Left:Fred Ogden | Right:John E. McInroy | Not Shown: Doug Smith, Daniel A. Buttry

Defense Department Funds UW Science and Engineering Research

May 28, 2007 - The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded approximately $1.4 million to the University of Wyoming for three research projects important to national defense.

UW was among 13 academic institutions in nine states awarded a total of $7 million under the fiscal 2007 Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR), which is designed to expand research opportunities in states traditionally receiving the least federal support funding for university research.

Funding was awarded to these principal investigators:

• Daniel A. Buttry, Department of Chemistry, "Experimental and Theoretical Study of the Combined Influence of Mechanical and Chemical Stress on Pit Initiation."
• John E. McInroy, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, "Coordinated Hyperspectral Imagine Nano-Satellite Networks for Space Situational Awareness."
• Fred Ogden, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, "Identification of Hydrologic Similarity in Military Operational Environments."

Doug Smith, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, also submitted a proposal for the competition. Smith's research was not funded through DEPSCoR, but has been selected by another DoD program for funding.

"Receiving funding for these projects again demonstrates that UW faculty are extremely competitive in obtaining federal research grants," says William Gern, UW vice president for research and economic development. "Our EPSCoR-funded research also has improved the state's science and engineering infrastructure, strengthened departmental and multidisciplinary research groups and improved technology-based economic initiatives," he says.

EPSCoR not only has brought millions of dollars into Wyoming, Gern says, it also has provided the basis to attract highly-competent researchers to the university, creating a strong research infrastructure to attract even more funding into the state.