March 29, 2011 - 8:11pm
Effects of stimulus money on scientific research evaluated on ARRA's first anniversary
BY NICOLE ABER
One year after the Obama administration passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, many people are recounting where the federal dollars went and what developments came out of those funds.
In a report released today by ScienceWorksForUs — an organization that unites more than 200 colleges and universities throughout the country in advocating for federal funding for scientific research — titled “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act One Year Later: Examples of Recovery Act-Funded Research Advancing Science, Aiding the Economy, and Contributing to America’s Prosperous Future,” the University is described as one research university that benefited from the ARRA funding in several areas.
The report describes the University’s receiving $6.8 million in federal stimulus money through the National Institutes of Health grant as a great step in advancing stem cell research at the University.
The report also details the work of the University’s Solar Energy Conversion in Complex Materials Center, which was launched with the help of $19.5 million federal stimulus dollars from the Department of Energy, which was awarded to the University in April of last year. According to an April 29, 2009 Michigan Daily article, 22 University researchers are working through the center to develop new ways to convert sunlight into electricity more efficiently.
In a separate ScienceWorksForUs report released today titled “University Leaders Comment on the Benefits of the Recovery Act,” University President Mary Sue Coleman was quoted as describing the economic benefits that such federal investment in scientific research allows.
“Federal stimulus dollars are allowing the University of Michigan to expand an already-broad research portfolio that touches all aspects of our society,” Coleman said in the report. “Whether engaged in the life sciences, biomedical and engineering projects, or new energy-efficient technologies, researchers are using stimulus support to strengthen our economy and quality of life through discovery and innovation.”
