NSF Announces Expeditions in Computing Awards. Press Release 08-141 NSF Announces Expeditions in Computing Awards New initiative provides substantial funding to pursue ambitious, fundamental research to define future of computing and information August 18, 2008 The Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has established four new Expeditions in Computing. Each of these $10 million grants will allow teams of researchers and educators to pursue far-reaching research agendas that promise significant advances in the computing frontier and great benefit to society.
"We created the Expeditions program to encourage the research community to send us their brightest and boldest ideas," said Jeannette Wing, NSF's assistant director for CISE. "We received an overwhelming response, and I'm delighted with the results of our first annual competition. The projects are summarized below. Additional information on the Expeditions in Computing Awards: Project Team Members: Award Search. Funding - Evolutionary Processes. Division of Environmental Biology Evolutionary Processes This program has been archived. Archived The Evolutionary Processes Cluster supports research on microevolutionary processes and their macroevolutionary consequences. Topics include mutation, gene flow, recombination, natural selection, genetic drift, assortative mating acting within species, speciation, and long-term features of evolution.
Research on evolutionary patterns and processes is supported across the Biological Sciences Directorate. Evolutionary Genetics Program: The Evolutionary Genetics Program supports research that investigates the genetic bases of micro- and macroevolutionary processes and their effects on the evolution of genotypes and phenotypes. The Evolutionary Ecology Program supports research on the evolutionary causes and consequences of ecological interactions (intra-specific, interspecific, and with the abiotic environment). Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program News Discoveries. Experimental investigation of multicellularity using the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Award Abstract #1051115 Experimental investigation of multicellularity using the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae The origin of multicellular life is a central scientific question.
Prior research has identified multiple benefits that maintain multicellular life, including larger body size and different cell types, but, how single celled life gave rise to complex multicellular organisms remains an open question. The proposed research focuses on observing and experimentally studying the origin of multicellularity as it occurs, using a newly developed research model of baker's yeast. The research has three objectives. First, the environmental conditions promoting the origin of multicellular life will be investigated.
Second, the effects of increased mutation rate on the transition to multicellularity will be determined, because mutations can generate conflicts, such as cancer, in multicellular individuals. Ratcliff, Denison, Borrello, Travisano. Ratcliff, Pentz, Travisano. Borrello. Theoretical Bio Award Search. Award#0526747 - FIBR: The Emergence of Life: From Geochemistry to the Genetic Code. Award Abstract #0526747 FIBR: The Emergence of Life: From Geochemistry to the Genetic Code Carl Woese, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The emergence of life from abiotic geochemistry remains one of the central problems of biology, all the more salient with the discovery of extra-solar planets, the success of remote landing vehicles on Mars and Titan capable of detecting evidence for extra-terrestrial life, and the exploration of extreme or remote terrestrial environments.
Despite the remoteness of the complex phenomena that constituted the various origins of the key aspects of terrestrial life, particularly the metabolic and replication mechanisms, numerous relics survive in the core pathways and features of modern organisms. Joshi, L., E. Krishnamurthy, S., E. Morowitz, Harold J. and Eric Smith. Smith, E.. Smith, E.. Smith, E.. Smith, E.. Smith, E.. Smith, E.. Smith, E., and D. Srinivasan, V., H. Morowitz, Harold. Eric Smith. Srinivasan, V., and H. Smith, Eric, Harold J. Scaling of Variability in Populations, Individuals, and Ecosystems: Taylor's Law and Beyond. Award Abstract #1038337 Scaling of Variability in Populations, Individuals, and Ecosystems: Taylor's Law and Beyond Populations of insects, birds, or plants, for example, that have more individuals, on the average, frequently have more variability in the numbers of individuals over time, or from one place to another, or both.
Taylor's law says that a statistical measure of the variability of population size, the variance, increases linearly with increasing average population size. Taylor's law has attracted intellectual interest in ecology, population biology, physics, computer science, and finance. This project aims to develop new theory and data to deepen the mathematical and biological understanding of Taylor's law. Variability of the sizes of populations is a major practical concern in fisheries, agriculture, forestry, and epidemiology.
Better understanding of spatial and temporal variability in population sizes can benefit people in all these areas. J. J. Cohen JE. Cohen JE. J. J. Collaborative Research: Evolutionary dynamics of invasion and escape in hierarchical systems. Award Abstract #0928987 Collaborative Research: Evolutionary dynamics of invasion and escape in hierarchical systems When life forms invade new habitats or experience sudden environmental changes, they can find themselves in a race between adapting to the new conditions or going extinct. Particular challenges can arise from the hierarchical organization of life: evolutionary changes that help an organism at one scale of biological organization may hurt it at another. For example, faster reproduction of viruses within a host may cause rapid death and hence reduce transmission to other hosts.
This project will develop new theory for evolutionary escape with an emphasis on adaptation across multiple scales. Beyond its applications to important problems such as pathogen emergence and cancer, this project will have many direct benefits to society. <a href="citUrl" target="_blank">View record at Web of Science</a> Pepin, K.M., Lass, S., Pulliam, J.R.C., Read, A.F., Lloyd-Smith, J.O.. S.J. S.J. Niche Versus Neutral Structure in Populations and Communities.
Award Abstract #1038678 Niche Versus Neutral Structure in Populations and Communities The development of neutral theory has had a profound influence on our understanding of the dynamics of genes, cells, populations and communities by illuminating the case in which types are of equal fitness and hence random or chance events have predominant influence. In particular, neutral theory provides a null model whose failures indicate when mechanisms other than chance are important. However, biologists still lack a way of testing neutral theory that clearly identifies the trait differences driving any specialization or differentiation that exists.
The goal of this project is to explore a novel idea for testing neutral theory, using patterns of species' richness, relative abundance, and phylogeny along trait axes. If tangible, the resulting theory would both clearly identify important trait differences, and be robust to uncertainty and complexity in both the population and community contexts. Design Principles of Biochemical Reaction Networks #1038394. Award Abstract #1038394 Design Principles of Biochemical Reaction Networks Intellectual Merit: Underlying the biology of individual living cells is a remarkably intricate biochemical machinery that permits the cell to perform complex metabolic functions, to respond precisely to external signals, and to replicate itself faithfully even when subjected to a wildly fluctuating environment. This machinery comprises networks of interconnected biochemical reaction modules, each involving multiple chemical reactions and a variety of distinct molecular species.
Nature appears to employ certain unifying design principles life-strategies that evolved over hundreds of millions of years to tailor the structures of reaction network modules to the cellular tasks they execute. Broader Impacts: <a href="citUrl" target="_blank">View record at Web of Science</a> Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov. Applying social evolution theory in microbial ecosystems #0928388. Award Abstract #0928388 Applying social evolution theory in microbial ecosystems Microbes, such as bacteria and fungi, are the most diverse and abundant living organisms on the planet. Recent advances in evolutionary theory and microbiology have revealed that many microbes display complex social interactions. Behaviors such as cooperation, cheating, and communication are widespread in microbial communities and often require the production of substances called public goods, such as enzymes and signaling molecules.
Evolutionary theory has rarely been used to understand processes at the ecosystem level of biological organization. Todd-Brown, K. Allison, SD. German, D. <a href="citUrl" target="_blank">View record at Web of Science</a> Shade, A., H. Wieder, W. Allison, S. Wallenstein, M., S. Allison, S. Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov. From Individual Interactions to Evolutionary and Ecological Dynamics #0827504. Award Abstract #0827504 From Individual Interactions to Evolutionary and Ecological Dynamics Developing theory that captures the complexity of biological systems is essential for understanding current patterns and predicting future trajectories. This project will develop a novel theoretical approach that integrates models from evolution, ecology and behavior to predict how interacting processes affect social interactions and individual and population-level patterns of reproduction and survival.
This theory will then be used to examine two key issues in biology: the evolution and ecology of cooperation and conflict and the effect of environmental change on wild populations. This integrative method has broad relevance within biology and for understanding social behavior more generally. Theory examining how organisms respond to environmental change is also relevant to conservation and management. Klug, Bonsall MB, Alonzo SH. Klug H, Bonsall MB, Alonzo SH.. Alonzo SH. Kazanc? Kazanc? Kelly. Theoretical Principles of Genotype-Phenotype Mapping #1038593. Real-time evolution in host-pathogen networks Award#0952825 - CAREER Ben Kerr. Award Abstract #0952825 CAREER: Real-time evolution in host-pathogen networks From the advent of antibiotic resistant bacteria to host switching in viral pathogens, many of the problems we face with infectious disease are evolutionary in nature.
Theoretical work suggests that pathogen infectivity and virulence evolve in response to the manner in which hosts move and contact one another (the ? Social contact network?). However, there has been relatively little experimental work to test these predictions. The focus of this project is evolution. Goldsby, H., A. Lindsey, H., J. Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov. NIH RePORTER. Award Search | NSF FastLane.