The Research Development Office recently granted six $47,000 awards as a part of the OVPR Interdisciplinary Scholars program, part of the Seeding Excellence Initiative.
Over an 18-month period, the funding will support a range of radiochemistry projects that ultimately seek to improve human health, including developing new methods to assess radon exposure, improving radiation therapy, and understanding the mechanisms underlying serious airway disease.
The Research Development Office offered seed funding as a follow-up to a campus symposium, “Unlocking the Power of Radiochemistry: From Medical Imaging to Nuclear Energy.” Hosted in February 2024, the symposium aimed to raise awareness of the breadth of radiochemistry research happening on campus and connect researchers to spur innovative interdisciplinary research. The winners will present their findings and determine a path for securing external funding at a second symposium in 2026.
“Our goal is to enable teams of researchers to build on new or existing strengths to achieve significant growth in interdisciplinary radiochemistry research and applications,” said Aaron Kline, director of the Research Development Office. “Ultimately, we hope that this work will lead to the successful submission of proposals for external funding.”
Investigators from five colleges are engaged in the collaborative projects, including the Carver College of Medicine, the State Hygienic Lab, and the colleges of Engineering, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Pharmacy, and Public Health.
The interdisciplinary research team will examine the Cretaceous-Dakota aquifer and alluvial aquifers in western Iowa as potential sources of radium and uranium, which impact human health. Utilizing the University of Iowa’s MatFab Facility, the investigators will develop and validate new methods for analyzing radium, uranium, and thorium radioisotopes. The team will also explore the co-occurrence of specific geological or environmental factors that lead to concentrations of these substances.
Project team: Drew Latta, assistant research scientist, IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, College of Engineering; David Peate, professor of earth and environmental sciences, CLAS; Dustin May, environmental laboratory manger, State Hygienic Laboratory; Keith Schilling, director, Iowa Geological Survey, College of Engineering; Richard Langel, research specialist, IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, College of Engineering.