Research at SMU

SMU researcher Alexander Chase looks at the ocean and sees the potential for medical breakthroughs. When Chase was a young boy, the sheer diversity of plants in Earth’s tropical rainforests fascinated him. He found himself wondering, what new species were out there, waiting to be unearthed? That curiosity is why Chase now collects samples from Earth’s oceans using a new technique called Small Molecule In situ Resin Capture (SMIRC), which could be the first step in uncovering compounds that lead to next-generation antibiotics. A recent study in the journal Nature Communications by Chase and researchers at the University of California San Diego and University of California San Francisco explains how SMIRC made possible the collection of microbial natural products where they are produced in the wild, without the need to be cultured in a lab. It used an absorbent resin called HP-20, which acts like a sponge to capture the chemicals released by microbes. “The ocean is one of the least explored areas on Earth, especially the deep ocean,” said Chase. “There’s so much we don’t understand about marine microorganisms and the compounds they produce. Because of antibiotic resistance and other health challenges, there is a high priority for natural product research. With SMIRC, we now have an easily deployable system that makes it possible for researchers to study compounds previously out of reach.” Learn more about SMIRC: https://lnkd.in/gRKHD2u2

The Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub (TSTH) has a new Regional Innovation Officer.   James Grimsley, a technology leader for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma with roots in entrepreneurism, industry and higher education, has been named to the position. As RIO, Grimsley will provide the vision and strategy for the Tech Hub and manage the day-to-day operations.   TSTH is in a critical phase of its development, Grimsley said, adding that there’s no time to lose.   “The Texoma region is poised to be a significant national and global resource for semiconductor production,” Grimsley said. “The industry is moving quickly, and so are we. Right now, we need to make people aware of the job opportunities of the future – especially younger people,’   “These semiconductor jobs are coming together more quickly than people realize,” Grimsley said. “We’re building out a regional team of education, economic development and investment partners to address the needs of existing semiconductor companies like GlobalWafers America and Texas Instruments as well as the entrepreneurs and companies of the future.”   Read more about Grimsley and the TSTH. https://lnkd.in/gZjdEA-B

A team of researchers, led by SMU paleontologist Louis L. Jacobs, has found matching sets of dinosaur footprints on what are now two different continents.   The 120-million-year-old footprints were discovered in Brazil and Cameroon, showing where land-dwelling dinosaurs were last able to freely cross between South America and Africa millions of years ago before the two continents split apart.   “We determined that in terms of age, these footprints were similar,” Jacobs said. “In their geological and plate tectonic contexts, they were also similar. In terms of their shapes, they are almost identical.” Check out CNN's story: https://lnkd.in/dGwkdunh #paleontology

Extreme heat isn't just uncomfortable—it can also take a toll on our mental health. It can impair cognitive function, disrupt sleep, limit daily activities, strain social connections, and even affect the effectiveness of certain medications. #SMU faculty member and psychotherapist Farnoosh Nouri offers these coping tips when temperatures are dangerously high:    *Limit Heat Exposure: Minimize time spent in the heat, especially during peak hours.   *Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol or caffeine, which can dehydrate you.   *Maintain Social Connections: Even if you can't meet in person, stay connected through virtual platforms.   *Monitor Medications: Some medications can impact your body's ability to regulate temperature. Consult your doctor if you have concerns.   *Seek Professional Support: If the heat is worsening your mental health, consider reaching out to a therapist for strategies to manage the effects.

Congrats! Matthew O’Donohue, a Ph.D. candidate in the Applied Science program at SMU Lyle School of Engineering, has been awarded a prestigious grant by The Kosciuszko Foundation that is aimed at advancing #tissueengineering techniques to improve the treatment of critical health conditions. He’ll spend six months in Warsaw, Poland at the Polish Academy of Sciences researching under Dr. Jan Guzowski, a world-renowned tissue engineering expert. O'Donohue's research is focused on micro fluidic approaches to tissue engineering, in hopes it will result in more accurate tissue models being able to more precisely mimic where and how blood vessels are formed in the body. That could help reconstruct new skin for a burn victim, develop novel medications without animal testing and much more. You can see a video and story about O'Donohue here: https://lnkd.in/ePnK_BVq Southern Methodist University 

“A fresh history is needed,” said Tim Seiter, describing his #SMU research about the Karankawas, a coastal Indian tribe unique to Texas. Seiter, now an assistant professor of history at the University of Tyler, and his research appear in a new Texas Monthly article that focuses on the Karankawa descendants and how they’re finding a place for themselves in the twenty-first century.   Read about Seiter’s work at SMU, link to the Texas Monthly story in the comments: https://lnkd.in/g2JUrHap

Did you know you can strengthen your happiness muscle?   It’s called reward sensitivity, a focus of #SMU faculty member Alicia Meuret’s research, which was highlighted in the The New York Times. Turns out we can all train ourselves to notice and savor positive emotions. You can begin by planning one activity per day that makes you happy or gives you a sense of accomplishment. The process of identifying and immersing in positive emotions is known as savoring.    “Adding savoring, further pushes people to pay attention to what is in these enjoyable activities that make them feel better,” said Meuret in a previous SMU news release. “The activity then becomes more salient in their memory and makes it easier for them to feel anticipatory reward or excitement.”

"It’s Texas’ latest win in the race for semiconductor dominance." That’s how the The Dallas Morning News described the U.S. Department of Commerce signing a preliminary deal with Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub member Texas Instruments (TI) to provide up to $1.6 billion to support the construction of two semiconductor fabrication plants in Sherman, Texas. The goal of the #SMU-led Tech Hub is to support the national goal of increasing semiconductor manufacturing in the United States – specifically bringing “chip” jobs back to the North Texas and southern Oklahoma region over the next decade. Construction is already underway on the new 300mm wafer fabs in Sherman, SM1 and SM2. The site has the potential for up to four. Congratulations TI! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g7MChiYV

Significant link between wastewater injection and oil well blowouts in the Permian Basin. That was the key finding from a study led by SMU geophysics professor Zhong Lu, which was featured in the Houston Chronicle, The Texas Tribune and Thomson Reuters. Read or listen to the story here: https://lnkd.in/eDs-z7Xn

A breakthrough by researchers at #SMU and #Dartmouth could enable three-dimensional projections of medical scans, suspending them inside an acrylic cube to create a hand-held reproduction of a patient's heart, brain, kidneys or other organs. Then, when the visit is done, a quick blast of heat erases the projection and the cube is ready for the next scan. The researchers developed the technique using a specialized light projector to imprint two-dimensional and 3D images inside any polymer that contains a photosensitive chemical additive the team developed. The light-based engraving remains in the polymer until heat is applied, which erases the image and makes it ready to use again. “This volumetric 3D display has the potential to one day transform how we visualize 3D data like medical images,” said SMU faculty member Alex Lippert, a co-corresponding author of the study about the process in the journal Chem. “Instead of looking at an MRI or other type of medical scan as a series of 2D slices, a volumetric 3D display of this type can put these together to form a visible 3D object that can be held in your hand and viewed from different angles. This could allow for easier detection of anomalies to support clinical decision making.” Adds study co-author Joshua Plank, a PhD candidate in Lippert's lab, “Doctors typically examine these images as a series of 2D slices on paper or computer monitors, despite multiple studies showing that true three-dimensional images aid in both diagnostics and telesurgery. We believe that true volumetric 3D displays represent a significant improvement over conventional stereoscopic displays and Virtual Reality (VR), since they allow for viewing of an image from multiple angles by multiple people and without the eye strain or motion sickness associated with other approaches.” Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g8RezPtD