Academics

Penn State, Monash University announce second year of joint projects

Seed-funded intitiatives focus on the intersection of health and the environment, will begin in Sept. 2019

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- In 2018, Penn State and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia launched the Joint Collaboration Development Program, a jointly financed seed-fund program with the aim to collaborate on research projects. The first round of seed funding saw 23 projects funded. The two institutions have committed these seed funds for a second year, around the intersection of health and the environment.

“Year 1 of the Collaboration Development Program highlighted the synergies the two universities share and paved the way for a targeted, more focused call,” said Alexandra Persiko, strategic initiatives coordinator, Penn State. “It is exciting to see the partnership with Monash grow and deepen in so many ways, and I fully expect some truly impactful results as we move forward with Year 2 and beyond.”

The Office of Global Programs announced the funding of 11 projects that officially will commence in September 2019. Grant recipients will have the opportunity to help shape the direction and future investment in this initiative at the level of the institutional partnership and contribute to the universities’ vision and strategic goals. 

The funded projects include:

"Characterizing and Modelling the Impact of Farm Management Practices on Antibiotic Presence and Antimicrobial Resistance in Streams"

  • Penn State lead: Heather Gall, heg12@psu.edu
  • Lead department: Agricultural and Biological Engineering

"Self-Powered Wireless Biosensing Networks for Health and Environment Monitoring"

  • Shashank Priya, sup103@psu.edu
  • Lead department: Materials Science and Engineering

"An Engineering-Pulmonary-Pathology Collaboration for Developing Disease-specific, Patient-specific Models of Inhaled Toxicant Susceptibility"

  • Project lead: Ali Borhan, axb20@psu.edu
  • Lead department: Chemical Engineering

"Reproductive Scaling in Vectors and the Impact on Human Disease under a Changing Climate"

  • Project lead: Elizabeth McGraw, eam7@psu.edu
  • Lead department: Entomology

"Understanding Fundamental Processes Governing Bioanalytical Sensors based on Luminescent Carbon Nanomaterials"

  • Project lead: Slava Rotkin, vvr5@psu.edu
  • Lead departments: Engineering Science and Mechanics, Biomedical Engineering

"Transformative Resilience in the Context of Climate Change"

  • Project lead: Paige Castellanos, pxd171@psu.edu
  • Lead departments: Office of International Programs, Agricultural Sciences

"Developing and Piloting a Mobile App to Assess the Daily Role of Social Networks in the Recovery of Substance-Dependent Individuals"

  • Project lead: Timothy Brick, trb21@psu.edu
  • Lead department: Human Development and Family Studies

"Developing Ethical, Policy, and Legal Frameworks to Address the Health Effects of Digital Influence"

  • Project lead: Daniel Susser, dus1043@psu.edu
  • Lead departments: Information Sciences and Technology; Rock Ethics Institute

"From Health to Sustainable Environments: Connecting Wellbeing, Sustainability and Citizenship: Exploring Ecologies of Influence in Young People"

  • Project lead: Dana Mitra, dlm54@psu.edu
  • Lead department: Education Policy Studies

"Is the Whole Better than the Sum of the Parts? A model for studying interactions among health- and quality-related phytochemicals in plant foods and food ingredients"

  • Project lead: Helene Hopfer, hxh83@psu.edu
  • Lead department: Food Science

"From Local Health to Global Climate: Assessing the air quality co-benefits of climate mitigation strategies in the U.S and China"

  • Project lead: Wei Peng, wvp5117@psu.edu
  • Lead departments: Civil and Environmental Engineering, International Affairs

The grantees will participate in a Penn State – Monash Forum the week of Oct. 7, to discuss the direction and progress of these opportunities and to set the stage for future years of the joint collaboration. The forum will culminate in the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the executive leadership of Monash University and Penn State.

“The 2019 Penn State Monash research collaboration awards represent another significant step forward in realizing the emerging multifaceted strategic partnership between the universities,” said Marty Trethewey, director of the Global Engagement Network, Penn State. “By utilizing the complementary capabilities of the universities, these high-value projects will help position the universities as leaders at the intersection of health and the environment research.”

For more information, please contact Alexandra Persiko, strategic initiatives coordinator, at axp1225@psu.edu or 814-867-5941.

Last Updated September 4, 2019