Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2024-52

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2025

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Recent NJIT Patents Issued by European Patent Office (EPO)

Patent Title:   Method for Treatment of Binocular Dysfunctions

NJIT Ref No.:  16-001

Inventor(s):    Alvarez, Tara Lynn / d'Antonio-Bertagnolli, John Vito / Gioia, Robert / Scheiman, Mitchell / Yaramothu, Chang

EP Patent Application Status:  Issued Patent

EP Patent Issue Date: 11/20/2024

EP Patent No.: 3324824

Technology Licensing Status: Licensed 

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Workshop Announcement

Nanobubbles for Sustainability: Transforming Agriculture and Environmental Management

Date: 01/24/2025; 9.30 AM – 5.00 PM

Location:  Weston Hall 220 Gallery - Conference Room, NJIT

Registration: Free to participants; For logistic planning, pre-registration is required before 01/10/2024 via this link: https://forms.gle/Hw23pwE67dGwW1LY7.

The workshop, "Nanobubbles for Sustainability: Transforming Agriculture and Environmental Management," will be hosted at NJIT on January 24, 2025, bringing together experts from academia, industry, and policy to explore the transformative potential of nanobubble technology. Focusing on sustainable solutions for global challenges in agriculture and environmental pollution, the workshop will highlight nanobubbles' applications in pollution mitigation, soil health enhancement, water efficiency, and boosting agricultural productivity. Attendees will engage with cutting-edge research, practical applications, and strategies for carbon emission reduction and environmental sustainability, complemented by interactive discussions and a field trip showcasing innovative farming technologies in action. Please see details at 2025-01-24 Workshop plan-NBs.pdf. 

NSF: Translation and Diffusion (TD); Smart and Connected Communities (S&CC); Antarctic Research Requiring U.S. Antarctic Program Support for Fieldwork Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice (PACSP); Materials Innovation Platforms (MIP); NSF-AFRL REsearch in FLoquet Engineered QuanTum Systems (NSF-AFRL REFLEQTS); Water, Landscape, and Critical Zone Processes (WaLCZ); Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cyberspace (SaTC 2.0)

NIH: NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03); NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (Parent R21); NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01); Supporting Talented Early Career Researchers in Genomics (R01); NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01); NIDCD Research Grants for Translating Basic Research into Clinical Practice (R01);  Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) (R21); High Impact, Interdisciplinary Science in NIDDK Research Areas (RC2); Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for the NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program (R03);  BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the Joint Airborne Mission Survivability IPT

Department of Energy: Next Generation of Academia-Based Cyber Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D)

NASA: ROSES 2024: E.9 Space Biology: Research Studies

Strengthening open source: A roadmap to enhanced cybersecurity: In a pivotal move to enhance cybersecurity earlier this year, the White House Office of the National Cyber Director, in partnership with the Open-Source Software Security Initiative, unveiled an RFI summary report outlining strategic priorities for open-source software security. This initiative, rooted in the National Cybersecurity Strategy, aims to fortify the open-source software ecosystem by addressing critical vulnerabilities and promoting secure development practices. The report underscores the importance of secure software development, including using memory-safe languages and robust software development techniques, frameworks and testing tools. Additionally, the Open-Source Software Prevalence Initiative seeks to better understand the distribution and use of open-source components in critical infrastructure. By analyzing this data, the federal government and the open-source community can take targeted actions to mitigate risks and strengthen the overall security posture.

The RFI summary report further consolidates valuable insights from the open-source community, outlining 12 key activities planned for 2024-2025. These activities prioritize strengthening the software supply chain, promoting the use of Software Bills of Materials, and enhancing the security of legacy software components. By focusing on these areas, the federal government and OSSPI can work collaboratively to ensure open-source software's long-term security and reliability. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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Agencies report over 1,700 AI use cases: Federal agencies have submitted their complete inventories of artificial intelligence use cases to the White House to ensure trustworthy and transparent deployment. 

Following the recent Monday deadline to report such programs, 37 agencies submitted over 1,700 use cases to the White House Office of Management and Budget, fulfilling the provision in President Joe Biden’s October 2023 executive order on AI that asks agencies to provide details about how AI is impacting their business operations and about the risk mitigation efforts used to ensure that such systems are deployed safely. Overall, the top three categories for AI use cases in federal operations were: mission-enabling and operations support, health and medical system support and government service operationalization. Of the total 1,757 use cases reported, 227 of these were identified as civil rights or safety impacting. The Department of Health and Human Services leads agencies in total use cases deployed, with 271 active AI use cases, 4 of them being rights-impacting. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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Defense officials hopeful incoming administration keeps funding cutting-edge tech: No one knows whether defense spending will grow or shrink in the next administration, whose publicly stated goals include rebuilding arsenals, curbing government expenditure, cutting taxes, and shrinking federal headcount. But defense officials who oversee investment in dual-use technologies and companies say they're optimistic about their corner of the Pentagon budget. That’s because such investments—for example, in microelectronics, additive manufacturing, and materials development—are key to other stated Trump administration priorities, such as competing with China and rebuilding U.S. manufacturing capability, defense officials said on the sidelines of the Reagan National Security Forum here. Pentagon officials and leaders from both parties have long complained about the way the Defense Department buys things. They say expensive requirement-driven programs that are subject to congressional oversight result in cost overruns and weapons that can’t be modified easily—and may be obsolete by the time conflict rises. By comparison, commercial tech companies produce products quickly using rapid iteration and scaling. More information is posted on the NextGov website.