Building Kentucky's New Economy with EPSCoR

肯塔基大学研究基金会提交的这项提案旨在提高肯塔基州联邦的研发(R&A；D)竞争力。这将通过在全州范围内加强研究基础设施和专门知识，并集中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)投资于教育、外展和多样性。第一个问题将通过发展国家新经济优先事项清单上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的纳米技术研究设施和资源进行战略性改进，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，将这一新兴领域与现有的功能基因组学和蛋白质组学基础设施相结合。最后，虚拟环境计划将加强英国和肯塔基州新经济办公室在可视化方面的重大但尚处于萌芽阶段的努力，以实现国际公认的尖端研究、教育和产业拓展。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，包括提高环境问题能力水平和公众意识的综合计划。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一个延续将通过特雷西·法默环境中心协调西部地区，该中心最近在英国校园用私人资金建立。此外，肯塔基州将推行一项积极的计划，通过研究加强资助计划和暑期研究计划，增加全州科学专业知识的多样性，这两项计划的重点都是让本科生女性和少数族裔进入科学事业。

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.