Announcing the 2024 SSMN Grantees

Announcing the 2024 SSMN Grantees
The Sloan Scholars Mentoring Network, with generous support from the Sloan Foundation and the Social Science Research Council, is proud to announce the 2024 SSMN Grantees. All grantees are Sloan Scholar alumni whose awards will advance their research, mentorship activities, or travel to present at premiere convenings in their field. Since 2018, the SSMN grants program has provided over $800,000 in support of our scholars. Read on to learn about this year's grantees, and please join us in congratulating them!
 

Seed Grants (up to $10,000)

Cost-Effective Constructed Wetlands for Domestic Wastewater Treatment

“Conventional onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) in Florida have low nutrient removal performance, and they are therefore a major source of nitrate (NO3-) pollution to waters. This proposed research seeks to use horizontal sub-surface flow constructed wetlands (HSSF CWs) as a cost-effective method to treat domestic wastewater released from OSTDS. It specifically harnesses biological denitrification driven by sphalerite (a metal-sulfide mineral) and oyster shells to convert NO3- to nitrogen gas (an environmentally benign product).”

Impact of edelfosine on neuronal and microglial inflammation and plasticity markers as a potential epilepsy treatment

“Despite the efficacy of current anti-epileptic drugs, almost 40 percent of people with epilepsy are resistant to treatments. Edelfosine (Ef) is a synthetic lysophospholipid that works as an inhibitor of the phospholipase-C-β3 (PLCβ3), a novel drug target that could regulate excitability associated with epilepsy. In our preliminary studies, we elucidated that Ef promoted the recovery of neuronal population spikes in rat hippocampal slices. Our project's goal is to study the molecular mechanisms of Ef that take place to mitigate excitotoxicity induced by seizures. We propose to determine the expression of genes related to plasticity and inflammation by RT-qPCR in neurons and microglial cells.” 

“Once nanoparticles encounter biological fluids like blood, a layer of proteins adsorb to surfaces forming a protein corona. Notably, nanoparticle surface chemistry is a parameter that influences these protein interactions. Previously, we developed an electrophoresis-based technique to study protein coronas on a class of nanoparticles called dendrimers with primary amines on their surface. Now we aim to use this method to expand protein corona characterization to other dendrimer surface chemistries (hydroxyl and carboxylate groups). Ultimately, these studies will improve the field's understanding of how nanoparticles interact with biological environments and help advance clinical translation of nanomedicines.”

Advancing Healthcare Efficiency using Computer Vision and Robotics

“Our project aims to revolutionize surgical instrument processing by developing a robotic system that is capable of autonomously singulating and inspecting surgical instruments, and assembling surgical trays. With over 51 million surgeries performed annually in the U.S. alone, the need for efficient and accurate instrument handling is paramount. Current manual processes often lead to incomplete or contaminated trays, posing risks to patient safety and increasing healthcare costs. Our solution integrates robotics, computer vision, and artificial intelligence to streamline instrument processing, guaranteeing that trays are assembled correctly and free from contaminants. By automating these tasks, we aim to enhance hospital efficiency, reduce the risk of infections, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.”

Revolutionizing post-operative pain relief with long-term analgesics

“Opioid addiction often arises after prescription opioids for pain management activate the reward system in the brain, leaving a patient wanting more. While non-addictive analgesics can be an alternative to opioid prescriptions, these analgesics have very short half-lives, and there isn’t a pill that patients can take daily. To combat the opioid crisis in America, we are developing a sustained-release polymeric drug delivery system to deliver the analgesic bupivacaine for one week to treat post-surgical pain. This project pursues the further investigation necessary before we can achieve clinical implementation. Successful translation of this innovation eliminates the need for opioid prescriptions, therefore reducing the overall addictions developed and subsequent opioid-related deaths.”

Development of lithium-ion battery actuators through the volume expansion accommodation of silicon-graphite anodes

“The proposed research will involve developing a multi-layered silicon-carbon composite lithium-ion battery actuator to address two problems: the low cyclability of silicon, and the low specific capacity of graphite. By fabricating and characterizing the free deflection as well as the electrochemical performance, this project will help answer whether accommodating the large volume expansion of silicon anodes can improve their electrochemical performance. By accommodating the expansion of the battery anode through bending, we anticipate enhancing both cyclability and gravimetric specific capacity.”

Exploring vitrification as strategy for the management of Li-ion battery cathode-active materials

“Finding innovative methods for sustainable waste materials management is ever more necessary with population growth and the advent of new technologies. This proposal explores vitrification—the making of stable glass forms—as a strategy to process cathode-active materials as key components of lithium-ion batteries. Such electrode materials consist of oxides containing lithium ions, which are known in glass science for their glass modifier function, alongside transition materials (e.g., nickel, cobalt, manganese) capable of conferring special properties to glasses. This exploratory research may pave the way for repurposing the lithium battery component to produce new glass forms with potential for photonic applications, ranging from light-emitting devices to optical filters.”

Development of new laboratory experiments for undergraduate organic chemistry and biochemistry courses focused on the synthesis, characterization and biological evaluation of azo-dyes

“The main goal of this project is to design and develop new laboratory practices in organic chemistry and biochemistry centered around the synthesis and biological evaluation of azoic dyes. Additionally, we plan to evaluate student learning and performance during these new laboratory experiments. We anticipate that these findings will enrich the undergraduate chemistry curriculum and provide opportunities for impactful research, leading to the development of cutting-edge laboratory experiments. In addition, the synthesis of a new azo-dye library will contribute to the discovery of potential antibiotics and anticancer agents, while also furnishing preliminary data for the pursuit of additional funding opportunities.”

Investigation of Metal-Oxide Nanosensors for Early Detection of Electric Vehicle Battery Failure

“As electric vehicles become more prevalent, Lithium-ion battery safety is an increasing concern. When a defect develops in or near the battery cell, flammable gas generation, extensive heating, and, eventually a fire and explosion may occur.  The battery monitoring system of today captures temperature and voltage measurements to determine whether the vehicle battery is near failure. However, this process detects failures after extreme heating and release of toxic gases occur, after thermal runway. The objective of this project is to develop and investigate novel nanosensors for the early detection of battery failure — that is, prior to thermal runaway — in electric vehicles, in conjunction with traditional battery monitoring.”

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Mentoring & Career Development Grants (up to $5,000)
 

Developing and coordinating PFAS and MP/NP collaborations

Collaboration with researchers at Oregon State University to gain experience with sample collection, handling, and analysis protocols for studying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and micro- and nano-plastics (MP/NP), for the purpose of applying those techniques to an investigation of the extent of PFAS and MP/NP exposure in livestock wells on Diné lands.

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Conference Travel Grants ($2,000)
 

Novel Method for Establishing Fairness Benchmarks in Robotics:
Presentation at the 2025 International Conference on Human Robot Interaction

Symposium Co-Chair, 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America

Presentation and Participation at the 2024 Convening of the American Psychological Association

Participation in the 2024 Science and Technology in Society Forum

Development and implementation of new laboratory experiments for the organic chemistry course focused on the synthesis of ferrocenyl derivatives:
Presentation at the 2024 Meeting of the American Chemical Society

Fabricated: Spot Fact and Fiction in the Digital Political Landscape:
Participation at the 2025 Association of Computing Machinery CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Participation in the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicity and Chemistry

Scholar Highlights

• Nekesha Williams (USF '11), assistant professor in the environmental and earth sciences department at Saint Mary's College of California, earned tenure and promotion at her institution. She also won the college's Award for Teaching Excellence this year. She shared, “This was a complete surprise as I was not aware of my nomination, so I am greatly humbled by my Chair's and colleagues' belief that I was deserving of this award as a pre-tenure faculty.” Dr. Williams will lead a strategic workshop in Octobfor Sloan Scholar alumni participating in the SSMN Academic Job Market & New Faculty Boot Camp.
• Gabriela Sosa (Texas A&M ’19) was named one of Houston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” outstanding leaders for 2024.
• Unoma Okorafor (Texas A&M ’08), founder of Herbal Goodness, was a featured speaker at the Founders’ Breakfast Masterclass this summer in Dallas, hosted by Amazon Black Business Accelerator and Boss Women Media.
• Moses Leavens (Montana ’19), published a paper in Acta Nueropathologica on the development of a Superoxide Dismutase 1 seed amplification assay applied to the neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. His work was funded in part by an SSMN Seed Grant he received in 2023. 
• Lauren Hagler (UIUC ’20) accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University starting this fall. 
• Jessica Granderson (UC Berkeley ’05) was named director of the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. 
• Yamixa Delgado (UPR–Rio Piedras ’15) was selected for the 2024 cohort of the NIH’s AIM-AHEAD and NCATS Training Program, an intensive 8-month program in advanced data analysis for researchers committed to using AI and machine learning to benefit underrepresented communities.
• Daniel Bird (Purdue ’18) was featured in a Sloan Foundation article about his investigations into elk migration patterns in Montana, a project he hopes will “inform wildlife protection policies and help to increase the Blackfeet Tribe’s access to traditional food and cultural resources.”
• Zakaria Al Balushi (Penn State ’17) was awarded a Bakar Fellows Spark Award and Academic Innovation Catalyst grant to commercialize his project, “Rare-Earth Catalysts for Low Temperature Production of Nitrogen Enriched Materials and Chemicals of High Value.”

Have you recently published a paper, started a new position, gotten a grant, or had another professional experience that you're proud of? Let us celebrate you! Send a note to the SSMN staff at [email protected].