NSF PREPARE: Science Before the Storm

In this captivating episode, we have the pleasure of meeting Dr. Abhinav Bhushan from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Dr. Bhushan shares his journey and passion for his work in microfabrication and microfluidics, with which he considers himself fortunate to be involved. Dr. Bhushan is at the forefront of developing innovative solutions, such as organ-on-a-chip technology, particularly in the context of exhaled breath analysis. He also sheds light on the discrepancies between cell and human studies and discusses the potential of organs-on-a-chip for clinical translational research. Tune in to gain valuable insights into the fascinating world of microfabrication, microfluidics, and their applications in biomedical research and diagnostics. Learn more about his RAPID grant: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj8srnFCSo8&list=PLVFmEa7novObS_dZNrMaG-hGjsGFxJMsR&index=6&t=62s

Abhinav Bhushan is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. He is interested in using microfluidics and microfabrication to engineer tissues as well as to develop sensors for chemical and biochemical measurements. He uses these tools to better understand diseases, in particular inflammation and metabolic diseases. Learn more: https://sites.google.com/iit.edu/bhushan-research-group

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Dr. Glen Borchert from the University of South Alabama. Dr. Borchert shares his journey of growing up in a small town and finding his place in the world of research. Dr. Borchert also shares his approach to research, which involves searching for what doesn't fit the established framework of understanding in a particular field and studying the unexamined. He discusses his interest in non-coding RNA and how this area of study has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of gene regulation. Furthermore, Dr. Borchert emphasizes the need for antiviral development to prepare us for the next pandemic and shares insights on how his research can contribute to this effort. Tune in to gain inspiration and insight into the world of research and academia, and to learn about the potential of non-coding RNA in preparing for future pandemics. Learn more⁠: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj8srnFCSo8&list=PLVFmEa7novObS_dZNrMaG-hGjsGFxJMsR&index=6&t=2257s

Glen Borchert is an Assistant Professor in Biology and Pharmacology at the University of South Alabama. He originally received a B.S. in Biology from the University of Tennessee and then completed a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Iowa. Dr. Borchert’s research focuses largely on identifying novel genetic regulators and defining their roles in oncogenesis, microbiology, and speciation. Since starting his laboratory at South Alabama in August 2012, Dr. Borchert has published dozens of papers in peer-reviewed journals and had numerous grant applications funded including a highly prestigious NSF CAREER award (2014-2019). Learn more: https://www.southalabama.edu/biology/borchertlab/index.html

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Dr. Davida Smyth from Texas A&M, San Antonio, who shares her journey as a first-generation university student from Ireland to the United States. Dr. Smyth talks about how getting to see bodily fluids in the clinical lab inspired her to pursue a career in science. She also stresses the importance of taking advantage of opportunities, approaching your professors, building classes around students' needs, and making science relevant. Tune in to hear Dr. Smyth's story and gain insight into how you can navigate your own path in the world of academia...or not. It’s up to you.

Davida Smyth is an Associate Professor in the Department of Life Sciences at Texas A&M, San Antonio. She developed several new courses that involve undergraduates in research and incorporate civic engagement and social justice into the curriculum. She is devoted to undergraduate research and her students have presented their work at several national and international meetings. With her undergraduate team, she researches the role of the built environment and anthropogenic activity in driving antibiotic resistance, a major global health threat. She also engages in pedagogical research on improving civic and scientific literacy in biology and integrating authentic research into the curriculum to improve student engagement and success in science. Dr. Smyth also guides and mentors future faculty and adjuncts to successfully apply for academic positions in teaching and beyond. Since 2014, she has been involved with SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities) and was appointed a SENCER Senior Leadership Fellow in 2018. Learn more: https://apps.tamusa.edu/course-information/Profile/Faculty/583?=Davida-Smyth

In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Dr. Trina Fletcher from Florida International University. Dr. Fletcher shares her story of finding her place in engineering and computing education and using her platform to advocate for those who may not have a voice. She discusses the importance of increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia and industry and shares insights on how to make this a reality. Through her experiences, Dr. Fletcher has learned valuable lessons on how to make a positive impact and inspire change. Tune in to gain insight and inspiration from her journey.

Trina Fletcher is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at Florida International University. She has an interdisciplinary background with both her education and full-time experiences. Fletcher holds a doctorate in engineering education from Purdue University and has industry experience including roles with Johnson & Johnson, and Eaton Corporation and serving as the director of pre-college initiatives for the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Learn more: https://www.trinafletcher.com/

In this fascinating episode, we sit down with Dr. Constance ("Connie") Jeffery from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Jeffery shares how she discovered moonlighting proteins, a field of study that has become her research focus. She also discusses her innovative response to the pandemic by creating an online, virtual summer undergraduate research and mentoring program (MSFP 2021) to serve students during a time of upheaval and uncertainty. She shares insights on how to provide meaningful research experiences to students in a remote environment and how this program has impacted the lives of those involved. Learn more: http://jefferylabuic.weebly.com/

Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of moonlighting proteins and how they function, as well as to hear about the importance of providing research opportunities to undergraduate students, particularly during challenging times. Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj8srnFCSo8&list=PLVFmEa7novObS_dZNrMaG-hGjsGFxJMsR&index=6&t=967s

Connie Jeffery is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois, Chicago. She uses biochemistry, biophysics (X-ray crystallography), and bioinformatics to understand how protein sequences and structures relate to their functions.  Her current research topics include moonlighting proteins, pseudoenzymes, metamorphic proteins, and proteins involved in cancer and IBD.  Studies of individual proteins involve combinations of X-ray crystallography, ligand binding assays, catalytic activity assays, mutagenesis, and/or computer-based ligand docking simulations or analysis of disease-causing genetic mutations. Additional computer-based projects in the analysis of protein sequence, structure, and function are being performed to develop better methods to predict a protein's function(s) from its sequence or structure. Learn more: http://jefferylabuic.weebly.com/jeffery-lab-home.html

In this intriguing episode, we sit down with Dr. Saikat Basu from South Dakota State University. Dr. Basu shares his unique journey from math to civil engineering to fluid mechanics and finally to biomedical engineering, a field that has perfectly positioned him to study critical questions brought up by the pandemic.

Dr. Basu discusses the challenges and rewards of navigating different fields of study and how it has ultimately led him to his current research focus. He shares insights on the role of fluid mechanics in the context of the pandemic and how it can be used to better understand airway infection dynamics.

Through his experiences, Dr. Basu has gained valuable insights into how to adapt to new research areas and find connections between seemingly disparate fields. Tune in to hear his story and gain insight into how different areas of study can come together to address pressing challenges in our world.

Saikat Basu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at South Dakota State University. He develops theoretical and computational fluid mechanics transport models in complex biomedical systems, e.g., in respiratory physiology and cancerous tumors. To validate the modeling framework, he collaborates with peers specializing in experiments. The collaborations are often supplemented with in-house experiments performed in 3D-printed anatomic geometries. Learn more: https://www.sdstate.edu/directory/saikat-basu

Welcome to our first researcher match! These scientists have never collaborated before but we thought it would be fun to eavesdrop on their "what if?" conversation. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Sameer Patil is an Assistant Professor in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington (IU) and a fellow of IU’s Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research (CACR). Sameer’s research interests lie at the intersection of Privacy and Cybersecurity, Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and Social Computing. The results of his research have been published at top-tier conferences, such as CHI, CSCW, and SOUPS, and he holds several US patents. Sameer’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and Google. Learn more: https://privacy.luddy.indiana.edu/sameer-patil/

Indrakshi Ray is a Professor in the Computer Science Department at Colorado State University. She has also been a visiting faculty at Air Force Research Laboratory, Naval Research Laboratory, and at INRIA, Rocquencourt, France. Her research interests include security and privacy, database systems, e-commerce and formal methods in software engineering. She has published over a hundred technical papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings. Learn more: https://www.cs.colostate.edu/~iray/

John Seberger is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in ComArtSci at Michigan State University, where he works with the Dean and an interdisciplinary team of engineers and communications scholars on humanistic and sociotechnical issues in computing and artificial intelligence. Learn more: https://www.cs.colostate.edu/~iray/

Special thanks to Finn Mokrzycki for editing!

In this episode, we talk with B. Aditya Prakash, Krista Wigginton, and John Yin about the NSF PREVNT workshop they helped to organize in February 2021. PREVENT (Predicting Emergence of Virulent Entities by Novel Technologies) sought to answer what advances in science, technology, and human behavior would enable prediction and prevention of future pandemics. We think you'll really enjoy what they had to say!

Learn more about the PREVENT workshop here: http://prevent-symposium.org/

B. Aditya Prakash is an Associate Professor of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. He is broadly interested in Data Science, Machine Learning and AI with emphasis on solving big-data problems in networks and sequences. Many of the research questions he answers deal with understanding and managing efficiently, dynamical mechanisms (like propagation) on networks, occurring across natural, social and technological systems. These include problems motivated from public health, computational epidemiology, cybersecurity, urban computing and the web. His research combines theoretical analysis of models, developing efficient algorithms and empirical studies on large-scale data. Learn more: https://www.cc.gatech.edu/~badityap/

Krista Wigginton is an assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on applications of environmental biotechnology in drinking water and wastewater treatment. In particular, her research group develops new methods to detect and analyze the fate of emerging pollutants in the environment. Learn more: https://css.umich.edu/person/krista-r-wigginton

John Yin is Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor, Theme Leader of Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. His research interests are in systems biology - virus-host interactions and systems chemistry - molecular replicators. Learn more: https://directory.engr.wisc.edu/che/Faculty/Yin_John/

Special thanks to Finn Mokrzycki for editing!

In this episode, we meet Dr. Nina Fefferman, Dr. James Moody, and Dr. Ioannis Paschalidis, co-organizers of NSF's Workshop on Predicting Pandemic Emergence (http://predictingpandemics.com/). We talk about the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to pandemic response - and learn what these esteemed researchers believe is important in preparing the world for the next pandemic.

Nina Fefferman, PhD, is a Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Fefferman’s research focuses on the mathematics of epidemiology, evolutionary and behavioral ecology, and self-organizing behaviors, especially of systems described by networks. While the research in the Fefferman Lab frequently focuses on disease in human and/or animal populations, and how disease and disease-related behavioral ecology can affect the short-term survival and long-term evolutionary success of a population, people in the lab have worked on problems as diverse as computer network security to social behaviors in grass-roots organizations that make the movement susceptible to radicalization. Any fun integration of applied mathematics and human or animal processes is fair game! Read more here: https://eeb.utk.edu/people/nina-fefferman/

James Moody, PhD, is the Robert O. Keohane Professor in the Department of Sociology, Duke University. Dr. Moody has published extensively in the field of social networks, methods, and social theory. His work has focused theoretically on the network foundations of social cohesion and diffusion, with a particular emphasis on building tools and methods for understanding dynamic social networks. He has used network models to help understand school racial segregation, adolescent health, disease spread, economic development, and the development of scientific disciplines. Read more here: https://scholars.duke.edu/person/james.moody

Ioannis Paschalidis, PhD, is a Professor in the College of Engineering at Boston University with a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Division of Systems Engineering. He is Director of the Center for Information and Systems Engineering (CISE) – a Boston University research center with 39 affiliated faculty, more than 100 affiliated graduate students and on the order of $6.6 million of annual research expenditures from sponsored research directed by CISE faculty. He is also affiliated with the BioMolecular Engineering Research Center (BMERC). Learn more here: https://www.bu.edu/eng/profile/ioannis-paschalidis/

Special thanks to Finn Mokrzycki for editing!

In this episode we talk with Anil Vullikanti from UVA and Li Xiong from Emory about their involvement as co-PIs on PREPARE and the workshops they've planned on data privacy & security and social, economic, behavioral, & governance issues surrounding pandemics. We hope you enjoy this introduction to a few more members of our team!

Anil Vullikanti is a professor in the Department of Computer Science and at the Biocomplexity Institute. Vullikanti‘s research interests are in the broad areas of approximation and randomized algorithms, dynamical systems, wireless networks, social networks, computation epidemiology and the modeling, simulation and analysis of socio-technical systems. Read his full bio here: https://biocomplexity.virginia.edu/person/anil-vullikanti

Li Xiong is a Professor of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics at Emory University. She and her research lab, Assured Information Management and Sharing (AIMS), conduct research on algorithms and methods for big data management, machine learning, and data privacy and security, in the context of spatiotemporal and health data. Read her full bio here: http://www.mathcs.emory.edu/~lxiong/