Division of Biology Programmatic Priorities

due to the Dean, Arts and Sciences, April 14, 2006

from Brian S. Spooner, Ph.D. University Distinguished Professor and Director

 

 

The KSU Division of Biology, a Commitment to Excellence in:

    •Research and Graduate Education;

    •Undergraduate Teaching and Research;

    •Professional and Community Service and Outreach

 

With generic overarching programmatic priorities in:

      •Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

      •Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

 

And specific programmatic priorities that include:

            •Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology of Grasslands

            •Evolution, Phylogeny, and Systematics

            •Biodiversity, Conservation and Wildlife Biology

            •Ecological Genomics

            •Lipidomics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics

            •Developmental Genetics and Cell Biology

            •Pathogenesis and Innate Immunity

            •Undergraduate Research Mentoring

 

The Division of Biology is the leading unit at Kansas State University by virtually all criteria of excellence in teaching and research.  Our faculty members include recipients of virtually all instructional and research recognition on the campus, and, collectively, bring an average of about $10 million in extramural, competitive, funding, annually, to the institution. 

 

The programmatic priorities listed above are areas where we already make major impacts in research and graduate education, and each involves multiple faculty programs within the division, and interdepartmental, inter-college, inter-institutional, and interdisciplinary collaborations outside the division.  We function as a collaborative, no-barriers, unit, and the programs listed above benefit from that approach, with major funding and visibility through federal grants, leadership in NSF-EPSCoR programs, NIH-KINBRE programs, and KSU Targeted Excellence initiatives. 

 

This approach and success includes Undergraduate Research Mentoring where we have achieved major funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NSF-Research Experiences for Undergraduates, and NIH-KINBRE for our highly recognized programs of undergraduates participating in ongoing research programs with faculty mentors.

 

Our goal is to move these successes to a higher level by increasing our research productivity, recognition and impact on the scientific community, through dramatic increases in extramural funding, achievements, publications, presence and honors.  This will benefit Kansas State University visibility and rankings as well, both tangibly, by increasing our extramural funding from an average of $10M per year to $15M per year within 5 years, and indirectly, by the fact of our increasing reputation.