- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock researcher receives $100,000 to study plant stress tolerance for space exploration

Janea Snyder — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 21:54:41 +0000

Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya, professor of biology in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s College of Arts and Sciences, has received $100,000 from NASA to discover how to improve sustainability and stress tolerance in plants developed for exploration of Mars. For humans to explore new planets such as Mars, they must be able to sustainably grow plants and crops in environments without an abundance of water. Khodakovskaya will investigatehow applying carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene and carbon nanotubes, can affect and enhance plants’ tolerance to drought stress and other environmental factors. Khodakovskaya will apply this technology to valuable agricultural crops such as rice and soybeans. “Nano-agro technology is a cheap and efficient way to reduce the use of water in greenhouses to specifically produce plants for human exploration on other planets,” Khodakovskaya said. “Hopefully, this will allow space explorers to grow plant food sources on Mars one day.” She expects the project to generate data for more extensive investigation. Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya is growing rice and soybeans with minimal amounts of water in her greenhouse laboratory at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Photo by Benjamin Krain

Lee, Khodakovskaya, and Mitchell named Faculty Excellence Award winners

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 02:30:06 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock professors Dr. Jin Wook Lee, Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya, and Alicia Mitchell have been named the 2019 winners of the Faculty Excellence ��ɲ��.�� Each of the three professors will receive a $5,000 award as winners of the Faculty Excellence Awards in the categories of teaching, research and creative endeavors, and public service. Lee, assistant professor of systems engineering, received the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award while Khodakovskaya was named the winner of the Faculty Excellence and Creative Endeavors Award. Mitchell, assistant visiting professor of law and director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, won the Faculty Excellence in Public Service Award. “Thirty years of recognizing the work of our outstanding faculty underscores the university’s commitment to our mission,” said Dr. Christina Drale, interim executive vice chancellor and provost. “It signifies the value we place on excellent teaching, research and creative activity, and service to our community. These essential components of our institution create a learning environment that enriches the education of our students and prepares them to embrace a bright future.” The winners were honored during an April 11 awards ceremony in the Schueck, McCarty, Lexicon Inc. Auditorium. Fourteen additional faculty members who earned Faculty Excellence awards at the college level also were honored, and they will each receive a $1,000 award. The 15 members of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Board of Visitors reviewed the achievements and selected the winners. This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Faculty Excellence Awards. Since 1989, the event has provided a way to recognize the great work of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty and is made possible through the valued contributions of the Bailey Foundation, Office of the Chancellor, Office of the Provost, and the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor’s Circle. Sharon Bailey of the Bailey Foundation, which was instrumental in the creation of the Faculty Excellence Awards, presented the Bailey Teaching Award. “I would like to express our appreciation for the outstanding service each of you here have given,” Bailey said. “The Bailey Foundation has a long history with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. My late husband, Dr. Ted Bailey II, recognized the importance of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock many years ago and helped establish this teaching award. It is my honor to carry on his legacy.” More about the winners:

Faculty Excellence in Teaching

Dr. Jin Wook Lee is an assistant professor of systems engineering in the College of Engineering and Information Technology. “I never expected this kind of big award,” Lee said. “I am very honored. I would like to thank my wife, Ji, and son, Jason.” He began his career at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2013 and previously worked as a senior engineer at Samsung in South Korea. He connects with his students through a “disciplined, yet friendly” approach to instruction. In his teaching, Lee incorporates his personal experiences as examples in the classroom. He enjoys helping students understand new concepts and establish strong foundations to build their future careers. He is known for placing a high priority on his teaching and student interactions. “I just keep asking students questions instead of just giving lectures,” Lee said. “I want to make sure they understand what I am teaching. And after each test, I arrange a one-on-one meeting with those who have below average scores to ask how we can improve their learning. I think that helps a lot.” He contributed to the development of the Bachelor of Science in mechanical systems engineering at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and developed courses in fluid mechanics and computational fluid mechanics. Lee has been a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers since 2010. He was awarded two grants from NASA in 2015 and 2017 and has two patents pending.

Faculty Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavors

Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya is a professor of biology and interim associate dean in the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Her research is primarily on plant biology and nanotechnology, and she is well known for collaborations with scientists from other disciplines. Last year, she received a $1 million grant to study the genetic qualities of rice to determine its heat tolerance. Khodakosvkaya is a part of a consortium of four universities that collectively received $4.65 million from the National Science Foundation to study heat tolerance in rice in hopes of reducing hunger by helping rice farmers improve their yield. Khodakovskaya’s collaborations with material scientists, nanotechnologists, and other plant molecular biologists and biotechnologists resulted in the development of a unique research area in the intersection of plant biology and nanotechnology. She was the first person to demonstrate that carbon-based nanomaterials can affect plants at genomic and metabolomic levels, which activates genes involved in water transport, cell division, and response to environmental stress. She has also established new methods for increasing seed germination and plant and cell growth using nanomaterials. Khodakosvkaya strives to commercialize her research through interactions with industry professionals and through the submission of patent applications. In the past five years, two of her patent applications have been approved. In 2014, she formed a start-up company, Advanced Plant Technologies, LLC. Since 2008, she has been a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on grants totaling more than $9.6 million. Her research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, Arkansas Science and Technology Authority, Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, and the Arkansas Space Consortium.

Faculty Excellence in Public Service

Alicia Mitchell is an assistant visiting professor of law and director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Bowen School of Law. She has worked at Bowen for almost 17 years and has spent her entire teaching career working in the clinical program, training students to ethically and professionally represent parties before the Internal Revenue Service. Alongside her students, Mitchell has served hundreds of economically distressed individuals in need of assistance with tax information. She works with the international student population, ensuring they are in compliance with federal tax regulations. Since 2014, Mitchell has been awarded the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic grant from the National Taxpayer Advocate each year to aid in her endeavors. She also works in the Little Rock Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition and several national taxpayer committees. “The most impactful thing I do for students is give them the opportunity to learn by gaining practical experience,” Mitchell said. “They gain satisfaction by helping their clients in the clinic. When the students get a positive result, it reinforces everything that I am trying to teach them in the clinic – to be a good and impactful attorney.” In the community, she participates in events like the Hispanic Heritage Festival and the Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition Super Saturday. She believes in educating the community on their rights and responsibilities as taxpayers while spreading awareness of the clinic’s services. Mitchell is active on campus in the Delta Project Committee, Law School Admissions Committee, Assessment Committee, Faculty Development Committee, and the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Sustainability Committee. In the upper right photo, the 2019 Faculty Excellence Award winners include Jin Wook Lee (left) for teaching, Mariya Khodakovskaya (midde) for research and creative endeavors, and Alicia Mitchell (right) for public service. Photo by Benjamin Krain.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock receives $1 million to study genetics of heat-tolerant rice

Janea Snyder — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 16:30:32 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor and several doctoral students are researching heat tolerance in rice in hopes of helping rice farmers improve their yield – and ultimately – reduce hunger. Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya, a biology professor and interim associate dean in the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, received a $1 million grant to study the genetic qualities of rice to determine its heat tolerance. She is part of a consortium of researchers from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Oklahoma State University, and Louisiana State University. Dr. Andy Pereira, professor of crop, soil and environmental science in the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the ��Vlog��ý Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, leads the consortium. The four universities collectively received $4.65 million from the National Science Foundation to support their work over a four-year period. The team is studying the genetics of more than 400 rice varieties collected from around the world. The goal of the project is to ensure active, stable rice production to keep up with future population growth and environmental changes. The results will be shared with farmers. “We are working in live science,” Khodakovskaya said. “This is important because it is close to the needs of society and close to industry. We target a lot of practical problems, and the final results will be results that public can assess and use.” The consortium will study rice grown in two different environments: one under heat stress and one under the actual air temperature of the environment. By comparing the two groups of plants, the researchers will be able to identify varieties of rice that produce high-quality grains in spite of rising temperatures. At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, four doctoral students in applied science are assisting Khodakovskaya – Diamond McGehee, Sudha Shanmugam, Zoya Nadeem Faruqui, and Kamal Pandey. Kamal Pandey also manages the greenhouse located atop ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences, where the students grow and monitor rice specimens. Their study examines the links between plant metabolism and heat response in rice in order to identify proteins and biomolecules, called metabolites, associated with heat tolerance. The team will use liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to monitor rice metabolism. “Using that and other data, we can go through and find out which compounds are being produced and identify different sensitivities to heat stress,” said Diamond McGehee of Conway. “We hope it will give us insights into mechanisms for heat tolerance in rice.” Shanmugam, who is from India, said the research is important for the long-term applications. “Rice is a staple food for half of the world’s population,” she said. “Millions of farmers are having trouble growing rice because of climate. Each year, 40 percent of the crops are lost due to drought. Because of that, it’s better to create a drought-tolerant rice if it will help the farmers.” Arkansas is the country’s largest producer of rice, which is also the state’s top export. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya (right) and her team of applied science doctoral students are researching the heat tolerance of rice. Students include (from left) Diamond McGehee, Zoya Faruqui, Kamal Pandey and Sudha Shanmugam. Photo by Benjamin Krain

��Vlog��ý Little Rock appoints interim dean for research and graduate studies

Janea Snyder — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 21:46:20 +0000

Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya has been appointed interim associate dean for research and graduate studies in University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s College of Arts, Letters and Sciences. She has been a professor of applied science, and since 2014, she has served as the graduate coordinator for the Department of Biology, mentoring master and doctoral degree candidates through their academic careers. “What I like about working with graduate students is the magnitude of the impact we have on their lives,” she said. “When a student comes to your graduate program, they finish a different person. The work is a total transformation which we can observe.” Khodakovskaya will serve the college on matters of research and graduate study; including planning, programs, curriculum, facilities, and grant funding. Additionally, she will be the liaison for the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Graduate School. Khodakovskaya received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Biology from Far Eastern Federal University, specializing in plant physiology in 1992. In 1997, she received her Ph.D. from Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences. “All my life I have studied plants and have been interested in the improvement of plants through genetic engineering,” she said. “Then, when the technology came along, I became interested in understanding how nanomaterials would affect plants, and what kind of applications that would have. That’s how my research program developed here at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” She also co-edited a book, “Plant Nanotechnology: An Overview on Concepts, Strategies, and Tools,” sharing her and other academics’ discoveries in this pioneering interdisciplinary research field.

Khodakovskaya co-edits book on benefits of nanotechnology for crops

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 19:11:58 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Biology Professor Mariya Khodakovskaya, her collaborators, and her graduate students are among a handful of scientists around the world pioneering research on the potential benefits of nanotechnology for crops. Their research was recently published in a book by Springer International Publishing, “Plant Nanotechnology: An Overview on Concepts, Strategies, and Tools.” The book is co-edited by Khodakovskaya; Dr. Chittaranjan Kole, professor at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya in India, and Dr. D. Sakthi Kuma, professor at Tokyo University in Japan. The 15 chapters of the book are written by different teams of scientists studying various aspects of plant nanotechnology. The focus is on application potential and concern for nanotoxicity. “This book provides an overview of all the completed research in this field to date,” Khodakovskaya said. “These studies have shown that nanomaterials can be used for the improvement of yield and quality of crops. Nanomaterials have also exhibited promise for environmentally safe application of fertilizers and plant protection chemicals.” “I believe that by reading ‘Plant Nanotechnology’ any student, researcher, or policymaker can appreciate the potential and the tremendous value of this approach and can have a clear idea of what is going on in this field.” Nanomaterials first studied in plants included tiny tubes, horns, and sheets (also called graphene) built from individual atoms of carbon. Early research showed improvement in crop yield, suggesting nanomaterials can affect genes involved in water transport in plants like soybean, barley, and corn. “Interestingly, transport of carbon nanotubes from roots to fruits of tomato plants was documented in one of the published studies, so obviously more research is needed to show the safety of this technology.” Khodakovskaya said. “With that in mind, we have included chapters that discuss how nanomaterials interact in soil-plant systems, concerns of hazards to human health and the environment, and also critical views on compliances. Carbon-based nanomaterials, in general, have been found to be safe in many instances.” Some of the published studies were done at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as collaborations between the Department of Biology and the Nanotechnology Center. “The most exciting fields are at the intersections of traditional fields. This interdisciplinary approach to research is the future of science,” Khodakovskaya said.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock researcher receives $100,000 to study plant stress tolerance for space exploration