(Photos Courtesy of Morgan State University)
Morgan State University Obtains $1.2 Million in Federal Science, Technology Grants
NSF and NIH Funding Boosts Morgan’s School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences
BALTIMORE — Morgan State University’s (MSU’s) School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (SCMNS) has announced the receipt of four federal grants totaling more than $1.2 million, awarded in the spring and summer of 2020. The funds are supporting important research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields ranging from pharmatechnology to advanced computing to meteorology to computer science instruction. Collectively, the grants indicate steady progress toward Morgan’s goal of attaining an R1 (“very high research”) designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. MSU was elevated to an R2 (“high research”) Carnegie classification in December 2018.
“Receiving four grants by four different faculty members testifies to the quality of the faculty and their devotion to the research and education mission of the University,” said Hongtao Yu, Ph.D., dean of Morgan’s SCMNS. “All four faculty members are relatively new to the University, and I am so proud to see them having a great start at Morgan.”
(Photos Courtesy of Morgan State University)
Synopses of the recently funded grant projects follow:
Alexander Samokhvalov, Ph.D., assistant professor of Chemistry at MSU, has been awarded a $326,128, three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study complexes that slowly release the widely used anti-cancer drug gemcitabine. His research project, “Encapsulation and Delayed Release of Gemcitabine by Aluminum Metal-Organic Frameworks,” is studying aluminum metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for use as a matrix for drug encapsulation and delayed release. The use of aluminum MOFs in implants offers a promising alternative to traditional chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, potentially resulting in fewer side effects and greater effectiveness.