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PANTHER
RISE
Research and Innovation for Scholarly Excellence Grant Program
TABLE OF CONTENTS 04 Analyzing Impact of COVID-19 on Student Learning and Persistence: A Multi-Dimensional Study Camille Burnett, Ph.D. 05 Multi-modal Knowledge-Graph Construction for Combating Global Pandemics Xishuang Dong, Ph.D. 06 Diversity of Grass Shrimp (Palaemon Sp.) and Their Parasites (Microphallus Spp.) in Gulf of Mexico Wetlands Noushin Ghaffari, Ph.D. 07 Nursing in the Puerperium: A Virtual Home Visiting Intervention for Women at Risk for Severe Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Gloria Rose, FNP 08 Preclinical Development and Emerging Strategies for Design of Selective Kinase Inhibitors Targeting Brain Metastasis of Resistant HER2+ Breast Cancer Victoria Mgbemena, Ph.D. 09 Understanding the Response to USDA Food Aid among Minority Residents and Farmers in COVID-19 Noel M. Estwick, Ph.D. 10 Resilience in Black College Students: Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Student Success Oluwagbemiga Ojumu, Ph.D 11 An Interdisciplinary Team for Investigating a Machine Learning Framework for Predicting Outdoor Thermal Comfort to Reduce Energy Needs of Future Urban Development Rania Labib, Ph.D. 12 Examining the Mental Health Impacts and Coping Strategies of COVID-19 on Aging Racial/Ethnic Minorities in Texas: A Pilot Study Yuki Shigemoto, Ph.D. 13 Nanoengineered Materials to Modulate Mitochondrial Function Xiangfang Lindsey Li, Ph.D.
PANTHER
RISE
MAGESH T. RAJAN, PH.D., P.E., MBA VICE PRESIDENT DIVISION OF RESEARCH & INNOVATION
The year 2020 has been one of challenges and transformations, not just for the Division of Research & Innovation (R&I), but especially so for faculty researchers at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). This inaugural edition of the Panther Research and Innovation for Scholarly Excellence (PRISE) Grant Program highlights the research teams lead by PVAMU faculty with two Texas A&M tenured or tenure-track faculty members. I initiated PRISE in October 2020 to further enhance collaboration between PVAMU and TAMU faculty. A total of $300,000 had been set aside to support 30 faculty members who will try to solve the world’s problems, together. Each research team has been awarded $30K. R&I provided $10K to the PVAMU principal investigators (PIs), while TAMU offered $20K total to its two faculty. All funding decisions were made through a thorough review process to ensure compliance and the ability to complete the study within the allotted time frame. PRISE is rooted in the fact that federal funding agencies are increasingly supporting large-scale, multidisciplinary research projects to solve national and global problems which require a convergence of diverse resources and expertise. Through PRISE, collaborating institutions can become more competitive when seeking external funding opportunities for research and innovation. And the following projects are exemplary examples of how creative, competitive, and collaborative PVAMU faculty and our TAMU partners can be together. In this annual report you will read about: An education study on COVID-19’s impact on student learning for undergraduate students studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). How knowledge graph and artificial intelligence have contributed to combating global pandemics. Grass shrimp along the Gulf of Mexico Wetlands and parasite infection. Virtual home visitation as an intervention for women at risk for severe maternal morbidity and mortality. New treatment options for breast cancer brain metastasis and the reduction of drug resistance. The pandemic’s strain on America’s food supply chain and its impact on the USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box programs. The resilience of PVAMU & TAMU students in their degree progression and graduation during a pandemic. Machine learning and predicting the thermal comfort of outdoor spaces. The mental health and coping strategies related to COVID-19 of older racial/ethnic minorities. And alternative treatments of post-menopausal loss of estrogen that could improve quality of life. Given the impressive interests and perspectives of these researchers, I am excited to share with you this initial PRISE report and the awesome evidence of this dual-campus collaboration. One thing is certain: the pandemic and its challenges have proven to be the opportunity for PVAMU faculty researchers to pivot and pursue timely research, whose results could not only be life-enhancing but also life-changing. Thank you for taking the time to further explore the PRISE program. I hope you find this report to be useful in understanding some of the meaningful research being undertaken by PVAMU faculty.
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ANALYZING IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON STUDENT LEARNING AND PERSISTENCE: A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL STUDY PROJECT SUMMARY This research will investigate how COVID-19 has impacted the performance and persistence of undergraduate engineering students at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). More specifically, the study will compare and contrast results by university, discipline, academic standing, and student demographic variables—such as gender, ethnicity, and financial income.
The study will also develop a survey to examine the pedagogical impact of COVID-19 on student learning, selfefficacy, and engineering identity.
CAMILLE BURNETT, PH.D. Assistant Professor Department of Curriculum and Instruction College of Education
SIGNIFICANCE This work will create a foundation for a large-scale study (to be proposed to The National Science Foundation (NSF) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (NSF-IUSE) program), which would develop a scale to measure a student’s preparedness for future uncertainties.
The goal of the larger-scale study is not only to measure the preparedness but also to identify/develop the best practices and strategies to mitigate the impact of such uncertainties in a student’s academic and professional lives.
IMPACT This pilot project would help the faculty and university administrators understand the volatility of the students concerning sudden disruption and how that would impact their learning and academic experience. Most importantly, the outcome of the larger study would develop strategies to improve student learning and persistence, specifically underrepresented minorities and first-generation students.
Bimal Nepal, Ph.D. Professor Department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution College of Engineering Texas A&M University
Karen Rambo-Hernandez, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture College of Education and Human Development Texas A&M University
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MULTI-MODAL KNOWLEDGE-GRAPH CONSTRUCTION FOR COMBATING GLOBAL PANDEMICS
PROJECT SUMMARY Global pandemics—such as COVID-19—have caused immeasurable loss both socially and economically. Artificial intelligence (AI) has actively contributed to fighting against such pandemics. As a powerful AI tool, knowledge graph (KG) enables researchers to combat pandemics effectively. However, key challenges still exist:
How to build KG for new information quickly How to integrate textual and imaging knowledge And how to construct KG with memory limitations.
XISHUANG DONG, PH.D. Assistant Professor Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering College of Engineering
SIGNIFICANCE To address these challenges, this proposal aims at developing new technologies for constructing multimodal knowledge graphs for the current and future global pandemics with extra-high efficiency, accuracy, and reliability. It focuses on three main research thrusts:
1. Efficient knowledge graph construction for new concepts and relations in free-text medical documents based on weakly-supervised machine learning; 2. Integrating information of medical images and texts effectively for multimodal knowledge graph construction; 3. New memory-adaptive schemes for constructing, storing, and utilizing knowledge graphs in practical systems. IMPACT The multimodal knowledge graphs will provide the basis for numerous AI applications for combating global pandemics, including COVID-19 and future pandemics. By substantially speeding up their construction, valuable time and significant social-economic loss can be saved.
Ruihong Huang, Ph.D. Professor Department of Computer Science and Engineering College of Engineering Texas A&M University
Anxiao ‘’Andrew’’ Jiang, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Computer Science and Engineering College of Engineering Texas A&M University
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DIVERSITY OF GRASS SHRIMP (PALAEMON SP.) AND THEIR PARASITES (MICROPHALLUS SPP.) IN GULF OF MEXICO WETLANDS PROJECT SUMMARY This project will build an interdisciplinary collaboration to improve our understanding of biodiversity and trophic dynamics in coastal wetlands. Specifically, we will study the taxonomic and genetic diversity of grass shrimp (Palaemon spp.) and their trematode parasites (Microphallus turgidus) from wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), as well as the gene expression responses of the crustacean hosts the parasite infection. SIGNIFICANCE The three PIs have complementary expertise to lead different aspects of the project: TAMU PI (Principal Investigator) Wicksten is a crustacean taxonomist and has existing collections of Palaemon from multiple locations along the GoM; TAMUG PI Schulze has experience with invertebrate genetics and genomics; PVAMU PI will contribute bioinformatics expertise necessary for the differential gene expression analysis. Students from all three campuses will be tasked with solving specific aspects of the project and will be co-mentored by the three PIs.
NOUSHIN GHAFFARI, PH.D. Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science College of Engineering
IMPACT Due to the ecological importance of wetlands and the multiple ecosystem services coastal wetlands provide, we believe that the project has strong potential to lead to future proposals to national, state, and local funding agencies. Students will develop interdisciplinary teamwork skills, enhancing their ability to develop independent research projects and succeed in a competitive job market.
Anja Schulze, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Marine Biology Texas A&M University at Galveston
Mary Wicksten, Ph.D. Professor College of Science Department of Biology Texas A&M University
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NURSING IN THE PUERPERIUM: A VIRTUAL HOME VISITING INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN AT RISK FOR SEVERE MATERNAL MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY
PROJECT SUMMARY Severe morbidity in the postpartum period is largely due to hemorrhage, hypertension, and depression. Postpartum women are advised to visit their obstetrical care provider within the first six weeks after delivery to assess for potential complications and six weeks postpartum are vital to the early identification and mitigation of potential complications that increase the risk of Maternity mortality. SIGNIFICANCE The proposed study will engage Prairie View A&M University and Texas A&M University students enrolled in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program to conduct virtual home visits with high-risk women during their first and third postpartum weeks.
GLORIA ROSE, FNP Assistant Professor College of Nursing
During virtual visits, FNP students will obtain a health history, administer a psychosocial assessment, and ask questions about physiological recovery and adaptation. If FNP students identify abnormal conditions in patients, they refer patients to obstetrical providers for follow-up and treatment. IMPACT Patient participation and satisfaction with the program and FNP student satisfaction will be assessed as feasibility outcomes. Patient outcomes will include postpartum complications identified, referrals, patient follow-through on referrals, and resolution of complications.
Robin L. Page, Ph.D., APRN, CNM. Associate Professor College of Nursing Texas A&M University
Cynthia Weston, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CHSE Associate Dean for Clinical and Outreach Affairs Associate Professor College of Nursing Texas A&M University
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PRECLINICAL DEVELOPMENT AND EMERGING STRATEGIES FOR DESIGN OF SELECTIVE KINASE INHIBITORS TARGETING BRAIN METASTASIS OF RESISTANT HER2+ BREAST CANCER PROJECT SUMMARY Breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) is the second most common cancer associated with brain metastasis in the United States. The incidence of BCBM is increasing, especially among patients over-expressing HER2 with high drug resistance to experience rapid neurological decline and death within a few years. SIGNIFICANCE Currently, HER2+BC patients are treated mainly by trastuzumab and lapatinib, however, these agents have poor CNS penetration. Thus, new treatment options are urgently needed to specifically target HER2+ BCBM and reduce drug resistance.
VICTORIA MGBEMENA, PH.D. Assistant Professor College of Arts & Sciences Department of Biology
Our hypothesis will be tested by
Specific Aim 1) To reduce the resistance to HER2 kinase inhibitors at ATP binding site through multiple approaches to eliminate the steric clashes, inactivate HER2, and prolong pharmacodynamics. Specific Aim 2) To optimize CNS penetration of the promising lead compounds to be effective against BCBM associated with HER2+BC. Specific Aim 3) To determine the epigenetic and functional properties of the structurally optimized compounds. IMPACT These approaches will be supported by computational design and in vitro studies including MTT assay using HER2+ BC cell lines and a 3D brain organoid model of BCBM, kinase profiling, IC50 against HER2 kinase, NCI-60 cell line screening, flowcytometric cell apoptosis/cell cycle assays, Western blot analysis, and epigenetics (microRNAs) for HER2 downstream signaling pathways.
Hamed Ismail, Ph.D.. Associate Professor Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences College of Pharmacy Texas A&M Irma Lerma Rangel
Mahua Choudhury, Ph.D. Associate Professor College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Texas A&M Irma Lerma Rangel
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UNDERSTANDING THE RESPONSE TO USDA FOOD AID AMONG MINORITY RESIDENTS AND FARMERS IN COVID-19 PROJECT SUMMARY The COVID-19 pandemic caused a tremendous strain on America’s food supply chain. In addition to food injustices, families that struggled to put food on the table pre-pandemic continue to struggle financially and cannot afford to buy food. SIGNIFICANCE This research seeks to understand the impacts of USDA's Farmers to Families Food Box program in limited-resource communities in 8 Texas counties. The faculty, extension personnel, student researchers, and the community consultant team will work with Mayors, faith-based organizations, and other stakeholders to answer the overarching research question: "How are the individual counties carrying out their Farmers to Families Food Box Programs?"
NOEL M. ESTWICK, PH.D. Assistant Professor Department of Agriculture, Nutrition and Human Ecology College of Agriculture & Human Sciences
The objectives are to:
Compare and contrast the Farmers to Families Food Box program in select counties especially variation in urban and rural contexts; Assess limited-resource residents' experience and perception of the program; and Examine limited-resource producers’ perspectives of the program. IMPACT There are several broader impacts. First, we will support 5 undergraduate research assistants from PVAMU and TAMU. Second, the results will be disseminated among participants and stakeholders. Overall, we expect this project to create a better understanding of food-related challenges limitedresource clientele and producers face in times of disaster, specifically during the pandemic, and lead to larger research collaborations.
Michelle Annette Meyer, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning College of Architecture Texas A&M University
Rebekka Dudensing, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Agricultural Economics College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Texas A&M University
09
RESILIENCE IN BLACK COLLEGE STUDENTS: CONSEQUENCES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON STUDENT SUCCESS
PROJECT SUMMARY COVID-19 has had a strong impact on Black communities in the United States and this differential impact extends to Black college students. We propose a study to examine the resilience of students at Prairie View A&M and Texas A&M Universities, focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on student progress to degree and graduation rates. SIGNIFICANCE The proposed study exploits a prior longitudinal study: the first wave focuses on identity and stereotype threat as factors in student success; the second focuses on COVID-19 compliance behavior and attitudes. The sample includes about 500 students from each school, with an over-sample of Black subjects at TAMU (which is predominantly white). We plan two additional waves of this study using the same sample, one to collect measures of resilience, and the other to elicit social networks.
OLUWAGBEMIGA OJUMU, PH.D Assistant Professor College of Business Department of Management and Marketing
IMPACT We hypothesize that resilience mediates the impact of COVID on student success. This work will shape future policy developments to aid vulnerable student populations, and the information will be used to design a future field test.
Dr. Cathrine Eckel DDepartment of Economics Texas A&M University
Dr. Kalena Cortes Verlin and Howard Kruse ’52 Founders Associate Professor The Bush School of Government and Public Service Texas A&M University
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AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM FOR INVESTIGATING A MACHINE LEARNING FRAMEWORK FOR PREDICTING OUTDOOR THERMAL COMFORT TO REDUCE ENERGY NEEDS OF FUTURE URBAN DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT SUMMARY By enabling prediction of thermal comfort of outdoor spaces it be possible for designers to create more attractive, usable outdoor spaces that will be used more frequently by inhabitants. This effect has many potential benefits, such as reducing the need to thermally condition indoor spaces, increasing the exercise level of inhabitants who go outside, increasing social interactions with neighbors [1,2], and improving productivity and cognitive performance [3]. SIGNIFICANCE Our strategy for studying this topic will use established measurements of outdoor thermal comfort, represent outdoor spaces with 3D building and urban modeling, data collection by tracking people and measuring indicators of thermal conditions and thermal comfort, and machine learning to produce a predictive model. This initial phase of the research is to build a team, test alternatives for tools, prove the concept with a software prototype, identify targets for providing grants, and write proposals.
RANIA LABIB, PH.D. Assistant Professor Department of Architecture School of Architecture
IMPACT The outcome of this phase will be one or more proposals to the National Science Foundation or another public or private funding agency.
Mark J. Clayton, Ph.D.. Director and William M. Peña Professor of Information Department of Architecture College of Architecture Texas A&M University
Robert Brown, Ph.D Professor Department of Landscape College of Architecture Texas A&M University
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EXAMINING THE MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS AND COPING STRATEGIES OF COVID-19 ON AGING RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES IN TEXAS: A PILOT STUDY PROJECT SUMMARY Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the health burdens and negative consequences related to COVID-19 have not been distributed equally across the population. Higher levels of severe symptoms, morbidity, and mortality have disproportionally impacted vulnerable populations, especially racial/ethnic minorities (REMs) aged 65 years and older.
In Texas, the population of older REMs is rapidly growing, and there is a critical need to conduct research to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental/psychological health status and their utilization of primary and psychiatric healthcare services. Nevertheless, mental/psychological health effects including trauma and mental healthcare service needs and utilization among older REM in Texas are understudied.
YUKI SHIGEMOTO, PH.D. Assistant Professor Department of Psychology College of Juvenile Justice & Psychology
SIGNIFICANCE The objective of this study is to examine changes in mental/psychological health and emotional wellbeing in older REMs and to explore multilevel contextual factors, coping behaviors, and resilience strategies that influence their health status and access to healthcare services in the context of COVID19.
IMPACT Results will contribute critically needed new knowledge about the fast-growing, diverse society in Texas, and fill gaps in the literature about mental/psychological health and coping skills in the context of COVID-19 among older REMs. This project can potentially serve as a foundation for future prevention and intervention strategy development in Texas.
Ping Ma, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Promotion and Community Health Sciences Department School of Public Health Texas A&M University
Lei-Shih Chen, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Health & Kinesiology College of Education & Human Development Texas A&M University
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NANOENGINEERED MATERIALS TO MODULATE MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION
PROJECT SUMMARY Conditions due to post-menopausal loss of estrogen cost the U.S. health care system $25 billion per annum. Postmenopausal conditions are currently treated by selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). While these molecules have tissue-specific beneficial effects, deep vein thrombosis and stroke are commonly associated with this drug class. E2 via estrogen receptor beta (ERb) increases oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and decreases reactive oxygen species (ROS). Thus, targeted delivery of E2 to mitochondrial ERb (mitoERb) could be a powerful approach to improve mitochondrial function in post-menopausal women.
XIANGFANG LINDSEY LI, PH.D. Assistant Professor College of Engineering Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
SIGNIFICANCE Dr. Gaharwar has synthesized a new class of nanoparticles called molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoflower that can target mitochondria. Additionally, MoS2 nanoflower upregulates ~ 60% of genes in the electron transport chain and OXPHOS. With Dr. Newell-Fugate, we have shown that MoS2 nanoflower can be loaded with E2 cargo.
We will test the effects of MoS2 nanoflower with and without E2 cargo on mitochondrial-specific proteins from cultured adipose-derived stem cells. Dr. Li will perform bioinformatics analysis of the proteomic data from MoS2 nanoflower-treated stem cells and create computational models to systematically study the effect. IMPACT This interdisciplinary, innovative proposal lays the foundation for a new collaboration to develop novel nanotherapeutics to safely and effectively treat tissue-specific post-menopausal conditions to improve quality of life.
Annie Newell-Fugate, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Texas A&M University
Akhilesh Gaharwar, Ph.D Associate Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering College of Engineering Texas A&M University
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THANK YOU! RESEARCH@PVAMU.EDU WWW.PVAMU.EDU/RESEARCH