Updates presented by Dr. Michael Khonsari at the Board of Regents’ August 27 meeting highlighted that since 1987, the Regents have provided $56.9 million in Support Fund matches for EPSCoR projects funded by six Federal agencies (National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Commerce). The $362.6 million in EPSCoR grants (a $6.37:$1 direct return on investment) from these six agencies only begins to capture the pervasive effects on research and education within Louisiana. Resulting initiatives have directly impacted students and faculty at four-year campuses and community colleges across the State.
Dr. Khonsari also announced recent awards which continue this impressive trend:
- A collaborative project, between Louisiana and Mississippi to establish the Smart MATerials Design, Analysis, and Processing (SMATDAP) consortium (NSF EPSCoR Track 2). Federal funds awarded: $3.251 million
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) discovery camps for students and teachers that can be replicated across the State (NSF EPSCoR Track 3). Federal funds awarded: $749,000
- A Department of Energy project entitled “Building Neutron Scattering Infrastructure in Louisiana for Advanced Materials,” which seeks to build a regional base of users of the Spallation Neutron Source and High Flux Isotope Reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Federal funds awarded: $4.949 million
Collectively these three awards bring almost $9 million to Louisiana. Only the Department of Energy award required State matching and was provided with $500,000 from the Board of Regents Support Fund, resulting in a $10:$1 direct return on investment. The success of other proposals was made possible in part by the existing deep infrastructure and support for Federal programs already in place at the Regents.