Faculty and Staff Grants From July 2024

Microbiota Metallophores: Probing Interactions and Nutrient Dynamics of the Human Gut

• Allegra Aron, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
• Grant from the National Institutes of Health
• Abstract: A healthy human microbiome is linked to vital physiological aspects such as development, immune functioning and nutrition. Metals like iron, copper, zinc and cobalt significantly influence microbial communities as key micronutrients. The insights gained from this research will advance our understanding of metal competition dynamics in the human microbiome and may pave the way for novel microbiome-based therapeutic strategies and biomarker identification. It offers a comprehensive understanding of how metal imbalances impact microbiome dynamics.

Enhancing the Protection of Electric Grids Amidst the Rise of Renewable Energy

• Rui Fan, Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science
• Grant from the National Science Foundation
• Abstract: Renewable resources, like solar and wind energy, rely on power electronic inverters for output regulation. However, the inverter-based source (IBR) facility differs significantly from a traditional rotating synchronous machine during short-circuit conditions. This shift can reduce system inertia and compromise the performance of existing protection relays, leading to increased relay failures. This proposal aims to explore novel model-driven and data-driven solutions to address unprecedented protection challenges due to increasing renewable energy penetration in modern electric grids.

Integrating Leaf Metabolomics and Tree Demographic Models to Understand Climate Change Impacts on Forests in the Rockies and Smokies

• Patrick Martin, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
• Grant from the National Science Foundation
• Abstract: Forests face unprecedented threats from rapid climate change. Forecasting the trajectory of these changes is a priority for management, but conservation actions are hindered by a lack of mechanistic understanding of how physiological stress contributes to demographic outcomes (survival, reproduction) that ultimately drive forest change. Using a novel, interdisciplinary approach that combines expertise in plant biochemistry, functional ecology and forest simulation modeling, researchers will use metabolomic profiling of tree drought responses in controlled experiments to understand the interaction of drought and light stress in natural populations of foundational tree species in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.

Tools Competition: Instructional Coaching for Early Childhood Education

• Doug Clements, Morgridge College of Education
• Grant from Georgia State University (subaward The Learning Agency, LLC)
• Abstract: This project will define impact measures for the winning tool; track and report on impact measures through three periodic surveys; and produce an impact report at the end of the evaluation.

UNDP SDGiPush NDC Project

• Jonathan Moyer, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, Pardee Center for International Futures
• Grant from the United Nations Development Programme
• Abstract: This project is intended to improve our understanding of the interventions needed to pursue an integrated, accelerated push toward sustainable development—and the implications if that is pursued successfully. The Pardee Center will explore the trajectory that the world is on today and how an SDG Push set of interventions could change that trajectory.

Your Family, Your Neighborhood

• Daniel Brisson, Graduate School of Social Work
• Grant from the Colorado Department of Human Services
• Abstract: Your Family, Your Neighborhood (YFYN) is an innovative, evidence-based, dual-generation intervention designed to strengthen the bonds between children and parents and build neighborhood social cohesion to improve the health and well-being of youth and families living in high-poverty neighborhoods. Using social capital and ecological theory as guiding frameworks, YFYN supports whole families in building relationships: 1) within their family, 2) among neighbors, and 3) with local schools, leading to stronger families and communities, improved health and well-being, and reduced youth delinquency.

Veterans Advocacy Project

• Bradley Cummings, Sturm College of Law
• Grant from the May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust
• Abstract: Now entering its fifth year of operation, the Rocky Mountain Veterans Advocacy Project (RMVAP) has continued to expand, providing not only assistance with discharge upgrades and VA benefits, but increasingly, representation in family law, probate, and trust and estates. RMVAP now serves Native American Veterans on reservations across Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, offering critical legal services to this historically underserved population.

Differential Diagnosis in Learning Disabilities ‒ Project V

• Lauren McGrath, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Grant from the University of Colorado Boulder (subaward from the National Institutes of Health)

Ripple Effects Mapping

• Amy He and Amy Grenier, Graduate School of Social Work
• Grant from Florida State University
• Abstract: The Butler Institute for Families will facilitate Ripple Effects Mapping (REM), a participatory evaluation method used to capture and understand the broader impacts and outcomes of complex projects or interventions within a community or organization. REM provides rich insights for project improvement, advocacy and storytelling, making it a valuable tool for organizations seeking to understand and communicate the full scope of their impact.

KEEN Annual Support Package

• Michael Caston, Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science
• Grant from the Kern Family Foundation, Inc.
• Abstract: The broad goals of the 2024-25 Annual Support Funding are to grow the awareness and engagement of the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) throughout the engineering faculty and areas adjacent to and supportive of engineering. The funding will support bringing more DU faculty to the National Conference and Faculty Development workshops.

Forecast Development Trends and Policy Scenarios for Kazakhstan

• Jonathan Moyer, Josef Korbel School of International Studies
• Grant from the United Nations Development Programme (International Research/Modelling Centre)
• Abstract: The work seeks to accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through forecasting and application of different scenarios on Kazakhstan’s development pathways. It aims to assess the impact on the attainment of the SDGs over the next two decades for Kazakhstan.

NIJ FY23 Criminal Justice Testing & Evaluation Center (CJTEC 2024-2029)

• Joe Russo, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
• Grant from the Research Triangle Institute (National Institute of Justice/Department of Justice)
• Abstract: DU will support RTI in providing the NIJ with research, testing, evaluation and other activities to support the safety, effectiveness, efficiency and efficacy of technologies and practices in use or adaptable by the corrections community. DU will work with RTI International and other CJTEC partners to write and disseminate publications and project findings, including conference presentations with prior approval.