Several local universities are set to receive a portion of the $2 million in scientific research-related grants being donated by the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation to higher education institutions throughout the state.
The grants are intended to fund 10 grants for "interdisciplinary scientific research at Pennsylvania universities" that range in scope from "the formation of the first stars and galaxies" down to "individual cells in the human body."
Carnegie Mellon University, Chatham University and the University of Pittsburgh are among the local recipients set to receive funding grants. Other institutions receiving grants include Dickinson College, Haverford College, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pennsylvania and West Chester University.
Researcher Simranjeet Singh at Carnegie Mellon University received a $150,000 "new investigator research grant" to study a special kind of matter called a "quantum spin liquid." By understanding this kind of matter better, Singh theorizes it could help with making superconductors that work at high temperatures and lead to new technology in the field of quantum information science.
Andrea Berman and Judith Yanowitz, two researchers at Pitt, received a "new initiatives research grant" of $300,000 to fund their efforts at trying to figure out how cells in both worms and humans decide which proteins to make. They hope to understand this process at a highly-detailed level and also to see how this process has changed over millions of years. By doing this, they hope to find new ways to treat diseases caused by parasites that can affect humans, animals and pets.
Alex Jones and Michael Hatridge, also two researchers at Pitt who received a $300,000 "new initiatives research grant," will use the funds to help create a more efficient and accurate way to perform quantum computing. The duo plan to tap into their knowledge of physics and computer science to design the physical connections between the building blocks of quantum computing called qubits.
William Pfalzgraff, a researcher at Chatham University, is trying to find a new way to make chemical reactions happen more efficiently by using electric fields to control what is produced. He received a $100,000 "integrated research-education grant" to try and better understand how these chemical reactions work and is looking to give college students a chance to learn and help with the research.
