The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded Prof. Boone Prentice with a prestigious CAREER Award from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging (CMI) Program in the Division of Chemistry. The NSF CMI program supports research focusing on chemically-relevant measurement science and chemical imaging.
The 5-year award will fund research in the Prentice Group developing mass spectrometry methods for identifying subtle differences in the chemical structures of lipids and metabolites. The CAREER program is NSF’s most prestigious award for early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models and lead advances in research and education.
Lipid and metabolite biomolecules play vital roles in cellular functions and changes in their structures can signal changes in health and biology, but these differences can be difficult to characterize. The Prentice Group will develop experimental and computational methods that are more sensitive than existing approaches in identifying chemical changes in these biomolecules, which holds promise for enabling new biological discoveries and benefiting societal health.
As part of this project, Prof. Prentice will also develop a hands-on, laboratory-based workshop targeted towards underserved high school students in the local community. These outreach efforts are designed to help improve underrepresentation in science, increase public scientific literacy and engagement, improve educator development at the graduate and undergraduate student levels, and help develop a diverse and competitive scientific workforce.