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Five new proposals granted funding

Written by Sean Garmire -Argonaut

Friday, 21 April 2006

The University of Idaho has chosen five new programs that will share a $5.5 million investment over five years. The programs, part of UI President Tim White’s Plan for Renewal of People, Programs and Place, were selected by a committee from 43 proposals submitted last fall by the campus community. Eight projects were invited to be submitted for final proposals, which were critiqued by an 11-member committee and three peer reviewers from outside the university. The leaders of the new programs will begin working to implement them this summer. They will present their project plans to the university in the fall and will prepare annual reports to be submitted to the university for review. Three of the programs will receive $1.6 million and will result in new graduate programs on campus. One of the programs will develop research in nanotechnology — tiny machines, small enough to enter pathways of human cells — for use in medicine and research. Graduate degrees and research funding will be offered through the program. The team of seven faculty members will be led by David McIlroy, associate professor of physics. “It would be a new area of degree opportunities that really aren’t available in the U.S.,” McIlroy said. “There’s a lot of stuff you can do with nanotechnology.” Another program sharing the $1.6 million investment will be a water resources program employing 25 faculty members, led by Jan Boll, associate professor of agricultural engineering. The program will create a water resources graduate degree. The third program is titled “Building Sustainable Communities: A New University and Community Partnership,” and will be led by Steve Hollenhorst, chair of the Conservation Social Sciences Department, and a team of 13 faculty and staff. The initiative will seek to build an academic program in land planning, community design, sustainable community outreach, and training for elected officials and professionals to sustainably manage community resources. Maxine Dakins, associate professor of environmental science, and Chris Dixon, academic and administrative coordinator of the environmental science program, will use $450,000 to work with a team of faculty, staff and students to implement ecologically sustainable ideas at the university and throughout the state. A campus-wide program will use $225,000 to establish an interdisciplinary, credited program concerning professional ethics, diversity and social justice. The three proposals that were not funded focused on interdisciplinary research; establishing a collaborative science, technology and engineering partnership in Idaho; and creating a Northwest Center for Aquatic Animal Renewal meant to help retain American Indian students. The $5.5-million investment for the projects was redirected from already existing funds at the university and is being supplemented by private donors, said Margrit von Braun, dean of the College of Graduate Studies and the chair of the committee charged with choosing the programs. Braun said the new projects have already affected campus in positive ways. “What we saw was literally hundreds of students, faculty and staff come together to gel new ideas,” she said. “There were close to 200 people involved in this. That in itself is going to have a positive and lasting impact on the university.” Add as favorites (68) | Views: 1454 Be first to comment this article Write Comment Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code. Name: Title: Comment: