This week marks one year since the launch of K-State's bold Economic Prosperity Plan, or EPP, at a ceremony that included remarks from our newly named president, Richard Linton, the chair of the Kansas Board of Regents and others.

Our Economic Prosperity Plan is K-State's commitment to leveraging our research strengths, unique facilities and capabilities, and faculty expertise to drive statewide economic development and advance the global competitiveness of Kansas and Kansas businesses in select industry sectors. Our ambitious plan — built upon our land-grant mission, heritage and commitment — has bold goals. We will create 3,000 new jobs and bring $3 billion dollars of new investment into Kansas in 10 years.

At this one-year anniversary, it is appropriate to provide a brief update on our progress and share information about our plans for the coming year.



The EPP focus areas are: food and agriculture systems innovation, digital agriculture and advanced analytics, and biosecurity and biodefense. An additional focus area, "K-State 105: Every Town to Gown," is our commitment to engaging in new and meaningful ways with all 105 counties in Kansas to assist in economic development planning, thinking, and initiatives, connecting them to K-State's expertise/resources and leveraging those of partnering organizations. You can learn more about the plan and its components, partnerships, initiatives and progress on the Economic Prosperity Plan website.

The 10-year benchmarks included in the plan set a goal to create 1,100 direct jobs and $550 million in direct investment into Kansas by the end of 2022 — year three after the established baseline year (2019). As of this month, we have created 1,107 direct jobs and $650 million in direct investment. An additional 616 direct jobs and $942 million in direct investment have been announced.

Read the full update.

-David Rosowsky

Vice president for research

The Biosecurity Research Institute, or BRI, is committed to providing high-quality research support for biocontainment research and educating the next generation of scientists. Please visit the BRI website for the updated fee schedule, effective January 1, 2023.

In addition to the updated schedule of charges, the BRI is implementing two additional changes.

• PPE utilization beyond “normal” use will be charged at 110% of the cost.
• A cancellation fee of up to 50% of the project costs will be charged for projects canceled with less than a 21-day notice. The cancellation fee will be determined on a case-by-case basis.  

Investigators/administrators preparing budgets beyond the 2023 calendar year should factor in a 5-7% increase per year for future years to cover anticipated increases due to inflation.  

The BRI is committed to providing the highest quality biocontainment research facilities and services. Please contact me at shiggs@k-state.edu if you have any questions.  

-Stephen Higgs

Associate vice president for research and director of the BRI

The latest episode of "Something to Chew On" features Sajid Alavi, professor of grain science and industry. He discusses the importance of cereal grains research in the sustainable production of grain-based foods that represents close to 70% of the world’s calorie consumption.



Listen to the podcast.

The National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 4: EPSCoR Research Fellows provides awards to help transform the career trajectories of untenured investigators and further develop their individual research potential through extended collaborative visits — often 3 summer months in two successive years — to the nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research centers. Through these visits, fellowship awardees will be able to learn new techniques, develop new collaborations or advance existing partnerships, benefit from access to unique equipment and facilities, and/or shift their research toward potentially transformative new directions.

This is a limited submission program and K-State is allowed only three submissions. If you are interested in submitting to this program you must notify the Office of Research Development, or ORD, by 5 p.m. on January 17, 2023, via ordlimitedsubs@k-state.edu. Your notification should include a two- to three-sentence description of your project plus the names of your anticipated host and host institution. If ORD receives more than three notifications, an internal competition will be needed with preproposals due by 5 p.m. on February 7, 2023. While specific instructions will be given to the notifiers for the preproposal, they will closely follow the instructions from last year.

DARPA Forward is taking national security innovation on the road. 

From August to December 2022, six regional events held at leading research and development universities nationwide will connect Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency leaders with new communities of talent and partnerships. The ultimate goal: to energize regional and national innovation ecosystems, fuel breakthroughs in national security and help deliver the U.S. technological advantage. 

Virtual events will be hosted by the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab. Upcoming events will be held:

• December 13-14. 

For more information or directions, please contact Jeffrey Sheldon jsheldon@k-state.edu.

The CNAP COBRE center at Kansas State University is soliciting applications for pilot grants that will begin on June 1, 2023. The grants are open to all faculty with appointments at higher education institutions within the state of Kansas, although early and mid-career faculty will be prioritized for funding.

Proposed pilot grants should seek to enhance neuroscience research in the state of Kansas and/or fit within CNAP’s theme of cognitive and neural plasticity. The center funds basic, translational and clinical research in humans and animals from a wide range of disciplines (e.g., animal behavior, biology, pharmacology, veterinary medicine, cognitive science, human factors, kinesiology, human nutrition, computer science and engineering).

Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent by 5 p.m. CST on Wednesday, Feb.1, 2023. This is highly recommended to ensure that your grant can be reviewed in a timely manner. Applications should be submitted by the applicant’s research office and are due by 5 p.m. CST on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

The Research Coordination Networks in Undergraduate Biology Education, or RCN-UBE, program will be hosting a webinar and series of office hours in anticipation of the upcoming deadline on January 24, 2023.

RCN-UBE supports networks of scientists focused on integrating biological research discoveries with innovations in education to improve learning experiences for undergraduates. Below are the upcoming dates to speak with a cognizant program officer.

Virtual Office Hours:

• 3-4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13

Register in advance.

1-2:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 14

The NSF Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure’s Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, or CyberTraining, program has been modified for the upcoming solicitation. The Cyberinfrastructure Professional project class has been removed and placed into a new solicitation titled Strengthening the Cyberinfrastructure Professionals Ecosystem, or SCIPE. The Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure solicitation has been revised to reflect this.

Learn more and register to attend.

1-2 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 14

NSF Program Directors representing the Using the Rules of Life to Address Societal Challenges program will hold a Virtual Office Hour on Wednesday, Dec. 14 from 1-2 p.m.

Building on knowledge from previous investments in the NSF “Big Ideas,” Using the Rules of Life to Address Societal Challenges, or URoL:ASC, will support use-inspired research across a broad range of living systems to tackle pressing societal concerns.  

Examples of some societal challenges that may be addressed by URoL:ASC proposals are: climate change and associated risks, including geohazards, extreme events, and loss of biodiversity; environmental degradation, including impacts on land and water resources; inequalities in availability of and access to essential natural assets; lack of sustainability, including for food, energy, and waste production; and threats from pandemic disease.

As in previous Big Idea solicitations, this new activity is a cross-directorate NSF program and will bring together interdisciplinary teams that span two or more NSF Directorates.

1-2 p.m.

January 10, 2023

Sociology program directors will answer questions concerning the NSF Sociology Program, especially with regard to the recent removal of proposal submission target dates.

Please see date(s) listed below and note that times listed are in the Eastern time zone.

To join, use the Sociology office hour Zoom link. 

• All meetings during office hours are 1-on-1. Guests are seen in the order they join. You may have to wait if others join before you.
• If you need captions or other accommodations, please contact Joe Whitmeyer or Melanie Hughes in advance. 
• 
  

For more information about the program, visit the Sociology Program page.

A Boost for Clean Energy on Brownfields Green Building Advisor

Measuring Gas Fluxes in Cattle Feed-Lot magazine

The 11 Most Dangerous Things In Your Kitchen House Beautiful

Hip-hopping into a career in computer science

When high school students think about producing hip-hop tracks, many of them also understand the importance of learning to code. That’s because more than 1 million people in over 5,000 schools spanning all 50 U.S. States and 180 countries are using EarSketch. The NSF-seeded, web-based audio composition environment lets students make music with JavaScript or Python code. Celebrity Pharrell Williams' organization, YELLOW, even partnered with Amazon and Georgia Tech to launch the "Your Voice is Power" competition using EarSketch. NSF

Simulated driving program reduces crash risk for teens with ADHD in small study

A program that combines computer-based and driving simulator training may reduce the proportion of crashes and near crashes among teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a small study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Teens who took the training, which aims to reduce the number of long glances away from the roadway, had a nearly 40% lower risk for crash or near crash, compared to a similar group who did not undergo the training. NIH

Severe COVID could cause markers of old age in the brain

Severe COVID-19 is linked to changes in the brain that mirror those seen in old age, according to an analysis of dozens of post-mortem brain samples. Nature

How a dangerous stew of air pollution is choking the United States

Fires and droughts in the western states are getting worse — and they’re combining with industrial sources to threaten air quality and people’s health. Nature

The Next Great Overdose-Reversing Drug Might Already Exist

Fentanyl-related substances have a bad reputation, but they could also save lives. In the US, a legislative battle to expedite research is heating up. Wired

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