Ocean Insight 2020 Grant Program

We are pleased to announce the finalists in the inaugural Ocean Insight Grant Program. The program launched in October 2020 and attracted remarkable response, with submissions representing a cross-section of research using spectral technologies in support of a safer, cleaner, healthier world. 

Top Grant Program awards will be selected from among the finalists listed on this page.

Seven top awards, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 USD in Ocean Insight products, will be announced on Feb. 1, 2021.

These proposals from our finalists have been singled out for their technical merit, practical application and life-changing potential. Seven of these proposals will be awarded top honors and announced on Feb. 1, 2021. Proposal descriptions have been edited for brevity:

• Amplified Sciences, improving pancreatic cancer diagnostics using SERS technology, submitted by Diana Caldwell and Rajesh Ummadisetti, Ph.D.
• Baylor University, understanding and developing treatments for cancer-associated muscle wasting, submitted by Michael Wiggs
• Biko Biolabs, investigating methods to break down bulk and microplastic waste into benign carbon feedstock chemicals, submitted by Kelsey Sakimoto
• Bilkent University, recycling of off-the-shelf optical disks into sensors for detection of disease biomarkers, submitted by Fatih Inci
• Chalmers University of Technology, building a spectral system to assess the impact of aerosols on the environment, submitted by Santiago Arellano
• Drone.UA, monitoring anthropogenic pollution in rivers and lakes, submitted by Taras Kazantsev
• Duke University Marine Lab, monitoring phytoplankton activity in the Gulf Stream using a drone-based spectrometer, submitted by Patrick Gray
• ExciPlex, developing novel diagnostic techniques for mycotoxin detection in animal feed, submitted by Daryl Staveness, Ph.D.
• Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, designing an oxygen reduction catalyst to provide a solution to renewable energy utilization, submitted by Arnab Dutta
• Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, improving diagnostic accuracy of carcinomas and melanomas, submitted by Ekaterina Borisova
• Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, determining the therapeutic response of patients to drug therapies, submitted by Arif Engin Cetin
• Longwood University, laying the groundwork for early warning tools to detect harmful algal blooms, submitted by Dina Leech
• Mount Mary University, understanding the effects of tannins during brining of vegetables, submitted by Karen Savitskij
• National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine, studying the response of Antarctic ecosystems to climate change, submitted by Hanna Yevchin
• National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos", detecting biomarkers associated with acute myocardial infarction, submitted by Nikolaos Papanikolaou
• National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos", detecting antibodies in human serum against COVID-19, submitted by Ioannis Raptis
• North Carolina State University, developing inorganic nanomaterials using autonomous robotic experimentation, submitted by Milad Abolhasani
• Northwest A&F University, remote monitoring of field ecosystems to address environmental deterioration and food safety issues, submitted by Baofeng Su
• Puxano, developing protein-focused nanotechnologies, submitted by Wouter Van Putte
• Queensland University of Technology, measuring real-time reactive oxygen species associated with bushfires and air pollution, submitted by Branka Miljevic
• RMIT University, verifying radiation treatment efficiency to improve patient outcomes, submitted by Jordan Wallace
• Spectro-AG BV, analyzing stomatal conductance of grass crops, submitted by Dr.ir. Hamed Mehdipoor
• Texas A&M University, developing nanophotonics sensors for coronavirus detection, submitted by Zi Jing Wong
• Transcender SAS, mapping water quality to better understand pollution flows, submitted by Jean Causse
• UAB Žemdirbių Konsultacijos, creating a plant nutrient deficiency diagnostics system, submitted by Andrius Ciapas
• Universidad de Guanajuato, developing micrometer-scale lasers, submitted by Rigoberto Castro Beltrán
• Universität Bern, using spectroscopy to make organic electro-chemical transistors (OECTs) more sensitive and efficient, submitted by Julien Rehault
• Université des Antilles, evaluating effectiveness of electrochemical depollution of wetland and aquatic areas, submitted by Paule Salvin
• University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, developing nano biosensors for life-improving applications, submitted by Dr. George R. Ivanov
• University of Auckland, developing a measurement system to investigate soft tissue response to applied loads in the body, submitted by Cushla McGoverin
• University of Cape Town, investigating methods to optimize treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis, submitted by Graeme Meintjes and Dr. Jacob A.M. Stadler
• University of Cincinnati, studying how light affects contaminants in water, submitted by Latonya Jackson
• University of Delaware, developing a spectral imaging system to characterize microplastics in the environment, submitted by Jonathan Cohen
• University of Glasgow, using spectroscopy for non-invasive blood analysis of patients with COVID-19, submitted by Victor Ochoa-Gutierrez
• University of Latvia, Institute of Atomic Physics and Spectroscopy, using novel optical composites for multiparameter gas sensing, submitted by Roman Viter
• University of Montreal, developing a protocol to evaluate antiviral activity in 3D-printed PPE masks, submitted by Audrey Laventure
• University of Nigeria, Nsukka, combatting the global threat of antimalarial drug resistance, submitted by Samuel Uzondu
• University of Queensland, Centre for Organic Photonics & Electronics, using organic semiconductors to measure chemical vapors, submitted by Paul Burn
• Wichita State University, addressing issue related to materials characterization using spectrophotometry, submitted by Hongsheng He