Federal Project Grant Award Summary

North Carolina State University received a $1.5M Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (Biological Sciences program, CFDA 47.074) on July 15, 2026, with a completion date of June 30, 2031. The grant supports basic research investigating how individual neurons recognize and process acoustic patterns, using fruit flies (Drosophila) as a model organism. The project employs specialized genetic tools to record and manipulate sound-sensitive neuron activity while simultaneously tracking behavioral responses of female flies to male courtship songs. By combining genetic manipulation techniques with artificial intelligence-based animal tracking systems, the research aims to elucidate the fundamental neural mechanisms underlying acoustic signal recognition and pattern processing in animal communication.

The award includes a significant workforce development and public engagement component. The project will train undergraduate students, a doctoral student, a postdoctoral researcher, and high school teachers in contemporary neuroscience research methodologies and biotechnology techniques. Research findings will be disseminated to the general public through interactive demonstrations and educational events at a local science museum. The research has broader implications for understanding how neural circuits process complex sound patterns across species, with potential applications to human speech recognition and communication science.