Excellence in Research: Computational Framework and Data Science for Identification
Dr. Mustafa Atay funded by the National Science Foundation.
This research enhances the data science capabilities and capacities at two historically black colleges and universities: North Carolina A&T State University and Winston-Salem State University. These institutions provide graduate programs to their students and enable the future workforce. More precisely, the project aims are (1) to enhance research capabilities in identity and data science and technology; (2) to enhance the capacity of North Carolina A&T State University and Winston-Salem State University to participate in identity and data-science research; (3) to involve graduate and undergraduate students, especially members of underrepresented minorities and females, in data science and identity research; and (4) to strengthen the North Carolina A&T computer science doctoral and Master's programs and the Winston-Salem State Master's program as well as to strengthen the pipeline to computer science doctoral studies. This three-year collaborative research grant aims to integrate research with educational activities for students at undergraduate and graduate levels. The grant will support the introduction of a new course, Data Science and Machine Learning, and the enhancement of an existing course with data analytics and AI concepts. The project page is located here.
WSSU Girls Empowered by Math and Science in Transportation (WSSU GEMS-T)
Dr. Denise Johnson funded by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)
The transportation industry has changed tremendously over the last 50 years. Over 13 million Americans are currently employed in transportation-related jobs and almost 50% of them will be ready for retirement in the next decade. There is a decline in a traditional workforce due to changes in technology and skill level. Now, a more diverse workforce, including more women, is needed to keep pace with an ever-changing global economy. WSSU Girls Empowered by Math and Science in Transportation program provides 30 middle school girls in grades 6th – 8th an integrated STEM and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) experience with specific focuses on TWO modes of transportation and safety: Land and Water Transportation and exposure to Air Transportation.
CAREER: Creating a Unified Framework for the Quantitative Study of Animal Aggregations
Dr. Steven Viscido funded by the National Science Foundation
The Faculty Early Career program (CAREER) grant is one of the most prestigious funding mechanisms of NSF. Designed to allow faculty to build a firm foundation of research for their lifetime, this award is granted to those with especially rigorous and beneficial scientific research contributions. Dr. Steven Viscido’s project examines animal group behavior that is significant to the field of behavioral ecology. It is developing and testing a new hypothesis of animal aggregation, while producing a new analytical tool that can be used with a graphical user interface by other researchers nation-wide.
Research Initiation Award: Development of Carbon Carbon Bond Forming Strategies in the Synthesis of O-, N-Heterocycles
Dr. Fenghai Guo funded by the National Science Foundation
Synthesis of complex heterocycles, including both unnaturally and naturally occurring targets, has had tremendous impact on the development of chemistry, biology and medicine. However, it is a misconception that heterocycle synthesis is a mature field. Lengthy synthetic sequences, low stereo-/enantioselectivities, and low overall yields in most multi-step syntheses make it extremely challenging to provide sufficient quantities of desired targets for therapeutic purposes. This study is developing powerful and efficient carbon carbon bond formation strategies will significantly increase the efficiency in complex heterocycle synthesis starting from simple aromatic compounds produced in petroleum industry.
Improving Research and Education of Big Data and Cloud Computing at Winston-Salem State University
Dr. Debzani Deb funded by National Science Foundation
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU)’s RIA project, within the Department of Computer Science, conducts research on resource management of Big Data applications on Cloud infrastructure. In today’s world, the analysis of large amounts of data becomes a high priority task for many companies. Data-driven decision processes now guide many sectors of our economy. This project exposes women, minority, and underrepresented students at WSSU to the big data and cloud computing research that may influence their choice about further education and future careers and therefore increasing the size and diversity of the STEM workforce.
