This week we announced an exciting new initiative to support transdisciplinary research at Kansas State University. K-State’s Game-Changing Research Initiation Program, or GRIP, seeks proposals for research collaborations from teams of K-State faculty across departments, colleges, and campuses that have the greatest potential to secure significant new extramural funding (e.g., center-level grants from federal agencies to advance research and discovery around global challenges), securing significant new industry investment and partnerships, or some combination of both. While a primary goal is to position K-State and its faculty for team-based research and discovery, a secondary goal is to transform K-State’s culture into one that is more collaborative, transdisciplinary, partnership-based and outcomes-focused. 

A total of $3M of new funding is being made available to support up to three proposals, selected from a universitywide open call and a robust and inclusive review process. This initiative is made possible with support from the Office of Vice President for Research, Office of the President, Office of the Provost, and the KSU Foundation. 

This opportunity is open to all K-State faculty, departments, colleges, and campuses. Proposals from transdisciplinary research teams are invited for up to $300K per year for up to three years. An additional $50K of ramp-up funding will be provided prior the official start of the first year ($950K total per project). We anticipate funding up to three teams/projects. The remaining $150K will be used to seed promising but not yet competitive projects.

Full details can be found on the GRIP website.

—D. Rosowsky, vice president for research

The National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, is designed to fulfill the mandate of the National Science Foundation to promote scientific progress nationwide. The Track 2 program builds interjurisdictional collaborative teams of EPSCoR investigators in science, technology, engineering and mathematics — known as STEM — focus areas consistent with the NSF 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.

Projects are investigator-driven and must include researchers from at least two EPSCoR eligible jurisdictions with complementary expertise and resources necessary to address challenges, that neither party could address as well or rapidly independently. Track-2 projects have a comprehensive and integrated vision to drive discovery and build sustainable STEM capacity that exemplifies individual, institutional, geographic, and disciplinary diversity.

Additionally, the projects' STEM research and education activities seek to broaden participation through the strategic inclusion and integration of diverse individuals, institutions, and sectors. For the fiscal year 2023/2024, the topical focus area of RII Track-2 FEC is, "Advancing climate change research and resilience capacity to expand opportunities for disproportionately affected communities."

This is a limited submission opportunity. If you are interested in applying, you must notify the Office of Research Development by October 10 at ordlimitedsubs@k-state.edu.  

The CNAP COBRE center at Kansas State University is soliciting applications for pilot grants that will begin on June 1, 2023. The grants are open to all faculty with appointments at higher education institutions within the state of Kansas, although early- and mid-career faculty will be prioritized for funding.

Proposed pilot grants should seek to enhance neuroscience research in the state of Kansas and/or fit within CNAP’s theme of cognitive and neural plasticity. The center funds basic, translational and clinical research in humans and animals from a wide range of disciplines (e.g., animal behavior, biology, pharmacology, veterinary medicine, cognitive science, human factors, kinesiology, human nutrition, computer science and engineering).

Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent by 5 p.m. CST on Wednesday, Feb.1, 2023. This is highly recommended to ensure that your grant can be reviewed in a timely manner. Applications should be submitted by the applicant’s research office and are due by 5 p.m. CST on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

Friday, Oct. 14

2:30-3:30 p.m.

Big 12 Room, K-State Student Union

Please join the K-State Global Food Systems Initiative and National Agricultural Biosecurity Center for a roundtable discussion about disaster preparedness for the K-State and Manhattan communities.

How do we react when the unthinkable happens — when the power grid goes down, cyber connections are stopped or a devastating tornado hits? Join us for a roundtable discussion about how a crisis could begin, what it means to be prepared, how far following the “science” can take us and the psychological impact during and after a crisis. 

Maureen Olewnik, coordinator of the Global Food Systems Initiative, and Adrian Self, operations research analyst at the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center will be hosting the discussion.

The featured panelists discussing this topic will be Caterina Scoglio, professor of electrical and computer engineering; Chad Currier, chief information security officer; Gary Brase, professor and department head of psychological sciences; and Jim Stack, professor of plant pathology. 

October 19-21

Bluemont Hotel in Manhattan, Kansas

KibbleCon is the premier pet food event of the year! This year's speaker lineup is filled with top pet food visionaries and influencers who will be discussing everything from palatability to packaging, safety to supply chains. Check out the full list of speakers and itinerary on the KibbleCon website.

Attendees can register online through Sunday, Oct. 16. To register at no cost, K-State faculty and staff should use the code, facultykc22. K-State students should use the code, studentkc22. Space is limited, so don’t delay!

Register to attend.

Do you know students with research relevant to pet food? Have them submit their poster abstract to Stephanie Pierce, smpierce@k-state.edu, by Sept. 30 to be entered into a poster presentation competition. The top submissions will be asked to present their research at KibbleCon for a chance to win scholarships — first place will receive $500 and second place will receive $300.

Note: If COVID-19 protocols necessitate a change to the format of the event, registrants will be notified by email.

DARPA Forward is taking national security innovation on the road. 

From August to December 2022, six regional events held at leading research and development universities nationwide will connect Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency leaders with new communities of talent and partnerships. The ultimate goal: to energize regional and national innovation ecosystems, fuel breakthroughs in national security, and help deliver the U.S. technological advantage. 

Virtual events will be hosted by the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab. Upcoming events will be held:

• November 15-16.
• December 13-14. 

For more information or directions, please contact Jeffrey Sheldon jsheldon@k-state.edu.

A webinar will be held to answer questions about the Quantum Sensing Challenges for Transformational Advances in Quantum Systems Solicitation NSF 22-630.

Please register in advance for the webinar.

10 a.m.-4:15 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 7

The High-Performance Computing for Energy Innovation pairs industry partners with computational scientists at the DOE national laboratories to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas generation in products and processes. The theme of this year’s Virtual Manufacturing Day Event will be to discuss technology needs in areas of high priority to DOE given the recent emphasis on combating climate change. We will explore the topics of decarbonization of industrial processes; research needs in the areas of carbon utilization and concentrated solar energy; and the issues around high hydrogen fuel mixtures for gas turbines or internal combustion engines. Hydrogen fuel mixtures presents unique challenges in combustion and combustors in terms of temperature and material degradation effects. We will engage in discussions to elucidate research topics to encourage researchers to apply capabilities to their solutions.

For agenda and event details, visit hpc4energyinnovation.org.

Register to attend.

October 11 deadline

The goals of the Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations, or AccelNet, program are to accelerate the process of scientific discovery and prepare the next generation of U.S. researchers for multiteam international collaborations. The AccelNet program supports strategic linkages among U.S. research networks and complementary networks abroad that will leverage research and educational resources to tackle grand research challenges that require significant coordinated international efforts. The program seeks to foster high-impact science and engineering by providing opportunities to cooperatively identify and coordinate efforts to address knowledge gaps and research needs.

This solicitation invites proposals for the creation of international networks of networks in research areas aligned with a grand challenge identified as a priority by the research community or NSF, such as the NSF Big Ideas or in an active program solicitation. AccelNet awards support the connections among research networks, rather than supporting fundamental research as the primary activity. Each network of networks is expected to engage in innovative collaborative activities that promote synergy of efforts across networks and provide professional development for U.S. students, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career researchers. Two proposal categories covered by this solicitation include design and implementation. 

It is strongly recommended that prospective PIs contact the AccelNet program officer(s) to ascertain that the focus and budget of their proposed activities are appropriate for this solicitation.

Learn more. 

The Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) is hosting virtual office hours to share information about NSF’s current operations and provide guidance to the mathematical sciences community. All members of the mathematics research community interested in the work of DMS are welcome to attend.

Events are planned at roughly monthly intervals and the topics vary for each event. The event will be in the form of a webinar, starting with a brief presentation of a few selected topics of current interest, followed by questions. DMS program directors will be available to answer questions from the community. 

Register to attend.

5:30-9:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 20

THE FUTURE IS OURS 

The BioNexus KC Annual Event will unite 500 leaders for a common purpose – healthcare innovation. Immerse yourself in KC’s rich life sciences ecosystem as we stimulate collaboration and FOCUS FORWARD on the future of KC.

Learn more. 

October 20-21, 2022: Special AC GEO Sessions on Impacts of Current Economic Climate on Research (Virtual)

• Noon- 1:30 p.m., Thursday, October 20: Panel of field and facility researchers. Register to attend. 
• Noon- 1:30 p.m., Friday, October 2: Panel of NSF program directors. Register to attend. 

8:30 a.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 25

Please join the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, or NGA, executives for the NGA Industry Strategy Summit 2022, being held virtually on October 25, 2022 starting at 8:30 a.m.

Our nation faces national security challenges that are more dynamic and rapidly evolving than ever before. This requires NGA to re-think and re-tool its business models and technical approaches in order to meet the security needs of the nation. In that spirit, it is vital that NGA and collaborators from industry, government, and academia have a shared understanding of what future capabilities are needed and how NGA plans to build and acquire them.

This unclassified virtual Summit is designed to give members of industry, academia, non-profits and other government elements, insight into NGA’s strategic thinking, and how the agency plans to develop its future operational environment – including the architectures and tools that support it. This level of strategic engagement is intended to further advance NGA’s ongoing dialog with these key constituents to advance the collective partnership and achieve NGA’s national security objectives.

Register to attend.

Better data needed to research claims of teacher shortages Washington Examiner

The importance of beef trade to the cattle industry Beef magazine

What tips can you provide to foodies on a tight budget? WalletHub

K-State: Hays, Colby part of $2M sorghum research project Hays Post

Researchers engineer novel material capable of 'thinking'

Someone taps your shoulder. The touch receptors in your skin send a message to your brain, which processes the information and directs you to look left, in the direction of the tap. This processing of mechanical information has now been harnessed by Penn State and U.S. Air Force researchers and integrated into engineered materials that "think." NSF

Weedy rice has become herbicide-resistant through rapid evolution

In research published in the journal Communications Biology, U.S. National Science Foundation-supported scientists at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Arkansas report that a crop pest called weedy rice has become widely herbicide-resistant. The study highlights the challenges facing U.S. rice farmers when they battle a weedy enemy closely related to a desirable crop plant. NSF

NIH to award over $200 million to support potentially transformative biomedical research projects

The High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, supported by the Common Fund at the National Institutes of Health has awarded 103 new research grants to support highly innovative scientists who propose visionary and broadly impactful meritorious behavioral and biomedical research projects. Awards include the impact exposure to fracking might have on pregnancy and conception; how brain mechanisms influence memory performance; the neural basis of social bias and association using the female songbird as a model; tissue regeneration using the uterus as a model; a mixed methods examination of skin tone and health among African Americans across the United States; and a new model organism to lead in the development of an HIV vaccine. NIH

Cancer treatment predictor may not work in patients with African and Asian ancestries

A genetic signature widely used to guide cancer treatments may not work for patients with African and Asian ancestries, according to a new study. The finding could mean people with these backgrounds are receiving an expensive therapy that won’t help them and could even worsen their prognosis, scientists say. Science

‘Spooky’ quantum-entanglement experiments win physics Nobel

Three quantum physicists have won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for their experiments with entangled photons, in which particles of light become inextricably linked. Such experiments have laid the foundations for a plethora of quantum technologies, including quantum computers and communications. Nature

Senior Computer Systems Specialist

This position does typical hardware and software support and also oversees the cloud-based tools that are extensively used across the OVPR and University. It provides strategic value on business continuity by maintaining existing systems while identifying potential new software solutions. This position is instrumental in the development and implementation of new software and technology solutions to support university research demands. The position leads the technical requirements for several new Software As A Service, or SAAS, solutions and works closely with vendors, such as Microsoft. The position has responsibility for ensuring appropriate security standards for all systems within the central research enterprise and must work collaboratively across the university, particularly with central IT areas, and with external vendors to ensure critical controls are maintained while driving the project to successful completion.

Learn more and apply.

k-state.edu/research

researchweekly@k-state.edu

785.532.5110