Earmark funding expands, embellishes research at CELS

By RUDI HEMPE
CELS News Editor & Reporter

In this political year, earmark funding proposed by Congress and the Administration has received a lot of criticism and while many of the funds are used by what some critics perceive as frivolous projects, most of the funding is used for serious research across the nation.

Such is the case at URI where the College of the Environment and Life Sciences has been the beneficiary of funds in 2003, 2004 and 2005, for a variety of research projects in areas ranging from horticulture to aquaculture.

The 2005 earmark appropriation brought $571,333 to further biotechnology endeavors and $133,342 to help unravel the complexities of vector-borne diseases. In addition $282,839 was received to improve a variety of horticultural programs and facilities

The biotechnology and vector-borne disease funding allowed CELS to hire post-doctoral fellows, or “post-docs,” to initiate and/or continue basic research into some of the problems that beset society and have adverse effects on the economy. Without the funding provided by Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation, much of the research that has been accomplished in the last three years would not have happened.

Of course, the earmark funding involves more than just money and projects—it involves some very interesting people some of whom were able to come to URI from around the world.

Follow these links to meet some of the post-docs who were able to come to URI and assist faculty members working on some of the most complex scientific problems.

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