AnGayle (AJ) Vasiliou (Chemistry and Biochemistry) has received a National Science Foundation grant through the Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) mechanism for a project titled RUI: Sulfur Chemistry: Molecular Mechanisms. The proposed work seeks to answer questions regarding the reaction mechanisms for the thermal decomposition of sulfur compounds encountered in petroleum and biofuels, which is currently poorly understood and in some cases completely unknown. This knowledge gap prevents any progress in refinery cleanup methodology, and the proposed work could lead to technology improvements in current desulfurization processes for both petroleum and biomass refineries. Six Middlebury undergraduates will be working with AJ on this project.
Category Archives: Science
Vermont Genetics Network grants for research in the biomedical sciences to David Allen, Amanda Crocker, Michael Dash, Michael Durst, Glen Ernstrom, Clarissa Parker, and AJ Vasiliou
Middlebury College is one of the baccalaureate partner institutions participating in a major grant from the National Institutes of Health to the University of Vermont. This grant continues the Vermont Genetics Network support that has been an important source of funding for faculty and student research during the past decade. Project grants support summer and academic-year effort for faculty members from June 2016-May 2017, and pilot grants support summer effort for faculty members from June 2016-August 2016. The following faculty members received individual grants from this program to support their research this year:
David Allen (Biology) received a pilot grant titled Elevational Gradient in Black-legged Tick Density and Borrelia-infection. The proposed work aims to understand how the population and phenology of the black-legged tick, the Lyme disease vector, change with elevation. Understanding this relationship will allow for more targeted tick control and Lyme disease prevention efforts. The grant includes support for two undergraduate students.
Amanda Crocker (Neuroscience) received a pilot grant titled Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Plasticity and Diversity in Neural Circuits. The proposed work aims to understand how long-term memories are encoded molecularly within individual neurons, and the work has the potential to provide novel molecular pathways and drug targets for age-related cognitive decline and diseases. The grant includes support for two undergraduate students.
Michael Dash (Psychology and Neuroscience) received a pilot grant titled Metabolic Consequences of Synaptic Plasticity. The proposed work aims to characterize the basic biological processes that maintain balance between energy supply and demand in the healthy brain, and the work will provide a foundation for novel therapeutic targets to treat the widespread impairments in energy balance and cellular communication characteristic of most neurodegenerative disorders. The grant includes support for one undergraduate student.
Michael Durst (Physics) received a renewal of his project grant titled High-Speed 3D Multiphoton Fluorescence Imaging with Temporal Focusing Microscopy. The proposed work aims to improve the speed of 3D multiphoton microscopy through temporal focusing, with the goal of reaching video-rate 3D imaging in biological tissue. The grant includes support for two undergraduate students.
Glen Ernstrom (Biology and Neuroscience) received a renewal of his project grant titled Genetic Analysis of Neurotransmitter Release in C. Elegans. The proposed research investigates how the pH of synaptic vesicles regulates how neurons signal. Greater understanding of this process could aid the development of novel drug therapies to either enhance or inhibit neurotransmitter release. The grant includes support for four undergraduate students.
Clarissa Parker (Psychology and Neuroscience) received a renewal of her project grant titled Genome-wide Association for Ethanol Sensitivity in the DO Mouse Population. The goal of this work is to use a highly recombinant mouse population to map genes in mice. A better understanding of the pathways linking genetic variation and expression to neuronal function and behavior in mice will provide novel insights that can inform the prevention and treatment of psychiatric disorders in humans. The grant includes support for two undergraduate students.
AnGayle (AJ) Vasiliou (Chemistry & Biochemistry) received a renewal of her project grant titled Thermal Composition of Biomass: Molecular Pathways for Sulfur Chemistry. The aim of this research is to elucidate the detailed chemical mechanisms and kinetics associated with the thermal decomposition of sulfur compounds found in biomass feedstock. The results of this work can be used to develop a sound strategy to suppress the formation of poisonous sulfur compounds during biomass decomposition, generating clean liquid fuels and ultimately lowering sulfur emissions. The grant includes support for two undergraduate students.
NSF Day at the University of Maine on October 13, 2016
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the University of Maine are hosting an NSF Day to be held on Thursday, October 13, 2016 from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm at the Cross Insurance Center, 515 Main Street in Bangor, Maine.
NSF Days provide basic insight and instruction on how to compete for NSF funding for science, engineering, and education research. This day-long workshop will provide background on the Foundation, its mission, priorities, and budget. During the day, there will be an overview on proposal writing, NSF’s merit review process, and programs that fall within the seven scientific and engineering directorates, as well as funding opportunities that cross disciplinary boundaries.
NSF representatives will be on hand to answer questions and to host discipline- and program-specific breakout sessions to personally engage in discussions with attendees.
See more details in the draft agenda.
Registration is $35 and must be completed by October 7, 2016.Space is limited. Fees include continental breakfast, lunch, and snack breaks. Registration fees are non-refundable (but may be transferable with at least three days notice, if necessary).
Will Amidon receives collaborative grant from National Science Foundation
Will Amidon (Geology) has received support from the National Science Foundation for a project titled Testing Models of Passive Margin Rejuvenation in the Eastern U.S. He and a collaborator at the State University of New York Plattsburgh received a three year grant to work on understanding mountain uplift and erosion over the last 100 million years (Myr) in the northeastern United States. The work address the fundamental question of why mountains still exist in the northeastern U.S. despite more than 300 Myr since that last major tectonic collision. One idea is that the northeast has experienced subtle tectonic events in the last 100 Myr which were strong enough to grow mountains, but difficult to detect through conventional methods. Seven Middlebury undergraduates will be working with Will on this project.
Frank Winkler receives grant from NASA’s Space Telescope Science Institute for Collaborative Research
Frank Winkler (Emeritus Professor, Physics) has been awarded funding from the NASA-funded Space Telescope Science Institute for his role in a collaborative research project involving researchers at Curtin University in Australia and Johns Hopkins University. This project entails observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and is titled Diagnosing the super-Eddington accretion/outflow regime using the microquasar MQ1 in M83. The goal of the observations, which come as a follow-up to previous studies from Hubble and from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, is to better understand an unusual black hole in the southern spiral galaxy M83, also known as the southern pinwheel. Previous studies suggest that the black hole provides the energy source for radiation in excess of what simple physics models allow (the “Eddington limit”) , and has done so for thousands of years. The team hopes to learn how this is possible, or else why this interpretation may be incorrect.
Michael Linderman receives NIH grant for genomic literacy assessment tool
Michael Linderman (Computer Science) has received funding from the National Institutes of Health for a research project entitled Developing a Genomics Literacy Measure. This NIH Small Grant, awarded to Michael earlier this year while he was at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has been transferred to Middlebury. The grant will fund the development and validation of a new measure to assess genomic literacy that is reliable across diverse groups of examinees. This tool will enable the rigorous measurement of genomic literacy in the general population and the evaluation of educational programs designed to improve genomic literacy.
Observatory Stargazing Open House Nights – Summer 2016
Middlebury College Observatory and Middlebury Physics will again host stargazing open house nights this summer. These Observatory events are scheduled for Wednesday evenings, June 29, July 6, 20, 27, and August 3, from 9:00 PM until 10:30 PM and are weather permitting.
Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars will be in the evening sky on many of these dates. A variety of interesting stars, star clusters, and nebulae will also be visible through the Observatory’s telescopes. The Observatory includes a 24-inch telescope in a dome and smaller telescopes on the roof.
Observatory open house nights are free and open to the public. As these are minimal language events, they are also appropriate for Language Schools students. These events will take place only if the sky is expected to be mostly clear. Please check the Observatory web site at go/observatory or call the Observatory at 443-2266 after 7 PM on the evening of the event for weather status.
AJ Vasiliou receives ACS PRF New Investigator Award
AnGayle (AJ) Vasiliou (Chemistry and Biochemistry) has received an Undergraduate New Investigator grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund for a project titled Sulfur Chemistry: Molecular Mechanisms. The proposed work seeks to answer questions regarding the reaction mechanisms for the thermal decomposition of sulfur compounds. Because raw energy sources such as coal, petroleum, and biomass all contain varying quantities of sulfur contaminants, this work should provide useful information for improving sulfur removal technologies. Six Middlebury undergraduates will be working with AJ on this project.
Will Amidon receives ACS PRF research grant
Will Amidon (Geology) has received an Undergraduate Research grant from American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund for a project titled Post-Rift Tectonism on Circum-Atlantic Margins. The goal of this research is to study the history of geologically recent mountain uplift and erosion in the northeastern U.S., where offshore sediment records suggest subtle tectonism occurred in the Late Cretaceous and Miocene. This work should provide basic information on when modern topography in the northeastern U.S. developed and also provide information about the stratigraphic evolution of Atlantic-style passive margins where many petroleum bearing deposits are formed. Six Middlebury undergraduates will be working with Will on this project.
Open House Nights at the College Observatory – Spring 2016
The Physics Department at Middlebury College will again host Open House nights at the College Observatory this spring. The Observatory, located atop McCardell Bicentennial Hall, will be open to the public for viewing the heavens on Friday evenings, April 29 and May 6, from 9:00 PM until 10:30 PM, provided the skies are mostly clear.
Jupiter will be in the evening sky on both of these dates. Also visible through our telescopes will be a number of interesting stars, star clusters, and nebulae. There is no set program for the Open House nights; the public is invited at any time between 9:00 PM and 10:30 PM.
The Observatory dome houses a 24-inch computer-controlled telescope. Additional, smaller telescopes will also be available on the roof deck for observing the night sky.
All Observatory public nights are free and open to the public, but will take place only if the sky is at least mostly clear. If the weather appears uncertain, visitors may call the Observatory at 443-2266 or visit the Observatory web site after 7:00 PM on the evening of the Open House for a status report. More information can also be found at go/observatory .
Also, please consider visiting the Observatory web site to sign up for our e-mail list with event announcements and status updates as well as to enjoy a wide variety of resources about astronomy at Middlebury and the night sky. The web site includes stunning images taken at the Observatory, information about what is currently visible in the night sky, history of the Observatory, and a summary of last year’s extensive Observatory upgrades.
The Observatory would like to acknowledge support from the Michele and David Mittelman (’76) Family Foundation for enabling substantial renovations and modernizations that represent a fundamental commitment to the long-term future of the Observatory, both for curricular and research uses, as well as for outreach. These improvements to the Observatory are helping ensure that Middlebury students, College community members, schoolchildren, and the public will continue to be able to explore the universe on the Middlebury campus under dark Vermont skies.