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Three projects totaling nearly $3.3 million were among those selected to receive National Science Foundation (NSF) awards in September 2016. iUTAH researchers are involved as principal or collaborating investigators to advance three projects funded at three Utah universities.

Utah State University received $2.7 million to fund the NSF Research Traineeships over the next five years. A university press release stated that the program, named “Graduate Climate Adaptation Research that Enhances Education and Responsiveness of Science at the Management-Policy Interface” — or Grad-CAREER for short —anticipates training 80 master’s and doctoral students.

“This is a remarkable opportunity for graduate students to be involved in a dynamic, cross-disciplinary research environment,” says Nancy Huntly, professor in USU’s Department of Biology, director of the USU Ecology Center, and principal investigator and project director for Grad-CAREER. When asked about how her experience with iUTAH contributed to this award, Huntly said “The new Climate Adaptation Science specialization builds on the foundation of interdisciplinary collaboration that iUTAH has fostered.”

Additionally, two projects at Utah Valley University and the University of Utah have been selected to receive first-ever NSF INCLUDES funding. These projects hope to develop new approaches to diversifying the science and engineering workforce of the United States. NSF INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) granted two-year awards to 37 proposals nationwide with a goal of increasing the number of individuals from underserved groups in the science and engineering workforce to sustain U.S. leadership in those disciplines. Both projects are working to improve access to STEM education and career pathways, making them more widely available to underserved populations in Utah.

Huntly leads the project team, which includes iUTAH researchers Courtney Flint, Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology and the USU Ecology Center; David Rosenberg, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Utah Water Research Laboratory; Simon Wang, Department of Plants, Soils and Climate and the Utah Climate Center and Sarah Null, Department of Watershed Sciences.

Utah Valley University received $300,000 to fund a project titled “Design & Development Launch Pilots: UTAH PREP.”  through the NSF INCLUDES initiative. By partnering with Weber State University (WSU) and American Indian Services (AIS), PREParation for STEM Careers, UTAH PREP for short, aims to address the need for early preparation in mathematics to strengthen the secondary-to-postsecondary-to-career STEM pipeline. iUTAH researcher Daniel Horns, a professor in Earth Science and associate dean of the college of College of Science & Health, is the principal investigator of the project, along with co-investigators Andrew Stone, an assistant vice president of Recruitment and Outreach, and Violeta Vasilevska, an associate professor in Mathematics, all from UVU.

The University of Utah received nearly $300,000 in funding to launch a two-year pilot project through the NSF INCLUDES program. The project titled “Alliance to Strengthen the STEM Tapestry (ASSisT): Motivating Critical Identity Shifts to Weave the STEM Disenfranchised into Science and the Sustainability Workforce.” focuses on three STEM-disenfranchised groups: 1) adults who have been recently released from incarceration; 2) youth who have been released from juvenile custody; and 3) refugee youth, and builds on existing science education programs. iUTAH researcher Diane Pataki, a professor in UU’s biology department, and associate dean of student affairs in the College of Science, is a co-investigator on the project led by UU Professor of Biology Nalini Nadkarni. Others co-investigators from UU include Jordan Gerton, adjunct assistant professor, Bioengineering and associate professor, Physics and Astronomy, Sydney Cheek-O'Donnell, assistant professor and head of the Department of Theatre, and Russell Isabella, associate professor in Family and Consumer Studies and adjunct associate professor and Department of Psychology.

iUTAH is an NSF-funded project aimed at building statewide capacity to conduct research on vital environmental issues facing our state, specifically water sustainability. The project integrates research, training, and education to support Utah’s next generation STEM workforce and contribute to the education of and engagement with an informed, water-wise citizenry.

Press: Utah State Today | EurekAlert | NSF PR 16-129 | @theU

Core participants in USU's NSF Grad-CAREER program are, seated, from left, Courtney Flint, PI Nancy Huntly, Jim Lutz, David Feldon; standing, from left, Luis Gordillo, Sarah Null, Patrick Belmont (on screen), Simon Wang, David Rosenberg, Peter Howe. Credit: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, USU.

 

 

Pictured are Daniel Horns, UVU, and Diane Pataki, UU, iUTAH researchers involved as principal or collaborating
investigators for projects awarded NSF INCLUDES funding