Welcome to Arkansas EPSCoR

Announcements

EPSCoR: Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

Arkansas EPSCoR is a program of the Arkansas Science & Technology Authority (Authority). This program supports the various EPSCoR and EPSCoR-like programs available for Arkansas researchers, coordinates the activities of the Arkansas EPSCoR committee, and directly manages the state's NSF EPSCoR Program. Through outreach efforts, the Arkansas EPSCoR program and the Authority strive to enhance science and technology education and strengthen the STEM career pipeline.

Program Description
EPSCoR attempts to increase federally supported research in Arkansas institutions of higher education. EPSCoR's goal is to bring Arkansas' science and engineering research to nationally and internationally competitive levels. Guided by an advisory committee to the Authority's Board of Directors, the project is also charged with planning and implementing an effort that would increase federally supported research at colleges and universities.

Eligible Users
The National Science Foundation (NSF) established the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) in response to congressional concerns about geographical inequities in the distribution of federal research and development dollars. Currently, 25 states U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are eligible to participate in the program. Other federal agencies having EPSCoR or EPSCoR-like programs are the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Institutes of Health.

Goals
The goal of EPSCoR is to increase federally supported research in Arkansas by: (1) increasing the number of scientists in both academia and the private sector, (2) promoting a climate that facilitates the ability of scientists in Arkansas to compete for federally funded research grants, (3) promoting interdisciplinary research both within and between academic institutions and the private sector; and (4) emphasizing improved science, engineering, and mathematics education.

Most EPSCoR programs require cost sharing by the state. Matching funds are appropriated to the Authority to fund portions or all of the cost share. Remaining matching funds are provided through public or private sources.

Current EPSCoR Advisory Committee
Click here for a listing of members on the current Authority EPSCoR Advisory Committee.

Engaging America’s Talent Conference
March 22 – 24, 2010
Peabody Hotel, Little Rock, AR

Arkansas EPSCoR cordially invites you to attend the Engaging America’s Talent Conference which has been scheduled for March 22 – 24, 2010. The conference is funded by the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Program.

This conference will bring together educational coordinators and other leadership personnel from EPSCoR jurisdictions and other national leaders from model programs to share information related to successful educational outreach models occurring across the United States, to increase collaborations among states related to STEM educational efforts, and to explore ways to develop a well-prepared, STEM-enabled workforce.

The goal of the meeting is to share educational models that have been exceptionally successful in order to stimulate creative thought and development of, or even simply enhancement of, educational outreach programs that will address the unique needs of the diverse regions.
The conference will address three overarching themes:

Age Specific Educational Models
Successful Models with Strong Integrated Research
Technology or Special Resources Enhancing Outreach

Other important objectives of the conference will be: 1) strategies for engaging students from underrepresented populations as an untapped talent pool, 2) increasing the curriculum content or resources of teachers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics STEM education; and 3) engaging more US students in STEM careers as the necessary STEM-enabled workforce and the innovative talent for our future.

P3 Researcher’s Work Sprouts interest From the Economist.

Experiments by UALR P3 Center scientists Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya has drawn the attention of The Economist, the authoritative weekly newspaper focusing on international politics and business news and opinion.

Robotics In the Nov. 5 print and online edition of the prestigious British-based publication, a story in the Science and Technology section – “Seeding the Seeds” – describes Khodakovskaya’s cutting-edge research, a process that makes seedlings grow faster and larger. Dr. Khodakovskaya has multiple funding including two EPSCoR ASSET Initiative Seed Grants for research involving tomato metabolic pathways.
To read the article, click here.

Communicating Science at the 2009 NSF EPSoR Annual Conference

In early October, over one hundred researchers and communications professionals from around the state convened at the Doubletree Hotel in Little Rock for a series of special workshops focused on “communicating science.”

The workshop, being held in conjunction with the concurrent 2009 Arkansas NSF EPSCoR Annual Conference and the Arkansas Association of Public Universities (AAPU) Conference, was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of EPSCoR, the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (OLPA) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). (more)

College Students Declared Winners at Conference’s Yearly Poster Competition.

Robotics During the second day of the 2009 NSF EPSoR Annual Conference, Arkansas college students convened at the Doubletree hotel to take part in the annual poster competition highlighting summaries of their work to be judged by science specialists from across the state. Later in the day, Governor Mike Beebe congratulated each of the winners, shaking hands with them on stage prior to his noon day address.

Winners from the WiNS center included undergraduates Alexandra Anghelescu, Andrew Shepherd and Andrew Hayes of UALR, and Lauren Kegley with the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville.

UALR Graduate student Rabindra Ghimire was awarded for his poster project for the WiNS Center, while fellow UALR graduate students Jing Zhang, and Karishka Silva were awarded for their P3 poster displays. (more)

Events

WiNS Center Symposium on New Frontiers of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Informatics

Nanotechnology	Arkansas ASSET Initiative In keeping with Arkansas' Science and Technology strategies, our current NSF EPSCoR RII-Track 1 award has established the Arkansas ASSET Initiative (Advancing and Supporting Science, Engineering and Technology). Read More >.
Biotechnology