Richard F. Antonak  

     We recognize that excellence in faculty research, scholarship, and creative activity is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a great university, and a vital part of our contribution to the city of Boston and to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We are committed to expanding significantly research and sponsored programs at UMass Boston. In 2006-2007, UMass Boston received 242 awards for a total of $41.8 million—a new record of success. Comparing five-year averages shows the amount awarded UMass Boston increased a remarkable 50.6% between 2003 and 2007.

     The "UMass Boston 2008 Strategic Plan: Retention, Research, Reputation" includes as a goal the increase of awards for research and sponsored programs to $50 million by 2008.  We will realize this goal in large measure by pursuing significant extramural support for both pure and applied interdisciplinary research in three university signature profiles; namely, policy studies, environmental and life sciences, and health disparities. We are also working to lead New England in the education and training of K-12 math and science teachers.

Psychologist Liz Roemer to Lead Study of Anxiety Disorder Treatment

Grant and Sponsored Program Awards Reach New High

Psychologist Alice Carter receives $1.2 million grant from the Autism Speaks Foundation

    
      UMass Boston enjoys an enviable record of sustained achievement in the domain of policy studies and public policy research.  The federal support creating the endowment for the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies is a testament to the excellence of the innovative research of faculty, students, and staff.  Support for the disability policy research of the Institute for Community Inclusion is nearing the $10 million mark.  The Center for Survey Research, established in 1971, is a full-service survey research center with annual extramural support consistently exceeding $3 million. 

    Other foci of policy research are the research institutes and centers, including the Center for Social Development and Education, the Urban Harbors Institute, the Environmental Business and Technology Center, the Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution, and the Mauricio Gastón, the William Joiner, the William Monroe Trotter, and the Asian American Studies institutes.

      UMass Boston scientists are pursuing research that will bring innovation to bear on important environmental and life science challenges.  Faculty and students in green chemistry, an emerging field that eliminates the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design and manufacture of products, are currently working on developing or perfecting hydrogen fuel and solar energy systems, energy storage devices, drug delivery systems, immuno-suppressant pharmaceuticals, anti-cancer compounds, and antibiotics.  Environmental  health scientists are exploring the links between environment and human health in areas such as environmental toxins and the impact of economic development and urbanization on the ecosystem.  Initiatives in translational medicine seek to match patient genomic profiles with specific therapeutic regimes by studying changes in expression of messenger RNA, protein, and small molecule metabolites.  Our observatories, both ocean and terrestrial, are advancing remote sensing technologies that will yield a deeper understanding of the significance of changes happening in the natural world.

    
      In October 2005, NIH awarded a $4.3 million 5-year grant for a Comprehensive Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership (“U56”) between UMass Boston and Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DH/HCC).  UMass Boston is the only public university in New England recognized by NIH as a minority-serving institution.  This grant will support opportunities for minority students to pursue cancer-focused graduate training in diverse fields, collaborative cancer research focused on health disparities in minority populations, and outreach to special populations to redress cancer health disparity services. 

    Health scientists in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences have achieved national recognition for research on exercise and the prevention of heart disease and cancer in minority populations.  A unique partnership with Children’s Hospital Boston was announced in December 2005 to develop a world-class interdisciplinary clinical research, teaching, and service center on the UMass Boston campus that will focus on health disparities and promote health and fitness in youth.

     UMass Boston aspires to lead New England in the education and training of K-12 math and science teachers.  Recently, UMass Boston was selected as the recipient of a 3-year $500,000 award from the NSF under the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program to provide support to students from underrepresented minorities who wish to pursue careers as mathematics and science teachers.  A $12.5M 5-year Math Science Partnership award from the NSF in 2004 supports the Boston Science Partnership between UMass Boston, the Boston Public Schools, and six other institutional partners, including Northeastern and Harvard universities.  This grant supports the development of new science  curricula and laboratory activities and new courses specifically for Boston area science teachers.  The $1.5M NSF funded Watershed-Integrated Science Program and $2.5M NSF funded New England Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence programs bring our science faculty and local public school teachers together to improve the teaching of environmental and marine science.

     
     UMass President Jack Wilson has said that the path to economic development in Massachusetts goes through the research expertise of the UMass campuses.  UMass Boston’s focus on economic development includes the launch of a Venture Development Center (VDC).  By attracting external resources and leveraging the university’s core research facilities and business development expertise, the VDC will build intellectual capital through interdisciplinary and industry research collaborations that correspond with and advance the university’s strategic research priorities and engage faculty and students in innovative partnerships with the business community in Greater Boston and the New England region. 

    Revenue generating analytical and research operations will provide value to tenants and stakeholders, as well as a return on the university’s investment through commercialization, entrepreneurship, and licensing of intellectual property.  The VDC will consider multi-year investments in collaborative entrepreneurial activities of faculty, staff, and students who aspire to turn a promising research concept into a practical business reality.