Building Kentucky's New Economy with EPSCoR

摘要肯塔基大学研究基金会提交的提案旨在提高肯塔基州的研发竞争力。这将通过在全州范围内增加研究基础设施和专业知识，并将重点放在该州新经济战略计划所关注的领域来实现。KY EPSCoR建议通过实施两个关键机制来提高该州的研发竞争力：(1)投资于基础设施改善；(2)在教育、推广和多样性方面的投资。第一个问题将通过发展国家新经济优先清单上的五个研究领域中的三个来解决：(a)纳米技术（重点是传感器），(b)生物技术（专门研究代谢组学）和(c)信息技术（特别是在虚拟环境领域）。这项工作将集中在三所大学：肯塔基大学（英国）、路易斯维尔大学（UL）和肯塔基州立大学（KSU）。纳米技术倡议的目标是通过对全州纳米技术研究设施和资源的战略性改进，创建一个具有全国竞争力的研究和教育中心。代谢组学计划的目的是通过在UL建立一个最先进的中心，将这一新兴领域与功能基因组学和蛋白质组学的现有基础设施整合起来。最后，虚拟环境倡议将加强英国和肯塔基州新经济办公室的一项重要但尚处于萌芽阶段的努力，使国际公认的、领先的可视化研究、教育和工业推广成为可能。第二项投资是对拟议的基础设施改善倡议的更广泛影响的贡献，包括提高环境问题的能力和公众意识水平的全面计划。东肯塔基大学的一个新研究所将协调该州东部的努力。肯塔基州环境研究和教育联盟的延续将通过特蕾西·法默环境中心协调西部地区，该中心最近在英国校园由私人基金建立。此外，肯塔基州将推行一项积极的计划，通过“研究增强拨款计划”和“夏季研究计划”，增加全州科学专业知识的多样性，这两项计划的重点都是将本科女性和少数民族纳入科学事业。

ABSTRACTThe proposal submitted by the University of Kentucky Research Foundation aims at increasing the Commonwealth of Kentucky's research and development (R&D) competitiveness. This will be accomplished by augmenting the research infrastructure and expertise statewide and concentrating on those areas in which the State's New Economy strategic plan has focused. The KY EPSCoR proposes to increase the State's R&D competitiveness by implementing two key mechanisms: (1) an investment in infrastructure improvement; and (2) an investment in education, outreach, and diversity. The first will be addressed by developing three of the five research areas at the top of the State's New Economy priority list: (a) nanotechnology (with an emphasis on sensors), (b) biotechnology (specializing in metabolomics), and (c) information technology (specifically in the virtual environments area). This effort will be concentrated at three universities: the University of Kentucky (UK), the University of Louisville (UL), and Kentucky State University (KSU). The objective of the nanotechnology initiative is to create a nationally competitive research and education center through strategic improvements in the nanotechnology research facilities and resources throughout the State. The purpose of the metabolomics initiative is to integrate this emerging field with the existing infrastructure of functional genomics and proteomics through the establishment of a state-of-the-art center at UL. Finally, the virtual environments initiative will reinforce a significant but embryonic effort by UK and the Kentucky Office of the New Economy to enable internationally recognized, leading-edge research, education, and industrial outreach in visualization. The second investment constitutes a contribution to the broader impacts of the proposed infrastructure improvement initiatives, including a comprehensive plan to increase the level of competence and public awareness in environmental issues. A new institute at Eastern Kentucky University will coordinate efforts in the eastern part of the State. A continuation of the Kentucky Environmental Research and Educational Consortium will coordinate the western part through the Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment, recently established with private funds on the UK campus. Furthermore, Kentucky will pursue an aggressive plan to increase diversity in the scientific expertise across the State through the Research Enhancement Grant Program, and the Summer Research Program, both of which focus on bringing undergraduate women and minorities into the scientific enterprise.