Research Infrastructure for Nevada's Growth - Targeting Research with Uniqueness and Excellence

提案：eps -0447416提案标题：内华达州增长的研究基础设施-具有独特性和卓越性的目标研究内华达州EPSCoR研究基础设施改善奖将在三个重点领域建立国家竞争力的能力和能力，这些领域与该州脆弱的沙漠环境以及日益干旱的景观中不断增长的人口所带来的挑战非常相关。“干旱土壤环境过程”的重点将开发两个独特的实验系统设施（室外称重溶沉仪和室内二维细胞）来探索以下问题：(1)沙漠土壤微生物种群对含水量变化的反应是什么？(2)土壤异质性如何影响沙漠生态系统的水分利用和碳吸收？传感器技术的第二个重点将强调设计合成用于生物传感器的化学和基因工程生物材料的方法，以及开发电化学、荧光和光纤传感器。第三个重点是认知信息处理，这将推动智能计算机系统背后的科学进步，这些系统可以学习、模仿人类思维，并与环境互动；潜在的应用包括人员识别、物体识别和跟踪、机械系统控制和生物信息学。这第三个重点领域不仅与内华达州的需求和增强的研究竞争力有关，而且与国土安全的国家问题有关。该项目建立的共同、共享使用的设备和设施将促进三个重点领域内部和三个重点领域之间的合作研究，以及参与机构特拉基梅多斯社区学院、内华达大学里诺分校、内华达大学拉斯维加斯分校和沙漠研究所的院系之间的合作研究。向里诺和拉斯维加斯两个非常大的学区的中学和高中推广的努力，将吸引更多的学生，特别是那些来自弱势群体和/或贫困背景的学生，接受高等教育，学习科学和工程，并从事职业。夏季强化课程将简化高中到大学的过渡，而对本科生研究经验提供大力支持的导师项目将提高理科专业的保留率。第0阶段SBIR计划将为不同机构提供开发和撰写更成功的SBIR提案的援助。这些努力，连同提高研究竞争力的投资，应该有助于内华达州发展一个更加以技术为基础的经济。

Proposal: EPS-0447416Proposal Title: Research Infrastructure for Nevada's Growth - Targeting Research with Uniqueness and ExcellenceInstitution: University and Community College System of NevadaThe Nevada EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement award will build capacity and capability for national competitiveness in three focus areas, which are very relevant to the fragile desert environment of the state and the challenges being posed by a burgeoning human population is this increasingly arid landscape. The focus on Environmental Processes in Arid Soils will develop two unique experimental system facilities (outdoor weighing lysimeters and indoor two-dimensional cells) to explore such questions as (1) what is the response of desert soil microbial populations to changes in water content? and (2) how does soil heterogeneity influence water use and carbon uptake by desert ecosystems? The second focus on Sensor Technology will emphasize devising methods to synthesize chemical and genetically engineered biological material for biosensors and developing electrochemical, flourescence, and optical-fiber-based sensors. The third focus on Cognitive Information Processing will enable advances in the science behind intelligent computer systems that learn, mimic human thought, and interact with their environment; potential applications include identification of people, object recognition and tracking, control of mechanical systems, and bioinformatics. This third focus area is relevant not only to Nevada's needs and enhanced research competitiveness but also to national issues of homeland security. Common, shared use equipment and facilities established by this project will foster collaborative research efforts both within and among the three focus areas and among faculties at the participating institutions, Truckee Meadows Community College, the University of Nevada Reno, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and the Desert Research Institute.Outreach efforts to middle schools and high schools in the two very large school districts serving Reno and Las Vegas will attract more students, especially those from underrepresented groups and/or underprivileged backgrounds, to higher education and to science and engineering studies and careers. A summer intensive program will ease the high school to college transition and a mentorship program with significant support for undergraduate research experiences will increase the retention rate for majors in the sciences. A Phase 0 SBIR program will offer assistance with development and writing of more successful SBIR proposals to different agencies. These efforts, along with the investments to enhance research competitiveness, should assist in developing a more technology-based economy for Nevada.