EPSCoR means “Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research EPSCoR means “Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.” It’s a federal program to improve research capacity of states or regions to make them competitive for future grants. The Iowa EPSCoR program is a statewide office that organizes these projects for the state. It’s managed by the University of Iowa. Some 27 states have EPSCoR programs. This introduction will cover the vision and organization of one particular project, called the Iowa NFS EPSCoR. It also reviews the project’s research areas and efforts to ensure that the project has a broad and lasting impact on Iowa and the future of its citizens.

What is EPSCoR? Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research $20 million from National Science Foundation Improve research competitiveness Build science and engineering infrastructure The Iowa NFS EPSCoR project is part of the Iowa EPSCoR program. It was funded in 2011 for $20 million over five years by the National Science Foundation, along with $2 million from the Iowa Power Fund. Called “Harvesting Energy Flows in the Biosphere to Build Sustainable Energy Systems,” this project builds Iowa’s research capacity in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Where is Iowa NSF EPSCoR? Core research Iowa State University University of Iowa University of Northern Iowa Partnerships Community colleges Private colleges School districts Government agencies Industries Led by Ted Heindel, Iowa State University

Iowa NSF EPSCoR Vision By 2016 Iowa will be a global leader in harnessing renewable energy available in the biosphere instead of mining limited fossil energy. The purpose of Iowa NSF EPSCoR is to establish Iowa as a leader in renewable energy by 2016. We believe there is a large and important revolution in moving away from fossil fuels and petroleum and making the transition to renewable energy. We also believe Iowa should play a strong role in this revolution. We have the resources and manpower to make these changes possible, but Iowa NSF EPSCoR is the secret ingredient to build capacity and set the stage for making Iowa a leader. An essential part of this mission is to prepare a diverse, STEM-educated workforce.

Iowa NSF EPSCoR Components Bioenergy Wind Energy Energy Policy Energy Utilization Broader Impacts Iowa NSF EPSCoR consists of research in four areas: bioenergy, wind energy, energy utilization (or efficiency), and energy policy. The project also involves infrastructure investment. The big idea about Iowa NSF EPSCoR is that it is a holistic transformation. We’ll do the science, but we also work to develop people and resources and explore how the results can make a real and sustainable improvement in our state and nation.

Research: Wind Energy Optimize wind energy production by making harvest, storage, and transfer technologies more reliable Construct wind tunnel and turbine models Improve renewable energy networks Evaluate impacts on farmland and local microclimates Partner with wind industries Offer internships for high school students Led by Barry Butler, UI The future of the United States and Iowa depends on renewable energy. Bioenergy and wind energy are the heart of the scientific research conducted by the Iowa NSF EPSCoR program. The wind energy platform, which deals with the logistics of wind energy production, is headed by Barry Butler at Iowa. Some fifteen researchers and their students are advancing wind energy by optimizing energy harvesting and building research infrastructure.

Research: Bioenergy Investigate bioenergy production technology and scale up this research to pilot plants Create bioenergy agro-ecosystem research sites Create open-source virtual engineering tools Facilitate biomass growth, harvest, and conversion Bioenergy, which is producing biofuels from things that once were living, is lead by Robert Brown at Iowa State. Over a dozen scientists and their students are working to advance biofuel production technologies and partner with the bioenergy industry. Led by Robert Brown, Iowa State University

Research: Energy Utilization Evaluate the effects of human behaviors and building systems of energy consumption Create Green Community Campaign Energy usage and human behavior data Model experimental building strategies Create videos about building science and optimal energy utilization Target high school physics classes Led by Ted Heindel, Iowa State University How we as humans use energy is an important topic. We can develop renewable energy, but our society will still run into problems down the road if we do not use energy more efficiently. So, in the energy utilization part of Iowa NSF EPSCoR, researchers will work to understand the choices people make regarding energy and what it takes to help them make better choices that result in lower energy usage. Research in this area is led by Ted Heindel of Iowa State.

Research: Energy Policy Enhance collaboration and investigates policy’s impact on renewable energy Maintain workshop series Analyze various impacts Establish relationships with legislators Create models for use by the EPA Led by Bruce Babcock, ISU Energy policy deals with understanding public policies regarding energy. The Iowa NFS EPSCoR will focus on collaboration among economists and those scientists and engineers that develop new renewable energy technologies. Bruce Babcock of Iowa State heads this effort. The policy folks will also help educate and inform decision makers about renewable energy economics.

Broader Impacts Collaborate between universities and external research parties Increase participation of under-represented groups Invest in human capital and expand STEM fields Engage industry and legislators in EPSCoR Strengthen faculty academically and professionally Led by Sriram Sundararajan, ISU “Broader impacts” are the long-term changes that happen when we invest in human capital. It’s how the NSF works to ensure that the research it sponsors has the widest impact possible. The Iowa NSF EPSCoR’s effort in this area is far-reaching and includes: Diversity programs, to provide opportunities to women, underrepresented minorities, and first-generation college students in science, technology, engineering, and math fields, or “STEM.” Workforce development, to prepare a workforce that can meet the demands of Iowa’s emerging green economy. This effort includes working with teachers and students in K-12 s well as community colleges. Faculty development, to help our faculty become more successful researchers and educators. Cyberinfrastructure development, to help our researchers connect with collaborators and leverage research data. External engagement, to reach stakeholders and policy makers to inform them about the Iowa NSF EPSCoR program. This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number EPS-1101284.

Iowa EPSCoR Video

iowaepscor.org