Scratch the surface or delve deep?

BY KELLY RUSCH

As an environmental engineer, what’s below the surface often provides interesting information. Blending what lies beneath, along with what appears in the road ahead, allows us to devise tailor-made solutions to meet unique challenges. The search for solutions drives both research and business.

At North Dakota State University in Fargo, research infrastructure is in place; new partnerships are underway and opportunities for faculty and students are being realized. NDSU ranks as one of the top 108 research universities in the country, according to the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, with annual research expenditures of $134 million. The economic impact of NDSU research activities totals an additional $74.8 million each year, based on a study by EMSI.

On average, NDSU processes three research grants daily and a private sector research agreement every week. Cumulatively, NDSU has executed more than 300 private-sector research agreements over five years.

As the new vice president for research and creative activity at NDSU, I have the privilege of building upon the strong foundation laid by Philip Boudjouk, NDSU’s first vice president for research. I look forward to expanding the research footprint across the entire university.

We have more than scratched the surface and are poised to deepen research partnerships with local to global companies. Boudjouk, as executive director of corporate research relations, will now work to enhance corporate research partnerships to bring NDSU-developed technologies to the marketplace.

Opportunities lie ahead. Consider statistics from the National Science Foundation’s Science & Engineering Indicators issued in 2012:

• The business sector performed an estimated $282 billion of R&D in 2009, or 71 percent of the U.S. total

• Universities and colleges provided about 53 percent of all U.S. basic research

• Business provided the largest source of funding for applied research at 48 percent

• Median age of scientists and engineers in the U.S. workforce rose from 37 to 41 from 1993 to 2008 and those over age 50 increased from 18 percent to 27 percent

As the Greater North Dakota Chamber continues discussions to identify higher education programming that produces a workforce to meet the needs of tomorrow’s businesses, we will also deepen research relationships with the private sector that will increase our research portfolio and provide invaluable opportunities for student-enhanced learning. Initiatives with the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corp. and state Department of Commerce will continue.

A state-of-the-art 35,000 square-foot research lab addition to Research 1 in NDSU’s Research and Technology Park opened this fall, providing additional research opportunities with the private sector. The $9 million addition was funded the by U.S. Department of Commerce/National Institute of Standards and Technology and the North Dakota Centers of Excellence Enhancement Program.

We are working to strengthen our ties to business, thus expanding the possibilities for businesses, researchers and students. Going forward, the multidisciplinary nature of NDSU research can help businesses connect the dots to solve competitive challenges.

By taking research collaborations further, our deepened partnerships will take students, faculty, and businesses farther. Such ties help to forge the region’s bright economic future. PB

Kelly Rusch

Vice President for Research and Creative Activity

Dakota State University