Syracuse University’s BioInspired Institute announced today that it has awarded six seed grants to 12 faculty members to advance interdisciplinary, collaborative research in materials and living systems. Seed grants provide funding for innovative ideas, producing data that can be used in future funding applications to prove that a new concept or approach is promising and attract additional research funds from outside the University. Continue Reading
News
Chemistry Professor Mozhdehi and Engineering Professor Wang Receive Powe Award to Enrich Research, Growth
Mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Yeqing Wang from the College of Engineering and Computer Science and chemistry Professor Davoud Mozhdehi from the College of Arts and Sciences were selected as recipients of competitive 2020-2021 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards from the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). The Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards program provides funds to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty. Continue Reading
Ph.D. Candidate’s Work in the Patteson Lab Requires Tools from Multiple Disciplines
After completing a master’s degree from the University of Akron in physics, Ph.D. candidate Maxx Swoger attended a seminar hosted by Alison Patteson, assistant professor of Physics at Syracuse University. “Originally and very broadly, I wanted to study soft matter physics or biophysics. And to be perfectly honest with you, I think this is one of the best places in the country to do that,” says Swoger. “The collaboration both within the physics department and the University allows students to approach the systems we’re studying with a variety of techniques. This is something I really liked about Syracuse when deciding which school to attend for my Ph.D.” Continue Reading
The BioInspired Mind
Biophysicist Alison Patteson is using a trio of grant awards to probe the mysteries of complex living systems.
No one was more surprised than Alison Patteson when, at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, she received her first major National Science Foundation (NSF) grant award. “Frankly, it was a shock to me because some of the work is out of my comfort zone,” says the assistant professor of physics, who is using the funding to study the cellular entry of SARS2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. “I’ve had to pivot my research to accommodate the project.” Continue Reading
NSF Equipment Grants to Fund Acquisition of Two Chromatography-Mass Spectrometers
The familiar saying goes, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” But for scientists, understanding those smaller parts is critical to scientific discovery.
A method known as chromatography-mass spectrometry lets researchers analyze and study the composition of a larger compound by separating out its parts. One common application is quality control in the food industry, where researchers separate and analyze additives, vitamins, preservatives and proteins. Continue Reading
Patteson’s Interdisciplinary Research Selected for Grant from National Science Foundation
Assistant Professor of Physics Alison Patteson’s research on the concept of “emergence” in living systems was selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to receive an Early-Concept Grant For Exploratory Research (EAGER) award on Sept. 12. The NSF selected Patteson’s proposal to be one of 33 funded from a pool of 800 entries. According to the NSF website, Patteson’s research was selected chiefly for its potential “to address grand challenges in fundamental research or in STEM education.” Continue Reading
Professor Sandra Hewett Recognized for “Inspiring” Mentorship
Sandra Hewett, the Beverly Petterson Bishop Professor of Neuroscience at Syracuse University, is a 2020 recipient of the Landis Mentorship Award. Given annually by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the award supports researchers’ efforts in advancing the careers of students and postdoctoral fellows in their laboratories. Hewett will receive $100,000 in the form of a supplement to an existing NINDS grant. Continue Reading
BioInspired Institute Faculty Awarded NSF Grants to Study Material and Living Systems
Funding signals “world-class research with real-world impact,” says Director M. Lisa Manning.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded major grants to members of Syracuse University’s BioInspired Institute, supporting their research into complex biological systems and innovative materials. Continue Reading
BioInspired Institute Developing Skills for Real-World STEM Careers
The BioInspired Institute’s new microcredentialing program gives graduate students and postdocs valuable communication and management skills for success in competitive job markets.
BMCE Professor Pranav Soman Wins DARPA Award to study Laser Technology for Printing Lung Interfaces
Human lungs are intricate 3D structures with air sacs surrounded by blood vessels with a gap between them that can be less than one micrometer. (As a frame of reference, human hair is about 100 micrometers wide) This minuscule gap/membrane between the air side and the blood side is the key to our respiratory system being able to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. The thin membranes modulate oxygen transfer in the lungs but so far no one has been able to fabricate them outside the human body. Continue Reading