In FY 2003, NSF provided 184 awards totaling approximately $34 million to 11 institutions in the state of Utah.
Institutions that received NSF support in FY 2003 include Brigham Young University, DOSECC Inc., Utah State University, Four Corners School, Motion Control, Inc., and Space Environmental Corp.
Cross-Disciplinary Research Training in Mathematical Biology — An NSF IGERT award to the University of Utah supports the development of a graduate program of cross-disciplinary research and training in mathematical biology. The goal of the program is to give students a solid training in core mathematics and genuine expertise in an area of contemporary biology. Students will be recruited from a broad spectrum of mathematical, scientific, and cultural backgrounds. Graduates of this program will receive Ph.D.'s in mathematics, but by virtue of their broad-based training will be able to contribute to research efforts in numerous academic and industrial settings. A unique feature of this research and training program will be the establishment of special interest groups led by one or more faculty members with activities that include discussion of research problems, discussion of recent seminars, formal and informal talks about recent papers, student presented talks on background literature, etc.
Integrating and Extending the Instructional Architect: An Instructional Service for NSDL — This project at Utah State University has three objectives: 1) integration of Instructional Architect within the National STEME Digital Library (NSDL) core integration system; 2) extensions to Instructional Architect including support for sharing instructional products; and 3) extended dissemination, sustainability, and evaluation of Instructional Architect. The project includes a series of workshops for pre-service and in-service teachers and school library media specialists consisting of an intensive introduction to NSDL and the Instructional Architect followed by in-depth project and implementation work.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site for Physics — The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Brigham Young University hosts a 10-week summer research program for undergraduates (REU) for 11 undergraduates who are interested in working on physics and astronomy research projects with professors in the department. Research areas include computational and experimental plasma physics, high-power laser physics, X-ray and extreme ultraviolet sources and optics, observational astronomy, acoustics, nanotechnology, experimental and computational condensed matter physics, the manipulation of atoms with lasers, and solar energy. Participants receive training in computation, vacuum techniques, electronics, laser diagnostics, etc. and will also have an opportunity to develop their presentation skills as they report on their work to other students involved in summer research.
Small Business Innovation Research — An NSF SBIR award to Ceramatec supports the development of a ceramic hydrogen fuel appliance using ceramic micro-reactor modules (CMMs) in a low-cost, net-shape manufacturing process. The new material developed as demonstrated excellent capability for cost-effective micro-fabrication of ceramic components with sub-micrometer precision. Further, it has good materials properties, including very high component surface area and thermochemical stability to temperatures as high as 1000 degrees C, which make it an ideal material for fabrication of CMMs. The commercial and broader impacts of this technology will be as hydrocarbon fuel reformers that supply hydrogen to fuel cells used as auxiliary power units onboard automobiles, trucks, etc.
