President's Office
Monday Morning Memo
November 10, 2008
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Thanks, NMSU, for your support of the statewide bond issues! Tuesday's results certainly showed just how much we New Mexicans value lifelong learning throughout our state. This is a great outcome and a big investment in our future.
This morning, let's exercise our bragging rights in regards to our research endeavors. This is a highly productive area in our university with each of our academic units involved in a great number of relevant, meaningful, and extraordinary research initiatives. Just in terms of sponsored projects (which is a fraction of our many active projects), NMSU realized significant research accomplishments in the past year, with research expenditures exceeding $141.5 million. Awards were up 9 percent to approximately $165,920,800. In addition, NMSU's research and development effort was ranked 28th among all institutions without a medical school, according to the latest National Science Foundation (NSF) report. The following provides a snapshot of NMSU's research achievements in two areas that have garnered public attention: aerospace and renewable resources, impacting issues of local, national, and international importance.
Aerospace
A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement has been established between NMSU's Physical Science Laboratory (PSL) and the Federal Aviation Administration to create the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Flight Test Center. This agreement facilitates research and development for diverse UAS applications, including homeland security, agriculture, defense, science, and UAS-enabling technologies.
PSL was recognized by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with the Robert H. Goddard Award for exceptional achievement in engineering for its work in the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility program.
We received a $9 million NSF grant for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey project being conducted by the Astrophysical Research Consortium. A consortium member, NMSU's Astronomy Department operates the Apache Point Observatory.
NASA's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) award to NMSU is the second in two consecutive years. This effort, a collaboration between the Departments of Astronomy and Electrical and Computer Engineering, will enhance NASA-related infrastructure and expand expertise in space instrumentation for future astrobiology missions.
Renewable resources
Our faculty and students are working together to develop a technical and economic roadmap for the use of algal feedstock to produce affordable biofuels for transportation and power production needs. New Mexico's ideal environment for producing large-scale algal biofuels can serve the nation's need for energy self-sufficiency and lead to a multi-billion dollar industry in New Mexico.
NMSU researchers funded by the Office of Naval Research are developing affordable technologies for desalination, which will have local, as well as national and international implications. Likewise, a statewide, NMSU-led NSF EPSCoR award for the study of climate change effects on New Mexico's mountain sources of water has far-reaching impacts. This award provides up to $20 million over a five-year period and will establish New Mexico as a laboratory for climate change research and a model for science-based public policy.
In the international arena, NMSU has established wide-ranging efforts from across the border to as far as Afghanistan. A three-year, $20-million AWATT (Afghanistan, Water, Agriculture, and Technology Transfer) project conducted by an NMSU-led consortium of universities in Afghanistan is aimed at rebuilding that nation's infrastructure and capabilities ravaged by years of war.
Again, these are only two highlights among many when it comes to research at NMSU. We have a myriad of exciting, cutting-edge, and relevant projects, and we invite our researchers to share their most important initiatives. Simply sum up your project (or do it with a photograph!) and send it to president@nmsu.edu, and we'll tell others about your work in future Monday Morning Memos.
Have a great week and Go Aggies!
Waded Cruzado
