myUTSAUTSA TodayVisitDirectorySearch
myUTSAUTSA TodayVisitDirectorySearch

Electrical and Computer EngineeringElectrical and Computer Engineering

  • Programs
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate
  • Students
    • Undergraduate Students
    • Graduate Students
    • Forms for Students
    • Our Alumni’s Success
  • Faculty & Staff
    • NSF CAREER Awardees
  • Research
    • Faculty Research Areas
    • Undergraduate Research
  • Contact
    • Department Information
  • News & Announcements
    • ECE Faculty Openings
    • Elements Magazine
    • ECE Video & Demo Gallery
UTSA CEID
 January 26, 2023

Research at UTSA: Year in Review

Research at UTSA: Year in Review

by utsaengineer / Wednesday, 07 February 2018 / Published in Biomedical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, COE Announcements, Electrical and Computer Engineering, General, News, UTSA COE

In fiscal year 2016-2017, UTSA grew its institutional research portfolio, engaged more students, and built partnerships with industry and government to expand funded research. As a result, the 2017 fiscal year final research numbers have been the highest to date in UTSA’s history.

Total research expenditures increased from US $56.8 million in FY 2016 to US $68.1 million in FY 2017, an uptick of 19.9 percent. The university’s restricted research expenditures grew from US $36.4 million in FY 2016 to US $40.1 million in FY 2017. This growth will help UTSA move closer toward becoming recognized as a research intensive (R1) university, as measured by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and meeting eligibility for Texas’ National Research University Fund (NRUF).

UTSA researchers received substantial federal grants in many fields including cybersecurity – establishing the CREST Center for Security and Privacy Enhanced Cloud Computing (C-SPECC) – brain health, mechanical engineering, chemistry, drug discovery, neuroscience, infectious diseases and student success initiatives. In total, 361 new awards were given in FY 2016-2017, worth $75.8 million. Two new research centers were created: the Autism Research Center (ARC), dedicated to autism analysis, assessment and treatment and, more recently, the Center for Community Based and Applied Health Research.

“The research enterprise at UTSA has grown tremendously due to the collaborative nature of our colleges, our deans and our associate deans of research. They work together to support our faculty in growing their research portfolios, and engage more faculty and students in research activities,” said Bernard Arulanandam, UTSA interim vice president for research.

The university’s federal partnerships significantly strengthened with the opening of the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Cyber South office at UTSA. With funding from the San Antonio Life Sciences Institute (SALSI), military health research and training were supported by UTSA and UT Health – San Antonio, working with the San Antonio Military Health System (SAMHS) and the Uniformed Services University Health Sciences Center (USUHSC). That research resulted in collaborative seed programs, extramural grant applications/awards, conferences and joint professional development opportunities. With 179 abstracts submitted, 65 podium presentations and 125 poster presentations, the fourth annual SURF conference brought more than 500 researchers from the region to the UTSA campus to share research and build new partnerships.

Facilitated by a strategic alliance of the university’s deans, Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Research, UTSA recruited faculty members who are nationally recognized in key research areas of cybersecurity and brain health, including the new Semmes Foundation Chair in Cell Biology. The UTSA Academy of Distinguished Researchers also added two new members – Drs. Anson Joo Ong and Jose Lopez-Ribot – this past year, bringing the total number to 15 faculty researchers, and launched an annual lecture.

The Office of Research Support (ORS) continued to deliver a robust slate of research support and faculty development activities. In collaboration with UTSA Teaching and Learning Services, The New Faculty Institute was launched to provide new faculty introduction to UTSA’s teaching and research culture, share institutional resources and best practices and promote collaboration. In FY17, ORS gave 46 research awards totaling $712,392 to support research on campus. As of December 1, 2017, UTSA institutional seed grants are open for application and UTSA faculty members are encouraged to apply. At the annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Showcase, over 500 attended with 138 students presenting, and 31 posters being recognized as “Best in Show”. The first volume of the Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Works (JURSW) was published.

The Office of Commercialization and Innovation (OCI), continued to expand UTSA’s commercialization programs, build partnerships with industry and the grow the innovation ecosystem. The number of NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) teams participating at the national level doubled over the previous two years combined, with six teams advancing to further refine their business models for their new technologies, putting UTSA in the top 6 percent of participating institutions. In FY 17, OCI received 62 new technology disclosures, a 17 percent increase in disclosures from the previous year. UTSA mechanical engineer Bing Dong was named the 2017 UTSA Innovator of the Year, in recognition of his drive to develop and launch the startup Leaptran in order to provide a way to make buildings more energy efficient and responsive to their occupants. An additional 29 other UTSA researchers were recognized for their patents, licenses and I-Corps participation. Electrical engineer David Akopian was UTSA’s latest inductee to the National Academy of Inventors (2016). He joins UTSA President Taylor Eighmy (2013) and Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs C. Mauli Agrawal (2015).

Working with the Office of International Programs, the UTSA Office of the Vice President for Research is expanding research opportunities for faculty and students through strategic connections with key international institutions. In November 2017, UTSA and Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish collaboration activities and facilitate long-term academic and economic cooperation between both institutions. In October 2017, UTSA signed a MOU with Technical University-Darmstadt in Germany, a key component of a greater cultural mission between the City of San Antonio and the City of Darmstadt to build cultural and educational bridges through a sister cities agreement.

Categories

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Chemical Announcements
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • COE Announcements
  • Electrical & Computer Announcements
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • General
  • Mechanical Announcements
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • News
  • Uncategorized
  • UTSA COE

Recent Posts

  • Open Faculty Positions in Hardware Security, Robotics, Bioinformatics, and Artificial Intelligence. Apply today!

    Faculty Positions in ECE Department at UTSA The...
  • Undergraduate Opportunity: On-Campus Research in Electronic Materials — Apply today!

    Applications are still open for undergraduate s...
  • Open Position in Power/Energy Systems

    Faculty Positions in Power/Energy Systems in El...
  • Engineering Alumnus Secures $25,000 Investmnet

    Alt-Bionics, founded by UTSA alumnus Ryan Saave...
  • Engineering Alumnus Secures $25,000 Investmnet

    Alt-Bionics, founded by UTSA alumnus Ryan Saave...

Archives

  • October 2022
  • March 2022
  • October 2021
  • April 2021
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Building: Biotechnology Science and Engineering Building (BSE), Room 1.500

One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, TX 78249

Phone: 210-458-6482
Fax: 210-458-6475

Contact COE Webmaster:  coe@utsa.edu

UTSA Mission
The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property – for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA Vision
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

Departmental Job Openings

© 2021 The University of Texas at San Antonio | One UTSA Circle San Antonio, TX 78249 | Information 210-458-4011
Campus Alerts | Jobs | Required Links | Policies | UT System | Report Fraud
Produced by University Communications and Marketing

TOP