New Research, Spring 2008

Volker Briken, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, has received an award from the National Institutes of Health for his project on “The Mechanism of host cell apoptosis inhibition by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.” This project will test the hypothesis that Mycobacterium tuberculosis inhibits infection-induced apoptosis (cell death) of macrophages (cells involved in host immune response) thereby evading the host’s innate and adaptive immune response. It also proposes that the discovery of mycobacterial genes involved in the inhibition of host cell apoptosis will lead to new drug targets for resolving persistent bacterial infections and new improved attenuated vaccine strains. The grant runs through January 2009 and is for $143,751.

Amy Brown, Professor, Department of Entomology, received a grant for her project “Master Gardener-facilitated IPM education for homeowners," from the Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center / USDA competitive grants program. The co-PI on this multi-state project is Amanda Matheny, Dr. Brown´s M.S. student in Marine-Estuarine Environmental Sciences. Collaborators include members of USDA, NRCS, and MD nursery producers. The project will evaluate motivating factors and barriers to adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and improved pesticide handling practices by consumers. Incorporating both research and outreach components, it will provide insight into ways to increase adoption of pest management practices that are protective of environment and health. The award is for $55,650.

Mike Doyle, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received a four-year grant from the National Science Foundation for his project “Exploring the Multi-valency of Dirhodium Carboxamidates: From Catalytic Mechanisms of Oxidation to Materials Applications.” His efforts focus on two fundamental discoveries in the chemistry of metal compounds.  The first is chemical oxidations of organic compounds by inexpensive tert-butyl hydroperoxide (70% in water) using these metal compounds.  The second is based on a discovery of a new class of metal-containing organic compounds that show high potential as new and unexplored materials. The first year of the grant runs through April 2009 and is for $155,500.

Doug English, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received a grant from the Maryland Technology Development Corporation for his project on "Surfactant vesicles for nucleic acid encapsulation and delivery" which seeks to evaluate the usefulness of cationic surfactant-based vesicles as a new, broadly-applicable transfection vector for the delivery of DNA and small interfering RNA (siRNA) to mammalian cells. The aim is to use these vesicles to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) into macrophages and to obtain high transfection rates with minimal cell death.  If successful, this could lead to improved methods for studying gene-silencing and new tools for improving gene therapy.  The grant runs through February 2009 and is for $50,000.

William F. Fagan, Professor of Biology, received a grant from the National Science Foundation for “MathBench Modules:  Mathematics for all biology undergraduates." This project seeks to integrate quantitative approaches and mathematics more deeply into the undergraduate biology curriculum to reinforce biological concepts, increase math literacy, and prepare students for upper-level courses.  Interactive web-based modules are used to help students see that understanding the math enhances the understanding of the biology. This grant also enables Montgomery College to implement MathBench modules in their introductory biology classes, since many students transfer from there to UM.  The grant runs through December 2009 and is for $191,213.

Charles Fenster, Associate Professor of Biology, was awarded a National Evolutionary Synthesis Working Grant from the to investigate " Floral Assembly: Quantifying the composition of a complex adaptive structure.”  The award will allow Dr. Fenster and 10 other investigators (including 2 from Canada and 1 from the UK) to meet, discuss, and synthesize ideas about the evolution of complexity using flowers as models of adaptation.

Janice Reutt-Robey, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received a grant from the National Science Foundation for her project "Molecular Interfaces in Multi-component Films.”  This project focuses on molecular semiconductors that are revolutionizing materials technologies by optimizing the electronic properties of semiconducting films. Her research is developing methods for nanostructuring molecular semiconductor films with the potential for improved device efficiencies.  Differences in the cohesion energies of semiconducting molecules and variable substrates are harnessed to control domain size, composition, and molecular architecture.  The impact of chemical morphology on charge separation and transfer is then determined from local probes of electronic structure.  The grant runs through January 2011 and is for 482,000.

Paula Shrewsbury, Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, received a grant for her project "Cover Crops for Sustainable Pest Management and Soil Quality in Production Nurseries" from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE SARE) Competitive Grants Program. Co-PI´s on this inter-college, multi-disciplinary project are Dr. Ray Weil (Department of Environmental Science and Technology, AGNR), Stanton Gill (MCE, AGNR), and Charles Schuster (MCE, AGNR). Collaborators include members of USDA, NRCS, and MD nursery producers. The project
will evaluate the use of cover crops for suppressing pest outbreaks and improving soil quality and includes on-farm research and several methods of outreach to educate stakeholders and further the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The award is for $175,920.

Robert Walker, Associate Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry, received a grant from the Office of Naval Research for his project, “In situ Optical Studies of SOFC High Performance Anodes.” The project allows Dr. Walker, Dr. Bryan Eichhorn, and collaborators at the Naval Research Laboratory to explore the mechanisms of electrochemical oxidation in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs).  SOFCs are efficient sources of DC electricity that operate at high temperatures with virtually any kind of fuel.  The goals of this project include using vibrational spectroscopy to identify chemical intermediates on and near SOFC anodes and creating novel anode architectures intended to improve SOFC performance. The grant runs through September 2010 and is for $120,000.

Jonathan Z. Simon, Assistant Professor of Biology and Electrical and Computer Engineering, received a five-year grant from the NIH for his project “The Neural Basis of Perceptually-Relevant Auditory Modulations in Humans.”  The goal of this research is to understand how acoustic modulations, the building blocks of speech and other natural sounds, are encoded in the auditory cortex. To do this parallel sets of experiments will be employed: the first will use a non-invasive tool, Magnetoencephalography, to record from human auditory cortex, and the other using extracellular recording methods in an animal model.  The grant award totals $1.2 million.