In order to understand the global climate crisis today we need to look at history as well as science. Historical research examining state responses to environmental change shows consequences for human populations. This comparative project explores the global interaction between climate change, destruction of herds, and forced settlement of Indigenous populations during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The goal is to analyze the politics of environmental change in the past and the present.

The cortex, the outer surface of the brain, is critically important for performing learned and adaptive behaviors. Very little is known about how multiple cortical regions work together to mediate such behaviors. We are engineering transparent skulls with embedded miniaturized optical imaging systems to map the activity of one million or more neurons in the cortex of the mouse to better understand the neural computations underlying complex behaviors.

Groundwater systems store about 99% of global unfrozen freshwater, thus playing a critical role in sustaining our daily lives and global ecosystems. Most groundwater systems are composed of fractured rocks, and fractures provide major pathways for groundwater flows. Peter Kang visualizes fracture flows using novel imaging techniques and develops computer models that predict fracture flows and contaminant transport. Kang’s research addresses both fundamental and practical problems, such as severe water problems in the world, including Minnesota.

Cells in the brain connect and communicate with each other in complex and fascinating patterns. Sarah Heilbronner’s research aims to uncover these patterns, especially for parts of the brain that are demonstrably different in psychiatric disorders. Her research bridges nonhuman animal models and humans, allowing us to make inferences about neural mechanisms in humans and more effectively model brain disorders in animals.

Increasing computer power makes it possible to solve the century old equations of quantum mechanics to develop new insight about real chemical compounds. However, discovering novel materials with superior performance requires a systematic approach that goes beyond reproducing the observed materials properties. Birol's research utilizes ideas from solid state physics, chemistry, and materials science to develop design strategies for computationally discovering new materials.

Kate Adamala works on building synthetic cells. Such organisms, engineered from non-living components, give us the ability to control every element of a cell and to study behaviors and properties of life with unprecedented precision. Synthetic cells are used for both basic research and practical applications, to study the origins and evolution of life, to make drugs and novel biomaterials, to understand properties of normal cells and to study mechanisms of disease.

Multifunctional yarns and fabrics are crucial to revolutionizing medical devices, rehabilitation equipment, and wearable technologies that provide life-saving and life-enhancing interventions. However, little is understood about the effect of material processing, yarn manufacturing, textile design, and system integration on multifunctional textile performance.

Inflammation is part of the immune response that protects us from infections. However, increasing evidence has revealed that inflammation is a promoter of metabolic disease. Dr. Revelo and his team study the role of the immune system and inflammation in the development of obesity, fatty liver disease, and heart failure. As obesity-related disease is a worldwide epidemic, the research led by Dr. Revelo can lead to advances in its prevention and treatment using immunotherapy.

Meeting society’s energy and environmental challenges requires resilient new materials that possess the right combination of mechanical and functional properties, and the capability to survive high temperatures and stresses without melting, fracturing, or deteriorating. Dr. Poerschke’s group synthesizes new materials, measures their properties, and tests them in extreme environments. By coupling these experiments with analytical and computational models to understand why materials fail, we accelerate the discovery of durable new metal alloys, ceramics, and composites.

As the human population expands, so does its demand for protein. Livestock farmers must meet this demand, but their land and water are shrinking rapidly, meaning they must produce more with less. Dr. Noyes confronts this challenge through scientific discovery of the livestock microbiome. She seeks to understand how this invisible universe can be optimized to grow healthier, more efficient animals to feed the planet sustainably, sufficiently and safely.