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Cornell China Center Kāng nài ěr zhōngguó zhōngxīn

Cornell China Center Funded Research

Cornell China Center Grant Awards

Between 2019 and 2023, the Cornell China Center awarded joint seed funding for the following Cornell-China research projects.

2023 Shanghai Jiao Tong University–Cornell University Joint Seed Fund

  • A Stem Cell Basis for Vertebral Metastases. PIs: Matthew Blake Greenblatt (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine) and Weiguo Zou (Institute of Microsurgery on Extremities, SJTU Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital)
  • Mechanistic Study of Novel Antagonists of the CCL5/CCR5 Signaling Axis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Growth, Metastasis, and Immunotherapy. PIs: Xiaojing Ma (Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine) and Jing Yu (Life Science and Biotechnology, SJTU)
  • AI-Based Medical Image Computing and Next Generation MRI-Guided Surgical Navigation for Head and Neck Surgery. PIs: Yi Wang (Biomedical Engineering, Cornell) and Xiaojun Chen (Mechanical Engineering, SJTU)
  • Recognizing Fine-Grained Hand-Face Touching Behaviors using Minimally-obtrusive Wearables with Magnetic Sensing. PIs: Cheng Zhang (Computing and Information Science, Cornell) and Dongyao Chen (Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, SJTU)
  • Breaking Metals’ Strength-Ductility Trade-Off with Tailored Gradient Microstructures. PIs: Mostafa Hassani (Engineering, Cornell) and Hongze Wang (Materials Science and Engineering, SJTU)

2022 Shanghai Jiao Tong University–Cornell University Joint Seed Fund

  • Climate Adaptation in China and the U.S.: Comparing Strategies, Frameworks, and Impacts in New York and Shanghai. PIs: Linda Shi (City and Regional Planning, Cornell) and Ruishan Chen (Landscape Architecture, SJTU)
  • Spatiotemporal Distributions of Traffic-related Carbon Emission in Near-Road Neighborhoods: Measurements and Mitigation. PIs: Oliver Gao (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell) and Hongdi He (Civil Engineering, SJTU)
  • Modifying the Message: RNA Editing in Virulence of a Major Pathogen of Rice. PIs: Adam Bogdanove (Integrative Plant Science, Cornell) and Bo Zhu (Resources and Environment, SJTU)
  • Operando Characterization of Argyrodite Sulfide-Based Lithium Batteries. PIs: Hector Abruna (Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell) and Huanan Duan (Materials Science and Engineering, SJTU)
  • Ultra-Sensitive Point-of-Care Test Platforms Based on the High-Overtone Bulk Acoustic Resonator Detection Technology. PIs: Amit Lal (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell) and Lei Shao (University of Michigan-SJTU Joint Institute)

2022 Zhejiang University-Cornell University Joint Seed Fund

  • Improving Crop Yield Through Fundamental Understanding of the Control of Size and Shape in Plants. PIs: Adrienne Roeder (Integrative Plant Science, Cornell) and Lilan Hong (Nuclear-Agricultural Science, ZJU)
  • The Dietary Combination of Essential Oils and Hydroponically-grown Sprouted Grains to Mitigate Enteric Methane Emissions From Dairy Cattle. PIs: Joseph McFadden (Animal Science, Cornell) and Hui-Zeng Sun (Dairy Science, ZJU)
  • Leveraging Machine Learning and AI for Rationale Structure Design of Nanocarbon-based Single-Atom Catalysts and its Mechanism of Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction for Climate Mitigation. PIs: Fengqi You (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell) and Yang HOU (Chemical and Biological Engineering, ZJU)
  • Chemical Vapor Deposition on Metal-Organic Frameworks and Covalent Organic Frameworks for Novel Separation Membranes. PIs: Rong Yang (Engineering, Cornell) and Junjie Zhao (Chemical and Biological Engineering, ZJU)

2022 Cornell China Center-Cornell East Asia Program Research Fund

Jointly funded with Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies faculty seed grants.

  • Environmental Governance in China: Private Enforcement of Environmental Law. Steven Wolf (CALS).
  • Worker Voice in China’s Networked Public Sphere, Duanyi Yang (ILR).
  • Fatherland as Mother: Racializing the Chinese Nation in Migrations and Revolutions Yue Du (A&S).

2021 Zhejiang University-Cornell University Joint Seed Fund

  • Improving Seed Yield and Stress Tolerance in Rice Through Natural Variations Of A Novel Lipid Binding Protein. PIs: Jian Hua (Plant Biology, Cornell) and Yajing Guan (Agronomy, ZJU)
  • In Silico Nanosafety Assessment for Promoting Nano-Enabled Strategies in Agricultural Production. PIs: Dan Luo (Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell); Fang Cheng (Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, ZJU)
  • Making Inclusive Finance More Digital and Greener: Big Data Evidence from China. PIs: Yongmiao Hong (Economics, Statistics and Data Science, Cornell), Xingguo Luo and Xuejun Jin (Economics, ZJU), and Chenming Zuo (Alibaba & National Agricultural Credit Guarantee Alliance Co.)
  • Regulating the Crystallographic Orientation of Zinc Metal for Advanced Aqueous Zinc Batteries. PIs: Lynden Archer (Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering, Cornell) and Yingying Lu (Chemical and Biological Engineering, ZJU)

2021 China Innovation Grants

  • Cornell-Southern China-Macau-International Cooperative Functional Food Groups. PIs: Rui Hai Liu (Food Science, Cornell), Xiong Fu (Food Science, SCUT), Shaoping Li (University of Macau), and Bisheng Zheng (Food Science, SCUT)
  • Practical Approaches to the Control of Ichthyophthiriasis in Asian Aquaculture. PI: Theodore Clark (Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell) with co-investigators James Casey (Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell), Giana Bastos Gomes, and Sophie St-Hilaire (City University of Hong Kong), among other collaborators.

2020 Shanghai Jiao Tong University-Cornell University Joint Seed Fund

  • Understanding Trichome Formation at the Nexus of Food, Nutrition, and Human Health. PIs: Jocelyn Rose (Integrative Plant Science, Cornell) and Kexuan Tang (Agriculture and Biology, SJTU).
  • Robust Learning for Distributed Medical Data Analysis with Scarce and Imperfect Measurements and Communication Constraints. PIs: Yudong Chen (Engineering, Cornell) and Xiaolin Huang (Information and Electrical Engineering, STJU).
  • Towards Automated Eating Activity Recognition in the Wild Using a Commodity Smartwatch. PIs: Cheng Zhang (Computing and Information Science, Cornell) and Junchi Yan (Computer Science and Engineering, STJU).
  • Energy-Use Behaviors and Patterns in Public Buildings: A Comparison Between China and the USA. PIs: Michael Tomlan (City and Regional Planning, Cornell) and Liang Xin (International and Public Affairs, STJU).
  • COVID-19: Impact on the Hospitality Industry. PIs: Peng Liu (Hotel Administration, Cornell) and Haitao Yin (Economics and Management, STJU).

2020 Zhejiang University-Cornell University Joint Seed Fund

  • Toward Cleaner Water in China: Policy Analysis of Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution. PIs: Panle Jia Barwick (Economics, Cornell); Weiwen Zhang (Public Affairs, ZJU).
  • Mult-Stimuli-Responsive Silk-Elastin-Like Protein Hydrogels for Dynamic Biomaterials. PIs: Jingjie Yeo (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell) and Wenwen Huang (School of Medicine, Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute).
  • Multivalent Al3+ Electrode Reactions in Rechargeable High-Energy Aqueous Aluminum Batteries. PIs: Lynden Archer (Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering, Cornell); Yingying Lu (Chemical and Biological Engineering, ZJU).
  • A Machine Intelligence Approach to Quantify Climate Change Impact on Rainfed and Irrigated Corn Production. PIs: Fengqi You (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell); Xi Chen (Control Science and Engineering, ZJU).

2020 Cornell China Center-Cornell East Asia Program Research Fund

  • China, Aging, and the COVID-19 Response. PIs: Mildred Warner (City and Regional Planning, Cornell). Collaborators: Xue Zhang (CRP, Cornell), Elaine Wethington (Human Development, Cornell and Roybal Center), Zhilin Liu (Public Policy, Tsinghua University), Tao Ma (Management, Harbin Institute of Technology), and Lina Zhao (Public Affairs Management, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology)
  • Understanding Cross-Cultural Social Perceptions Towards Interacting with an On-Skin Display for Displaying Health and Environmental Data. PIs: Cindy Kao (Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell). Collaborator: Chuang-Wen You (Assistant Professor, National Tsing-Hua University).
  • The Roots of Female Underrepresentation in Academia in China: Exploring the Development of Gender Stereotypes about Intelligence. PI: Lin Bian (Human Development, Cornell). Collaborator: Qingfen Hu (Psychology, Beijing Normal University).
  • The Making and Remaking of China’s Cities: Demolition, Redevelopment, and Expansion. PI: Jeremy Wallace (Government, Cornell).

2019 China Innovation Grants

Full grant awardees:

  • Food–Energy–Water Security in the Three Rivers Headwater Region: Integrating Science, Data, and Decision Tools to Manage Under a Changing Climate and Development Pressures. Cornell team: John Albertson (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Lindsay Anderson (Biological and Environmental Engineering), Ariel Ortiz-Bobea (Applied Economics and Policy), Patrick Reed (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Ying Sun (Soil and Crop Sciences).
  • Engaging Chinese Cities in Cost-Effective Data-Driven Air Pollution Management. Cornell PIs: Max Zhang (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) and Andrew Wilson (Operations Research and Information Engineering).
  • Managing Disease in China’s Changing Apple Industry: Farmers, Landscapes, and Pathogen Population Dynamics. Cornell PIs: John Aloysius Zinda (Development Sociology) and Awais Khan (Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology).
  • Environment and Education SDGs: Building Capacity for Local Environmental Practice Through Online Learning in China. Cornell PIs: Marianne Krasny (Civic Ecology Lab), Rene Kizilcec (Information Science), Yue Li (Natural Resources), and Alex Kudryavtsev (Natural Resources).

Project development grant awardees:

  • Chinese Society, Media, and the World: Attitudes and Discourse. Cornell PIs: Jessica Chen Weiss (Government), Yue (Mara) Du (History), and Will Hobbs (Human Development).
  • Triakonta: Seismic Analysis of a New Sustainable Building System. Cornell PIs: Jack Elliott (Design and Environmental Analysis) and Kifle Gebremedhin (Biological and Environmental Engineering).
  • Prototyping of a Robot-Based Network Integrated with Deep-Ultra Violet Light Source for Disinfection of Hospital Rooms by Directional and/or Distributed DUV Beam. Cornell PIs: Vladimir Protasenko (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Joseph Skovira (Electrical and Computer Engineering), and Carmen Moraru (Food Sciences).
  • Learning with Chongqing: Sustainable Urbanization and Housing Models for Urban-Rural China. Cornell PIs: Leslie Lok (Architecture), Jamie Vanucchi (Landscape Architecture), Peng Liu (Real Estate and Finance), and Timur Dogan (Architecture).