AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University researchers have so far won 19 grants worth a total of $7.7 million from federal agencies awarding money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The grants range from $2 million for a study of a bio-engineering technology that could produce biological hydrocarbons for biofuels to $600,000 for a study of cell membranes to $51,710 for a study of how the Ebola virus can inhibit a body's antiviral response. Fifteen of the grants are from the National Science Foundation and four are from the National Institutes of Health.
"These competitive grants are another example of Iowa State researchers leveraging the university's strengths in science and technology," said Sharron Quisenberry, Iowa State's vice president for research and economic development. "These grants will allow Iowa State researchers to build their research programs, work with more students and advance their projects. The ultimate benefit will be to advance our knowledge and, ultimately, to provide for the well-being of people in Iowa as we build a better future."
The recovery and reinvestment act provided the National Institutes of Health with $8.2 billion and the National Science Foundation with $3 billion to help stimulate the country's economy by supporting scientific research.
Arden L. Bement Jr., the director of the National Science Foundation, said the funding is "sorely needed to ensure that America remains a leader in science and engineering research and education."
Emily Smith, an Iowa State assistant professor of chemistry, agrees the stimulus funding can help build America's scientific expertise.
She said research grants – even for highly rated proposals – have been hard to come by, especially for junior faculty. And that makes it difficult to advance projects, build careers and prepare the next generation of science leaders.
The stimulus funding allowed the National Science Foundation to award Smith a five-year, $600,000 CAREER award. The foundation's CAREER awards are designed to boost the careers of junior faculty.
Smith will use the award to advance her studies of cell membranes. She's working to understand how the molecules that make up cell membranes organize and interact with each other. These measurements are needed to understand how cells receive information from their environment and respond to outside signals.
The award will also allow Smith to hire two graduate students for each of the grant's five years.
"It's important for the research agencies to support young faculty," Smith said. "It allows young faculty to move up the ranks and become established researchers. This helps young faculty grow."
Here are Iowa State's other grants and lead researchers supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
Contacts:
Sharron Quisenberry, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, (515) 294-1785, sharronq@iastate.edu
Emily Smith, Chemistry, (515) 294-1424, esmith1@iastate.edu
Mike Krapfl, News Service (515) 294-4917, mkrapfl@iastate.edu