Research Infrastructure for Nevada's Growth: Targeting Research with Uniqueness and Excellence II (RING-TRUE II)

Nevada System Of Higher Education, Reno NV

Investigators

Abstract

The Nevada plan for research infrastructure improvements will target three research focal areas: Integrated Approaches to Abiotic Stress (IAAS), Nanostructured Materials and Devices (NMD), and Advanced Computing in Environmental Science (ACES). Nevada's three research institutions, the University of Nevada at Reno (UNR), the University of Nevada at Las Vega (UNLV), and the Desert Research Institute (DRI) will collaborate in these research areas. The goal of the IAAS program is to build an internationally recognized research and training program in abiotic stress biology. The IAAS will apply genomics-based approaches to investigating 1) genetic requirements or variation for occupancy of extreme environments, 2) the functional significance of such genetic variation across many scales of biological complexity, 3) the evolutionary processes that create and/or maintain such variation. The IAAS research area will include partnerships with the private sector which is becoming increasingly interested in cellular and molecular mechanisms that allow organisms to deal with extreme abiotic stress. In the Nanostructured Materials and Devices area, interdisciplinary, collaborative research on complex systems will incorporate both organic and inorganic species. Research emphases include organic light emitting devices, field controllable materials, novel polymeric/metal composites for chemically specific sensing, imaging nanomaterials and smart devices. NMD will develop new facilities for materials fabrication, characterization and device development and involve collaborations with several private sector companies. The ACES project will create the Nevada Environmental Computing Grid - a statewide, distributed computational infrastructure. Multidisciplinary research will be centered on providing an application-driven environment to stimulate new information technology research of interest to computer scientists and private sector partners. In addition to the research effort, the Nevada project includes focused activities designed to increase the participation of members of underrepresented groups in science via a partnership with the state's K-16 education system. The goal is to improve the successful academic careers of these students and increase the numbers of students graduating with degress in science-related fields.