Allow me to begin this story with the name of a research project from University of Memphis chemistry professor Kensha Clark:
“Exocyclic Imine Ligands for Electron Transfer.”
Piece of cake, right?
While such a project might not seem comprehensible to most outside the field of chemistry, it scored Clark a $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that will start July 1, according to a university release. And awards like these are crucial for U of M as it looks to keep its status as a top-tier research university.
In Mid-December, U of M gained R1 status from the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education, a highly coveted designation that local leaders say can be an economic boon for not just the school, but the entire city.
Once you gain R1 status, however, you must retain it — Carnegie releases new rankings every three years — and a key part of that is research expenditures. So, faculty members like Clark have to keep churning out research proposals that bring in high-dollar grants.
Clark’s research is expected to help develop new synthetic strategies for metal ions, which could have an impact on a variety of areas — like computing, grid energy storage, medical devices, and sustainable chemical processes via artificial photosynthesis.
Her NSF grant — part of the NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development Program — will also provide opportunities for incoming STEM majors, through a boot camp that should facilitate a smooth transition into university-level coursework. They’ll be introduced to support resources; STEM-based clubs and activities on campus; opportunities for undergraduate research in her laboratory; and exercises that help strengthen their critical thinking skills.
Another U of M faculty member, Daniel Foti, also recently scored a grant from the NSF, an Engineering Research Initiative award worth $198,766.
An assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Foti’s project is titled “Formation Mechanisms and Modeling of Wake Meandering in Wind Farms,” and he hopes to have an impact on the wind energy industry. The goal is to lead to improvements of levelized cost of wind energy, which could ultimately help lead to a further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
These aren’t the only grants U of M professors have earned recently. Below are examples of awards given to U of M in February:
- Lan Wang, of the Department of Computer Science, was awarded $906,190 from Perspecta Labs Inc., with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Ophrah Payne, of the Upward Bound Program, was awarded $297,600 from the U.S. Department of Education
- Gregory Washington, of the School of Social Work, was awarded $250,757 from the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis
- Alexander Headley, of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, awarded $84,620 from Sandia National Laboratories with the U.S. Department of Energy
In addition to research expenditures, an important part of retaining R1 status will be securing more funding from the state of Tennessee.
U of M president David Rudd told MBJ in early January they had already requested gubernatorial support for a $50 million research sustainability endowment from the state. The endowment would be matched dollar-for-dollar by the U of M, making it into a $100 million sustainability fund.
This fund will provide about $4 million to $6 million each year for research sustainability and targeted investments in doctoral programs, research activity, and professors. The one-time, $50 million allocation was also part of Gov. Bill Lee’s budget recommendations for FY 2022-23, released on Jan. 31.
