UCR Research and Economic Development Newsletter:  February 16, 2017

Michael Pazzani

Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development

http://research.ucr.edu

Back Issues of Newsletter: http://research.ucr.edu/vcr/newsletters.aspx

Grant Opportunity Search: http://pivot.cos.com

 


·         An Introduction to AFOSR and Quantum Electronic Solids  2/17

·         Getting Funded by NIH  2/23 and 3/24

·         NIJ FY17 New Investigator/Early Career Program in the Social and Behavioral Sciences

·         Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) seeks expert reviewers

·         Living the promise: Emerging Technologies  2/16 (tonight)

·         Lunch Research Meetings:  IMMIGATION (3/6), Sustainability (Moved to 2/27):  High Performance Computing; (Moved to 3/13)

·         My backyard: Hummingbirds

 


An Introduction to AFOSR and Quantum Electronic Solids  2/17

The Department of Mechanical Engineering PRESENTS

Harold Weinstock, Ph.D. Program Officer Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Friday, February 17, 2017 University Laboratory Bldg. Room 104 1:00-2:00PM

 An Introduction to AFOSR and Quantum Electronic Solids

Abstract:

There will be a brief introduction to the Air Force of Scientific Research: its origins, its goals, its programs and how it does business. Most of the presentation will be an overview of the research program titled Quantum Electronics Solids. It will include a brief discussion of the rationale for the program in terms of how it could impact Air Force operations. The bulk of the presentation will be devoted to research highlights in the program’s 3 major components: superconductivity, metamaterials and nanoelectronics. From 2009 to 2014 the superconductivity segment focused heavily on a search for new, more-user-friendly superconductors. Also, over the past 2 decades it supported the development of Josephson junction chip technology that can operate at a temperature close to the boiling point of liquid nitrogen. It had humble beginnings at UCSD, moved for a few years to UCB, then back to UCSD and now (finally) to UCR. The metamaterials segment of the program covers primarily the microwave part of the spectrum. Examples include optical nano-circuits, unidirectional cavities, laser fabrication of 3-D metamaterial lenses, and spontaneous emission utilizing the world’s smallest laser.T he nanoelectronics segment mainly deals with nanotubes and graphene. This includes graphene-based NEMS resonators, carbon-nanotube-based optical wires and graphene-superconductor junctions as ultra-sensitive bolometers. Another part of this program segment falls under the category of spintronics and involves nanofabrication of single spins and arrays of spins, in addition to single nuclear spin quantum memory in diamond films.

 


Getting Funded by NIH  2/23 and 3/24

A few people asked me what Howard Moss’ talk will be about.   The title is “Strategic Considerations in Navigating the NIH System: An insiders perspective”   He may have been too clever in the title, it’s about how to get funded by NIH.   (Howard, Kaitlin Chell or I might give hints on the DC metro system if asked too)

 

In addition, UCR will hold a panel of faculty who have served on NIH study sections.  This is now scheduled for March 24 and will feature Kathryn Uhrich, Monica Carson, Xiaoping Hu, Aaron Seitz,   Stefano Lonardi, Katie Dehesh and Seema Tiwari-Woodruff, March 24, 11:00-12:30 Orbach Science Library 240.

 

In both cases, the goal is to discuss how to get NIH funding, once from an insider’s perspective and once from reviewers perspectives.

 

Strategic Considerations in Navigating the NIH System: An insiders perspective

Please join us on Thursday, February 23 at 1:30p in Orbach Science Library 240 for a talk by Howard Moss, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UC Riverside.  Howard will deliver a talk called “Strategic Considerations in Navigating the NIH System: An insiders perspective”. 

 

Bio: Howard B. Moss, M.D. is the former Associate Director for Clinical and Translational Research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and is now Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California at Riverside School of Medicine.. He has been the Scientific Director of two major Federally-funded research centers (P60) at the University of Pittsburgh, and has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on numerous investigator-initiated research grants.

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And, if you’d like to watch videos. NIH has a resource New Peer Review Videos for Applicants and Reviewers

ý NIH’s Center for Scientific Review posted recordings of their most recent webinar series on peer review.

 


NIJ FY17 New Investigator/Early Career Program in the Social and Behavioral Sciences

 

NIJ’s New Investigator/Early Career Program provides support for non-tenured assistant professors to conduct applied research on topics relevant to NIJ’s Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) and/or Office of Science and Technology (OST). ORE’s primary areas of interest include but are not limited to: social science research on criminal justice systems (e.g., courts, policing, corrections); violence and victimization (e.g., victims of crime, human trafficking, bias crime); and crime control and prevention (e.g., school safety, firearms, gangs). OST’s primary areas of interest include but are not limited to: the development and application of technology to criminal justice issues, understanding technology’s impact in the field, and exploring policy-related research questions with regards to technology use and impact. Applications must propose research led by a Principal Investigator (PI) who: was awarded a terminal degree in their field within the four (4) years prior to September 30, 2017; holds a non-tenured assistant professor position at an accredited institution of higher education in the United States; and has not previously served as PI on an NIJ research grant or fellowship. Please note that those who have held Graduate Research Fellowships with NIJ or have served as a PI on an award under the “Data Resources Program” solicitation are not deemed “PIs” under that award and are eligible under this solicitation. NIJ encourages applications from diverse academic disciplines including but not limited to: social and behavioral sciences, technology, engineering and math.  Due March 27.

 

https://www.nij.gov/funding/Documents/solicitations/NIJ-2017-11363.pdf

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Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) seeks reviewers

 

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) seeks expert reviewers from academia, federal and state governments, industry, commodity groups, professional organizations, and other stakeholder groups to evaluate research proposals submitted in response to calls for proposals in the following challenge areas.

·         Forging the Innovation Pathway to Sustainability

·         Food Waste and Loss

·         Increasing the Food System’s Capacity to Cope with Water Scarcity

·         Protein

·         Urban Food Systems

·         Making “My Plate” Your Plate

·         Healthy Soils, Thriving Farms

FFAR will establish a database of experts, who will be asked to serve as peer reviewers based on each individual’s balance of scientific expertise and experience as deemed appropriate for evaluating the specific research proposal.  To be considered, applicants should have expertise in the any of the following topic areas:

·         Agricultural water management and use

·         Soil health

·         Farm animal productivity, resilience, and health

·         Plant sciences

·         Nutrition and consumer food choices

·         Food production system

·         Biotechnology

·         Socioeconomics

Selected experts will evaluate proposals against criteria established by FFAR, and provide comments and scores which will form the bases of the FFAR funding decision. 

 

http://foundationfar.org/call-expert-reviewers/

 


Living the Promise Symposium: Emerging Technologies  2/16

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The University of California, Riverside will host a symposium on Thursday, Feb. 16, that will highlight emerging technologies and innovations at UCR and how they enrich the ways we experience and interact with the world.

The event, “Living the Promise Symposium: Emerging Technologies,” is free and open to the public. The symposium is from 6-8 p.m. in Room 302, Highlander Union Building. Parking in Lot 1 is free for the event.

 

The symposium will address how UCR is developing new materials and technologies for energy, the environment, agriculture, and computing, and educating the next generation of forward thinkers and innovators. It will conclude with an interactive reception featuring demonstrations and student research presentations.

The symposium is the fourth in a series that reflects key themes of the university’s comprehensive fundraising campaign announced in October 2016. The $300 million campaign will conclude in 2020 and seeks funding for student support, faculty research, and infrastructure. Campaign themes align with goals outlined in UCR 2020, the university’s strategic plan.

 

David Kisailus, professor of chemical and environmental engineering and Winston Chung Professor of Energy Innovation, Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. Kisailus is a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and a member of the UNESCO Chair in Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Saving and Storage (MATECSS). He is the director of a Department of Defense multi-university research center focused on making impact- and energy-absorbing materials. His research lab looks to nature’s inspiration in designing the next generation of engineering products and materials including strong and tough composites, and nanomaterials for energy and environmental applications. He is also the co-founder and chief technical officer of Nature Inspired Industries, a startup company focused on lightweight materials for automobile, aircraft, and sports applications.

 

Charles Wyman, distinguished professor of chemical and environmental engineering and Ford Motor Company Chair in Environmental Engineering at CE-CERT, Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. Wyman’s research focuses on developing a processes to create biofuels and chemicals from waste plant materials. He is also the cofounder, chief development officer, and chair of the scientific advisory board for Mascoma Corporation, a startup company focused on biomass conversion to ethanol and other products.

 

Kelley Barsanti, assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering, Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. Barsanti’s research focuses on the development of mechanistic models for the prediction of atmospheric particulate matter, which is a key contributor to air pollution and climate change. Her current research includes characterizing previously understudied and unidentified organic compounds in the complex mixture of compounds that are emitted and formed in biomass burning plumes, and developing models of new particle formation.

 

Wayne Miller, manager of emissions and fuels at CE-CERT, Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. Miller joined CE-CERT in December 2000 after a distinguished career with Sun Oil Co. and UNOCAL, where he led the largest proprietary research program on the relationship between gasoline properties and tailpipe emissions. Miller brings more than 25 years of experience to UCR in technology planning, chemical engineering processes, new product development/commercialization, business

 

Vassilis Tsotras, professor of computer science and engineering, Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. Tsotras is the director of the UCR Data Science Center. His research areas include big data management and spatial, spatiotemporal, and semi-structured databases. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cooperative Information Systems and a recipient of the National Science Foundation Research Initiation Award and the BCOE Teaching Excellence Award.

 

Julia Bailey-Serres, professor of genetics and geneticist, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Bailey-Serres is the director of UCR’s Center for Plant Cell Biology and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Her research group studies the sensing, signaling, and acclimation responses to low oxygen stress in plants. Her multidisciplinary approach combines genetic, molecular, biochemical, and bioinformatic technologies and has significant implications for agricultural and global food challenges.

 

Susan R. Wessler, distinguished professor of genetics and Neil A. and Rochelle A. Campbell Presidential Chair for Innovations in Science Education, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Wessler is a world leader in the study of mobile DNAs, the major drivers of plant genome evolution. Her innovative laboratory, the Neil A. Campbell Science Learning Laboratory, gives first-year students the kind of experimental research experience usually reserved for graduate students or undergraduates in their junior or senior years. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, home secretary of the National Academy of Sciences, and recipient of the McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies.

 

Future Living the Promise symposia themes and dates are: From Genomics to Harvest, March 17; Renewable Nature, April 19; and New Voices and Visions, May 4.

 

 


2017 Faculty Networking Lunches

 

Sustainability Research and Education on 2/27/17 (register here: https://sustainability-lunch.eventbrite.com)

Immigration: Research on immigration  3/6/17 (register here. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ucr-immigation-research-discussion-tickets-31567187307

High Performance Computing on 3/13/17 (register here:  https://high_performance_computing.eventbrite.com)

 

The goal is get faculty with common interests to meet each other in an informal setting and discuss possible collaborations.  All lunches are held at 11:55-1:00 in University Office Building Room 210.

The immigration lunch is intended to be broad covering all aspects of research on immigration populations as well as immigration policy.  It will catered by a local Persian restaurant and include vegetarian and halal dishes.

 

 

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My backyard: Hummingbirds

 

A few years ago, we installed a bubbler in our yard, mainly for the pleasant sounds but also in hopes birds would use it as bath.  The birds ignored it for a year, but now it’s the favorite of most species. Almost every morning, hummingbirds can be seen bathing and drinking.  The Allen’s hummingbirds are particularly colorful now.

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