2022 Research Catalyst Grant Recipients
Dr. Grant Berry
Department of Spanish
Dr. Joseph Toscano
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Project Title: Experiential and neurocognitive mechanisms of language adaptation
Language is highly variable and prone to structural change. When small-scale patterns start to take shape, as is often the case with incipient sound change, humans face the monumental tasks of distinguishing meaningful shifts from noise and then adapting to those changes in the speech around them. Though adaptation is guided by both language experience and cognitive processing ability, researchers know little about how the two interact. The proposed collaboration combines the expertise of project leads from the Departments of Spanish and Psychological & Brain Sciences to address this theoretical gap using a novel paradigm that simulates sound change in a controlled, laboratory setting. Specifically, we will measure the degree to which English monolinguals and English-Spanish bilinguals integrate sound changes from their input into their own speech. We will then compare adaptation ability to cognitive processing performance and to neurophysiological responses, measured using electroencephalography (EEG), that reflect sound change detection. Experimental data will be analyzed alongside demographic information and participants’ language histories to explore effects of change detection, cognitive processing, and language experience on adaptation. Results will inform theories of psycholinguistics and laboratory phonology by identifying factors that promote language and category learning. Furthermore, findings will be directly relevant to societal issues by providing vital predictions regarding how demographic changes predicted to occur in large urban centers in the US over the next three decades (namely, increased exposure to languages other than English at home and increased domestic migration) may affect linguistic structures and patterns of use.
Dr. Kelly Good
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Steven Goldsmith
Department of Geography and the Environment
Dr. Peleg Kremer
Department of Geography and the Environment
Dr. Virginia Smith
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Project Title: Evaluating the prevalence and environmental implications of microplastics and metals co-contamination at green stormwater infrastructure sites
Plastics are made from polymers derived from fossil fuels, and their production, use, and disposal result in pervasive pollution of the environment. Microplastics (MPs), plastics less than 5 mm in diameter, are a potential threat to human and environmental health not only because of their toxicity but also because they are vectors for other contaminants such as heavy metals. Yet, little is known about the sources and environmental fate of MPs and how they interact with metals in watersheds, particularly in urban settings. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI, e.g., rain gardens) are intended to provide water quantity and quality benefits. However, their designed function could result in substantial accumulation of MPs in urban settings. While stormwater runoff is generally considered to be the primary contributor of contaminants into GSI, atmospheric contributions have been shown to be non-negligible. The proposed project will assess how concentrations of MPs and metals co-vary across environmental media (air, water, soil) at two GSI sites of varying geography (urban, suburban) under wet and dry deposition conditions. Study results are of immediate importance to organisms that reside in GSI, maintenance workers tasked with its upkeep, and residents in the surrounding communities. Additionally, the project will generate initial data needed to secure external funding for scaling up assessment of MP and metal co-contamination in GSI. This project brings together four project leads with diverse yet complementary expertise from COE and CLAS: Kelly Good (CEE-watershed systems), Steve Goldsmith (GEV-geochemistry), Peleg Kremer (GEV-urban ecosystem services), Virginia Smith (CEE-sediment transport dynamics).
Dr. Benjamin Sachs
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Dr. Anil Bamezai:
Department of Biology
Project Title: Investigating the effectiveness of Oxysterols in treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and depression and anxiety-like behavior in a mouse model
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Major Depression (MD) are highly prevalent diseases lead to considerable disability, particularly among women. Unfortunately, current treatments for these conditions fail in ~40% of patients. Although IBD is a disorder of the gut and MD is primarily considered a disorder of the brain, having one of these diseases significantly increases risk for the other condition. Although the precise reasons underlying this apparent connection between these disorders are unknown, emerging research has demonstrated that the gut and brain engage in reciprocal communication via a complex system called the gut-brain axis. It has been hypothesized that IBD could promote MD via the gut-brain axis, but this has not been conclusively established. In addition, whether IBD treatments could improve the mental health of individuals with both MD and IBD is not known. The two major goals of this grant are to 1) determine whether an experimental mouse model of gut inflammation/IBD leads to alterations in MD-like behaviors in males and females and 2) to test the ability of a new experimental treatment for IBD (7-keto-cholesterol) to reduce gut inflammation and behavioral dysfunction induced by this model. To answer these important questions, Dr. Anil Bamezai, an expert in mouse models of IBD, and Dr. Ben Sachs, an expert in mouse models of MD, will bring together their expertise in molecular biology, genetics, and neuroscience. The proposed studies will lay a foundation for subsequent collaborations between these investigators as they work towards improving human health.