overall+adjusted.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">The Microbes on the Move pop-up museum tent.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Microbes on the Move: Exploring microbiomes through mobile museum experiences</i> is one of the museum community outreach initiatives supported by<a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006"> Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: <i>Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas</i> (MAPS)</a>. The program is directed by <a href="https://biodiversity.ku.edu/people/teresa-macdonald">Dr. Teresa MacDonald</a>, Associate Director for Public Programs at <a href="https://biodiversity.ku.edu/">the KU Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum</a> in collaboration with <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/ben-sikes">Dr. Ben Sikes</a>, Associate Professor of <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology-ku">Ecology and Evolutionary Biology </a>at the University of Kansas (KU), Associate Scientist for the <a href="https://biosurvey.ku.edu/">Kansas Biological Survey</a>, and KU MAPS Plant Research Team Leader. The <i>Microbes on the Move</i> project was developed as a pop-up museum designed to travel across the state of Kansas and inform communities about the diversity of microorganisms as well as their role in natural global cycles. The program focuses on illustrating the world of microbes through museum collections and living microbial communities. The objectives of the project are to encourage elementary-age children and their families to learn about the major microbe groups; to understand and appreciate the diverse nature of microorganisms; to discover connections between microbes and their local environment; and to experience microbes as living organisms through dynamic displays.</span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hzZaA9luFox4oFGQ7g0Q_7tpsbzn_GyB-i11D6qCBCu4FP1jUU75dQUMnqzMWwCYsFHALYTeWfQnimpwwjrZFvNYQhopkomDiyDW8hNJ10emSZTx_Qc_dE_JtIaNENNkZ0Q2KzjlgOT2/s1600/specimens6_Wamego+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="925" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hzZaA9luFox4oFGQ7g0Q_7tpsbzn_GyB-i11D6qCBCu4FP1jUU75dQUMnqzMWwCYsFHALYTeWfQnimpwwjrZFvNYQhopkomDiyDW8hNJ10emSZTx_Qc_dE_JtIaNENNkZ0Q2KzjlgOT2/s320/specimens6_Wamego+2019.jpg" width="184" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">"Dorothy" observing
specimens </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">with microbial connections during</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">OZtoberfest in Wamego, KS</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> Dr. MacDonald described the program as a “'drop-in event,' so visitors can experience the facilitated activities and specimen displays in any order and for as long as they are interested.” The mobile museum includes 15 portable exhibits displaying 90 different species such as fungi, lichen, and stromatolites from the KU Natural History Museum's microbe collections. It also features interactive activities such as ‘Microbe Minute’ cards that provide fun action labels and engaging stories connecting the displays to the microorganisms living in the participants' local community. Other activities involve visitors collecting samples from the local environment to culture fungi that create living art; making mini-microbial gardens using <a href="https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/microbiology/make-a-home-for-microbes">Winogradsky columns;</a> and using USB microscopes and <a href="https://www.foldscope.com/">Foldscopes </a>to observe individual microorganisms. When asked what the most popular activity was, Dr. MacDonald responded, “Many are drawn to the specimen displays and their microbial connections, others opt to begin exploring items with microscopes or mixing mud and water with other materials to build microbial columns. The opportunity to collect and grow fungi to find out what lives on their face, shoe, or other surface is also intriguing – particularly for young visitors.” The program's presentation is also flexible depending on the audience as Dr. MacDonald explained, “We added some activities highlighting some connections to the <i>Wizard of Oz</i> stories as part of our participation in <a href="https://www.visitwamego.com/events/oztoberfest-2019">OZtoberfest</a> in Wamego.”</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmdvPhu82u-9PxVYITb_KVlKh_qppVQ4kY4adbe6UdAPIboKFDczw0rOXPnjVqzVKRzFu__IIRlIonCEoaQo-9XVIpaClb-_W5CWyAnN7GVDdZdjLaaElFCaZ0IZoWXUCxAijaCAYOSLy/s1600/microbe+cards+%2526+label_Chanute+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmdvPhu82u-9PxVYITb_KVlKh_qppVQ4kY4adbe6UdAPIboKFDczw0rOXPnjVqzVKRzFu__IIRlIonCEoaQo-9XVIpaClb-_W5CWyAnN7GVDdZdjLaaElFCaZ0IZoWXUCxAijaCAYOSLy/s200/microbe+cards+%2526+label_Chanute+%25282%2529.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Students observing specimens </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">with microbial connections</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> The mobile museum's presentation team consists of three education and outreach staff from the KU Natural History Museum, three student assistants as well as some occasional volunteers. When selecting locations to reach out to, Dr. MacDonald said her team considers the area’s “population size, community demographics, potential community partners like a public library or other site, free community events that fit with the microbe theme and coincide with the team’s availability, the proximity the area has to informal science education opportunities, and the distance the event is from KU Natural History Museum.” So far, the <i>Microbes on the Move</i> project has participated in four events. The first and second <span style="line-height: 115%;">outreach events occurred in the spring of 2019. One through a collaboration
with the public library in Chanute, KS and the other in conjunction
with the <a href="https://www.spencerart.ku.edu/">KU Spencer Museum of Art’s </a>“Day of Creativity.” The third and fourth events occurred in the fall of 2019. One was in collaboration with the Emporia Public Library</span>, and the other was involved with the Wamego, KS OZtoberfest. So far, the program has traveled over 800 miles reaching close to 1000 visitors, and the response to the project has been overwhelmingly positive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> Currently, the team is planning to participate in six more events with two scheduled in the spring of 2020 (April 10 in Independence, KS and May 9 in Topeka, KS). The <i>Microbes on the Move</i> project is funded through the summer of 2021.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the Microbes on the Move: Exploring microbiomes through mobile museum experiences 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 and prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.</i></span><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-30868844575668062472019-11-13T09:48:00.000-06:002020-01-22T16:12:27.354-06:00MAPS science teams from across the state meet to present research progress<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgu19bDGc0aI2Z2qz0R_oUAykb_4jJV-Gol00L6MoLRXiM1Nya-LJgaE03adeSj8VVOVZarASIGLCtAjsStoh7Lx7F9M4Hpb7w_UMWmwVuCy3gFuVC-SUhUhmfPhbpGpr9qWUPC2iwLz4P/s1600/IMG_E0639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1096" data-original-width="1600" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgu19bDGc0aI2Z2qz0R_oUAykb_4jJV-Gol00L6MoLRXiM1Nya-LJgaE03adeSj8VVOVZarASIGLCtAjsStoh7Lx7F9M4Hpb7w_UMWmwVuCy3gFuVC-SUhUhmfPhbpGpr9qWUPC2iwLz4P/s400/IMG_E0639.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The MAPS Research Team</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Forty members of the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006" style="background-color: white; color: #ff9700; font-size: 13.2px;">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: <i>Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas</i> (MAPS)</a> research team consisting of faculty, post-docs, lab techs, and students met on November 4, 2019, at the <a href="https://biosurvey.ku.edu/">Kansas Biological Survey</a> located in Higuchi Hall at the University of Kansas (KU) to provide research updates and plan next steps for the MAPS project. Co-Pis, <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/dodds/">Dr. Walter Dodds</a> from Kansas State University (KSU), <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/james-bever">Dr. Jim Bever</a> (KU) and <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/sharon-billings">Dr. Sharon Billings </a>(KU) welcomed the group and outlined the logistics of the meeting. Team leaders, <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/zeglin/index.html">Dr. Lydia Zeglin </a>(KSU) and <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/amy-burgin">Dr. Amy Burgin </a>(KU) from the Aquatic research group, <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/ben-sikes">Dr. Ben Sikes </a>(KU) from the Plant research group, <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/geology/faculty-staff/Kirk.html">Dr. Matt Kirk </a>(KSU) from the Soils research group and <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/platt/">Dr. Tom Platt </a>(KSU) and <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/fola-b-agusto">Dr. Fola Agusto</a> (KU) from the Synthesis team reported on the accomplishments of their specific research teams. The presentation updates were followed by post-docs and students from each research group presenting their research projects and progress in using a lightning talk presentation format. The following students, post-docs and lab techs presented their specific MAPS research project.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf10CLGjWPXGWh9NGfKQprkC8CwZLV88wHufqx0ypi8HfrwtAHZiQNTcUpyDk4nqagEnI7kc54rD2yh-xrxjlODVkTmId_MlByc9FfkIHnxmzCJGh0TL8KHUlroFTdKz1Aq04lQR5ZCTvT/s1600/IMG_0567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf10CLGjWPXGWh9NGfKQprkC8CwZLV88wHufqx0ypi8HfrwtAHZiQNTcUpyDk4nqagEnI7kc54rD2yh-xrxjlODVkTmId_MlByc9FfkIHnxmzCJGh0TL8KHUlroFTdKz1Aq04lQR5ZCTvT/s320/IMG_0567.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WSU master's student Abigail Urban</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From the Plant Research team:<br />
<ul>
<li>Abigail Urban - <i>Response of plan Communities to land use across the precipitation gradient in Kansas </i>(WSU Houseman Lab)</li>
<li>Hannah Dea - <i>MAPS: Plant Microbiome Samples Summer 2019 </i>(KSU Jupponen Lab)</li>
<li>Matthew Kolp - <i>Maize drought experiment and synthetic microbial communities</i> (KU Wagoner Lab)</li>
<li>Susan Magnoli - <i>Legume-rhizobia mutualism as a driver of grassland composition and community resistance to invasion</i> (KU Bever Lab)</li>
</ul>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzcMSuMiU7ZW697JQxwqo69SQA1AUGbu4o5ko3rVS4nRPVg3Lq3UK0MCaD5hjyU4K86iitBLHzQeGVd6HB3dPQVlF99sXWlo3naOl99DUs6016unBmdFHnez_lCoy6oeITidpeTocU7Bp/s1600/IMG_0597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzcMSuMiU7ZW697JQxwqo69SQA1AUGbu4o5ko3rVS4nRPVg3Lq3UK0MCaD5hjyU4K86iitBLHzQeGVd6HB3dPQVlF99sXWlo3naOl99DUs6016unBmdFHnez_lCoy6oeITidpeTocU7Bp/s320/IMG_0597.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KSU master's student Stephan Koenigsberger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From the Soil Research Team:<br />
<ul>
<li>Stephan Koenigsberger - <i>Variation in soil redox with land use across the Kansas precipitation gradient (KSU Kirk Lab)</i></li>
<li>Irosha Wanighunga - <i>Effects of land use on methane oxidation</i> (KSU Rice Lab)</li>
<li>Marcos Sarto - <i>Soil microbial community composition across a precipitation gradient with different land uses </i>(KSU Rice Lab)</li>
<li>Paige Hansen - <i>EPSCoR soil microbial communities </i>(KU Sikes Lab)</li>
<li>Annie Telegin - <i>Exploring leachate from intact mesocosms</i> (KU Burgin-Loeke Lab)</li>
<li>Matt Sena - <i>Influence of precipitation and land use in pore geometry of soils with vertic properties </i>(with<i> </i>KU Sullivan, Hirmas Billings, Brookfield, Lang)</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYsFh4c7eRrsw0oSteaAejl2FK9w3nG2VTDogN1vC8tJayWJz9A1jkbJEn503zl48-C4HwXlYIr2yJfgGNEKoWdtUNag1_8IjH_3AbdqeSMHIoM-B1o3GtE28WKdk9QrTtbUnvKjSn6-v/s1600/IMG_0577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYsFh4c7eRrsw0oSteaAejl2FK9w3nG2VTDogN1vC8tJayWJz9A1jkbJEn503zl48-C4HwXlYIr2yJfgGNEKoWdtUNag1_8IjH_3AbdqeSMHIoM-B1o3GtE28WKdk9QrTtbUnvKjSn6-v/s320/IMG_0577.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KU post doc Matt Kolp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From the Aquatic Research Team:<br />
<ul>
<li>Kyle Cochran - <i>Distribution of stream water and sediment algae and bacteria across KS precipitation and land-use gradients</i> (KSU Zeglin Lab)</li>
<li>Kynser Wahwahsuck<i> - Nitrogen cycling in grassland vs. cropland dominated watersheds</i> (KU Burgin Lab)</li>
<li>Joshua Dimapilis - <i>Nitrogen-cycling microbes in Kansas stream sediments: linking structure and function</i></li>
<li>Janaye Hanschu and Abagel Pruitt - <i>Nitrogen and microbiome effects on lake toxin production</i> (KU Burgin Lab)</li>
<li>Anne Schechner - <i>Spatial heterogeneity of metabolism in Kansas River </i>(KSU Dodds Lab)</li>
<li>Bre Waterman - <i>Contribution of groundwater to stream discharge and biogeochemistry across the precipitation gradient </i>(KSU Kirk Lab)</li>
<li>Jess Wilhelm - <i>Biogeochemical implications of stream intermittency across the precipitation gradient </i>(KU Burgin Lab)</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLXoJJV6dB8J2Bz3dVJz_TeHDUGa1_AKr_IelDxGOXfShTO3GEVeK_buE7DvnVRtO5CtITTEjhUjEs4tulUxIRqxt2dt9sIOD5D3uxHbdh_ZapXXLlKdIVUWqTsqXSphzbOavzd41WDt4/s1600/IMG_0654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLXoJJV6dB8J2Bz3dVJz_TeHDUGa1_AKr_IelDxGOXfShTO3GEVeK_buE7DvnVRtO5CtITTEjhUjEs4tulUxIRqxt2dt9sIOD5D3uxHbdh_ZapXXLlKdIVUWqTsqXSphzbOavzd41WDt4/s320/IMG_0654.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KSU Ph.D student Ha Le </td></tr>
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From the Synthesis Research Team:<br />
<ul>
<li>Rebekah Wagner - <i>Rhizobia-AMF synergism model </i>(KU Bever and Agusto Lab)</li>
<li>Ha Le - <i>Adaptation of pipelines to the Slurm system</i> (KSU Liu Lab)</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://geog.ku.edu/brookfield-andrea"> Dr. Andrea Brookfield</a> (KU) presented her and <a href="https://ceae.ku.edu/amy-hansen">Dr. Amy Hansen's</a> (KU) progress on their MAPS Research Education and Innovation (REI) Award project titled <i><a href="http://kansas-nsf-epscor.blogspot.com/2019/06/kansas-nsf-epscor-announces-spring-2019.html">Integrated groundwater and surface water modeling for predicting aquatic microbiomes</a>,</i> and Samantha Thomas, MAPS Data Manager, provided information on options and best practices for collecting and sharing data. Following the whole group presentations, each team met to discuss future collaborative and synthesis opportunities. </div>
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<i> </i>The next MAPS team meeting, The <a href="http://kansas-nsf-epscor.blogspot.com/">2020 MAPS Research Symposium </a>, will take place in the Spring on March 2, 2020, at the Adams Alumni Center on the KU campus. In addition to the research faculty, post-docs, and students, the MAPS team will invite outreach participants, partners, stakeholders, state representatives, and university administrators across the state to participate.<br />
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<i><span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;">Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the MAPS annual all hands science meeting s 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.</span></i><br />
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<br />Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-32088521229040924902019-11-05T09:52:00.000-06:002019-11-05T11:11:44.348-06:00KU doctoral student teaches ecology to Kansas 3rd grade students through the MAPS KEES Program<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMP_OTF7bV6DNt2HZRhW12dcxOt4xtNvym5TEusmndNItpNErB2HKasUuFUb7e0297papxv3U8ZxDNqknyH-lpwVercAcj5tYmJUpgtw6KGAV-LaFuC7yPmLlwmOznRUEB7t9GdNGMW7AR/s1600/laura.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="895" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMP_OTF7bV6DNt2HZRhW12dcxOt4xtNvym5TEusmndNItpNErB2HKasUuFUb7e0297papxv3U8ZxDNqknyH-lpwVercAcj5tYmJUpgtw6KGAV-LaFuC7yPmLlwmOznRUEB7t9GdNGMW7AR/s320/laura.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura teaches students about soils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/laura-jimenez-jimenez">Laura Jimenez-Jimenez</a> understands the benefits of STEM outreach, so when she was asked to participate in the Kansas Ecology for Elementary Students (KEES) program, she said "I got very excited and I happily joined the team. Particularly after finding out that I could teach in both Spanish and English at a dual-language school.” The KEES program is a part of the workforce development and education outreach initiatives included in the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: <i>Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas</i> (MAPS)</a>. <a href="https://biosurvey.ku.edu/directory/peggy-schultz">Dr. Peggy Schultz</a>, Associate Specialist in the <a href="http://esp.ku.edu/">Environmental Studies Program</a> within the <a href="https://biosurvey.ku.edu/">Kansas Biological Survey</a> at the University of Kansas (KU) is the KEES program director. During the academic school year, the KEES program travels to elementary schools in Lawrence and Topeka, KS to provide 3rd-grade students with opportunities to conduct small group hands-on experiments in order to learn about Kansas ecology. One of the participating schools located in Topeka is the <a href="https://www.topekapublicschools.net/scott">Scott Dual Language Magnet Elementary School</a>, where they teach all of their science curricula in Spanish.<br />
Being bilingual and having studied ecology, biology, and statistics in her master's and doctoral programs, volunteering to teach Kansas ecology in Spanish was a natural fit for Laura. As a KEES instructor, she has “learned different strategies for teaching in elementary schools, from playing games to doing fun experiments in the classroom.” She also mentioned she enjoys contributing to the development of both the Spanish and English KEES curriculum. Her favorite part of this outreach experience is when she hears “comments from our students after they participate in a lesson. Most of them are really excited to participate and enjoy learning with us so much that they can hardly wait for our next visit.”<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKyeDvpl2aGH39XgAR9k5rPnwTcYKanT9arceCsZHUojMZk56AJ8-Q-VHAdyxhszVsquXSEa8ycWgDm61iykmz83D7_bjUmTN_m-DuFCUzKL074wKRV5TFk71MHb3PvKXSOaJatSpVdnx/s1600/IMG_2842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKyeDvpl2aGH39XgAR9k5rPnwTcYKanT9arceCsZHUojMZk56AJ8-Q-VHAdyxhszVsquXSEa8ycWgDm61iykmz83D7_bjUmTN_m-DuFCUzKL074wKRV5TFk71MHb3PvKXSOaJatSpVdnx/s320/IMG_2842.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura teaches trophic levels as she gently<br />
supports a King Snake </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Laura's doctoral research uses mathematical models to study a wide range of problems in biology and ecology. She first became interested in combining mathematics with the natural sciences when she took a statistical ecology course in her master’s program. Laura explained, “having the opportunity to observe science through mathematics has been a beautiful experience. It has stimulated my creativity and helped to enhance my analytical thinking skills. Through statistics, I am able to use mathematical models to better understand random phenomena and analyze data. Moreover, working with ecologists has made me realize that I can contribute to solving problems that will have a positive impact on society.” Specifically, her area of interest focuses on “estimating the fundamental niches of species from occurrence and physiological data.” Laura described her research as follows, “The fundamental niche of a species is defined as the set of environmental combinations the studied species needs to maintain populations; leading, at the same time, to the survival of the species. The concept of the ecological niche is central to ecological biogeography, which focuses on spatial patterns of ecological communities called species distributions. Estimating the fundamental niche of a species is assumed to require physiological experiments, which require bringing specimens to the lab and placing them in chambers where environmental conditions are fully controlled. However, these experiments are not viable for all the species. The kind of data that is widely available is occurrence points, known to represent a subset of the fundamental niche. Our work focuses on finding an approximation to the fundamental niche from occurrences and any information related to physiological data. We do this by providing a statistical model for estimating the parameters that represent a fundamental niche. So far, we created some examples of virtual species for which the resulting estimates were compared to its theoretical fundamental niche with the purpose of evaluating our proposed model. The analysis of data from virtual species helped us describe conditions that may produce better estimates for the fundamental niche in real cases. Therefore, we are working on a second version of the model that takes into account what we learned from previous analyses.” Currently, Laura is a fifth-year Ph.D. student pursuing a doctoral degree in <a href="http://eeb.ku.edu/">Ecology & Evolutionary Biology.</a> Her adviser is <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/jorge-soberon">Dr. Jorge Soberón</a>, a University Distinguished Professor of the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and the <a href="https://biodiversity.ku.edu/">KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kTJGzwhnN5NpPONZ7FLxt61nWJtZ3t4CjDpIxfLYvmwywGrq7K3SUxddlVGvRiDj7yiqPJQrhfbiNjLkAi76GP9QFOVbnOxl5s13vTaAjUfKvuDUOTqc8kzxPwyedBkPjw4nHX2HjLfp/s1600/LJimenez-KansasEPSCoR-Blog+LAGO.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kTJGzwhnN5NpPONZ7FLxt61nWJtZ3t4CjDpIxfLYvmwywGrq7K3SUxddlVGvRiDj7yiqPJQrhfbiNjLkAi76GP9QFOVbnOxl5s13vTaAjUfKvuDUOTqc8kzxPwyedBkPjw4nHX2HjLfp/s320/LJimenez-KansasEPSCoR-Blog+LAGO.bmp" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura Jimenez-Jimenez <br />
hosting a LAGO recruitment table</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Originally, Laura is from the state of Puebla in Mexico where she lived for fifteen years. Then, she and her family moved to the state of Guanajuato, Mexico where she went to college. While living in Mexico, Laura earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the Department of Mathematics (DEMAT) at the <a href="http://www.ugto.mx/en/">University of Guanajuato</a> and a master’s degree in Probability and Statistics from the <a href="https://www.cimat.mx/es">Mathematics Research Center (CIMAT)</a>. She also received two scholarships from the <a href="http://www.conacyt.gob.mx/">Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT)</a>. The first scholarship fully funded her master’s program, and the second has funded four years of her doctoral studies. During both her undergraduate and the master’s programs, she was an instructor for <a href="https://www.cimat.mx/es/matemorfosis">Matemorfosis</a>, a group dedicated to the dissemination of science at the Mathematics Research Center (CIMAT). As an instructor, she specialized in teaching geometry with origami. By using origami, Laura could assemble several pieces of paper to build various 3D shapes which created a hand-on visual display to explore geometry concepts such as symmetry, volume, and regular polygons. Though she has used origami as a teaching tool, Laura added “Origami is one of my hobbies and it helps me relieve stress. In addition, I occasionally give origami workshops and talks as well.” While studying for her Ph.D. at KU, Laura has volunteered with the KEES program for 3 years, joined the <a href="https://kutango.weebly.com/">KU Tango Club</a>, and served as both the vice president and the president of the <a href="https://rockchalkcentral.ku.edu/organization/lago">KU Latin American Graduate Organization (LAGO)</a>. This fall, Laura became a Graduate Teaching Assistant for an introductory statistics class for biology students, and stated, “I am very excited about having the opportunity to teach at KU.”<br />
After Laura completes her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, she would like to find a postdoc position that also provides her with an opportunity to continue her research.<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the KEES 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.</i></span><br />
<br />Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-81007541356755388732019-10-21T11:43:00.000-05:002019-10-21T13:19:04.439-05:00Geography and Atmospheric Science Doctoral Student Mentors HERS Students <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_L1c6R3sbTVIiF1FA4d61tqmVy0w1bKGrcmJaIg51MNVHWu4gYABb3kwSWzbZLqRC6n7D7Zlo7CO8bDimMc4OYEUKXoKsP5JENqFIzxWBYrKbeESiuW3lzCXdzUcf1BqXNKmJxcqxIEj/s1600/Grote_Headshot.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1362" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_L1c6R3sbTVIiF1FA4d61tqmVy0w1bKGrcmJaIg51MNVHWu4gYABb3kwSWzbZLqRC6n7D7Zlo7CO8bDimMc4OYEUKXoKsP5JENqFIzxWBYrKbeESiuW3lzCXdzUcf1BqXNKmJxcqxIEj/s320/Grote_Headshot.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katie Grote</td></tr>
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<a href="https://geog.ku.edu/katie-grote">Katie Grote</a> thoroughly enjoyed her role as a 2018 and 2019 <a href="http://www.hersinstitute.org/">Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Institute </a>mentor. She views the HERS program as "a wonderful opportunity for undergraduate Indigenous students because it provides an underrepresented population a chance to strengthen their passion for research while also allowing them the prospect of helping their communities." The HERS Institute is a workforce development and education initiative supported by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: <i>Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS)</i></a> and is directed by <a href="https://geog.ku.edu/jay-johnson">Dr. Jay Johnson,</a> Professor and Associate Chair of <a href="https://geog.ku.edu/">Geography & Atmospheric Science</a>, the Director of <a href="http://ipsr.ku.edu/cfirst/">The Center for Indigenous Research, Science, and Technology (C-FIRST)</a> at the University of Kansas (KU), and member of the MAPS workforce development and education team. The institute is an 8-week paid summer internship program where undergraduate student interns spend 6 weeks on the <a href="https://www.haskell.edu/">Haskell Indian Nations University </a>campus during June and July. As part of the program, students learn about climate change and develop individual research projects.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBSmrgURY01Qw0954272HHh8QcBjRxsI5uJHQkvj1tmyTzRIYjr3Jr3kvHz6v72PfE3_FOtOJjrz81lXDYclN2nyE_U8G_HAESjvStq5Um5ZJCI-RxqZT5pjFLhC7MngyJo5pzKzX0glk/s1600/HERS+2019+mentoring.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="515" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBSmrgURY01Qw0954272HHh8QcBjRxsI5uJHQkvj1tmyTzRIYjr3Jr3kvHz6v72PfE3_FOtOJjrz81lXDYclN2nyE_U8G_HAESjvStq5Um5ZJCI-RxqZT5pjFLhC7MngyJo5pzKzX0glk/s320/HERS+2019+mentoring.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katie assists a HERS student with her research</td></tr>
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Katie's responsibilities as a HERS mentor were to “aid the interns in their research projects. This included brainstorming topics, helping them find scholarly articles, making sure that their research goals were realistic and manageable, helping with poster design, giving advice about graduate school, and providing any other support they may need.” She said her favorite part of the experience was working with the students on their projects and learning "so much about different cultures and the issues that many communities face." Plus, she added, "I was repeatedly inspired by their passion to do good.”<br />
Currently, Katie is a first-year doctoral student in Geography and Atmospheric Science at KU, and Dr. Johnson is her adviser. When asked why she was interested in geography, she explained “Contrary to what most people believe, geography is about more than memorizing capitals. Cultural geography combines history, language, religion, and environment of cultures, although it is ultimately rooted in place.” She added, “I became interested in geography because it allowed me to explore new worlds and celebrate diversity.”<br />
Katie is from Aberdeen, South Dakota, and after graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2016 from <a href="https://www.northern.edu/">Northern State University (NSU)</a> in Aberdeen with a double major in history and English as well as minors in geography and professional writing, she decided to pursue a master’s degree in Geography and Atmospheric Science at KU. Her master's thesis was titled <i>Pipelines, Protectors, and a Sense of Place: Media Representations of the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest</i>. Katie described her master's research as follows, “I conducted a content and textual analysis of news reports of the recent Dakota Access Pipeline protests in North Dakota.” As for her doctoral research, she continued, “I am focusing on environmental regulation and policy in the United States and how it considers Indigenous populations as well as how environmental impact assessments for development projects consider, include, and impact Indigenous populations in the United States. Through comparative case studies, I will identify patterns of success and inadequacy in environmental assessments regarding Indigenous populations. I aim to provide preliminary guidance for more adequate representation and a greater understanding of Indigenous cultures and world views by incorporating Indigenous methodologies.”<br />
As an undergraduate at NSU, Katie was very involved with the honors program and completed an honors thesis. She also had the opportunity to attend the 2015 <a href="https://www.nchchonors.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw_5rtBRDxARIsAJfxvYAFo0MzP-ardXKwh7CjsGj_z3uhrpak8Nq4G5jXa91SV-HUUsJVIZIaAg__EALw_wcB">National Collegiate Honors Conference</a>. In addition, Katie worked as a tutor, a library reference assistant and was the editor of the university news publication, <i>The Exponent</i>. During her senior year, she received the NSU Student Employee of the Year award. As a graduate student at KU, she has worked as a teaching assistant for introductory physical, world regional, and human geography courses. Katie is also involved with GIS Day at KU and is a member of the Geography and Atmospheric Science (G/AS) Graduate Student Organization. Furthermore, the Geography and Atmospheric Science faculty awarded her a Graduate Fellowship for the 2019-2020 academic year. Katie will continue working for the HERS program in the summer of 2020 as the HERS Curriculum Coordinator.<br />
When asked about her future plans, Katie said, “After I receive my doctorate, I plan to pursue a career in academia, so I can continue my research and teach at the collegiate level. I also hope to work with Indigenous students in support of their educational, professional, and personal goals.”<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the HERS Institute 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.</i></b></span><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-18824517563804151012019-09-26T13:26:00.002-05:002019-09-27T08:37:08.444-05:00HERS Student Explores Cultural Losses Imposed by Ghost Forests <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VBElGcBR4OkEyWt1tVhmCjhl8E4831r1V3w5HJFts1sO9-qWF1kD9LOLAeek2c5n0h96cSlgEeCikbwtx27iGJ82_9Uts_fE7GZjreej1DnMZmyl_Zdl6y6kmWsoynGfWCeM3Yfac-Fr/s1600/Colorado_Rachel_Billiot_profile.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VBElGcBR4OkEyWt1tVhmCjhl8E4831r1V3w5HJFts1sO9-qWF1kD9LOLAeek2c5n0h96cSlgEeCikbwtx27iGJ82_9Uts_fE7GZjreej1DnMZmyl_Zdl6y6kmWsoynGfWCeM3Yfac-Fr/s320/Colorado_Rachel_Billiot_profile.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rae Billiot-Bruleigh in Colorado during a HERS field trip</td></tr>
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Following her college graduation, Rachel (Rae) Billiot-Bruleigh explored summer research opportunities in ecological restoration and Indigenous health. More specifically, her interests focused on wetlands, ethnography, cultural inventories, and mapping kinship patterns. She found that the <a href="http://www.hersinstitute.org/">2019 Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Institute</a>, provided the perfect opportunity for her to combine these interests into a unique research experience.<br />
The HERS Institute is an 8-week paid summer internship program where students spend six weeks on the <a href="https://www.haskell.edu/">Haskell Indian Nations University</a> campus learning about climate change and developing individual research projects. The HERS Institute is one of the many workforce development and education initiatives supported by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS)</a>. <a href="https://geog.ku.edu/jay-johnson">Dr. Jay Johnson,</a> Professor and Associate Chair of <a href="https://geog.ku.edu/">Geography & Atmospheric Science</a>, the Director of <a href="http://ipsr.ku.edu/cfirst/">The Center for Indigenous Research, Science, and Technology (C-FIRST)</a> at the University of Kansas (KU), and member of the MAPS workforce development and education team supervises the program.<br />
Being a native Louisianan with a love for the land, the environment, and wildlife, Rae decided to research the changing habitats of the freshwater Live Oak forests in Southeast Louisiana and investigate how those changes impact their surrounding Indigenous communities. She titled her project, <i>Lost Among the Skeletons: Mapping the Potential for Live Oak Ghost Forests in Southeast Louisiana & Exploring Cultural Losses</i>. Rae explained her research as follows: “'Ghost Forests' describe stands of dead trees left behind after saltwater invades freshwater forests. The freshwater Live Oak forests in Southeast Louisiana are becoming largely fragmented and considered imperiled environments because of anthropogenic developments that prompt the influx of saltwater. Human activities such as canal dredging or natural events such as storm flooding are a few examples of what might cause the freshwater ecosystem to change and the native plants to migrate. Eventually, the saltwater invasion leaves behind ghosts forests of dead skeleton trees. Sadly, some of the Live Oaks impacted are over a hundred years old.<br />
When Live Oak forests are healthy, they provide many important biocultural resources and protections for their surrounding Indigenous communities. These healthy Live Oak ecosystems produce food and medicinal plants; serve as wildlife refuges for the Louisiana Black Bear, the Bald Eagle, and wetland migratory birds; are seen as guardians for sacred burial grounds; and provide shelter against intense heat, hurricane winds, and storm surges. When saltwater floods the freshwater forests, these biocultural resources and protections are at risk. I wanted to explore the potential biocultural losses Indigenous communities in Southeast Louisiana face as they experience the changing freshwater habitats and disappearing Live Oak forests. To do this, I utilized previous studies on remnant Live Oak forests, <a href="https://www.esri.com/en-us/what-is-gis/overview">Geographical Information Systems (GIS)</a> data, map comparisons using overlay analysis, and transcripts from informal interviews with tribal community members. GIS provided imaging and visual analysis of the forests' decline. The map comparisons of canals, pipelines, oil and gas fields, and land loss due to erosion highlighted the risk factors in the area. Datasets and mapping materials came from the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)</a>, <a href="https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-online/overview">ArcGIS</a>, <a href="https://www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov/">National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) Public Viewer</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/earth/">Google Earth</a>. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/tek/tek-vs-western-science.htm">Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)</a> sources, such as articles featuring ethnobotanical plants or informal interviews with local members of the <a href="https://unitedhoumanation.org/">United Houma Nation</a> were used to explain the connection between the Live Oak forests and the Indigenous culture as well as to identify ecological/cultural losses associated with the saltwater conversion.” Rae concluded, “All of the remnant Live Oak forests examined in my research are at risk of becoming ghost forests due to saltwater intrusion. With the increased rates of land loss and the abandonment of impacted areas due to the cost of protection efforts, the Live Oak forests will die, become skeletal remains in brackish marshes, and eventually erode into open waters." She added, "Live Oaks are elders that teach us lessons about community, support, change, and generosity. In return, we need to protect them and the natural communities they form." Rae presented her research at the <a href="https://www.ucar.edu/">University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)</a> poster session in Boulder, Colorado in July.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOhUcty4fdEU4csXzaIzTYuAkUJu5-f3MMnt7oJCbTsjcCjkAKTseVieOQNaXeXQvuOHej9bE3wPK2MtSXBqle-QX0I57k7mvWiNe6ZdM9cidw-E1YyCACdMuwhfpSPF1wZJoR7_izaqB/s1600/Lost+Among+the+Skeletons.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOhUcty4fdEU4csXzaIzTYuAkUJu5-f3MMnt7oJCbTsjcCjkAKTseVieOQNaXeXQvuOHej9bE3wPK2MtSXBqle-QX0I57k7mvWiNe6ZdM9cidw-E1YyCACdMuwhfpSPF1wZJoR7_izaqB/s640/Lost+Among+the+Skeletons.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rae's poster presentation</td></tr>
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Throughout the HERS program, Rae was advised by her research mentor <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/james-fischer">James Fischer</a>, a Ph.D. student in <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology-ku">Ecology and Evolutionary Biology</a> at KU. Her favorite parts of the HERS experience included the fieldwork training at UCAR, the weekend spent at the <a href="https://kpbs.konza.k-state.edu/">Konza Prairie Biological Station</a> in the Flint Hills of Kansas, visiting the wetland lab at the <a href="https://sacredland.org/haskell-baker-wetlands-united-states/">Haskell-Baker Wetlands</a>, and working alongside other Indigenous students passionate about environmental issues. As for what she learned from the HERS experience, she said, "I learned about Hydrology and Water Quality Testing, Wind Speed Recording, using compasses with GIS data, <a href="https://www.gps.gov/">Global Positioning Systems (GPS)</a>, map overlay analysis, the differences in wetland species, how to network, and how to prepare for graduate school." Rae added, "I personally learned that our wetlands in Southeast Louisiana are different from the Lawrence/Haskell wetlands, and these differences were greater than I thought they’d be. One big example I noticed, is that in Louisiana we have forested wetlands with trees like the Live Oak, Bald Cypress and Water Tupelo that can live in standing water and require a boat to maneuver through them. The Lawrence/Haskell wetlands definitely do not."<br />
Rae is from Gretna, Louisiana and is a member of the United Houma Nation with shared <a href="http://www.chitimacha.gov/">Chitimacha </a>heritage. She graduated in the spring of 2019 from the <a href="https://www.uno.edu/">University of New Orleans</a> (UNO) with a Bachelor of <a href="https://www.uno.edu/academics/ids">Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) </a>in Cultural & Environmental Studies. While attending UNO, Rae worked as a research assistant with the <a href="https://www.uno.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/chart">UNO Center for Hazards Assessment, Response & Technology</a> (CHART) and participated in a project that integrated scientific knowledge with Traditional Ecological Knowledge provided by United Houma Nation tribal members. She said, "This integrated scientific knowledge is used to support the Indigenous community response to natural and technological disasters and climate change." In 2018 she won the <i>UNO Outstanding Promising Scholar</i> award and completed an internship with the <a href="https://southcentralclimate.org/">South Central Climate Adaptation Center</a>. Rae was also involved with the <a href="https://www.nse.org/">National Student Exchange</a> program and, while in O’ahu for the school semester, volunteered at the <a href="https://hawaiinaturecenter.org/">Hawaii Nature Center</a> assisting with the removal of invasive plant species from local wetlands." She gained additional research experience when she participated in the <a href="http://grantome.com/grant/NIH/S06-GM127911-01-6223">Alaska Indigenous Research Program on Promoting Resilience, Health, and Wellness in Health Research Fields </a>in Anchorage, Alaska. As for her other extracurricular activities, Rae served as a camp assistant for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LCNASla">Lower Coast Native American Society</a> teaching Southeastern Native American history, storytelling, traditional games, and cultural dances to children, and she volunteered as an equine therapy side walker at the <a href="http://www.gnotrc.com/">Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center</a> assisting children with disabilities as they participated in therapeutic horseback riding.<br />
As for Rae’s future plans, she said, “Currently, I’m exploring more educational opportunities in ecological restoration and Indigenous health. My evolving research interests include concepts surrounding the<a href="http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/"> One Health Initiative</a> in which the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment are interconnected with cultural knowledge and environmental conservation." She added, "I look forward to opportunities where I can work hands-on with these topics and can build more positive relationships between land, people, and wildlife. She continued, “Future short term goals include working with the <a href="https://www.thesca.org/">Student Conservation Association (SCA)</a> and <a href="https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps">AmeriCorps,</a> and long term goals include pursuing careers in forest and wetland conservation, Indigenous farming and agriculture, and/or equine-assisted therapy.<br />
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<i><span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;">Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the HERS Institute 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.</span></i><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-37427319966978406662019-09-19T10:42:00.000-05:002019-09-19T14:47:12.509-05:00Kansas NSF EPSCoR is currently developing a New Web Site<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszqu132FYwhzW_SW3YUZY6iaogorv3tgeIXvyssgRbs0xT93moyYxzClPcl2fIxbGdzEhpYB3HXcw5ve2ezUUWjs29fzgjAhyphenhyphenN6RzMdbcDcdco-oM6OvMCBDYoh2pxuVRTS-tZfyDYBhE/s1600/web+blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="596" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszqu132FYwhzW_SW3YUZY6iaogorv3tgeIXvyssgRbs0xT93moyYxzClPcl2fIxbGdzEhpYB3HXcw5ve2ezUUWjs29fzgjAhyphenhyphenN6RzMdbcDcdco-oM6OvMCBDYoh2pxuVRTS-tZfyDYBhE/s640/web+blog.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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.... In the meantime, please call or email us if you have questions or need updated information.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">nsfepscor@ku.edu</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-49456555717636349672019-09-18T09:32:00.000-05:002020-08-14T11:36:47.796-05:00MAPS REU Student Studies the Effectiveness of Disease Control Measures in Pathosystems <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxQVlxA0pp5aqYM52wTUIB4gMnVZyF1_90RGWN02XzG8ZMUi-t6JAyKdECePaU11Nyu1dDoFOhCGiwxVbLj7VSM6HC5mFqHA-kDh0YwvEG9NpywOzsRvpJQwMBr_mWmPsLWf3gwgOu06_/s1600/IMG_9899.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxQVlxA0pp5aqYM52wTUIB4gMnVZyF1_90RGWN02XzG8ZMUi-t6JAyKdECePaU11Nyu1dDoFOhCGiwxVbLj7VSM6HC5mFqHA-kDh0YwvEG9NpywOzsRvpJQwMBr_mWmPsLWf3gwgOu06_/s320/IMG_9899.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martin presenting his research at the <br />
2019 KU Undergraduate Research Poster Session in July</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Aiming<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to apply his mathematical skills to a science-related research project, Martin Pollack found an opportunity to study computational biology and biological modeling through a 2019 MAPS </span></span>Summer Research Experience for <span style="font-family: inherit;">Undergraduate Students (REU) at the University of Kansas (KU). The KU MAPS REU program is just one of the many educational outreach initiatives outlined in the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS)</a></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Martin's REU mentor was </span><a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/fola-b-agusto" style="font-family: inherit;">Dr. Folashade Agusto</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, Assistant Professor of </span><a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology-ku" style="font-family: inherit;">Ecology & Evolutionary Biology </a><span style="font-family: inherit;">at KU and MAPS Synthesis Team Leader.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rhm5DYw1A1nA2ldIYPBR4NvbnsgLbYZs-uhz47nslfDUGvkBe4tKh2kIY1wwcMCD9D8M1PuA0jGOWagpdaoQtAAyPUpkOY7RzB_OONx1D8lxumud9te5fAK6emCNtUYfLQ4wc5Z6l5s_/s1600/Closer.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="466" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rhm5DYw1A1nA2ldIYPBR4NvbnsgLbYZs-uhz47nslfDUGvkBe4tKh2kIY1wwcMCD9D8M1PuA0jGOWagpdaoQtAAyPUpkOY7RzB_OONx1D8lxumud9te5fAK6emCNtUYfLQ4wc5Z6l5s_/s320/Closer.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Martin working with Dr. Agusto</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Math has always been easy for Martin, so he chose the MAPS research experience because "I wanted to use my problem solving and quantitative skills in an applied sense, rather than just writing proofs all day for theoretical math sub-disciplines." He added, "I was amazed by the plethora of ways math can be used in biology, which also happens to be my second favorite discipline.” The MAPS REU project he selected matched his research goals perfectly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> The title of Martin's study is <i>Effectiveness of Disease Control Measures in Pathosystems with Co-Infection and Vector Preference. </i>He said, “I chose to model plant diseases because understanding how to control them is extremely significant for agriculture and for the conservation of biodiversity." He described his research as follows: "Most plant-vector-virus diseases found in nature are caused by the presence and interaction of multiple viruses in organisms. This interaction is called co-infection. The three main types of co-infection are helper-dependence, cross-protection, and synergism. Organisms such as aphids or other insects are called Vectors. Vectors can carry the diseases in these pathosystems, and they tend to prefer certain categories of host plants over others.</span> In this study, we attempted to make a general compartmental disease model that incorporated co-infection, vector preference, and the transmission of disease to hosts. I tested three common disease control strategies that are utilized in agriculture: 1. increasing the planting of healthy plant hosts; 2. roguing (removal of diseased plant hosts); and 3. the use of pesticides. <span style="font-family: inherit;">I hypothesized that using pesticides would be the most effective control measure, with the other two measures being less effective. I also did not think there would be significant differences when testing different types of co-infection or vector preference. I found that when Vectors preferred healthy hosts and all types of co-infection were considered, none of the control measures fully eliminated the disease. When Vectors did not prefer healthy hosts, applying pesticides was the most effective control. The control strategy of increasing the planting of healthy hosts was consistent across all considerations but rarely lowered disease incidence significantly. This was not expected. However, planting hosts with cross-protection present did lower disease occurrence. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roguing, on the other hand, completely eliminated the disease with the presence of helper-dependence and cross-protection, but was largely ineffective against pathosystems with synergism. Rouging’s effectiveness was highly variable depending on the type of co-infection present in the system, which was not expected. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, the use of pesticides tended to be the most effective control strategy for each situation.” Even though Martin's model found pesticides to be the most effective control measure, he warned, "applying this measure could prove dangerous and possibly lead to pesticide resistance." </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqnyevCuPgX49AKPv5KJb37QokfjhQGDYSc3ugA2L_hSnRkSEQbjkgDQkX-xLO8Wp1w2S00Wmkr0o8anK5tTWVUm-LfjtGWT5hyMljQWXA4F_vqRV7kAoQTTvzQObghKL_nCp4NCCxKYO/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1600" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqnyevCuPgX49AKPv5KJb37QokfjhQGDYSc3ugA2L_hSnRkSEQbjkgDQkX-xLO8Wp1w2S00Wmkr0o8anK5tTWVUm-LfjtGWT5hyMljQWXA4F_vqRV7kAoQTTvzQObghKL_nCp4NCCxKYO/s640/FullSizeRender.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Martin's poster illustrating his methods and results</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> When asked what he learned from his summer research experience, Martin said “I learned how to plan a research project, how to encapsulate my project into a research question, and how to decide what techniques and methods to use to answer it. I also learned how non-linear the scientific process is and found it to be more circular. I was always tweaking my research question or writing new computer code each time I got new results.” He went on to add, “My favorite part of my REU experience was being able to fully commit my focus to a single project. Usually, I am busy taking multiple classes and my extracurricular activities occupy any free time. This summer, I was able to learn a lot about a very specific field and learn how to carry out a research project from start to finish.”</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Martin is from the San Francisco Bay Area and is currently a sophomore at Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA. He is pursuing a double major in Mathematics and German. During the academic year, Martin is a calculus tutor for his college, and he serves as a German Lab Instructor teaching vocabulary, grammar, and culture to students enrolled in the Intermediate German course. Being a serious musician, Martin plays the violin, viola, and piano and is also a member of a String Quartet. When asked about his hobbies, Martin responded, “My biggest hobby is soccer, and I am a 'regular' in my college’s club soccer scene. I can also be found watching international soccer on my phone regularly.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> After earning his bachelor’s degree, Martin plans to attend graduate school and study “a quantitative discipline that utilizes my math skills in applied ways.” Once he completes his education, he will pursue a career as “a data scientist, using numbers and data to learn more about the world” around him.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the KU MAPS Summer REU 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.</i></span><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-55184503734943065822019-09-06T09:51:00.001-05:002020-07-14T10:13:20.835-05:00Kansas NSF EPSCoR New Funding Opportunity for Early Career Faculty Kansas NSF EPSCoR is announcing a new funding opportunity for First Awards in the area of microbiome research. The First Award program helps early-career faculty become competitive for funding from the research directorates at the National Science Foundation by 1) encouraging early-career faculty to submit proposals to the NSF (or other federal funding agency) as soon as possible after their first faculty appointment, and 2) by accelerating the pace of their research and the quality of their subsequent proposals.<br />
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Eligible to apply is any individual tenure track faculty member who is currently untenured<br />
at the assistant professor rank at Kansas State University, University of Kansas, Wichita<br />
State University, Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State<br />
University or Washburn University and who:<br />
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<li>is within the first three years of his/her faculty appointment,1</li>
<li>has not previously received a First Award or similar funding from another EPSCoR or EPSCoR‐like (Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence, COBRE) program in Kansas, and is not currently nor has previously been a lead Principal Investigator of a research grant funded by a federal agency.</li>
</ul>
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<i>First Awards are intended to be single‐investigator awards to support the PI’s research program at their institution.</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Download the Request for Proposal Information at: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.nsfepscor.ku.edu/pdf/RFP-FirstAwards_2020.pdf">2019 First Awards in Microbiome Research</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Submission Deadlines:</span></b><br />
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<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><u>White Papers</u> due by 5:00 pm Wednesday, 9/25/2019</span></b></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Download the First Award</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Letter of Intent Information Form </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">at <a href="https://kansas-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/bug_home_ku_edu/EQ5bezzWYaRDt2zqlOrhaTMBf797JsClT9z1sn1CYtw1AA?e=4EAF35">LOI Form</a></span></b></div>
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<li><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><u>Final Proposals</u> are due by 5:00 pm Monday, 11/25/2019</span></b></li>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for First Awards 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.</i></b></span></div>
Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-34366169841415023552019-09-05T10:33:00.000-05:002019-09-06T08:37:09.006-05:00KS-LSAMP Student Studies Groundwater Discharge across Kansas<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6IRZ-wco_NdbpfY2njApMYezPWyQ0YaKX8zlggSfuRum1i6luL6IgaYtusZlWeAKRUIjSKKQanJe3qqZi5aBC_0gmZWHOugPz6TUM3fuk9_y4XgBsGlDKlWZFTzih8FuFBLHcRAdY6BV/s1600/rips+1.TIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6IRZ-wco_NdbpfY2njApMYezPWyQ0YaKX8zlggSfuRum1i6luL6IgaYtusZlWeAKRUIjSKKQanJe3qqZi5aBC_0gmZWHOugPz6TUM3fuk9_y4XgBsGlDKlWZFTzih8FuFBLHcRAdY6BV/s320/rips+1.TIF" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gonzalo Alcantar</td></tr>
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An intro-geology class “as well as the instructor’s enthusiasm for teaching the subject” led to Gonzalo Alcantar’s curiosity for “agriculture/farming and aquaponics/vertical farming.” Looking for an opportunity to do further research on the subject, the <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/lsamp/">2019 Pathways to STEM: Kansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (KS-LSAMP) program</a> at Kanas State University (KSU) presented a great opportunity to explore his interests. The KS-LSAMP program is funded by the National Science Foundation <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13646">(NSF LSAMP)</a> and "promotes recruitment and retention programs throughout Kansas in support of increasing the success of underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. "The summer portion of KS-LSAMP is called <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/lsamp/summer_programs/">Research Immersion: Pathways to STEM (RiPS) </a>and is an 8-week summer research program that "aims to introduce students to the process of research and assist in their academic and professional success." Gonzalo was one of three students in the KS-LSAMP program sponsored by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: <i>Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas </i>(MAPS)</a>. His mentor was <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/geology/faculty-staff/Kirk.html">Dr. Matthew Kirk</a>, Associate Professor of Geology at Kansas State University (KSU) and MAPS Soils Team leader.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8IBXztI8LT2RmYg5l32TXX0QSup3EnbMYc1lRqNZWfCNDOkzCdM8QLbH1Y3IYo99QnrbiQ2Vb74OvGMoiWrkRkpyNfwITXuze6lEGpOjrhH1UTuZNrDECRmbRvYoypfzd9D6_bFAH226/s1600/gonzalo+in+lab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8IBXztI8LT2RmYg5l32TXX0QSup3EnbMYc1lRqNZWfCNDOkzCdM8QLbH1Y3IYo99QnrbiQ2Vb74OvGMoiWrkRkpyNfwITXuze6lEGpOjrhH1UTuZNrDECRmbRvYoypfzd9D6_bFAH226/s1600/gonzalo+in+lab.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gonzalo Alcantar working in the <a href="http://matthewkirk.weebly.com/">Kirk Lab</a><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo provided by Matt Kirk</i></span></td></tr>
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The title of Gonzalo’s research project is <i>Variation in contribution of groundwater discharge to streams across the Kansas precipitation gradient.</i> He said that he picked this particular topic because “I am interested in everything that goes into agriculture/farming and aquaponics/vertical farming, hence the water research.” Gonzalo explained his project as follows “Groundwater discharge affects the coupling between terrestrial and aquatic habitats and ultimately the biogeochemistry and water quality of streams. To better understand the contribution of groundwater discharge to streams in Kansas, this project tests the following hypotheses: (1) the proportion of groundwater discharge in streamflow decreases with distance east across the Kansas precipitation gradient and (2) the proportion of discharge has increased over the past 60 years. To test these hypotheses, we used the <a href="https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/part/">U.S. Geological Survey program PART </a>to carry out hydrograph separation analysis on groundwater discharge data from seven gage stations located across the Kansas precipitation gradient. Our analysis uses stream baseflow as an estimate of groundwater discharge. We also examined precipitation data collected at Hays, Salina, and Topeka, Kansas. The results indicated that the amount of groundwater discharge and runoff both increase eastward across the precipitation gradient but the increase is greater for runoff. Therefore, the proportion of groundwater discharge in streamflow decreases slightly across the precipitation gradient. Over the past 60 years, the proportion of groundwater discharge in streamflow has increased in western Kansas but remained fairly stable in eastern Kansas. Potential reasons for the change in the contribution of groundwater discharge in western Kansas over time include changes in the rate of precipitation and land management changes. The average annual precipitation in western and eastern Kansas has remained largely stable suggesting land management changes could be responsible for variation in the proportion of groundwater discharge over time in western Kansas. These findings suggest that the potential influence of groundwater discharge on stream habitats is greatest in western Kansas. Future research will evaluate the biogeochemical impact of spatial and temporal variation in groundwater discharge in Kansas.” Gonzalo presented his research at the <a href="http://blogs.k-state.edu/lsamp/2019/07/20/2019-summer-research-program-final-poster-presentations/">RiPS Summer Program Final Poster Session</a> on July 24, 2019.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdplmI1pR-y3SqqyNBdCFTUlj19qs6QjCRv_kXzQn-fd6R9X68Gi-qGzCtqTwRHyAbkqaY5WZn7eVnB_XoNBXz6acdj_H8k9tBlbmgP_p71VCZzy4V2iNzUnG8BZdqKK3xgjCozUaWoAW/s1600/rips+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdplmI1pR-y3SqqyNBdCFTUlj19qs6QjCRv_kXzQn-fd6R9X68Gi-qGzCtqTwRHyAbkqaY5WZn7eVnB_XoNBXz6acdj_H8k9tBlbmgP_p71VCZzy4V2iNzUnG8BZdqKK3xgjCozUaWoAW/s320/rips+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gonzalo Alcantar presenting his research at<br />
the RiPs Summer Program Final<br />
Poster Session</td></tr>
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When asked what his favorite part of his KS-LSAMP experience was, Gonzalo responded, “My favorite part of LSAMP was being able to get some research experience as well as gain better connections with a K-State faculty member.” He continued, “I learned an abundant amount of information about not only my research but also other graduate students’ research in which I was able to help with over the summer. I learned how to work in a lab environment and how to better communicate with my mentor as well as understand my responsibilities and role in a lab.”<br />
Gonzalo is from Garden City KS and is currently a sophomore at KSU studying <a href="https://www.imse.ksu.edu/">Industrial Engineering.</a> He is involved with the <a href="https://engg.ksu.edu/shpe/home">Society of Hispanic Engineers</a> (SHPE), the <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/alianza/organizations/">Hispanic and Latino Organization</a> (HALO), and the <a href="https://cba.k-state.edu/success/student-organizations/mbsa/">Multicultural Business Student Association</a> (MBSA) on-campus student organizations. In addition, he is a Teaching Assistant (TA) for <a href="https://engg.ksu.edu/asc/about-us/">Dr. Bailey Sullivan</a>, a <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/first/leadership_service/learning_assistants/index.html">Residential Learning Assistant for a Cat Community</a>, a Building Operations Assistant for the K-State <a href="https://union.k-state.edu/">Student Union</a> and a <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/welcome-center/">Berney Family Welcome Center </a>Ambassador. As for his future plans, Gonzalo wants to pursue a master’s degree in industrial engineering. But for now, he hopes to work closely with his professors during his sophomore year.<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for KS-LAMP 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.</i></span><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-12917426893108242162019-09-03T11:18:00.000-05:002019-09-03T11:18:28.978-05:00MAPS Researcher Receives Three New NSF Awards <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ISv8LP-NqLwZ-TDljVol2-f-qOTaTDF4vzy1ThhoVHpBgDk2noTKJIlOL-crQB05Sp7OiYSMUN-Iu1v56npD7G7nzdOzx41BDDWHrPaxwWrWsPQo1WnJhbtcSqM6T85WCVDV86mP9w04/s1600/Jesse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="234" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ISv8LP-NqLwZ-TDljVol2-f-qOTaTDF4vzy1ThhoVHpBgDk2noTKJIlOL-crQB05Sp7OiYSMUN-Iu1v56npD7G7nzdOzx41BDDWHrPaxwWrWsPQo1WnJhbtcSqM6T85WCVDV86mP9w04/s200/Jesse.JPG" width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Jesse Nippert</td></tr>
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Dr. <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/nippert/">Jesse Nippert</a>, Professor of Biology at Kansas State University (KSU) and research team member working with the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: <i>Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas </i>(MAPS)</a>, has received three new National Science Foundations (NSF) Awards to study the impacts of global change on grassland ecosystems. The first award is a three-year grant funded by <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13684">NSF Hydrological Sciences</a> and is titled <i><a href="https://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1911969&HistoricalAwards=false">Digging deeper: Do deeper roots enhance deeper water and carbon fluxes and alter the trajectory of chemical weathering in woody-encroached grasslands?</a> </i>The goal of this research is to study "how deeper roots associated with woody plant encroachment enhances transport of water and carbon to greater depths, increases the water residence time in the subsurface, and enhances the potential for weathering at depth." The second award is also a three-year award supported by <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503425">NSF-Macrosystems Biology and NEON-Enabled Science program </a>and is titled <i><a href="https://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1926345&HistoricalAwards=false">Collaborative Research: MRA: A lineage-based framework to advance grassland macroecology and Earth System Modeling</a>.</i> This project seeks to advance the "predictability of grassy ecosystem responses to global change by measuring many grass species traits. The new data will be incorporated into new modeling approaches. The project will enhance understanding of grass ecology, with many applications in agriculture and natural resource management." The third award comes from t<a href="https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503665&org=DEB">he Population and Community Ecology Cluster within the NSF-Division of Environmental Biology</a> This three-year award is titled <i><a href="https://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1928875&HistoricalAwards=false">Collaborative Research: Rainfall variability and the axes of tree-grass niche differentiation</a></i>. The scope of this project is to study the savanna biome and combine experimental, observational and modeling approaches to "(1) identify the rainfall regimes that favor trees over grasses, (2) identify the functional traits and tradeoffs that differentiate savanna trees and grasses, and (3) develop and test a mechanistic model of tree and grass dynamics as a function of rainfall." In addition, the project will examine"functional differences (e.g., drought tolerance, water use efficiency and functional rooting depth) between six tree and six grass species using a greenhouse, growth chamber and field experiments." The first two projects will use the experimental infrastructure of the <a href="https://kpbs.konza.k-state.edu/">Konza Prairie Biological </a>Station and the third project's fieldwork will take place in Limpopo Province of South Africa.<br />
<br />Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-29779190527543727842019-08-26T10:22:00.000-05:002019-08-27T11:08:03.451-05:00HERS Student Studies the Impact Warming Waters of the Blackfoot River has on Westslope Cutthroat Trout <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph Zupan</td></tr>
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Although Joseph Zupan grew up in West Point, New York, it was the summer vacations fishing and camping with his family on the Blackfoot River in Montana that led to his interest in the environment, animals, and plants. Joseph is a member of the <a href="http://www.chippewacree-nsn.gov/">Chippewa Cree Tribe from the Rocky Boys Indian Reservation</a> in Montana, and he participated in the 2019 <a href="http://www.hersinstitute.org/">Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Institute</a> supported by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS) </a>research project. The HERS Institute is an 8-week paid summer internship program where student interns spend six weeks on the <a href="https://www.haskell.edu/">Haskell Indian Nations University</a> campus during June and July, learn about climate change and develop individual research projects. <a href="https://geog.ku.edu/jay-johnson">Dr. Jay Johnson</a>, Professor and Associate Chair of <a href="https://geog.ku.edu/">Geography & Atmospheric Science</a>, Director of<a href="http://ipsr.ku.edu/cfirst/"> The Center for Indigenous Research, Science, and Technology</a> (C-FIRST) at the University of Kansas (KU), and member of the MAPS Workforce Development and Education team, supervises the HERS Institute.<br />
During his summer vacations to Montana, Joseph said, “We would always catch trout, particularly <a href="http://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=AFCHA02088">Westslope Cutthroat Trout</a> (WCT),” and he thought this was “such a beautiful species of fish, it needed to be preserved so that other people are able to enjoy them.” His fishing experiences along with being raised “to respect and love the lands we live in” led to his desire to investigate the WCT for his HERS project. He titled his research project, <i>Trout in Hot Water: Warming Waters Impact on Westslope Cutthroat Trout (WCT) in the Blackfoot River, Montana</i>. Joseph explained his study as follows: “Climate change is negatively impacting trout populations in the <a href="https://www.visitmt.com/listings/general/river/blackfoot-river.html">Blackfoot River system </a>in Montana. Increasing temperatures are considered to be the most damaging factor impacting a myriad of factors including the hydrological regime, habitat structure, runoff, and snow-pack. An increase in water temperature is of particular concern as it directly impacts nearly all of the WCT physiological functions at each stage of its life cycle. The focus of my research addresses how warming waters of the Blackfoot River are effecting the reproductive cycle of the WCT.” As part of his research process, Joseph analyzed “stream-flow data to compare water and air temperatures during normal and extreme temperatures and studied how warm water impacts the Blackfoot River water regime.” He then compared “dissolved oxygen levels of the river during drought and normal conditions,” and the influence “precipitation during drought versus normal conditions” had on the river. Next, he examined the data that outlined the “WCT needs for survival,” and analyzed the biological and physiological requirements of the WCT reproductive cycle in order to compare" its reproductive needs to those of other trout species. Joseph found that changing temperatures are "a significant factor in the decline of WCT reproduction.” He further concluded that because WCT are “an important species for tribal and state economies, and historically, are a primary food source for Northwestern Native Americans” efforts such as “actively securing cutthroat populations, habitat distributions, and preventing invasive species interactions” need to continue. These recommendations are outlined in more detail as part of the <a href="https://wildlandhydrology.com/resources/docs/Pierce%20and%20Podner%202018%20-%20Blackfoot%20River%20Restoration.pdf">Blackfoot River Restoration</a> project. In addition, Joseph found that after “using existing physiological data on adult WCT temperature tolerance, it became apparent that temperature change may have a detrimental impact on the size of the WCT roe, and if adult WCT populations decrease, there might be no roe.” At the end of his study, Joseph recommended that “future research focus on spawning sites in cold, clear head water streams, and additional WCT physiological roe data should be collected. Specifically, data addressing how temperature effects the viability and gestation needs of the WCT roe.”<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph working on weather instruments and presenting his research at UCAR</td></tr>
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When asked about his HERS experience, Joseph said, “the HERS program was amazing!” His favorite part of the institute was “how the mentors and program managers genuinely cared about us (the interns). I felt like I was part of a big family and that was really important to me!” Joseph’s HERS mentor was <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/kate-ingenloff">Kate Ingenloff,</a> a doctoral candidate in the <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology-ku">Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology</a> at KU. As for what he learned from his HERS experience, Joseph stated, “I learned so much in such a small amount of time that I feel like I learned more at the HERS institute than I would during a normal school semester. Specifically, I learned how to refine my research and writing skills as well as manage time, organize a research product, and analyze results. He then added, "when we went to the <a href="https://www.ucar.edu/">University Corporation for Atmospheric Research</a> (UCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, I learned about the phenomenon of bomb cyclones and the methods associated with water quality research as well as how to set up weather instruments." Joseph also presented his WCT research during a UCAR poster session.<br />
Joseph graduated from Haskell Indian Nations University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science last spring. While attending Haskell, he “participated in numerous projects for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/haskellecoambassadors/">Haskell Eco-ambassadors</a>, a student-run environmental organization specializing in wetland remediation.” As an Eco-ambassador he was involved with projects such as “butterfly tagging for the Monarch Watch program at KU, trail cultivation and development, compost development, and habitat restoration.” In addition, Joseph coached children’s ice hockey, taught a women's self-defense class, and was the captain of the <a href="https://www.teampages.com/teams/800222-FIRST-CITY-CAVALRY-football-team-website">First City Cavalry,</a> a semi-professional football team out of Leavenworth, Kansas. This fall, he will pursue a Masters Degree in Geography at KU with a plan to continue his education and earn a Ph.D. Once Joseph finishes his graduate work, he wants to “work on tribal lands as a scientist or tribal college instructor.”<br />
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<i><span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;">Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the HERS Institute 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.</span></i><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-4540052733424303322019-08-20T09:14:00.000-05:002019-08-20T09:23:40.915-05:00KS-LSAMP Student Studies Interference Competition Among Biovar 1 Agrobacteria<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9qmNpbODZ4JXz3OmyBOCvl-SW7Tc4nIQV_SoLS_XYm26EwWfw-O7h2NI9VtOhHtp5U9iWJ3ZX-XMq5gZpTjfPsh6zrXu5YwPRpx8e8YzaiPCFo1C5txpdbaEcRlcQDpA2ALMRHgNDWEn/s1600/IMG_5235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="617" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9qmNpbODZ4JXz3OmyBOCvl-SW7Tc4nIQV_SoLS_XYm26EwWfw-O7h2NI9VtOhHtp5U9iWJ3ZX-XMq5gZpTjfPsh6zrXu5YwPRpx8e8YzaiPCFo1C5txpdbaEcRlcQDpA2ALMRHgNDWEn/s320/IMG_5235.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalie Melendez-Velador<br />
Presenting at the 2019 KS-LSAMP <br />
Research Immersion: Pathways to STEM Poster Session</td></tr>
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Animals and plants have always been of interest to Natalie Melendez-Velador, and being good in science helped to solidify her pursuit of a biology focus in her <a href="https://www.sccc.edu/web/academic/academic-divisions/science-math-and-pe/bridges">Bridges Program</a> at <a href="https://www.sccc.edu/web/mycampus/home">Seward County Community College</a>. This summer, Natalie participated in the 2019 <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/lsamp/">Pathways to STEM: Kansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation </a>(KS-LSAMP) program and was sponsored by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS)</a>. KS-LSAMP is funded by the National Science Foundation and "promotes recruitment and retention programs throughout Kansas in support of increasing the success of underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The summer portion of KS-LSAMP is called <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/lsamp/summer_programs/">Research Immersion: Pathways to STEM (RiPS) </a>and is an 8-week summer research program that "aims to introduce students to the process of research and assist in their academic and professional success."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpVi-oWOxkq4WzVfehyphenhyphenK87-Q9EOpSo_5SW9DVtkI63rJC8_x5NQhk-BLfyLaWQTr4aaR6SowU6Kxv7H7fC0yg_piubbpsbeddXRVqpHdVK5T3m9CMUVXKTEU2hTddcPo7s679KPrTZpHf/s1600/IMG_4567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpVi-oWOxkq4WzVfehyphenhyphenK87-Q9EOpSo_5SW9DVtkI63rJC8_x5NQhk-BLfyLaWQTr4aaR6SowU6Kxv7H7fC0yg_piubbpsbeddXRVqpHdVK5T3m9CMUVXKTEU2hTddcPo7s679KPrTZpHf/s320/IMG_4567.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Thomas Platt and Natalie Melendez-Velador<br />
with members of the Platt Lab Team</td></tr>
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Natalie worked with <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/platt/">Dr. Thomas Platt</a>, Synthesis Team Leader for the MAPS project and Assistant Professor of Biology at Kansas State University. She also worked with Ashlee Herken, a graduate student with the <a href="http://www.platt-lab.com/">Platt Lab.</a> She titled her project, <i>Interference Competition Among Biovar 1 Agrobacteria from Helianthus annuus Roots. </i>According to Natalie, her summer research<i> </i>was very similar to the research she was already doing in her Bridges program. She specified the summer "research focused on methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus and multi-drug resistant bacteria.” Natalie explained her project as follows: “In this study, we aimed to determine whether a sample of biovar 1 agrobacteria produce bacteriocins inhibiting the growth of several pathogenic strains, including strains with whom they co-occur. This work has the potential to lead to the discovery of noval biocontrol agents for crown gall disease. Root samples of common sunflowers, Helianthus annuus, were collected from Konza Prairie. Isolates were grown on semi-selective media that supports the growth of biovar 1 agrobacteria but excludes the growth of most fungi and bacteria present in the microbial communities on plant roots. We used an inhibition assay to determine if agrobacterial isolates produce bacteriocins interfering with the growth of Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains C58, 15955, and K203. Each of these strains is pathogenic with C58 containing a nopaline-type Ti plasmid, 15955 containing an octopine-type Ti plasmid, and K203 being isolated from the same plant as some of the isolates being tested. Experiments are ongoing but preliminary results indicate that several of the environmental isolates inhibit the growth of C58 but not 15955 or K203. This strain-specific inhibition is consistent with prior work with pathogenic agrobacteria, however, we see no evidence for bacteriocin mediated interference competition among co-occurring strains. Future work will aim to determine the mechanisms mediating strain-specific C58 inhibition, including the possibility that inhibition depends on Ti plasmid encoded functions.” And she added, "the research focused on methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus and multi-drug resistant bacteria."<br />
The best part of the summer RiPS KS-LSAMP experience for Natalie was “getting to meet a wide variety of people who each have unique skill sets and experiences.” From this summer experience, Natalie added she “learned new scientific techniques, as well as, how to communicate with team members and diverse audiences about my research.” Natalie presented her research poster at the 2019 LSAMP Poster Session held at Kansas State University on July 24, 2019.<br />
Natalie is originally from Liberal, KS. This fall, she will be a sophomore at Seward County Community College pursuing an Associate Degree in Biology. As for her future plans, she said “After getting my associate's degree, I plan to transfer to Kansas State University in the fall of 2020 and major in Biology. I also plan on continuing my research next summer with Dr. Platt.”<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the KS-LSAMP 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.</i></span><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-57680578819993517632019-08-12T10:06:00.001-05:002020-08-26T10:40:29.539-05:00University of Kansas Distinguished Professor and MAPS Co-PI receive an NSF EPSCoR Track-2 FEC Award<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcNMzhPRqQxCA7I1jAS9wvdZdJB-vGQGhtQZR7gPg54bQkvVRbPJQGP_siIMjhA0t7l7VZQem8MSlNDY91duh7LT2fPRxikhPGoJkUKpk2lz6Ar4h0uzwTw-GXh8KU6rRSjTXNSfBPptW/s1600/Track+2+blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="427" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcNMzhPRqQxCA7I1jAS9wvdZdJB-vGQGhtQZR7gPg54bQkvVRbPJQGP_siIMjhA0t7l7VZQem8MSlNDY91duh7LT2fPRxikhPGoJkUKpk2lz6Ar4h0uzwTw-GXh8KU6rRSjTXNSfBPptW/s320/Track+2+blog.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. A. Townsend Peterson and Dr. Folashade Agusto<br />
University of Kansas </td></tr>
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Dr. <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/townsend-peterson">A. Townsend Peterson</a>, University of Kansas (KU) Distinguished Professor with the Department of <a href="http://eeb.ku.edu/">Ecology & Evolutionary Biology</a> (EEB) and the <a href="https://biodiversity.ku.edu/">KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum</a>, along with Co-Principal Investigators <a href="http://www.eomf.ou.edu/people/xiangming/">Xiangming Xiao</a> (University of Oklahoma), <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/fola-b-agusto">Folashade Agusto</a>, Assistant Professor of EEB at KU, <a href="http://www.math.uco.edu/pages/laverty/index.html">Sean Laverty </a>(University of Central Oklahoma), and <a href="https://cvhs.okstate.edu/directory/247048.html">Susan Little </a>(Oklahoma State) were awarded an <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505263">NSF EPSCoR Track-2 FEC</a> Award. Dr. Folashade Agusto is part of the Synthesis team of the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: <i>Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS)</i></a><i> </i>project. The title of this Track-2 FEC project is <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1920946&HistoricalAwards=false"><i>Marshalling Diverse Big Data Streams to Understand Risk of Tick-Borne Diseases in the Great Plains.</i></a> Peterson's team received $1,964,628 with an official start date of August 1, 2019. The research team "will use ecological niche modeling and mathematical population modeling approaches to assess and predict transmission of the major tick-borne pathogens, and create and test the automated identification tools. The project will foster what can be termed 'big data literacy' via a series of workshops and courses, as well as online data resources."Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-55739844249865592019-08-06T11:25:00.000-05:002019-08-12T09:13:40.326-05:00MAPS Student Wins Best Undergraduate Presentation at Society for Freshwater Scientists Conference <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abagael Pruitt presenting at <br />
the Great Plains Limnology Conference</td></tr>
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Abagael Pruitt was always interested in studying water. However, after taking <i>Biology 661: Ecology of Rivers and Lakes</i> her sophomore year with <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/james-h-thorp">Dr. Jim Thorpe</a>, Professor of <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology-ku">Ecology and Evolutionary Biology</a> at the University of Kansas (KU) and Senior Scientist with the <a href="https://biosurvey.ku.edu/">Kansas Biological Survey</a>, she knew she really wanted to study water ecology. With this in mind, Abagael visited with <a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/amy-burgin">Dr. Amy Burgin</a>, the KU Aquatic Research Team Lead for the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas</a> (MAPS); an Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and <a href="https://esp.ku.edu/">Environmental Studies</a>; and an Associate Scientist with the Kansas Biological Survey, and decided to join the <a href="https://burginlab.wordpress.com/">Burgin Lab</a>. Abagael said she started a project with the lab team last August "to get a feel for lake-work, as I had previously only worked on streams." She added that she really enjoyed working on the lake project and "wanted to continue to do this type of research.”<br />
In October and November of 2018, Abagael presented her research findings during poster sessions at the 2018 <a href="https://biosurvey.ku.edu/great-plains-limnology-conference-2018">Great Plains Limnology Conference</a> and then at the 2018 <a href="https://kwo.ks.gov/news-events/governor's-water-conference">Governor's Water Conference</a>. The title of her poster was <i>Spatial Variation of Organic Phosphorus Degrading Extracellular Enzymes in Milford Lake. </i>This research led to the KU Environmental Studies Program awarding her the <a href="https://esp.ku.edu/ruben-zadigan-undergraduate-scholarship-environmental-studies-research-initiatives">Ruben Zadiagan Scholarship</a> to continue her research on <a href="https://www.junctioncity.org/58/Milford-Lake">Milford Lake</a>. In conjunction with this scholarship, the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/)">United States Geological Survey (USGS), </a>the <a href="http://www.kdheks.gov/mission.html">Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE)</a> and collaborations with Emma Overstreet, Kynser Wahwahsuck, Dr. Burgin, and other members of the Burgin/Loecke lab, Abagael was able to continue her research. This additional research opportunity resulted in a presentation during the Environmental Studies Colloquium last May that she titled <i>Spatial Variation in Water and Sediment Phosphorus chemistry in Milford Lake</i>. Shortly after the colloquium, she developed another poster supported by the MAPS project that she co-authored with Janaye Hanschu, Emma Overstreet, <a href="https://esp.ku.edu/terry-loecke">Dr. Terrance Loecke</a>, <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/zeglin/index.html">Dr. Lydia Zeglin,</a> <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/admissions/kstate18.html">Samantha Thomas</a>, and Dr. Burgin titled <i>Variation in Stream Chemistry Across the Kansas Precipitation Gradient. </i>She presented this poster at the annual <a href="https://freshwater-science.org/">Society for Freshwater Scientists Conference, </a>and she won the Best Undergraduate Presentation award.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFG8rAWildPC64NO7GAcDA82kmtrwOwAU7nfl9y-QwsiBH7iIlE3XZhbBu9IKHGXzkGjwGcZetN2VeX0G537-qDyCgt7VoSdio5UxrsAnbP0d25aiyiblEhJOI-C_ucBWezhEfEdPqaVY/s1600/Abby+blog+post+8.5.19.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="549" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFG8rAWildPC64NO7GAcDA82kmtrwOwAU7nfl9y-QwsiBH7iIlE3XZhbBu9IKHGXzkGjwGcZetN2VeX0G537-qDyCgt7VoSdio5UxrsAnbP0d25aiyiblEhJOI-C_ucBWezhEfEdPqaVY/s400/Abby+blog+post+8.5.19.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abagael out in the field<br />
On the left - Abagael pulling up the Eckman dredge, which is filled with sediment<br />
On the right - Abagael taking sediment core for phosphatase activity</td></tr>
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Abagael explained her research projects as follows: “We wanted to understand how phosphorus is cycling in the lake, and how that relates to the harmful algal blooms that occur there almost every year. We asked: How do phosphorus and phosphatase activity vary spatially in Milford Lake? Are there differences between top and bottom waters? Are there differences between peak bloom (August) and post-bloom (October)? To answer, we took sediment and water samples from 30 sites around the lake, including sites from each of the three USGS-determined zones. We analyzed the water samples for Soluble Reactive Phosphorus concentrations, and the sediment samples were used to determine phosphate activity which would show how much phosphorus is being released back into the water column due to extracellular enzymes. We hypothesized that zone C would have the highest SRP concentrations, as well as the largest amount of extracellular enzyme activity in August, as that is where the harmful algal blooms generally occur. We found that Zone C did have the highest SRP concentrations in both surface and bottom waters in August. In October, Zone C still had the highest concentrations, but all zones were relatively similar with lower concentrations of SRP than in August. Phosphatase activity was much higher in August, with the highest amount of activity in zone A. We think this is because zone A is a lot deeper than zone C, resulting in greater sedimentation in that area. The shallow water in zone C allows for more mixing, causing less phosphatase activity. October phosphatase activity was significantly lower than in August, with all three zones similar in activity levels. In the future, we plan to look at the available forms of phosphorus in the sediment to better understand the differences in phosphatase activity across the lake."<br />
As for the MAPS research that won her the Best Undergraduate Presentation Award at the Society for Freshwater Scientists Conference, Abagael described it as follows: "We wanted to understand how stream chemistry changes across Kansas. So, we looked at changes in stream chemistry due to changes in land-use, precipitation, and stream order. This was only the first year of the project and there was a drought last summer, so the results are still preliminary. However, we found that stream order was the most consistent factor for explaining variation in stream chemistry across the state."<br />
A native of Ottawa Kansas, Abagael is a senior in the <a href="http://honors.ku.edu/">KU Honors Program</a> working towards a B.S. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Economics. In addition to working in Dr. Burgin’s lab, Abagael is a trombone section rank leader in the <a href="https://music.ku.edu/marchingjayhawks">Marching Jayhawks </a>(band) and a member of <a href="https://music.ku.edu/marchingjayhawks/pepbands">the KU Men's Basketball Band</a>. She also visits with incoming students to introduce and promote the KU Honors Program as an Honors Ambassador. And last year, she volunteered with <a href="https://biosurvey.ku.edu/directory/peggy-schultz">Dr. Peggy Schultz’s</a> <a href="https://epscoroutreach.ku.edu/">MAPS outreach</a> Kansas Ecology for Elementary Students (KEES) initiative and taught ecology and environmental science to 3rd-graders. She plans to volunteer for the KEES program again this fall. As for Abagael’s future plans, she said, “I have one more year of working in Dr. Amy Burgin's lab at KU. After that, I plan to go to graduate school to continue doing research, and one day, I'd like to work in academia.”<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for undergraduate student research 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.</i></span><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-77945851550492492832019-07-30T13:44:00.001-05:002019-07-30T13:44:45.773-05:00Register for the Department of Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) Northeast Regional Meeting <br />
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The Department of Defense is holding a Northeast regional meeting at the University of Rhode Island on September 26, 2019 from 8am to 5:00 to present funding opportunities through the recently reinstituted DoD Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) and related DoD research programs. Program managers from the research agencies and other DoD representatives will participate in the meeting.<br />
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The meeting will cover the following topics:<br />
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<li>How to work with the DoD, especially ARO, ONR, AFOSR</li>
<li>How to make connections with DoD program officers</li>
<li>How to pursue funding opportunities specific to DEPSCoR</li>
<li>How to pursue other programs within the Basic Research Office</li>
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This is a free event presented by the Department of Defense and hosted by the University of Rhode Island.<br />
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If you would like to attend this meeting please <a href="https://web.uri.edu/research-admin/depscor-dod-day-northeast-regional-meeting/depscor-new-england-regional-meeting-registration/">REGISTER HERE.</a><br />
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You have the option to submit a quad chart with your meeting registration. Please submit your quad chart by August 26, 2019 so the DoD program officers may have time to review it.<br />
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There will be a poster review session during lunch, please see the <a href="https://web.uri.edu/research-admin/depscor-dod-day-northeast-regional-meeting/">website</a> for details.<br />
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<i>DoD is also hosting a <a href="https://noblis.webex.com/mw3300/mywebex/default.do?service=1&siteurl=noblis&nomenu=true&main_url=%2Fmc3300%2Fe.do%3Fsiteurl%3Dnoblis%26AT%3DMI%26EventID%3D819416257%26UID%3D0%26Host%3DQUhTSwAAAAS1HJX_FCb-TJN9roINWV2X-mS1QTw_J_uXlR8fH5CMrVaJhAGIpKsizYGWfmPOB9t8SSk3UP9qjRoIqukkN3XX0%26RG%3D1%26FrameSet%3D2%26RGID%3Dr482d34e3b54ad2654d816e4f9e3c196e">DEPSCoR webinar on August 15th </a> to discuss the program and the posted funding opportunity announcement. </i><br />
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<br />Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-49933630555605879472019-07-29T09:41:00.003-05:002019-07-29T09:41:29.219-05:00MAPS REU and HERS students present posters at the 2019 University of Kansas Summer Undergraduate Research Poster Session On July 26, 2019, three undergraduate researchers from the Kansas NSF EPSCoR <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant and Soil Systems (MAPS)</a> Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates cohort at the University of Kansas (KU) and one Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Program student presented their summer research projects at the <a href="https://ugresearch.ku.edu/sites/ugresearch.ku.edu/files/images/general/2019%20KU%20Summer%20Undergraduate%20Research%20Poster%20Session%20Program%20with%20abstracts.pdf">2019 University of Kansas Summer Undergraduate Research Poster Session</a> held at Ritchie Hall. Students presented their posters digitally during one of the 5 twenty-minute sessions.<br />
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The following is a list of student presenters, the title of their research and their mentors:<br />
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<b>Adriana Caldwell</b><br />
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<i>The Effects of Concentration, Location, and Land-Use History on Plants Success in Prairie Restoration</i><br />
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Mentored by Jim Bever & Ben Sikes, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9G8JZCvow5UQfiLL0aV5K3YRRSuXK9qRa9srTKFyfti9cPwstl510c0ZOHA1F5Kz3a5tz4nOvXXXT7fysWgvvA7DuTLnqLSz44AL43AuuQp8H-HigKSaIeNVytLnb6KWCHV2MeYy-ExrJ/s1600/IMG_9899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9G8JZCvow5UQfiLL0aV5K3YRRSuXK9qRa9srTKFyfti9cPwstl510c0ZOHA1F5Kz3a5tz4nOvXXXT7fysWgvvA7DuTLnqLSz44AL43AuuQp8H-HigKSaIeNVytLnb6KWCHV2MeYy-ExrJ/s200/IMG_9899.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Martin Pollack</b><br />
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<i>Effectiveness of Disease Control Measures in a Pathosystem with Co-Infectionand Vector Preference </i><br />
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Mentored by Folashade Agusto, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M35EvLxJKRvzvZnhWgiqfpr0w9cW_9JUcY1GjjaOAsDNwa-iZDcbOKHsFtg4C_IccWad1Ez8AB6Ew401H0Y4sQOLMnzZJ9dv14GywL5E2Df7X0JFT8LKVQd48hkyaTu1Zk5RYXQZ7pmV/s1600/IMG_9897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M35EvLxJKRvzvZnhWgiqfpr0w9cW_9JUcY1GjjaOAsDNwa-iZDcbOKHsFtg4C_IccWad1Ez8AB6Ew401H0Y4sQOLMnzZJ9dv14GywL5E2Df7X0JFT8LKVQd48hkyaTu1Zk5RYXQZ7pmV/s200/IMG_9897.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Amanda Rouillard</b><br />
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<i>How Does Land Use Increase Coliform Bacteria Concentrations in Drinking </i><i>Water Sources for the Santee Sioux Nation?</i><br />
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Mentored by Katrina McClure, Geography<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6OlK98dJcYqqMsih0nJdBmIiwaK2mm0lCDVUk3sELwNn5q2u0zET5FS2HoYjygnDvjUaHcPkgbMQTMlw1AkygOSzzCjx1X_SGD5kRbhRSTya0PerapCwEScZY7sh_TCjnLdkTE1qwyr0/s1600/IMG_9905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6OlK98dJcYqqMsih0nJdBmIiwaK2mm0lCDVUk3sELwNn5q2u0zET5FS2HoYjygnDvjUaHcPkgbMQTMlw1AkygOSzzCjx1X_SGD5kRbhRSTya0PerapCwEScZY7sh_TCjnLdkTE1qwyr0/s200/IMG_9905.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Steven Winkler </b><br />
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<i>How Root Exudated Organic Acids change Soil pH and Affect Nutrient Availability, Across Different Land Use History</i><br />
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Mentored by Sharon Billings and Ligia Souza, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology<br />
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The poster session was the culminating event of their summer research experience. The specifics about each student and their project will appear in a blog article in the fall. <br />
<i style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><br /></i>
<i style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute 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</i><br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-52869928851828562802019-07-22T09:55:00.001-05:002019-07-22T10:03:28.847-05:00Kansas Science Teachers Explore the Konza Prairie with the KSU MAPS Team<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XzHy_hgmkhEE0GBwf0xzDf0k3QHvY0qbG1ped5oT2r1ePezHBuApRJkWT0QgzpaYEm5o-JjNaKvBhekTgzs9GhyXZDEFwjocr2bTDYLSPZbs6y8BhoNfcLAA6-JVuQCr30m5yYaWSu7K/s1600/EKSI+Blog+Photo+1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="673" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XzHy_hgmkhEE0GBwf0xzDf0k3QHvY0qbG1ped5oT2r1ePezHBuApRJkWT0QgzpaYEm5o-JjNaKvBhekTgzs9GhyXZDEFwjocr2bTDYLSPZbs6y8BhoNfcLAA6-JVuQCr30m5yYaWSu7K/s640/EKSI+Blog+Photo+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teachers conducting fieldwork<br />
<i>Pictures courtesy of Tom Platt and Peggy Schultz</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://epscoroutreach.ku.edu/">The 2019 Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute </a>was held June 17-21, 2019 at the Konza Prairie Biological Station as part of the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006" target="_blank">Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant and Soil Systems (MAPS) across Kansas </a>education and outreach initiatives. Ten high school science teachers from across the state were invited to attend. The teachers participated in activities related to aquatic, terrestrial and soil ecosystems. Kansas State University (KSU) <a href="https://epscoroutreach.ku.edu/people" target="_blank">MAPS faculty</a>, staff, and graduate students led field experiments, facilitated group discussions, and guided lesson planning. The MAPS faculty leading the activities included <a href="https://biosurvey.ku.edu/directory/peggy-schultz">Peggy Schultz</a>, Director of the Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute and Associate Specialist with the Environmental Studies Program at the Unversity of Kansas (KU); <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/dodds/">Walter Dodds</a>, University Distinguished Professor of Biology at KSU and Co-PI of the MAPS project; <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/platt/">Tom Platt</a>, Assistant Professor of Biology and MAPS Plant Research Team Lead at KSU; and <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/zeglin/index.html">Lydia Zeglin,</a> Assistant Professor of Biology and MAPS Aquatic Team Lead at KSU. Other KSU Biology Department facilitators included Teacher Assistant Professor <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/instruction/larimer/index.html">Anna Larimer</a>, Research Assistant Professor <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/research/mayfield/index.html">Mark Mayfield </a>and graduate students Jaide Allenbrand and Ashlee Herken. <a href="http://lter.konza.ksu.edu/people/jill-haukos">Jill Haukos</a>, Director of the <a href="https://keep.konza.k-state.edu/">Konza Environmental Education Program (KEEP)</a> also led group discussions and outdoor activities.<br />
Each day began with a whole group aquatic, plant or soil activity which was followed by afternoon breakout sessions focusing on the teachers’ area of interest (aquatic, terrestrial, or soil systems). During the lunch hour, teachers participated in open discussions related to the current issues Kansas science teachers are facing.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJQ-ZJppnXMR4fp-0DEQx3MrsX_reQnzBxJGUd5JY5nQzD9mZOCHFrbDFxDbuonSvoYeTHOUq-6AAtd8Gq-3I5p-1vckSyZi3Xl70LTvq06_UzyCL_ZO6o7GXL17JtYu_vCqivVFjcmVI/s1600/EKSI+Blog+Photo+2.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="534" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJQ-ZJppnXMR4fp-0DEQx3MrsX_reQnzBxJGUd5JY5nQzD9mZOCHFrbDFxDbuonSvoYeTHOUq-6AAtd8Gq-3I5p-1vckSyZi3Xl70LTvq06_UzyCL_ZO6o7GXL17JtYu_vCqivVFjcmVI/s640/EKSI+Blog+Photo+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teachers conducting experiments<br />
<i>Pictures courtesy of Evan Brandt and Tom Platt</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When the participants were asked about their overall impression of the Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute experience, one teacher said, "The summer institute gave me time to reflect on my curriculum and develop meaningful methods for helping my students grasp important ecological concepts." Another teacher added “I feel I'm walking away with great information to apply to my classroom, specifically, data related to the prairie. I know more about the prairie than I ever have, and I can share that with students. I will love creating a smaller version of a restored prairie on our school grounds, and getting my students to be active with researching what happens." When asked what was their favorite part or activity of the institute, one teacher shared, "There were so many great activities. It is hard to pick just one," and another indicated, "Listening to the professors and learning about their research and how it relates to the hands-on activities we participated in was the most valuable and will help us develop lessons for our kids." Collectively, the participants agreed the Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute was a great learning experience that will have a positive impact on their teaching, and they would definitely recommend Kansas science teachers apply for next year's institute.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxc0mPi6en4ssqeBPEdGiLytVfX5Ezd7DYCCQY-Fxwqxw-fDhNlqRrf4zCmdCW2TqlXwOxYncw64xVgDQXMXZxqg-FjdiyJGNiG5ATtA6iJe26RQdXnb3W3tNSjxzqwAEB_ADL1tT9JfX/s1600/Group+pic+for+blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1345" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxc0mPi6en4ssqeBPEdGiLytVfX5Ezd7DYCCQY-Fxwqxw-fDhNlqRrf4zCmdCW2TqlXwOxYncw64xVgDQXMXZxqg-FjdiyJGNiG5ATtA6iJe26RQdXnb3W3tNSjxzqwAEB_ADL1tT9JfX/s640/Group+pic+for+blog.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2019 Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute Participants<br />
<i>Picture courtesy of Jill Haukos</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><br />Teachers attending the 2019 Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute: </i><br />
<ol>
<li><i>Eric Beckman, Russell HS</i></li>
<li><i>Evan Brandt, Shawnee Mission North HS</i></li>
<li><i>Brian Gahagan, Chanute HS<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </i></li>
<li><i>Ruth Hudson, Blue Valley HS</i></li>
<li><i>Michelle Loeffler, Leavenworth HS<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </i></li>
<li><i>Jennifer Karr, Manhattan HS</i></li>
<li><i>Chris Morrison, South HS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </i></li>
<li><i>Walter Pitts, Onaga HS</i></li>
<li><i>Pesha Ptacek, Southeast of Saline HS</i></li>
<li><i>Anna Thornton, Eureka HS</i></li>
</ol>
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<div>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute 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.</i></span></div>
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<br />Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-53875456511471783662019-07-17T10:21:00.000-05:002019-07-17T10:26:09.866-05:00New Funding Opportunity for EPSCoR States - DEPSCoR: Defense Established Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPaJpe2wSqz-D9Pr3e2EXhMLxbBho4N18anJplobjwkH6-8G8HMXLO1IcTE2XnHT5XXR6He72K0ZXtlZKj2JsbsYfOGiKzPhf4I8PBF2sBAuiyqRlp9MrrBDa-ahPxIfVYskTDHiILy_2/s1600/DESPCoR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="879" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPaJpe2wSqz-D9Pr3e2EXhMLxbBho4N18anJplobjwkH6-8G8HMXLO1IcTE2XnHT5XXR6He72K0ZXtlZKj2JsbsYfOGiKzPhf4I8PBF2sBAuiyqRlp9MrrBDa-ahPxIfVYskTDHiILy_2/s400/DESPCoR.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://basicresearch.defense.gov/Pilots/DEPSCoR-Defense-Established-Program-to-Stimulate-Competitive-Research/">The Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR)</a> is a pilot program that aims to:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Increase the number of researchers capable of performing Science and Engineering (S&E) research responsive to the needs of the Department of Defense (DoD); </li>
<li>Improve the capabilities of institutes of higher education (IHEs) in eligible EPSCoR states and territories to develop, plan, and execute science and engineering (S&E) research that is relevant to the mission of the DoD and competitive under the peer-review systems used for awarding Federal research assistance; and </li>
<li>Increase the probability of long-term growth in the competitively awarded financial assistance that IHE in eligible states/territories receive from the Federal Government for S&E research. The program is sponsored and managed by the Basic Research Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD [R&E]), awarded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and administered through the Office of Naval Research (ONR).</li>
</ol>
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Approximately $3.6 million in total funding will be made available for this program to fund approximately six (6) awards of up to $600,000 (total cost) each. Each award will be funded up to $200,000 (total cost) per year for three (3) years in the form of a grant. <i>Subjected to funding availability. </i><br />
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<b>Eligibility</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> </b>This program aims to create basic research collaborations between a pair of researchers, namely:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Applicant (Principal investigator, Mentee), a non-previously DoD-funded, full-time faculty member with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to conduct the proposed research as the principal investigator and </li>
<li>Collaborator (co-Principal Investigator, Mentor), an investigator who was previously funded by DoD within the last seven years. Though this is a collaboration between Applicant and Collaborator, Applicant’s Institution of Higher Education (IHE) will submit the proposal. </li>
<li>Applicant and Collaborator, both must hold a tenured or tenure-track position with your IHE, or your proposal must include a letter from your IHE stating that you will be considered for a tenured or tenure-track position if you currently hold a short- term appointment.</li>
</ol>
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<b>Application Criteria:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Proposed research should describe cutting-edge efforts on basic scientific problems. White papers deemed to be applied research, as opposed to basic research, will not advance to the proposal stage of the competition.</li>
<li>You should show strength in as many of the evaluation and selection areas as practicable to demonstrate maximum competitiveness</li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Registration and submission Deadlines:</span></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: red;">Applicants must register with <a href="https://www.sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/index.jsf">Sam.gov </a>by no later than 11:59 PM EST on October 18, 2019</span></li>
<li><span style="color: red;">White Paper and Supporting Documents must be submitted by no later than 11:59 PM EST on October 25, 2019</span></li>
</ul>
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<i><b>For more information go to</b> <a href="https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html/">https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html/</a> and search for DEPSCoR</i></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><i><b>For General Inquiries and Questions, contact: </b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>Ms. Lisa Pizarro</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>Grants Officer</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>Email: Lisa.Pizarro.1@us.af.mil</i></span><br />
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The program objectives for DEPSCoR are described in the program statue:<br />
<a href="https://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume=131&page=1331">Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §219[e][3], Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1331 </a><br />
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<br />Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-34135565462730356012019-07-16T09:47:00.001-05:002019-07-16T09:47:17.213-05:00Registration is open for the 2019 EPSCoR National Conference in Columbia South Carolina October 27-30, 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAecujG96pnxWvN4zW0hhJgaerKBnktVHWRSpPL5ANrF1Nu6o9ZUuxAC5zvllpbbt1QwYmJGsQGMRLQYjBl3UTA0Pi0gYgmGxZZ0rfII9Ssvd0-e-jg1lxXoWqvjAXy6zUZvr9PZjp2PV/s1600/Twitter+Logo+for+Conference.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="736" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAecujG96pnxWvN4zW0hhJgaerKBnktVHWRSpPL5ANrF1Nu6o9ZUuxAC5zvllpbbt1QwYmJGsQGMRLQYjBl3UTA0Pi0gYgmGxZZ0rfII9Ssvd0-e-jg1lxXoWqvjAXy6zUZvr9PZjp2PV/s640/Twitter+Logo+for+Conference.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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NSF EPSCoR National Conference organizers have opened registration for the 26th NSF EPSCoR Conference to be held in Columbia, SC, from October 27-30, 2019.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">To register, go to: <a href="https://nsfepscor2019.org/register/">https://nsfepscor2019.org/register/</a></span></b></div>
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The theme of the conference is <i>Science and partnerships across disciplinary boundaries. </i>Undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, RII Track-2 PIs, RII Track-4 PIs, and others engaged in EPSCoR projects are invited to give a poster presentation related to this theme. One RII Track-1 PI from each jurisdiction is invited to submit an abstract to present a three-minute lightning talk. A few RII Track-2 PIs will also be selected from the submitted abstracts to present a lightning talk. <br />
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<i><span style="color: blue;">There is no limit on the number of poster presentations that may be submitted from each jurisdiction, but presenters are limited to one presentation each.</span></i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Submit your abstract at: <a href="https://nsfepscor2019.org/abstracts.">https://nsfepscor2019.org/abstracts. </a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="color: red;">Important Dates for 26th NSF EPSCoR National Conference</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: red;"> </span></i><br />
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<ul><ul>
<li><i><span style="color: red;">June 1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Early Registration opens</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="color: red;">July 1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Call for Abstracts</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="color: red;">July 16<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Regular Registration begins</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="color: red;">September 20<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Final day to register</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="color: red;">October 27<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Welcome Reception</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="color: red;">October 28-29<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 26th NSF EPSCoR National Conference</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="color: red;">October 30<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> PD/PA/EOD meeting</span></i></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<i>Conference Contacts</i><br />
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<i>Overview: Dr. Prakash Nagarkatti, prakash@mailbox.sc.edu</i><br />
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<i>Program: Dr. Lauren Clark, ClarkLL@mailbox.sc.edu</i><br />
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<br />Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-89224691658956002992019-07-02T10:37:00.001-05:002019-07-02T10:37:59.721-05:00HERS students prepare to present research at UCAR <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm01THWBniN5B-Eydqi5OTBT4n7Hj4ZqOcCB4RVvn8fDW02okjHalXkwE1_AelLgv0UFnAnRDSiKHX42guDHj3Vb3nkgiGbi2MBjSPaXIS3vmhHVBT05xMQADj30x6ZdrHbMy3-dz0I4wR/s1600/Poster+Session.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="1600" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm01THWBniN5B-Eydqi5OTBT4n7Hj4ZqOcCB4RVvn8fDW02okjHalXkwE1_AelLgv0UFnAnRDSiKHX42guDHj3Vb3nkgiGbi2MBjSPaXIS3vmhHVBT05xMQADj30x6ZdrHbMy3-dz0I4wR/s320/Poster+Session.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2019 HERS Post It Poster session. <br />
<i>Photo provided by Katrina McClure</i></td></tr>
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At the beginning of the 2019 <a href="https://www.haskell.edu/sponsored-programs/hers/">Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Program</a>, students were asked to select a research topic. Some students selected topics that were of particular interest to their tribal communities and others chose topics of personal interest. Topics included both the social and environmental sciences. During, the first weeks of the program, students worked with mentors in classrooms and laboratories at <a href="https://www.haskell.edu/">Haskell Indian Nations University</a>, <a href="https://ku.edu/">The University of Kansas</a>, and in the field to study climate change and to develop an independent research project.<br />
On June 21, 2019, the students presented their research at the <i>HERS 'Post It' Poster Session</i> held at Haskell Indian Nations University. This session was designed to allow HERS students to display their posters and practice presenting their research to invited guests. The guests, in turn, provided constructive feedback and suggestions on "post its" they attached to the interns' posters. Faculty from Haskell Indian Nations University and the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 <i>Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant and Soil Systems (MAPS) </i></a>project were invited to attend.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDC476bOihCkq6Af5a21GijFQJXhKyWg-FhUkkjlQKdzXsumFo4mDaHoc0F-5hRtWwhN75vKNA8PiG5Yjfs9-2950SiWMbC1rz-clbhodAIHbg98HdYqNAuhc6cnRgylAO9xG_KqtPaBP/s1600/For+Blog+HERS+7.2.19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="459" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDC476bOihCkq6Af5a21GijFQJXhKyWg-FhUkkjlQKdzXsumFo4mDaHoc0F-5hRtWwhN75vKNA8PiG5Yjfs9-2950SiWMbC1rz-clbhodAIHbg98HdYqNAuhc6cnRgylAO9xG_KqtPaBP/s320/For+Blog+HERS+7.2.19.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HERS students revising their work with Dr. Brian Lagotte</td></tr>
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Following the poster session practice, students continued to work with Assistant Teaching Professor, <a href="https://global.ku.edu/brian-lagotte">Brian Lagotte</a> of the <a href="http://global.ku.edu/">Center for Global and International Studies</a> at the University of Kansas, to revise their written research reports. Students will use the feedback they received at the <i>Post-it Poster Session</i> and from their work with Dr. Lagotte in their final draft of their research papers and posters. The HERS students will present their research project and poster while visiting the <a href="https://www.ucar.edu/">University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)</a> in Boulder CO next week (July 8-12, 2019). While at UCAR, the HERS students will also participate in special programming planned specifically for them. After they complete their summer HERS internship, the students will have additional opportunities to present their work at other professional meetings, workshops, and symposia around the country, such as the <a href="https://www.sacnas.org/">Society for Advancing Chicanos & Native Americans in Science</a> (SACNAS), <a href="https://www.aises.org/">American Indian Science and Engineering Society </a>(AISES) and the 2020 MAPS Symposium.<br />
<br />
<i>The HERS Institute is an 8-week paid summer internship program for undergraduate or recent graduate students held in June and July. The institute's underlying mission is to provide an opportunity for students to work with faculty from Native American colleges who are conducting long-term and short-term research relating to key problems on American Indian lands with the intent to disseminate the information through programs and various forms of media to American Indian peoples. The program is also dedicated to preparing tribal college students for science and technical careers and/or graduate school experiences. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;">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.</span></i><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;"> </span>Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812841815559150724.post-33584357853985853382019-06-17T14:56:00.004-05:002020-08-02T12:42:56.352-05:00Kansas NSF EPSCoR Announces Spring 2019 MAPS Research, Education and Innovation Awards The Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1656006">Microbiomes of Plant, Aquatic and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS) </a>has awarded seven Research and Education Innovation (REI) Awards for the spring of 2019. REI Awards are specifically for small projects that will either allow for networking and planning or allow for the immediate pursuit of larger projects that are developing new transformational concepts. Faculty from the University of Kansas (KU), Kansas State University (KSU), Wichita State University (WSU), Fort Hayes State University (FHSU) and Washburn University (Washburn) are all encouraged to submit proposals. This funding is awarded to both research and education projects, given their close relationship, and selections are made in the same spirit as and share goals with <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2019/nsf19018/nsf19018.jsp">NSF EAGER (Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research)</a> awards for high risk/high gain research ideas. This year, the MAPS REI selection committee chose seven REI proposals to fund. Project summaries and the broader impacts of the investigations provided by the investigators of the awarded projects are included below.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">A Potential, Unappreciated Mechanism Governing Transformation of Soil Organic C into CO2 by the Soil Microbiome</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H-czo9Lo1T50Un5mH0aA6CubmVJ13eFZM4q40a2Q8_baq_-zx5qCLUgVH4q6cAsrSf8y90bPmA1qGvgrVQLZBfjCBK1DzeLBh2UsLVinM_PvieKLGcyNlhBR1AIn6BrG4c_iVvYjqiZc/s1600/Sharon+and+Pam+REI.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="487" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H-czo9Lo1T50Un5mH0aA6CubmVJ13eFZM4q40a2Q8_baq_-zx5qCLUgVH4q6cAsrSf8y90bPmA1qGvgrVQLZBfjCBK1DzeLBh2UsLVinM_PvieKLGcyNlhBR1AIn6BrG4c_iVvYjqiZc/s400/Sharon+and+Pam+REI.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Sharon Billings and Dr. Pam Sullivan</td></tr>
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<br />
<a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/sharon-billings">Dr. Sharon A. Billings</a>,<br />
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Kansas Biological Survey<br />
University of Kansas,<br />
<br />
<a href="https://geog.ku.edu/sullivan-pamela">Dr. Pamela L. Sullivan</a>,<br />
Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science<br />
University of Kansas<br />
<br />
<i>Project Summary:</i><br />
Understanding how changing environmental conditions influence microbially‐mediated transformations of soil organic C to CO2 is critical for predicting atmospheric CO2 concentrations1. Microbial generation of CO2 occurs after the soil microbiome (bacteria and fungi) take up assimilable compounds often derived from larger soil organic matter (SOM) molecules. Microbes must allocate some assimilated C to CO2, providing a feedback to Earth’s climate. The breakdown of SOM molecules is catalyzed by enzymes exuded by the soil microbiome (exo‐enzymes) for that purpose. These processes are well‐studied. We propose to explore a potential, unappreciated mechanism driving the ability of exoenzymes to encounter SOM molecules for breakdown – soil pH and its variation due to climate change. If validated, this idea can transform current perceptions of the drivers of SOM persistence vs. loss as CO2.<br />
<b></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Connections Among Aquatic Microbiome and Water Quality Degradation </span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRORYcbSE4n-W-4t7AX6QvZLisOQjlTa6kWlrxBd8UTFC0sO3enAdTdqHfBd9INsB1qE5dQy_nfWoniQL0iHm0UmTTDPFjwZOpptFIAaXLBZC3enUb80W-AmuXnaB_5E1YNQEEBdv6wJgf/s1600/Joe+and+Terry+REI.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="489" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRORYcbSE4n-W-4t7AX6QvZLisOQjlTa6kWlrxBd8UTFC0sO3enAdTdqHfBd9INsB1qE5dQy_nfWoniQL0iHm0UmTTDPFjwZOpptFIAaXLBZC3enUb80W-AmuXnaB_5E1YNQEEBdv6wJgf/s400/Joe+and+Terry+REI.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Joe Brewer and Dr. Terry Loecke</td></tr>
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<a href="https://esp.ku.edu/joseph-brewer">Dr. Joseph P. Brewer II</a><br />
Environmental Studies Program<br />
University of Kansas<br />
<br />
<a href="https://esp.ku.edu/terry-loecke">Dr. Terry Loecke</a><br />
Kansas Biological Survey<br />
Environmental Studies Program<br />
University of Kansas<br />
<br />
<i>Project Summary:</i><br />
This is a pilot study to develop collaborative partnerships aimed at constructing a multi-institution (likely multi-state) research proposal to explore the connection among aquatic microbiomes and riverine water quality. Initially, we will focus on watersheds within tribal lands in Kansas and Iowa with contrasting water quality impairments and water quality threats. Specifically, we intend to start networking with the Meskwaki Nation, tribes in the Kansas River watershed, and Kansas State University. Our vision for this initial phrase is confront current cause-and-effect models of the connections between aquatic microbiomes and water quality with available data. This process will highlight the gaps in our understanding, thus allowing us to focus our proposal on the most relevant questions and hypotheses. Concurrently, the MAPS component of the current Kansas EPSCoR grant has begun monitoring water quality and aquatic microbiomes in the Kansas River watershed. The opportunity to leverage the microbiome findings of the MAPS project sets the stage to potentially transform water quality monitoring programs into a more holistic chemical and ecological science.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Towards Integrated Groundwater and Surface Water Modeling for Predicting Aquatic Microbiomes</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YHF9qusEzQBnYh4Q0AO9JNQosT8adc9m5Af3ATqSbaKq3da0_kgK1luQgRcOhp546fgYRxLS15erttCgtgW6BlfXzc8LEiUe8BOAvYRDdd8NK_NJKpTeX2GcOO3DczilSjq-qYqsqQtc/s1600/Amy+Andrea+Pam+REI.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="722" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YHF9qusEzQBnYh4Q0AO9JNQosT8adc9m5Af3ATqSbaKq3da0_kgK1luQgRcOhp546fgYRxLS15erttCgtgW6BlfXzc8LEiUe8BOAvYRDdd8NK_NJKpTeX2GcOO3DczilSjq-qYqsqQtc/s640/Amy+Andrea+Pam+REI.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Amy Hansen, Dr. Andrea Brookfield and Dr. Pam Sullivan</td></tr>
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<a href="https://ceae.ku.edu/amy-hansen">Dr. Amy Hansen</a><br />
Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering<br />
University of Kansas<br />
<br />
<a href="https://geog.ku.edu/brookfield-andrea">Dr. Andrea Brookfield</a><br />
Geography and Atmospheric Science<br />
University of Kansas<br />
<br />
<a href="https://geog.ku.edu/sullivan-pamela">Dr. Pamela Sullivan</a><br />Geography and Atmospheric Science Department<br />
University of Kansas<br />
<br />
<i>Project Summary:</i><br />
Our ability to predict how aquatic microbiomes will respond to projected scenarios of environmental change is dependent on being able to accurately model the dynamic coupling of groundwater and surface water and the subsequent effects on the chemical, physical and biological in-stream environment (Sullivan et al., 2018a). While a variety of surface and subsurface water quality models exist, these have not yet been adequately linked due to system complexity and computational requirements (e.g., Cho et al., 2016; Oliver et al., 2016; Bao et al., 2017). This REI project seeks to create a transformative approach to groundwater-surface water modeling by forming a team of experts to generate a modeling framework and develop a collaborative multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional proposal for submission to NSF.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Connecting Stream Microbiomes to In-stream Energetics and Nutrient Processing across the Precipitation and Land Use Gradient</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GFaKbkMRP_cvMwNW8vLOtSRZ1vZyf9tmqoTi3UxRuurbUI0FAAUycKlRArOBWihqSFMFM6lOdHytUx6VEQyNTIz1XF_Vy5-SzFtbdDo7LyGXvRfCiEMW3AzRSZjJjYFUfpHLGnBy5Srn/s1600/Amy+B+Lidia+REI.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="479" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GFaKbkMRP_cvMwNW8vLOtSRZ1vZyf9tmqoTi3UxRuurbUI0FAAUycKlRArOBWihqSFMFM6lOdHytUx6VEQyNTIz1XF_Vy5-SzFtbdDo7LyGXvRfCiEMW3AzRSZjJjYFUfpHLGnBy5Srn/s400/Amy+B+Lidia+REI.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Amy Burgin and Dr. Lydia Zeglin</td></tr>
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<a href="https://eeb.ku.edu/amy-burgin"><br />Dr. Amy Burgin</a><br />
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies<br />
Kansas Biological Survey<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/zeglin/index.html">Dr. Lydia Zeglin</a><br />
Biology<br />
Kansas State University<br />
<br />
<i>Project Summary:</i><br />
Understanding river nitrogen (N) removal is of fundamental importance to ecosystem science given the critical role rivers play in mediating nutrient delivery to coastal waters.1-3 Downstream export of N to larger rivers is controlled by the relationship between N supply and demand.4,5 Stream N supply is influenced by hydrology (e.g., the precipitation gradient in KS) and land use.3,6 In-stream demand for N is determined by the stream microbiome – the microbial community that processes N via assimilation (uptake of N for biological growth) and denitrification (an energy-generating process used by some bacteria which converts nitrate to gaseous N2).7-10 Studies of stream N processing often focus on either the supply of N to streams or the demand for N within the stream, but rarely combine measurements of whole stream N processing rates with detailed analysis of the stream microbiome. Furthermore, it is even more rare to link stream N-process rates and microbiome composition to stream metabolism, the integrated rate of all energy producing and demanding biotic activities within a system.11 Integrating coupled energy nutrient cycling with an understanding of changes to the stream microbiome represents an important research frontier for understanding how streams control nutrient inputs to costal ecosystems.11 This research explores the connections between stream microbiomes, N processing rates, and stream metabolism. We ask: How does stream intermittency (represented by the precipitation gradient across KS) and land use affect the N supply vs. microbiome demand for N? We will address this question using a combination of new data and experiments, as detailed below, together with data currently being collected by the KS-ESPCOR Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant and Soil systems (MAPS) project. MAPS activities currently include measuring stream metabolism and stream microbiome characterization, but do not measure in stream N processing. We seek to supplement this strong foundation by: 1) deploying a nitrate sensor (from Burgin’s lab) to pair with the MAPS-funded metabolism sensors to measure coupled energy-nutrient cycling, 2) conducting whole-stream N uptake and denitrification experiments to quantify microbiome-driven in-stream processes, and 3) relating the microbiome process measurements to the characterization of microbiome community composition. We will perform this work at the 12 MAPS core streams that will span a range of land use and precipitation (thus, a range of N supply to the microbiome). Including measurements of N demand via in situ microbiome activity will provide a critical link between the composition and integrated functionality stream microbiomes. Beyond establishing this empirical link, our larger goal is to share this cutting-edge data at a symposium with stream researchers in neighboring states and generate regional engagement on an NSF Macrosystems proposal (solicitation 19-538).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Increasing Aquatic Ecology Expertise in Kansas</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhE2mRoZfb5HF-kJB5ZtKP1gpONPltqJ8EzECy6TeE5wHTCVZ2xi1w3qK0R1Ezy6TzSZTJ85vDFdogc-y_2WClP8FvAv4GN3BlKVWs0ciMOprlp4B4_d8rtNe2DVpefYdQJ2HQKI2Dnhoe/s1600/Greg+REI.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="272" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhE2mRoZfb5HF-kJB5ZtKP1gpONPltqJ8EzECy6TeE5wHTCVZ2xi1w3qK0R1Ezy6TzSZTJ85vDFdogc-y_2WClP8FvAv4GN3BlKVWs0ciMOprlp4B4_d8rtNe2DVpefYdQJ2HQKI2Dnhoe/s320/Greg+REI.JPG" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Greg Housman</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.wichita.edu/academics/fairmount_college_of_liberal_arts_and_sciences/bioscience/people/faculty/gHouseman/index.php">Dr. Greg R. Houseman</a><br />
Biology & Field Station Director Biological Sciences<br />
Wichita State University<br />
<br />
<i>Project Summary: </i><br />
The purpose of the proposed initiative is to facilitate a new faculty hire with expertise in aquatic ecology at Wichita State University. Wichita State is a Kansas Regents Research University that has shown remarkable increases in research capability over the past few years. For example, funded research has increased from 50 to 100 million dollars per year over the past decade. A similar trend is evident within the Department of Biological Sciences that currently has 11 awards totaling nearly 9 million dollars across the twelve research faculty. Likewise, the WSU Field Station has experienced a rapid increase in capacity with two externally funded projects (NSF, USDA), an increase sites from 489 to over 5100 acres, and investment of over 1.1 million dollars in facilities and equipment over the past decade. Several of the Field Station sites include important aquatic resources (springs, streams, rivers, and impoundments) in the southern part of Kansas. However, the Department of Biological Sciences has no faculty with sufficient expertise to study aquatic systems or contribute to the broader examination of aquatic resources in Kansas. Consequently, WSU would like to create a new faculty line to address aquatic ecology (broadly defined) to increase the momentum of the Field Station and within the Biology Department. This objective fits well with the innovative goal of the MAPS project to link plant, soil, and aquatic microbiomes. Specifically the new aquatic ecologist would address the MAPS thrust of aquatic systems and contribute to Goal 1.1. of the MAPS project:<br />
“Characterize the structure and biogeochemical processes of the aquatic (stream and reservoir) microbiome resulting from variation in hydrologic connectivity, nutrient loading, and land use across the Kansas precipitation gradient” The focus of the aquatic ecologist will likely focus on understanding aquatic systems in Kansas and fostering linkages across plant, soil, and microbial dimensions. It is expected that this new position would begin in August of 2019.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Expanded Kansas Ecosystems for Elementary Students</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMe7JGSIECHjJb9V9Q5lsGXQF-7OoWVBtRFx9xp2AcqPDDar8f1_mDpq4HmLyyUE7-kgXyhGhCA7Insh24QhnUTT67NzGWtRhx07FD_ZRoNn01NUHbz4swFSfjI8IMyi72vZSezM1O_Gku/s1600/Peggy+REI.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMe7JGSIECHjJb9V9Q5lsGXQF-7OoWVBtRFx9xp2AcqPDDar8f1_mDpq4HmLyyUE7-kgXyhGhCA7Insh24QhnUTT67NzGWtRhx07FD_ZRoNn01NUHbz4swFSfjI8IMyi72vZSezM1O_Gku/s320/Peggy+REI.JPG" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Peggy Schultz</td></tr>
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<br />
<a href="https://esp.ku.edu/peggy-schultz">Dr. Peggy Schultz</a><br />
Environmental Studies Program<br />
Kansas Biological Survey<br />
University of Kansas<br />
<br />
<i>Project Summary:</i><br />
The Kansas Ecosystems for Elementary Students program (KEES) began a year ago, funded by EPSCoR MAPS, with the goal of developing hands on experimentally driven activities focused on Kansas ecosystems that support Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for elementary grades. We are currently visiting 13 third grade classrooms in Lawrence and Topeka. We will be visiting each classroom 5 times through this academic year. Our program was quite popular in its first year, and we were invited to return this year. Rosemary Blum interviewed one of the teachers whose class has been participating in the program this year and she said “I love that the program is engaging for students. It brings in resources that we do not have access to as a public school, and opens the eyes of our students to things they normally would not be able to experience.” We believe that by engaging students in this way we are enhancing students’ interest in science and facilitating students understanding of concepts that will support their academic success. To expand the program, additional funding is needed for infrastructure to support planning of programs, organization and coordination of visits with teachers and instructors from KU and K-State, and hiring and training of more facilitators to serve as travelling prairie ambassadors to multiple schools. Given the importance of students developing an appreciation and understanding of science early in their academic life we would like to expand the program to reach more classrooms in Lawrence and Topeka.<br />
The first lesson of the year focused on the Prairie Biome, where students learned about the characteristics of the prairie ecosystem and were able to see bird and mammal skins from the Kansas grassland and dissect Barred Owl pellets. The second lesson focused on why and how plants disperse their seeds. Students saw how native plants disperse their seeds by wind, water, gravity, explosions and using animals, they then were able to design, build and test their own seed dispersers. We will be continuing to work with the students this spring. We will be demonstrating how energy moves through ecosystems, dissecting soils and testing the rate that water travels through different kinds of soils. We will also be illustrating the services that ecosystems provide us, for example students will be observing and testing models of how water flows with gravity to form rivers, streams and how damming waterways provide stable water supplies. We plan to develop more lesson that can be taken to classrooms as stand-alone or be combined with the lessons we have already developed.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Microbiome and High-throughput Enzyme Screening for Biodegradation Potential of Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxlKQfSiYp2XLEbVS1vtMyVCjMnTtrcpSANXhuRZJoojce6TGzIU5wdRYcnynV9tzECqkCUBNNya9gBFdwihAtc7zneGcKMzXbXYPeGLO05UuboN8Sk8a7Rn10pKx_EZW8vfAjJQl-UGI/s1600/Belinda+Justin+Anuradha+REI.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="742" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxlKQfSiYp2XLEbVS1vtMyVCjMnTtrcpSANXhuRZJoojce6TGzIU5wdRYcnynV9tzECqkCUBNNya9gBFdwihAtc7zneGcKMzXbXYPeGLO05UuboN8Sk8a7Rn10pKx_EZW8vfAjJQl-UGI/s640/Belinda+Justin+Anuradha+REI.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Belinda Sturm, Dr. Justin Hutchinson, Dr. Anurada Roy</td></tr>
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<a href="https://ceae.ku.edu/belinda-sm-sturm-phd">Dr. Belinda Sturm</a><br />Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Research<br />
University of Kansas<br />
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<a href="https://ceae.ku.edu/justin-hutchison">Dr. Justin Hutchison</a><br />
Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering, University of Kansas<br />
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<a href="https://corelabs.ku.edu/anuradha-roy-phd">Dr. Anuradha Roy</a><br />
Core Research Labs,<br />
Director High Throughput Sequencing Lab<br />
University of Kansas<br />
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<i>Project Summary:</i><br />
The objective of this research is to identify novel microbes and enzymes that biodegrade perfluorooctane carboxylic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Bioremediation technologies could significantly reduce the costs of remediating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminated sites, but only a few microorganisms and enzymes have been studied and shown to transform these compounds. In order to advance biodegradation options, the proposed research will combine metagenomic methods with thermal proteome profiling (TPP) methods to develop a broader understanding of the biodegradation potential for PFAS. The soil and groundwater at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (FLK) has been exposed to high concentrations of PFAS for long periods of time due to firefighter training activities and operation of the airfield by the US Army. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a health advisory for PFAS contamination in drinking water, and FLK has contracted alternative drinking water supplies at a cost of > $1 million annually. This site offers a unique opportunity to assess the impact of PFAS on the aquifer microbiome as a significant PFAS concentration gradient exists in the contaminated groundwater. However, PFAS contamination is widespread in the United States, and the United States House of Representatives launched a bipartisan taskforce for PFAS management on January 30, 2019.<br />
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Rosemary Blumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657683215223965489noreply@blogger.com