Six faculty and their research partners have received seed funding through the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation. The Research Seed Grant awards provide up to $25,000 for track one proposals and up to $50,000 for track two proposals to seed research that acquires preliminary data needed for submitting a competitive proposal for significant external funding. The proposals were evaluated by a faculty committee made up of experts in the range of fields represented in the applications, and final funding decisions were made by Anshuman “AR” Razdan, vice president for research and innovation.
The following projects were awarded funding:
Track One Awards
Title: Generating RNA-seq data of induced Daphnia phenotypes as preliminary data for a full NSF proposal
Researchers: Bill Cresko, Lorry Lokey Chair and professor, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Department of Bioengineering; graduate student Shannon Snyder.
Summary: The project looks at environmentally induced phenotypes and addresses a scientific gap in knowledge—that the underlying molecular mechanisms of inheritance of induced phenotypes are largely unknown, and no appropriate animal model exists to test hypothesis. To fill this gap, the Cresko team has developed the freshwater microcrustacean, Daphnia. The seed funding will help to establish necessary preliminary transcriptomic data to justify exploring the epigenetic mechanisms in a full grant proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Title: Development of the TECH Check-up intervention for adolescents
Researchers: Jen Doty, associate professor in Counseling Psychology and Human Services and Prevention Science Institute, and co-investigator Ariel Williamson, assistant professor Ballmer Institute, Department of Psychology, and Prevention Science Institute.
Summary: Digital technologies (e.g., social media, video gaming, texting) are deeply intertwined in adolescents’ lives, serving as a gateway to activities that promote both mental well-being and mental health concerns. A range of online risks (e.g., cyberaggression, harm-advocating content, scrolling before bedtime) have been prospectively linked with youth depression, suicidal ideation, and sleep disturbances. This project will develop an evidence-based motivational interviewing intervention to address these mental health concerns and will run a pilot to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention before applying to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a larger study.
Title: Investigation of the incipient Neolithic culture on Jeju Island, Korea
Researchers: Gyoung-Ah Lee, professor, Department of Anthropology, and graduate student Hyunsoo Lee.
Summary: The project is an anthropological, archaeological, and environmental investigation of the Neolithic cultures on Jeju Island of Korea with the long-term goal of understanding the traditional ecological knowledge that helped islanders adapting the changing Holocene climates. The archeological sites, along coastal regions in the East China Sea, are at risk of destruction from seal-level variability and tourism. Working together with regional researchers and nonprofits through the seed grant, and then an application to NSF’s senior archaeology award, Lee will gather key data for more than 6,000 years of cultural tradition.
Title: Unraveling genetic pathways of psychoplasticity and hallucinogenic behaviors: A comparative approach using drosophila and C. elegans
Researcher: Shawn Lockery, professor, Department of Biology and Institute of Neuroscience.
Summary: Growing evidence suggests that psychedelics are effective in treating mental illnesses, but psychedelics are also hallucinogens, and thus require hours of psychological counseling to use as therapy—making them prohibitively expensive for many populations. Efforts are underway to develop non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens but efforts are hampered by a lack of understanding of the genetic pathways triggered by psychedelics. The seed project will gather preliminary data for an NIH application with the goal of discovering conserved genetic pathways for psychoplasticity and hallucinogenic behaviors, laying the groundwork for further exploration in higher organisms.
Track Two Awards
Title: Integrating network theory and coexistence theory to restore diverse plant-pollinator communities
Researchers: Lauren Hallett, associate professor, Departments of Biology and Environmental Studies; co-principal investigator (PI) Jeff Diez, associate professor, Department of Biology and Institute of Ecology and Evolution (IE2); co-PI Lauren Ponisio, assistant professor, Department of Biology, Environmental Studies and IE2; graduate student Jasmin Albert, and graduate candidates Sarah Erskine and Nicole Martinez Llaurador.
Summary: Plant-pollinator network restoration is a primary conservation goal given widespread pollinator declines. However, restoration efforts rarely consider network interactions critical for species persistence, such as pollinator-focused restoration efforts that commonly seed generalist plant species, assuming they support the highest diversity of pollinators. The project integrates network and coexistence theories that indicate given diverse floral resources, generalist pollinators adapt to forage on specialist plants, avoiding competition with pollinators that specialize on generalist plants. Through an experimental prairie restoration on the UO Riverfront, the project will develop a proof-of-concept and preliminary data needed to apply to NSF’s Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice program for a full study.
Title: Bringing nature indoors: Understanding the positive impact of nature’s fractal patterns
Researchers: Margaret Sereno, professor, Department of Psychology; co-PI Ihab Elzeyadi, professor, Department of Architecture; co-PI Richard Taylor, professor, Department of Physics and Materials Science Institute.
Summary: Natural forms, such as mountains, trees, or clouds, are fractal-based patterns, possessing structures that repeat at increasingly fine magnifications. These natural scenes were ubiquitous during the evolution of human sensory systems, yet neuroscientific studies that explore human responses to these fractal stimuli are still limited in number and scope, and related studies that highlight the powerful impact of views of nature on health, well-being, and stress reduction have not identified the precise qualities and quantities of nature that induced these remarkable positive effects. The project will gather preliminary data for a submission to NSF, with goals to 1) bridge divergent approaches to the study of cognitive and neural responses to complexity by anchoring it to the fractal mathematics and characterization of natural form, and 2) provide a novel scientific framework for biomorphic design, by beginning to establish principles and methods for incorporating natural patterns into the built environment.
Please visit the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation website for more information on this and other OVPRI funding programs.
— Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation