UMD Invests Over $10M in Research Equipment to Drive Discovery, Innovation
The University of Maryland is making a major investment to obtain the most technologically advanced equipment on campus for a broad range of research areas, from neuroimaging to next-generation quantum materials.
The investment of more than $10 million was made possible by the UMD Research Instrumentation Fund, launched in March and co-led by Interim Senior Vice President and Provost Ann G. Wylie and Vice President for Research Laurie E. Locascio, in partnership with President Darryll J. Pines. The program was created to support faculty and core facilities through significant investments to replace or upgrade research equipment.
“The Research Instrumentation Fund awards will help catalyze new growth across the research enterprise and provide meaningful opportunities for education and engagement of students, researchers, and partners,” said Pines. “This significant investment in state-of-the-art equipment will further increase the impact of our research.”
A distinguished scientific peer review panel assessed faculty proposals, and based upon these assessments, over $5 million in grants was awarded for new and upgraded equipment. The awards cover 50% of the cost of the research instrumentation, with matching funds contributed by each applicant’s department or college covering the balance of more than $5 million. Researchers from across campus will benefit from the new and upgraded equipment.
The following equipment investment was supported by the Research Instrumentation Fund awards:
Upgrading the MRI in the Maryland Neuroimaging Center
Elizabeth Quinlan, Professor of Biology & Director of the Brain and Behavior Institute, College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Gregory Ball, Professor of Psychology & Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
The upgrade to the magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) equipment at the Maryland Neuroimaging Center will substantially enhance UMD research programs, allowing expansion in new directions currently not possible. The hardware improvements will substantially improve both spatial and temporal resolution of the imaging. With a current user base of eight laboratories across multiple colleges (including CMNS, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, the College of Education, the Clark School and the School of Public Health), improving these MRI capabilities will allow UMD to engage in national collaborations and longitudinal research studies related to brain and behavioral development.
“The upgrade will immediately enhance MR image quality, and advance all neuroscience research by Brain and Behavior Institute faculty who perform human brain imaging,” Quinlan said.
