UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2024 awardees of Penn State’s Inter-Institutional Partnerships for Diversifying Research (IPDR) initiative comprise five collaborative projects that connect Penn State researchers with colleagues from Morgan State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the University of Texas Health Brownsville Campus, all minority-serving institutions (MSIs). The selected projects combine the unique expertise of each partnering institution to address pressing societal problems with innovative solutions only possible through collaboration, according to program administrators. 

The IPDR program, spearheaded by a team at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and in collaboration with the Social Science Research Institute, Materials Research Institute (MRI), the Institute of Energy and the Environment, the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and the Cancer Institute, offers interdisciplinary seed grant funding aimed at developing new or leveraging existent strategic partnerships and alliances with MSIs. The funding, up to $30,000 per project, supports collaborative work investigating broad and diverse topics, such as data-driven computational modeling; the manufacturing of responsive materials, or materials that can change based on external stimuli like pressure, light or temperature; nano and biomedical technologies; food bank operations optimization; and health equity.  

IPDR aims to build sustainable, durable bridges and interdisciplinary collaborations between Penn State and MSIs in key research areas by not only funding projects, but also by sponsoring meetings. For example, the upcoming, inaugural IPDR Symposium and Travel Awards is an invite-only event that will bring together IPDR-funded researchers to share updates on their research progress, exchange innovative ideas, and advance the collective mission of fostering diverse and inclusive research environments.  

“We are incredibly proud of the IDPR initiative,” said Andrew Read, senior vice president for research at Penn State. “These projects exemplify the power of diverse perspectives in driving innovative research and addressing critical challenges. I am enthusiastic about the potential impacts of these partnerships and confident that they will lead to positive opportunities for all involved. Together, we are building a stronger, more inclusive research community.”  

The 2024 awarded projects are:  

• Wenrui Hao, assistant professor of mathematics at Penn State, and Mingchao Cai, associate professor of mathematics at Morgan State University, “Data-driven computational modeling of aneurysms,” with funding provided by the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences 

• Jing Zhao, assistant professor of industrial engineering at Penn State, and Muyue Han, department of industrial and systems engineering, at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, “Design and Programming of Magnetic Shape Memory Polymer for Additive Manufacturing,” with funding provided by MRI  

• Igor Aronson, Huck Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry and Mathematics at Penn State, and Ubaldo M. Córdova-Figueroa, Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez, "Ultrasound microfluidic cell manipulation and separation,” with funding provided by the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences and MRI 

• Abdullah Konak, Distinguished Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, and Sadan Kulturel-Konak, professor of management information systems, both at Penn State Berks, and Lauren Davis, professor of industrial and systems engineering, and Steven Jiang, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, both at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, “Food Bank Operations Optimization: Data-driven Societal Impact Approach (FOODSIA),” with funding provided by ICDS 

• Lindsay Fernández-Rhodes, associate professor of biobehavioral health and demography at Penn State; Cesar H. Gutierrez Martinez, department of internal medicine at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine; Joseph B. McCormick, Susan Fisher-Hoch and Miryoung Lee, all in the department of epidemiology, human genetics and environmental sciences at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Regional Academic Health Center, “Interdisciplinary Partnerships to Foster Health Equity in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (RGV),” with funding provided by CTSI 

“These collaborations are incredibly exciting, uniting the strengths and expertise of Penn State and MSI partners,” said Camelia Kantor, associate director of strategic initiatives at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and one of the administrators of the grant. “We are confident that these seed grants will not only shape the future of research but also pave the way for securing collaborative external funding. This initiative represents a leap forward in creating a vibrant, inclusive research community.”  

For more information about the IDPR initiative, visit the program page.