Our Commitment to Economic Development
When I arrived at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, I gave considerable thought to how the university could better embrace the identity of our city. What I didn’t quite anticipate at the time was just how much the city wanted to embrace 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
Since then, I’ve witnessed an outpouring of support for the university from a wide variety of individuals, businesses, agencies, and other organizations that recognize the value of a thriving research university. Their support is much appreciated, and we are likewise committed to the success of those in our surrounding community. We recognize that our support is particularly important during the difficult economic times we are experiencing. 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ wants to help lead the way back to greater prosperity.
Most research universities across the country are engaged in various forms of economic development, many involving partnerships with businesses and the public sector. Some of these partnerships result from faculty working to address private-sector challenges through industry-sponsored research. Others grow out of faculty discoveries of inventions, drugs, or processes that may be commercialized, thus producing revenue for the institution and creating a climate that invites investment in the area.
These are just the kinds of mutually beneficial partnerships that we are interested in expanding at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ. Our newly formed Office of Economic Development is helping the faculty to attract industry-sponsored research and to develop, protect, and commercialize their intellectual property.
These endeavors remain clearly linked to our mission of education. Students are integral contributors to these projects; their experiences on such projects enable them to expand their skill sets, learn the research process, and ultimately become more employable in high-paying sectors of the economy.
It is clear that research fuels business opportunities in a variety of ways – by building a sophisticated work force, by producing intellectual property with commercialization potential, and by developing research that solves real-world problems. With a combination this powerful, we can hardly go wrong. And, what better way to embrace the identity of our community than with plans to become more innovative, responsive, and entrepreneurial? These are qualities that have made our city and state what they are today, and we’re proud to embrace them.
Dr. Neal J. Smatresk
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ President
Welcome to 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Innovation!
It’s a pleasure to introduce another issue of 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Innovation, the university’s annual research magazine. Year after year, we provide in-depth stories that capture why it’s so critical for 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ to conduct research. In these pages, we explore not just what research is being done, but why it’s being done, how it benefits students, and what impact it has on the community and beyond. We want you to come away with more than just interesting stories of research; we want you to understand the value of research.
In this issue, you’ll meet some of our most respected scholars, scientists, and engineers. You’ll learn about the far-reaching effects of their research and the originality with which it was conceived. In short, you’ll see why we named this publication Innovation.
Dr. Thomas Piechota
Interim Vice President for Research and
Dean of the Graduate College
