September 13, 2022 Newsletter

September 13, 2022

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The following article was originally published in the summer edition of VISIONS magazine. It is shared here with the permission of the Iowa State University Alumni Association.

Although my training is in chemistry, I have an enormous appreciation for William Shakespeare. What’s past is prologue. If that truly is the case, as The Bard tells us, then our successful and relentless commitment to collaborative innovation puts Iowa State University’s research enterprise on a very positive trajectory for the future. I say this as someone who, since assuming my vice president’s role in January 2021, has been impressed with how eager our faculty and staff are to come together to identify and explore big ideas.

I have found Iowa State researchers to be a community of ceaselessly curious scholars and innovators driven to create new knowledge and craft bold solutions to society’s greatest challenges.

With challenges as massive as feeding an ever-expanding global population while protecting our earth, it’s essential that we bring together perspectives from many disciplines, constituencies, and stakeholders. Fortunately, at Iowa State, what’s past is prologue includes collaboration — something we’ve always done exceptionally well.

For the last decade, our Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Initiative each year invests in worthy interdisciplinary efforts to jump-start large-scale projects. Several have excelled, garnering significant external funding support and leading to larger initiatives that are now national in scope.

One is our Consortium for Cultivating Human and Naturally reGenerative Enterprises (C-CHANGE), which leads a $10 million USDA grant involving more than 30 partner organizations and is working to create new value chains on American farms to improve rural economic outcomes and protect the environment.

Another is our Nanovaccine Institute, which has grown into a consortium of nearly 80 researchers at 24 universities, research institutes, national laboratories, and companies. The institute leads a national effort to revolutionize how disease is treated and prevented.

Also, some of our most recent initiatives offer enormous promise. The Translational Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center is a 40-scientist collaboration focused on establishing Iowa State as the leader in AI across multiple industries. The TechTHRIVE program, led by researchers in engineering, architecture, and education, is re-envisioning rural communities as key nodes in an expanding innovation economy.

In all these efforts, it’s worth noting that our faculty fully understand that research is a high-impact practice for student learning. They provide excellent educational experiences focused on engaging students, growing their knowledge, and providing meaningful, transformative opportunities that enable Iowa State to fulfill its mission as a leading public research university.

Allow a chemist to return once more to The Bard. How our research innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial attitude inspires our curriculum, decision-making, and outlook may best be summarized as: Be not afraid of greatness.

Peter Dorhout
Vice President for Research

Research News

Iowa State Adds to its Roster of NSF CAREER Award Winners

Iowa State welcomed new members to its ever-expanding roster of National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award winners during the 2022 fiscal and academic year. Considered to be the NSF’s most prestigious award, the CAREER program supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. Read more…

Ames National Laboratory Awarded $4.5M to Understand Properties of Rare Earth Materials

The Department of Energy recently announced the winners for the 2022 Chemical and Materials Sciences to Advance Clean-Energy Technologies and Transform Manufacturing (CEM) awards. Among the winners is a project led by Rebecca Flint, Ames National Laboratory scientist and associate professor at Iowa State. The project is titled “Exploiting the Interplay of Mixed Valence and Magnetic Anisotropy in Rare Earths.” Read more…

Iowa State Researchers Working to Help Ukrainian Refugees Integrate Into the Midwest

Since Russian soldiers entered the country in late February, more than 6.6 million Ukrainians have crossed European borders, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. A team of Iowa State researchers is investigating how they can assist Ukrainians leaving the country to escape Russia’s invasion as they make their way to the American Midwest. Read more…

Announcements

Fall Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program Accepting Applications

The National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored I-Corps program gives campus innovators – faculty and graduate students, alike – the entrepreneurial tools and skills they need to bring their big ideas from the research bench to the marketplace. The I-Corps program at Iowa State is now part of the new Great Lakes I-Corps Hub and will be accepting registrations through October 17 for its Fall 2022 cohort, which kicks off October 19. ISU innovators can also participate in regional I-Corps programming through the Great Lakes I-Corps Hub.  Applications are being accepted now for the Fall 2022 Medical Jumpstart I-Corps Course and the Fall 2022 STEM I-Corps Course. Regional I-Corps courses are designed for faculty, researchers, and students with technology-based innovation ideas or Intellectual Property and a strong interest in commercializing their technology.

Participation in the local ISU I-Corps program or a regional I-Corps program creates eligibility to apply for the prestigious NSF National I-Corps Teams program. Not sure which program is right for you? Contact Kris Johansen or Craig Forney to learn more.

NSF Programs to Stop Accepting Proposals via FastLane Website

The FastLane website (fastlane.nsf.gov) is scheduled to be removed as a submission option for NSF funding opportunities in January 2023. Some programs in NSF’s Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate have already stopped accepting proposals through FastLane, and others will stop accepting them over the remainder of 2022. The transition from the FastLane website to Research.gov and Grants.gov is part of NSF’s ongoing information technology modernization efforts. Since NSF’s update on Research.gov implementation in September 2020, NSF has been gradually removing FastLane as a submission option in program solicitations and descriptions.

Please consult the tables in this document (PDF) for additional information about the transition to Research.gov, including dates throughout the summer and fall when some programs will stop accepting proposals through FastLane. You can also check program web pages for information about which submission methods are accepted by each program and contact the program officers listed on those pages or email rgov@nsf.gov with any questions. For tutorials and guidance on how to use Research.gov please visit the Research.gov proposal preparation and submission resources site.

Dr. Carolyn Lawrence-Dill Joins FFAR’s Board of Directors

Dr. Carolyn Lawrence-Dill, associate dean of research and discovery for the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at Iowa State, has been selected to join the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Board of Directors. In her research role, Lawrence-Dill creates tools to automate data analysis and provide unique data storage solutions. These tools help other researchers accomplish their research goals more efficiently. Lawrence-Dill and her team apply these computational tools to improve crop science. Specifically, the tools leverage plant genetics and genomics information to better understand basic biology and improve crops. These skills are the basis for her administrative efforts to transition the CALS research enterprise into a more data-driven paradigm.

Internal Funding Opportunities

Cost Sharing Program for Research Tools (CoSPRT)

Applications are being accepted for the Cost Sharing Program for Research Tools (CoSPRT), which provides access to advanced instrumentation critical for facilitating cutting-edge research. The program provides internal funding for faculty and core facilities to purchase new equipment, replace or add components to existing instruments, develop new equipment, and invest in research aids and enhancers such as data sets, archives and software. All Iowa State faculty, departments, and units are eligible to participate in this program. Applications are due September 15, 2022.

Bailey Research Career Development Award

Applications are sought for the Bailey Research Career Development Award, designed to foster research that is innovative (outside of an established research program) and not only increases knowledge but also has practical applications. It is expected that the Bailey Award will allow faculty to devote time toward high-risk, high-impact research addressing emerging scientific, technical, and/or societal problems resulting in practical applications and, in appropriate disciplines, extramural funding. Any full-time tenured associate professors and professors may apply for this award. Applications are due October 3, 2022.

CEAH Research Grants

The Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities (CEAH) is offering grants for research and creative activity that will make a significant contribution to the scholarly development and academic career progression of faculty in the arts, design, and humanities disciplines. Projects should employ predominantly artistic or humanistic approaches and have outcomes clearly falling within the arts and humanities disciplines. Applicants must be tenured or tenure track faculty in the College of Design or College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, with a home department in the arts and humanities disciplines. Applications are due October 7, 2022.

CEAH Digital Scholarship Research Grants

The Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities (CEAH) is offering grants for research and creative activity that incorporates a substantial digital component and that will make a significant contribution to the scholarly development and academic career progression of faculty in the arts, design, and humanities disciplines. Applicants must be tenured or tenure‐track faculty in the College of Design or College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, with a home department in the arts and humanities disciplines. Applications are due October 7, 2022.

Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics Seed Grants

Proposals are being accepted for Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics Seed Grants to foster industry-driven/commercial development partnerships, with a focus on technology development, generation of intellectual property, or next level commercial funding and development. Any Iowa State faculty member working with a company based in, or having a significant footprint in, Iowa, is eligible to apply. Applications are due October 1, 2022.

Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics Adjuvant and Immunostimulant Consortium

Proposals are now being sought for funds offered through the Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics Adjuvant and Immunostimulant Consortium program. The program will sponsor a large clinical trial using technology from a consortium of faculty and investigators and run a trial generating validation data to support IP, publications, and potential industry connections. Any Iowa State faculty member working with a company based in, or with a significant footprint in, Iowa, is eligible to apply. Applications are due October 1, 2022.

Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics Innovation Fellowships

Applications are currently sought for Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics Innovation Fellowships, which provide resources to allow active pursuit of technology licensing, commercial partnerships, or new venture formation by research-focused entrepreneurs who have motivation to identify and commercialize novel technologies. Applicants should have a suitable technical knowledge and a strong interest in developing entrepreneurial talents to form a successful new venture or actively support technological commercialization in the vaccines and immunotherapeutics field. Applications are due December 2, 2022.

External Funding Opportunities

Iowa Space Grant Consortium Curriculum Development Program

The Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) is seeking proposals for the Curriculum Development program, which will support the development of STEM related curricula with a focus on improving student skills. The ISGC plans to award four projects with emerging curriculum aligning with any of the five NASA Mission Directorates: Aeronautics Research, Science, Exploration Systems Development, Space Operations, and Space Technology. Proposals are due by September 16, 2022.

Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program

The Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program is accepting applications from outstanding basic biomedical researchers, including physician-scientists, who are strongly committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science. Each Scholar will be appointed to a five-year term, renewable once with evaluation. Applications are due by September 28, 2022 at 3 p.m. (ET).

Training & Development

OVPR Lunch & Learn for Internal Funded Programs
October 6 — 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

Researchers considering submitting proposals to the Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Initiative (PIRI), the Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant Program (PIRS), the Presidential Cost-Sharing Program for Research Tools (CoSPRT), Bridging the Divide, Bailey or Margaret B. Barry programs are encouraged to attend this OVPR session. Associate vice presidents for research Jim Reecy, Surya Mallapragada, and Jerry Zamzow will be available to answer questions about the programs. Register here.

Voices in Research

“There are many challenges associated with free-range production environments for laying hens, including potential for additional injuries, disease and risks from predators. Hens in free-range environments do tend to engage more often in positive, ‘normal’ behaviors that seem to enhance their overall health and immunity. It’s intriguing to think that even just showing hens free-range environments can stimulate similar immunological benefits.”

Melha Mellata, associate professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Drinking among women – especially for white and college-educated women – has increased dramatically over the last two decades. Alcohol research has largely focused on men and by people in the medical field. It doesn’t get at the ‘why’ behind the statistics I was seeing. I decided to look into some of the factors at playand how women perceive alcohol in their lives and society at large.”

Susan Stewart, professor, Sociology

“Addressing interconnected challenges in the basin has high potential for significant societal and sustainability impacts, because close to half of urban dwellers will soon live in similar-sized urban settings. Results of the [Urban-Rural Systems Research Coordination Network’s Mississippi river basin research] will support ongoing efforts to address environmental, social, health and equity issues across scales and create transferable models to improve community health and vitality in other networks of cities.”

Ulrike Passe, professor, Architecture