June 3, 2020
Funding Connection

The National Science Foundation's Developmental Science Program  supports basic research that increases our understanding of cognitive, linguistic, social, cultural, and biological processes related to human development across the lifespan. 

The   K-State NIH Center on Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (CEZID) COBRE   Pilot Grant Program  is intended to enable junior and senior investigators to generate preliminary data for submission of competitive grant applications, develop new technologies, and/or achieve other goals that will better position the applicant and institution to conduct biomedical research. 




From the Desk of the VPR
Given the recent violence and prejudice that we have witnessed in this country and in our communities in Kansas, it is impossible to ignore the inequities and injustices that members of our Black and Brown communities nation-wide – and here in our K-State community – feel and experience daily, and I invite our K-State research family to reflect on those historic injustices. I hope to not only learn from what we have been witnessing but to also use my privileged status as a faculty member and university leader to work to provide our community of scholars – faculty, staff, and students – a safe, welcoming, equitable, and inclusive environment in which to study and explore.

-Peter K. Dorhout
Reminder: Summer Stipend Program
The Office of Research Development (ORD) staff will again offer a month-long writing clinic that will use an iterative process to help interested faculty members develop and refine their submissions for the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend program. This clinic is based on the approach ORD has offered successfully for the National Science Foundation CAREER opportunity and piloted last year for the NEH Summer Stipend.

If you are interested in participating in this writing clinic either as a mentee or a mentor, please send an email stating your interest to  ord@k-state.edu  by June 12.
Working with the DoD
The Department of Defense, or DoD, has interest in academic expertise to leverage "scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge or understanding.” Yet, in many respects, considering research opportunities within DOD and associated agencies or offices is unfamiliar territory to many. 

To help understand DoD focus areas, the Defense innovation Marketplace has identified 17 Communities of Interest as a mechanism to encourage multiagency coordination and collaboration in cross-cutting technology focus and investment. Some of these focus on advanced electronics, air platforms, autonomy, biomedical, biotechnology, cyber, human systems, materials and manufacturing processes, sensors and space. For a full list is available on the Defense Innovation Marketplace website .

To support insight into collaborative research DoD leverages multiple agencies, laboratories and offices to conduct basic, applied and translational research and material solution development. These include agencies like:

They also collaborate closely with NSF, NASA, DOE, the DNI’s IARPA and other government agencies to solve gaps, needs and requirements.

As part of K-State’s 2025 refresh, our leadership has identified four strategic areas of focus. These are: global food, health, and biosecurity; aviation; the cyber land-grant university; and, innovation in education. As we endeavor to realize our vision of becoming a premier land-grant institution we need to harness, grow and expand the power of innovative learning, discovery and engagement through research, creative, and scholarly activities. DoD agencies present a multifaceted opportunity to engage and find opportunities that match and align expertise across our research enterprise. Opportunities that align with and support our mission of advancing the well-being of Kansas, the nation, and the international community.

Please contact me for additional information and insight into the world of defense research.

Joel Anderson
Development director
Office of Research Development

On this episode, Justin Pendell, professor of agricultural economics, and returning guest Jessica Heier Stamm, Kennedy Cornerstone Teaching Scholar in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering join hosts for a timely discussion. Both Pendell and Heier Stamm study supply chain at Kansas State University, but from different perspectives. The discussion focuses on the COVID-19 situation and reviews ways in which product moves today and how that may change in the future. 
Events and announcements
The Australian-American Fulbright Commission is pleased to announce a new U.S. Scholar award focusing on rural and regional issues that would be of particular interest to Kansas State University. Applications are open until September 15. For more information, click on the link below.

New Rural/Regional U.S. Scholar Award through the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, closing on September 15, 2020 .
Uniting the life sciences community to combat COVID-19
1-2 p.m.
June 5, 2020

Learn about the IgniteX COVID-19 Response Accelerator, and how COVID-19 innovation and collaboration are being nurtured locally and integrated into the regional response.
 
BioNexus KC is virtually convening the life sciences and healthcare community to discuss current conditions on the front lines, highlight new and exciting initiatives that could impact our response and what our community can do to help in the fight against COVID-19.

Registration is free, but required in order to receive a link for the event.
BIO Digital
June 8-12, 2020

For 2020, the BIO International Convention will transition to a new, virtual event format, BIO Digital. This virtual gathering of the global biotech industry provides access to key partners via BIO One-on-One Partnering, educational resources to help drive your business, and the insights you need to continue critical research and development. 

Collaborate2Cure: Autism Spectrum Disorders
4-6 p.m.
Wed, June 10, 2020

The Kansas City region has a robust autism network comprised of basic researchers, clinicians, patient advocacy groups, and start-up companies. The Collaborate2Cure program provides a platform for collaboration, allowing scientists in the Kansas City region to share their research and ultimately compete for funding dollars.

How to Engage with the AFRL Research Ecosystem
A webinar event for universities interested in working with AFRL

7:45-11 a.m.
Friday, June 19, 2020

This live virtual event is a great opportunity for university researchers and administrators to learn how do business with the Air Force Research Laboratory – from basic to applied. Hear real accounts of researchers who have successfully navigated the system and transitioned work to the commercial sector. Get tips and resources from subject matter experts on applying for funding and building lasting relationships in the research ecosystem!

Speakers include representatives from BRICC, AFOSR, Basic Research Office at OSD, APEX, Doolittle Institute, and Adranos, Inc.

Plant Growth Research and Technologies Featured in Upcoming NASA Webinar
1 p.m. 
June 23, 2020

The  Space Crop Production Lab  at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is a plant processing area - a web of ground research laboratories equipped with plant growth chambers of all sizes and the ability to simulate the International Space Station environment. That along with a team of researchers capable of applying the chemistry, biology, microbiology, and engineering needed to make plants grow in space, makes NASA a one of a kind hub for fulfilling space biology and growing crops in space.   

NASA’s webinar will feature researcher, Jacob Torres, who will discuss the latest food production research and technologies developed at NASA. These include a  Passive Porous Plant Nutrient System  that requires no electricity or moving parts, and a variety of micro-gravity simulation testing systems for plant growth. Also included will be some video clips of Jacob inside the lab exhibiting some of his technologies and ongoing research projects. 

Defense TechConnect: Innovation for national security
Converging the innovation ecosystem - military leadership, industry scouts, non-traditionals, startups, and investors. Connecting the top DOD offices with the world's best technologies.

Call for Submissions - due July 17
Panels, Posters, Innovations & Exhibitors
K-State RSCAD in the news
Agency news and trending topics
In times of stress and uncertainty, such as what we are all experiencing now, seeing something different may be welcome. With that in mind, we are taking a few moments to continue our annual tradition spotlighting NIH’s research investments, grant funding, and success rates from the previous fiscal year. nih.gov

While the obstacles are substantial and still growing in many cases, now is the time to identify the issues and prepare for the decisions needed in the months ahead, write Peter Schiffer and Jay Walsh. insidehighered.com

KT (Korea Telecom) Corporation and SK Bioscience, a South Korea-based vaccine research and development firm, have announced grants totaling $13.6 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in support of COVID-related research studies. philanthropynewsdigest.org

The investigational antiviral remdesivir is superior to the standard of care for the treatment of COVID-19, according to a report published today in the New England Journal of Medicine . nih.gov

We now know that the immune system of nearly everyone who recovers from COVID-19  produces antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes this easily transmitted respiratory disease [1]. The presence of such antibodies has spurred hope that people exposed to SARS-CoV-2 may be protected, at least for a time, from getting COVID-19 again. But, in this post, I want to examine another potential use of antibodies: their promise for being developed as therapeutics for people who are sick with COVID-19.  nih.gov

What if each of us had individualized dietary recommendations that helped us decide what, when, why, and how to eat to optimize our health and quality of life? This precision nutrition approach — developing targeted and effective diet interventions in a diverse population — is among the ambitious goals set out by the 2020-2030 Strategic Plan for National Institutes of Health Nutrition Research. nih.gov

A major change to U.S. regulation of biotech will exempt some gene-edited plants from government oversight.   sciencemag.org
Have suggestions for future issues? Email researchweekly@k-state.edu
Miss an issue? Visit our archives
k-state.edu/research
researchweekly@k-state.edu
785.532.5110