36 grants totaling $21 million will support research activities in areas of physical sciences and engineering as part of the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances Program
National Nuclear Security Administration
March 24, 2022
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WASHINGTON – In February 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) awarded 36 grants totaling $21 million to support research activities in areas of physical sciences and engineering as part of the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances (SSAA) Program. The SSAA is one of five academic programs under DOE/NNSA along with the Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program (MSIPP) that includes the Tribal Education Partnership Program (TEPP), the Joint Program in High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas (JPHEDLP), the Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF), and the Predictive Science Academic Alliance Program (PSAAP).
The SSAA program funds research grants to provide opportunities for scientific collaboration between the academic community and scientists at the DOE/NNSA National Laboratories. A main objective of the SSAA Program is to develop and maintain a long-term recruiting pipeline supporting the DOE/NNSA laboratories by training and educating the next generation of scientists in fundamental areas of science and technology research relevant to stockpile stewardship.
“This work will expand our understanding of key scientific principles in focused research areas that are fundamental to the nuclear deterrent and will ensure a pipeline of highly trained scientists and technicians to support the future deterrent,” said Dr. Mark Anderson, Assistant Deputy Administrator for Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation in NNSA’s Office of Defense Programs.
The SSAA Program funding opportunity announcement is posted every three years. The proposals, submitted in response to a solicitation published last year, went through a competitive grant application process with an extensive peer review by subject matter experts. Overall, 36 grants were awarded in the following research areas: properties of materials under extreme conditions and energetic environments; hydrodynamics, instabilities, and hypersonics; low energy nuclear science; and radiochemistry.
The total funding is $21 million for projects lasting up to three years in duration, with $14 million allocated in outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations.
Launched in 2002, the SSAA program supports areas of fundamental research and development relevant to NNSA’s stockpile stewardship mission and works to recruit the next generation of highly trained technical scientists and engineers for the Nuclear Security Enterprise.
The SSAA Program grants were awarded to the following recipients:
|
University |
PI |
Title |
|
Carnegie Institution of Washington |
Tracy, Sally June |
Dynamic Compression of Iron Carbide at Exoplanetary Core Conditions |
|
Clemson University |
Powell, Brian |
Combined Field and Laboratory Studies of Plutonium Aging and Environmental Transport |
|
Clemson University |
Scott Husson, Brian Powell |
Improving the sensitivity and precision for plutonium isotope ratio measurements by thermal ionization mass spectrometry using a novel polymer fiber platform |
|
Colorado School of Mines |
Clarke, Amy |
Microstructure Control of Additively Manufactured Metals of Interest to the NNSA Weapons Complex |
|
Duke University |
Finch, Sean |
Measurements of precise fission cross-section ratios and correlations in fission observables |
|
Duke University |
Howell, Calvin |
Measurements of Prompt Neutron Differential Multiplicity in Photofission of 235U, 238U and 239Pu |
|
Duke University |
Crowell, Alex |
High-precision neutron-induced cross-section measurements on 191,193Ir |
|
Duke University |
Tornow, Werner |
Measurement and analysis of selected neutron-induced fission product yields for 235U, 238U and 239Pu |
|
Duke University |
Amsden, Jason |
Virtual-Slit Cycloidal Mass Spectrometer for portable rapid ultra-trace isotope ratio analysis of actinides |
|
Harvard University |
Jacobsen, Stein |
From Z to Planets – Phase IV |
|
Harvard University |
Silvera, Isaac |
Metallic Hydrogen: Reflectance, Metastability, and Superconductivity |
|
Michigan State University |
Liddick, Sean |
Neutron capture cross section measurements on short-lived isotopes |
|
Michigan State University |
Nazarewicz, Witold |
Microscopic Description of the Fission Process |
|
Ohio University |
Brune, Carl |
Nuclear Reactions and Scattering |
|
Ohio University |
Meisel, Zachary |
Statistical Nuclear Physics and (a,n) Reactions for Applications |
|
Oregon State |
Loveland, Walter |
The Energy Release in the Fission of Actinide Nuclei |
|
Research Foundation State University of New York, Stony Brook University |
Li, Baosheng |
Thermodynamic and Mechanical Properties of SSP Materials from Simultaneous Ultrasonic and X-ray Studies at High Pressure and Temperature |
|
Rutgers University |
Cizewski, Jolie |
Nuclear reaction studies with rare isotope beams for stewardship science |
|
San Diego State University |
Nollett, Kenneth |
Scattering and direct reactions in a shell model framework |
|
Stanford University |
Dresselhaus-Marais, Leora |
New Operando X-ray Microscope for Movies Resolving the Nanoscale Origins of Defects in Metal Additive Manufacturing |
|
The University of Texas at Austin |
Downer, Michael |
Radiography of High Energy Density Phenomena Using X-rays from Laser Plasma Accelerators |
|
University of Alabama Birmingham |
Vohra, Yogesh |
High-Pressure High-Temperature Synthesis and Thermal Equation of State of Materials for Hypersonic Applications |
|
University of Arizona |
Jacobs, Jeffrey |
An Experimental Study of Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov Instabilities at Large Reynolds Numbers |
|
University of California, Berkeley |
Bernstein, Lee |
Correlated neutron-gamma data for stewardship science |
|
University of California, San Diego |
Maple, Brian |
Novel d- & f- Electron Materials Under Extreme Conditions of Pressure, Temperature, and Magnetic Field |
|
University of Colorado |
Boyd, Iain |
Computational Modeling of Hypersonic Flow and Material Response in a Free-jet Test Facility |
|
University of Florida |
Spearot, Douglas |
Understanding the role of Elastodynamic Effects on Shock Induced Plasticity via Discrete Dislocation Dynamics Simulations |
|
University of Florida, Gainesville |
Balachandar, S |
Understanding Hydrodynamic Instabilities of Explosively-Driven Multiphase Fronts For Accurate Prediction of Their Complex Structures |
|
University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
Burnley, Pamela |
Deformation of Polycrystalline Materials under Extreme Conditions: Stress percolation, Shear Localization and Grain Boundary Rheology |
|
University of Notre Dame |
Simon, Anna |
Constraining neutron-capture cross sections via direct and indirect experimental methods |
|
University of Notre Dame |
Aprahamian, Ani |
Novel techniques for the production of robust actinide targets |
|
University of Rochester |
Abdolrahim, Niaz |
Time-resolved classification of x-ray diffraction data using deep-learning-powered computer vision techniques |
|
University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
Grzywacz, Robert |
Beta-delayed neutron spectroscopy of exotic nuclei |
|
Washington State University |
Eilers, Hergen |
Real-time monitoring of chemical reactions at subsurface locations in optically opaque and highly scattering samples |
|
Washington State University |
Yoo, CS |
Planetary Materials under Extreme Conditions: Novel States, Structures, and Chemistry of Low Z Quantum Mixtures at Complex Interfaces |
|
Washington University in St. Louis |
Parai, Rita |
Seeing through the fission phase 2: Multi-modal analyses of actinides and noble gas isotopes in geological samples |