Arkansas Wins $9M NSF Grant for Biomass Power & Nanotechnology Research

Last week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that the Arkansas Science & Technology Authority (ASTA) would receive $9 million through the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to enhance the state's research capabilities. The new funds will be used to support a broad range of activities, from attracting world-class scholars to fostering entrepreneurship, in select technology areas.

 

The program, dubbed the Arkansas Advancing and Supporting Science, Engineering and Technology (ASSET) Initiative, will provide additional research funding to three of the state's university campuses: the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. These schools will receive financial support to establish two new research centers and to promote interdisciplinary and multi-institutional research in promising fields.

 

The first center will investigate the nexus of agricultural, energy, environmental and health sciences in the use of plant materials for energy generation. The Plant Powered Production (P3) Center will be a statewide virtual facility that will bring together researchers from each of these disciplines and will facilitate cooperative research between the state's institutions of higher education.

 

A second center, the Wireless Nano- Bio- Info-Tech Sensor System and Center, will provide a collaborative infrastructure for nanosensor research at the University of Arkansas. Researchers at the center will contribute to the development of wireless arrays of low-cost, specialized nanosensors that can be used in power generation, food preservation, and biodevices.

 

ASTA's ASSET Initiative also will invest in a range of programs beyond university R&D to support high-tech growth in these emerging fields. The state's strategy includes a Human Resource Development and Community Outreach plan that will support entrepreneurs through training and education to commercialize the technologies developed at these new centers. In addition, ASSET will sponsor seminar series, discipline-specific regional and national meetings, and electronic access to scientific journals for researchers. The initiative also plans to develop K-12 and undergraduate educational programs and new opportunities for underrepresented groups in scientific research.

 

Read more about the Arkansas ASSET Initiative at: http://www.asta.arkansas.gov/newsroom/index.php?do:newsDetail=1&type_id=58