MISTI Launches Call for Second Round of
Global Seed Funds Proposals

MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) has launched a call for proposals for its second round of Global Seed Funds grants. The program provides funds to MIT faculty and researchers to support early-stage international projects and research collaboration. Applicants are encouraged to involve MIT students – both undergraduate and graduate – in their projects.

MISTI Global Seed Funds includes a general fund for projects anywhere in the world and six country funds. The award may be used to cover travel, meeting and workshop costs to facilitate international projects and collaboration. The deadline for applications is September 14, 2009.

Of the 104 proposals received in the inaugural grant round, 27 projects were awarded $457,000 in funding. Faculty and research scientists from 26 departments submitted proposals for projects in 42 countries.

The MISTI Global Seed Funds program was initiated through funding from the Office of the Provost to enhance the internationalization of MIT research and education.

“By enabling MIT students to participate in faculty-led international projects, we hope to increase opportunities for hands-on, global learning and connection to innovation around the world,” said Richard Samuels, director of the Center for International Studies.

MIT’s largest international program, MISTI is a pioneer in applied international studies. Since 1994, the program has placed over 3,000 MIT students in professional internships and research positions with its network of leading companies, universities, research institutes and NGOs around the world. MISTI currently operates in nine countries: China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Spain. The program is a part of the Center for International Studies.

2008-2009 MISTI Global Seed Funds recipients:

Regional, Economic, and Environmental Implications of Dual Ethanol Technologies in Brazil (Brazil)
Karen Polenske, Ciro Biderman
Architecture and Planning; Urban Studies and Planning

Spring School on Methods and Tools for Computational Engineering (Germany)
Markus J. Buehler
Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering

University of Queensland MIT STEM Instrumentation Project (Australia)
Steven Lerman, Jesús del Alamo
Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Nanotechnological Studies of Stem Cell-Based Engineered Tissues for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration (Israel)
Christine Ortiz, Alan Grodzinsky
Engineering; Materials Science and Engineering and Biological Engineering

Sports Innovation Collaboration with Longborough University (United Kingdom)
J. Kim Vandiver, Kim Blair
Engineering; Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics and Astronautics

Origin and Evolutionary Dynamics of H3N2 Influenza Virus A/Fujian/411/02 (China)
Jianzhu Chen
Science; Biology

Origin of Conical Stromatolites: Experiments, Theory, Observations (Russia)
Tanja Bosak, Daniel Rothman
Science; Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

Instantons and Holomorphic Bundles (Brazil)
Katrin Wehrheim
Science; Mathematics

From Regulation to Performance: Improving Industrial Pollution Regulations in India (India)
Esther Duflo, Michael Greenstone
SHASS; Economics

Performing (Fan) Cultures: MIT Dance Theater Ensemble in Tokyo (Japan)
Thomas DeFrantz, Ian Condry
SHASS; Music and Theater Arts and Foreign Languages and Literatures

Chinese Science in Context: A Qualitative and Quantitative Examination of the Social Organization of Scientists and their Laboratories (China)
Fiona Murray, Yasheng Huang
Sloan School of Management

MIT-FRANCE SEED FUND

Ground Truthing: Exploring the Social Implications of Real-Time Mapping Endeavors
Carlo Ratti
Architecture and Planning; Urban Studies and Planning

Exploration of the Potential of Ionic Liquid Ion Sources for Nanofabrication
Paulo Lozano
Engineering; Aeronautics and Astronautics

Supercritical Microfluidics for Green Chemistry and Hierarchically Advanced Materials
Klavs Jensen
Engineering; Chemical Engineering

Joint Experimental/Theoretical Investigation of Immiscible Element Nanocomposites
Michael Demkowicz
Engineering; Materials Science and Engineering

Biologically Inspired Flapping Foils for Flow Energy Recovery
Michael Triantafyllou, Franz Hover
Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

Neuronal Recruitment in Adult Brain Circuits
Carlos Lois
Science; Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Elasticity and Interfaces
Pedro Reis, Sunghwan (Sunny) Jung
Science; Mathematics

Tracking the Rule of Law: A Ten-Nation Study of Legal Consciousness
Susan Silbey
SHASS; Anthropology

Self-Locating Beliefs: New Empirical and Conceptual Approaches
Alex Byrne, Robert Stalnaker
SHASS; Linguistics and Philosophy

MIT-SPAIN/LA CAMBRA DE BARCELONA SEED FUND

Better-than-Human Sensory Skin for Robots
Brian Wardle
Engineering; Aeronautics and Astronautics

The Role of Microbes in the Ocean Sulfur Cycle and the Role of Sulfur in Ocean Microbial Interactions: A Pioneering Microfluidic Approach
Roman Stocker
Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering

Magnetic Nanostructures for Data Storage
Caroline Ross
Engineering; Materials Science and Engineering

Predictive Solar Cell Performance Modeling by Defect Engineering
Tonio Buonassisi
Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

Nanophotonic Technologies for the Treatment of Atherosclerotic Plaque: Nanoparticles vs. Molecular Bioconjugates
Mercedes Balcells
Whitaker; Health Sciences and Technology

MISTI HAYASHI SEED FUND

Capillary Trapping During CO2 Sequestration in Deep Saline Aquifers
Ruben Juanes
Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering

Collaboration with Tokyo Institute of Technology:  A Networked Underwater Energy Harvesting Robot    
Daniela Rus
Engineering; Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

For more details and to apply: mit.edu/misti/faculty/.

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