ISU awards seed grants for collaborative research efforts

Ten researchers at Idaho State University received $243,030 in seed grants in December for collaborative research projects involving partners from INL and the other CAES universities. The projects range from microreactor design to pumped hydropower to high-performance computing. The funding for the projects comes from the portion of ISU’s annual state funding that is allocated for CAES activities. Here is a list of the recipients:
• Amir Ali, a Nuclear Engineering faculty member, is collaborating with INL researcher Yasir Arafat on a project called “Performance optimization of MARVEL Microreactor power conversion system”
• Paul Bodily, a faculty member in the Computer Science Department, is collaborating with INL researcher Rajiv Khadka on Application of Advanced Computational Theory to Facilitate Efficient Solutions to Real-World Combinatorial Problems
• Tony Forest, a Physics Department faculty member, is collaborating with INL’s Chutiing Tan on A Neutron Generator for Materials Testing
• Mostafa Fouda, a faculty member ion the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, is collaborating with INL researcher Ahmed Hamed on Smart Analytics of Biomass Images
• Jon Kalivas, a faculty member in the Chemistry Department, is collaborating with INL researcher John Koudelka on Virtual Reality for Dynamic Data Visualization of Analytical Chemical Data
• Mustafa Mashal, a Civil Engineering Department faculty member, is collaborating with fellow ISU researchers Dan LaBrier and Jared Cantrell, and INL researchers Som Duhlipala and Amit Jain on Machine Learning-Aided Validation of a Sustainable and Highly Durable Construction Technology for the Containment Facility of Advanced Reactors
• Srinath Pashikanti, a faculty member in the Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, is collaborating with fellow ISU researcher Rene Rodriguez and INL’s Robert Fox and Donna Baek on Incorporation of Sterics in novel Phosphonium Ionic Liquid (PIL) and their Effect on Ligand Intermolecular Interactions and Chelation Properties
• Bruce Savage, a Civil Engineering Department faculty member, is collaborating with fellow ISU researchers Chikashi Sato, Jim Mahar and Mustafa Mashal, and University of Idaho researchers Karen Humes and Dakota Roberson on Water Storage Infrastructure Viability using Repurposed Tires for Pumped Hydro
• Keith Weber, GIS TReC director, is collaborating with Boise State University’s Kathleen Araujo and Cassandra Koerner, and INL researchers Kelly Wilson, Ryan Hruska, Shiloh Elliot and Chris Forsgren on The Power Grid/Wildfire Nexus: Using GIS and Satellite Remote Sensing to Identify Vulnerabilities
• Danny Xu, a faculty member in the Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, is collaborating with Boise State researcher Kenneth Cornell and INL’s Eric Whiting on Hearing Loss Prevention through Integrative High-Performance Computing, Data Science, and Experimental Biology