ND EPSCoR

ND EPSCoR is pleased to announce the recipients of our FY26 STEM research seed awards. We received 57 proposals from North Dakota researchers. Nearly $500,000 will be awarded to the following eight projects. Funding will be provided to faculty for the purpose of generating preliminary data needed to support the preparation of a proposal for submission to a federal agency.

We offer our thanks to everyone who submitted a proposal, and our congratulations to these awardees. Visit our website to learn more about their projects.

Ali Alshami, Chemical Engineering, UND
Collaborator: Adetola Oke, Engineering, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College
Project: AI-Driven Catalyst Discovery for North Dakota’s Hydrogen Future

Bappaditya Chandra, Chemistry and Biochemistry, NDSU
Collaborators: Archana Dhasarathy, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, UND; Motoki Takaku, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, UND; Emily Biggane, Intertribal Research and Resource Center, United Tribes Technical College
Project: Deciphering Estrogen receptor alpha - cofactor interactions in distinct cellular environments

Xiaodong Hou, Center for Process Engineering Research, UND
Collaborators: Deniz Cakir, Physics and Astrophysics, UND; Weixin Huang, Chemistry, UND
Project: Graphene-Intercalated Ultra-Stable 1T-MoS2 Heterostructures Catalyst for Green Hydrogen Production: Experimental and Simulation Studies

Inbae Jeong, Mechanical Engineering, NDSU
Collaborator: Youjin Jang, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, NDSU
Project: Energy-Aware Coordination of Heterogeneous UAV–UGV Fleets for Persistent Infrastructure-Free Operations

Maria Morrell, Chemical Engineering, UND
Collaborators: Julia Zhao, Chemistry, UND; Uwe Burghaus, Chemistry and Biochemistry, NDSU; Stefan Vetter, Pharmaceutical Sciences, NDSU; Susan Eliazer, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, UND; Audrey LaVallie, Chemistry, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College; Hilde van Gijssel, Science, Valley City State University
Project: Decoding How Cells Sense and Respond to Nanoparticles

Igor Ovchinnikov, Biology, UND
Collaborator: Paul Ullmann, Harold Hamm School of Geology & Geological Engineering, UND
Project: Genomic Drivers of Adaptation and Extinction in North American Megafauna: Implications for Contemporary Conservation Efforts and North Dakota Economy

Darshil Patel, Forensic Science, UND
Collaborators: Hannah Correia, Biology, UND; Alena Kubatova, Chemistry, UND
Project: PFAS and Microplastics in North Dakota Snowpacks and Their Implications for Agricultural Landscapes

Qifeng Zhang, Electrical and Computer Engineering, NDSU
Collaborator: Xiaodong Hou, College of Engineering and Mines, UND
Project: Engineering Polar Materials for Enhanced Sulfur Electrochemistry in Lithium–Sulfur (Li-S) Batteries

ND EPSCoR STEM research seed awards announced ND EPSCoR is pleased to announce the recipients of our FY26 STEM research seed awards. We received 57 proposals from North Dakota researchers. Nearly $500,000 will be awarded to the following eight projects. Funding will be provided to faculty for the purpose of generating preliminary data needed to...

The ND EPSCoR State Office accepted proposals to fund undergraduate STEM research activities at Tribal Colleges and Universities and Primarily Undergraduate Institutions within the state. We are pleased to announce that the following awards have been made for FY26.

Undergraduate Research Awards

Assessing the Correlation between Trexo Robotics Devices and Bowel Movements in Children with Stage (V) and Stage (IV) Cerebral Palsy
PI: Sarah Manka, Dickinson State University
Student researcher: Samuel Stillings

Documenting Ephemeroptera (Mayflies) Presence in ND Waters
PI: Andre DeLorme, Valley City State University
Student researcher: Ezekiel Luchi

Documenting Mussel Populations in North Dakota Rivers
PI: Andre DeLorme, Valley City State University
Student researcher: Lorenzo Luchi

Equipment Awards

Equipment Grant for Macrophotography
PI: Andre DeLorme, Valley City State University

SwimEx Filtration System Equipment
PI: Heather Golly, Minot State University

Under the Dome: Exploring STEM Careers in a Portable Planetarium
PI: Betsy Bannier, Lake Region State College

ND EPSCoR FY26 Undergraduate STEM Research and Education Awards announced The ND EPSCoR State Office accepted proposals to fund undergraduate STEM research activities at Tribal Colleges and Universities and Primarily Undergraduate Institutions within the state. We are pleased to announce that the following awards have been made for FY26.

To better support researchers in ND to build capacity and competitiveness through NSF awards, especially the E-RISE and E-CORE, ND EPSCoR is offering a pre-planning grant for PUI and TCU institutions in ND. These awards are to initiate early-stage team building and project ideation by providing resources to convene collaborative, interdisciplinary, and interinstitutional conversations.

We checked in with previous planning grant awardees Hilde van Gijssel of Valley City State University and Joe Krieg of Minot State University to find out what advice they have for the researchers considering applying for an E-CORE or an E-RISE.

ND EPSCoR pre-planning grant awardees share their advice for E-CORE and E-RISE applicants To better support researchers in ND to build capacity and competitiveness through NSF awards, especially the E-RISE and E-CORE, ND EPSCoR is offering a pre-planning grant for PUI and TCU institutions in ND. We checked in with previous planning grant awardees Hilde van Gijssel of Valley City State Un...