Research Infrastructure for Nevada's Growth - Targeting Research with Uniqueness and Excellence

Nevada System Of Higher Education, Reno NV

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal: EPS-0447416 Proposal Title: Research Infrastructure for Nevada's Growth - Targeting Research with Uniqueness and Excellence Institution: University and Community College System of Nevada The Nevada EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement award will build capacity and capability for national competitiveness in three focus areas, which are very relevant to the fragile desert environment of the state and the challenges being posed by a burgeoning human population is this increasingly arid landscape. The focus on Environmental Processes in Arid Soils will develop two unique experimental system facilities (outdoor weighing lysimeters and indoor two-dimensional cells) to explore such questions as (1) what is the response of desert soil microbial populations to changes in water content? and (2) how does soil heterogeneity influence water use and carbon uptake by desert ecosystems? The second focus on Sensor Technology will emphasize devising methods to synthesize chemical and genetically engineered biological material for biosensors and developing electrochemical, flourescence, and optical-fiber-based sensors. The third focus on Cognitive Information Processing will enable advances in the science behind intelligent computer systems that learn, mimic human thought, and interact with their environment; potential applications include identification of people, object recognition and tracking, control of mechanical systems, and bioinformatics. This third focus area is relevant not only to Nevada's needs and enhanced research competitiveness but also to national issues of homeland security. Common, shared use equipment and facilities established by this project will foster collaborative research efforts both within and among the three focus areas and among faculties at the participating institutions, Truckee Meadows Community College, the University of Nevada Reno, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and the Desert Research Institute. Outreach efforts to middle schools and high schools in the two very large school districts serving Reno and Las Vegas will attract more students, especially those from underrepresented groups and/or underprivileged backgrounds, to higher education and to science and engineering studies and careers. A summer intensive program will ease the high school to college transition and a mentorship program with significant support for undergraduate research experiences will increase the retention rate for majors in the sciences. A Phase 0 SBIR program will offer assistance with development and writing of more successful SBIR proposals to different agencies. These efforts, along with the investments to enhance research competitiveness, should assist in developing a more technology-based economy for Nevada.