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NSF化学部资助的计划拨款中，霍华德大学的Timothy R.Ramadhar、Raymond J.Butcher和Steven P.Cummings教授将与NSF的ChemMatCARS设施合作，发展一种合作伙伴关系，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。还将探讨通过宋学清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上的黑人大学(HBCU)。霍华德大学是一所私立的博士研究机构，哥伦比亚特区大学是一所公共土地授予硕士机构。这项计划拨款将提供一个机会来讨论NSF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射线如何造福于地区材料和药物化学研究项目。它还将促进一场关于如何利用与NSF的ChemMatCARS的伙伴关系来增加黑人学生进入本科生和研究生化学课程的讨论。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，以讨论建立强有力的伙伴关系的战略，这将是PREC资金的功劳。这些会议还将提供结晶学教育机会，特别是对学生与会者。这笔赠款将导致计划加强研究项目，增加STEM中代表不足的少数族裔的参与，并向学员灌输先进的化学和结晶学技能，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，特别是通过国家劳动力的进一步多样化。这项PREC规划赠款将使关于NSF ChemMatCARS的同步加速器X射线如何使研究项目受益的讨论成为可能，这些研究项目涉及：(1)用于‘结晶海绵法’的金属有机骨架(MOF)的设计和微晶学研究；(2)涉及第一过渡系列d4-d7金属的八面体络合物的自旋-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)探索贵金属纳米粒子在MOF、气凝胶等载体结构中的包埋性；(5)三有机锡配合物作为一类新型半胱氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂的微晶学研究。将与其他教员进行接触，以确定可能受益于同步辐射的其他研究项目。一个主要的讨论点将是在当前的高级光子源升级(APS-U)期间，使用倾斜的波浪器在NSF的ChemMatCARS(NSF CHE-1836674)安装第二条光束线所产生的新资源将如何使上述研究计划受益。霍华德大学和NSF的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生和研究生化学课程的招生，以及它将如何帮助培训下一代结晶学家，并进一步使该领域多样化。会议还将包括对与会者有益的科学讲座和结晶学培训。这些培训活动的一部分将利用Pi Ramadhar和Pis Butcher and Cummings(NSFDMR-2117502)最近获得的单晶X射线衍射仪和粉末台式X射线衍射仪。Beamline领导层和工作人员、PI和协理PI、教职员工以及本科生和研究生都将参加规划会议。让学生参加这些会议对于建立具有相关性和包容性的伙伴关系至关重要。这些规划会议还将提供一个机会，为计划中的PREC伙伴关系制定评估指标，以确定让学生参与化学课程的有效性，并确定合作努力是否正在增加本科生和研究生化学课程的招生。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.