Research under way at West Virginia University is among several projects singled out as examples of the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act one year after its launch.

Curt Peterson, WVU vice president for research and economic development, recounts the the story of ARRA-funded research that is helping Hoda GangaRao in the College of Engineering and Mineral Industries find better ways to rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure while reducing carbon emissions and increasing West Virginia jobs.

The stories were sought by ScienceWorksForUS, a coalition of the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, and the Science Coalition and more than 160 public and private U.S. research universities.

“ARRA has enhanced a wide range of WVU research priorities that can lead to innovation and job creation from probing the dynamics of star systems and verifying the reliability of software product lines to finding more effective ways of using geothermal energy, and improving energy efficiency in the region’s manufacturing facilities,” Peterson writes.

“Here’s a specific example: crumbling bridges and deteriorating highways are giving America an infrastructure headache. But thanks to ARRA, WVU researchers, in cooperation with other universities, are cooking up a remedy that can not only restore the vitality of the structures we depend upon every day but also lower carbon emissions and create new jobs,” Peterson says.

Peterson said it was an honor for the WVU project to be incorporated into the report. Peterson’s report is available at http://www.scienceworksforus.org/west-virginia/west-virginia-university-vice-president-of-research-and-economic-development-curt-m-peterson-comments-on-anniversary-of-the-recovery-act .

ScienceWorksForUS information is available at http://www.scienceworksforus.org/

-WVU-

gg/03/05/10

CONTACT: Gerrill Griffith, Research Corp.
304-293-3743, Gerrill.Griffith@mail.wvu.edu

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