Posted September 2, 2025 by Tiffany Lee
In case you missed these stories highlighting research and creative activity at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Office of Research and Innovation’s communications team has compiled a roundup of some top research stories from research.unl.edu and other sources.
Finch using CAREER award to help students with leap to third grade
Who: Jenna Finch, assistant professor of psychology
What: Finch earned a $928,922 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development program to develop the first clear snapshot of the forces shaping the transition from second to third grade, one of the most pivotal transitions in education. The shift comes with major changes – higher behavioral expectations, high-stakes standardized testing, a switch from “learning to read” to “reading to learn,” and brand-new math concepts. In her first-of-its-kind study that features a partnership with Lincoln Public Schools, Finch will explore how children’s self-regulation skills are tied to math achievement and attitudes, and how their classroom experiences in math instruction change from second to third grade. Her findings will pinpoint targets for future intervention programs.
“Often people try to re-engage with disengaged students in middle and high school,” Finch said. “But my thought was: Can we prevent that? Can we catch them before they begin to disengage from school and provide them with support?”
Writer: Tiffany Lee, Office of Research and Innovation
Wahu-Mũchiri earns fellowship to examine water ecosystems in African literature
Who: Ng’ang’a Wahu-Mũchiri, associate professor of English
What: Wahu-Mũchiri was named a fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies, which is one of the most prestigious distinctions in the humanities. He is one of 62 fellows, selected from among more than 2,300 applicants, in the 2025 cohort. ACLS fellowships support scholars in full-time research and writing, which will ultimately result in a major scholarly work. Wahu-Mũchiri is working on a book focused on how African writers and artists imagine water ecosystems in their work. He envisions the book serving as a tool for communities in Africa and beyond as they work to conserve and protect their water ecosystems.
“I think the same concerns — water conservation and protecting water aquifers — are being discussed here in Nebraska and elsewhere,” he said. “Communities from across the world can share resources, work more efficiently and sustainably, and learn from each other. While the subject matter is African, I hope the tools will be useful and intriguing to communities in the Midwest, as well.”
Writer: Tiffany Lee, Office of Research and Innovation
Nebraska’s corn expertise helps crack code in journey to revolutionize agriculture
Who: Vladimir Torres-Rodriguez, research assistant professor in agronomy and horticulture; James Schnable, Nebraska Corn Checkoff Presidential Chair and professor of agronomy and horticulture; Guangchao Sun, former Husker researcher who is now professor of corn genetics at Sichuan Agricultural University; collaborators at Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, and Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany
What: The Husker research team played a critical role in helping an international team identify a hidden layer of genetic control within the DNA of corn – a crop pivotal in global agriculture. The university is home to the world’s largest public datasets of gene expression in corn, which were built on generations of Husker-led research. This resource was critical to verifying the German researchers’ identification of a series of genetic switches believed to determine plant traits. Torres-Rodriguez confirmed that these variants were located near genes and within known regulatory regions and found that the closer a variant was to a gene, the more likely it was to affect expression and, ultimately, traits like drought tolerance or yield. The larger study also revealed a faster, more precise tool for mapping the genomic “switchboard” that governs plant behavior.
“This discovery doesn’t just push maize genetics forward — it lays the groundwork for developing crops that can better withstand environmental stresses, ensuring food security in a changing climate,” Schnable said. “Nebraska’s position as a leader in maize research means we’re uniquely poised to turn these insights into real-world solutions for farmers here and around the globe.”
Writer: Troy Fedderson, University Communication and Marketing
Grant provides critical support for university’s materials science research
Who: Christian Binek, Paula and D.B. Varner Professor of physics; Xia Hong, professor of physics and astronomy; Abdelghani Laraoui, associate professor of mechanical and materials engineering; Peter Dowben, Charles Bessey Professor of physics and astronomy; Kirill Belashchenko, professor of physics and astronomy
What: Binek, director of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, is principal investigator of a new $1.8 million project funded by the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program that will enable a Husker research team to continue its pursuit of novel two-dimensional materials. In recent years, the NCMN group has focused on quantum materials – substances where quantum mechanical effects create unusual magnetic and ferroelectric properties. With their strength, flexibility and excellent conductivity of electricity and heat, the materials hold potential to solve the problems of an increasingly electronic world. The Husker team will collaborate with University of Kansas scientists to advance the science and device applications of artificial two-dimensional magnetic materials. The grant will help continue the work of the Emergent Quantum Materials and Technologies initiative, a multi-institutional cluster launched nearly five years ago with a $20 million NSF grant.
“It is good for UNL and good for material science at UNL, in particular,” Binek said. “We are at the cutting edge with these two-dimensional materials, which are what people think about when they think about quantum materials.”
Writer: Leslie Reed, University Communication and Marketing
Scott Data, Nebraska Engineering partner on new AI makerspace
Who: College of Engineering Design Hub, Scott Data
What: A new AI makerspace, created in partnership with Omaha’s Scott Data, will give Husker engineering students unrivaled opportunities to explore, build, test and model new techniques using artificial intelligence. The makerspace is the latest addition to the college’s Design Hub, which allows students to design, build and test engineering projects. The makerspace will offer students access to eight NVIDIA H100 graphics processing units, which are considered the gold standard for multiple types of AI workloads. The makerspace – supported by private funding – will be one of only a handful of such facilities affiliated with higher education institutions across the country, and will be unique in the Midwest region. It is part of an all-encompassing AI initiative underway at Nebraska Engineering.
“Not only will our students be able to deepen their understanding of AI, but they can more readily collaborate with others and also learn about the ethical uses of AI,” said Lance C. Pérez, Fred Hunzeker Dean of Engineering.
Writer: JS Engebretson, College of Engineering
Researcher exploring communication among autistic children, siblings
Who: Ciara Ousley, assistant professor of special education and communication disorders; HyeonJin Yoon, research assistant professor with the Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics
What: The team is exploring how siblings can serve as communication partners for autistic children, about 30% of whom do not develop vocal speech by age 4 and require augmentative and alternative communication. Family-implemented interventions can boost communication and AAC use, but siblings are often excluded in these approaches. With funding from the Signature Research Impact Program of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, Ousley and Yoon will explore how siblings view their roles and responsibilities with one another through interviews with each child and their parents as well as an observation of the siblings’ playtime interactions. Their findings will lay the groundwork for developing a sibling-implemented intervention for autistic children who use AAC. The study is unique for its inclusion of the autistic children’s perspectives.
“Rarely do we actually get to hear those voices of the children with autism, and what their thoughts and feelings are,” Ousley said. “That will allow future interventions to be influenced by autistic voices as well.”
Writer: Chuck Green, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools
Husker researchers aim to streamline breastmilk sharing program
Who: Patty Kuo, assistant professor of child, youth and family studies; Alex Mason, professor of child, youth and family studies; Jillian Boldt, director of Malone Maternal Wellness
What: Though exclusive breastfeeding is tied to lower rates of obesity and nutrition-related health benefits, many women – particularly Black Americans and rural residents – struggle in this area. The Malone Milk Share, launched in 2023, aims to mitigate low rates of breastfeeding through safe breastmilk sharing and distribution. Kuo and Mason will lead a yearlong evaluation of the initiative, which is the nation’s only community-based program that facilitates breastmilk sharing through informed donor screening, and human milk storage and delivery aligned with international safety standards. By assessing the program’s feasibility and acceptability, they are paving the way for the program’s future strength and expansion. The research duo is excited about the project’s community partnership dimension.
“The unique thing about this is this is a program that is already in place, developed by a community provider in response to needs they have observed in their community,” Mason said. “Partnering with Malone and helping to rigorously evaluate these programs is important.”
Writer: Chuck Green, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools
Nebraska mobile home parks face high flood risk, study warns
Who: Zhenghong Tang, professor of community and regional planning; Jesse Andrews, postdoctoral researcher in the Community and Regional Planning Program; other Husker researchers and collaborators
What: Tang and Andrews led a study indicating that thousands of people living in mobile home parks across Dodge, Douglas and Sarpy counties in Nebraska reside in federally designated flood hazard areas, putting this vulnerable population at significant risk. The research, published in Natural Hazards, found these parks to be at risk not just because of their location, but because of other infrastructure deficits: spotty cellular coverage, limited broadband and internal park layouts that have only one point of exit, for example. The study encourages both short- and long-term actions to mitigate potential damages. In the short term, the researchers suggest adding at least two exits to every mobile home park and linking license renewals to basic safety improvements, for example. Long term, the team recommends increasing the availability of affordable housing in areas with lower flood risk, assisting with relocation and investing in levee and drainage systems.
“Our analysis shows that roughly 1,200 mobile-home park residents in the three counties live within high-risk flood zones,” said Andrews, the study’s lead author. “These numbers highlight how many people are exposed to flooding and can help guide future conversations about zoning, infrastructure and housing.”
Writer: Kerry McCullough-Vondrak, College of Architecture
