Seven South Dakota university researchers awarded grants

PIERRE, S.D. – Competitive state grants awarded this week to seven public university faculty members will help advance their individual research projects. The state’s long-term goal, however, is to strengthen the capacity for research and technology development across the public university system.

“The availability of these competitive grants, matched by similar amounts from participating universities, helps grow the research enterprise on our campuses,” said Gary E. Johnson, system vice president of research for the South Dakota Board of Regents. The call for proposals in this year’s Competitive Research Grant Program resulted in 35 proposals requesting $2.6 million against the approximate $500,000 that was available to award.

“Last year, there was $86.3 million in research expenditures from competitively awarded grants and contracts across the university system, which was a new record high,” Johnson said. “By conservative estimates, that spending had a $124.3 million economic impact in South Dakota,” he said.

This is the sixth consecutive year that the state has financially supported grant awards to build higher levels of competitive research at the six public universities. Gov. Mike Rounds’ 2010 Initiative has placed a strong emphasis on the role university research plays in South Dakota’s economic development. Along with the competitive grants announced today, other strategies to increase university-based research in South Dakota include the creation of 2010 research centers and new doctoral programs in the sciences, engineering, and technology.

2010 Competitive Research Grant Program

These are the seven faculty members who received a Competitive Research Grant, their department, research topic, and summary of funds awarded:

Black Hills State University

· Dan Durben, Science – “The Efficacy of Hops (Humulus lupulus) to Control Saprolegnia Fungal Infections on Salmonid Eggs” (Grant award: $43,309; University match: $64,984)

· David J. Bergmann, Science – “Metagenomic Analysis of Drainage and Service Water in the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) at the Homestake Mine” (Grant award: $80,200; University match: $80,200)

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

· Kenneth M. Benjamin, Chemical and Biological Engineering – “Molecular Investigation of Adsorption During Nickel-Catalyzed Supercritical Water Gasification for Bioenergy and Biofuels” (Grant award: $44,645; University match: $44,645)

South Dakota State University

· Adam D. Hoppe, Chemistry and Biochemistry – “Development of High-Resolution Imaging of Receptor Signaling Complexes on the Surfaces of Living Cells” (Grant award: $93,271; University match: $93,379)

· Hemachand Tummala, Pharmaceutical Sciences – “Characterization of a Novel Drug Target for Alzheimer’s Disease” (Grant award: $96,926; University match: $98,978)

The University of South Dakota

· Carlos M. Telleria, Basic Biomedical Sciences – “Enhancement of the Lethality of Platinum-Based Therapy by Antiprogestins in Ovarian Cancer: Preclinical Studies Using Animal Models Resembling Disease Initiation, Progression and Metastasis” (Grant award: $85,000; University match: $85,000)

· Ying Deng, Biomedical Engineering Program – “Development of Biomimetic Nanofibrous Scaffold for Annulus Fibrosus Engineering” (Grant award: $85,000; University match: $100,008)

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