By April Lanux

Mississippi State University and the U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command are expanding educational and job opportunities in the Magnolia State.

MSU and the Navy division recently signed an Educational Partnership Agreement, or EPA, which will facilitate academic exchanges focused on geosciences, data science and various other disciplines. Headquartered at Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi, the U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, or CNMOC, oversees 13 units that work in a wide range of scientific fields to deliver vital information that ranges “from the ocean floor to the stars.”

“Partnerships like this expose students to the real-world challenges they will be addressing after graduation,” said MSU Dean for Integrative Studies and Northern Gulf Institute Associate Director Jamie Dyer. “By working with CNMOC, students will gain experience working across disciplines and become familiar with some of the advanced technology used in Naval oceanography and meteorology efforts. Opportunities like this are a great complement to the world-class education MSU students receive in the classroom.”

The agreement provides a mechanism for MSU students to learn from CNMOC’s staff expertise and technological capabilities while also encouraging the STEM-focused workforce development to help meet mission needs. Students will have the opportunity to visit Naval research facilities and work on research projects coordinated between MSU and CNMOC as part of academic programs and initiatives.

“Collaborative partnerships like this support our mission and help grow the talent base here in Mississippi,” said CNMOC Chief Technology Officer Jason McKenna. “That is a win-win.”

In addition to the academic partnership, CNMOC and MSU are exploring new research partnerships. While visiting MSU, CNMOC officials were briefed on MSU’s research in areas such as high performance computing, data science, oceanography, numerical weather prediction, autonomous systems, remote sensing, geographic information systems, cybersecurity and more. The officials toured facilities including the MSU High Performance Computing Collaboratory and Raspet Flight Research Lab.

MSU Executive Vice Provost Peter Ryan and U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Naval Command Deputy Technical Director Jennifer Hailes mark the signing of an Educational Partnership Agreement between MSU and CNMOC. Also celebrating the expanded partnership between the two organizations is, from left, FNMOC Deputy Technical Director Kelly Wood, MSU Management and Information Systems Department Head Laura Marler, CNMOC Experimentation Lead Jason Pyron, MSU Dean for Integrative Studies and Northern Gulf Institute Associate Director Jamie Dyer, CNMOC Chief Technology Officer Jason McKenna and Naval Oceanographic Office Director of Talent Management Scott Klingenberger. (Photo by Grace Cockrell)

“As we work with CNMOC to develop a cooperative research agreement, we have a unique opportunity to leverage MSU’s overall research expertise to help drive innovation and engagements with the Naval Research Office, positioning MSU as a leader in maritime research and development,” said MSU Associate Vice President for Research and Economic Development Narcisa Pricope.

By April Lanux

With research that could promote sustainable energy and other fields, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Ka Un Lao has received the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious award in support of early career faculty.

Lao, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Humanities and Sciences, was honored recently with the NSF’s CAREER award to support his development of advanced computational tools for studying complex chemical systems. They include materials used in clean energy technologies that could combat climate change.

“Ultimately, this research paves the way for innovative technologies to tackle global challenges in energy and sustainability,” Lao said. “For instance, it can aid in creating more efficient materials for energy storage devices and catalysts that drive essential chemical reactions for sustainable energy solutions.”

Lao’s research focuses on integrating knowledge from nonchemistry fields – such as differential geometry, set theory and machine learning – with electronic structure theory to accelerate quantum chemistry calculations. Such approaches promote more advance simulations of complex systems, which could propel energy solutions, molecular design, drug discovery and other initiatives.

In a five-year project, Lao is using an advanced mathematical concept called Grassmannians, derived from differential geometry, and pairing it with quantum chemistry. This innovative methodology will accelerate computational performance while enhancing stability, enabling researchers to analyze intricate systems that were previously beyond the reach of existing tools.

“These Grassmannian-augmented frameworks accelerate chemical discovery and enable the rational design of light-sensitive molecular devices,” Lao said, with impacts that could propel fields such as materials sciences and biochemistry.

Lao is the first recipient at VCU to receive CAREER award recognition from the NSF’s Chemical Theory, Models and Computational Methods Program, and the fourth VCU honoree cited by NSF’s Division of Chemistry. Tied to his research, Lao aims to bring his methods into the chemistry classroom by incorporating cutting-edge computational tools.

“This initiative will equip students with the skills needed for the evolving demands of modern research and industry, preparing them to become the next generation of chemists proficient in both fundamental science and advanced computational techniques,” he said.

Lao also was recognized recently by the American Chemical Society’s Division of Computers in Chemistry for the novelty and significance of his research. He is one of four spring 2025 winners of ACS COMP’s OpenEye Cadence Molecular Sciences Outstanding Junior Faculty Award in Computational Chemistry, which recognizes exceptional tenure-track junior faculty from institutions around the world.

Since joining VCU in 2019, Lao has published 32 independent papers, contributing to a total of 65 publications with over 7,000 citations. He said the NSF CAREER award inspires him to forge ahead.

“It was deeply rewarding to see years of hard work and dedication recognized in such a meaningful way,” Lao said. “This recognition motivates me to continue advancing research and education in the chemical sciences.”