← LeaderboardsInvestigatorsiAttributed = a PI's even-split share of each grant — a $1M grant with 2 PIs counts $500K each.
University Of North Carolina At Greensboro
$12,062,003
Total funding
37
Grants
Funding over time
peak $1.8M · FY2010–25$2M$1.5M$1M$500K$0
'10
'11
'12
'13
'14
'15
'16
'17
'18
'19
'20
'21
'22
'23
'24
'25
Funding mix
By agency
DOD$5,995,950 · 16
USDA$4,849,585 · 18
DOE$1,005,666 · 2
NASA$210,801 · 1
By mechanism
—$12,062,003 · 37
Investigators at University Of North Carolina At Greensboro
InvestigatorsiAttributed = a PI's even-split share of each grant — a $1M grant with 2 PIs counts $500K each.
Exposure= the full size of every grant they're on ($1M each).
Rising Stars
First grant in the last 5 yrs
Not enough data
Emerging Leaders
6–10 yrs in
Not enough data
All-Time
Most funded here, all years
Not enough data
Largest grants
THE USDA AIMS TO INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF LAND WITH CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN PLACE TO SUSTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. HOWEVER, PROJECTED CLIMATE CHANGE IS CURRENTLY THREATENING OUR NATION'S RANGELANDS, AND DISCOVERING AND ADOPTING BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR THIS CHANGING CLIMATE IS CRITICAL. HERE, WE PROPOSE TO (1) EXPERIMENTALLY EXAMINE THE INTERACTIVE EFFECTS OF DROUGHT INTENSITY AND GRAZING MANAGEMENT TO DETERMINE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING RANGELAND RESILIENCY IN THE FACE OF A CHANGING CLIMATE, AND (2) FACILITATE IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST-MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THROUGH A VARIETY OF EXTENSION ACTIVITIES INCLUDING PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION.TRADITIONALLY, EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATIONS HAVE FOCUSED ON EITHER ENVIRONMENTAL MANIPULATIONS OR MANAGEMENT MANIPULATIONS. HERE WE PROPOSE TO EXPERIMENTALLY TEST DROUGHT-MANAGEMENT INTERACTIONS IN NORTHERN MIXED-GRASS RANGELAND, WHICH REPRESENTS THE LARGEST ECOREGION IN THE UNITED STATES. OUR PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL EXAMINE THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING RANGELAND RESPONSES TO DROUGHT AND MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING PLANT AND SOIL COMPONENTS. THE INTERACTIVE DROUGHT-MANAGEMENT AND GRADIENT APPROACH OF OUR EXPERIMENT WILL HELP IDENTIFY BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR A VARIETY OF FUTURE CLIMATE SCENARIOS.STRATEGIES TO DEAL WITH PREDICTED MULTI-YEAR EXTREME DROUGHTS ARE LIMITED BY A LACK OF EXPERIMENTAL AND OBSERVATIONAL INFORMATION. WE WILL INTEGRATE STAKEHOLDERS IN PROJECT DEVELOPMENT TO ENSURE MANAGEMENT TREATMENTS AND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ARE RELEVANT AND ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE. FURTHER, BEST PRACTICES IDENTIFIED BY THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL BE WIDELY DISSEMINATED THROUGH STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS, PRESENTATIONS, A WEBINAR SERIES, AND WEB-BASED TOOLS. OUR BROAD EXTENSION APPROACH, FROM PROJECT INCEPTION TO INFORMATION DISSEMINATION, WILL PROMOTE LASTING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN RESEARCHERS AND LAND MANAGERS AND WIDE DISTRIBUTION OF PROJECT-GAINED KNOWLEDGE.$1,184,458
· FY2018 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
ADVANCED TUNABLE AND FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR SOLDIER PROTECTION$1,082,100
· FY2022 · Department of the Army
TBI ASSESSMENT OF READINESS USING A GAIT EVALUATION TEST (TARGET): DEVELOPMENT OF A PORTABLE MTBI SCREENING DEVICE$941,639
· FY2015 · Department of the Army
NATURE-DERIVED MATERIALS FOR REDOX FLOW BATTERIES$875,000
· FY2023 · Department of Energy
NEW START REP GRANT$799,999
· FY2024 · Department of the Army
NEW MS-REP GRANT$781,017
· FY2023 · Department of the Army
IDENTIFICATION OF BROOD SIGNALS THAT INDUCE HYGIENIC BEHAVIOR IN HONEY BEES TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR VARROA CONTROL AND SUSTAINABLE APICULTURE$674,383
· FY2017 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
A NOVEL MODEL TO IMPROVE NEURAL PERFORMANCE DURING OXYGEN DEPRIVATION$637,092
· FY2020 · Department of the Army
DOD HBCUMI INSTRUMENTATION: ACQUISITION OF A HIGH-RESOLUTION TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPE FOR GRADUATE RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL TRAINING IN NANOSCIENCE AND NANOENGINEERING$599,000
· FY2019 · Department of the Army
**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** GRAZING LANDS ARE INTEGRAL FOR US FOOD SECURITY, AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF RANGELAND ECOSYSTEMS AND CATTLE PRODUCTION DEPENDS ON OPTIMIZED GRAZING STRATEGIES. PATCH BURN GRAZING (PBG) IS A NEW AND EXCITING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY THAT ROTATES THE TIMING OF FIRE ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE TO CREATE A MOSAIC OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. CURRENT RESEARCH SHOWS PROMISE FOR PBG TO ENHANCE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, SUCH AS BIRD BIODIVERSITY, WHILE MAINTAINING SIMILAR CATTLE PRODUCTION RELATIVE TO TRADITIONAL GRAZING PRACTICES. HOWEVER, THE EFFECTS OF PBG ON BELOWGROUND PROCESSES, SUCH AS SOIL HEALTH, AND THE COUPLING OF ECOLOGICAL PROPERTIES WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM (I.E., THE DEGREE TO WHICH PROPERTIES ARE DEPENDENT ON ONE ANOTHER - A MEASURE OF ECOSYSTEM HEALTH), REMAIN UNEXPLORED. WE WILL SAMPLE 33 BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC VARIABLES IN AN EXISTING TALLGRASS PRAIRIE PBG EXPERIMENT FOR THREE YEARS TO ASSESS THE ABILITY OF PBG TO INCREASE SUSTAINABILITY OR WORKING RANGELAND, WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF LONG-TERM CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES. WE WILL DO THIS BY: (1) ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF PBG MANAGEMENT ON ECOLOGICAL PROPERTIES, PROCESSES, AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (INCLUDING UNDERSTUDIED BELOWGROUND COMPONENTS); (2) DETERMINING WHETHER PBG ENHANCES THE COUPLING OF A MULTITUDE OF ECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS; AND (3) INVESTIGATING HOW ECOSYSTEM COUPLING AFFECTS ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE CONTEXT OF PBG. THESE OBJECTIVES DIRECTLY ALIGN WITH BOTH BNRE SOIL HEALTH PROGRAM GOALS BY PROVIDING DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF ABOVE-BELOWGROUND INTERACTIONS AND HOW SOIL HEALTH IMPACTS OTHER ASPECTS OF THE ECOSYSTEM AS WELL AS INFORMATION ABOUT WHETHER A NEW MANAGEMENT METHOD INCREASES SOIL HEALTH AND OTHER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OF WORKING LANDS AND REDUCES THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT OF PRODUCTION SYSTEMS.$499,991
· FY2020 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
STUDIES OF THE PLASTICITY OF STRESS DEFENSE INDUCTION IN THE SOCIAL HONEY BEE MODEL$319,011
· FY2015 · Department of the Army
CONTINUATION: GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF NATURAL VARROA MITE RESISTANCE IN HONEY BEES$313,525
· FY2011 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
ESTROGEN RECEPTOR-POSITIVE BREAST CANCER REPRESENTS THE MAJORITY OF CASES OF BREAST CANCER, WITH MORE THAN 70% PATIENTS CARRYING THIS SUBTYPE. ALTHOUGH GENERALLY LESS AGGRESSIVE THAN OTHER SUBTYPES, CANCER SURVIVORS OF ESTROGEN RECEPTOR-POSITIVE BREAST CANCER OFTEN FACE A HIDDEN THREAT LONG AFTER CURATIVE TREATMENT: THE LATE-ONSET SPREAD OF CANCER CELLS TO THEIR BONES, WHICH IS FREQUENTLY DEADLY AND CAN LEAD TO UNMANAGEABLE PAIN, FRACTURES, AND SUBSTANTIAL MEDICAL EXPENSES. CURRENT DRUG THERAPIES TO PREVENT THIS SPREAD CARRY SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS AND ARE PRESCRIBED FOR ONLY A FEW YEARS, EVEN THOUGH THE RISK CAN PERSIST FOR DECADES. THIS ISSUE NOT ONLY COMPROMISES INDIVIDUAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE BUT ALSO IMPOSES A HEAVY BURDEN ON FAMILIES, HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS, AND COMMUNITIES. OUR PRELIMINARY STUDY FOUND THAT A NATURAL COMPOUND, CHLOROGENIC ACID, CAN BLOCK THE MOLECULAR PATHWAY THAT ATTRACTS BREAST CANCER CELLS TO THE BONE MICROENVIRONMENT. WE THEREFORE HYPOTHESIZE THAT FARMERS GROWING FOODS NATURALLY RICH IN THIS COMPOUND, SUCH AS COFFEE BEANS, APPLES, BERRIES, AND VARIOUS VEGETABLES, HAVE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET GROWING DEMAND FOR HEALTH-PROMOTING PRODUCE AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, SUPPORTING LOCAL AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMIES.IN OUR TWO-YEAR PROJECT, WE WILL FIRST QUANTIFY CHLOROGENIC ACID LEVELS IN A VARIETY OF WHOLE-FOOD EXTRACTS FROM COMMONLY CONSUMED PRODUCE. WE WILL THEN USE LABORATORY MODELS TO DETERMINE WHETHER EXTRACTS HIGH IN CHLOROGENIC ACID MOST EFFECTIVELY DISRUPT THE SIGNALING BETWEEN CANCER CELLS AND BONE CELLS, AND WHETHER THEY MODULATE THE GUT MICROBIOTA TO INHIBIT THE SPREAD OF BREAST CANCER TO BONE. FINALLY, WE WILL IDENTIFY WHICH FOODS EXHIBIT THE STRONGEST PROTECTIVE EFFECT.IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS RESEARCH WILL HIGHLIGHT SPECIFIC FOODS AND SIMPLE DIETARY ADJUSTMENTS THAT COULD SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE RISK OF BONE METASTASIS, OFFERING BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS A SAFE, COST-EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR LONG-TERM HEALTH PROTECTION. THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT, WE WILL DISSEMINATE CLEAR, PRACTICAL FINDINGS VIA EASY-TO-READ REPORTS, COMMUNITY WEBINARS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES. FARMERS AND FOOD PRODUCERS WILL GAIN DATA TO MARKET HIGH-VALUE, DISEASE-PREVENTIVE CROPS, WHILE COMMUNITIES AND HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS MAY BENEFIT FROM LOWER TREATMENT COSTS AND IMPROVED SURVIVOR WELL-BEING. ADDITIONALLY, STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE HANDS-ON TRAINING IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, CANCER BIOLOGY, AND NUTRITIONAL SCIENCE THROUGH DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, EXECUTION, AND RELATED TEACHING MODULES.$300,000
· FY2025 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** MUTUALISMS ARE A KEY BIOTIC INTERACTION THAT UNDERLIE THE MAINTENANCE OF BIODIVERSITY AND MULTIPLE ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS IN GRAZING LANDS. IN PARTICULAR, LEGUME PLANTS PARTNER WITH BACTERIA CALLED RHIZOBIA IN A CLOSE BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP. RHIZOBIA LIVING WITHIN LEGUME ROOTS CAN OBTAIN NITROGEN (N) FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AND PROVIDE IT TO THEIR LEGUME HOSTS IN A USEABLE FORM, A METHOD OF OBTAINING N THAT MOST OTHER PLANTS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO. THE FIXATION OF N FROM THE ATMOSPHERE THROUGH THE LEGUME-RHIZOBIA PARTNERSHIP COMPRISES THE LARGEST NATURAL SOURCE OF N INTO GRAZING LANDS, PROMOTING HEALTHY FORAGE PRODUCTION AND SOIL HEALTH. LEGUMES ARE THE THIRD MOST DIVERSE FAMILY OF PLANTS ON EARTH, WITH MANY LEGUME SPECIES COMMONLY FOUND ACROSS AGROECOSYSTEMS. YET, THE VAST DIVERSITY WITHIN THIS PLANT FAMILY IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED, WHICH CAN LEAD TO INEFFICIENT OR INEFFECTUAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN GRAZING SYSTEMS. LEGUME SPECIES EXIST ALONG A SPECTRUM FROM SPECIALISTS TO GENERALISTS IN THEIR PREFERENCES FOR RHIZOBIAL PARTNERS. SPECIFICALLY, SOME LEGUME SPECIES ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH A WIDE RANGE OF RHIZOBIAL BACTERIA, WHILE OTHERS FORM MORE SPECIFIC ASSOCIATIONS WITH JUST ONE OR A FEW BACTERIAL TYPES. THEORY AND LIMITED DATA INDICATE THAT THESE PARTNERSHIP PREFERENCES CAN HAVE DRAMATIC IMPACTS ON THE ABILITY OF DIFFERENT LEGUME SPECIES TO GROW TOGETHER, BUT THESE PATTERNS REMAIN POORLY CHARACTERIZED IN GRAZING SYSTEMS.IN THIS SEED GRANT, WE AIM TO COMBINE FIELD AND GREENHOUSE DATA TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS DRIVING LEGUME-RHIZOBIA COEXISTENCE IN CATTLE PASTURES ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL INCLUDE THE PROJECT DIRECTOR, ONE GRADUATE STUDENT, AND TWO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. WE WILL FIRST DETERMINE THE RHIZOBIAL PARTNERS ASSOCIATED WITH FIVE COMMON SPECIES OF PASTURE LEGUMES ACROSS FIVE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FIELD STATIONS. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO DETERMINE WHERE THESE LEGUME SPECIES EXIST ALONG A GRADIENT OF SPECIFICITY FOR RHIZOBIAL PARTNERS. THEN WE WILL DETERMINE WHETHER LEGUME SPECIFICITY IMPACTS THE ABILITY OF THESE SPECIES TO GROW TOGETHER AND THEIR LANDSCAPE DISTRIBUTIONS. FINALLY, WE WILL DELVE INTO THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE LEGUME DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS WE OBSERVE IN THE FIELD THROUGH MECHANISM GREENHOUSE STUDIES. RESULTS OF THIS WORK WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO SCIENTIFIC AUDIENCES THROUGH PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS, AS WELL AS TO SHAREHOLDERS AT FIELD DAYS ORGANIZED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FIELD STATIONS WHERE THE WORK WILL BE CONDUCTED. TOGETHER, THIS INFORMATION WILL IDENTIFY KEY MECHANISMS DRIVING LEGUME SPECIES INTERACTIONS AND LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR A FUTURE FULL PROPOSAL TO USDA NIFA THAT EXPLICITLY LINKS THESE INTERACTIONS TO THE CRITICAL N INPUTS THAT THESE SPECIES PROVIDE. OVERALL, THIS KNOWLEDGE GAINED THROUGH THIS WORK WILL DIRECTLY IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DRIVERS OF NITROGEN AVAILABILITY IN GRAZING LANDS OF THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES, WHICH WILL IMPR,OVE OUR ABILITY TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT FOR CATTLE PRODUCERS IN THE REGION.$300,000
· FY2024 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** ATHEROSCLEROSIS IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD. MAMAKI, A SPECIES OF NETTLE ENDEMIC TO HAWAII, HAS BEEN USED BY NATIVES FOR CENTURIES FOR VARIOUS HEALTH BENEFITS. HOWEVER, ITS BIOACTIVE COMPONENTS AND THE MECHANISMS OF ACTION REMAIN LARGELY UNEXPLORED. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN MAMAKI INHIBIT MONOCYTE ADHESION TO HUMAN AORTIC ENDOTHELIAL CELLS (HAECS) BY REGULATING CHEMOKINE AND ADHESION MOLECULE EXPRESSION, AN IMPORTANT STEP IN THE INITIATION AND PROGRESSION OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS. THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO IDENTIFY THE BIOACTIVE CONSTITUENTS OF MAMAKI LEAVES AND ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISMS OF ACTION. THE RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT COULD PROVIDE A BASIS FOR FUTURE CLINICAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFICACY OF MAMAKI TEA OR ITS BIOACTIVE CONSTITUENTS IN PROTECTING AGAINST THE DEVELOPMENT OF VASCULAR DISEASES.$300,000
· FY2024 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE LONGLEAF PINE (LLP) SAVANNA ECOSYSTEM HAS GREAT POTENTIAL TO SERVE AS A MULTIFUNCTIONAL LANDSCAPE, CONTRIBUTING TO BOTH ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN US. YET <4% OF THIS ONCE EXPANSIVE ECOSYSTEM REMAINS; THUS, METHODS FOR RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT OF LLP SAVANNA ARE CRITICAL. EXTANT LLP SAVANNAS ARE NUTRIENT POOR, LIMITING PRODUCTIVITY OF BOTH THE LLP TIMBER TREES AS WELL AS THE UNDERSTORY PREVENTING SUCCESSFUL RESTORATION OF THE PLANT-FIRE FEEDBACK LOOP. WITH THIS SEED GRANT, WE AIM TO BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF TWO KEY MICROBIAL SYMBIOSES IN PROMOTING NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY AND ULTIMATELY IMPROVING FUNCTIONING OF THE LLP ECOSYSTEM: (1) RHIZOBIAL BACTERIA CRITICAL FOR NITROGEN FIXATION IN LEGUMES (PLANTS IN FABACEAE) AND (2) MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI CRITICAL FOR PHOSPHOROUS UPTAKE IN MANY PLANT LINEAGES. OUR RESEARCH WILL ADVANCE CURRENT PRIORITIES OF BNRE SUSTAINABLE AGROECOSYSTEMS (A1451) BY FOCUSING ON IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY IN MANAGED LLP SAVANNA. THIS SEED GRANT WILL SUPPORT (1) OBSERVATIONAL DATA COLLECTION, (2) ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EXPERIMENTAL PLATFORM MANIPULATING THE FREQUENCY OF NUTRIENT-BASED MUTUALISMS, AND (3) THE FORMATION OF A NETWORK OF SITES FOR FUTURE LLP RESEARCH. THIS WORK WILL LEAD TO INCREASED UNDERSTANDING OF NUTRIENT-BASED MUTUALISMS WITH THE LONG-TERM GOALS OF ENSURING ADEQUATE FUEL FOR FIRE SPREAD AND ENHANCING UNDERSTORY AND TREE PRODUCTION, AND WILL FORM THE BASIS FOR A FUTURE PROPOSAL FOR A STANDARD USDA GRANT. OVERALL, WE AIM TO YIELD INNOVATIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY-SOUND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE LLP ECOSYSTEM, THEREBY IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCE BASE.$299,999
· FY2024 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
HONEY BEES ARE THE PRIMARY MANAGED INSECT POLLINATOR IN US AGRICULTURE, YET PROBLEMS PERSIST IN THE MANAGED POPULATION. TWO OF THE PRIMARY PROBLEMS WITH HONEY BEE COLONIES ARE DISEASE AGENTS (PATHOGENS AND PARASITES) AND DIMINISHED REPRODUCTIVE QUALITY OF QUEENS. FOR THE FORMER, BEEKEEPERS REGULARLY APPLY ANTIBIOTICS (TO CONTROL BACTERIAL PATHOGENS) AND ACARICIDES (TO CONTROL VARROA MITES) IN ORDER TO KEEP THEIR COLONIES HEALTHY. FOR THE LATTER, BEEKEEPERS OFTEN REPLACE THEIR QUEENS BECAUSE OF REDUCED LONGEVITY, PREMATURE FAILURE, OR EARLY REJECTION, BUT THE CAUSE(S) OF DIMINISHED REPRODUCTIVE QUALITY ARE STILL UNCLEAR. WE PROPOSE TO TEST A POTENTIAL LINK BETWEEN BEEKEEPER-APPLIED COMPOUNDS AND REDUCED QUALITY OF QUEENS (AND THE DRONES WITH WHICH THEY MATE). OUR OBJECTIVES ARE TO DETERMINE IF IN-HIVE TREATMENTS, I.E., ANTIBIOTICS AND ACARICIDES, (1) IMPACT THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND PHYSIOLOGY, (2) ACCUMULATE IN THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS, AND (3) ALTER THE GUT AND REPRODUCTIVE MICROBIOMES OF QUEENS AND DRONES. LASTLY, (4) WE WILL PROMOTE CLINICAL SERVICES FOR MEASURING QUEENS AND DRONES FOR BEEKEEPERS IN REAL TIME SO THAT THEY CAN MEASURE THESE EFFECTS IN THEIR OWN OPERATIONS. PRELIMINARY AND PUBLISHED WORK HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT BEEKEEPER-APPLIED MEDICATIONS MAY HAVE INDIRECT EFFECTS ON HONEY BEE FECUNDITY, THUS FINDING A BALANCE BETWEEN MAINTAINING COLONY HEALTH AND PRODUCTIVITY IS PARAMOUNT TO MAINTAIN A SUSTAINABLE MANAGED POLLINATOR POPULATION.WE PREDICT THAT THIS RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF IN-HIVE TREATMENTS ON THE REPRODUCTIVE FITNESS OF BOTH QUEENS AND DRONES. THIS INFORMATION WILL BE PARTICULARLY RELEVANT FOR BEEKEEPERS, BREEDERS, AND BEE VETERINARIANS. THROUGH THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE HONEY BEE QUEEN & DISEASE CLINIC AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO PLANT AND POLLINATOR CENTER, WE WILL PROMOTE CLINICAL SERVICES FOR MEASURING REPRODUCTIVE FITNESS OF QUEENS AND DRONES AS WELL AS HOST PUBLIC OUTREACH EVENTS TO COMMUNICATE OUR RESEARCH AND ADVISE BEST TREATMENTS PRACTICES TO BEEKEEPERS AND BEE VETERINARIANS BASED ON OUR FINDINGS. OVERALL, THIS WORK WILL IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF BEEKEEPER DECISION-MAKING AND CRITICAL ANALYSES, THROUGH PROMOTING DATA-DRIVEN MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH ADDRESSES THE AFRI PROGRAM AREA PRIORITY POLLINATOR HEALTH: RESEARCH AND APPLICATION BY INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF BEEKEEPER APPLIED ACARICIDES AND ANTIBIOTICS ON HONEY BEE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH.$275,407
· FY2022 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE: CLIMATE CONTROL ROOMS FOR EXTENDING RESEARCH CAPABILITIES AT THE UNCG PLANT AND POLLINATOR CENTER$254,844
· FY2018 · Department of the Army
CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH ON DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS AND CLOUD COMPUTING APPLICATIONS FOR TOMORROW'S WORKFORCE IN STEM$246,439
· FY2021 · Department of the Navy
THE SEEDLING GROWTH (SG) SERIES OF PLANT BIOLOGY EXPERIMENTS IS PART OF A BARTER AGREEMENT BETWEEN NASA AND ESA. THE MAJOR GOALS ARE: (1) TO DETERMINE HOW GRAVITY AND LIGHT RESPONSES INFLUENCE EACH OTHER IN PLANTS (2) TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CELLULAR SIGNALING AND RESPONSE MECHANISMS OF PHOTOTROPISM AND OF LIGHT STIMULATION AND (3) TO STUDY THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE PROLIFERATION AND GROWTH OF MERISTEMATIC CELLS IN ORDER TO ANALYZE IN HOW AUXIN (I.E. A PLANT HORMONE) TRANSPORT AND PERCEPTION ACT IN THE REGULATION OF THESE CELLULAR FUNCTIONS. IN SG WE HAVE BEEN USING THE EUROPEAN MODULAR CULTIVATION SYSTEM (EMCS) WHICH ARGUABLY HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LIFE SCIENCE RESEARCH FACILITIES ON THE ISS. THREE TYPES OF DATA ARE TO BE OBTAINED FROM THE SG EXPERIMENTS: IMAGE DOWNLINKS OF PLANT SEEDLINGS SEEDLINGS FROZEN ON-ORBIT AND SEEDLINGS FIXED IN ALDEHYDES. DOWNLINKED IMAGES PROVIDE DATA ON GERMINATION GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND TROPISTIC CURVATURE. FROZEN SEEDLINGS WILL BE USED FOR GENE PROFILING STUDIES AND SEEDLINGS FIXED IN ALDEHYDES WILL BE USED FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC ANALYSES.$210,801
· FY2020 · National Aeronautics and Space Administration