Seed Funding Program
Early Small Seed Submission Deadline: November 20, 2025
Small and Large Seed Project Submission Deadline: January 8, 2026
The I-CREWS Seed Funding allows the program to respond to new opportunities and/or pursue high-risk, high-impact research projects. Idaho EPSCoR will coordinate an application process once per year in project Years 1-4. Eligibility includes individuals currently involved in I-CREWS as well as those not yet involved. To receive seed funding awards, an applicant must demonstrate synergy with ongoing I-CREWS efforts, including those to enhance participation, foster convergence research, and foster inter-institutional collaboration.
Two sizes of awards (small and large) are divided into two categories, all directly related to E-W challenges. One category is Convergence Research and Education, open to any qualifying team or research partnership in Idaho. This category includes projects driven by a compelling problem that demonstrate integration across disciplines (nonacademic collaboration is optional). The other category focuses on Community-engaged Collaboration to support jointly developed research and education outcomes with communities (including Tribal representatives) through integration and jointly developed using local knowledge.
Types of Awards
Small Seed Funding (1 year, up to $55K)
These awards will primarily be led by early-career faculty members initiating research directly related to E-W. Established faculty members seeking to expand or apply their expertise into a new E-W research direction will also be eligible. Multi-institutional collaboration will be prioritized, but not required. Funding will support personnel, summer salary, or other resources needed to gather preliminary data and/or explore high-risk, high-reward E-W activities.
Large Seed Funding (2 years, up to $165K)
These awards will support collaborative, multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional E-W research, and will be led by early or mid-career faculty members. Funding will support graduate student research, postdoctoral fellows, faculty summer salary, or technical personnel. Co-mentoring, co-advising, and co-supervision will be encouraged, as will in-state student-exchanges.
Current and Past Awards
Project Summaries
Training Students and Researchers in the State of Idaho on Applied Artificial Intelligence for Engineers within the I-CREWS Framework
Lead Investigator: Tadesse Gemeda Wakjira, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Idaho State University
Co-Investigators: Mostafa Fouda, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Idaho State University; and Jared Cantrell, Lab Manager and Research Engineer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Idaho State University
Project Summary:
The intersection of energy and water systems in Idaho presents complex challenges that require advanced technological solutions to ensure resilience and sustainability. Engineers equipped with expertise in applied artificial intelligence (AI) are crucial for developing innovative solutions to optimize these systems. However, there is a significant gap in current educational offerings that focus on practical AI applications tailored explicitly for engineering students and researchers. In addition, current research and training often emphasize theoretical model development but lack the practical applications of these models. This deficiency hinders the practical implementation of AI solutions in real-world scenarios.
To address this gap, the proposed project aims to provide comprehensive and hands-on training in applied AI for engineering students and researchers across Idaho, including Idaho State University (ISU), Boise State University (BSU), University of Idaho (UI), and Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYUI) as well as researchers from Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES). The workshop will be conducted twice a week and targets students at all levels, from beginners to advanced, as well as researchers, to ensure broad accessibility and impact. The training will include practical examples and applications of AI in energy and water systems with the I-CREWS framework, as well as other engineering domains. Participants will engage in workshops that emphasize the development and deployment of AI frameworks into practical tools, which bridges the gap between theoretical models and real-world applications.
Conflict or Benefit? Subsurface uranium deposit interactions with a potential future groundwater source: A case for energy-water interactions
Lead Investigator: Renee Love (PI), Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Idaho
Co-Investigators: MaryBeth Bennis, Lead Paleontologist, Frontier Resources, and MS Candidate, University of Idaho; and Keegan Schmidt, Professor, Lewis Clark State College
Project Summary:
The southeastern part of Idaho and states to the south are in a water crisis [1]. New, innovative ideas are critically needed in the discovery of future water sources. One geologic formation that has not been critically analyzed on a basin-scale in terms of energy-water potential is the Jurassic Morrison Formation. From preliminary analyses this formation has sandstone bodies that have adequate porosity for an aquifer system but questions regarding the permeability and interconnectedness of the reservoir in the subsurface remains in question. Further, the Jurassic sequence is known for its uranium deposits [2,3]. The question here is how much uranium leaches into the groundwater and, if modern technologies could be applied, could it be a potential future groundwater source?
Project objectives are to 1) obtain field samples for thin section, isotope, and groundwater elemental analysis to determine levels of uranium in the deposits and estimates of porosity and permeability, 2) use geophysical well logs derived from petroleum exploration wells to determine uranium levels in the subsurface, and 3) create predictive subsurface models of the Morrison Formation and determine size of reservoirs for a potential future groundwater source.
Modeling Meteorological and Hydrological Impacts on Coeur d’Alene Lake: Informing Sustainable Water Quality and Management Strategies
Lead Investigator: Dale Chess, Senior Limnologist, Water Resources, Coeur d’Alene Tribe Natural Resources Department
Co-Investigators: Meg Wolf, Assistant Director, Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI), University of Idaho; Kendra Kaiser, Director, IWRRI, University of Idaho; Van Maxwell-Miller, PhD Student, University of Idaho; Colden Baxter, Professor Ecology of Freshwater Organisms, Ecosystems & Social-Ecological Systems, Idaho State University; Laura Laumatia, Environmental Programs Manager, Coeur d’Alene Tribe Natural Resources Department;
Alyssa Kreikemeier, Assistant Professor History, University of Idaho
Project Summary:
The project addresses the environmental challenges facing Coeur d’Alene Lake, including hydrological variability, increasing drought, nutrient pollution, and algal blooms. It focuses on the impacts of meteorological change, and dam flow on water quality, with a goal to inform sustainable management strategies that balance hydropower generation, water quality, and cultural preservation. The research is structured in three parts: 1) Quantifying Headwater Variability 2) Modeling Lake Nutrient Dynamics and 3) integrating findings into the historical and ecological context of Coeur d’Alene Lake.
The project leverages advanced modeling techniques to quantify the interplay of meteorological variability, snowpack dynamics, and river flow. It contributes to scientific knowledge about the drivers of lake stratification and hypolimnetic anoxia, critical for understanding nutrient cycling. By combining hydrological, historical, ecological, and cultural analyses, the research fosters a holistic understanding of Coeur d’Alene Lake dynamics. It provides a framework for integrating meteorology, hydrodynamics, and Indigenous knowledge. The calibrated AEM3D model, coupled with downscaled data, sets a precedent for applying sophisticated simulation techniques to lake management under changing meteorological scenarios.
The results will directly inform sustainable management strategies for Coeur d’Alene Lake, benefiting hydropower, water quality, and Tribal cultural practices. The Collaboration led by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe ensures that Tribal perspectives are integrated, addressing the impact of environmental changes on traditional subsistence practices like water potato harvesting.
Examining historical and future risks of compound energy drought in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest
Lead Investigator: Irene Cionni, Research Scholar, Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, ID
Co-Investigators: Alejandro Flores, Department of Geosciences, Boise State University;
Stephanie Lenhart, School of Public Service, Energy Policy Institute, Boise State University
Project Summary:
This project investigates Dunkelflaute events—periods characterized by low wind speeds and minimal solar radiation—that create significant challenges for energy systems. Utilizing the Community Earth System Model version 2 Large Ensemble (CESM2-LE) dataset, this research will quantify the frequency, intensity, and duration of energy droughts events under historical and future meteorological scenarios (CMIP6 SSP3-7.0). Machine learning (ML) models will be employed to identify and analyze weather regimes associated with these events, providing insight into their meteorological drivers and recurrence patterns over time. This work aims to develop predictive tools, enhance resilience strategies, and inform policy decisions to ensure energy system stability amidst the increasing reliance on energy.
This research focuses on the study of Dunkelflaute events in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest, addressing their critical impact on energy systems. A key innovation lies in its region-specific analysis, linking Dunkelflaute events to broader weather patterns and meteorological conditions while incorporating future scenarios (CMIP6 SSP3-7.0). The project aims to develop predictive tools to assess Dunkelflaute risks, offering a robust framework to mitigate the impacts of low energy production on grid stability and resilience. Additionally, it uniquely combines advanced meteorological ensemble data with unsupervised learning techniques and capacity factor calculations tailored to Idaho’s energy systems.
Key questions driving this research include: (1) How do weather regimes shape the occurrence and characteristics of Dunkelflaute events in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest? (2) What are the historical and projected frequencies of these events under CMIP6 SSP3-7.0 scenarios? (3) How do Dunkelflaute events interact with hydroelectric resources during periods of high energy demand? By addressing these questions, the study will bridge critical knowledge gaps and deliver actionable insights to enhance energy planning and resilience strategies.
Collaboratively Advancing Energy–Water Resilience: Socioeconomic and Cultural Frameworks with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Lead Investigator: Dianne F. Baumann, Assistant Professor Affiliation, University of Idaho
Co-Investigators: V.S. Maxwell–Miller, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Idaho; Shawna Campbell-Daniels, Climate/Energy Research & Outreach Coordinator, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Project Summary:
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s ancestral territory once supported tightly interwoven energy and water systems that reflected longstanding cultural practices and governance frameworks. However, historical encroachments fragmented these systems, weakened Tribal sovereignty, and compromised resource management. Meteorological variability, increasing resource competition, and environmental degradation amplify existing vulnerabilities. Recognizing the complexity of these challenges, this proposal seeks to co-develop a resilience framework with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe that integrates Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), advanced spatial modeling, and socioeconomic analyses using quantitative and qualitative data. This innovative approach, which promises to shed new light on Indigenous resource management, is a unique and exciting opportunity for the field.
This initiative addresses gaps in conventional resilience planning for Indigenous contexts by adopting an interdisciplinary approach that merges TEK with quantitative geospatial technologies tools, policy evaluations, and socioeconomic assessments. Most notably, the project emphasizes co-produced research, situates historical governance disruptions as central to contemporary vulnerabilities, and aims to generate novel insights into Indigenous-led strategies for energy–water sustainability in Idaho. The findings will enhance the state of the art in resilience research while informing broader frameworks that consider cultural sovereignty as an essential dimension of resource management. The comprehensive and interdisciplinary nature of this project inspires confidence in its potential to make a significant impact.
Increasing Water Storage Resilience and Energy Production in Aquifers via Subsurface Dams
Lead Investigator: Bruce Savage, Professor and Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Idaho State University (ISU)
Co-Investigators: James Mahar, Senior Lecturer, Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering & GeoScience (Joint Appointment), ISU; Jared Cantrell, Lab Manager and Research Engineer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, ISU; Donna Delparte, Professor, Department of GeoScience, ISU; Morey Burnham, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminology, ISU; Bhaskar Chittoori, Professor and Chair, Department of Civil Engineering, BSU; Nick Hudyma, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, BSU
Project Summary
Innovative solutions to our water and power systems are required to increase capacity and strengthen the resilience of our systems. This is especially true for small rural communities and Indigenous peoples, who are often overshadowed by larger entities. To enhance resiliency in Idaho’s water and energy systems, this proposal explores the potential for subsurface dams to increase aquifer capacity as a viable method to capture and store snowmelt in mountain basins for summer use, increasing instream flows that improve stream ecological health and provide small-scale hydroelectric capacity.
The project contributes to the growing body of research on adaptation strategies by evaluating how subsurface dams can buffer seasonal variability in water availability, particularly in semi-arid and mountainous regions. This work will establish new paradigms for coupling groundwater storage with energy production through hydropower integration, providing scalable solutions for water-energy nexus challenges. The findings will inform policy decisions and infrastructure planning, shaping regional and national strategies for water resource management in the face of meteorological change. Moreover, this research will stimulate intellectual growth by creating opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration among hydrologists, engineers, and environmental scientists. It will inspire novel approaches to groundwater management and energy storage, advancing the theoretical foundation for subsurface infrastructure while contributing to practical applications in water and energy sustainability.