NSF invests $29.2 million in EPSCoR Research Infrastructure collaborations for transformative impact across 11 jurisdictions

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced six major awards through its EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (FEC), investing $29.2 million across 11 jurisdictions to strengthen research capacity and drive translational research across the nation.

These four-year awards aim to catalyze transformative research and infrastructure enhancement in states historically underfunded in federal research. The selected projects span critical areas, including use-inspired research in the study of Earth systems, wildfire management, water resource management, ecosystem and human health risks, functionality of electronic devices, biotechnology and artificial intelligence-driven health care.

"These EPSCoR FEC awards are an example of NSF’s commitment to ensuring that all states and jurisdictions across the United States have the opportunity to be part of our research enterprise and benefit from the jobs and economic prosperity that result from American innovation," said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. "These multi-state collaborative teams are tackling real-world research challenges that matter to the citizens of their regions while also building competitive research environments for the entire nation."

This year's FEC awards include:

• Optical properties of mineral dust aerosols: Building capacity for use-inspired applications through experimental and theoretical investigations (Nevada System of Higher Education - Desert Research Institute, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus and University of Wyoming) — Mineral dust aerosols are significant in the atmosphere, affecting radiative forcing, ecosystem fertilization, human health, visibility and various technologies. Understanding their optical properties, origin and composition is crucial for interpreting remote-sensing data and modeling the impact of atmospheric dust aerosols on climate and global radiation. This project aims to quantify global and regional mineral dust cycles and their impacts on weather and climate and on human and natural systems.
   
• Good fire: Enhance spatial and temporal efficacy of prescribed fire and managed wildland fire use (Boise State University) — This project will deliver sustained impacts by establishing a wildfire center, creating a fire science certificate program, and implementing initiatives such as partnerships, workshops, training, mentorships and innovative outreach. It will enhance the much-needed capacity to conduct use-inspired research relevant to societal needs, as well as develop a science, technology, engineering and math workforce for an area of critical national need. Collaboration with stakeholders will optimize managed fires and involve national and regional agencies, aiming to develop wildfire solutions and foster environmental stewardship. By integrating advanced machine learning with ecosystem models, this project will provide novel, decision-support tools for optimizing managed fires to efficiently and effectively meet management objectives and prevent ecological disruption across diverse landscapes. 
   
• Circular waste resource recovery and water reuse systems to drive sustainability and resiliency of the Great Plains rural communities (Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln) — The Great Plains region faces the need to conserve dwindling water reserves from the Ogallala Aquifer. The region annually generates more than 80% of the country's total livestock waste which degrades water quality and living conditions. Interdisciplinary researchers will collaborate on circular waste resource recovery and water reuse technologies to benefit primarily rural communities. The project focuses on building research capacity to create a circular resource recovery platform with water reuse, generating valuable co-products, substances that result from a production process, from livestock waste. New avenues for cross-convergent research between applied and fundamental science-based researchers and manufacturing and industry partners are also goals of this project. 
   
• Tri-state collaborative for defluorination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (The University of Alabama in Huntsville, University of Delaware and University of South Carolina) — This project will synergize expertise in materials, separation, reaction, electrochemistry, process system, modeling and social science to address environmental and public health concerns and technical challenges posed by low concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water and their resistance to defluorination reaction. Exposure to PFAS has effects on reproduction and child development, cancer risks, immune system impacts, hormonal and other health risks. The aim of this research is to create a comprehensive and transformative technology for near-zero fluoro-pollution. The research teams will overcome challenges related to low selectivity and slow kinetics in current adsorptive removal of PFAS when applied to complex water sources, as well as low activity and selectivity in electrochemically reductive defluorination. 
   
• Harnessing artificial magnetic semiconductors in the flatland (University of Kansas Center for Research Inc. and University of Nebraska-Lincoln) — Experts in physics, chemistry, materials science and electrical engineering will combine materials synthesis, nanofabrication, scanning probe microscopy/spectroscopy, electronic band structure measurements, quantum transport and heterostructure fabrication to address the challenges of 2D magnets in fundamental physics and device technology. The design of next-generation 2D magnets will offer new quantum states and applications and will deliver devices with unique functionalities ranging from lithium-ion batteries, flexible electronics, wearable devices, sensors and functional membranes. 
   
• Establishing infrastructure for AI-driven discovery of small molecules to combat antibiotic resistance, biofilms and aflatoxin contamination (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, South Dakota State University and University of Nevada, Las Vegas) — This project will address critical knowledge gaps in bacterial protease-small molecule interaction, biofilm maintenance and fungal contamination. These issues have profound effects on food safety, crop loss and medication development. Biologists, mathematicians, statisticians and computer scientists will collaborate using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to study small molecules binding to proteins for biotechnological uses. The aim of their research is to develop novel antimicrobial agents to kill bacteria, anti-biofilm strategies to reduce biofouling and small-molecule inhibitors to neutralize aflatoxin in crops. By creating interdisciplinary training opportunities for students and early-career faculty, this project will contribute to building the next generation of highly technically skilled STEM workers.