Planning: PREC: Exploring a Partnership between Historically Black Universities in the District of Columbia and NSF's ChemMatCARS in Alignment with the NSF PREC Program

在这项由美国国家科学基金会化学部门资助的计划拨款中，霍华德大学的Timothy R. Ramadhar教授、Raymond J. Butcher教授和Steven P. Cummings教授将与美国国家科学基金会的ChemMatCARS设施合作，建立一种伙伴关系，这可能成为未来提交给化学研究和教育伙伴关系（PREC）计划的基础。还将探讨通过宋学庆教授的参与将哥伦比亚特区大学纳入这一伙伴关系。霍华德大学和哥伦比亚特区大学都是位于华盛顿特区的历史黑人大学（HBCU）。霍华德大学是一所私立博士研究机构，哥伦比亚特区大学是一所公共赠地硕士机构。这项计划拨款将提供一个机会，讨论由美国国家科学基金会的ChemMatCARS在阿贡国家实验室（ANL）的先进光子源（APS）中提供的高能高亮度同步加速器x射线如何使区域材料和药物化学研究项目受益。它还将促进讨论如何利用与NSF的ChemMatCARS的合作关系来增加黑人学生进入本科和研究生化学课程的入学率。这笔规划赠款将支持在霍华德大学和NSF的ChemMatCARS举行的虚拟规划会议和现场规划会议，讨论制定强有力的伙伴关系的战略，这将有利于PREC的资助。这些会议还将提供晶体学教育的机会，特别是对学生与会者。这笔拨款将用于加强研究项目，增加未被充分代表的少数族裔对STEM的参与，并向学员灌输先进的化学和晶体学技能，使他们在申请学术、工业和联邦工作时更具竞争力。这些活动将促进科学进步，促进国家繁荣和福利，特别是通过使国家劳动力进一步多样化。这项PREC计划拨款将用于讨论NSF ChemMatCARS的同步加速器x射线如何使以下研究项目受益：(1)用于“结晶海绵法”的金属有机框架（mof）的设计和微晶体学研究；(2)涉及第一个过渡系列的d4-d7金属八面体配合物的自旋交叉（SC）体系的结构研究；(3)用于双核催化的碳硼烷配体的开发；(4)探测贵金属纳米颗粒在mof和气凝胶等支撑结构中的封装；(5)新型半胱氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂三有机锡配合物的微晶学研究。将与其他教员进行联系，以确定可能从同步辐射中受益的其他研究项目。一个主要的讨论点将是在当前的先进光子源升级（APS-U）期间，在NSF ChemMatCARS （NSF CHE-1836674）使用倾斜波动器安装第二束线所产生的新资源将如何使上述研究项目受益。霍华德大学和美国国家科学基金会ChemMatCARS的虚拟规划会议和现场规划会议还将提供一个论坛，讨论合作伙伴关系将如何增加本科和研究生化学项目的招聘，以及它将如何帮助培养下一代晶体学家并进一步使该领域多样化。会议还将包括科学讲座和晶体学培训，这将有利于与会者。这些培训活动的一部分将使用PI Ramadhar和co-PI Butcher和Cummings最近获得的单晶x射线衍射仪（SC-XRD）和粉末台式x射线衍射仪（PXRD） （NSF DMR-2117502）。光束线的领导和工作人员，PI和联合PI，教师，本科生和研究生都将参与规划会议。让学生参加这些会议对于建立相关和包容的伙伴关系至关重要。这些计划会议还将为计划中的PREC伙伴关系提供一个评估指标的机会，以确定吸引学生参与化学的有效性，并确定合作努力是否增加了本科和研究生化学课程的招生。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In this planning grant, funded by the Chemistry Division at NSF, Professors Timothy R. Ramadhar, Raymond J. Butcher, and Steven P. Cummings of Howard University will work with the NSF's ChemMatCARS facility to develop a partnership that could form the basis of a future submission to the Partnerships for Research and Education in Chemistry (PREC) Program. The inclusion of the University of the District of Columbia within this partnership through the participation of Professor Xueqing Song will also be explored. Both Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia are Historically Black Universities (HBCU) located in Washington, D.C. Howard University is a private doctoral research institution and the University of the District of Columbia is a public land-grant Master’s institution. This planning grant will provide an opportunity to discuss how high-energy high-brilliance synchrotron X-rays provided by NSF’s ChemMatCARS in the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) can benefit regional materials and medicinal chemistry research programs. It will also foster a discussion as to how a partnership with NSF’s ChemMatCARS can be leveraged to increase the enrollment of Black students into undergraduate and graduate chemistry programs. This planning grant will support both virtual planning meetings and on-site planning meetings held at Howard University and NSF’s ChemMatCARS to discuss strategies to formulate a strong partnership that would be meritorious of PREC funding. These meetings will also provide crystallographic educational opportunities, especially for student attendees. This grant will lead to plans to strengthen research programs, increase underrepresented minority participation in STEM, and imbue trainees with advanced chemical and crystallographic skills that will make them more competitive in applying for academic, industrial, and federal jobs. These activities will promote the progress of science and advance national prosperity and welfare, particularly through further diversification of the national workforce.This PREC planning grant will enable discussions on how synchrotron X-rays at NSF’s ChemMatCARS can benefit research programs involving: (1) the design and microcrystallographic study of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for the ‘crystalline sponge method’, (2) structural studies of spin-crossover (SC) systems involving octahedral complexes of d4–d7 metals of the first transition series, (3) the development of carborane ligands for dinuclear catalysis, (4) probing the encapsulation of noble metal nanoparticles in support structures such as MOFs and aerogels, and (5) microcrystallographic studies of triorganotin complexes as a novel class of cysteine protease inhibitors. Outreach to other faculty will be performed to identify additional research projects that could benefit from synchrotron radiation. A major discussion point will be how new resources arising from the installation of a second beamline using a canted undulator at NSF’s ChemMatCARS (NSF CHE-1836674) during the current Advanced Photon Source Upgrade (APS-U) will benefit the aforementioned research programs. The virtual planning meetings and on-site planning meetings at Howard University and NSF’s ChemMatCARS will also provide a forum to discuss how the partnership will increase recruitment in undergraduate and graduate chemistry programs, and how it will help to train the next generation of crystallographers and further diversify the field. The meetings will also include scientific lectures and crystallographic training that will be beneficial for attendees. Part of these training activities will utilize a single-crystal X-ray diffractometer (SC-XRD) and a powder benchtop X-ray diffractometer (PXRD) recently obtained by PI Ramadhar and co-PIs Butcher and Cummings (NSF DMR-2117502). Beamline leadership and staff, the PI and co-PIs, faculty, and both undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in the planning meetings. Incorporation of student participants in these meetings is crucial to establish a partnership that is relevant and inclusive. These planning meetings will also provide an opportunity to develop evaluation metrics for the planned PREC partnership to determine the effectiveness of engaging students in chemistry and establish whether the collaborative effort is increasing recruitment in undergraduate and graduate chemistry programs.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.