Nicole Lapeyrouse 鈥�16MS 鈥�18PhD never knows when and where she might be recognized. Students and their significant others who have never met her in person will come up to her in stores and along sidewalks to say, 鈥淓xcuse me, but aren鈥檛 you 鈥�?鈥�

Yes, it鈥檚 her.

The chemistry and geology instructor recently walked into a coffee shop on campus and heard the barista casually singing a familiar tune: Chemsi-Tea time, Ohh-Ohh-Ohh. Flattered, Lapeyrouse said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my jingle. You must be in my online course.鈥�

Random encounters around the community make it clear that students are engaging with the videos Lapeyrouse produces for her classes. They learn about concepts like plate tectonics and viscosity, while also getting to know the person teaching it 鈥� she likes drinking tea, for example 鈥� and that鈥檚 the point.

鈥淚 design the classes this way because I love doing it,鈥� Lapeyrouse says. 鈥淏ut most importantly, it鈥檚 effective. That鈥檚 the end goal.鈥�

On Founder鈥檚 Day, Lapeyrouse will be recognized in public again, this time by peers who have selected her to receive the Chuck D. Dziuban Award for excellence in online teaching. The award, in its 13^th year, is named for 麻豆原创鈥檚 first Pegasus Professor and an international pioneer in online learning. Dziuban will be presenting Lapeyrouse with the award at Founders Day, where he will also be honored for his 55 years of service to 麻豆原创.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a tremendous honor because Dr. Dziuban鈥檚 name is synonymous with the pillars of good online teaching,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 heard about him when I was developing my first course. At that time, I wanted to do something different, but I had no idea where it would lead.鈥�

Merging Science with a Hidden Talent

Awards were not on Lapeyrouse鈥檚 mind when she designed her proof of concept in 2017 as a better way for one instructor to connect Chemistry Fundamentals to a class of 475 students.

鈥淭o teach the material well to that many students, I needed to be creative,鈥� she says of the flipped class that eventually supported a fully online class. Students had known Lapeyrouse as an authority on math and science, with a doctorate in chemistry from 麻豆原创 to back it up. They were not aware of her love for art.

The large enrollment class, oddly enough, allowed her to apply all her interests in a flipped classroom format. Instead of developing a standard educational video with the typical PowerPoint slides and voiceover, Lapeyrouse personalized her course. She turned her garage into a studio, borrowed her sister鈥檚 camera and, after dozens of takes and hours of editing, debuted ChemisTea Time, complete with the introductory jingle.

鈥淗onestly, I just hoped it wouldn鈥檛 bomb,鈥� she says.

It didn鈥檛 bomb, although interest in her classes did explode. Feedback was so positive that she used the same video format for her geology course, which has grown from 30 students to as many as 125.

Within the videos, Lapeyrouse enters discussion boards to embed questions and scavenger hunts, and make sure students understand the material. It鈥檚 working, as evidenced by pre-test scores climbing from an average of 25% to a post-test average of 83%.

Over the years, Lapeyrouse has integrated better technology to elevate the production value and engagement of her videos. She created a teleprompter and a lightboard so she can write directly on the screen and maintain eye contact with her invisible audience.

What the students do not see is the time Lapeyrouse puts into each video: 10 hours for one 10-minute video.

鈥淲hen I see how engaged the students are,鈥� she says, 鈥渢hat makes it all worthwhile.鈥�

The focus of the research behind the patent is to create a cost-effective, high-efficiency and sustainable method for manufacturing nano-materials to enhance energy and chemical production. Yang says he hopes that this will in turn address the current limitations of traditional, expensive fabrication techniques.

鈥淭he idea stemmed from the challenge of making solar hydrogen production more efficient and affordable,鈥� says Yang, a member of the .聽聽According to Yang, the materials were tested and validated for their application as catalysts. The recent findings were also published in the Royal Society for Chemistry.

A Catalyst for Innovation

The technology uses particles designed to optimize the generation and production of hydrogen and oxygen that serve as catalysts for energy production. 聽聽Traditional catalysts only respond to ultraviolet light, however this new development can harness a broader spectrum of sunlight.

To achieve this, Yang engineered particles within precise nanoscale structures that were grown inside titanium oxide (TiO鈧�) cavities, or light traps. These cavities can capture and control a wider spectrum of light, including sunlight, ultraviolet and near-infrared.

With this method, the particles can efficiently harvest solar energy through a process known as localized surface plasmon resonance. In simple terms, when light interacts with specialized nanomaterials it creates a synchronized ripple of mobile electrons 鈥� thus creating usable energy.

鈥淚n daily life, this could be implemented in solar-powered hydrogen generators for clean fuel in homes, cars or industrial settings, helping reduce reliance on fossil fuels and carbon emissions,鈥� Yang says.

Shaping the Future of Energy

The research and industrial applications of this patent could expand as the technology develops, Yang says. By tailoring the composition of Yang鈥檚 particles, the catalysts can be integrated into technologies like electrolyzers used in seawater splitting, which is a process that aims to produce green hydrogen. Because the catalyst can be produced using renewable materials, it may reduce the environmental footprint of research and industry by limiting the need for freshwater use.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a strong potential to optimize plasmonic tunability, [or how metallic nanostructures interact with light], by engineering the composition of our engineered particles,鈥� says Yang, 鈥淭his platform also inspires new designs for full-spectrum solar utilization and could be adapted for CO鈧� reduction or nitrogen fixation.鈥�

This technology is fully available for licensing. Interested parties can contact the or reach out directly to Yang Yang at Yang.Yang@ucf.edu for more information.聽

Funding for the research was provided by 麻豆原创 through a startup grant No. 20080741. STEM, EELS, and XPS data analysis was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Early Career Research Program under award No. 68278. The technology was developed by faculty and students from the 麻豆原创 College of Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering, and NanoScience Technology Center.

The Thermo Fisher Talos F200X analytical transmission electron microscope enables researchers 鈥� both at 麻豆原创 and in industries across Florida 鈥� to observe and analyze materials at the atomic scale. Equipped with advanced nanoanalysis tools, the instrument allows direct observation of elemental, chemical, electrical and magnetic states, dramatically enhancing what scientists can measure and understand.

The instrument will be housed in 麻豆原创鈥檚 AMPAC Materials Characterization Facility (MCF), directed by Professor Jiyu Fang, and will operate as a shared university resource supporting interdisciplinary research and external partnerships.

鈥淭he new Thermo Fisher Talos F200X analytical transmission electron microscope will revolutionize materials science and engineering at the nanoscale,鈥� says Professor Sudipta Seal, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. 鈥淚ts advanced analytical capabilities will enable unprecedented insight into structure鈥損roperty relationships, accelerating innovation across next-generation semiconductors, quantum materials, space and hypersonic systems, and cutting-edge biomedical applications.鈥�

鈥淭his instrument is a catalyst for discovery,鈥� says Vice President for Research and Innovation Winston Schoenfeld. 鈥淏y giving our researchers and students the ability to see and understand materials at the atomic scale, 麻豆原创 is unlocking new pathways for innovation across energy, aerospace, semiconductors and beyond.鈥�

A Unique Capability in Florida

While other institutions in Florida operate microscopes within the Talos series, 麻豆原创鈥檚 system offers a distinct combination of capabilities.

It is the only Talos F200X in the state equipped with both a cold field emission gun and a super X energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy detector. This configuration significantly enhances energy resolution and high-contrast imaging, enabling exceptionally precise chemical mapping at the atomic scale.

According to Professor Akihiro Kushima, the cold field emission gun allows advanced atomistic-scale analysis even for beam-sensitive materials 鈥� samples that can be damaged under conventional imaging conditions. The improved resolution and signal collection make it possible to analyze delicate materials in ways that were previously difficult or impossible.

In addition to supporting engineering and computer science research, the instrument will expand capabilities in fields such as planetary science, where nanoscale characterization of extraterrestrial materials can provide new insight into the origins and composition of planetary bodies.

Supporting Florida鈥檚 Innovation Ecosystem

Beyond academic research, the microscope is expected to strengthen partnerships with Florida鈥檚 high-tech industries.

The Talos F200X enables deep structural understanding of advanced materials, opening new opportunities for collaboration with companies across aerospace, defense, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, electronics, semiconductors, energy and environmental sectors.

Kushima notes that the microscope is already supporting collaborations with local industry partners developing advanced battery materials. Using the Talos F200X, researchers can study how material structures evolve during charge and discharge processes, providing deeper insight into reaction mechanisms and helping optimize performance. The acquisition was made possible by the 麻豆原创 Office of Research, with support from the Office of the Provost.

Training the Next Generation

The Talos F200X will be incorporated into undergraduate and graduate coursework in electron microscopy and advanced characterization techniques. Students conducting research can also gain hands-on experience after completing required training.

Understanding materials at the nano and atomic scales is essential in advanced manufacturing and semiconductor sectors, where structural insights inform synthesis optimization and failure analysis. Students trained in advanced characterization techniques such as transmission electron microscopy are highly valued in industry, positioning 麻豆原创 graduates to contribute directly to Florida鈥檚 advanced manufacturing and semiconductor workforce.

Industry partners interested in utilizing the AMPAC Materials Characterization Facility may request instrument time by contacting ampacmcf@ucf.edu.

鈥淎I should learn chemistry the way humans do 鈥� by seeing molecular structures, not just reading linear strings,鈥� Vyas says. 鈥淲hile large language models have shown promise for molecular property prediction, their reliance on representations like SMILES or SELFIES [textual representations] limits their ability to capture the rich structural cues chemists rely on.鈥�

According to Vyas, this work opens a new pathway for chemical predictions and molecular analysis, by creating an AI system that operates more intuitively.

A Challenging Vision

According to Vyas, one of the biggest challenges facing the field of artificial intelligence and computer vision is in shifting AI models from a textual to a visual understanding of chemical reactions.

鈥淢olecular images represent a very different data domain compared to the natural images or text that vision-language models are typically trained on.鈥� Vyas says, 鈥淢olecules contain highly specific structural relationships 鈥� bonding patterns, stereochemistry, and functional group arrangements 鈥� that are subtle yet crucial for property prediction.鈥�

Many VLM models have limited exposure to visual representations of scientific data, which makes training and adapting them to understand the nuances of molecules and their atomic structure a primary challenge.

Transforming How Scientists and AI See Chemistry

To address these challenges, Vyas and her research team developed a multi-modal data set for MolVision to refer to during its training. The data set pairs 2D diagrams with text-based descriptions on a variety of molecules and different atomic structures. Using this data set was crucial for training the MolVision VLM to integrate textual and visual information effectively. Using a LoRA (low rank adaptation) algorithm, the MolVision VLM is able to engage in billions of parameters worth of data enabling it to complete complex tasks such as molecular property prediction or chemical description without the cost of full retraining.

鈥淩ecent advances in vision鈥搇anguage models have transformed how AI understands the world, but most of that progress has focused on natural images and everyday language,鈥� says Yogesh Singh Rawat. 鈥淲ith MolVision, we鈥檙e bringing those same AI capabilities into chemistry 鈥� allowing models to reason about molecules visually, in ways that are much closer to how scientists actually think.鈥�

This work has the potential to transform drug discovery, the personalization of medicine, and even sustainable design and engineering. The research team also expects that 鈥渙ver the next few years we can expect this multimodal approach to reduce experimental screening burdens, support faster identification of promising drug candidates and materials, and offer more interpretable insights into structure-property relationships,鈥� Vyas says.

Vyas and her team here at 麻豆原创 plan to scale up the MolVision VLM project in terms of its data set and capabilities. The team plans to integrate the VLM model in chemistry with technologies using current AI neural networks and large molecular simulators to create hybrid systems that can combine symbolic, visual and physical reasoning.

Vyas will also participate in the upcoming where she will be presenting an exhibit on AI for chemistry and molecules. Those interested in viewing the exhibit can attend from 7:45 to 11:00 p.m. this Saturday on the 4th Floor.

The two are among 6,000 undergraduate, master鈥檚 and Ph.D. students who will graduate from 麻豆原创 Dec. 12-13.

Bassett and Deinys, both Florida natives, credit 麻豆原创 with instilling in them a spirit of scientific discovery and a passion to use their love of science to help others.

Transforming Healthcare Through Tech

Bassett will graduate with a medicine-engineering double degree in molecular and cellular biology and mechanical engineering. The degree program, one of 麻豆原创鈥檚 most challenging, recognizes that the future of healthcare is in technology, and the workforce needs trained professionals who can understand both the biology of disease and the engineering principles to create new healthcare solutions.

The double major requires 163 credit hours and a lot of time management skills. With back-to-back engineering and biomedical sciences labs as part of his routine, Bassett jokes he could actually feel his mind transform as he walked from one classroom to the next to absorb and process two vastly different topics.

While at 麻豆原创 Bassett completed multiple internships at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. A Burnett Honors College scholar, he served as a teaching assistant and a chemistry undergraduate lab researcher.

Bassett says 麻豆原创 helped him understand the medical 鈥渨hys鈥� of the medical engineering he creates and wants to go into an industry that will allow him to design and test better medical tools that can make surgery less invasive, more efficient and safer.

鈥淲ith my training, I know the what and the why,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 can use that knowledge to solve more medical problems. I hope I can help my colleagues understand why something is happening in the body.鈥�

Making Florida鈥檚 Mangroves More Resilient

Born in Miami, Deinys knew science was her passion at an early age while attending a STEM-focused middle and high school. During an internship at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, she discovered a pathogen that was threatening to kill Florida mangroves.

Later, in collaboration with the Marine Resources Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring Florida鈥檚 Indian River Lagoon, they determined that 80% of the mangroves they had sampled tested positive for at least one of the pathogens.

Through her research at 麻豆原创, she helped create a nutrient of magnesium and sulfur nanoparticles called 鈥淢ag Sun鈥� (MgSuN) that acts like an antimicrobial solution while helping nourish the plant. Mag Sun is also sustainable so it鈥檚 safe for the environment. The product, which reduced pathogens by 95%, has now been approved for use across Florida, and Deinys hopes it will soon receive EPA clearance for use nationwide.

鈥淚 grew up in South Florida and developed a deep love for the beach and coast,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I knew something was happening to my mangroves. I鈥檓 committed to the community I鈥檓 from and I want to help people 鈥� that鈥檚 the goal.鈥�

As an undergraduate, she was lead research assistant in an agricultural artificial intelligence effort between 麻豆原创 and Cornell University and 麻豆原创鈥檚 Material Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture Lab. She also served as an Office of Undergraduate Research peer mentor and has presented her research at conferences across the state and nation.

An Order of Pegasus honoree, Deinys will stay at 麻豆原创 to earn her Ph.D. in chemistry with a specialization in nanoscience. She said her goal is to be a 鈥渏ack-of-all-trades,鈥� in science because she鈥檚 excited by too many opportunities to use her inquisitive mind to solve real-world problems. As she speaks from her lab office filled with plants, she says she wants to use her love of agriculture to help find ways to link plant life and space travel.

The National Institute of Justice has awarded 麻豆原创 Associate Professor Matthieu Baudelet at the a grant to advance a technique that may help identify individual human remains found in mass graves.

Baudelet鈥檚 method generates unique chemical profiles through laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). This approach will allow his team to pinpoint the exact number of individuals in a comingled mass grave and sort them out individually based on bone metabolism. Positively identifying someone by name requires further testing using DNA, which is outside the scope of this project. But Baudelet notes that identifying the number of individuals present among the remains reduces the number of DNA tests necessary to reach that point. In other words, the 麻豆原创 technique could help investigators determine just how many people are found in a mass grave, which can help accelerate identifying individuals.

Mass graves have long been part of war. Most recently a mass grave was found in Bucha, a town in Ukraine. Dozens of mass graves have been found in Iraq dating back to the war in the Gulf, several sites were discovered after the Bosnia conflicts of the 1990s, such as the largest mass grave in history to date at Crni Vrh, Serbia.

Baudelet鈥檚 technique may be especially helpful for sites found years later where identification becomes much more difficult. The potential applications to anthropology field work are considerable.

鈥淭his is unique because it is the first time that elemental profiling will be evaluated on such a large number of individuals,鈥� Baudelet says. 鈥淚t is gratifying to see the LIBS technology, something I have been working on for the last 17 years, be applied in this situation.鈥�

Baudelet鈥檚 technique was successfully tested at USF鈥檚 Facility for Outdoor Research and Training. With the new funding Baudelet and his team will continue testing at Western Carolina University鈥檚 decomposition facility.

Part of Baudelet鈥檚 funded research project is the creation of a mobile application containing a database for anthropological use. It will focus on classifying remains through chemical composition and development of protocol for field deployable instrumentation. The end goal is to improve accuracy and streamline the process of differentiating individual anthropological remains in the field.

More work is still needed, but the potential to help investigators and families is something that drives Baudelet and his team.

鈥淭hink about 9/11, for example,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his technology could eventually sort out the remains of those that have fallen victim to mass casualties such as the terror attacks. It can help bring closure to many people and their families.鈥�

As part of NASA鈥檚 BIG Idea Challenge to conquer lunar dust, the project 鈥� titled Lunar Dust Mitigating Electrostatic micro-Textured Overlay, or LETO 鈥� provided an opportunity of a lifetime to design, form and test new innovations to get the researchers on NASA鈥檚 radar.

With the theme centered around lunar dust, the 麻豆原创 team designed a space suit material overlay for astronauts performing space exploration. The moon鈥檚 surface is covered in sharp, hazardous lunar dust that could be a danger to people and equipment.

鈥淥ur group was familiar with creating polymer-based composite materials, so we saw it as a great opportunity to further expand our knowledge in the field and contribute to the space industry,鈥� says team member Yuen Yee Li Sip 鈥�17鈥�19MS, a Ph.D. student studying materials science and engineering. 鈥淚 greatly appreciate the research that I do, to be able to combine two or more components in one and create new materials with various properties.鈥�

Their new design uses the microstructure of bee hair, hoping to simulate the capture and release of pollen. These hair-like fibers work similarly to remove lunar dust via electric field signals.

鈥淭his project required tremendous innovation to solve unexpected issues and predict the expectations of the review panel of accomplished experts in the field,鈥� says team member Adam Rozman, an undergraduate researcher in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering;. 鈥淚 am honored that I had the opportunity to work with the brilliant, devoted, and creative team at Dr. Zhai鈥檚 lab to bring this project to fruition.鈥�

The team also included Nilab Azim 鈥�20MS 鈥�21PhD, a recent graduate with a doctorate in chemistry; Alex Burnstine-Townley 鈥�16, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry; Trisha Joseph 鈥�20, a recent graduate with her bachelor鈥檚 in physics; Nicholas Alban, undergraduate researcher in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The team is led by advisor Lei Zhai, a professor of the Nanoscience Technology Center and the Department of Chemistry in the College of Sciences.

In the future, the team hopes to study these materials in high vacuum and further their design. The plan is to build another team with some original team members interested in this area of research, and some new members with a background in working under these constraints.

The Lunar Dust Challenge is just one of NASA鈥檚 annual themes from their Breakthrough, Innovative, and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge. The goal is to support NASA in their efforts to rapidly advance high-impact technologies for infusion in a broad range of future NASA expeditions.

Seeing this honeybee space suit design in the great unknown someday might just become a reality thanks to this group of student researchers.

The symposium is a continuation of a series of meetings held worldwide over the past five years. VERIFIN supports the disarmament of chemical weapons by developing methods to identify chemical warfare agents. Experts in the field from around the world participate in these seminars and workshops focusing on chemical weapons forensics.

The conference is also a culmination of an international round-robin study. The purpose is to examine the level of analytical reproducibility and consistency between labs around the world. NCFS is the only university research laboratory participating in the study. Sigman will be contributing experience and knowledge of how to design databases of analytical results that will be needed to assess the evidential value of chemical weapons samples that are analyzed in different labs. NCFS is home to various databases used by national agencies in their investigations of various crimes. The NCFS analysis for the study was performed by postdoctoral associate Anuradha Akmeemana and research specialist Mary Williams.

鈥淥ver the years, I have had incredible students, postdoctoral associates, and colleagues,鈥� Sigman says. 鈥淥ur participation in the round-robin has been a team effort.鈥�

As an experienced forensic science researcher, Sigman will be leading a tabletop discussion during the workshop to help researchers identify their reporting needs and consider how their forensic reports will be used. It is focused on the statistical basis for setting decision thresholds in reference to the forensic analysis of chemical weapons samples. Sigman will also present 鈥淪tatistical Forensic Comparison of Chemical Samples for Source Attribution,鈥� during the symposium. The talk covers the application of statistics and subjective logic to understand uncertainty associated with computational models of evidential value.

Sigman will be attending the conference Nov. 30 to Dec. 1 virtually because of the current level three travel advisories for Finland by the Centers for Disease Control and US Department of State.

Sigman鈥檚 group at NCFS is currently researching forensic fire debris analysis. The team builds databases of chemicals present in commercial as well as of household furnishings and building material to assist in forensic casework.

The discovery could open the door to the development of more efficient water-repellent surfaces, fuel cells and electronic sensors to detect toxins. The work is documented in the cover story of this month鈥檚 Advanced Materials journal.

Debashis Chanda, a professor at , led the team that created these novel superhydrophobic films and coating from nanomaterials. He was inspired by nature and evolution of certain plants and biological species

鈥淏eing water repellent or hydrophobicity is nature鈥檚 tool to protect and self-clean plants and animals against pathogens like fungi, algae growth and dirt accumulation,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淲e took our cues from the structure of a lotus leaf and synthesized nanostructured materials based on molecular crystals of fullerenes.鈥�

Fullerenes (C60 and C70) are built by bundling carbon molecules 鈥� the basic building block of the universe. Carbon comes in various forms. In special circumstances 60 or 70 such carbon molecules can bound together to form a cage-like closed structure, called fullerenes. These cages can stack on each other to form tall crystals called fullerites.

By placing a drop of a gel created from fullerites on any surface, a super water-repellent state is triggered, Chanda says. The unique cage-like structure of the gel doesn鈥檛 interfere with the original material being treated, which means they preserve their unique functional properties. That means the new super surface can potentially be used for splitting water, bacterial disinfection, hydrogen generation or electrocatalysis 鈥� all of which can be generated in fluid environments.

鈥淔or example, the new gel makes splitting electrocatalysis easier, which could lead to more efficient fuel cells,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淭he same gel can lead to better electron acceptors, which are key in developing highly sensitive detectors and sensors for toxic gases. There is a lot of potential. It is quite exciting.鈥�

The majority of previously reported hydrophobic surfaces have been achieved by designing microscopic patterns that involves complex lithography or etching processes that cannot be performed on all surfaces. And not all hydrophobic surfaces previously developed remain dry when submerged underwater for more than a few minutes at a certain water depth.

鈥淲e found that fullerite films display extreme water repellency regardless of direction of water flow and even under continuous flow of water over them,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淓ven when they are submerged at 2 feet of water for several hours, the films remain dry. We even found that they can capture and store gases underwater in the form of plastrons 鈥� a form of trapped bubbles mimicking the miraculous alkali fly of California鈥檚 Mono Lake.鈥�

Rinku Saran, a post-doctoral fellow in Chanda鈥檚 lab, and lead author of the study says he鈥檚 excited about the potential.

鈥淏ecause these superhydrophobic surfaces are created in a very facile and easy process using pure carbon fullerenes we anticipate they can be exploited in many experiments and real-life applications,鈥� Saran says.

The other co-authors are David Fox, a doctoral student at NanoScience Technology Center, and Professor of Chemistry Lei Zhai.

Chanda has a joint appointment in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of NanoScience Technology Center, the and the . Chanda received his doctorate in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before joining 麻豆原创 in 2012.

Laurene Tetard, an associate professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Physics, and Xiaohu Xia, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Chemistry, were selected as fellows by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement as part of its Scialog initiative to mitigate zoonotic threats, or those originating from animals. Tetard and Xia also both have joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Nanoscience Technology Center.

The researchers join 麻豆原创 College of Medicine Assistant Professor Salvador Almagro-Moreno and more than 50 other researchers across the nation who have received the honor.

The Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) was founded in 1912 and is the oldest foundation for science advancement in the U.S.

The origin of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is still under debate, but its possible animal origin means researchers are giving special focus to zoonotic diseases and ones that could emerge in the future.

鈥淎 deeper understanding of the interactions between animals, people, pathogens and their environments could expand our ability to rapidly detect emerging pathogens and to quickly develop and deploy new countermeasures,鈥� says RCSA Program Director Andrew Feig.

Created in 2010 by RCSA, the Scialog (short for 鈥渟cience + dialog鈥�) format brings together communities of early-career scientists from multiple disciplines and institutions across the U.S. and Canada, and this initiative includes both academic and U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists with the vision of spurring stronger interactions between these groups.

The three-year initiative for addressing zoonotic threats will first meet this fall in Tucson, Arizona.

Guided by a group of senior facilitators, participants will discuss challenges and gaps in current knowledge, build community around visionary goals, and form teams to propose cutting-edge, collaborative research projects. Those considered to have the potential for high-impact results will be selected to receive seed funding.

Tetard says research chosen will stem from the discussions but that her contributions to the community will include her expertise with nanoscale imaging and spectroscopy, which can show how zoonotic threats change over time.

鈥淰iruses and bacteria are small systems that have not been studied extensively with new nanoscale tools, such as those we are working on at 麻豆原创,鈥� Tetard says. 鈥淣anoscale imaging and spectroscopy provides the spatial resolution and the sensitivity to detect such small systems and study how they evolve. Participating in this initiative could help in advancing the development of new tools that are better suited for problems related to zoonotic threats. I鈥檓 very excited about taking part in these conversations.鈥�

Xia will bring his work with developing advanced nanotechnologies for diagnostics to the Scialog research community.

鈥淚 am honored to be selected as a Scialog Fellow, and I am excited for the opportunity to collaborate with leading scientists from multiple disciplines to develop innovative technologies for detection and mitigation of zoonotic threats,鈥� Xia says. 鈥淲ith the support of this fellowship, I鈥檇 like to expand my research to the field of detection and diagnosis of zoonotic diseases. I am thrilled by this opportunity to work in a new field. Ultimately, I hope that my research will contribute to mitigation of existing and emerging zoonotic threats.鈥�

Tetard received her doctorate in physics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center and Department of Physics, part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Sciences, in 2013.

Xia received his doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology from Xiamen University and joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Chemistry, part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Sciences, in 2018.