Initiative brings researchers nearly $1M in funding

Areas such as microchip development and water security will benefit from research made possible through nearly $1 million in funding.

Thanks to a new development initiative called Fostering Opportunities through Collaborative University Synergies (FOCUS), four University of Idaho early-career researchers will be able to conduct needed research in their fields.

FOCUS is a partnership between University of Idaho, Montana State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nevada, Reno and Utah State University.

The FOCUS program was created by the U of I Research and Faculty Development office, and it is “aimed at enhancing competitiveness in research proposals.” The group identifies funding opportunities deemed to be “key” and having potential to advance knowledge and research capacity while improving infrastructure.

“These research opportunities engage early-career researchers and accelerate their path to successful grant applications, funding the research that drives Idaho industry,” said Chris Nomura, vice president for research and economic development at the university.

The four researchers that will benefit from the funding in their research are:

• Tianfang Han, assistant professor, College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences — At The Ohio State University, Han will work with Roger Ratcliff and build skills in modeling human’s cognitive reaction to sudden events. The project will improve future designs of choice reaction experiments.
• Feng Li, Micron Endowed Chair in Microelectronics, College of Engineering — This research studies materials for building semiconductor chips that can tolerate high heat, expanding their use and longevity. Li will conduct research at Carnegie Institution for Science.
• Xiaogang “Marshall” Ma, associate professor, College of Engineering — Ma will travel to the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., to learn specific computing techniques to better use data visualization specifically for mineral exploration.
• Meng Zhao, assistant professor, College of Science — Zhao will study at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and research the often-overlooked water stored in bedrock to refine simulations of water budgets.

The researchers will be able to develop collaborations through the NSF EPSCoR Research Fellows program with private, government or academic research institutions. They will be able to work with experts within their fields and then bring their data back to their U of I programs.