Natural Product Synthesis: A Context for the Study of Molecular Structure and Reactivity

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1012379

NSF Funding Organization: CHE

Principal Investigator: Williams, Lawrence

Co-PI:

Award Amount: $420,000

Program(s): CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS

Abstract: In this project, funded by the Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Lawrence J. Williams of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey aims to establish a deep understanding of the structure and reactivity of dissymmetric molecules and to extend significantly the strategic application of dissymmetric molecules in chemical synthesis. As part of this project, compounds that are dissymmetric due to stable conformer formation will be synthesized in enantioenriched form. Dissymmetric species lack the archetypal stereogenic center or axis of chirality and have been used as key strategic elements only very rarely. Suitable scaffolds will be prepared for structural, mechanistic, and methodology studies, and will be evaluated for their ability to undergo stereoselective transformations to give structurally complex natural products of value for further study. The broader impacts involves training undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students in a diverse and integrated learning environment that encourages knowledge and experience sharing and builds ties and collaborations in the greater New Jersey chemistry community. This project could advance the knowhow to prepare synthetic products. Be they chemicals, reagents, catalysts, intermediates, therapeutics, polymers, or molecular tools, probes, materials, or machines, the uses of synthetic products span science and engineering and permeate the modern world. Much of the knowledge categorized as organic chemistry was extracted, either directly or indirectly, from studies aimed at the synthesis of challenging molecules and complex molecule synthesis continues to be the most effective conduit for advancing our understanding of molecular structure and reactivity.

CDI-Type I: Collaborative Research: Gaining Knowledge from Other Patients: Structuring and Searching the content of Health-Related Web Posts

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1027801

NSF Funding Organization: BCS

Principal Investigator: Marian, Amelie

Co-PI:

Award Amount: $302,268

Program(s): CDI TYPE I

Abstract: Individuals with chronic diseases rely more and more on online forums, blogs, and mailing lists to exchange information, practical tips, and stories about their conditions and to get emotional support from their peers. While this type of social networking has become central to the daily lives and decision-making processes of many patients, there has been little research on the quality of the content it conveys, as well as its use and impact in the fields of medicine and public health. On the patients' side, forums are surprisingly technologically poor: users have often no choice but to browse through massive numbers of posts while looking for a particular piece of information. The lack of appropriate tools to organize, analyze and ultimately understand the overwhelming number of health-related, patient-written posts hinders researchers from investigating this medium and hinders patients from using this medium to its full potential. This project aims at helping both patients and health professionals access online patient-authored information by creating tools to search for information in patient forums. The proposed work spans several fields: natural language processing, data management, information retrieval, public health and behavioral medicine, and it will build the foundations for understanding peer patient posts available through online forums and mailing lists. This proposal aims at bringing together information processing and medical understanding of patient-centric resources. The work in this project will process texts from an emerging medium, which directly addresses the immediate concerns of patients. The tools designed as part of this project will benefit the researchers who study the behaviors and information needs of patients online. These tools, such as the intelligent search engine for posts, will also enhance the experience of the patients themselves, who are avid users of this medium. In addition to the research agenda, this proposal presents an education plan consistent with the overall goal of bridging the gap between researchers in computer science and researchers in medical fields. In particular, a course is presented that introduces methods of intelligent information processing in the context of research questions important to the fields of public health and medicine.

Workshops: Special Focus on Algorithmic Decision Theory

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1024722

NSF Funding Organization: SES

Principal Investigator: Roberts, Fred

Co-PI:

Award Amount: 70000

Program(s): COMPUT GAME THEORY & ECON|METHOD, MEASURE & STATS|DECISION RISK & MANAGEMENT SCI

Abstract: As a consequence of advances in information technology and communication unprecedented quantities of information are available for use in making decisions and this information can be transmitted at unprecedented speed. At the same time, the process for integrating these vast quantities of data is daunting and particularly so given that much of the data available is incomplete and unreliable. Three events bringing together scholars in a variety of disciplines (e.g., computer science, economics, decision theory and mathematics) to explore possibilities for developing algorithmic methods for addressing the information aggregation / decision making problem engendered by the availability of vast quantities of noisy data and applied workshops to consider how such algorithms might be applied in specific domains (e.g., health care, ecology and port security) will be conducted. These are: 1) Sessions at the Second International Conference on Algorithmic Decision Theory aimed at identifying concrete research projects/problems involving aggregation of vast quantities of noisy data and and small working group meetings following the conference to spell out those projects. 2) Two workshops, one on Algorithmic Decision Theory for the Smart Grid and one on Algorithmic Decision Theory for Robust Ports. These activities are intended to spawn new networks among researchers in many fields and provide new methods and tools for addressing many important decision problems that confront policy makers.

A Research and Education Model for Middle School Geosciences Education

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1034920

NSF Funding Organization: GEO

Principal Investigator: DeLuca, Michael

Co-PI:

Award Amount: $139,161

Program(s): GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION

Abstract: A partnership of research scientists, science educators and supporters of science-based conservation are developing mechanisms to engage middle school students and educators from a major urban region in geosciences research with advanced sampling and sensing platforms. The collective science and education strengths of Rutgers University, the N.J. Marine Sciences Consortium/N.J. Sea Grant College Program, Brookdale Community College, the National Park Service, and the Sandy Hook Foundation -- a nongovernmental organization, constitute the backbone of a partnership that is incorporating real-world geoscience programs into formal and informal science curricula and activities at the Red Bank Middle School. The school is revamping its science curricula to align it with the new state science standards which were just revised to include the Earth sciences. The partnership is developing educational strategies to incorporate real-world science and technology into the new curricula with an emphasis on inquiry-based learning, integrated science topics, and the inclusion of technology. Educational strategies also are being developed to enrich after school programs and enhance science content for field programs delivered at the Sandy Hook Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area, National Park Service.

MRI: Acquisition of Research Human Imaging System for Rutgers University

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1039505

NSF Funding Organization: BCS

Principal Investigator: Hanson, Stephen

Co-PI: Bart Krekelberg, Mauricio Delgado

Award Amount: $1,820,000

Program(s): MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION

Abstract: This award from the Major Research Instrumentation program is for the acquisition of a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner to be housed at Rutgers University main campus in Newark in the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience. It will be available to researchers from all three Rutgers campuses (Newark, New Brunswick, and Camden) as well as to those from nearby institutions, especially New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and the Kessler Foundation Research Center. The scanner will allow work to proceed on investigating brain-behavior relationships. The specific questions addressed are organized around six clusters of research: 1) neuroeconomics, 2) learning, memory, and plasticity, 3) human development, 4) perception and sensation, 5) mechanisms of mental illness, and 6) computational neuroimaging. The overarching theme that links the clusters is that they all broadly relate to the learning sciences.

MRI: Acquisition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1039828

NSF Funding Organization: CHE

Principal Investigator: Piotrowiak, Piotr

Co-PI: Elena Galoppini, Frieder Jaekle, Huixin He, Evert Elzinga

Award Amount: $319,725

Program(s): MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION

Abstract: With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, Piotr Piotrowiak and colleagues Elena Galoppini, Frieder Jaekle, Huixin He and Evert Elzinga from Rutgers University Newark will acquire a field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersed X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The proposal is aimed at enhancing research, research training and education at all levels. The instrument will support research in a number of areas including studies of exciton and charge dynamics in semiconductor nanostructures and hybrid molecular/nanoparticle systems, investigation of geochemical processes at mineral-water interfaces that control the speciation of heavy metals, studies directed at a molecular-level understanding of interfacial electron transfer through the synthesis of 'sensitizer' dyes, the development of new synthetic chemistry of organoboron compounds and functional polymers with sub-micron structure, and the development of hybrid sensors based on nanotube-polymer interactions. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is one of the basic tools available for the characterization of materials. A beam of electrons scans the surface of a sample resulting in a microimage of the sample composition. The electron microscope can provide higher resolution and magnification than a microscope using light to probe the material. Characteristic X-rays are produced from interaction with atoms in the sample that when dispersed provide information on the elemental composition (EDS). This instrumentation will provide microscopy training and research opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students across many fields including chemistry, earth sciences and environmental science fields preparing them for the demands of the 21st century workforce in science and technology.

U.S.-India International Collaborative Research and Training for Computer Science Students

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1050968

NSF Funding Organization: OISE

Principal Investigator: Gandhi, Rajiv

Co-PI:

Award Amount: $49,946

Program(s): COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

Abstract: Rajiv Gandhi OISE- 1050968 U.S.-India International Collaborative Research and Training for Computer Science Students This international collaborative research and training award to Computer Science Professor Rajiv Gandhi will provide a unique research and educational experience in Mumbai, India for four promising computer science students from Rutgers University-Camden. The students along with the PI will work on Approximation Algorithms for NP-hard problems (Non-deterministic Polynomial Time) with mentors Suneeta Sane, Professor and Head, Computer Technology Department, Veermate Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) and faculty at the School of Technology and Computer Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The problems that the group intends to work on arise in ad hoc and storage area networks. Intellectual Merit- Scheduling problems play a central role in the design of communication networks. Many of these problems are NP-hard and hence efficient algorithms that produce near-optimal solutions are of intrinsic importance. Such algorithms can have significant impact on the performance of the networks in terms of scalability and the usage of valuable resources such as bandwidth (and power, in case of ad hoc networks). Broader Impacts- The PI joined the faculty at Rutgers University Camden, a liberal arts institution, in order to focus on undergraduate education. The core component of the proposed project is to provide an international research and education experience to students at Rutgers University Camden. All students participating in this project are expected to pursue graduate studies. As two of the international collaborators are women, this is likely to have the additional positive impact on the long-term goals of the participating female students in this project.

Genome Structure and Variation Workshop to be held in the summer 2011 at Rutgers Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIM

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1062170

NSF Funding Organization: MCB

Principal Investigator: Roberts, Fred

Co-PI:

Award Amount: $36,190

Program(s): Genetic Mechanisms

Abstract: DNA commonly is viewed as an evenly spaced double helix and often depicted simply as a string of letters or even as two parallel lines. Genomes typically are analyzed by treating DNA sequences as if they actually were composed of strings of letters. In addition, both evolutionary biologists and computational biologists often make the assumption that all genetic variation is generated in a random manner. In reality, however, the structure of DNA is not monotonous, but rather varies along its sequence, sometimes dramatically so. Such variation in structure leads to sequence-dependent variations in the fidelity of DNA copying and repair. That the probability of distinct classes of mutations varies along a DNA sequence has implications for evolutionary theory because selection acts on heritable variation when this variation affects fitness. Highly mutable sequences have, in fact, evolved in genome regions such as those encoding pathogen coats, where increased diversity in a population favors survival. In addition, the fidelity of DNA replication and repair is affected by the activities of multiple enzymes (which can be induced by environmental or cell-type specific factors), and furthermore, it is becoming increasingly obvious that some of the information in DNA is carried in forms that can be obscured by treating DNA as if it actually were comprised only of a sequence of letters. Often it is the conformation of DNA (or RNA) or the relationship among sequences that carries the information. It is factors such as these that will be the focus of the Genome Structure and Variation Conference. A broad interdisciplinary group of researchers will gather to explore the impact of our increasing understanding of DNA structure, repair, replication, and organization on subjects ranging from evolution and the dependence of the effect of mutagens on environmental and sequence context to non-canonical forms of information representation in genomes. Incorporating our knowledge of the sequence-dependent effects of DNA structure and context on the analysis of genome sequence and variation is a computational challenge. However, in order for new methods to be developed, the appropriate communities must be made aware of the existence of novel biochemical and genetic observations on the one hand, and the potential for creation of novel computational tools on the other. By bringing together experts in these different areas to share ideas and begin a dialog, this workshop should serve as a catalyst for new collaborations and insights, along with the development of algorithms that will enable us to discover novel ways in which information affecting genetic variation and regulation is represented within genomes. In addition, this meeting is designed to facilitate productive interactions between early-career scientists, including graduate students, and the leading researchers at the conference.

RAPID: Support to the IODE/OBIS Project Office at Rutgers

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1062473

NSF Funding Organization: OCE

Principal Investigator: Vanden Berghe, Edward

Co-PI:

Award Amount: 100000

Program(s): |BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Abstract: The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) was established within the Census of Marine Life program (CoML), supported by a host of organizations including NSF, to house and make available data on all marine species with open-access through the World Wide Web. The OBIS server is located at Rutgers University. OBIS has become an invaluable resource for marine research with contributing members and data users world-wide. It is a world-wide database reflecting the diversity of ocean life, its distribution and abundance and it is an ocean database that will be instrumental in addressing global change issues. OBIS is intended to transition to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and its activity on International Ocean Data Exchange (IODE). This was formalized with the IOC-UNESCO as of 2010 but will take some time to implement. Requests have been made for IOC member states to contribute to support of OBIS starting in 2011; however, immediate support is needed for the transition to secure the future of OBIS. This RAPID award is the appropriate mechanism to quickly provide support for an uninterrupted transition to keep the system viable and available during the process, and to continue the coordinating efforts needs for the incorporation of OBIS into the IOC. OBIS invaluable to the marine research community, educators, resource managers, and the public. The accumulation of biodiversity data and enhanced accessed through OBIS can lead to better environmental management decisions and educational opportunities world-wide.

RET Site: Rutgers University Research Experience for Teachers in Engineering (RU RET-E)

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1009797

NSF Funding Organization: EEC

Principal Investigator: Cook-Chennault, Kimberly

Co-PI: Evelyn Laffey

Award Amount: $450,000

Program(s): RES EXP FOR TEACHERS(RET)-SITE

Abstract: This award provides funding for a three year standard award to support a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering Site program at Rutgers University entitled, "RET Site: Rutgers University Research Experience for Teachers in Engineering (RU RET-E)", under the direction of Dr. Kimberly Cook-Chennault. This RET in Engineering Site aims to: 1) engage a total of 24 pre- and in-service middle and high school mathematics and science teachers in innovative "green" engineering research during the summer, and 2) support teachers as they leverage their research experience by integrating engineering innovation into their academic year, pre-college classrooms. This project will build a long-term collaborative relationship between local district schools and the Rutgers University School of Engineering. This partnership will infuse engineering education into the middle and high school curriculum and provide an enriching experience for pre- and in-service teachers. The lessons developed will be interdisciplinary, meet New Jersey State Standards, presented to a larger group of educators, and be available for download on the World Wide Web. Teaching strategies and lesson plans will be disseminated to non-RU RET-E participants for greater impact via an academic year workshop.

Scattering Theory and Non-Equilibrium Transport in Quantum

Start Date: 10/1/2010

Award Number: 1006684

NSF Funding Organization: DMR

Principal Investigator: Andrei, Natan

Co-PI:

Award Amount: $95,000

Program(s): CONDENSED MATTER & MAT THEORY

Abstract: TECHNICAL SUMMARY This award supports theoretical research and education on dynamics of strongly correlated nanostructures out of equilibrium. The project will contribute to our understanding of how to describe interacting quantum systems carrying currents imposed by leads kept at different chemical potentials or temperatures, a subject of fundamental importance for theory and experiment with significant practical applications. The research combines several topical areas: the study of strongly correlated electron systems which seeks to understand new collective phenomena brought about by interactions; the study of nanostructures involving problems of transport and spectral properties analyzed in restricted geometries with emphasis on the interplay between disorder and interactions; nonequilibrium thermodynamics in many-body quantum systems. All these areas provide essential components in the study of the dynamics in nanoscale devices. Advances in fabrication have made nanodevices accessible to experiment. So, fundamental issues of nonequilibrium physics can be tested experimentally with a high degree of precision. This requires detailed theoretical predictions that the PI aims to provide. The theoretical approach to be pursued is based on scattering theory with the scattering eigenstates constructed via the Bethe Ansatz. The eigenstates are defined on the open infinite line with boundary conditions set by the bias voltage or temperature drop imposed by the leads. One obtains explicit predictions for non-equilibrium properties, such as charge and heat currents, entropy production and dissipation, as well as for quantities central in mesoscopics such as decoherence times and relaxation rates. All of these quantities can be experimentally tested. The PI will apply this approach to concrete models of nonequilibrium systems, including: the two leads Anderson model to model a quantum dot, the two leads Holstein model to model molecules in break junctions, and the two leads AB interferometer. The PI aims to develop precise predictions that can be compared with experiment and may lead to new insights about steady-state behaviors. This project contributes to the education of postdocs and student researchers in learning advanced theoretical techniques and their application to concrete experimental systems. The PI is also currently writing a book on nonperturbative approaches to quantum impurity systems. NONTECHNICAL SUMMARY This award supports theoretical research and education on dynamics of electrons which interact strongly with each other in systems of atoms that are some ten to hundred times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. The PI will focus on situations where the electrons in these nanostructures are not in the balanced and tranquil state of equilibrium. Rather, the PI will investigate situations where the electrons are far from equilibrium as might happen when a voltage is applied across a nanostructure forcing the electrons to move. Systems far from equilibrium are not well understood. The correlated motion of electrons that results from their strong interaction provides additional complexity, but is an important ingredient to include in order to develop the theoretical and conceptual tools that enable the modeling and design of the necessarily quantum mechanical electronic devices that may be developed on the nanoscale. Postdocs and student researchers will be involved in the research, which will contribute to their education in advanced theoretical techniques and the application of these techniques to materials and systems at the blurry interface of materials and devices on the nanoscale.