EPSCoR: Research Infrastructure for Nevada's Growth - Targeting Research With Uniqueness and Excellence (RING-TRUE)

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EPS-9977809ColemanThis project will enhance the research infrastructure in the state of Nevada's major academic research institutions. The University and Community College System of Nevada identified three scientific focal areas as a basis for building research capabilities at the University of Nevada - Reno (UNR), the University of Nevada - Las Vegas (UNL), and the Desert Research Institute (DRI). The areas selected are 1) nutritional genomics, 2) interdisciplinary science of Nevada's unique environments, and 3) interface materials science and engineering.The project will establish the Nevada Center for Nutritional Genomics, intended to a national center for engineering plants and foodstuffs with increased level of nutrients essential for the health and well-being of humans. The Center will involve researchers at both the Reno and Las Vegas campuses of the University of Nevada. Four tenure-track faculty positions will be established and state of the art research equipment will be installed.In the area of environmental research, two unique research sites in the Mohave desert and in the Lake Tahoe watershed will be used to create a research infrastructure to encourage collaborations involving scientists at UNR, UNL and DRI. Research will be centered on environmental problems that result from Nevada's unique environment and rapid population growth. Start up costs will be provided for new faculty and a seed grant program established to initiate research projects at the targeted research sites.UNR, UNL and DRI intend to develop their interface science programs in three areas that these institutions have existing strength and that are of particular relevance to the state of Nevada. Research will focus on 1) environmental and geochemical materials, 2) electroluminescent materials, and 3) testing and modification of complex materials such as fiber-reinforced, polymer-based composites. New senior and junior faculty will be hired to increase the universities' critical mass in the field, and new specialized equipment will be acquired and existing equipment upgraded.