University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers Drs. Yogesh K. Vohra, Eugenia Kharlampieva and Amber Genau have won a $597,000 federal grant to support up to five doctoral students in the interdisciplinary materials science program. Read entire article here.
Congratulations to Dr. Eugenia Khamlampieva on her new National Science Foundation grant for MRI: Acquisition of an Atomic Force Microscope for Materials Research and Education.
Dr. Kharlampieva says: This Major Research Instrumentation award supports the University of Alabama at Birmingham to acquire an atomic force microscope for interdisciplinary materials research and education. This microscope supports a diverse, multi-departmental research in soft materials ranging from soft synthetic hydrogels to relatively dense composites and biological structures. The instrument will be located at UAB Department of Chemistry and will combine the capabilities for high-resolution and high-speed imaging with quantitative nanomechanical mapping.
The ability to acquire multifunctional, high-resolution data under a wide range of operating conditions allows for studies on a broad spectrum of dry and hydrated samples. The types of samples extend from synthetic networks, polymer composites, nanodevices, to cell membranes and tissues. The common theme among these samples is that they all involve soft materials, i.e., synthetic polymers, biological structures, or combinations of the two. An increased ability to characterize state-of-the-art nanomaterials results in an enhanced fundamental understanding of the structural properties of soft materials and the composition at their surfaces. This includes the effect of the surface morphology on the physical, biological, and chemical characteristics of the materials.
The understanding enables transformative research for the development of new materials in tissue regenerative therapies, controlled drug delivery, molecular sensing, and related biotechnologies. The atomic force microscope will also play a vital role in student education in the fields of chemistry, materials science, biomedical science, and biomedical engineering. A high-caliber research environment is vital to the regional economy in Central Alabama through raising community awareness toward biomedical and soft-materials technologies.
Tissue engineering is a transformative branch of regenerative medicine —a cutting-edge field that has the potential to revolutionize the future of healthcare.
See enitre article at the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research web site.
PER the NSF website: The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will host a Research Experiences
for Undergraduates (REU)-site in experimental and computational materials research. This REU-site project plans to recruit students from underrepresented groups and academic institutions where research opportunities are limited. This project offers a broad range of interdisciplinary materials research experiences to undergraduate students with a diversity of backgrounds in physics, chemistry, applied mathematics, and engineering. The undergraduate students will gain experience in materials synthesis, materials characterization and computer modeling and simulations during their ten-week research stay at UAB campus. The scientific research projects have been specifically developed for undergraduate students by an interdisciplinary team consisting of science and engineering faculty at UAB. This project will continue to provide lecture series and workshops in materials growth and characterization, research ethics, and professionalism, innovation and entrepreneurship, and preparation for graduate school to all participants. Our REU participants will publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals and/or present at professional meetings leading to a broad dissemination of new knowledge created in the undergraduate research projects.
REU research projects are organized in four research clusters: (1) materials under extreme conditions (2) materials for energy applications, (3) materials for sensors and laser applications, and (4) biomaterials for implants, tissue engineering, and drug delivery applications. The undergraduate research projects contribute to fundamental understanding of phase transformations and degradation of materials under extreme conditions, novel materials for fuel cells, materials for nanoscale sensors and mid-IR lasers, and 3-D printed biomaterials and stimuli-responsive polymers. Some research projects will also involve the use of national x-ray synchrotron facilities and neutron diffraction facilities in materials research. The undergraduate student projects have short-term achievable milestones, while simultaneously contributing to longer-term scientific goals and technological applications. Our teaming arrangement of REU participants with faculty and graduate students, giving poster and oral presentations, writing a research-style paper, and attending training seminars in scientific communications and ethics will help REU students see the “big picture” of what it takes to develop into a “research scientist” with the critical skills needed for analyzing, interpreting and presenting scientific data.
This award reflects NSF’s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation’s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
The Alabama Space Grant Consortium is now accepting undergraduate scholarship and graduate fellowship applications. The following is a brief summary of the undergraduate (Table 1) and graduate (Table 2) program details extracted from program application packages (attached). Please read the package in its entirely for complete details and requirements.
UAB is among the largest site in the Consortium and as such, expectations are high with regard to the number of applications received. We are asking faculty to personally reach out to both undergraduate and graduate students and encourage them to apply.
Please share with anyone who you think would be interested in this program (scholarships are for Jr./Sr. in STEM fields and Fellowships are for graduate students in STEM fields). Must be a U.S. citizen.
| 2018 – 2019 Alabama Space Grant Consortium Scholarship | ||
| Award Amount | Brief Summary | |
| ASGC Scholarship | $1,000
(possible renewal) |
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| Application Deadline | February 28, 2018 | |
| Award Announcement | Mid May 2018 | |
| Award Criteria | Scholarship awards will be based on academic excellence, the student’s accomplishments and description of their career intentions towards an aerospace career. | |
| Fields of Study | Space related fields include any academic discipline or field of study (including the physical, natural,and biological sciences; engineering; education; economics; business; sociology; behavioral sciences; computer science; communications; law; international affairs; and public administration) that is concerned with or likely to improve the understanding, assessment, development and utilization of space. | |
| Eligibility
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| Apply Online only | ||
| Required documents
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| Awardee Requirements
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Final report
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FELLOWSHIP INFORMATION
| 2018 – 2019 Alabama Space Grant Consortium Fellowship | ||
| Award Amount | Brief Summary | |
| ASGC Fellowship | Not to exceed $37,000/12 mos
(possible renewal) |
$24,000 for stipend
$12,000 for tuition/insurance $1,000 Student Travel allowance |
| Application Deadline | February 28, 2018 | |
| Award Announcement | Mid May 2018 | |
| Award Criteria | Fellowship awards will be based on academic excellence, the quality of the proposed research program or plan of study, the quality of the interdisciplinary approach to achieving the objectives of the proposed program, the merit of the utilization of a NASA field center in carrying out their objectives, the prospects for completion of the project within the allotted time, and an assessment of the applicant’s motivation towards an aerospace career. | |
| Fields of Study | Space related fields include any academic discipline or field of study (including the physical, natural, and biological sciences; engineering; education; economics; business; sociology; behavioral sciences; computer science; communications; law; international affairs; and public administration) that is concerned with or likely to improve the understanding, assessment, development and utilization of space. | |
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| Apply Online only | ASGC Fellowship Graduate Information Booklet 2018
Apply online: https://spacegrant.net/apps/?pk=alf |
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Awardee Requirements
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| Of utmost importance: Applicants should identify source of cost sharing prior to submitting an application. Please discuss with faculty mentor and have mentor faculty mentor discuss with department chair regarding providing the funds for cost sharing in the amount of $18,500 | ||
A partnership comprising nine universities in Alabama, including The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) as the lead institution (Dr. Gary Zank, PI), has been awarded a $20 million, five-year grant by the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR
Along with UAH, the partnership includes the University of Alabama (lead: Dr. R. Branam), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (lead: Dr. Y. Vohra), Auburn University (lead: Dr. E. Thomas), Tuskegee University (lead: Dr. V. Rangari), the University of South Alabama (lead: Dr. E. Spencer), Alabama A&M University (leads: Dr. R. Mentreddy and Dr. E. Cebert), Alabama State University (lead: Dr. K. Vig), and Oakwood University (lead: Dr. A. Volkov), with additional assistance from CFD Research Corporation (lead: Dr. V. Kolobov), a computational fluid dynamics software company located in Cummings Research Park. These members bring “a range of expertise in space science, laboratory plasma physics, materials, biosciences, and manufacturing to this endeavor,” says Dr. Zank )….(more).
