Missouri University of Science and Technology
AC-10: Support for Research

Missouri S&T’s encourages student research in sustainability through the Energy Research & Development Center and Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Program. These programs provide incentives for students to conduct research in sustainability. Incentives include fellowships and financial support. Energy Research and Development Center The mission of the Energy Research & Development Center is to educate students in energy topics to solve problems of society and to deliver solutions for energy-related issues, by forming collaborative relationships with industry and government, for the benefit of the university, the state of Missouri and the nation. One of the objectives of the ERDC is to stimulate and facilitate systematic, energy-related student research experiences. OURE Missouri S&T’s Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience (OURE) program provides incentives for undergraduate students to engage in sustainability research or other research projects with Missouri S&T faculty. The purpose of OURE is to expand opportunities for a more active form of learning by students, encourage the interaction of undergraduate students with faculty, expand the level of research activity on the campus, help recruit superior students into our graduate program, and demonstrate that teaching and research are compatible and mutually reinforcing. OURE students are awarded a stipend of $1000.00 to be offered in two payments, with the second payment upon submission of a final report approved by their research advisor. OURE Fellows The OURE Fellows program was established to increase the quality of experiential learning for Missouri S&T students and to spark stronger interdisciplinary research practices among undergraduates. Funding in the amount of $25,000 has been made available to support interdisciplinary research projects for approximately ten (10) students. "Interdisciplinary" constitutes the combination of two or more academic disciplines or fields of study. To be considered, students must meet eligibility requirements and adhere to proposal guidelines.

Missouri S&T’s encourages faculty research in sustainability through the Energy Research & Development Center, Environmental Research Center and Rock Mechanics and Explosives Research Center. These programs provide incentives for faculty to conduct research in sustainability. Incentives include fellowships, recognition and financial support. Energy Research and Development Center- The mission of the Energy Research & Development Center is to educate students in energy topics to solve problems of society and to deliver solutions for energy-related issues, by forming collaborative relationships with industry and government, for the benefit of the university, the state of Missouri and the nation. Benefits of affiliation with the ERDC include assistance with grant applications, access to seed funding for new ideas, matching funding on proposals, travel funds, and interaction with other faculty with similar interests. All interested faculty are invited to attend one of the investigator meetings (typically held once or twice a semester) or contact the center directly. In order to support the strategic goals of the Missouri University of Science and Technology, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. National Energy Policy, the goals and objectives of the Energy Research and Development Center include the following: 1. Pursue funding that will develop a core of energy-issue specialists through graduate-level work associated with this area of national need; 2. Facilitate growth in the amount of external energy-related research funding by faculty at Missouri S&T; 3. Research, develop and assist in commercializing environmentally friendly energy sources; 4. Develop and deliver energy assistance programs, educational programs and technology transfer materials to Missouri residents, the University community and interested organizations and groups across the country; 5. Develop a strong, energy-related academic presence at Missouri S&T in the form of curricular programs and campus-wide collaboration; 6. Stimulate and facilitate systematic, energy-related student research experiences; 7. Secure industry participation in energy-rated research, developing an industry consortium; and 8. Assist energy-related industries who are interested in locating in the Missouri S&T Technology Park Environmental Research Center The mission of the ERCEC is to establish the infrastructure and coordinated faculty base to conduct a wide range of large-scale externally-funded research initiatives designed to protect public health from emerging contaminants." "The vision of the ERCEC is to establish Missouri S&T and the UM System as the recognized leading research institution focused on the fate, effects and control of emerging contaminants." Emerging contaminants include compounds and microorganisms that have just recently begun to be released into the environment, or that have significant health effects that have only recently been understood Rock Mechanics Explosive Research Center- The Rock Mechanics & Explosives Research Center (RMERC), founded in 1964, provides research leadership in a broad range of scientific and engineering fields with emphasis on activities centered on or related to the mineral resource lease. The Center serves the mining and petroleum industries, the nuclear industry, geological science and engineering and the related wider industrial manufacturing community. A particular emphasis is to foster innovative and responsive research in rock physics and all fields of science and engineering that deal with rock, including energy production, mining, geology, geophysics, nuclear and related fields. One of the current research focus areas is Fossil, Nuclear & Innovative Sources of Energy Supply. Research in this area includes both traditional and unusual sources of fossil energy, as well as nuclear power and space-based solar power. This thrust area complements work of the Energy Research and Development Center by focusing on geologic sources of energy-generating fuels as well as on all areas where mining and minerals can be used to improve the energy sustainability of human society. Missouri S&T has created a signature research areas . The 4 areas are : Advanced Manufacturing, Advanced Materials for Sustainable Infrastructure, Enabling Materials for Extreme Environments, and Smart living. With these 4 research areas, Missouri S&T has implemented a fund to be able to recruit the best in class faculty and researchers for these signature areas. Smart living has led to multi research projects in our living lab of the Solar and Eco Villages.

Missouri S&T acknowledges interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and tenure decisions. Objective 3 of Missouri S&T’s Strategic Plan (referenced below) addresses elevating the University’s research performance and expanding and increasing interdisciplinary research initiatives of national significance. Progress indicators include measuring the increased number of interdisciplinary research centers and the scholarly work of tenured and tenure-track faculty. Strategic Objective 3: Expand and Elevate Research Performance and Reputation Missouri S&T will enhance its research activity and performance to be recognized as a top five technological research university, distinguishing itself by interdisciplinary collaborations of national significance. Goal: 3.1 Expand and increase interdisciplinary research initiatives of national significance. [OPR: VPR, CDs, and DCs] Progress Indicators: o Number of interdisciplinary research centers with at least $3M per year in research expenditures, with a goal of increasing by four the number of such centers. o Number of NSF Engineering Research Centers or centers of similar stature, with a goal of an increase of one. Goal 3.2 Increase externally sponsored program expenditures. [OPR: VPR] Progress Indicators (see Table 5 for baseline data): o Externally sponsored program expenditures per tenured/tenure-track faculty member, with a goal of increasing expenditures by 40%. o Total externally sponsored program expenditures, with a goal of increasing by 50%. Goal 3.3 Increase scholarly performance, productivity, and national reputation. [OPR: Provost, VPR, VPAA, VPGS, and DCs] Progress Indicators (see Table 5 for baseline data): o Number of scholarly works per tenured/tenure-track faculty FTE, with a goal of increasing by 25%. (Academic Analytics data for Fall 2009 is the baseline.) o Number of Ph.D. degrees awarded, with a goal of increasing by 50%. (Baseline is 2007 and target year is 2016.) o Number of Missouri S&T graduates accepting faculty positions in higher education, with a goal of increasing by 15. o Number of full-time faculty in leadership positions, with fellow status, in professional societies, or receiving professional technical society level research awards, with a goal of increasing by 15. o Number of faculty on intergovernmental personnel assignment or research leave, with a goal of increasing by 6.

The library provides extensive access journals, and databases that cover all aspects of the sustainability. A few examples are from the Browzine Library: Energy & Environmental Science, Bioremediation Journal, Carbon Balance and Management, International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control and of Databases: GreenFILE, Environmental Engineering Abstracts, and Compendex. More importantly the library has developed subject guides that lead students and faculty to resources.

□ The website URL where information about the student research program is available https://ugs.mst.edu/experientiallearning/oure/ □ The website URL where information about the faculty research program is available http://research.mst.edu/