Philip Brown - US grants

"Warm rain" in cloud physics refers to the development of precipitation in clouds in the absence of ice crystals. Cloud droplets grown primarily through coalescence. The droplet size spectra observed in nature have shown both bi-modal and tri-modal distributions. Professor Brown has successfully explained the cause of such distributions by modeling both coalescence and the breakup process when droplets collide. Under this grant Professor Brown will further consider the effects of evaporation and the initial droplet size spectra in the evolution of the spectra. Since convective cloud models frequently cannot explicitly take into consideration the complex coalescence and collision-induced breakup, a refined parameterization, hence professor Brown's work, becomes even more important.

This award provides one-half of the funds required to purchase a micro-Fourier Transform infrared spectrometer system. The equipment will be housed and operated in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The University will provide the remaining 50% match for the purchase and will also provide laboratory space and the technical support to maintain the machine. The infrared spectrometer research at Wisconsin will focus on developing applications to determine the composition of microscopic fluids trapped in rocks and minerals and their use in interpreting deep crustal processes.

The PIs intend to develop and refine application of micro- Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to fluid composition studies in both synthetic and natural fluid inclusions and fluid-buffering minerals. Comparison of FTIR and other spectroscopic techniques will be carried out for calibration purposes to improve methods of determining H2O-CO2, etc. contents. Compositions of fluids so determined will be used with other techniques (phase equilibria, stable isotopes, etc.) to understand conditions of high-grade metamorphism, and the compositions, quantities, and modes of migration for fluids in the deep crust. Specifically, they will address the controversy regarding the extent to which granulite facies metamorphism is dominated by partial melting vs. CO2 infiltration.

Precipitation is an important factor in the dynamics of clouds. For example, evaporation of raindrops below cloud base cools the surrounding air and influences cloud development. Since the rate of water evaporation depends on the surface area of the drops, the drop size distribution plays an important role in the cloud evolution. In order to model the dynamics of convective clouds, it thus is necessary to include a realistic formulation of the raindrop size distribution. Such models must take account of the interaction between the small-scale microphysical process (such as water drop evaporation) and the larger-scale microphysical processes (such as air motion). Since the two types of processes operate on significantly different time and space scales, it is not feasible from a computational standpoint to include in the models detailed solution of the microphysical equations. Instead, such models must rely on the use of simple formulas to approximate the evolution of the raindrop distribution. Professor Brown's object in this research is twofold: to obtain a better knowledge of the relevant microphysical processes through analysis of model equations and observational data; and from this knowledge to develop simple parameterization formulas describing the evolving raindrop size distribution for use in convective cloud models. The analysis and parameterization are to take account of the microphysical processes of drop coalescence, breakup and evaporation.//

This award will support collaborative research between Dr. Philip E. Brown of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dr. David Groves of the Key Centre for Strategic Mineral Deposits of the University of Western Australia. Most available data on the nature and genesis of Archean lode gold mineralization has been gathered on mesothermal deposits. Fluid compositions and the timing of mineralization are reasonably well agreed upon. There is however considerable continuing debate as to the source of the ore components and the fluid. The objective of this collaborative project is to conduct a fluid inclusion study of lode gold deposits of the Yilgarn Craton in western Australia. The area to be studied contains gold deposits hosted in amphibolite-to granulite- facies metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. This research will compare these results which are representative of lower crustal levels and therefore less modified, more proximal, ore fluids to data from the better-studied mesothermal deposits. Extending the range of deposits studied through this project will allow the development of genetic models and general understanding of the mechanisms of gold mineralization, and their relationships to late-Archean tectonics. The project represents excellent U.S. and Australian collaboration. Dr. Brown has many years of experience in fluid-inclusion studies involving ore deposits and/or metamorphic terranes and the background in theoretical fluid modeling that will be necessary to interpret the pressure- temperature-composition history of the fluids trapped in inclusions in high-grade metamorphic rocks. The Australian research group has an excellent international reputation, and the documentation of mineralization in the Yilgarn Craton required for the study. In addition to providing useful data on the fluid characteristics and conditions of mineralization, the research has the potential for broader application in interpretation of gold deposition world-wide in Archean terranes and in exploration models for similar gold deposits.

This award provides one-half the funding needed for the acquisition of a modern electron microprobe microanalysis system that will be installed and operated in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The University is committed to providing the remaining funds required for this purchase. The microanalytical capabilities of the electron microprobe (rapid and automated quantitative chemical analysis of solids with a spatial resolution of a micrometer) are required for the projects of an active group of researchers in geology, geophysics, engineering, and materials science at Wisconsin.

This project will focus on fluid evolution in the upper part of the hydrothermal system at the Archean Wiluna lode-gold deposits. The mixing of surface and deep-seated ore fluids may be an important precipitation mechanism for gold and other metals. The goal of this study is to constrain surface water components in the Wiluna deposits, and to quantify fluid fluxes in the metasomatic zones. This will be the first to study the nature and role of surface waters in Archean lode-gold systems. The surface water components of the fossil hydrothermal system will be quantified by GC/IC, PIXE-probe, and noble gas analyses on fluid inclusions, and stable isotope analyses on homogeneous groups of fluid inclusions and alteration minerals. Mass- transfer modeling will quantify fluid flow through channel ways and wallrock, and will quantify fluid mixing as a gold precipitation mechanism in the upper parts of the lodes. This research will be conducted in collaboration with the Key Centre for Strategic Mineral Deposits, Perth and the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Canberra.

9406683 Brown This award provides one-half the funding required for the acquisition of an automated heating and freezing stage to be used for the microscopic examination of fluid inclusions in geological samples. The microscope stage will be used in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The University of Wisconsin is committed to providing the remaining funds necessary for the acquisition of the equipment. The research of the Principal Investigator, colleagues, and students require accurate and programmable temperature control of small samples under the microscope. The Principal Investigator's research projects focus on the study of fluid inclusions found in rocks containing gold deposits and are aimed at understanding the chemical and physical processes that operate during the formation of gold deposits. ***

9508257 Brown The goal of this study is to carefully integrate a variety of innovative geochemical techniques that build upon detailed descriptions of geological, alteration and radiogenic work done by the P.I.s or researchers from the key Centre in Perth. It is planned to quantify the hydrothermal fluid components of the fossil hydrothermal systems with detailed fluid inclusion, FTIR and laser-Raman spectroscopy, gas- and ion-chromatography, and laser stable isotope analyses. In addition, new innovative noble gas and the PIXE probe analyses on carefully selected individual as well as groups of fluid inclusions will be used to constrain, for the first time, metals (such as Au, Cu, As, Sb), argon and groups of fluid inclusions. This data will then be used to quantify possible chemical processes such as fluid immiscibility and/or fluid mixing at the different crustal levels. This study will have profound influence on the worldwide search for gold deposits that are hosted in very low- and high-grade metamorphic terrains, possibly still concealed beneath the surface.

Brown/Abstract The broad objective of the proposed research is to develop improved models of the rainfall process and to seek appropriate field data in order to reconcile theory and observation. The work will entail improved model formulation of raindrop coalescence and breakup for detailed study of the rain process and for application in models of cloud systems. The research will focus on prediction of the raindrop size distribution that describes the number and sizes of drops within a unit volume of air. The form of the drop size distribution is of both theoretical and practical importance, as it affects the dynamics and thermodynamics of the storm and determines the rate at which the rain removes pollutants from the atmosphere. Specific objectives of the research are: to determine the range of uncertainty in the current model formulation of drop breakup and to identify specific needs for data acquisition and qpecific problems in data representation; to improve an existing model of rainfall in a vertical shaft by incorporating a model of cloud-water to rain-water conversion at the upper boundary and to compare the model solutions with observed drop size distributions; to develop a parameterization of the raindrop size distribution within the shaft for use in models of cloud systems; to investigate the common but unexplained phenomenon of oscillation in rainfall intensity; and to develop an entirely new model that details the collision of two raindrops. The active prospect of obtaining new field measurements, using various radars, will be pursued.

Abstract
ATM-9812085
Brown, Philip S.
Trinity College
Title: Investigation of the Rain Process Using Mathematical Models and Observational Data

This project will improve our understanding of the way raindrops grow and interact with each other to produce a broad range of drop sizes. Some collisions between drops lead to simple coalescence and the formation of a larger drop; others may cause breakup of the colliding drops and the production of smaller, satellite droplets. A mathematical formulation of this problem requires knowledge of the fall speeds and collision cross sections of drops of different sizes, the probability of breakup, and the size distribution of the satellite droplets. The first phase of the project will provide analytical approximations to the sparse existing laboratory data on drop breakup. This is essential for generalizing the equations that describe the evolution of the drop-size distribution by the collision-coalescence process to include the effects of drop breakup. The second phase will compare model predictions with the drop-size distributions measured by Doppler radar in natural clouds. If the predictions agree with observations it will support the use of the model in theoretical calculations of rain development under different environmental conditions.

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award provides funds for the purchase of a large scale, Solidica ultrasonic consolidation system. This equipment will be used to support research on the fundamentals of ultrasonic consolidation traversing lengths scales from atomistic, molecular dynamic modeling, to hierarchical design/optimization procedures. These include examination of atomic species migration during ultrasonic consolidation, fabrication of multilayer smart materials incorporating ceramic fibers, polymers and metallic layers, large scale ultrasonic curing of fiber reinforced thermosetting polymers, benign environmental treatment of textile fiber surfaces and low temperature fabrication of intermetallic matrix composites. It will also be used to support the undergraduate interdisciplinary senior design program.

This equipment will contribute to developing a knowledge base in ultrasonic consolidation which has application in biomedical devices, aeroengines and air frames. Specifically the knowledge gained will allow incorporation of sensors and direct communication links in orthopedic devices, achievement of real time control variable configuration wing components and direct manufacture of aeroengine components incorporating both cooling air passages and thermal/damage sensors and actuators.

This project explores how technical and social responses to widespread flooding and landslides in Japan changed during its transition to a modern society. Highly decentralized in 1800, by 1900 the Japanese state had become a strong, capable state. The responsibility for addressing hazards moved largely from districts and villages to the national government. The new government (1868-1912) transformed local administration and taxation, re-defining the resources available to villages to address flood/landslide amelioration just as new engineering techniques entered Japan from the West. Throughout the 19th and well into the 20th centuries, both the world and Japan saw significant innovations in engineering technology and materials that transformed both the opportunities for, and costs of, public works designed to ameliorate these hazards. New cost/benefit balances provoked widespread re-evaluation of such efforts in Japan as elsewhere. An in-depth case study of Niigata prefecture is used to explore how local, prefecture and national political and administrative organizations adapted to the challenges of natural hazards and addressed changing opportunities and problems associated with the new practices in civil engineering. The project is grounded in the traditional tools of the historian--careful reading of archival sources and qualitative analysis. Primary emphasis is on exploration of records of multiple levels of government, engineering societies, public interest groups, and newspaper reports. Excellent records exist on flood frequency and extent that permits us to assess the effectiveness of flood control projects, zoning, etc. in reducing flooding and its impact on loss of life and property in the 19th and 20th centuries. Precipitation data for the past century along with soil maps, digital elevation models, etc. will be used to supplement traditional historical sources in order to consider the impact of natural conditions when making comparisons over time and space. Comparison of Niigata with other regions of Japan helps to assess the applicability of conclusions drawn from Niigata to Japan as a whole and generally to modernizing societies.

Intellectual merits. 1) The project illuminates the interaction of technological change and the modernizing state, an under-studied topic in Japanese history and the history of technology in non-Western contexts. 2) It explores the degree to which new civil engineering technologies not only spread to Japan, but beyond its major metropolitan intellectual centers to the provinces. 3) It assesses the relative effectiveness of traditional techniques of river management (which largely dominated local practice through World War II) and modern practices, evaluating the impacts of both sets of technologies. 4) It explores public re-evaluation of the benefits and costs of government- supported riparian works and new technologies in the period before contemporary environmental consciousness as well as today.

Broader impacts. Study of technological development and transfer outside of Western contexts is limited, and typical examples are those of central governments (colonial or post-colonial) capable of promoting large-scale projects. Such studies stress "states" as the unit of study. This study instead explores voluntary importation of civil engineering technology and its diffusion into more "ordinary" spheres of use. It addresses broader social impacts and challenges to adoption than those associated with prestigious large-scale projects of strong states. This context is especially appropriate to understand issues faced by modernizing societies today, particularly since Japan developed outside relationships of extreme dependence and subservience that contemporary societies seek to avoid. The problems of technological diffusion and integration faced by Japan, along with the fate of her attempted solutions, hold significant implications for understanding what has transpired in other societies in the past (e.g., links between traditional and modern practices) and what issues to address in planning natural hazard amelioration in the developing world today (e.g., adaptation of solutions to the circumstances of a given society).

Planning Grant for an I/UCRC for the Ceramic, Composite and Optical Materials Center

0934300 Clemson University; Dennis Smith
0934258 Rutgers University; Richard Haber

The Center for the Ceramic, Composite and Optical Materials Center (CCOMC) will focus on providing a broader range of relevant technologies critical to materials-based companies. Clemson University and Rutgers University are collaborating to establish the proposed center, with Clemson University as the lead institution.

The Center for Ceramic Research (CRC) at Rutgers University, a past member of an ending NSF I/UCRC for Ceramic and Composite Materials Center, proposes to join with the Center for Optical Material Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET) at Clemson University to form the proposed new Center (CCOMC) with new technological thrusts. COMSET has developed a strong industrial base, with three spin-off companies that, combined with Rutgers University, would provide a new and unique research program. The proposed Center (CCOMC) will focus on five thrust areas including ceramic materials and processing, nanoparticulates and processes, opaque and transparent armor ceramics, optical material synthesis and processing, and materials for energy conversion. The proposed research program across the five thrust areas will be carried out by an interdisciplinary group of faculty and across different academic disciplines. The PIs are well-qualified and have adequate resources to conduct the proposed research. Both institutions in this Center plan to use the NSF planning grant fund to hold a meeting with prospective industrial partners to establish the proposed Center's organizational framework, and to establish research projects of greatest relevance.

The proposed center (CCOMC) has the potential to improve sustainability and profitability of US manufacturing by developing new technologies in the ceramic, optic and composite material field. CCOMC has plans in place for involving under-represented groups, to recruit highly qualified faculty and graduate students, and to motivate undergraduate students through unique research experiences and fellowships. Results will be disseminated through semi-annual meetings, publications, and a website for information, results and accomplishments. CCOMC will continue to integrate research and education; and by providing hands-on experience to students, the Center will attempt to motivate students to go beyond common approaches towards learning by hands-on experiences in state-of-the-art facilities focusing on today's relevant materials issues.

I/UCRC for the Ceramic, Composite and Optical Materials Center

1034979 Clemson University; Dennis Smith
1034978 Rutgers University; Richard Haber

The Center for the Ceramic, Composite and Optical Materials Center (CCOMC) will focus on providing a broader range of relevant technologies critical to materials-based companies. Clemson University and Rutgers University are collaborating to establish the proposed center, with Clemson University as the lead institution.

The Center for Ceramic Research (CRC) at Rutgers University, a past member of an ending NSF I/UCRC for Ceramic and Composite Materials Center (CCR), proposes to join with the Center for Optical Material Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET) at Clemson University to form the proposed new Center (CCOMC) with new technological thrusts. COMSET has developed a strong industrial base, with three spin-off companies that, combined with Rutgers University, would provide a new and unique research program. The mission of the proposed Center (CCOMC) is to develop new innovations that enable and sustain United States competitiveness in ceramic, particulate, composite and optical material science, technology and engineering. Furthermore, the CCOMC will transfer these new innovations to its industrial members for competitive reproducible ceramic, particulate, composite and optical materials, for advanced, high performance commercial products. The proposed center's research projects are integrated into five thrust areas: powder synthesis and processing, nanoparticulates and processes, optical material synthesis and processing, materials for defense sciences, and materials for energy conversion. The proposed research program across the five thrust areas will be carried out by an interdisciplinary group of faculty and across different academic disciplines. The PIs are well-qualified and have adequate resources to conduct the proposed research.

The proposed center (CCOMC) has the potential to improve sustainability and profitability of US manufacturing by developing new technologies in the ceramic, optic and composite material field. CCOMC has plans in place for involving under-represented groups, to recruit highly qualified faculty and graduate students, and to motivate undergraduate students through unique research experiences and fellowships. Results will be disseminated through semi-annual meetings, publications, and a website for information, results and accomplishments. CCOMC will continue to integrate research and education; and by providing hands-on experience to students, the Center will attempt to motivate students to go beyond common approaches towards learning by hands-on experiences in state-of-the-art facilities focusing on todays relevant materials issues.

The Ceramic, Composite and Optical Materials Center (CCOMC) is an NSF Phase II, I/UCRC which is managed by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (Rutgers) and Clemson University (Clemson). The Center is integrated between the two university partners and is directed by an Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) comprised of 21 multinational member companies and national laboratories. The mission of the CCOMC is to develop new, interdisciplinary technologies to increase the level of ceramic, polymer and optical material science, technology and engineering and to transfer these technologies to its industrial members to foster the development of competitive, reproducible ceramic, polymer fiber and composites made of them for advanced, high performance systems. The continuation proposal aims to broaden the scope of the Center to new areas that are technologically complementary and will lead towards the Center?s long terms self-sufficiency.
The programs within the Center focus on the creation of new materials, new synthesis and processing methods, process based models, measurements and characterization methods for complex, integrated systems and devices. CCOMC began with program thrusts in ceramic and polymeric materials and processing, nanoparticulates and processes, opaque armor ceramics, optical material synthesis and processing and materials for energy conversion. As we move forward into the next five years, we will expand the scope of our research to include new research thrust areas in ceramic matrix composites and superhard, high temperature material. In addition we will explore green/ecofriendly processing as potential thrusts. It is critical to long-term self-sufficiency that we not only attract a broader base of members, but also be successful in securing Federal funding to strengthens new and existing thrusts to improve the visibility of the Center within both universities and abroad.

As COVID-19 spreads throughout communities, government officials face a series of challenging decisions, each fraught with an array of difficult tradeoffs. Current efforts to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus by closing non-essential businesses have resulted in the loss of millions of jobs. In addition to the economic costs, lockdown measures have had other unintended consequences that are difficult to measure. Unquestionably, the suffering caused by COVID-19 will go far beyond clinical effects alone. However, if no measures are taken, the virus may spread rapidly, overwhelming local healthcare resources and causing substantial human loss. This raises the urgent question: How can leaders make public policy decisions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in a scientific way that is locally appropriate and properly accounts for both near-term and longer-term costs of policy interventions? This project combines rigorous mathematical modeling, innovative approaches to data collection, and input from policymakers, to develop a decision aid framework that weighs the costs and benefits of various policy interventions at a local level and tailors interventions to the locale considering the effects of specific indicators such as urbanization, economic distress, and availability of regional healthcare. Additionally, graduate students will be trained in the context of this research.

To develop a rigorous understanding of the tradeoffs involved in policy interventions geared at mitigating COVID-19, two complementary approaches will be applied. First, the benefits of policy interventions will be estimated using a new dynamical game-theoretic mathematical COVID-19 epidemic model which accounts for the interactions between social behavior, policy interventions, and disease contagion. Second, the costs of policy interventions will be estimated via geospatial data aggregation and analysis which identifies local vulnerability to unintended consequences of policy interventions and assesses the disparities of these impacts across racial and socioeconomic divides. This project will advance knowledge in two complementary directions. First, the project?s data collection and aggregation activities will create datasets which would be otherwise impossible to recreate if this historic opportunity were missed; these datasets will facilitate our understanding of the connection between the spread of COVID-19 and the emergence of social behavior, identify the long-term costs of infection, and are anticipated to be applicable to future pandemics as well. Second, the project?s game-theoretic epidemiological model captures the feedback interconnection between two dynamical systems (human behavior and disease spread, respectively). These systems and their abstractions have been well-studied in isolation, but their interconnection is not well understood. Mathematical models will be reviewed and revised based on feedback from policymakers in order to best tailor interventions to the locale considering the effects of specific indicators such as urbanization, economic distress, and availability of regional healthcare. This interdisciplinary project will significantly advance understanding of these inherent societal feedback effects in a data driven, real world context. This RAPID award is made by the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease Program in the Division of Environmental Biology, using funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

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.

This project studies decision design methodologies for autonomous agents that are networked with and interacting among human beings in societal systems. The running application example is that of an urban highway network in which a portion of the vehicles are autonomously operated. The core question is this: how should a system planner design the routing policies of the autonomous vehicles to have the greatest positive impact on overall network traffic congestion, even if human drivers react in a self-interested way to the behavior of the autonomous vehicles? Intuitively, it would appear beneficial to design the autonomous vehicles to be altruistic; that is, to select highway routes that cause the least congestion to other drivers. However, recent work shows that this simple and intuitive routing design policy may backfire, leading to a cascade of behaviors which inadvertently worsens congestion. This project will investigate how a designer can circumvent these pathologies through the design of smart routing policies. One of the key questions this project will address is how selfish should autonomous vehicles be? This project includes public outreach to help members of the public discern between good and bad modes of influence in socially networked autonomous systems. In addition, it will provide a theoretical framework for engineering practitioners to certify that the interactive aspects of smart systems have been designed to provide broad societal benefits in a principled way.

This project addresses fundamental behavior design questions for socially-networked multiagent systems; an intrinsic feature of this problem is that overall system performance is governed not only by the designable behavior of the autonomous agents, but also on the self-interested behavior of human participants. The element of interactive optimization places this project squarely in the domain of game theory, and the investigators adapt popular congestion game models to study these questions in the context of smart autonomous vehicle routing in highway networks. A fleet of autonomous vehicles is modeled as a discrete player in a continuous-player-set network congestion game; the project studies how routing policies for the autonomous vehicles impact the game-theoretic equilibria of the overall system. This allows the investigators to model, in a principled way, the interactions between designed agents (i.e., autonomous vehicles) and selfish agents (i.e., human drivers). Ultimately, the investigators seek a comprehensive understanding of how and when autonomous vehicles should be endowed with various routing policies. This project advances knowledge in two distinct dimensions: first, it provides an in-depth case study examining the opportunities and limitations of the use of connected autonomous vehicles for influencing traffic routing in transportation networks. Second, and more broadly, it will provide the foundations for an underlying theory of social influence in smart and connected cyber-physical systems. As smart cyber-physical devices are increasingly integrated into public life, it is critical that these smart devices are designed to interact with and influence human behavior in ways that are effective, efficient, and principled ? and this project represents a central pillar of this endeavor.

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.

This project aims to serve the national interest by supporting STEM faculty members? implementation of evidence-based teaching practices. Such practices have been shown to benefit all students and have a particularly strong impact on under-represented groups in STEM. However, the culture of academia often impedes faculty in adopting these practices and the pace of making the needed changes has been slow. This project seeks to facilitate faculty adoption of evidence-based teaching practices by approaching course transformation as an issue of institutional structure and faculty action. This project will operate from the premise that organizational and structural factors must be systematically addressed to increase faculty support for and efforts to improve undergraduate STEM education at research universities. This project will create a Teaching Excellence Network to provide professional development activities that approach the challenge of institutional change through multiple facets of faculty support. It employs an assets-based approach to target faculty motivation and initiative, and to catalyze lasting institutional and cultural change around teaching.

This project aims to develop faculty agency to transform their courses by implementing evidence-based pedagogies. Project activities will include (1) formally coordinating existing institutional resources for teaching through the Teaching Excellence Network, (2) designing and implementing resources to decrease faculty barriers to course transformation, and (3) engaging institutional leadership in promoting and valuing teaching reform. This work will draw from theories of structure, agency, and motivation to produce knowledge about how faculty approach the reform process and will use current research on institutional barriers to educational reform to develop, assess, and disseminate an assets-based model of teaching professional development. This project is supported by the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Institutional and Community Transformation track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities.

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.