Transcript Iowa THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering. “We.

Iowa
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF)
is the only federal agency whose mission includes support
for all fields of fundamental science and engineering.
“We know that meeting society’s most important
challenges requires a holistic approach ,involving both
scientific and creative forms of inquiry…Our faculty work
across disciplinary boundaries to achieve their research
and technology transfer goals.”
BY THE NUMBERS
IOWA IN FY 2011
$55 Million: NSF funds awarded
25th: National ranking in NSF funds
17: NSF-funded institutions
218: NSF grants awarded
3: NSF research centers/facilities
−Sharron S. Quisenberry, PhD
Iowa St. U. VP for Research and Economic Development
EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED RESEARCH IN IOWA
Scientists have discovered that modern cotton differs from forms domesticated by early
farmers. The study reveals genes responsible for modern cotton’s commercially important
properties, providing new opportunities for further enhancement of the crop through breeding.
Researchers from the University of Iowa are studying how to prevent wireless network
performance losses. Industry entities like National Instruments, Qualcomm, and CISCO have
already begun to notice the potential benefits of this research.
Using terahertz instrumentation acquired with support from NSF’s Major Research
Instrumentation Program, researchers at Iowa State University have developed methods to
noninvasively determine the integrity of structures such as windmill turbine blades. Identifying
anomalies in complex materials allows manufacturers to improve production methods.
Courtesy: www.research.gov/seeinnovation
INVESTMENT IN NSF = INVESTMENT IN IOWA INNOVATION
University of Iowa (UI) research injected almost
$963 million into Iowa’s economy in FY 2009.1
The UI Research Foundation filed 128 patent
applications for inventions in FY 2009 and earned
more than $24 million in license revenue.1
In FY 2010, Iowa State University (ISU) received
$190 million in federal funding, and income from
ISU licensing activity was $9.8 million dollars.2
Over the last 50 years, ISU researchers have
received more than 30 R&D 100 awards, which
salute the 100 most technologically significant
products introduced into the marketplace each
year.2
In FY 2010, a total of over 1,000 active
technologies were based on ISU research.2
1
University of Iowa Economic Impact Study (2010).
Making a Difference: Research and Economic Development, 2011
Research Highlights. Iowa State University.
2
Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)  1527 Eighteenth Street, NW  Washington, DC 20036  www.cnsfweb.org
Iowa
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
(NSF) not only funds cutting-edge research at
institutions across the country; NSF’s education
initiatives ensure the U.S. will remain a global
leader in innovation for generations to come.
Since 1952, NSF has supported
42,000 graduate students through
research fellowships.
Iowa received $3.3 million in NSF
educational and human resource
funding in FY 2011.
EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN IOWA
Educators at the Center for Biorenewable Chemicals, an Engineering Research Center led by
Iowa State University, recently established a new graduate minor in biorenewable chemicals.
As it trains and educates future U.S. workers, the degree program will further the Center's
efforts to transform the basis of industrial chemical production from petroleum to renewable
resources.
The Turtle Camp Research and Education in Ecology program, located in Iowa and funded
by NSF, allows high-school and undergraduate students to spend several weeks helping
scientists study the painted turtle, Chrysemys picta. The program also provides students the
opportunity to communicate the biological importance of their research to the general public.
NSF-funded researchers identified a number of factors that can help U.S. adolescents
achieve positive employment, education, and family outcomes as they move toward
adulthood in the 21st century. The research results provide a foundation for evidence-based
policies to strengthen employment, increase the chances of stable marriages, and enhance
equal opportunities.
Courtesy: www.research.gov/seeinnovation
“…there is a pressing economic and social need for more education in science and engineering…Our future is
certainly based on knowledge. And technical knowledge certainly plays a primary role in today’s world.”
−University of Iowa President Sally Mason, PhD
“[Iowa State] has done a very, very good job of transferring its innovation and faculty scholarship outside the
campus where it makes a difference in society.”
−Iowa State University President Steven Leath, PhD
Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)  1527 Eighteenth Street, NW  Washington, DC 20036  www.cnsfweb.org