Grant News

Julie Neiworth, Laurence McKinley Gould Professor of Natural Sciences and Psychology, was awarded an NIH AREA grant (2R15AG051940-02) entitled “Longitudinal Cognitive Behavioral Testing and Immunohistochemical Assessment of Alzheimer’s Disease Markers, Immune Response, Neurogenesis, and Cell Loss in a Natural Aging Primate Model.” This is a renewal of the former funded grant which examined how beta amyloid plaques and neural loss corresponded to failures in tasks testing working memory, rule shifting, and visual attention in cotton top tamarins as a natural process of aging. In this current renewal, Neiworth is adding a number of immune response measures, including the state of astrocytes and microglia in the brain and hyperphosphorylated tau, as well as signs of neurogenesis in aging tamarins. These are correlated with their tracked cognitive decline in life and indicate patterns related to natural aging, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease like symptoms. This is Neiworth’s fifth NIH award, all involving undergraduate student collaborators.

Mike Nishizaki, Assistant Professor of Biology, has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant for his project “Collaborative Research: RUI: Microscale interactions of foundation species with their fluid environment: biological feedbacks alter ecological interactions of mussels” (NSF OCE #2050129). Working with Emily Carrington at U. of Washington and Matthew Reidenbach at U. of Virginia, Prof. Nishizaki and his students will investigate mussel behavior and physiology using a combination of lab, field, and computational fluid dynamic model experiments.

Anya Vostinar, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, is recipient of a subaward from Michigan State University, to do work that supports lead PI Kristin Parent’s CAREER project exploring Shigella phage-mediated genetic transfer effect on microbiome evolution. Prof. Vostinar and her undergraduates will assist with computational development and analysis of a simulation of the bacteria-phage dynamics with intent toward development of a predictive tool that can ultimately be applied to other bacteria-phage interactions.

JC Sanford, Instructor in Trombone/Euphonium & Tuba, is a recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board Creative Support for Individuals award. JC will produce a CD and digital jazz recording with his Imminent Standards Trio to take the place of their usual monthly performances at Imminent Brewing in Northfield which has been halted by COVID-19.

Dan Maxbauer, Assistant Professor of Geology, will receive funding from the Keck Geology Consortium, supported by National Science Foundation EAR, to host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) project in summer 2021 at the Carleton campus. His project, “Carbon sequestration by enhanced silicate weathering in agricultural soils,” enables Prof. Maxbauer to mentor four students in conducting an agricultural field trial to test the efficacy of rock dust amendments, with a focus on evaluating carbon sequestration, crop yields, and soil health.

Cecilia Cornejo, Instructor in Cinema and Media Studies, received a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. The funds will allow her to expand her ongoing The Wandering House project over the course of the next several months. Through virtual visits to The Wandering House, Cecilia will reconnect with Lanesboro and Northfield residents to explore how notions of “home” have transformed in light of the global pandemic and the uprising that followed the killing of George Floyd.

Gao Hong, Director of the Chinese Music Ensemble and Senior Lecturer in Chinese Musical Instruments, received a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Gao will compose a pipa concerto that she will premier in her debut performance with the Minnesota Orchestra and present lecture demonstrations remotely for Minnesotans.

Andrea Mazzariello, Assistant Professor of Music, received a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, in support of his project, “War Footing.” This large-scale work facilitates collaboration and co-creation between local musicians, in response to a framework of original songs and pieces.

On October 26, together with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) awarded a new continuation grant to the college’s Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program. Now in its 32nd year at Carleton, the MMUF program supports talented students from underrepresented backgrounds who plan to pursue a PhD in humanistic fields. Participants are selected at the end of their sophomore year or during their junior year through a competitive application process. Directed this year by Cathy Yandell,  W. I. and Hulda F. Daniell Professor of French Literature, Language, & Culture, and Sindy Fleming, Assistant Dean of Students, Carleton’s program supports up to ten fellows through two years of intensive work in the humanities, which includes independent research, participation in regional and national activities with other Mellon Mays fellows, and preparation for graduate school.

Carleton recently received a $249,372 Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) grant, made possible by the federal CARES Act, from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE). The GEER grant enables Carleton’s Information Technology Services to provide assistance to underserved students (defined by the grant as lower-income students, students of color, indigenous students, and students with disabilities) in the form of high-quality laptops, software applications, and captioning services for courses that have shifted to online instruction because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, which aims to ensure that all students have equal access to the technological tools necessary to succeed in their courses, is being spearheaded by the college’s Chief Technology Officer, Janet Scannell, and the Director of Technology Support, Austin Robinson-Coolidge.