Winter 2003

Better Big Sky Science
NSF EPSCoR Funnels Funding to Montana

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UM Paleontologist Studies
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__________ SCIENCE FUNDING __________

Better Big Sky Science
NSF EPSCoR Funnels Funding to Montana

University students work on a dinosaur dig near Jordan as part of UM's 2002 Undergraduate Summer Diversity Research Program.

The University of Montana-Missoula's new Center for Environmental Health Sciences is on the front lines of researching asbestos-triggered diseases, trying to unlock the secrets of ailments originating from a now-defunct vermiculite mine in Libby. If UM scientists gain better understanding of diseases such as asbestosis -- which attacks the lungs -- they could help scores of afflicted Libby residents breathe easier and live longer.

Jump across the state to the Badlands near Jordan. There college students participated in the 2002 Undergraduate Summer Diversity Research Program, which aims to attract more minority groups to UM science labs and classrooms. The students helped a team led by renowned paleontologist Jack Horner unearth the remains of an immature Tyrannosaurus rex. Nicknamed B-rex (for its discoverer Bob Harmon), the acclaimed bones may shed light on how T-rex evolved and how it grew from juvenile to adult.

These outwardly unrelated UM efforts have one thing in common: They were both funded by the National Science Foundation's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. And they are just the tip of the iceberg, since NSF EPSCoR has funneled federal dollars to Montana for more than 20 years in an effort to boost Big Sky research and stimulate the rural state's economy.

EPSCoR is a grant-funded program that improves science and technology in states that historically haven't had high research funding levels. Montana and four other states became charter NSF EPSCoR members in 1980, and this move has channeled more than $23.8 million in federal funding to Big Sky Country research as a result. Twenty-two states and Puerto Rico now participate in the program.

NSF EPSCoR offices are maintained at UM and Montana State University-Bozeman, which kicked off the program in Montana during the early '80s. The universities work together to hire new faculty, generate graduate student stipends, acquire scientific equipment, offer competitive research awards and organize outreach programs. The overriding goal is to develop Montana's research infrastructure and advance economic growth.  

The driving force behind UM's NSF EPSCoR program: Charles Thompson and Gay Allison.

Gay Allison, assistant to the project co-director at UM, says NSF EPSCoR funds require a state match. So for the latest grant period -- which runs from Feb. 1, 2001, to Jan. 31, 2004 -- EPSCoR administrators requested about $13.6 million statewide. Of that, $6.3 million was slated for UM, and out of that a state match of $2.1 million is requested.

"We need our legislators to understand how vitally important these funds are to researchers in Montana," Allison says. "Some of our labs run 24 hours a day. This is money that can go to new faculty and equipment, and it ends up helping Montana's economy."

Charles Thompson, the leader of UM's NSF EPSCoR program, says that in 1999 an eight-member "research vision" committee decided to target two main areas for funding at the Missoula campus during the next grant period: environmental sciences, and biomolecular structure and function. Statewide, NSF EPSCoR is seeking significant increases in program projects, student training grants and multi-investigator awards.

These milestones were selected to foster collaborations within departments, among departments and even among different campuses. The program encourages state researchers to delve into emerging technologies -- such as biotechnology -- that can help Montana compete nationally and internationally.

Thompson says grant programs such as NSF EPSCoR have been a catalyst for the explosion of federal research awards at UM, which swelled from $17 million in 1994 to $51 million in 2002. He said the grants translate into better University science programs and more jobs for technically qualified individuals.

Most NSF EPSCoR funds in Montana are devoted to hiring new science faculty members and to lab startup costs. Allison says the program allowed UM to hire nine new tenure-line faculty during 1998-2000, and 15 new tenured faculty members are being hired for the 2001-04 grant period. She says NSF EPSCoR funding has put 200 people to work across Montana, with 141 hires for UM-related research projects and 59 for those at MSU.

Professor Andrij Holian (center) with researchers in a laboratory of the new NSF EPSCoR-funded Center for Environmental Research at UM-Missoula.

Andrij Holian is an internationally known expert in environmental toxicology and director of UM's Center for Environmental Health Sciences. He says, "NSF EPSCoR funding created the opportunity to hire five new faculty and provide startups for those faculty (in our center). In addition, it provided funding for many undergraduates, midrange equipment, conferences support and staff scientists for the CEHS.

"Without this support CEHS would not have been able to develop into the strong center it is," Holian says, "and it's unlikely that we would have been able to obtain the (Center of Biomedical Research Excellence) grant that will now put us at the next level. We are deeply indebted to the support we have received from EPSCoR funding."

Besides assisting with faculty and research startup costs, UM NSF EPSCoR offers programs such as:

• The Small Business Innovation Research Program, which promotes interactions between the University and businesses. It offers awards of up to $8,000 that may be used to access more federal funding. The program collaborates with the Montana SBIR program, which is hosting the 2003 statewide competition for grants.

• The Undergraduate Research Program, which encourages undergraduate students to do their own research and offers $1,500 awards.

• The Invited Speakers Program, which brings top researchers and educators to Montana to share their experience and expertise. It offers up to $750 for a three-day visit.

• The Visiting Scholars Program, which provides UM with extra researchers for up to six months, exposing students and faculty members to fresh ideas and techniques. It provides awards of up to $9,000.

• The State Competitive Grants Program, which stimulates new research by existing faculty members and encourages collaborations between UM and MSU. Awards are $25,000 for individuals and $40,000 for joint submissions.

• The Mid-Range Equipment Program, which provides awards of $25,000 to $100,000 for laboratory equipment. It requires departmental matching funds.

• The Conference Hosting Program, which helps UM host scientific conferences that bring nationally recognized guests to campus. It awards up to $8,000.

• The Outreach Program, which supports numerous projects such as the Undergraduate Summer Diversity Program and "Science is Cool," a public radio children's program hosted by UM Assistant Professor Katie George.

-BY CARY SHIMEK