USU research coffers up by $9 million
Funding for research at USU is up by $9 million from last year, bringing the total amount to $132.7 million.
The majority of the research funding, 64.5 percent, comes from federal sources such as the Department of Defense with 23.9 million, NASA at 22 million, Department of Agriculture with 11.3 million, Department of Health and Human Services at 10.5 million, with the rest coming other departments.
When faculty writes a proposal for a grant from one of these sources, they are working in a competitive field, said Brett Miller, USU vice president for research, who noted about 10 percent of the proposals are funded.
“(The increase) really says a lot about our faculty going after grants,” said Joyce Kinkead, associate vice president for research.
While faculty members receive the funding, it is used in projects that involve both undergraduate and graduate students, Miller said.
“The more funding we have, the better the opportunities are for students to be involved and get hands-on experience in their field,” he said.
This opportunity sets USU apart from other research universities, Miller said. USU ranks in the top 20 land-grant universities in the nation and in the top 10 nonmedical land-grant universities for federal research revenue, according to the National Science Foundation’s report for 2004 fiscal year research expenditures. The report puts USU at the top in aerospace research and development and the College of Education second only to Columbia University in total research awards.
Many graduate students are involved in research as part of their thesis, yet undergraduate students still number over 700, Kinkead said. This group is employed by USU with many other students simply receiving credit or doing other research that isn’t recorded, she said.
“The more external funding faculty gets, it generally means more students can work in a lab or on a project,” Kinkead said.
Two new projects from the funding increase are only for undergraduate researchers, Kinkead said. The two Research Experiences for Undergraduates students, John Zechlin and Jennie Shipley, will have the opportunity to work on these hands-on projects.
Both Miller and Kinkead put USU high on the list for student research involvement. Having a centralized office for research helps a great deal, Kinkead said. She also cited having the oldest grant program for undergraduates, which has been in place since 1975, as a key factor. This group gives out 50 grants to students a year, Kinkead noted.
In its fourth year, the Research Fellow Program allows incoming freshmen to begin research from the start. This program admits 30 to 40 students a year and is another reason Kinkead put USU high in student research. Faculty wants to work with students, she said. This teaching and learning with students is often what sources providing funding look for, and that increases their chance to receive the funding , Kinkead said.
This trend of funding increase is one Miller said he expects to continue to see in the upcoming years, thus allowing not only more projects to be completed but more students getting hands-on experience in their fields of study.
-alison.baugh@aggiemail.usu.edu