# data[].attributes.title
RAPID: Statistical inference of incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in the US using multiple data streams to identify levels of immunity and the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions

# data[].attributes.abstract
The goal of this study is to integrate multiple, independent data sources to estimate the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections across the US over time. Population-based SARS-CoV-2 serological assays are critical for understanding cumulative incidence and population-level immunity. The US CDC, in partnership with a number of laboratories, has conducted nationwide serosurveys which can help retrospectively assess the cumulative number of total infections. However, data from these surveys may be difficult to interpret due to heterogeneity in antibody response across individuals, by assay, and over time since infection. Reconciling patterns observed in seroprevalence with other data sources including reported COVID-19 cases and deaths can explain variation in seroprevalence across space and time in the US CDC. In addition, the project will estimate the proportion of the population with recent immunizing events (infection or vaccination) to understand the immunity landscape prior to the Omicron-variant-driven wave in 2021-2022 in the US. The project will develop tools to jointly analyze serology, caseand death data, and contribute to the training of a post-doctoral scholar.The primary objective in this study is to integrate multiple independent data streams using statistical and mechanistic models to estimate the rate of seroreversion in assays used in serosurveys across the US, and estimate seroprevalence and cumulative incidence over time by state. The model will provide information about SARS-CoV-2 transmission from case, hospitalization and death data by taking a multi-objective approach and adapting fast inference techniques that we have developed. Methods such as these have been applied to state-leveldata on COVID-19 incidence, including by this group. This project was funded in collaboration with the CDC to support rapid-response research projects to further advance federal infectious disease modeling capabilities.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.

# data[].attributes.title
I-Corps: Comprehensive tool to capture spatio-temporal variations in social media health risk communication for COVID-19 and other health risks

# data[].attributes.funder_divisions[]
Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP)

# data[].attributes.abstract
The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a software platform that may be integrated into crisis management systems such as public health (WHO, CDC), emergency management (FEMA), and transportation (DOT) agencies to facilitate the transmission of correct information and provide the option to notify social media providers of identified misinformation. It is becoming increasingly important for government agencies, policy makers, and emergency management officials to be capable of addressing major crisis scenarios under acute time and resource constraints. Using social media platforms more efficiently would be a critical step towards this vision.  For example, such communications platforms could to be leveraged to better communicate the COVID-19 risk. The goal of this project is to understand and validate the need for this capability in civilian or emergency management agencies, and federal, state, or city level government agencies. The proposed technology also may be useful in other natural and man-made disaster contexts in which public health risks become major concerns.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a comprehensive tool to capture spatio-temporal variations in social media health risk communication (i.e., information or misinformation) at different scales.  The project will also integrate data-driven methods for user-friendly predictive analytics and infographics to anticipate citizen needs and crisis responses. The proposed tool will be grounded on state-of-the-art network science, social science, and data science theories and concepts. Using the Application Programming Interface (API) of publicly available social media platforms such as Twitter, large-scale crisis communication data has been collected in the emergence and outbreak of the novel coronavirus. These data may serve as proof-of-concept for the ability to develop and operate publicly-available, novel social sharing platforms to automatically and passively detect and control information tipping points to facilitate better response in pandemics and other societal emergencies. As such, the proposed approach will provide holistic support to detect information overload, turnover, user reaction, and response in socio-technical systems during a major crisis.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.

# data[].attributes.title
A New Generation of Broadly Accessible Remote Engineering Laboratories

# data[].attributes.abstract
This project aims to serve the national interest by establishing a new generation of remote engineering labs that support underserved communities and schools with limited resources. Lessons learned during the COVID-19 crisis have helped educators rethink teaching practices that are sustainable and safe after the pandemic era. Offering hands-on engineering labs in off-campus settings has presented significant challenges to educators. By taking advantage of advances in cloud computing, implementing a remote hardware laboratory will allow students to experience a full-fledged remote experience without compromising what they could have learned and accomplished if they were physically present in the lab. This project will advance the potential of using remote laboratories for electrical and computer engineering students in embedded computing and wireless communications courses. The proposed work is expected to allow educators and institutions to rethink the delivery of hands-on engineering labs via a cost-effective, broadly accessible, and equitable solution. The complete remote lab solution, including hardware and software, has significance to underprivileged universities and K-12 education.The project’s goal is to develop a remote computing and wireless communication laboratory based on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and software defined radio (SDR) platforms; provide a full technical evaluation of remote solutions; and perform a comprehensive assessment of student learning and engagement in remote settings for these engineering technologies. The scope of the work is scalable, and the open-source hardware and software toolkit that will be developed can be deployed at other institutions, as well as K-12 and underserved community settings, to provide access to industry-grade hardware to all students. The sustainability plan includes a scalable solution that allows universities to pool their individual remote labs together to further increase access and decrease equipment costs and foster further collaboration among institutions by sharing resources and pedagogical content. The open-source remote labs will be disseminated via a highly modular repository (GitHub), and partnerships between schools will be encouraged to improve course materials, perform version control, pull requests, provide issue tracking, and use the course materials at their universities. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.

# data[].attributes.title
Collaborative Research: Enhancing MPOWIR to Build a Diverse and Inclusive Oceanography Workforce

# data[].attributes.principal_investigator.affiliations[].name
University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc

# data[].attributes.awardee_organization.name
University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc

# data[].attributes.abstract
MPOWIR (Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention) is a community-led program aimed at providing mentoring to junior women and other marginalized and underrepresented genders (herein referred to women+) in physical oceanography to improve their retention in the field. Since its inception in 2007, MPOWIR has made substantial contributions to decreasing the attrition of women+ physical oceanographers. However, MPOWIR’s work is far from being done. Shifting demographics, the impact of COVID-19 on the careers of women+, and longstanding structural inequities remain challenges to retention. This project would sustain and enhance MPOWIR for another 4 years. It seeks to improve retention through a series of interrelated objectives that include: (1) providing continuity of mentoring from a woman’s+ career transition from graduate school to postdoctoral years to the early years of her permanent job, (2) providing mentorship training to MPOWIR participants, (3) fostering a sense of community in physical oceanography, (4) broadening participation in MPOWIR by providing training and professional development opportunities to all those who self-identify as physical oceanographers, and (5) engaging a cross-section of stakeholders to develop a shared vision for the next decade of MPOWIR. To meet the needs and expectations of its stakeholders, MPOWIR aims to enhance its design by incorporating a few new initiatives to provide additional professional development opportunities and support to the community of mentors and peers that MPOWIR has helped build over the past 16 years, and lead to improvement in the overall culture of the physical oceanography community.Specifically, this funding supports the following MPOWIR activities:1. Pattullo Conference held biannually, brings ~25 junior women+ physical oceanographers together with 12 senior physical oceanographers of all genders for a 2.5 day meeting focused on discipline-based mentoring.2. Mentoring groups of ~6 junior and 2 senior women+ physical oceanographers meet for a monthly teleconference, for the purpose of confidential, personalized mentoring.3. MPOWIR website serves as a repository of resources for mentoring and physical oceanography careers.4. MPOWIR webinars and virtual discussions held semi-annually, focus on topics of particular interest to those in the early stages of a physical oceanographer’s first position, provide continued support for previous participants, expand gender neutral participation, and connect to the broader scientific community.5. Townhalls held at large conferences, such as the Ocean Sciences Meeting, provide a forum for dissemination of information and communication with the whole oceanographic community.6. Databases and surveys are conducted to assess the effectiveness of MPOWIR activities, determine community mentoring needs, and evaluate progress in retention.7. NEW - Mentorship training for mentors and mentees who participate in MPOWIR.8. NEW - Virtual Professional Development Conference held in the intervening years between Pattullo conferences with the aim of broadening participation, expanding training, and networking opportunities.9. NEW - External program evaluation and strategic planning to assess the impact of MPOWIR and establish a shared vision with the oceanographic community for the next decade of the program.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.

# data[].attributes.title
Collaborative Research: Enhancing MPOWIR to Build a Diverse and Inclusive Oceanography Workforce

# data[].attributes.abstract
MPOWIR (Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention) is a community-led program aimed at providing mentoring to junior women and other marginalized and underrepresented genders (herein referred to women+) in physical oceanography to improve their retention in the field. Since its inception in 2007, MPOWIR has made substantial contributions to decreasing the attrition of women+ physical oceanographers. However, MPOWIR’s work is far from being done. Shifting demographics, the impact of COVID-19 on the careers of women+, and longstanding structural inequities remain challenges to retention. This project would sustain and enhance MPOWIR for another 4 years. It seeks to improve retention through a series of interrelated objectives that include: (1) providing continuity of mentoring from a woman’s+ career transition from graduate school to postdoctoral years to the early years of her permanent job, (2) providing mentorship training to MPOWIR participants, (3) fostering a sense of community in physical oceanography, (4) broadening participation in MPOWIR by providing training and professional development opportunities to all those who self-identify as physical oceanographers, and (5) engaging a cross-section of stakeholders to develop a shared vision for the next decade of MPOWIR. To meet the needs and expectations of its stakeholders, MPOWIR aims to enhance its design by incorporating a few new initiatives to provide additional professional development opportunities and support to the community of mentors and peers that MPOWIR has helped build over the past 16 years, and lead to improvement in the overall culture of the physical oceanography community.Specifically, this funding supports the following MPOWIR activities:1. Pattullo Conference held biannually, brings ~25 junior women+ physical oceanographers together with 12 senior physical oceanographers of all genders for a 2.5 day meeting focused on discipline-based mentoring.2. Mentoring groups of ~6 junior and 2 senior women+ physical oceanographers meet for a monthly teleconference, for the purpose of confidential, personalized mentoring.3. MPOWIR website serves as a repository of resources for mentoring and physical oceanography careers.4. MPOWIR webinars and virtual discussions held semi-annually, focus on topics of particular interest to those in the early stages of a physical oceanographer’s first position, provide continued support for previous participants, expand gender neutral participation, and connect to the broader scientific community.5. Townhalls held at large conferences, such as the Ocean Sciences Meeting, provide a forum for dissemination of information and communication with the whole oceanographic community.6. Databases and surveys are conducted to assess the effectiveness of MPOWIR activities, determine community mentoring needs, and evaluate progress in retention.7. NEW - Mentorship training for mentors and mentees who participate in MPOWIR.8. NEW - Virtual Professional Development Conference held in the intervening years between Pattullo conferences with the aim of broadening participation, expanding training, and networking opportunities.9. NEW - External program evaluation and strategic planning to assess the impact of MPOWIR and establish a shared vision with the oceanographic community for the next decade of the program.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.

# data[].attributes.funder_divisions[]
Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)

# data[].attributes.abstract
WiGRAPH’s mission is to increase the number of women pursuing cutting-edge research in computer graphics, which despite some progress in recent years, remains distressingly low.  To this end, the group creates online resources for women in the field through the wigraph.org website and social media (e.g., online discussion forums).  In addition, it hosts events during the main computer graphics conferences that provide environments where women researchers can interact with one another and seek role models, mentorship, and encouragement.  In 2022 the plan is to host three such networking events at the premier graphics conferences: SIGGRAPH, SIGGRAPH ASIA, and the Symposium on Geometry Processing (SGP), and also to launch a new Rising Stars in Computer Graphics program whose goal is to provide mentorship at a time when students have sufficient research maturity, but are still making decisions about future career directions.  WiGRAPH activities are always centered around issues relating to research, such as sharing advice about how to pick research topics, pursue research questions, and navigate the industry/academic markets.  Statistics are gathered from event registrations and participant testimonials to help generate clear demographic data about the population being served by and to evaluate the impact of sponsored events.Although all the organization work is done with volunteered time, the events program comes at a substantial cost.  Due to COVID-19, all 2020 and 2021 events were held online and therefore required only minimal funding, but moving forward it is estimated that the basic program will cost roughly $49,600 for 2022, as described in detail in the proposal, and the organizers hope to augment the program, for example by increasing the number of participants, if they are able to raise additional funds with industry sponsorship.  HCC PDs discussed this proposal and agreed that the goals are both laudable and timely, and that the planned activities are likely to have broad impact.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.

# data[].attributes.title
SBIR Phase I: A mobile, device-based, screening tool for assessing K-6 students’ cognitive and motor skills via machine learning handwriting analysis

# data[].attributes.funder_divisions[]
Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP)

# data[].attributes.abstract
The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 project is to improve the assessment of cognitive and motor skills in K-6 students. More specifically, this project will develop and perform feasibility testing of a novel, objective, and machine learning-driven approach to analyzing student handwriting proficiency, a measure of cognitive and motor skills. Through the use of a smart device application, end-users (teachers, aides, and parents) will be able to take a photo of a student's handwriting and receive immediate results regarding proficiency, handwriting error types, and targeted intervention suggestions. Given the myriad of visual motor, fine motor, and higher-order cognitive skills needed to generate a handwriting sample and the fact that up to 30% of students have difficulties, there is a need for new and better detection schemes. The identification of cognitive and motor skill deficiencies is becoming especially important with the increased use of virtual learning environments due to the COVID-19 crisis. Students are interfacing more with computers, and teachers have decreased access to handwriting assignments.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 project focuses on developing machine learning (ML) algorithms to generate highly accurate, rapid, and objective predictions of handwriting proficiency. These algorithms seek to predict the handwriting error sub-type. ML analysis of handwriting images has never been done before. Through the use of data annotation schemes, highly sensitive and grade-specific algorithms will be created and accessed by a smart device application following the acquisition of a single photo of a single handwritten sentence. This technology is envisioned as a universal screening tool to be used at the beginning of each school year to identify students with subpar handwriting proficiency. The real-time analysis of handwriting proficiency will allow for earlier identification and earlier interventions to improve student outcomes and deliver cost savings to school districts.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.

# data[].attributes.title
The Seasonal Behavioral Ecology of Respiratory Disease

# data[].attributes.funder_divisions[]
Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE)

# data[].attributes.abstract
Respiratory illnesses, like those caused by viruses like COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV, are among the leading causes of death for American citizens, especially for those in older and younger age groups, and for immunocompromised individuals. Global spread of these viruses continues to pose a threat in the United States; therefore, it is important to understand how they are transmitted in different cultural settings. In addition to the potential public health benefits of this study, it facilitates scientific training of a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students. Public dissemination of findings will also inform community members on the roles of the household and extended family members in transmitting disease, and measures to prevent transmission of respiratory viruses among family and friends.This study is designed to assess how social behavior and environmental conditions interact to affect the transmission of common respiratory viruses and longer-term health impacts of illness in a tropical setting. To do so, the research team is collecting year-round, community-wide data on social networks and symptoms of respiratory illnesses, seasonal biological markers of respiratory infection, and seasonal anthropometric measurements, including height, weight, and upper arm circumference. In-depth interviews are being conducted to gain an understanding of how people think about illness risk. This study tests the theory that humans use behavior to adapt to environmental circumstances, and that they do so in a way that maximizes benefits and minimizes risks associated with the behavior. This may help to inform future public health policy on how best to minimize transmission of respiratory viruses.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.

# data[].attributes.title
RAPID: STEM faculty support to address impacts from COVID-19 on Tribal Colleges and Universities Program institutions

# data[].attributes.abstract
A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's indigenous students. Expanding the STEM curricular offerings at these institutions expands the opportunities of their students to pursue challenging, rewarding careers in STEM fields, provides for research studies in areas that may be culturally significant, and encourages a community and generational appreciation for science and mathematics education, and sustainability of capacity gains is significantly enhanced by retaining the talent of credentialed STEM faculty. This project aligns directly with that goal.The coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2021 caused major disruptions to institutions of higher education. However, for tribal colleges and universities, whose core operating funds are directly aligned with student enrollment, drops in enrollment equate to loss of funding. To mitigate against detrimental effects on STEM instructional capacity, this award will support the position of one full-time STEM faculty member, as well as other resources to maintain Red Lake Nation College’s STEM program as it recovers from the impact of the pandemic.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.

# data[].attributes.title
RAPID: STEM faculty support to address impacts from COVID-19 on Tribal Colleges and Universities Program institutions

# data[].attributes.abstract
A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's indigenous students. Expanding the STEM curricular offerings at these institutions expands the opportunities of their students to pursue challenging, rewarding careers in STEM fields, provides for research studies in areas that may be culturally significant, and encourages a community and generational appreciation for science and mathematics education, and sustainability of capacity gains is significantly enhanced by retaining the talent of credentialed STEM faculty.  This project aligns directly with that goal.The coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2021 caused major disruptions to institutions of higher education.  However, for tribal colleges and universities, whose core operating funds are directly aligned with student enrollment, drops in enrollment equate to loss of funding.  To mitigate against detrimental effects on STEM instructional capacity, this award will support the position of one full-time STEM faculty member, as well as other resources to maintain Keweenaw Bay Ojibway Community College’s STEM program as it recovers from the impact of the pandemic.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.