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National Science Foundation Launches Pilot Program for Industry-Integrated PhDs

National Science Foundation Launches Pilot Program for Industry-Integrated PhDs

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has initiated a new pilot program designed to provide doctoral students with practical industry experience as an integral part of their PhD studies. This program, named the UIDP Industry-Integrated PhD (I-PhD) Scholars Program, has been allocated $47 million over five years by the NSF. This funding is supplemented by additional investments from participating universities and industry partners. The program aims to support 250 students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields as they embark on their PhD journeys. The I-PhD Scholars Program will provide students with exposure to real-world industry research, which will be incorporated into their dissertations, thereby better preparing them for careers in industry.

Bronx Community College Secures $500,000 National Science Foundation Grant for STEM Education Reform

Bronx Community College Secures $500,000 National Science Foundation Grant for STEM Education Reform

Bronx Community College (BCC) has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to transform mathematics and biology education. The three-year project, titled 'Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning to Strengthen Quantitative Literacy, Academic Achievement, and Career Readiness in Community College Pathways,' aims to implement innovative, project-based learning approaches. This initiative will engage students in collaborative investigations of real-world problems using authentic data, moving beyond traditional lectures and routine problem sets. Dr. Kealey Dias, Professor in BCC’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, is the Principal Investigator, and Dr. Laura Broughton, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is the Co-Principal Investigator. The project focuses on foundational math and biology courses to make learning more relevant and prepare students for a workforce increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

USC Awarded $5.6 Million National Science Foundation Grant for Advanced AI Research and Optimization

USC Awarded $5.6 Million National Science Foundation Grant for Advanced AI Research and Optimization

The University of Southern California (USC) has received a $5.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) research. This funding is part of a larger $20 million grant distributed among USC, the University of California, Berkeley, and Georgia Tech, with Georgia Tech serving as the lead institution. The award renews the AI Research Institute for Advances in Optimization (AI4OPT) and aims to scale AI for millisecond-level, energy-efficient decision-making. USC's AI4OPT team, comprising four Viterbi professors, will focus on creating technologies that enable decision-making systems to adapt efficiently to new conditions. Additionally, USC will establish the world's first Ph.D. certification in AI and Optimization, known as the Operations Research and Artificial Intelligence (ORAI) specialization, and will bring the Seth Bonder summer camp for high school students to Los Angeles.

National Science Foundation Awards Grant to Klesse College for Disaster Resilience Research Program

National Science Foundation Awards Grant to Klesse College for Disaster Resilience Research Program

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a grant exceeding $420,000 to the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). This funding will establish a new research program named Simulation and Technology for Resilient Outcomes in Natural Hazards Engineering and Graduate-Readiness (STRONG-R). The program aims to provide research experiences for undergraduates (REUs) by sending 27 students, across three cohorts, to natural hazards research facilities at the University of Washington, Cal Berkeley, and UT Austin. This initiative builds upon Klesse College's decade-long involvement with the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI), a nationwide network dedicated to simulating and mitigating the effects of natural disasters. The program seeks to engage students from various disciplines, including civil engineering, computer science, data analytics, social sciences, public policy, geology, and materials science, to develop experti...

Gilead Sciences Opens New Research Center in California, Expanding Drug Discovery Capabilities

Gilead Sciences Opens New Research Center in California, Expanding Drug Discovery Capabilities

Gilead Sciences Opens New Research Center in California, Expanding Drug Discovery Capabilities

Matica Biotechnology and Bondwell Technologies Partner to Boost Texas Biotech Innovation

Matica Biotechnology and Bondwell Technologies Partner to Boost Texas Biotech Innovation

Matica Biotechnology and Bondwell Technologies Partner to Boost Texas Biotech Innovation

University of Texas at Austin to Lead $30 Million Robot Collaboration Center

University of Texas at Austin to Lead $30 Million Robot Collaboration Center

The University of Texas at Austin has been awarded a significant grant of $30 million by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish and lead the Center for Human and Robot Co-Adaptation. This new center, one of three new NSF Science and Technology Centers, will focus on researching how humans and robots can safely and effectively adapt and work together. The funding will provide $6 million annually for five years, with eligibility for an additional five years of funding. The center aims to build upon the work of Good Systems, a team of UT researchers dedicated to ethical artificial intelligence and proper AI usage. Peter Stone, head of the UT School of Computing and a founding member of Good Systems, stated that the project's objective is to understand the long-term impact of human-robot interaction to design robots that prioritize human well-being and adapt alongside them. The center includes 39 researchers from six universities and industry partners like Amazon and NVIDIA.

Locus Agriculture Introduces Unpac® to Combat Soil Compaction and Enhance Crop Performance

Locus Agriculture Introduces Unpac® to Combat Soil Compaction and Enhance Crop Performance

Locus Agriculture is expanding the use of its glycolipid-based soil conditioner, Unpac®, across various crop production systems to address soil compaction and improve water movement. Soil compaction is a widespread issue, identified as a concern on 22% of surveyed wheat, soybean, oat, and cotton fields by a USDA Economic Research Service analysis. Dense soils restrict root development and limit a crop's access to water and nutrients. Unpac utilizes fermentation-derived glycolipid technology to reduce surface tension, allowing water to penetrate and spread more effectively through the soil profile, thereby creating better conditions for root growth. Third-party laboratory tests have shown that Unpac reduces soil density across different moisture levels in agricultural soils from California's Central Coast and Central Valley, and improves water penetration compared to untreated water. The product is being incorporated into diverse cropping systems, including specialty crops like potatoes and strawberries, wh...

Ainnocence Inc. Unveils AINN-P1, a Protein Foundation Model Outperforming Larger AI Models in Drug Discovery

Ainnocence Inc. Unveils AINN-P1, a Protein Foundation Model Outperforming Larger AI Models in Drug Discovery

Ainnocence Inc. Unveils AINN-P1, a Protein Foundation Model Outperforming Larger AI Models in Drug Discovery

USDA Develops NovaFly for More Precise New World Screwworm Control

USDA Develops NovaFly for More Precise New World Screwworm Control

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a new technology called NovaFly, designed to enhance the precision of New World screwworm control efforts. This selective system aims to eliminate female screwworm flies during their embryonic stage, allowing for the release of primarily male sterile flies. Research entomologist Alex Arp stated that male flies are the key component in population suppression, as wild female screwworms mate only once. Traditional sterile insect technique (SIT) programs have involved releasing both male and female sterile flies, but NovaFly addresses this by ensuring that only male flies are released, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of the program. The technology allows researchers to maintain colonies with both sexes for reproduction, then activate the system to produce male-only generations for release. New World screwworm is a devastating pest whose larvae burrow into the flesh of living animals, including livestock, pets, wildlife, and occasionally humans, causi...

AI Integration Expands Beyond Computer Science into Diverse Academic Fields, Boosting Career Prospects

AI Integration Expands Beyond Computer Science into Diverse Academic Fields, Boosting Career Prospects

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into a wide array of traditional academic disciplines, moving beyond its conventional confines in computer science. Students are now combining AI and technology with subjects such as agriculture, healthcare, biotechnology, architecture, and fashion to address real-world challenges and create new career opportunities. For instance, programs in genetics and AI focus on genomic data analysis and drug discovery using machine learning. Architecture students are learning AI-assisted design and smart planning for sustainable development, while fashion design courses incorporate AI for trend forecasting and virtual sampling. Agriculture students are being trained in precision agriculture, smart monitoring, and drone technology for data-driven farming. This interdisciplinary approach aims to equip students with the skills to leverage data, digital tools, and intelligent systems within their specific fields of expertise.

Emulate Submits Human Liver-Chip Qualification Package to FDA for Drug-Induced Liver Injury Assessment

Emulate Submits Human Liver-Chip Qualification Package to FDA for Drug-Induced Liver Injury Assessment

Emulate Submits Human Liver-Chip Qualification Package to FDA for Drug-Induced Liver Injury Assessment