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Session 2526

Establishing and Managing Multi-Disciplinary Research and Engineering at Small Universities

Kelvin K. Kirby Electrical Engineering Department Prairie View A&M University Prairie View, Texas 77446-0397

Abstract

The technological requirements of the 21st century will often be satisfied through the concept of multi-disciplinary research. Multi-disciplinary research is often the impetus that moves science, engineering and technology forward to facilitate system solutions. A common approach to establishing and sustaining multi-disciplinary research at small and minority universities is through a Multi-disciplinary Research Center (MDRC). The general mission of the MDRC is to: Conduct research in the sciences; Develop technologies and evaluation procedures; Resolve technical and human problems; or Assess the impact of various conditions on life, materials, systems or the environment. Centers also provide various research bases, which are carried through engineering implementation. The first step of establishing a MDRC is to identify a “funding source” with needs in the various areas of local expertise. The second step is to propose a center foundation or organization upon which to build the MDRC infrastructure. Constructing the foundation of an organization, which will convince the funding source of likely success is very important. As with forming any organization, one must consider the political, functional and operational environments concerning the mission, goals and objectives. The leadership traits of the center director must be well communicated throughout the Office of the Director, fostering participatory management and accountability. The strategies used to establish and sustain the NASA- Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) Center for Applied Radiation Research (CARR), an $11.5M, five-year endeavor are provided.

Section One: Establishing and Managing Multi-disciplinary Research and Engineering

Background

The NASA-PVAMU CARR was established through the competitive process to address the tasks, missions and technological needs of NASA in the areas of radiation research. The CARR was awarded $11.5M over a ten-year period to meet the mission needs of NASA and to develop a broad-based radiation research infrastructure at a small university. In addition, the CARR mission included the development of mechanisms for increased participation by faculty and students of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in mainstream research and to increase the production of underrepresented minorities who are U.S. citizens with advanced degrees in NASA-related fields. The concept of developing a research

“Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Kirby, K. (2003, June), Establishing And Managing Multidisciplinary Research And Engineering At Small Universities Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--11581