Sort
38,696 grants matching “als”
Development of a monoclonal immunoprotectant for ricin
$300,000Larry Zeitlin · Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc. · R43 · FY2011 · AI
Advanced Metallurgical Reliability Issues in Flip Chip Technology
$300,000King-Ning Tu · University Of California-Los Angeles · · FY2005 · MPS
Multivalent Adjuvant Immunization to Prevent Hospital Acquired Infections
$300,000Brad J Spellberg · Exbaq Llc · R41 · FY2020 · AI
Rapid discovery of thousands of intact biosynthetic gene pathways for bioactive natural product compounds from un-sequenced filamentous fungi using a novel FAC-NGS tool
$300,000Chengcang Charles Wu · Intact Genomics, Inc. · R44 · FY2019 · AI
Chemical Dynamics of NO Hemoglobin Interactions
$300,000David J Singel · Montana State University · · FY2001 · BIO
ENGAGE: (E)NERGY-EFFICIENT (N)OVEL AL(G)ORITHMS AND (A)RCHITECTURES FOR (G)RAPH L(E)ARNING
$300,000University Of Tennessee · · FY2025 · Department of Energy
A novel innate immunity risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
$300,000Teepu Siddique · Northwestern University At Chicago · R01 · FY2020 · TS
Interactions between the microbiome, metabolome, and immune system as underlying mechanisms of ALS pathogenesis
$300,000Benjamin Joseph Murdock · University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor · R01 · FY2022 · TS
SCH: Wearables for Health and Disease Knowledge (W4H)
$300,000Cyrus Shahabi · University Of Southern California · R01 · FY2022 · LM
RFA-TS-22-001: Interactions between the microbiome, metabolome, and immune system as underlying mechanisms of ALS pathogenesis
$300,000Benjamin Joseph Murdock · University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor · R01 · FY2024 · TS
COVID-19 Testing Model for Vulnerable Populations: Revision to Address Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake
$300,000Mona N. Fouad · University Of Alabama At Birmingham · U54 · FY2021 · MD
SCH: Integrating AI and System Engineering for Glucose Regulation in Diabetes
$300,000Ali Cinar · Illinois Institute Of Technology · R01 · FY2022 · DK
THE EFFECT OF SPATIAL HETEROGENEITIES ON TRANSFORMATION KINETICS IN AMORPHOUS AL ALLOYS
$300,000University Of Wisconsin System · · FY2012 · Department of Defense
** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO CREATE SUITABLE AND EFFICIENT AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS AIMED AT FOSTERING A MORE SUSTAINABLE WOOD FIBER BIOECONOMY. HOWEVER, THE MAJOR BOTTLENECK IN EFFICIENT PRODUCTION OF WOOD FIBER IS THE PRESENCE OF LIGNIN, A POLYMER THAT MAKES WOOD RECALCITRANT TO BE DECONSTRUCTED INTO CELLULOSE AND SUGARS (HIMMEL ET AL., 2007; BALL ET AL., 2023). WITHIN THE PULP INDUSTRY, DELIGNIFICATION PROCESSES ARE RESOURCE-INTENSIVE, BOTH IN TERMS OF REAGENTS AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION, RESULTING IN HIGH CHEMICAL RECOVERY COSTS (CHEN ET AL., 2016). HENCE, AN IDEAL AGROFORESTRY FOR WOOD FIBER PRODUCTION NEEDS THE ELITE TREES PRODUCING THE WOOD WITHOUT THE RECALCITRANCE OF LIGNIN. THROUGH THE PRECISE MANIPULATION OF LIGNIN LEVELS AND COMPOSITION USING GENE EDITING TOOLS, WE HAVE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPED THE ELITE POPLAR VARIETIES EXHIBITING ENHANCED TRAITS FOR FIBER PULPING AND REDUCED CARBON EMISSIONS IN OUR GREENHOUSE TRIAL (SULIS ET AL., 2023). THE CULTIVATION OF THESE CLIMATE-SMART ELITE TREES OFFERS A PROMISING SOLUTION TO A SIGNIFICANT OPERATIONAL CHALLENGE FACED BY THE PAPER AND PULP INDUSTRY (FIGURE 1). IT HOLDS THE POTENTIAL TO INTRODUCE REMARKABLE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES, CREATE NEW BIOECONOMIC PROSPECTS, AND YIELD SUBSTANTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS FOR BOTH FORESTRY LANDOWNERS AND PAPER AND PULP MILLS.THE UNITED STATES IS A SIGNIFICANT PLAYER IN THE GLOBAL PAPER AND PULP INDUSTRY. AS OF 2021, THE US WAS BOTH THE WORLD'S LARGEST PRODUCER OF PULP FOR PAPER AND THE SECOND-LARGEST CONSUMER OF PAPER AND PAPERBOARD, UTILIZING APPROXIMATELY 64 MILLION METRIC TONS (FAO, 2022). AROUND 10 MILLION TONS OF LIGNIN NEED TO BE REMOVED PER YEAR AS A BY-PRODUCT IN THE US PAPER AND PULP INDUSTRY (DEMUNER ET AL., 2021). THE LIGNIN REMOVAL PROCESS INCURS SIGNIFICANT ENERGY EXPENSES AND RELEASES CHEMICALS INTO THE ENVIRONMENT CAUSING POLLUTION (MONTE ET AL., 2009). GIVEN THAT PAPER AND PULP MILLS IN SOUTHERN US ACCOUNTING FOR 74% OF THE NATIONAL PULPING CAPACITY (PIVA ET AL., 2014), EVALUATING OUR EDITED POPLAR VARIETIES IN SOUTHERN US FIELD TRIAL IS A CRUCIAL STEP IN TRANSFORMING FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE GENERATED FROM LAB AND GREENHOUSE TO THE CONDITION CLOSER TO INDUSTRIAL EXPLOITATION. TO OFFER MORE HANDS-ON GUIDANCE TO PULPWOOD LANDOWNERS, WE HAVE PLANNED A FIELD TRIAL FOR OUR LOW-LIGNIN ELITE VARIETY IN ALABAMA. THIS STATE IS THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF PULPWOOD AMONG ALL SOUTHERN STATES (WINN ET AL., 2023), MAKING IT AN IDEAL LOCATION FOR PRACTICAL TESTING AND GUIDANCE. ALTHOUGH LOBLOLLYPINE(PINUS TAEDA L.) MONOCULTURE PLANTATIONS WITH LONG-ROTATION MANAGEMENT ARE MOST PREDOMINATED AGROFOREST INALABAMA AS THE SOFTWOOD PULPWOOD FEEDSTOCK FOR LOCAL MILLS (SCHULTZ, 1999; KANDHOLA ET AL., 2022), HARDWOOD ROUNDWOOD PRODUCTION STILL INCREASED BY 8% BETWEEN 2020 AND 2021, ACCOUNTING FOR 20% OF TOTAL PULPWOOD PRODUCTION (~ 22 MILLION CORD) IN ALABAMA (WINN ET AL., 2023). OUR POPLAR VARIETIES OFFER A SUSTAINABLE SOURCE OF HARDWOOD PULPWOOD WITH OPTIMIZED PROPERTIES FOR MIL,L (SULIS ET AL., 2023). THEY CAN BE MANAGED IN SHORT ROTATIONS IN THE SOUTHERN US, ALLOWING FOR HARVESTING EVERY THREE TO FIVE YEARS (STANTURF ET AL., 2015; ZALESNY ET AL., 2019; ILE ET AL., 2022). THE SHORT ROTATION OF POPLAR AGROFORESTRY COULD PROVIDE CONSISTENT REVENUE AS PULPWOOD AND BIOENERGY RESOURCE FOR LANDOWNERS WHILE MINIMIZING SOIL DISRUPTION AND PROMOTING SOIL HEALTH RESTORATION (FRITSCHE ET AL., 2017; COWIE ET AL., 2017). CONSEQUENTLY, THE FIELD TRIAL IN ALABAMA UTILIZING OUR LIGNIN-MODIFIED ELITE POPLAR VARIETIES PRESENTS A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY FOR SOUTHERN US MILLS AND LANDOWNERS TO PRODUCE PULPWOOD FEEDSTOCK IN A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE, RELIABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE MANNER. AGROFORESTRY IN SOUTHERN US IS OFTEN SUBJECT TO EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS, SUCH AS DROUGHT, HURRICANES, AND ICE STORMS (BRAGG ET AL., 2003; MARENGO ET AL., 2023; PETERSON ET AL., 2012; SCHOENEBERGER ET AL., 2017; SHARMA ET AL., 2021). HERE, FIELD-GROWN TREES EXPERIENCE ANNUAL SEASONAL GROWTH AND DORMANCY CYCLES WHILE INTERACTING WITH VARIOUS BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, INCLUDING WIND, DROUGHT, COLD, AND PATHOGENS (BISHAW ET AL., 2021). THESE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY ALTER THE WOOD PROPERTY, COMPOSITION, AND GROWTH OF TREES (HARFOUCHE ET AL., 2014; CESARINO ET AL., 2019; DE MEESTER ET AL., 2023). THEREFORE, WE SHOULD NOT ONLY ASSESS THE GROWTH AND PERFORMANCE OF EDITED TREES FROM THE FIELD TRIAL, BUT ALSO MEASURE THE WOOD PROPERTY AND PULP YIELD OF THE WOOD HARVESTED FROM TRIAL PLANTATION.OUR PLANNED FIELD TRIAL OF THESE MODIFIED POPLAR VARIETIES, ALONG WITH ASSOCIATED PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS, WILL BE CONDUCTED AT AUBURN UNIVERSITY (AU)'S GRANTED PLANTATION IN ALABAMA. THIS CHOICE IS DUE TO ALABAMA'S PROMINENT POSITION AS THE LEADING PULPWOOD PRODUCER IN THE US. WOOD CHEMISTRY AND PULPING TESTS FOR FIELD-HARVESTED WOOD WILL BE CARRIED OUT AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY (NCSU). IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT THESE POPLAR VARIETIES WERE ORIGINALLY CREATED AND CHARACTERIZED BY CO-PI WANG AT NCSU USING A MULTIPLEX EDITING APPROACH, AND RELEVANT PLATFORMS, SUCH AS NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY (NMR) AND MICRO PULPING, WHICH WERE ESTABLISHED TO ASSESS THE EFFICIENCY OF WOOD HARVESTED FOR FIBER PULPING (SULIS ET AL., 2023). FOR PRACTICALITY, WE OBTAINED 6-MONTH-OLD EDITED POPLAR VARIETIES FROM A GREENHOUSE. EXAMINING THESE TREES REVEALED A REMARKABLE REDUCTION IN LIGNIN CONTENT, REACHING UP TO 50% IN CERTAIN VARIETIES, AS WELL AS A 228% INCREASE IN THE C-L RATIO IN OTHERS, WHILE MAINTAINING CRUCIAL WOOD GROWTH AND PROPERTIES SUCH AS ELASTICITY AND DENSITY (SULIS ET AL., 2023). FURTHERMORE, CONDUCTING PULP YIELD AND CARBON FOOTPRINT ASSESSMENTS COULD ENABLE MILLS TO PRODUCE UP TO 40% MORE SUSTAINABLE FIBERS WHILE REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS ASSOCIATED WITH PULP PRODUCTION BY UP TO 20% (SULIS ET AL., 2023). THE LARGE-SCALE CULTIVATION OF THESE ELITE POPLAR VARIETIES REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARD A MORE SUSTAINABLE,FIBER PRODUCTION SYSTEM, ALIGNING WITH THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (KÜMMERER ET AL., 2020). ADDITIONALLY, THE RESULTS FROM OUR FIELD TRIAL CAN BE SWIFTLY ADOPTED BY AGROFORESTRY LANDOWNERS AND MILLS TO ESTABLISH A NOVEL FIBER PRODUCTION SYSTEM IN THE SOUTHERN US.
$300,000Auburn University · · FY2024 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
The New York Research Data Center
$300,000Sanders Korenman · National Bureau Of Economic Research Inc · · FY2003 · SBE
Reduction of Disparities in Childhood Immunization Rates: Essex County, NJ
$300,000Peter N. Wenger · Univ Of Med/Dent Of Nj-Nj Medical School · U01 · FY2007 · IP
A novel innate immunity risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
$300,000Teepu Siddique · Northwestern University At Chicago · R01 · FY2019 · TS
Enhanced White Light Sources Using Stimulated Rogue Wave Phenomenon
$300,000Bahram Jalali · University Of California-Los Angeles · · FY2009 · ENG
Improving Resuscitation Team Response to Inpatient Critical Events by Simulation
$300,000Jose F Pliego · Scott And White Memorial Hospital · U18 · FY2006 · HS
Live-attenuated ETEC Anti-Diarrhea Vaccine Construction via Synthetic Biology
$300,000John Robert Coleman · Codagenix, Inc. · R41 · FY2014 · AI
Theoretical Investigations of Mantle Materials
$300,000Ronald E Cohen · Carnegie Institution Of Washington · · FY2003 · GEO
A GENERATION AGO, THE NEED FOR AGRONOMY KNOWLEDGE FOR CROP PRODUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT WAS ON A DOWNWARD TREND. COMPLICATED MIXES OF HERBICIDES AND CROP MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS SPECIFIC TO CERTAIN WEEDS AND SITUATIONS WERE LARGELY REPLACED BY A SIMPLE APPLICATION OF BROAD-SPECTRUM HERBICIDES TO GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM (GMO) CROPS THAT EFFECTIVELY REMOVED NEARLY ALL WEEDS. INSECT RESISTANCE WAS BRED INTO CROPS AND DRAMATICALLY REDUCED THE IMPACT OF SOME OF THE COSTLIEST PESTS; MAJOR CROP YIELDS WERE ON SUSTAINED UPWARD TRENDS. CROP PRODUCTION'S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WAS REDUCED DUE TO SAFER PESTICIDES AND REDUCTIONS IN TILLAGE, WHICH LESSENED SOIL EROSION.UNFORTUNATELY, A NUMBER OF FACTORS TURNED IN THE LAST DECADE TO CHANGE HOW CROPS NEED TO BE PRODUCED. 1) WEEDS AND INSECTS HAVE DEVELOPED RESISTANCE TO BIOTECH TOOLS, AND A ONE-PRONGED APPROACH DOES NOT USUALLY WORK. 2) WHILE EROSION AND PESTICIDE EFFECTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT ARE LESS, A SURGE IN WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS POINTS BACK TO AGRICULTURE AND BLANKET-APPLIED FERTILIZERS. 3) CONSUMERS ARE INCREASINGLY DISSATISFIED WITH FOOD PRODUCTION AND OFTEN REJECT GMOS, CHEMICAL USE, AND MASS PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES; THEREFORE, THEY ARE CHANGING THEIR BUYING PREFERENCES. 4) FOOD INSECURITY IS INCREASING AROUND THE WORLD. 5) MANY FARMING OPERATIONS ARE ECONOMICALLY UNSTABLE, AND RURAL ECONOMIES ARE CONCURRENTLY SUFFERING.THE ONCOMING SUITE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES SHOWS PROMISE IN HELPING AGRICULTURE WITH ITS CHALLENGES. NEW SENSING TOOLS PROVIDE MORE DATA ABOUT CROP CHARACTERISTICS, AND WE CAN MOVE AROUND, STORE, AND PROCESS THIS INFORMATION WITH GREATER EASE. A KEY PART OF AN INFORMATION-INTENSE APPROACH TO CROP PRODUCTION IS THE USE OF VARIABLE RATE TECHNOLOGIES, WHERE CHARACTERISTICS ACROSS A FIELD INFORM A TAILORED APPROACH TO THE USE OF SEEDS, FERTILIZERS, SOIL AMENDMENTS, AND PESTICIDES. THIS APPROACH CAN HELP GROWERS ADDRESS THE COMPLEXITIES OF PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTS AND THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF FOOD, FEED, FUEL, AND FIBER CONSUMERS.BUT WE ARE COMMONLY AT A LOSS INTERPRETING ALL THIS NEW INFORMATION. USDA SURVEYS SHOW THAT TWO DECADES AFTER THE RELEASE OF THIS TECHNOLOGY, A MAJORITY OF FARMERS ARE NOT USING A VARIABLE APPROACH (LOWENBERG-DEBOER AND ERICKSON, 2019). THIS SHOWS THAT WHILE INFORMATION IS OVERFLOWING, THE ABILITY TO CAPITALIZE ON THAT INFORMATION IS COMMONLY LACKING. FIELD ENVIRONMENTS ARE MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN OFTEN PERCEIVED, AS CROP PRODUCTION IS THE OUTCOME OF DOZENS OF FACTORS. FACTORS THAT CHANGE ACROSS FIELDS AND FROM YEAR TO YEAR, AND FACTORS THAT INTERACT. IN A CROP FIELD, THESE FACTORS CAN INCLUDE SOIL, RAINFALL, TEMPERATURE, PEST INFESTATIONS, CROP GENETICS, PLANTING DATE, AND FERTILIZER APPLICATIONS.THOSE WHO MANAGE CROP FIELDS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANALYZING AND ACTING UPON THE COMPLEXITY OF PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTS. FARMERS DEPEND HEAVILY ON INPUT SUPPLIERS FOR DECISIONS RELATED TO CROP PRODUCTION. BUT A 2018 SURVEY OF AGRICULTURAL RETAILERS (FAUSTI ET AL, 2018) SHOWED THAT FOR FIVE OF THEIR KEY WORK ROLES RELATED TO TECHNOLOGY, OVER 90% OF RETAILERS INDICATED IT WAS AT LEAST SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT TO FIND A QUALIFIED APPLICANT. WELL OVER HALF OF AGRICULTURAL RETAILERS REPORTED THAT IT WAS EITHER DIFFICULT (TWO TO THREE MONTHS TO FIND A QUALIFIED APPLICANT), VERY DIFFICULT (MORE THAN THREE MONTHS TO FIND A QUALIFIED APPLICANT), OR THERE WERE NO QUALIFIED APPLICANTS IN THEIR AREA. THIS VARIED SOMEWHAT BY THE POSITIONS OF EQUIPMENT OPERATOR, AGRONOMIST, PRECISION EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN, TECHNICAL SUPPORT, OR PRECISION SALES SPECIALIST, WHICH ARE ALL KEY ROLES IN DIGITAL AGRICULTURE IMPLEMENTATION AT THE FARM LEVEL. AS ANOTHER MEASURE OF THE WORKFORCE, RETAILERS WERE ASKED (IN THE SAME 2018 SURVEY) TO EVALUATE THE SKILLS OF THEIR PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES FROM THEIR RECENT INTERVIEWS. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE SKILL, MOST RESPONDENTS INDICATED THEIR INTERVIEWEES WERE EITHER LOW OR DEFICIENT IN EACH OF THE TEN SKILLS MEASURED. INTERVIEWEES HAD THE HIGHEST SKILL LEVELS FOR THEIR ABILITY TO OPERATE PRECISION AGRICULTURE EQUIPMENT; THE LOWEST SKILL LEVEL INDICATED WAS FOR THEIR WORKING UNDERSTANDING OF STATISTICAL STANDARDS TO PRODUCE MEANS AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS, A KEY PART OF DIGITAL AGRICULTURE. UNTIL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAN HELP AUTOMATE INSIGHTS TO BETTER MANAGE PESTS, NUTRIENTS, SOIL, FOOD SAFETY, AND QUALITY, WE WILL NEED HUMAN KNOWLEDGE TO ADDRESS ALL OF THESE AREAS.RETAILERS INDICATE A TWO-YEAR DEGREE IS SUFFICIENT EDUCATION FOR MANY OF THEIR WORK ROLES RELATED TO DIGITAL AGRICULTURE, WHILE BACHELOR'S DEGREE IS DESIRED FOR THE FIELD OF AGRONOMY (ERICKSON ET AL., 2018). AS SUCH, HIGH SCHOOL AGRICULTURE INSTRUCTION IS A KEY ASPECT OF THE KNOWLEDGE PIPELINE FOR AGRICULTURAL RETAILERS. PREVIOUSLY REFERRED TO AS VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE TEACHERS, SCHOOL-BASED AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION (SBAE) INSTRUCTORS IN HIGH SCHOOLS AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS DELIVER INSTRUCTION IN AGRICULTURE THAT IS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE). CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION SEEKS TO EQUIP STUDENTS TO BE BOTH COLLEGE- AND CAREER-READY BY HELPING THEM DEVELOP THEIR ACADEMIC, EMPLOYABILITY, AND TECHNICAL SKILLS (ACTE, 2019). AGRICULTURE TEACHERS WORK WITH NUMEROUS STUDENTS AND TEACH MULTIPLE CLASSES IN AGRICULTURE. THE FIELD OF DIGITAL AGRICULTURE CHANGES RAPIDLY, WHICH MEANS A WELL-INFORMED TEACHER FIVE YEARS AGO MAY BE QUITE OUT OF DATE TODAY. KEEPING UP WITH TECHNOLOGY CHANGES IN THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY IS A KEY ELEMENT TO EFFECTIVELY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN AND PRACTICE SKILLS RELATED TO CURRENT BEST PRACTICES AND HELPING PREPARE STUDENTS FOR CAREERS IN DIGITAL AGRICULTURE.DUE TO THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF SBAE TEACHERS, WE PROPOSE AN ONLINE COURSE IN DIGITAL AGRICULTURE FOR HIGH SCHOOL AG INSTRUCTORS THAT COULD QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY RAMP UP AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE--EDUCATION FOR EDUCATORS. THESE EDUCATORS COULD ALSO USE THE RESOURCES IN THEIR OWN CLASSROOMS. THE SLIDES CREATED FOR THE ONLINE COURSE WOULDBE DOWNLOADABLE, AS WOULD THE SCRIPTS FOR THE DELIVERY AND QUIZ QUESTIONS. THE COURSE CONTENT WILL COMBINE SCIENCE DELIVERED BY SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND APPLICATION DEMONSTRATED BY AGRICULTURAL INPUT SUPPLIERS AND FARMERS. IN ADDITION, WE WILL PROVIDE EXAMPLES TO INTEGRATE THESE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE TO STUDENTS WITHIN THE COURSES THAT OUR TEACHER PARTICIPANTS TEACH AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL.
$300,000Purdue University · · FY2021 · 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 GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE AGRICULTURAL LITERACY (KNOWLEDGE ABOUT AGRICULTURE) AND AGRICULTURAL CAREER AWARENESS AMONG K-12 EDUCATORS, VOLUNTEER EDUCATORS, AND THEIR STUDENTS. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP AN ONLINE AGRICULTURAL LITERACY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM (ALCP). THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE TO: 1) DEVELOP A RESEARCH-BASED ONLINE AGRICULTURAL LITERACY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM, 2) DEMONSTRATE EDUCATOR GAINS IN AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND CAREER AWARENESS, 3) MEASURE EDUCATOR SELF-EFFICACY FOR USING AGRICULTURE AS A CONTEXT FOR THEIR ACADEMIC CONTENT, AND 4) IDENTIFYING PARTICIPANT PLANNED BEHAVIORS FOR INCLUDING AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION AS CONTEXT FOR THEIR ACADEMIC CONTENT.PHASE 1.BEGINNING IN MAY 2021, THEPROJECT WILL USEAN INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER TO DEVELOP A WEB INTERFACE THAT WILL HOLD 12 ONLINE LEARNING MODULES. THE MODULES WILL FOCUS UPON THE FIVE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LITERACY OUTCOME THEMES. THIRTY PILOT-K-12 EDUCATORSWILL BE SELECTED TO BE A PART OF THE COURSE. THEY WILL BE EXPECTED TO COMPLETE 12 HOURS OF COURSE LEARNING, INCLUDING A CAPSTONE PROJECT, AND PARTICIPATION IN AGRICUTLURAL LITERACY ASSESSMENTS. FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, THEY WILL BE AWARDED A $300 STIPEND AND A $100 GIFT CARD TO THE AGCLASSROOMSTORE TO SUPPORT FURTHER INSTRUCTION WITH THEIR STUDENTS. TEN VOLUNTEER EDUCATORS WILL ALSO BE SELECTED FOR THE PILOT, THEY WILL RECIEVE $100 STIPEND AT THE COMPLETION OF THE COURSE. TEN EARLY-CAREER AITC STAFF, OR OTHER AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION STAFF MAY ALSO PARTICIPATE WITHOUT INCENTIVE IN THE PILOT. MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, PARTICIPANTS IN THE COURSE WILL RECIEVE A DIGITAL BADGE THROUGH BADGR. THE DIGITAL BADGE CERTIFIES THAT THEY HAVE COMPLETED 12 HOURS OF AGRICUTLURAL LITERACY EDUCATION AND CAN BE USED FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OR ADVANCEMENT CREDIT. THE RESEARCHERS WILL USE THE DATA GATHERED FROM THE PILOT, TO IMPROVE THE MODULES, COURSE STRUCTURE, AND OTHER CURRICULUM OR INSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS.PHASE 2.IN AUGUST 2022, THE COURSE WILL THEN BE OPENED TO 500 EDUCATORS, FOR AN INITIAL PHASE OF THE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. THESE EDUCATORS WILL BE CHARGED A $20 FEE THROUGH THE WEB INTERFACE. THE SMALL FEE ESTABLISHES COMMITMENT FROM PARTICIPANTS AND ESTABLISHES A FEE-FOR-SERVICE STRUCTURE THAT CAN MAINTAIN AND SUSTAIN THE ALCP PROGRAM IN PERPETUITY. TO ENSURE THE ALCP PROGRAM HAS A STRONG START, HOWEVER, THIS SECTION WILL BE OFFERED (UP TO 500 PARTICIPANTS) A $100 PAYPAL CASH INCENTIVE AND A $100 AGCLASSROOMSTORE COUPON CODE TO EDUCATORS WHO COMPLETE THE COURSE. THEY WILL ALSO RECIEVE DIGITAL CERTIFICATION OF COMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM. THE GRANT WILL RUN UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2024.THE ALCP WILL USE RESEARCH-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN GUIDELINES, PROVIDED BY THE NAITCO PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER, TO SUCCESSFULLY INCREASE AGRICULTURAL LITERACY AND AGRICULTURAL CAREER AWARENESS WHILE ADVANCING AFRI PRIORITY AREAS. THE ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AGENDA PRIORITIES SUPPORTED BY THIS PROPOSAL INCLUDE THOSE FROM THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR AGRICULTURAL EDUCATORS (AAAE), DEDICATED TO FINDING THE BEST METHODS AND MODELS FOR EDUCATING THE PUBLIC AND POLICY MAKERS (ROBERTS ET AL., 2016); NCAL, WHICH SEEKS TO IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL LITERACY WITH DIVERSE SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION AND IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL LITERACY PROGRAM EFFICACY (NATIONAL CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL LITERACY, 2017); AND THE W3006 MULTISTATE AGRICULTURAL LITERACY RESEARCH PROJECT THAT MEASURES THE IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURAL LITERACY PROGRAM METHODS TO DETERMINE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AND CONDUCTS ASSESSMENTS ON THE AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE OF DIVERSE POPULATION SEGMENTS (INCLUDING EDUCATORS, VOLUNTEERS AND STUDENTS) (NATIONAL CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL LITERACY, 2017). THE ALCP SUPPORTS THESE RELATED PROGRAM AGENDAS AND PROVIDES A RICH AREA FOR CONTINUED RESEARCH. IN ADDITION, AN ONLINE PROGRAM ALLOWS FOR GREATER ACCESS ADVANCING EDUCATIONAL EQUITY.
$300,000Utah State University · · FY2021 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
TARGETABLE BACTERICIDAL PROTEINS TO SPECIFICALLY KILL CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE BACTE
$300,000David William Martin · Avidbiotics Corporation · R43 · FY2013 · AI
TARGETABLE BACTERICIDAL PROTEINS TO SPECIFICALLY KILL CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE BACTE
$300,000David William Martin · Avidbiotics Corporation · R43 · FY2012 · AI