Research Initiation Award: High-resolution electronic spectroscopy of inter/intra-molecular interactions on biologically relevant molecules

历史上的黑人学院和大学本科项目（HBCU-UP）研究启动奖（RIAs）为hbcu中开始建立研究项目的STEM初级教师提供支持，也为那些在担任行政职务后可能已经回到教职员工队伍或需要重新定向和重建研究项目的职业中期教师提供支持。教师可以在自己的学校、美国国家科学基金会资助的中心、研究密集型机构或国家实验室进行研究。RIA项目将有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善其所在机构的研究和教学，并使本科生参与研究经验。在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，温斯顿-塞勒姆州立大学（WSSU）将对生物分子的结构进行研究，这是理解生物系统过程的关键。这项研究是与美国国家标准与技术研究所（NIST）的合作项目。该项目将提高WSSU的研究能力和本科生的教育经验。学生将在WSSU和NIST获得指导、培训和研究经验。预计研究和教育工作将扩大未被充分代表的群体对STEM的参与，并支持WSSU加强和扩大未被充分代表群体参与的愿景和使命。本研究的目标是：1)通过研究光子诱导色氨酸甲酯分子内形成的构象偏好，探索几何结构与化学反应动力学之间的直接联系；2)测量当肽键通过氢键与分子连接时，肽键中的原子位移和电子分布的变化，特别是3-吲哚丙酸- h2o模型体系；3)考察了光存在下氧吲哚- h2o可逆变异构反应中与水形成氢键的影响；4)探究与水形成氢键对间甲氧基苯酚分子间动力学的影响；5)确定控制烷基官能团（如N-甲基咔唑中附着在N位点上的-CH3片段）运动的分子内势能面，并辨别当该组装体受到光辐射时该运动是如何受到影响的。该项目将加强WSSU本科生在先进光谱技术方面的准备，因此，将对WSSU及其培养更多具有STEM领域能力和学位的毕业生的承诺产生重大影响。研究将在WSSU和NIST进行。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support to STEM junior faculty at HBCUs who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who may have returned to the faculty ranks after holding an administrative post or who needs to redirect and rebuild a research program. Faculty members may pursue research at their home institution, at an NSF-funded Center, at a research intensive institution or at a national laboratory. The RIA projects are expected to help further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, to improve research and teaching at his or her home institution, and to involve undergraduate students in research experiences. With support from the National Science Foundation, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) will conduct research on the structures of biomolecules which are key to understanding processes in biological systems. The research is a collaborative project with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This project will enhance WSSU's research capabilities and the educational experiences of undergraduates. Students will receive mentoring, training and research experiences at WSSU and NIST. The research and educational efforts are expected to expand the participation of groups underrepresented in STEM and support WSSU's vision and mission of strengthening and broadening the participation of underrepresented groups. This goals of the research are to: 1) Explore the direct connection between geometry and chemical reaction dynamics by studying the conformational preferences for photon induced intramolecular formation in Tryptophan methyl ester; 2) Measure the atomic displacements and changes in electronic distributions that occur in a peptide bond when it is linked by hydrogen bonds to a molecule, specifically the model system of 3-indole propionic acid-H2O; 3) Examine the influence of hydrogen bond formation with water in the reversible tautomerization reaction involving oxindole-H2O in the presence of light; 4) Probe the influence of hydrogen bond formation with water on the inter-molecular dynamics of m-methoxyphenol; and 5) Determine the intramolecular potential energy surface that governs the motion of an alkyl functional group such as -CH3 moiety attached to the N site in N-methylcarbazole and discern how this motion is affected when the assembly is radiated with light. The project will strengthen WSSU's undergraduate students' preparation in advanced spectroscopy technology, and thus, will have a significant impact on WSSU and its commitment to producing more graduates with competencies and degrees in STEM fields. Research will be conducted at WSSU and NIST.