9553369 Clevenger The University and Community College System of Nevada (UCCSN) will establish the Nevada Teaching and Research - Enhancement and Collaboration (TREC) Program. The TREC Program will increase research capabilities and support within the UCCSN through strengthened interactions between the UCCSN research institutions and the community colleges. The program provides mechanisms to establish collaborative research and scholarly activities between faculty primarily involved in research and those primarily involved in teaching. The TREC Program will enhance community college involvement in Nevada's EPSCoR activities by (1) identifying research programs within the UCCSN which could provide opportunities for collaborative research for community college faculty; (2) identifying research interests and strengths of community college faculty; (3) facilitating the match of community college faculty with appropriate university faculty to do research; and(4) establishing this as an ongoing process over several years so that most research activities would occur during the summer months, but regular professional interaction would occur during the entire year. The TREC Program will strengthen and enhance Nevada's EPSCoR Program by increasing UCCSN Support for building the research base; state budget support for research stimulation; the numbers of professionals within the System involved in the research enterprise; commitment to the development of Nevada's science, engineering, and technology infrastructure through increased research capabilities; the potential for current UCCSN research developments to be reflected in educational programs, thereby enriching these programs; the number of UCCSN faculty involved in research; capabilities within community colleges to meet the educational needs for Nevada's diversifying economy, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and; professional development and renewal activities for community col lege faculty.
