Three Texas Tech University researchers will share more than $1.66 million to enhance
their research efforts. The research ranges from paleoecology to nanotechnology to
a soil bio-diversity project.
Dean Smith, vice president for research at Texas Tech, announced the winners in the
second annual grant competition today (Friday) at a news conference in the Experimental
Sciences Building on the Texas Tech campus.
“It is imperative that Texas Tech increase its research capacity,” Smith said. “Research
is about creating new knowledge and solutions to better our society. Incentives such
as this grant competition send a clear signal that we are serious about supporting
our research efforts.”
The projects were selected from 75 applications submitted by Texas Tech researchers
from across the campus. Independent reviewers looked at the applications and made
recommendations to Smith.
“The three research projects selected exemplify the breadth of the excellent research
going on at Texas Tech,” said Jon Whitmore, Texas Tech University president. “I believe
it is important to note that each of these projects is interdisciplinary in nature
reaching across the campus to include experts in several fields.”
The grant money comes from the Research Development Fund, which was created by the
Texas Legislature to support research activities in higher education.
Winners are:
Randall Jeter, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, received
a $547,108 grant to hire graduate research assistants, post-doctoral associates and
to acquire soil moisture sensors and loggers. Jeter's research team is studying how
microorganisms in the soil interact with crop roots to try to determine if positive
effects can be enhanced as a way of improving agricultural production of crops, especially
cotton and peanuts.
Eileen Johnson, professor of museum science and curator of anthropology at the Museum
of Texas Tech University, received $612,376 to hire graduate research assistants,
post doctoral associates and other staff as well as to pay for services such as radiocarbon
dating and charcoal-based tree identification. Johnson’s team is studying landscape
development in an area on the southern edge of the Llano Estacado to determine how
the land looked before humans moved into the area, how the landscape has changed and
how people have made land use decisions over several thousand years.
Yanzhang Ma, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, received
$506,138 allowing the purchase of equipment. His project will establish a facility
to synthesize large amounts of novel nanomaterials and to explore their properties.
By creating a Wire Electrical Explosion Nonocrystalline Production System, the group
will be able to produce daily nanomaterials on a kilogram scale.
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CONTACT: Dean Smith, vice president for research, at (806) 742-3905 or via e-mail
at dean.smith@ttu.edu.