News Release

Record in research dollars: UH receives $12.3 million in November

Grant and Award Announcement

University of Houston

Research into language development of spanish-speaking children one project to receive additional funds

HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2001 – A record $12.3 million in research grants was received at the University of Houston in November, the largest one-month total in the institution’s 75-year history.

Research funds for new and continuing projects received at the university during the first quarter of fiscal year 2002 totaled nearly $23 million, a 75 percent increase over the average of UH awards received during the same period of the previous three years. For the entire fiscal year 2001, the University of Houston received $53.1 million for research from outside sources.

One project that received part of its funding in November focuses on the biological and behavioral variations in the language development of Spanish-speaking children.

“The goal of this four-year project and the parent grant it supports is to understand the challenges in educating children whose primary language is Spanish,” said David Francis, UH professor of psychology and the lead investigator on the project. “The aim is to understand how schools help Spanish-speaking children achieve optimal educational outcomes and the important roles that language plays in these outcomes.”

Francis received $2 million in November from the U.S. Department of Education for a portion of the multi-year, multi-phase study, which will include working closely with children from kindergarten through third grade and their teachers.

Other examples of UH research grants whose funds were received in November, and their principal investigators, are:

  • “Research and Evaluation of the Texas Tobacco Prevention and Control Initiative,” $368,199 from the Texas Department of Health – Phyllis L. Gingiss, professor of health and human performance.
  • “Drug Design For Treating Opportunistic Infection in AIDS,” $507,169 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – Kurt Krause, associate professor of biochemical and biophysical sciences.
  • “Biodegradation of Synthetic Drilling Mud Base Fluids in the Gulf of Mexico Sediments,” $328,492 from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service – Deborah Roberts, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and David Herman, research assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering.
  • “TEKS Implementation Support System for Technology Education,” $235,000 from the Texas Education Agency – John W. Hansen, associate dean, College of Technology.

Sources of the research funds are federal, state, local and private agencies, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“These grants demonstrate the significance of the research projects being developed by our faculty who are studying key areas that could have a major impact on our society and could support the economy in areas such as education, the environment, biotechnology, health and medicine, and technological advancement,” said Arthur K Smith, UH System Chancellor and UH President. “The success we’ve had this quarter securing funding sources for UH-based research efforts, particularly in November, is hard evidence that our Tier One effort is on the right track.

“Also, the grants validate the support we received from our state lawmakers earlier this year who backed our call to establish the Texas Excellence Fund during the last legislative session.”

The Texas Excellence Fund – approved by the state legislature last spring – provided UH nearly $6 million this fiscal year to support faculty and academic infrastructure needs. About $33.7 million was allocated by lawmakers for the Texas Excellence Fund in an effort to increase the number of top-ranked research universities in Texas.

In addition to the Texas Excellence Fund allocation, UH is utilizing other funding sources to upgrade its classroom and research facilities in its campaign to join the ranks of the nation’s top research institutions. Last May, the state legislature approved tuition revenue bonds to fund a new $51 million science, engineering and classroom building on the UH main campus. And in November, the UH System Board of Regents gave the go-ahead to a $39 million expansion of the campus’s M.D. Anderson Library.

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About the University of Houston

The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 32,000 students.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.


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