鈥淭his grant is an incredible opportunity to address a complex societal challenge鈥攅nsuring sustainable water use in agriculture,鈥� Kovacs said. 鈥淣o single discipline can solve this problem alone. We need interdisciplinary teams that combine economic modeling with hydrological data to understand how farmers respond to risk and changing water availability.鈥�

The $745,594 three-year project will integrate economic, hydrological, and social science models to examine how farmers make irrigation decisions, particularly in groundwater-dependent agricultural systems like the Lower Mississippi River Basin. The research findings will help policymakers and water resource managers develop strategies for sustainable water use amid increasing climate challenges.

鈥淒r. Kovacs’ research addresses a critical challenge for Arkansas and beyond鈥攈ow farmers manage water resources in the face of increasing drought conditions,鈥� said Thomas Clifton, interim dean of the College of Business, Health, and Human Services.听

鈥淭his grant from the National Science Foundation showcases the impact of his work and the innovative research happening at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. His findings will provide valuable insights that can help shape more sustainable agricultural practices and water conservation strategies.”

Agriculture is one of the largest consumers of water, and droughts can severely impact crop production. Kovacs鈥� project aims to determine how the risk preferences of  farmers affect their response to drought: either by taking more conservative water management approaches or if economic pressures lead to faster depletion of groundwater resources.

The study will use surveys of farmers to measure their risk preferences and incorporate this data into economic and hydrological models. These models will simulate how irrigation decisions change over time, particularly during prolonged droughts, and predict whether farmers will adapt to drier conditions or overuse aquifers, potentially necessitating future public policy interventions.

鈥淚f our models suggest a rapid decline of aquifer resources, it may indicate the need for policy changes鈥攚hether through water use regulations, incentives, or conservation programs,鈥� Kovacs said. 鈥淏illions of dollars are invested in  irrigated crop agriculture in Arkansas, making it the state’s second-highest revenue-generating agricultural activity after poultry. Understanding how irrigated farming impacts our goods and services from water resources  is crucial for the livelihoods of Arkansans and the future of our state’s economy.鈥�

Kovacs is collaborating with co-principal investigators Dr. Kevin Befus, associate professor of geosciences at the University of Arkansas, and Dr. Mike Daniels, professor and extension soil and water conservation scientist, and John Pennington, water quality educator, from the . The project will include three stakeholder workshops with farmers, researchers, businesses, state and federal agencies, and policymakers to ensure the research is grounded in real-world challenges and practical solutions.

The grant will also support education and outreach initiatives, including curriculum development and student training, with an emphasis on engaging non-traditional students in water resource management research.

鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to receive this grant,鈥� Kovacs said. 鈥淭his research will not only contribute to scientific understanding but also provide practical insights for farmers and policymakers, helping ensure long-term water sustainability for future generations.鈥�

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The workshop provides a focus on active learning because that students are 1 陆 times more likely to pass classes in active learning classrooms compared to students in classes that use traditional lecturing only.

Since 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock began offering the workshop in 2019, they have trained more than 125 people including more than 105 faculty members and 20 graduate teaching assistants. Dr. Mark Baillie, assistant professor of chemistry, is part of a national Mobile Institute on Scientific Teaching leadership group and has run workshops at 15 locations around the world.

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock received a nearly $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation last year to enhance teaching, learning, and student success in undergraduate STEM education. One of the things the grant provides funding for is a stipend for up to 75 STEM faculty to complete the workshop over the next five years. The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Office of the Provost generously provided matching stipends for any non-STEM faculty who completed this year鈥檚 workshop.

Participants had a hands-on experience on the impact of evidence-based teaching approaches such as active learning and inclusive teaching practices, with deliberate practice and backward design. This workshop has been identified as a major transformative event in the career of many college faculty, from R1 institutions to community colleges.

鈥淚 was very interested in learning about other teaching techniques to improve the learning environment,鈥� said Michelle Malone, digital learning specialist at Ottenheimer Library. 鈥淚鈥檝e heard about the Mobile Institute on Scientific Teaching before, and I was excited to take it for myself. I wanted to learn more about the latest teaching practices.鈥�

Malone was especially interested in learning about backward design, an approach to creating curriculum, subjects, and classes that prioritizes the intended learning outcomes instead of topics to be covered.

鈥淚 was able to practice backward design using lessons we plan to use in the next school year about open education and affordable learning practices,鈥� Malone said. 鈥淭he idea of having more engaged, experiential learning in the classroom is promising, and I am glad that so many people are taking this workshop.鈥�

Scott Woolbright, an assistant professor of biology, has previously taken the workshop back in 2020 and was helping lead this year鈥檚 event as a facilitator. He led small groups of 4-7 faculty members as they learned about the backward design process.

鈥淐oming back and being a facilitator of the workshop is extremely comprehensive,鈥� Woolbright said. 鈥淚 am retaining more knowledge, and it鈥檚 rewarding to facilitate and help other faculty members embrace these skills. I would encourage more faculty to attend this workshop.鈥�

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock professors collected data on teaching practices during the spring semester from some of the faculty who completed this year鈥檚 workshop. They will collect data again in a year to measure any changes in their teaching practices and classroom environments that result from their participation in the workshop or communities of practice in the fall.

Participants also learn about the importance of data collection in teaching, which provides educators with insights on how to reflect on what changes they make in order to improve over the years. They can also use this data to publish research, which is especially important to career success for tenured and tenure-track faculty.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that every class needs to do 鈥� improve activity and active learning,鈥� said Dr. Mariofanna Milanova, a professor of computer science. 鈥淚t also stimulates the brain to participate in this workshop. We鈥檝e had interesting exercises that encourage people to think in different ways. I will find this very useful in my classroom.鈥�

During the final day of the workshop, Chancellor Christina Drale, Provost Ann Bain, and Deans Sarah Beth Estes, Lawrence Whitman, and Thomas Cliffton joined the participants for lunch to hear their thoughts on improving learning at the university.

鈥淚n this lunch session, workshop participants were able to voice their appreciation for support provided by the administration and also make suggestions for how to increase the likelihood that they and others would be able to increase the use of student-centered approaches on our campus,鈥� Baillie said.

STEM faculty members who completed the workshop can continue to improve their teaching skills by participating in a Community of Practice 鈥� small groups of up to five faculty members who will meet bi-weekly to offer peer support and build out their expertise, another new 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock professional development program funded by the NSF grant.

鈥淭he grant also allows us to build out communities of practice for STEM faculty in the fall, where faculty from the workshop will meet every other week to receive support as they try to implement evidence-based practices into their classes,鈥� Baillie said. 鈥淭he grant does provide a stipend for these faculty participants.鈥�

This year鈥檚 participants, named Scientific Teaching Fellows after completing the workshop, include:

路  Amanda Trickey, assistant clinical professor, School of Nursing

路  Amy Brown-Westmoreland, online program coordinator, eLearning

路  Anita Neal, instructor, School of Social Work

路  Arya Basu, assistant professor, Department of Computer Science

路  Crystal Rose, assistant professor, School of Nursing

路  Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, associate professor, School of Public Affairs

路  Fairah Solomon, assistant professor, School of Nursing

路  Farren Moore, assistant professor, School of Nursing

路  Fusheng Tang, associate professor, Department of Biology

路  Joanna Hall, director of simulation, School of Nursing

路  Josh Landers, instructor, Department of Biology

路  Kimberly Porter, assistant professor, School of Nursing

路  Krista Schoening, assistant professor, School of Art and Design

路  Li Poirot, researcher, Department of Chemistry

路  Mahbuba Begum, instructor, Department of Chemistry

路  Mariofanna Milanova, professor, Department of Computer Science

路  Maureece Levin, assistant professor, School of Human Inquiry

路  MD Karim, assistant professor, Department of Accounting, Economics, and Finance

路  Megan Fritts, assistant professor, School of Human Inquiry

路  Michelle Malone, digital learning specialist, Ottenheimer Library

路  Nancy Hamilton, associate professor, School of Education

路  Phil Williams, staff, Department of Information Science

路  Raffaela Lesch, assistant professor, Department of Biology

路  Sheila Brooks, clinical assistant professor, School of Nursing

路  Stephanie Feola, post-doctoral researcher, STEM Education Center

路  Zephaniah Greenwell, graduate student, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

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糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock will work with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the University of Arkansas to establish a Quantum Information Science and Engineering program. The effort is funded by a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

糖心Vlog传媒PB is one of three historically Black colleges and universities awarded the 2022 NSF Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering program grant, which will advance quantum information in a new generation of computers, detectors, and new materials of the future. Once established, QuAPB will be the first-of-its-kind quantum center in this region of the United States – an integrated research and education program in quantum materials and devices for integrated quantum photonics.

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock will receive $750,000 of the grant. Dr. Gregory Guisbiers, assistant professor of physics, and Dr. Tansel Karabacak, professor of physics and interim director of the School of Physical Sciences, will lead efforts at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to synthesize quantum dots that will be used in the development of photonic devices. They will use two novel techniques named Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquids (PLAL) and Hot Water Treatment (HWT) to design free and attached quantum dots, respectively.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a great time to be involved in quantum research,鈥� Guisbiers said. 鈥溙切腣log传媒 Little Rock will mainly be responsible for creating quantum materials, 糖心Vlog传媒PB will be responsible for characterizing quantum materials, and U of A will be integrating those quantum materials into devices. Being involved in this grant from the National Science Foundation is a big honor, and I鈥檓 pleased to be part of it.鈥�

As the lead institution on the grant, 糖心Vlog传媒PB will receive $3.5 million. The funding will enable 糖心Vlog传媒PB to provide quantum laboratory and course content for bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degree students. This grant also supports QISE faculty at 糖心Vlog传媒PB, reorients several nanomaterials experts at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and 糖心Vlog传媒PB toward quantum applications, and creates a hands-on quantum laboratory course for BS/MS students. In addition, education and outreach activities will fuel the QISE student pipelines and promote engagement with K-12 schools about quantum careers.

Researchers at U of A, which will also receive $750,000 from the grant, will fabricate integrated quantum photonic devices at U of A. They will gather component materials from collaborators throughout QuAPB and leverage the heterogeneous integration capabilities of the MonArk NSF Quantum Foundry to produce complete devices for characterization at 糖心Vlog传媒PB. According to Guisbiers, the materials will be used in quantum computing, quantum sensing, and imaging in medicine.

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鈥淭he grant will help develop novel big data mining algorithms for a safer social media,鈥� Agarwal said. 鈥淭he main objective of this research is to identify and track malicious groups in real-world networks that hide in plain sight. This research proposes a way to identify key groups, investigate their interest, and predict their influence in the network.鈥�

The one-year $95,227 grant comes from the NSF flow-through from Arkansas Economic Development Commission鈥檚 Division of Science and Technology. The grant will support a post-doctoral fellowship position, travel, and data acquisition.

Agarwal and his researchers at the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies () Research Center at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, where Agarwal serves as the founding director, study how Online Social Networks (OSNs) have revolutionized how societies interact. While this new phenomenon in online socialization has brought the world closer, OSNs have also led to new spaces to facilitate cybercrime, cyberterrorism, cyberwarfare, and other deviant behaviors perpetrated by state and non-state actors.

鈥淒ue to afforded anonymity and perceived less personal risk of connecting and acting online, deviant groups are becoming increasingly common among socio-technically competent 鈥榟acktivist鈥� groups to provoke hysteria, spread mis/disinformation, coordinate cyber-attacks, and even effect civil conflicts,鈥� Agarwal said. 鈥淪uch deviant behaviors are categorized as the new face of transnational crime organizations that could pose significant risks to social, political, and economic stability.鈥�

Social media is growing as a data source for cyber forensics, providing new types of artifacts that can be relevant to investigations. Since OSNs, hosted on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and blogs, are continuously producing data with tremendous volume, variety, and velocity. These newer forms of data, especially the communications of hacker groups on OSNs, would offer insights to coordination and planning. Practitioners must embrace the idea of using real-time intelligence to assist in cyber forensic investigations, and not just post-mortem data.

鈥淲e need to expand the traditional definitions of cyber threats from hardware attacks and malware infections to include such insidious threats that influence behaviors and actions,鈥� Agarwal said. 鈥淥bservable malicious behaviors in OSNs, similar to the aforementioned ones, continue to negatively impact society warranting their scientific inquiry.鈥�

To stem access of malicious actors and limit their influence campaigns, decision makers often resort to limiting access to these platforms and sometimes even shut down the internet. These methods affect both benevolent and malicious campaigns alike. There is a need for efficient methods that detect coordinating groups of malicious users to dismantle their influence campaign networks.

Conventional methods have focused on identifying community structures in OSNs and are oblivious to these key coordinating groups and the various contexts in which they share interests. Moreover, as OSNs grow, groups reorganize, and the network structural properties change, making it difficult to identify these key groups and their information diffusion networks.

The outcomes of the research will be published in scientific journals and also as a publicly available web-based tool that will complement the suite of analytical tools developed by COSMOS, including , , and , that have been recognized by the WHO and NATO as technological innovations to combat cognitive warfare.

鈥淭he grant will further create training opportunities for our students to build a data science workforce that can develop technically and ethically competent solutions to real-world problems,鈥� Agarwal said.

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