Panetta secures federal support for local research projects

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- U.S. District 19 Congressman Jimmy Panetta's office announced that they have secured $4 million in federal funding from the National Science Foundation to help multiple research projects on the Central Coast.

"Through our local research projects, we’ll continue to strengthen the foundation for future research and discovery all across the globe," Panetta said in a statement.

The funding went to multiple projects at UC Santa Cruz, Cal State University Monterey Bay and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

UC Santa Cruz Research Projects

Seven science and technology research projects at UC Santa Cruz got $2.9 million in federal funding. Here is the list of research projects that got the funding.

“WoU-MMA: Multiple Approaches to Multi-Messenger Astronomy”

This research project received $888,328. The funds will help lead an international program to research electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave events.

“Open Process Models Optimizing Self-Regulated Learning in the Classroom”

This research project received $849,531. According to Panetta's office, this project will focus on the question of how to engage students in metacognitive processes of self-regulated learning toward better learning of parallel programming.

“Collaborative Research: SHF: Small: RUI: Keystone: Modular Concurrent Software Verification”

This project received $339,977 in funding. This project involves current state-of-the-art tools to verify sophisticated systems such as compilers and operating system kernels.

“FuSe-TG: Co-designing Novel Memristor Heterostructures for Brain-Inspired Computers”

This project helped develop a new type of memristor by combining 2-D semiconductors and traditional memristor materials. This project recieved $299,086 in funding.

“Collaborative Research: Probing and Controlling Exciton-Plasmon Interaction for Solar Hydrogen Generation”

According to Panetta's office, this research team will develop novel semiconductor-metal nano heterojunctions to investigate the fundamental interactions between exciton generated on semiconductor quantum dots and plasmon produced in plasmonic metal nanostructures from a dynamic perspective using ultrafast laser spectroscopy. This project will receive $284,975 in funding

“Spaces with Ricci Curvature Bounded Below”

The project will study the fundamental groups of complete and non-compact manifolds with nonnegative Ricci curvature. Specifically, this will investigate the relation between the structure of fundamental groups (for example, finite generation and virtual nilpotency) and the equivariant asymptotic geometry. This project will receive $141,490.

“Collaborative Research: Constraining Planktic Foraminiferal Ecology Using Compound Specific Isotope Analysis of Amino Acids”

This project will investigate and develop multiple aspects of compound-specific nitrogen and carbon isotopes of specific amino acids to better understand the species-level ecology of planktic foraminifera. This project received $131,201 dollars.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

“Collaborative Research: IntBIO: Rules for Cell Membranes in the Extremes of the Deep Sea”

This project uses ctenophores which is known as comb jellies to discover rules that underlie organisms ability to tolerate extreme conditions found in the deep sea. This project received $680,707 in funding.

California State University Monterey Bay

“Cross-Institutional Faculty Learning to Improve Critical Transitions in STEM Education"

This project will help college STEM instructors examine the role of text in learning, select useful texts and assign meaningful tasks. This project received $400,000 in funds