Five Grand Challenges grants awarded to Nebraska Engineering faculty

College of Engineering faculty are involved in five of the seven Grand Challenges planning grants that were awarded Sept. 3 by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett and Sherri Jones, interim vice chancellor for research and innovation.

In all, nine new Grand Challenges projects were announced – two catalyst awards and seven planning grants.

Planning grants support the teaming, ideation and development activities for teams to coalesce around one or more Grand Challenges themes and prepare a catalyst proposal.

Funded projects including Nebraska Engineering researchers are:

• Sina Balkir, professor of electrical and computer engineering, “Integrating Microelectronics in Precision Agriculture: Toward Energy-Efficient Sensing Solutions for Soil, Plant and Animal Monitoring.”
• Kyungki Kim, assistant professor, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, “Smart and Connected Long-Term Care Ecosystem with Robotic Caregiver.”
• Yanan (Laura) Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, Christine Kelley, professor of mathematics, and Jordan Wheeler, assistant professor of educational psychology, “Education Landscape and Experiential Learning for Quantum Information Science and Technology Workforce Development.”
• Angela Pannier, Swarts Family Chair and professor of biological systems engineering, Eileen Hebets, George Holmes Professor of biological sciences, and Nicole Sexton, assistant professor of biological sciences, “Center for Arthropod Research, Education and Materials Innovation (CAREMI).” (Hebets is the principal investigator.)
• Milad Roohi, assistant professor, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, “Climate Resilient Heartland: Leveraging AI for Equitable Risk Reduction and Adaptation Across Rural and Urban Systems.”

“The Grand Challenges underscore the university’s dedication to advancing research that has meaningful impacts on our communities and future generations,” Bennett said. “This strategic investment empowers our researchers to address complex issues with creativity and collaboration, further establishing our flagship, land-grant institution as a leader in transformative and interdisciplinary innovation.”

Projects funded in 2024 address the initiative’s seven thematic areas: anti-racism and racial equity; climate resilience; early childhood education and development; health equity; quantum science and engineering; sustainable food and water security; and science and technology literacy for society.

“The Grand Challenges projects represent the qualities of discovery, creativity and innovation that define research at Nebraska,” Jones said. “I am incredibly proud of our faculty’s efforts to work across disciplines to build teams that are equipped to address some of society’s most pressing challenges. I look forward to celebrating the long-term impact of their work.”

Faculty, staff and students from all nine colleges are represented among the teams. The full list of funded projects and teams is available on the Grand Challenges website.

The Grand Challenges initiative aligns with the university’s strategic goals to increase the impact of research and creative activity and to foster interdisciplinary endeavors. A request for proposals for the 2025 Grand Challenges grant cycle will be released by Oct. 1. Details will be announced on the Grand Challenges website.