BY THE NUMBERS Utah in FY 2013 $68 Million: NSF funds awarded 22 nd : National ranking in NSF funds 25: NSF-funded institutions 235: NSF grant awards EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN UTAH EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN UTAH Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) 1527 Eighteenth Street, NW Washington, DC Utah Through the S-STEM project, Southern Utah University (SUU) is recruiting and sustaining a cohort of financially needy and academically talented students in the STEM disciplines. The S-STEM at SUU program targets first- generation college students, Title I school graduates, and students from minority populations and awards scholarships to students majoring in mathematics, engineering, biology, geology, chemistry, or technology. Ultimately, S-STEM at SUU is enabling scholarship recipients to pursue their degree in a STEM discipline, and then attend graduate school or be placed in a career within their discipline. Researchers at the University of Utah and the University of Toledo are collaborating on a Urban Water Infrastructure Sustainability Evaluation framework to improve stormwater management. The project analyzes water infrastructure conditions in an effort to reduce stormwater volumes and demand for potable water supply. NSF-funded research at the University of Utah is studying the uniqueness of the influenza A M2 channel and its effect on proton transport in the virus. In terms of basic research, the M2 channel is of considerable relevance to drug design and virology to target the replication mechanisms of the flu virus. The research has helped explain how the anti-flu drug amantadine, blocks the channel and causes it to shut down. A project supported by NSF’s Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Social Sciences Research competition at the University of Utah will test three hypotheses that may explain the root causes of gender-related differences in mobility patterns and evaluate how natural mobility, navigational style, and spatial ability are related. Because spatial skills are related to higher levels of performance in mathematics and science, and women and minorities are underrepresented in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology-related fields, this research could help make science education and related employment opportunities more broadly accessible. THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering.
Utah Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) 1527 Eighteenth Street, NW Washington, DC THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) not only funds cutting-edge research at institutions across the country, NSF’s education initiatives ensure the U.S. will remain a global leader in innovation for generations to come. INVESTMENT IN SCIENCE = INVESTMENT IN UTAH UTAH’S EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM to STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (EPSCoR) AWARD Utah is among several states selected by NSF to receive an EPSCoR award. This enables Utah to compete for federal research funding opportunities not available to non-EPSCoR states. Similarly, Utah also qualifies as a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA EPSCoR jurisdiction. Utah has been awarded two NSF EPSCoR cyber-infrastructure grants with a third proposal for research infrastructure pending. Additionally, Utah has two EPSCoR awards from NASA. Each EPSCoR grant awarded has significant research, education and outreach components. RESEARCH STIMULATED BY EPSCoR Cyberinfrastructure (CI)-Water, is an interdisciplinary team of Utah and Wyoming researchers has received a $6 million, three-year award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a better understanding of the interconnectivity of natural and human water resources systems. The award will increase the technological capability of the researchers to study how factors such as population growth, shifting land uses and climate variability will impact water storage and availability in the Intermountain West. The CI-WATER project includes researchers from Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, Utah State University, and the University of Wyoming. BYU and the University of Wyoming are the lead institutions for their respective states in the consortium. iUTAH, innovative Urban Transitions and Aridregion Hydro-sustainability, is a statewide effort dedicated to maintaining and improving water sustainability in Utah. Funded by the National Science Foundation's EPSCoR program (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) this five-year, $20 million competitive award will assist in building the human and research infrastructure needed to sustainably manage Utah's water resources.