Indiana University researchers play a crucial role in advancing knowledge and driving innovation, often leading to breakthroughs that challenge existing paradigms and catalyze new areas of inquiry. The Research Equipment Fund provides support to purchase research equipment, instrumentation or datasets for researchers on all IU campuses — and across disciplines as varied as climate change and respiratory health — who already have or will have the potential for sustainable external support.

“The Research Equipment Fund empowers IU researchers to conduct pioneering studies and strengthens our competitive edge for securing initial and renewed external funding,” said Chris Liu, associate vice president for research development. “I strongly encourage all faculty to consider their research needs and review the suite of opportunities available through the IU Internal Funding Programs.”

The fund is a recently expanded and critical resource for IU researchers and a strategic investment to empower faculty to pursue innovative research with cutting-edge tools and technology and advance IU 2030 strategic plan goals. Accepting rolling submissions ensures that researchers have continuous access to the resources needed to push the boundaries of knowledge generation and creative activity.

Proposals for the fund are reviewed competitively. Submissions are accepted continually based on the availability of funding.

Below are updates on how 2023 Research Equipment Fund awards have propelled critical areas of study at IU.

Reconstructing climate history

Broxton Bird, professor and director of the Center for Earth and Environmental Science in the School of Science at IU Indianapolis, reconstructs earth’s climate through time using lake sediments. In the spring, he received funds to obtain a particle size analyzer to measure samples from lake sediment cores as part of ongoing National Science Foundation-funded paleoclimate research.

Lake Tota, Colombia. Photo credit: Wikipedia At Lake Tota, the largest lake in Colombia and the second largest in the Andes, Bird is studying lake sediment cores using grain-size data to determine the lake’s history and the region’s climate over the past 10,000 years, exploring the relationship between the lake, monsoons and global climate. Because grain sizes within lakes serve as valuable indicators of past climate conditions and lake levels, measuring the grain-size changes helps Bird’s team understand the lake’s history. This method is widely used in various studies, such as examining glacier dynamics and determining soil types and hydrology, to see how well soil can move water.

“This is an unprecedented opportunity to delve into the lake’s history and understand the climate dynamics of the region,” Bird said. “The initial findings suggesting a unified climatic behavior across the Andes are particularly fascinating and could reshape our understanding of regional and global climate patterns.”

This project is a collaborative effort with Universidad Del Norte in Colombia.

Testing lung health

Sarah Commodore, assistant professor in the School of Public Health-Bloomington, received funding in spring 2023 to purchase a vivoFlow system to assess longitudinal changes in lung function. This system will be instrumental for the development of several lines of research in the fields of environmental health, voice science and addiction science.

A vivoFlow machine. Photo by Sarah Commodore, Indiana University Commodore and her colleagues have two ongoing studies, with more in the planning stages. The first study, led by Patricia Silveyra, investigates the role of sex chromosomes and hormones in lung cancer by using equipment to monitor the lung function of mice over an extended period, during which some mice develop tumors. The second study, led by Chukwudike Igwe, examines the effects of passive electronic cigarette aerosol exposures in mice.

“The vivoFlow system is a game-changer for our research, allowing us to monitor lung function in mice non-invasively and with greater precision,” Commodore said. “We are excited to see how this system will enhance our understanding of respiratory health, and we look forward to sharing preliminary results at upcoming international conferences.”

The vivoFlow provides a non-invasive way to assess respiratory behavior during weekly lung function measurements over a month. It will be used in one study by students to perform methacholine challenge in mice, which determines how reactive or responsive the lungs are, and in another to examine the passive effects of vaping.

Studying the soil

André Franco, assistant professor in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Bloomington, has used his funding to purchase a carbon/nitrogen determinator to effectively quantify how human action and global environmental changes affect soil.

Assistant professor André Franco and master’s student Olivia Hurley collect soil samples in Brazil. Photo by André Franco, Indiana University

This state-of-the-art piece of technology is enhancing the lab’s ability to conduct advanced research. Among the pending proposals are a USDA grant focused on soil health in the Midwest and another NSF grant aiming to understand how soil biodiversity influences soil carbon accrual and persistence in ecosystems.

The new determinator plays a crucial role in ongoing projects, particularly those focused on soil carbon and soil health in collaboration with Michigan State University, as well as a project on carbon stocks in Brazil to aid climate mitigation.

Previously, the lab lacked the capability to measure carbon concentration in soil samples, necessitating the outsourcing of sample analysis. The new determinator not only speeds up the process but also allows for better accuracy in analyzing samples.

“This progress not only enhances our research but also demonstrates our readiness to secure and execute large federal grants, driving significant advancements in environmental science,” Franco said.

Since the change from annual to year-round submissions, the Research Equipment Fund has awarded more than $2.5 million to applicants like Sarath Janga from the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Indianapolis and Dr. Roman Natoli of the IU School of Medicine. With new equipment enabled by the fund, these IU researchers are exploring advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence and developing groundbreaking orthopedic treatments.

Dan Melnick is assistant director of research communications.