National Science Foundation

Recruiting and Retaining Nongeoscience Minority STEM Majors for Geoscience Service Learning and for the Geoscience Workforce II
$491,069
November 1, 2023 — December 31, 2026

Reginald Blake — Associate Provost and Dean of Curriculum and Research
Hamidreza Norouzi — Construction Management/Civil Engineering Technology Department
Masato Nakamura — Mechanical Engineering Technology Department
Marzi Azarderakhsh — Construction Management/Civil Engineering Technology Department

The program is designed to achieve the following two primary goals:

1) to broaden the geoscience workforce pathway for non-geoscience minority STEM majors; and 2) to create a multi-sector geoscience workforce development infrastructure. The aims of the first goal are delineated in the following EPAE theme of the geoscience transitional workforce program:

• EXPOSURE: Expose undergraduate seniors to the geosciences

• PREPARATION: Provide undergraduate seniors with critical geoscience workforce skills and professional networks

• APPRENTICESHIP: Engage undergraduate seniors in meaningful real-world, service and experiential learning via geoscience applications, and

• EXPERIENCE: Culminate into/with a geoscience internship-workforce experience.

The objectives of the second goal are associated with the Apprenticeship component above: a) Create a student-faculty-industry paradigm of mentoring for the geoscience workforce; b) Create a professional workforce development structure among participating organizations, c) Design peer-to-peer mentoring support structures, and d) Engage students in geoscience service-learning that provides participants with relevant, active-learning, neighborhood-scale geoscience activities that engage and empower the local community by raising awareness to the environment and by assisting in developing citizen scientists.

Enhanced Noyce Explorer, Scholar, and Teacher Development for High-Need Schools in NYC
$1,444,398 
May 1, 2020 — April 30, 2027

Fangyang Shen — Computer Systems Technology Department 
Andrew Douglas — Mathematics Department 
Hon Jie Teo — Career and Technology Teacher Education Department  
Annie Han — Borough of Manhattan Community College 
Ahmet Mete Kok — Borough of Manhattan Community College 

This project aims to help address the shortage of qualified STEM teachers in New York City. These shortages often result in New York City schools filling STEM teacher vacancies with teachers who lack the relevant subject certification. The project’s main goal is to develop highly effective STEM teachers to teach in New York City high-need schools. To do so, the project will recruit undergraduate STEM majors to become teachers, starting by introducing STEM teaching careers to more than 300 first- and second-year undergraduates. The project will select upper division undergraduate STEM majors to become Noyce Scholars. It will support them as they earn their STEM degree and take courses in mathematics education or technology education so they can achieve initial teaching certification. Supports for Noyce Scholars include scholarships, internships, summer support programs, and mentoring by STEM and Education faculty and school district partners. 

EU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Satellite and Ground-Based Remote Sensing -Fundamental Preparation and Advanced Applications
$681,265
July 1, 2025 — June 30, 2028 

Reginald Blake — Associate Provost and Dean of Curriculum and Research 
Hamidreza Norouzi — Construction Management/Civil Engineering Technology Department 

Promising undergraduates from two and four-year institutions will work with scientists and engineers to conduct research at one of the nation’s premier scientific centers for Satellite and Ground -Based Remote Sensing. Satellite and ground-based remote sensing is a critically important, unique, and relatively young area of science, and it is practically unknown to most of the undergraduates within the CUNY system. Activities will combine year-long research experiences with multidimensional/layered mentoring, academic support systems, and a robust learning community that produce holistic and engaging stimuli for the scientific and academic growth and development of the student participants. The students will be engaged in cutting-edge satellite and ground-based remote sensing research of the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere, the cryosphere, and the lithosphere. Additionally, the proposed activities will allow the undergraduate researchers to hone their acquired skills and knowledge by being research mentors to high school students in the NYC public school system and to members of the local community.

This year-long REU program’s objectives include 1) engage a cohort of undergraduates each year in collaborative, state-of-the-art satellite and ground-based remote sensing research through mentorship by experts in the field, 2) create and sustain a community and a pipeline of scholars among whom academic excellence in STEM is achieved and the pursuit of baccalaureate degrees, advanced degrees, and STEM careers is encouraged, 3) provide students with the tools, the confidence, and the maturity necessary to succeed in a research-rich environment and to develop their communication (oral and written) and presentation skills, 4) create opportunities for students to meaningfully engage in citizen science by partnering and sharing their urban heat island research results with community residents for whom such results are critically vital, and 5) train students in the ethical and responsible conduct of research as well as the ethical implications of scientific and technological applications in society.

Developing an Ecosystem of STEM Success for Built Environment Majors 
$1,499,481 
February 1, 2022 — January 31, 2028 

Melanie Villatoro — Construction Management/Civil Engineering Technology Department 
Muhammad Ummy — Electrical & Telecommunications Engineering Technology Department 
Hamidreza Norouzi — Construction Management/Civil Engineering Technology Department 
Daeho Kang — Environmental Control Technology Department 
Masato Nakamura — Mechanical Engineering Technology Department 

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with proven financial need at New York City College of Technology (City Tech), an urban, public Hispanic-serving institution. Over its six-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to about 60 unique full-time students who are pursuing an associate or baccalaureate degree in one of the Built-Environment majors. The Built-Environment majors included in the project are Civil Engineering Technology, Construction Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, and Environmental Control Technology. Associate degree students will receive up to two-years of scholarship support and baccalaureate degree students will receive up to four-years of scholarship support. The project will use existing student and academic supports to develop an ecosystem of success. It will implement evidence-based effective practices and assess the impact of these practices, degree attainment and entry into the U.S. workforce or graduate programs in STEM. The project will develop a cohort of faculty and students in the built-environment majors, provide students with opportunities for internships and undergraduate research, and provide professional development for faculty and students. The project will increase the number of low-income STEM students achieving social and economic mobility through the pursuit and achievement of degrees in the Built-Environment. The project will produce a better understanding of the key factors that contribute to the successful transition of low-income academically talented students from their baccalaureate degree attainment to either graduate degree STEM programs or to STEM careers. 

Collaborative Research: CISE-MSI: DP: CNS: An Edge-Based Approach to Robust Multi-Robot Systems in Dynamic Environments 
$79,995 
September 1, 2022 — August 31, 2026 

Lili Ma — Computer Engineering Technology Department 

Multi-robot systems consist of autonomous robots interacting in a shared environment to achieve common goals. They are widely used in real-world application domains such as transportation, disaster management, as well as warehousing and manufacturing. This project develops an efficient, robust, and secure multi-robot system, called EdgeRobot. EdgeRobot establishes an edge computing-based architecture and algorithmic framework to help multi-robot collaboration and coordination in dynamic environments. This work provides new model, architecture, and theory for coordinated multi-robot systems. In addition, this project builds research capacity, sustainable for training underrepresented students via the partnership of six geographically diverse minority-serving institutions in the United States: the University of Houston-Clear Lake (South), the University of Michigan Flint (North), CUNY-New York City College of Technology (Northeast), Morgan State University (East), San Francisco State University (West), and California State University Dominguez Hills (West). The cross-institutional collaboration not only boosts research capacity in all six participating institutions but also provides integrative research and education experience to their underrepresented minority students. Ultimately, this project shows and exemplifies an effective collaboration model for training and educating underrepresented students from geographically diverse minority-serving institutions. 

LEAPS-MPS: Where galaxies keep their cool in the heat: A Pathfinder to detect cool cosmic gas filaments and their effects on galaxy properties in clusters 
$223,210 
September 1, 2023 — August 31, 2026 

Charlotte Welker — Physics Department 

On the largest scales, galaxies are found to be arranged along vast networks of filamentary structures, commonly referred to as the cosmic web, that evolved from minute density fluctuations in the very early universe. Recent work by a team including the principal investigator (PI) concluded that cool, low-turbulence gas can flow along the cosmic web and penetrate deep into galaxy clusters and shield galaxies from the hot intra-cluster medium, effectively prolonging their ability to form stars. This research program will allow (1) a more precise characterization of the filamentary “shielding” mechanism on the dynamics and star formation activity of cluster galaxies, with the added potential to (2) indirectly trace the cool gas streams themselves. This program will provide unique research and professional experiences for at least six undergraduate students from groups underrepresented in STEM, with each student acting as a mentor and role model for another student at an earlier career stage. 

Nonlinear PDE in Complex Geometry
$111,379
August 28, 2025 — June 30, 2027

Xi Sisi Shen- Mathematics Department

The existence of canonical metrics has been an active research focus in geometry over the last century with immediate ties to the fields of general relativity and string theory. Canonical metrics can provide valuable insight into the specific geometry of geometric objects called manifolds. An example of canonical metrics are solutions to the Einstein field equations which relate the geometry of a spacetime, specifically the curvature, with the distribution of matter, energy and stress. In complex geometry, Calabi-Yau metrics, which are those with zero Ricci curvature, are a prime example of canonical metrics and their existence is directly related to solving a particular nonlinear partial differential equation called the complex Monge-Ampere equation. The equations of unified string theories are expected to yield new notions of canonical metrics as well as special geometries. This project aims to further our understanding of the existence of certain canonical metrics by developing necessary tools and new techniques in partial differential equations. Furthermore, the project will continue the PI's involvement in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students and organizing numerous seminars and conferences, with an emphasis on the inclusion of women and under-represented groups.

Beginnings: A Quest to Understand and Experience Semiconductor Technologies for a Quantum Future (QUEST for Quantum Future)
$804,391
October 1, 2025 — September 30, 2028

Vitaliy Dorogan — Physics Department
Ivana Radivojevic Jonvanovic - Chemistry Department
Wenli Guo — Physics Department, Queensborough Community College

This ExLENT Beginnings Track project aims to serve the national interest by developing robust experiential learning pathways in Semiconductor Quantum Technologies (SQT) that expand workforce opportunities across the state of New York. Encompassing advanced semiconductor manufacturing, quantum information science, microelectronics, and photonics, the SQT sector underpins many next-generation technologies, yet the United States faces an urgent workforce shortage in this critically important area. This challenge has been intensified by an aging workforce, increasingly complex production demands, and a surging global need driven by rapid advances in AI and Quantum computing. Importantly, New York state is home to an expanding semiconductor ecosystem, positioning it to lead workforce development efforts that may serve as a model for other parts of the country. This initiative brings together a cross-sector partnership that includes City Tech and Queensborough CC, the CUNY ASRC, and two industry partners. Through immersive, hands-on experiences, associate and bachelor's level STEM students engage in the full technology development cycle. By supporting entry into careers across the SQT landscape, this effort responds to urgent workforce needs while advancing national competitiveness. The project pursues five key objectives: 1) provide students with hands-on experiences in traditional semiconductor manufacturing and quantum computing applications through practical training and internships, 2) introduce students to advanced semiconductor research by utilizing ASRC's Photonics Core facilities, 3) leverage industrial expertise to ensure curriculum alignment with current manufacturing needs, 4) incorporate innovative perspective to prepare students for emerging technologies, and 5) establish clear pathways into careers in the advanced semiconductor manufacturing and quantum computing sectors.

Collaborative Research: EPIIC: Accelerating sustainable partnerships for innovation, research, and entrepreneurship in AI
$400,000
October 1, 2025 — September 30, 2028

Hamidreza Norouzi — Construction Management/Civil Engineering Technology Department 
Reginald Blake — Associate Provost and Dean of Curriculum and Research 
Viviana Acquaviva — Physics Department

ASPIRE-AI will accelerate sustainable external partnerships in artificial intelligence (AI) and applying AI to drive innovation, research, and entrepreneurship. The project aims to enhance regional economic growth and workforce development by establishing institutional structures for partnership development, strengthening faculty engagement, and advance workforce preparedness. Each collaborating institution brings unique strengths, leveraging regional and disciplinary expertise to address barriers such as limited infrastructure and fragmented institutional cultures. By promoting interdisciplinary research collaborations and building sustainable industry and community partnerships, ASPIRE-AI generates actionable knowledge and tools to advance applied AI research and innovation.

The cohort collaboration will create a model for non-R1 institutions to leverage external partnerships to enhance regional capacity in responding to emerging technologies and the impact it will have on workforce development. ASPIRE-AI will establish centralized partnership hubs, implement comprehensive faculty development programs, and facilitate interdisciplinary research initiatives that generate actionable knowledge and tools to advance applied AI research and innovation. These efforts are supported by shared resources and a focus on scaling successes across cohort institutions, which naturally form a community of practice to augment mutual support for capacity building. The project will produce intellectual contributions including toolkits for managing external partnerships, faculty engagement playbooks, and technology transfer frameworks tailored to the challenges of under-resourced institutions. ASPIRE-AI will also integrate AI into research and curricula across fields such as agriculture, healthcare, climate adaptation, and advanced manufacturing, equipping students with the skills needed to address critical societal challenges through experiential learning activities. Additionally, ASPIRE-AI will drive institutional cultural change that encourages and supports external collaboration in use-inspired research, innovation, and workforce initiatives. Through these efforts, the participating institutions have the opportunity to emerge as regional leaders in AI-driven research and innovation and become vital contributors to their regional innovation ecosystems.