USTAR Capital Investments Expanding Research Capacity in Utah
People familiar with USTAR are aware of the significant building projects happening at Utah State University (USU) and the University of Utah (U of U). Both of these new interdisciplinary research centers will greatly enhance the state's ability to pursue innovative science and commercialization.
What may be less well known is the impact USTAR has already had on Utah's research capacity through investments in state-of-the-art equipment and lab facilities. These investments range from less than $100,000 to $3 million, and they form a critical component in the effort to attract world-class researchers while also benefiting other researchers at USU and the U of U.
One example is the 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device brought to the U of U's Brain Institute to support three USTAR teams. The MRI device was recently made available at no charge to six other university researchers pursuing pilot programs in such areas as cortical electrode implants for artificial vision, and bipolar and other neuropsychiatric disorders. The goal of the pilot studies is to provide "proof of concept" results to secure larger research grants.
Another example is the pair of scanning electron microscopes brought to the U of U when Dr. Marc Porter joined the USTAR Biomedical Sensors team. These devices, located in the Physics and Engineering departments, are available to all department faculty for their individual projects. As non-USTAR researcher Jordan Gerton (Dept. of Physics) said, "The infrastructure for nanoscience has been improved in recent years, and USTAR has actually played a large part in that. USTAR has brought not just talent but also important infrastructure. That really enables not just USTAR researchers to do their work but also the people who are already here to do their work. That's been one of the really strong and important benefits of the USTAR program."
An example from USU is LIDAR Assisted Stereo Scopic Imaging (LASSI) equipment acquired to support the USTAR Center for Active Sensing and Imaging (CASI). CASI's LASSI system is an integral part of several USU research projects outside of USTAR. According to CASI executive director Bob Barson, the system has been used for soils/landslide studies, a vegetation study on the Colorado River, an ecology study on the drainages surrounding Dinosaur National Monument, and most recently, snow pack studies.
USTAR funding also allowed USU to open a clinical-trial kitchen, currently being used to prepare meals rich in phytosterols for a human trial studying ways to reduce cholesterol absorption. The Center for Advanced Nutrition plans further studies that promise breakthroughs in fighting cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions.
At the U of U, the Energy & Geoscience Institute secured high-end geologic analysis devices when Dr. Brian McPherson joined the staff to pursue carbon sequestration research. A Terratek geomechanics test system is used to simulate the behavior of CO2 in mile-deep saline reservoirs, a key consideration in developing this exciting technology to mitigate greenhouse gases. A Quemscan electron microprobe qualitatively determines the mineralogy of core-drilled rock samples.
"The Quemscan can tell you how much quartz or feldspar is in the strata, what the porosity of the rock is, and other factors in the strata's composition. The outputs of these both devices are all tied into numerical modeling software to represent what's going on deep underground," said EGI lab technician Rich Esser, adding that other EGI researchers are using the devices on an ongoing basis.
Finally, as part of the recent infusion of ARRA funds, USTAR is allocating $500,000 each to two significant infrastructure projects. One is to expand USU's Energy Dynamics Lab, and the second is to create a biomedical prototyping facility at the U of U. The prototyping facility will speed the ability to move innovations quickly from the lab bench to the marketplace. Both facilities will benefit all university researchers and industry collaborators.
The U of U and USU each have Industry Sponsored Research programs that enable industry to access these and other equipment and facilities. USTAR stands ready to broker relationships with those program offices. Contact ustarinfo@utah.gov for more information.
About USTAR
The Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR) is a long-term, state-funded investment to strengthen Utah's "knowledge economy" and generate high-paying jobs. Funded in March 2006 by the State Legislature, USTAR is based on three program areas. The first area involves funding for strategic investments at the University of Utah and Utah State University to recruit world-class researchers. The second area is to build state-of-the-art interdisciplinary facilities at these institutions for the innovation teams. The third program area involves teams that work with companies and entrepreneurs across the State to promote science, innovation, and commercialization activities. For more information, go to www.innovationutah.com or follow http://twitter.com/Innovationutah.
