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STEM Center's Current & Past Projects

Current Projects

CAREER: Molecular Assemblies of Multidomain Signaling Protein on Membrane Surface

Abstract: Many proteins that carry out critical life processes are modular in structure, i.e., composed of multiple independent domains, and the intra- and intermolecular interactions among these domains determines function. Often, changes in these structural organization that leads to activation occurs at the cellular membrane, which remains experimentally inaccessible. This project will develop a technology…

Award Amount: $786,920

PI: Jean Chung, Ph.D.

College/Institution: College of Natural Sciences

Start Date: 01/01/2023

End Date: 12/31/2027

Source of Funding: NSF

BCSER: Examining inclusive science communication education as a tool to empower historically disadvantaged STEM students

Abstract: Broadening participation in STEM is critical on many levels, from the equity perspective of removing barriers for success for people from historically excluded groups and from the perspective of increasing knowledge in the field of STEM. Both people and scientific endeavors benefit from increasing inclusion. However, evidence indicates that students who experience marginalization due…

Award Amount: $346,658.00

PI: Nicole Kelp, Ph.D.

College/Institution: College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Start Date: 12/15/2022

End Date: 11/30/2025

Source of Funding: NSF

REU Site: Airborne Connections: From Emission Source to Impact to Solution

Abstract: Air contaminants affect human health and climate, and a disproportionate fraction of adverse impacts are felt in under-resourced communities. The “Airborne Connections” Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Colorado State University provides summer training to address a hazard that affects all Americans and particularly disadvantaged communities: the release of airborne contaminants from energy…

Award Amount: $407,212

PI: Tami Bond, Ph.D.

College/Institution: Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Start Date: 04/01/2022

End Date: 03/31/2025

Source of Funding: NSF

CAREER: The Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the C. Elegans Intestinal Gene Regulatory Network

Abstract: Gene regulatory networks direct development, cell identity, and homeostasis. How some gene regulatory networks change from directing organ development in embryonic stages to supporting organ functions in juvenile and adult stages has not been sufficiently explored. Furthermore, the microbiome’s influence on the biology of organ systems is just beginning to be appreciated. This project…

Award Amount: $542,888.00

PI: Erin Nishimura

College/Institution: College of Natural Sciences

Start Date: 03/01/2022

End Date: 02/28/2027

Source of Funding: NSF

CAREER: The role of seasonal migration in avian diversification

Abstract: The goal of this project is to explore the role of natural selection on the wintering grounds of seasonal migratory birds in maintaining or opposing adaptive divergence. The project takes advantage of the wealth of information available for one of the most widely studied groups of animals. Additionally, the work will provide important information…

Award Amount: 1114243

PI: Kristen Ruegg, Ph.D.

College/Institution: College of Natural Sciences

Start Date: 07/01/2020

End Date: 06/30/2025

Source of Funding: NSF

Collaborative Research: GP-UP: Developing STEM Identity by Engaging URM Undergraduate Students in Research on Air Pollution in Chicago Communities

Abstract: The geoscience learning community will help students from historically excluded communities build their STEM identity through authentic research experience, mentoring, and introduction to geosciences careers. Students will learn about air pollution, gain experience with instrumentation, practice computer programing and data analysis, and communicate scientific results by participating in real research with prosocial impact. This…

Award Amount: 141394

PI: Emily Fischer

College/Institution: Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Start Date: 08/01/2021

End Date: 07/31/2024

Source of Funding: NSF

CAREER: The success of viral endosymbionts within and between host populations

Abstract: This project has three main goals. First, it seeks to better understand how viruses shape the biology and evolution of their hosts beyond the typical view that viruses are entities that make their hosts acutely sick. New evidence has revealed that viruses are just as ubiquitous in all living organisms as are the bacteria…

Award Amount: $894,808.00

PI: Mark Stenglein, Ph.D.

College/Institution: College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Start Date: 05/01/2021

End Date: 04/30/2026

Source of Funding: NSF

ADVANCE Adaptation: CSU STEPS for Gender Equity: Advancing Structures through Evidence-based Practices for Gender Equity

Abstract: Colorado State University will tackle the significant nation-wide problem of inequity among faculty members in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering (STEM) disciplines. Specifically, this project aims to improve equity in recruitment, retention and promotion, with a focus on gender equity that recognizes the other types of cultural, ethnic, physical, and economic backgrounds people have.…

Award Amount: 999,312.00

PI: Ruth Hufbauer

College/Institution: College of Agricultural Sciences

Start Date: 10/15/2021

End Date: 09/30/2024

Source of Funding: NSF

Dual-Degree Medical Scientists Training Program for Veterinarians

Abstract: This new Medical Scientist Training Program application from Colorado State University requests funds to support a DVM-PhD dual-degree program with a 15-year history of translational clinician-scientist training. The program currently recruits two students per year from a pool of approximately 40 applicants and has had a 100% retention rate. Nineteen trainees have graduated; 79%…

Award Amount: $1,631,735

PI: Sue VandeWoude

College/Institution: College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Start Date: 07/01/2020

End Date: 06/30/2025

Source of Funding: NIH

CAREER: Science and Education for Connecting Urban Irrigation Efficiency to Streamflow in Semi-Arid Cities

Semi-arid U.S. cities are growing rapidly in regions where water is scarce. A major challenge for environmental sustainability is to help semi-arid communities thrive by ensuring that cities, agriculture, and the environment are jointly water-secure. One successfully demonstrated option to meet growing water demands with the same water supply is reducing urban water use through…

Award Amount: $286,307

PI: Aditi Bhaskar

College/Institution: Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Start Date: 05/01/2021

End Date: 04/30/2026

Source of Funding: NSF

Rocky Mountain Summer Research Education Experience

The Rocky Mountain Summer Research Education Experience (RMSREE) Program will fill a critical need to increase the STEM knowledge and understanding of Denver area high school teachers, enhancing the STEM content in the K-12 educational agencies in which they teach and ultimately resulting in increased participation and better training of the biomedical sciences research workforce.…

Award Amount: $107,999

PI: Scott Reed

Start Date: 08/01/2020

End Date: 04/30/2025

Source of Funding: NIH

Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Earth System Science at Colorado State University

Fifty undergraduate students (10 per year for five years) will be recruited to participate in a 10-week summer residential research experience in Atmospheric Science Department at Colorado State University. The vision is that graduate students in Earth System Science will reflect the diversity of life experiences and demographic characteristics of the US population. The intended…

Award Amount: $675,000.00

PI: Melissa Burt

College/Institution: Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Start Date: 04/01/2021

End Date: 03/31/2025

Source of Funding: NSF

Enhancing Recruitment and Retention of Undergraduate Mathematics and Computer Science Scholars

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need. The project will be led by Kutztown University, a mid-sized, regional, comprehensive public university in rural Pennsylvania. Over its five-year duration, the project will fund scholarships…

Award Amount: $999,758.00

PI: Brian Kronenthal

Start Date: 09/15/2020

End Date: 08/31/2025

Source of Funding: NSF

Supporting Teacher Scholars through Education and Professional Development in Place-Based Education

This project aims to serve the national need for high-quality science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers. Specifically, this project is designed to increase the number of highly effective STEM teachers in high-need K-12 school districts in Colorado. At least 80% of school districts in Colorado serve rural communities and have trouble recruiting and retaining…

Award Amount: $732,201.00

PI: Meena Balgopal

College/Institution: College of Natural Sciences

Start Date: 10/01/2020

End Date: 09/30/2025

Source of Funding: NSF

Collaborative Research: Promoting Geoscience Research, Education, Success, and Equity Through Mentoring

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving undergraduate geosciences education. It will do so by scaling up a successful mentoring program in the geosciences. Many of the most urgent challenges facing society are rooted in the geosciences, including issues related to energy, air quality, climate, water availability, food security, and natural disasters.…

Award Amount: $1,231,725.00

PI: Emily Fischer

College/Institution: Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Start Date: 10/01/2020

End Date: 09/30/2025

Source of Funding: NSF

CAREER: From the forest to the stream: Exploring forest land cover controls on dissolved organic matter character and aquatic ecosystem respiration in headwater streams

This project will determine the role of forest harvesting, and specifically clear cutting, in controlling carbon cycling and stream respiration in headwater streams. The results from this project will be used to develop predictive models that guide future research and inform management of forested headwater systems. This project answers the call to “focus on better…

Award Amount: $423,487.00

PI: Tim Covino

College/Institution: Warner College of Natural Resources

Start Date: 05/01/2020

End Date: 04/30/2025

Source of Funding: NSF

CAREER: Multicolor imaging of single mRNA translational heterogeneity in living cells

The goal of this project is to understand how translation of mRNA to protein is orchestrated at the single molecule level in living cells. Through the creation of open-source tools for fluorescence microscopy, long-standing models of gene regulation will be tested by direct visualization, to better understand and ultimately control protein synthesis in both natural…

Award Amount: 131,568

PI: Timothy Stasevich

College/Institution: College of Natural Sciences

Start Date: 07/01/2019

End Date: 06/30/2024

Source of Funding: NSF

Predoctoral Training in Quantitative Cell and Molecular Biology

The Quantitative Cell and Molecular Biology (qCMB) Training Program will provide comprehensive and flexible training in quantitative approaches in order to facilitate transdisciplinary and collaborative research in the broad field of Cell & Molecular Biology. The Program will produce outstanding graduates with the skills to meet the computational and professional demands of modern life science…

Award Amount: $159,031

PI: Carol Wilusz

College/Institution: College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Start Date: 07/01/2019

End Date: 06/20/2024

Source of Funding: NIH

Past Projects

CSU Noyce Phase II: Empowering Scholars and STEM Teachers

Award Amount: $948,642

Source of Funding: NSF

Start Date: 01/01/2016

End Date: 06/30/2022

Creating an Inclusive and Respectful Environment for Biomedical Research at Colorado State University

Award Amount: $63,744

Source of Funding: NIH

Start Date: 07/01/2020

End Date: 06/30/2021

DCL: GOLD-EN EAGER: Cultivating Socially Responsible Atmospheric Scientists through Education, Leadership, and Action (CURATE)

Award Amount: $150,892.00

Source of Funding: NSF

Start Date: 12/01/2020

End Date: 11/30/2022

RAPID: Collaborative Research: Increased access to infrastructure for distance education in hydrologic science

Award Amount: $20,552.00

Source of Funding: NSF

Start Date: 05/15/2020

End Date: 04/30/2021

Developing the Environmental Literacy Concept Inventory

Award Amount: $299,955

Source of Funding: NSF

Start Date: 10/01/2018

End Date: 09/30/2021

Math Skills and Affective Domain Interventions to Improve Success for Female Students in Geoscience Classes

Award Amount: $287,226

Source of Funding: NSF

Start Date: 10/01/2018

End Date: 09/30/2021

The Challenge of Interdisciplinary Education: Math-Bio

Award Amount: $2,205,400

Source of Funding: NSF

Start Date: 09/15/2010

End Date: 08/31/2015

Mathematical and Computational Methods for Planning a Sustainable Future

Award Amount: $123,564

Source of Funding: NSF

Start Date: 06/01/2012

End Date: 05/31/2015

Wings Aerospace Science Program

Award Amount: $8,100

Start Date: 10/01/2013

End Date: 06/30/2014

University of Utah Math for America (MfA) Master Teacher Program Evaluation

Award Amount: $15,000

Start Date: 10/31/2013

End Date: 12/31/2014

The Value of Computational Thinking Across Grade Levels

Award Amount: $2,105,009

Start Date: 07/01/2010

End Date: 09/30/2015

Professional Development Workshop for NSF Postdoctoral Researchers

Award Amount: $21,644

Source of Funding: NSF

Start Date: 09/01/2015

End Date: 12/31/2016

Center for Multi-scale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes

Award Amount: $37,505,835

Source of Funding: NSF

Start Date: 07/01/2006

End Date: 06/30/2017

Conflict and Coevolution in a Plastid-Nuclear Enzyme Complex

Award Amount: $675,926

Source of Funding: NSF

Start Date: 07/15/2017

End Date: 06/30/2021