This project will enhance the research infrastructure in the state of South Carolina's three major academic research institutions. The three universities will focus on faculty development activities through the recruitment of thirteen tenure-track positions. The University of South Carolina will diversify their core of nanoscience faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry with six of seven new hires to be made outside the department in the areas of nanobiology and nanoscale photonics, electronics, and chemical engineering. The Medical University of South Carolina plans to transition their Signal Transduction program into new related areas by making four new hires in the area of molecular and cellular basis of neuroplasticity. Clemson University will initiate a materials based biotechnology program by integrating the materials science and engineering strengths within their College of Engineering and Science and the biotechnology strengths within their College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences through the addition of two new faculty in cell biology and tissue engineering. In addition, the project will support initiatives involving collaborative research with minority institutions, summer research programs for undergraduates, teachers and high school students, and industrial research traineeships for graduate students.
The state's strategy to effect infrastructure improvements has as its goal the establishment of specialized centers of research, poised to compete nationally, in partnership with other institutions or the private sector, for individual investigator proposals, program projects, shared instrumentation, research training awards, and center grants. The state's goal is consistent with the NSF EPSCoR program goal to increase the national competitiveness of the researchers in the EPSCoR states.
