School of Mines researchers and professors received nearly $500,000 in research and development funding during August 2007. The awards are funding research in departments across campus. Some research is basic, and is designed to create new knowledge or to add to the literature on a given topic. Other research is applied, and is meant to produce real-world products. The School of Mines has placed an emphasis on applied research to benefit the state, region and nation.
The School of Mines, an engineering and science university in Rapid City, is home to several research institutions and centers, and plans are underway to expand the number of graduate degrees and to enhance the technology-transfer process.
The School of Mines boasts a solid research program. During the 2007 fiscal year, researchers and professors received more than $17.1 million in 72 awards from federal and state agencies, from corporations and from direct Congressional appropriations. Since 2001, the School of Mines has received nearly $80 million in Congressional appropriations for research and development.
The August award highlights:
Dr. Scott Ahrenkiel, assistant professor, nanoscience and nanoengineering, received $23,361 from the South Dakota Board of Regents for the project, "Growth Kinetics During Recrystallization of Amorphous Silicon."
Dr. Sookie Bang, professor, chemical and biological engineering and interim director, Center for Bioprocessing Research and Development, and Dr. Sangchul Bang, professor, civil and environmental engineering, received $12,500 from the National Science Foundation for the project, "Microbial Dust Suppression."
Dr. Andrew Detwiler, professor, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, received $22,480 in additional funding from the National Science Foundation for the project, "Intergovernmental Personnel Act Associate Program Manager Assignment to National Science Foundation."
Dr. Andre Petukhov, professor and chair, physics, received $30,000 from NASA for the project, "Studies of Spin-Charge Conversion in SI: LI Quantum Computing System."
Dr. Lance Roberts, assistant professor, civil and environmental engineering, received $20,944 from the South Dakota Board of Regents for the project, "Reliability-Based Design Methodologies for Foundation Systems in Transportation Infrastructure." Roberts also received $10,000 from The Judy Company, Inc., for the project "Optimizing Soldier Piles for Excavation Shoring."
Dr. Steve Smith, associate professor, nanoscience and nanoengineering, received $300,000 from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the project, "Development of Super Resolution Optical Microscopy Techniques for Visualization of Plant Cellular and Cellulose Enzyme Activity."
Dr. Michael Terry, assistant professor, geology and geological engineering, received $42,144 from the Capella Resources Ltd. Nevada Exploration Office for the project, "Structural Analysis of the Tinton Project Area and the Age of Gold Mobilization in the Homestake Deposit, Northern Black Hills of South Dakota."
Dr. Zhengtao Zhu, assistant professor, chemistry, received $40,000 from the American Chemical Society – Petroleum Research Fund for the project, "Charge Transfer and Charge Transport in Nanofibers of Conjugated Polymer."