Baylor University
AC-10: Support for Research

Baylor University strongly encourages all undergraduates to engage in research. Toward this end, Baylor has established the Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Achievement (URSA) Program. The URSA program stretches across all departments and programs to assist students as they connect with Baylor professors and begin conducting research.

Students are encouraged to begin collaborating with professors on research projects as early as the first semester of their freshman year. Students begin their research process by first coordinating and working with Dr. Susan Bratton, Director of URSA and professor of environmental science.

Baylor University does not have a specific program to encourage sustainability research. Instead we offer a variety of internal research funding opportunities that support the research activities of our faculty. 20% of faculty who conducted sustainability research during FY 14 were supported with internal awards.

Faculty and students in the Department of Environmental Science (ENV) routinely engage in interdisciplinary research, which is supported by several core laboratories located in the Baylor University Sciences Building.

1. Aquatic Sciences

ENV faculty are affiliated with the Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research (CRASR). CRASR maintains a core water science laboratory that is managed by Dr. Jeff Back. This laboratory operates under a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved Quality Management Plan. It supports analysis of traditional water quality parameters such as nutrients and total organic carbon.

CRASR is a partnership between Baylor University and the City of Waco Water Utilities. Evidence of this fruitful partnership is the Lake Waco Wetland facility . This facility includes a 1,500 sq. ft. wet lab for research. In collaboration with Drs. Ryan King and Robert Doyle at Baylor, Dr. Bryan Brooks recently developed a world class outdoor experimental stream mesocosm facility at the Lake Waco Wetlands. Drs. Cole Matson and Bryan Brooks are actively using this facility to study environmental risks of nanomaterials and organic contaminants

2. Mass Spectrometry Center

State-of-the-science mass spectrometry instrumentation is available to Environmental Science researchers and colleagues throughout the college of Arts and Sciences. The Mass Spectrometry Center houses many advanced instruments (e.g., GC-MSMS, LC-MSMS, ICP-MS, ICR-FTMS) that are capable of quantifying analytes at environmentally relevant concentrations and qualitatively determining extremely complex chemical patterns within a wide array of sample types. This instrumentation is routinely utilized for research projects being conducted by Environmental Science Faculty and students. Dr. Alejandro J. Ramirez, whose expertise is analysis of trace environmental contaminants in various matrices, manages this center.

3. Molecular Biosciences Center

The Molecular Biosciences Center (MBC) is a core research facility whose goal is to enable, enhance, expand, and encourage molecular bioscience research. The center currently provides researchers with facilities for DNA sequencing, flow cytometry, real time- PCR, confocal and fluorescence microscopy, BSL-1 and BSL-2 cell culture, as well equipment and instrumentation for a variety of other techniques. Digital photo documentation stations are located within the center for obtaining high-quality fluorescence (including multifluorescence), phosphorimaging, chemiluminescence, and bioluminescence digital images. Various laboratory supplies, equipment, and bench space are available for carrying out common molecular techniques such as gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and ELISA; and (short-term) cold storage space is available at 2oC, -15oC, -80oC, and liquid nitrogen. In addition to assisting with the training of undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty/staff on the instrumentation located in the center, the MBC also offers guidance in various molecular techniques , protocol development, and troubleshooting.

Interdisciplinary research is encouraged and faculty include their own interdisciplinary research as a part of a broad portfolio for tenure promotions.

The mission of the Baylor University Libraries is to support excellence in teaching and learning, enhance research and discovery, and foster scholarship and success by providing academic life centers, scholarly resources, and technological innovation.
The Libraries will accomplish the mission by:

Developing and implementing appropriate strategies to support student success
Providing an infrastructure that effectively supports the academic mission of Baylor University
Building, preserving and providing access to collections, especially those unique to Baylor University
Developing partnerships and enhancing relationships locally, regionally and nationally to promote the reputation of the Libraries and the University and ensuring effective resource management
Highlighting collections, services and facilities through strategic engagement
Sustaining and promoting a culture of efficient and effective administrative practices

The Libraries provide a wealth of support for researchers interested in a variety of disciplines, including sustainability.