Nelson Health Sciences Research Program Awards First Grants
Four research projects touching on some of society’s most monumental challenges, from cancer to forever chemicals, are the inaugural recipients of funding under a new program from chemistry professor and university benefactor Gordon Nelson.
The Gordon L. Nelson Health Sciences Research Innovation Program was developed last year. In late fall 2023, four winners were chosen from 10 proposals. They were selected by a committee comprised of three faculty members and an alumnus who together evaluated the submissions for innovation and method; future external funding potential; significance and potential for publication; and qualifications.
The funded projects are:
- Magnetically Guided Nanoparticles Bearing Photo-Cleavable Antitumor Agents for Precise Cancer Cell Targeting; Principal Investigator Nasri Nesnas, chemistry and chemical engineering; co-PIs Chris Bashur, Eric Guisbert and Karen Kim Guisbert. Funding: $17,000
- The Effective Design of NiTi Cellular Structures for Medical Applications with Tailored Material Microstructure and Corresponding Properties; Principal Investigator Sayed Ehsan Saghaian, mechanical and civil engineering. Funding: $13,000
- Blink-related Oscillations: A New Approach for Monitoring Brain Health in Aging; Principal Investigator Careesa Liu, biomedical engineering. Funding: $10,000
- Removing Forever Chemicals from Drinking Water Using Highly Porous Metal-Organic Framework (MOFs) with Modulated Local Structures; Principal Investigator Xiang He, mechanical and civil engineering. Funding: $10,000
The yearlong projects got underway Jan. 1.
“We are excited to inaugurate Gordon’s program with these four worthy projects. His generous gift will provide a tremendous, ongoing boost for health sciences research at Florida Tech,” said John Harris, dean of the College of Engineering and Science. “Let me stress that all of our colleges are doing health sciences research, so we encourage faculty from all of our colleges to apply.”
Visionary research is something Nelson is familiar with from his career, where he carried out groundbreaking work with polymer flammability in both academe and industry. At General Electric, for example, he developed a major multidisciplinary lab devoted to fire and plastics that conducted over 500 large-scale simulations of fires in plastics products.
Nelson came to Florida Tech in 1989 to serve as dean of what was then the College of Science and Liberal Arts. Already an accomplished chemist and past president of the 160,000-member American Chemical Society, he remained dean of the college for 22 years. From 2011 to 2012, he was vice president for academic affairs. He was then named University Professor of Chemistry, a position he continues to hold.
In 2021 the university announced Nelson had pledged a $5.1 million gift, the largest individual donation to Florida Tech in its 65-year history. Part of the gift was used to help fund the university’s newest facility, the Gordon L. Nelson Health Sciences building.
In a recent conversation, Nelson added, “In discussions about the gift, it was clear that faculty innovation grants would have the most impact. They will grow in number and in amounts as we go forward. Others interested in helping are invited to contribute to the Gordon L. Nelson Heath Sciences Fund at Florida Tech.”
