Tom McCoy
MSU Vice President for
Research, Creativity and Technology Transfer
Foreword
Research expenditures climbed an
unprecedented $16 million to reach
an all-time high of $83 million
Faculty at MSU-Bozeman don't wait for things to happen. They make things happen. Faculty here are incredibly adventurous about
finding scholarly opportunities for themselves and for their students. And it shows.Research expenditures climbed an unprecedented
$16 million to reach an all-time high of $83 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Credit for this 24 percent increase
goes to MSU's entrepreneurial faculty and staff. Without them and their eagerness to pursue opportunities that would have been
unreachable 10 years ago, we would not be experiencing such tremendous growth in the number and quality of creative projects on
this campus.These grant dollars-two-thirds of which are spent here in Montana-make university research one of the fastest growing industries in the state right now. The payoffs are multiple. Research dollars put money into the local and state economies mainly in the form of salaries and taxes. Research dollars mean we can buy much-needed equipment that gives students the hands-on training required for future careers. Students also receive direct support in the form of scholarships, fellowships and other awards through grant expenditures-to the tune of several million dollars each year. Local companies have access to tools and technology too expensive to buy or develop on their own.
I have good reason to believe this trend in research growth will continue and expect MSU research dollars to reach $100 million in 2005. My optimism centers on the fact that we are able to successfully recruit and hire grant-active faculty. In addition, we continue to carefully invest federal funds in a research infrastructure that helps make us competitive at the national level. Roughly 1,500 projects are currently being conducted on our campus, and we have selected a handful to showcase in this issue. You can read about an interdisciplinary group of scientists, for example, that is exploring the possibilities of the highly promising field of nanotechnology. Another group has partnered with local industry on what may be the latest improvement on radar, that World War II invention that has become so everyday as to influence how microwave ovens work. Other scientists here have gained international stature for their explorations of snow and ice as well as the biological diversity of thermophilic organisms in Yellowstone National Park.
You can also read about a historian who has carefully gathered and researched Depression-era photographs of Montana and about a former student who has edited a successful new book on traditional Crow culture. I am extremely grateful for the vitality of the humanities on this campus and the quality of our faculty's creative activities.
I hope you like what you read.
Tom McCoy
MSU Vice President for Research,
Creativity and Technology Transfer
Life on Ice | Big things from tiny technology | Avalanche Research | Searching Through Hell
Genetics are key to those amber waves of grain | From the bone beds and back
Finding hope in hard times | Group rethinks radar with lasers and crystals | Foreword | Home
Student passion, purpose create "Way of the Warrior"
Chemistry sounded good until the sinus infections
Research Notes | Faculty and Student Awards | Research Expenditures for Fiscal Year 2003
(c)2003 Montana State University-Bozeman For permission to reprint any part of this report, contact:
Editor • Report on Research • P.O. Box 172460 • Bozeman, MT 59717-2460 • (406) 994-5607
Genetics are key to those amber waves of grain | From the bone beds and back
Finding hope in hard times | Group rethinks radar with lasers and crystals | Foreword | Home
Student passion, purpose create "Way of the Warrior"
Chemistry sounded good until the sinus infections
Research Notes | Faculty and Student Awards | Research Expenditures for Fiscal Year 2003
(c)2003 Montana State University-Bozeman For permission to reprint any part of this report, contact:
Editor • Report on Research • P.O. Box 172460 • Bozeman, MT 59717-2460 • (406) 994-5607