CREST Phase II: Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment (CAChE)

水化学与环境中心科学技术卓越研究中心（CREST）计划通过建立有效整合教育和研究的中心，支持增强少数民族服务机构的研究能力。 CREST促进新知识的发展，提高个别教师的研究生产力，并扩大历史上在科学，技术，工程和数学学科中代表性不足的学生的存在。 在国家科学基金会的支持下，佛罗里达国际大学加强了他们的水生化学和环境中心。 第二阶段中心将检测能力扩展到未知和新出现的污染物，包括自然和人为污染物，以及研究的生态系统。 该中心的研究人员开发新技术，以改善水质分析和污染物检测在一系列生态系统，包括淡水，沿海和城市环境，以及提供有关这些污染物对生态系统功能的影响的数据。 该中心扩大了研究领域，包括水生系统沿着城市化梯度。 通过设计新型传感器和自主船只，可以探索难以到达的城市地区，该中心收集有关新兴污染物的连续和近实时数据。 第二阶段从关注污染物的检测和运输，到对这些污染物在生物体，社区和人口水平上的影响的机械理解。 使用理解生命的概念方法的规则，第二阶段统一在多个尺度，以及整合在化学，生物学，地球系统，计算机科学，工程和建筑校园范围内的计划。 该中心实施严格的教育计划，建立在第一阶段吸取的教训。 该中心增加了一个本科研究员项目。 正式和非正式教育计划为学生准备交流他们的研究成果和未来的STEM劳动力。 中心培训包括核心专业技能，以及理解复杂环境问题所需工具的微观证书，包括机器人技术，下一代传感器开发，大数据分析，虚拟现实和人工智能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Center for Aquatic Chemistry and EnvironmentThe Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program supports the enhancement of research capabilities of minority-serving institutions through the establishment of centers that effectively integrate education and research. CREST promotes the development of new knowledge, enhancements of the research productivity of individual faculty, and an expanded presence of students historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. With National Science Foundation support, Florida International University strengthens their Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment. The Phase II Center expands detection capabilities to unknown and novel emerging contaminants, both natural and anthropogenic, as well as ecosystems of study. Center researchers develop new technologies for improving water quality analysis and contaminant detection in a range of ecosystems, including freshwater, coastal, and urban environments, as well as provide data on the impacts of these contaminants on ecosystem function. The Center expands the study area to include aquatic systems along an urbanization gradient. By designing novel sensors and autonomous vessels that can explore difficult to reach urban areas, the Center collects continuous and near real-time data on emerging contaminants. Phase II moves from a focus on detection and transport of contaminants, to a mechanistic understanding of the impacts of these contaminants at the organismal, community, and population levels. Using an Understanding the Rules of Life conceptual approach, Phase II unifies across multiple scales, as well as integrates campus-wide programs in Chemistry, Biology, Earth Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, and Architecture. The Center implements a rigorous education program that builds on lessons learned during Phase I. The Center adds an undergraduate research fellows’ program. Formal and informal education programs prepare students to communicate the results of their research and for the future STEM workforce. Center training includes core professional skills, as well as micro-credentials in tools necessary to understand complex environmental problems, including robotics, next generation sensor development, big-data analytics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.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.