In FY 2003, NSF provided 132 awards totaling approximately $26 million to 11 institutions in the state of Oklahoma.
Institutions in Oklahoma that received awards in FY 2003 include Langston University, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, the University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City
Public Schools, and SWNT, Inc.
Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures — This Materials Research Science and Engineering Center is a partnership between the University of Oklahoma and the University of Arkansas that supports an interdisciplinary research program on semiconductor nanostructure science and applications. The research is carried out in two research groups. One focuses on the growth and characterization of semiconductor nanostructures. The second focuses on interfaces with particular emphasis on the study of narrow gap semiconductors. The center is engaged in a number of educational activities from the graduate to the middle school level, including workshops for middle and high school science teachers and support for the production of science videos. The center supports well maintained, shared experimental facilities and interactive efforts with industry, national laboratories, and other sectors.
Federal Cyber Service Initiative — This program at the University of Tulsa produces a cadre of computer scientists with strong specializations in information assurance and a commitment to federal service. Three cohorts of students complete a two-year program that integrates intense information assurance studies with research and outreach. Students also spend one summer as interns in federal agencies. Upon completion of degrees the students then enter the federal cyber service. The program features an emphasis on collaborative research and outreach to the community. The program components train students in information assurance theory and practice while providing an environment that fosters teamwork, strengthens motivation, and builds a sense of professionalism and commitment to service.
Essential Gene Functions in Arabidopsis Seed Development — This Oklahoma State University project will establish a foundation for identifying every Arabidopsis gene with an essential function during seed development. This information is central to the Arabidopsis 2010 Project and to identifying the minimal gene set required for growth and development of a model plant. The project will focus on genes that give a visible seed phenotype when disrupted by mutation. The network of genes chosen for analysis is therefore not defined by shared biochemical or molecular features but rather by the fact that they are essential. Arabidopsis contains an estimated 500 such EMB genes required for normal seed development and another 200 genes required for normal seed pigmentation.
The approach outlined here is to coordinate the collection, analysis, and presentation of information on more than half of these genes based on cloning of mutant alleles.
Small Business Innovation Research — An NSF SBIR award to Nomadics Inc. supports the development of a new generation of fluorescence amplifying reagents based on poly nano-particles. The project will develop and launch two types of amplimer reagents, micro-array and quantitative PCR reagents. The amplimer reagents will improve the sensitivity and performance of fluorescence-based assays by providing brighter, more stable fluorescence signals and by improving sensitivity through fluorescence amplification effects.
