CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gov. Joe Manchin today announced grants to help advance scientific discovery at West Virginia’s colleges and universities. The grants, which total nearly $710,000, were funded competitively through the state’s Research Challenge Fund and the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, and will be administered by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, Division of Science and Research.
In announcing the grants, Manchin noted that scientific research is vital to West Virginia’s future. “These grants are important because they will fund research in our state,” he said. “As we continue to strive to make West Virginia a national leader in science, research, innovation and education, we will be ensuring our success in today’s competitive, knowledge-driven economy.”
He added that the state’s new $50 million “Bucks for Brains” program will not only help attract leading scientists and investigators to West Virginia, but will help the state retain the “best and brightest” of its own promising graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
The grants the governor announced today included Instrumentation Grants to fund scientific equipment for advanced undergraduate laboratories; Innovation Grants for creative improvements in scientific equipment and facilities, curriculum, classroom instruction or delivery; International Innovation Grants to support development of an international component in science, technology, engineering or mathematics programs; and STEM Fellows Grants to fund graduate student fellowships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. A complete list of recipients is attached.
To learn more about scientific research in West Virginia or the state’s Vision 2015 strategic plan for science and technology, visit www.wvresearch.org or call (304) 558-4128.
AWARDS
Instrumentation Grants
Institution Amount Principal Investigator
Concord University $20,000 Dr. Dana Alloway
Concord University $18,618 Dr. Thomas Ford
West Virginia State University $10,000 Dr. Andrew Schedl
Wheeling Jesuit University $14,485 Dr. Bryan Raudenbush
WVU Inst itute of Technology $10,283 Dr. Didem Kivanc-Tureli
West Virginia Wesleyan College $20,000 Dr. Joseph Wiest
Innovation Grants
Institution Amount Principal Investigator
WVU Institute of Technology $39,730 Dr. Ufuk Tureli
West Virginia Wesleyan College $40,000 Dr. Edward Wovchko
International Innovation Grant
Institution Amount Principal Investigator
West Virginia Wesleyan College $36,880 Dr. Luke Huggins
STEM Fellows Grants
Institution Amount Principal Investigator
Marshall University $200,000 Dr. Richard Niles
West Virginia University $300,000 Dr. Peter Gannett