Blue Horizons
" t_ T Y" ·*, `·     · agi J; ._,e,‘f'·"M ` T " · V- `. "· __·’{*»¢¥ jr. jg;    , · "  `
• • •
Research fundmg tops $300 mrllron
For the Hrst time, the University of Kentucky’s research awards “ In these tough economic times, the things that will push UK
broke the $300 million mark. Grants and contracts received closer to Top 20 status remain the same — great people, new facil-
through the UK Research Foundation for Hscal year 2010 (july 1, ities and leading-edge technology. UK is using these funds to ad-
2009, through ]une 30, 2010) totaled $337,623,982. This was a vance its Top 20 research agenda, to attract excellent faculty, and
31.5 percent increase over last year’s $256,740,712. train the next generation of scholars and scientists? said UK Vice
The biggest gains came in the federal funding arena. UK faculty President for Research ]ames W Tracy.
and staff successfully competed for $227,084,369 in federal grants (As excited as I am about the data, I am more excited about what
and contracts. Stimulus dollars, from the American Recovery and this funding means to Kentucky’s economy. Most of those dollars
Reinvestment Act of 2009, made up $64.5 million ofthe federal come from out-of-state sources, providing a major boost to the
funding total. Commonwealth’s economy? said UK President Lee T. Todd ]r.
Home-grown energy from Small animal MRI scanner
Kentucky’s ma rgmal Ia nds will further medrcal research
UK researchers Seth DeBolt, in the Department of Horticulture, The National Institute for
and Michael Montross, in the Department of Biosystems and Agri- Research Resources, part of V
cultural Engineering, have found about 20 percent ofthe state’s land the National Institutes of ‘ I  T
is underutilized, which is twice the global average. Using this land to I·Iealth, has awarded $3.2 { [ ,7,:,  ·’  la 
produce bioenergy crops could help the state become more energy million in American Recov- lt }   K ` ~¤_ rr
independent. ery and Reinvestment Act of y      o  '
A total of 4.69 million acres of agricultural land was not used for 2009 funding to the Univer- ` ~   ` ~ xi w r  
food production and 740,000 acres of mined lands exist in the state. sity of Kentucky for the pur- To r all 
Growing native grasses, such as eastern gamagrass, switch grass and chase and installation of a K
big bluestem for bioenergy on this land could meet 17.2 percent of high-Held small animal MRI. The scanner will be available to re-
the state’s energy needs and ultimately help the state become more en- searchers in April 201 1.
ergy independent. The state-of-the art 7 Tesla Bruker ClinScan instrument will be
Calculations for the land’s potential for bioenergy crops were based housed in the UK Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy
on average yields from seven years of other ongoing bioenergy studies Center. The scanner will be exclusively dedicated to animal re-
at the university By performing a thorough life cycle assessment, they search. It will offer the UK research community unique noninva-
were able to determine that the bioenergy produced by crops ex- sive imaging capabilities, including superior spatial and temporal
ceeded the amount of energy needed to produce them. resolution not achievable with existing instruments. Planned re-
search includes:
• • Measurin the brain and s inal cord’s res onse to, and recov-
  p   Cfy l'_IOH1,§ VHITCAEY OEPCITPTLCIHT CXPC[TIH§)I’1[Hl TI’1jL1[lCS.
a ncignt E ng |  gh ma n u scr] pt • In vivo imaging of tissue implants and axon regrowth.
_ _ _ _ • Serial monitoring of important indices of cerebral anatomy
with thc help OT thc UK Center TOT Visualization? UK PTO- • Stud in the effects of metham hetamine abuse and ethanol
fessor William Endres, in the College ofArts and Sciences, . lg g 1 P
traveled to Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire, England, to Wit _ {awa _ _
make digital copies ofthe St. Chad Gospels, written in Latin ° In VIVO Chailctcmzauon Or-tumor growth and response to
about 725, as well as a Wycliffe New Testament, illegally Ucatmcat O Prostate Cancer _ _ _
Copied in 1410, • Evaluating the. anatomy, perfusion, Ca2+ influx, metabolism,
Endres and his UK crew were joined by a National Geo- funcuom and Infarction Ora mouse heart
graphic film crew. “The timing just worked out perfect? he ° Imaging ortho rar orbital to srudY thc sPeCrar role ormrro’
said. " This it an amazing opportunity? ¤h<>¤dri¤ i¤ em <>¢¤r¤r musdc
The UK crew was able to digitize both texts during the trip • Evaluating the temporal development of an aneurysm
using an advanced multispectral scanning process, and work
has begun on the forthcoming National Geographic series. Compiled from r‘eWs reports
“Digitization will allow greater access to the manuscripts for about research at UK·
research that wouldn’t have otherwise happened? said Endres. FOV mvfe i¤f¤fm3Yi¤¤ about
“There’s HO Way tO stop time, but after this trip, We will have research taking place ar UK,
what the pages looked like in 2010 — forever? V'$'r WWW·re$earCh·uky·edu
www.uka|umni.net 11